A Big Mac? A Caramel Frappuchino? Or shall I go local today…
Growing up, my experiences with international food chains and companies no doubt outnumbered my visits to local Hong Kong restaurants. Perhaps that was due to my circle of friends, my school’s culture, and my family’s beliefs which imbued my life. Rather than being connected to a geographical space, we were linked through values and ideas - a feature of globalisation. I will admit that not immersing myself in the ‘local’ HK culture shaped my generalisation that all local HK restaurants were ‘weaker’ in the face of international competition. I thought, local HK restaurants were shutting down due to the rise of Mcdonalds or Starbucks on the same street. “To be honest, I don’t think there is any direct competition between these two types of businesses.” In my interview with Derrick Yeung, second-generation owner of the Honolulu Cafe, I realised that it was more than a matter of a survival of the fittest. Instead, social pressures, values and political idealism have shaped these two very distinct foodscapes.
There currently are 245 Mcdonalds located in Hong Kong. This number symbolises the perception of wide spread Mcdonalisation across Asia’s world city. Mcdonaldisation is the process by which identical means of food production and distribution dominate many sectors of society (Ritzer, 1993), ensuring that regardless of where one is based, all consumers have the same experience. Same menu, same wrapping, same fries that comes with every Mcdonalds meal.
The success behind Mcdonaldisation partially stems from marketing strategies of glocalisation, where transnational companies alter their business ever-so-slightly to appeal to the tastes of local consumers. Japan’s Matcha Mcflurry and India’s Chicken Maharaja Mac are few of the many strategies of Mcdonald’s glocalisation. Coming up with a new recipe was not just an appeal to taste, but more importantly to conform to religious restrictions in order to increase their chances of acceptance in the local area.
What does it mean to be ‘local’? Rather than being determined through time spent or nationality, I define ‘local’ as originating from a specific geographical area. As Yeung mentioned, “just be authentic and original”, suggesting that to classify as ‘local’, authenticity is key. Whilst localism can be used “as an exclusionary practice” (Davoudi and Madanipour, 2015), it can also be used for grassroot community building thanks to its accessibility to all classes. Additionally, localism aids in the creation of ‘third places’, a safe and comfortable place outside of work and home.
Local restaurants unsurprisingly attract incoming tourists. As Mcdonalds, Starbucks and other large international chains tend to be ‘convenient’ sources of food back in their home country, local foods appear as new and exciting. Local restaurants are located in the heart of the city, at the foot of aging residential buildings reminiscent of old Hong Kong. Meanwhile, modern restaurants are more commonly found in population dense financial districts that could as well be New York City or London. This placelessness, the lack of culture, values and identity specific to the city, is what should encourage many to pivot into local restaurants for an attempt to find a concrete space that arose from the city’s history.
The markings of globalisation in Hong Kong today are well-evident, perhaps more evident than Hong Kong’s local restaurants themselves. Whilst we should appreciate the interconnectedness homogenisation has brought us, we must be mindful of the indirect impacts it has laid on local businesses before we lose the third place dear to the hearts of the local Hong Kong.
