What American Culture Actually does

The most amazing thing about this world is that every different geographic location is special. On this Earth, there are seven continents and within those continents there are a vast number of countries that have the ability to break down even more. What is amazing about these little pieces of land is that they all have a different culture that makes them unique. Culture is the way of life, which includes the food native to the area, drinks, celebrations, and other things. Now one can go to these places to experience a different type of culture, or well they used to be before the American Culture started to dominate the land. Now Cultures are being attacked and destroyed by the dominant american culture we call fast food.

  Let us take Mexico for one example. Mexico is one of United States neighbors in which they are influenced due to the fact they are so close to the United States. Mexican food has always been a specialty. Mexico has a rich diet that contains such delicacies that would make one’s mouth water. Some of those are culturally rich food are cabrito ( baby goat), fresh pico de gallo, handmade corn tortillas and freshly mashed guacamole. Now some may say that America has only helped expand on the food and people, when in reality that is not true at all. All of these foods are rich in vitamins so how did Mexico go from all these healthy foods to the dangerous world of obesity? With the good old help of American fast food culture.Before 1994, There was not a free trade zone between North America and Mexico. This means that the fast food chains and their disastrous products were not allowed to be in the country and Mexico was free of the dangerous foods. In 1994 the game changed and the obesity rate started to rise. In 1994 the NAFTA came into place. The NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement) is an agreement between United States, Canada, and Mexico that allowed the countries to freely trade and implement their fast food culture, including the dangerous food that came with it, in their way of life. With this opening up, it only damaged the health of Mexico. Citizens increased their soda drinking to 43 gallons of soda per capita annually. With the increase of sugar it puts the user at an increased chance of health related problems. According to a study done at harvard, when one is diagnosed with obesity it puts them at an increased chance to 20 times for diabetes. Not only does it increase the chance for diabetes, it also opens them up to high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, and gallstones. All because of American fast food culture wants to increase their yearly revenue. Americans are not trying to helping the Mexican culture, they are just damaging it and ruining the country’s citizens.

There will be some that say, Mexico is just one area that went south, that American fast food culture has helped so many regions become better. That is not true at all. Other Countries, such China, are having their cultures destroyed and having nothing but negative outcomes from the American fast food culture. According to NCBI.NLM.NIH.gov, Asia, the Continent that houses China, alone, has 60 percent of the worldwide total of people that are diagnosed with diabetes. China used to be a country that their main diet was centered around white rice and the people that lived there had such fast metabolisms they could burn off the calories quickly. With the introduction of the sugary sodas, processed foods filled with fat and carbs, their metabolism has slowed down and the weight gain increased. Asia is home to over 2,000 Mcdonalds and countless other restaurants that take away from the original culture infused food that used to be eaten there. All of the places to eat that used to be open could not compete with the cheap and convenient price of the fast food. Not only is China one of the areas that is affected, but India is being affected negatively by the American Fast Food culture. According to CNBC, “India has a long had a reputation as being unfriendly to foreign businesses, but when it comes to fast food, international chains are being warmly welcomed by a young, upwardly mobile population.” This is meaning that India was once a country that did not let American fast food chains into their land, but now they are letting them in, but starting to see negative side effects. With the increase of fast food chains, the number of people diagnosed with diabetes will increase from 61 million to 101 million. With the increase of diagnosed people this means that the demand for medication in order to survive with the disease will only become more expensive for the people that can afford it. Many people will die due to the fact that they are unable to afford the medicine they need since American fast food culture pushed themselves into other countries. Helping a country would mean decreasing the amount of people that are dependent on medication, not increasing the number.

People tend to turn a blind eye to the negative things and just try to harp on the things that have gone right, but yet there are none to find. Some may try to point out that it is not America’s fault, that the citizens do not have to purchase the food, that there are other options for them.  While that is true, no one is forcing them to buy the food, it is the only option that they have. The economy around the world is in the toilet. Regardless of where you go many people are hurting and can not afford to eat healthy food. It is oddly cheaper to buy a Big Mac, a sandwich that is popular in Mcdonald’s, than to purchase a salad. It does not seem normal that some things that are made by man cost more than those items that are grown naturally from our Earth. With that being said, it is considerably cheaper to eat at McDonalds. In Mexico, according to OECD, the average person only makes about 13,000 USD. This is significantly lower than what the average American makes. This means that they have succumbed to eating fast food due to the fact that their annual wage earnings do not allow them to eat the items that are classified as “healthy.” For $5 dollars a person is able to feed themselves at a McDonald’s compared to them buying a head of lettuce that leaves them desiring more food within an hour of consumption.

The Culture of China and Mexico were so dominant years ago that no one knew what a McDonald’s was. Now it’s common to see them, actually according to the website, Plosin.com, In 1955, only seven years after they opened their doors, McDonald’s had seven stores in the United States. As of 2015, McDonald’s alone, has over 35,000 in 118 countries. So with the increase of Fast food chains popping up all over the world, making it easier to have access to this food, can only mean terrible things. These things are not helpful as people claim, but actually making living conditions worse. With an easier access to food, one has an easier time consuming these foods that are terrible for your body. These foods are loaded with sugars, fats, and carbs that take a toll on one’s body. These things, when excessive (which is happening/happened) will cause people to become dependent on medicine. In the United States it costs anywhere from $8-$200 and some do not even have health insurance, so their costs would be even more. In other nations, such as Mexico, it costs the user 50% of the total cost.     

People can not look others in the face and say that American Fast food Culture is not ruining cultures and people worldwide. With the cheaper cost it stopped people from cooking dishes that they used to love in Mexico. It changed their diet from colorful plates to several different sized cardboard containers. Not only has it ruined that but it also has ruined China’s culture. It has gotten rid of most of the smaller shops and started to increase obesity across the charts. It has done the same thing in India and has made so many citizens of all different areas become drug dependent so that they won’t die.

Works Cited

“Mexico.” OECD Better Life Index. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Nov. 2015.

“How Excess Weight Affects Your Health.” http://www.helpguide.org/harvard/how-excess-weight-affects-your-health.htm. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Nov. 2015.

Pan, An, Vasanti Malik, and Frank B. Hu. “Exporting Diabetes to Asia: The Impact of Western-Style Fast Food.” Circulation. U.S. National Library of Medicine, n.d. Web. 02 Nov. 2015.

“Indians Develop Taste for the Big Mac.” CNBC. N.p., 08 Jan. 2014. Web. 09 Nov. 2015.

“Mexico.” OECD Better Life Index. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Nov. 2015.

“The History of McD’s.” The History of McD’s. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Nov. 2015.