Global Food_转创国际教育

“Mum, can we go to McDonald’s, please?”

“妈妈，我们去麦当劳，好吗？”

Some people might ask, “Where would we be today if we did not have fast food?” and “Where would parents take their children out to eat?’

有人也许会问，“如果没有快餐店，我们今天该去哪里吃饭呢？家长们又会带孩子到哪儿去吃饭呢？”

It has been reported that approximately 30% of meals consumed by families in the USA are eaten at one of the big chains like Burger King and Taco Bell, though probably none is more famous than McDonald’s. The distinctive “golden arch” can now be seen in most major cities in the world. In 2002, McDonalds had approximately 25,000 restaurants in over 120 countries and served 29 million people a day.

据报道，美国家庭约有30%的食品是在诸如Burger King 和 Taco Bell这样的快餐连锁店消费的。尽管两者都没有麦当劳名气大。在全世界的大多数大城市里都可以看见麦当劳餐厅显眼的金拱标识。2002年，麦当劳在全球120多个国家开设了约25,000家餐厅，每天为2,900万人提供服务。

Apparently, the secret of their success is a marketing strategy of “think global, act local”. McDonald’s learnt that if they adapted their “Mac” meals to different cultures, it was more successful than having a standardized set of products that taste the same everywhere. So now, around 80% of McDonald’s restaurants are franchised to local people who serve food with a “local” flavor. For example, in Hong Kong, food called “Shake Shake Fries” and “Red Bean Sunday” can be found on the menu, while in Switzerland, “Vegi Macs” are served.

显然，麦当劳成功的秘诀是它“思维全球化，产品本土化”的营销战略。麦当劳已知道如果使他们的食品适应不同的饮食习惯，比在哪儿都提供同一味道的标准化产品会获得更大的成功。所以现在大约有80%的麦当劳快餐店的经营权交给了当地人，他们可以提供具有地方风味的食物，例如，香港本地食品“摇摇薯条”和”红豆圣代”出现在当地麦当劳餐厅的菜单上，而在瑞士，你可以买到一种叫‘蔬菜巨无霸（Vegi Macs）’的当地食品。

However, fast food is not popular with everyone. It is often called “junk” food because it is said to be unhealthy and full of fat. Furthermore, many people claim that fast food chains produce enormous amounts of waste, while millions of people in developing countries go hungry. At the same time, more and more people no longer cook fresh food at home. “Convenience” food is just too convenient! It is so easy for people with busy working lives to call into their local branch of Marks and Spencer, or some other supermarket chain, to buy ready-made meals on their way home from work. It is even easier to buy a “take-away” from a local restaurant or pick up the phone and order a pizza to be delivered to your home.

但是，并不是人人都喜欢快餐食品。人们也经常称它们为“垃圾食品”，因为据说这类食品脂肪含量高，不健康。而且，许多人认为当成千上万的发展中国家的人们忍饥挨饿时，快餐连锁店制造了太多的垃圾。同时，越来越多的人们不再在家烹调新鲜的食物。这些“方便”食品真的是太方便了！那些工作繁忙的人在他们下班的途中很容易就可以到象“玛莎超市”的地方分店或诸如此类的超市连锁店买到现成的食品。如果在当地餐馆买外卖食品或打个电话订份比萨饼送到家就更容易了。