Research topic:

 

I am learning about the Westernization of the Oaxacan food system because I want to find out which demographics consume fast and processed foods in order to understand their reasons for consuming them.

 

 

Introduction:

 

     I came to Mexico excited to leave behind the American food system of processed and fast foods. I envisioned Mexico being a land of homemade tortillas, fresh fruits in markets, and having unlimited quantities of rice and beans. So far I haven't been disappointed. The food here is delicious, fresh, colorful, and quite frankly, beautiful. As an environmentalist, I am infinitely glad to see so much of the food here free from the binding restraints of packaging. I love the way you can pick up a vibrant, fresh and ripe peach at the market, and know that it will be soft and juicy. In the United States, fresh fruit is rarely ripe, and is often expensive. It's shipped from halfway across the world, using tons of fuel (literally), and by the time it arrives in the local supermarket they're not  nearly half as appetizing as the fruit and veggies here. I've fallen in love with the markets here, the fruit stands, the street vendors, and the fresh, delicious foods. However, I was shocked to find that there are many fast food establishments in the area, including McDonalds, Burger King, Domino's, and even Taco Bell. Upon hearing the last one, my jaw dropped. Who the hell would buy Taco Bell in MEXICO?! I wondered. I am embarrassed to say that at this moment, I have no more answers than I did that first day.

     It baffles me that Mexicans buy fast food when there is such abundant and cheap  fresh, whole food. I have begun to rationalize this as fast food being a new and exciting alternative to what they're used to (although I really still don't understand it at all). But it knocked me off my feet when I heard that Mexicans actually choose to go to Taco Bell, and buy crappy, unhealthy, imitation Mexican food, instead of the delicious, nutritious and cheap authentic Mexican food that is so abundant.

 

Background information:

     For our interview project for Oliver's class, Marisa and Sierra and I were stumped. We created a web of all of our ideas, until I finally blurted out, 'who the HECK buys Taco Bell?!'. We decided that this was the most interesting of the questions we came up with, and went to Burger King to observe (look, listen, read, taste, smell) and ask questions as to why people consume fast food, as Taco Bell was too far away, and Burger King was on Alcalá. While there, we discovered that the customers of this American fast food chain were not the lower class people we were expecting, but instead, what seemed to be the elite. We saw people with fancy clothes, eyeglasses, and shopping bags, people who could clearly afford to choose what to eat, but for some reason decided on Burger King. Why? I wondered. The food there was actually more expensive than food you'd find on streets and in markets. Sierra's chicken tenders and fries cost 75 pesos, while a delicious vegetarian sandwich at the Café Brujula costs only 55 pesos.

In the United States many people consume fast and processed food because it is much cheaper than whole, nutritious food. A burger at McDonald's could be found on the dollar menu, whereas a banana can cost from 50 cents to a dollar. It is almost understandable why a poorer person would buy the burger, because it provides a lot more calories per dollar, and will keep you full for much longer than a banana or two. However, in Mexico, a burger at Burger King is 45 pesos, while a banana is usually two or three.

     This, of course, means that Mexicans are choosing fast food for reasons much different than Americans do. Is it possible that they like the taste? That the food is unique and new and different and exciting, the way I feel about traditional Mexican food? Is it the association with the United States that they like? Everything about the Burger King we went to screamed USA. It was very much unlike any other restaurant in Mexico I have been in. It was spotless and sterile looking. The bathroom was the cleanest I have seen in Mexico by far. The menu was lit up overhead, the register was computer based, and there was a television playing music videos of songs that were popular in the United States in 2005.

     The customers in line, we found out by a brave Marisa who interrogated them, were students at a local university, who came to Burger King because they liked the atmosphere of the establishment, the taste of the food, and the convenience of the location. The cashier told us that there were some regulars who he saw nearly every day, like the people who worked at the bank next door as well as other Mexicans and some tourists (which brings me to another question: why would you come to visit Mexico and eat fast food?!). The customers seemed like mostly young people, as well as some parents with children. It was sad to see kids getting accustomed to eating such unhealthy food at such a young age.

     Obesity in Mexico has tripled over the past three decades, and childhood obesity here has reached the epidemic state. Mexico is the second 'fattest' country, second only to the United States. This is likely because of the recent increase in fast and processed food, and the recent Mexican infatuation with refrescos (soft drinks). Consumption of sodas in Mexico has increased by 60% in the past 14 years. In many schools, it is cheaper to supply students with soda than it is with water, as water is so scarce and expensive. If you're overweight as a child, it is increasingly more difficult to lose weight as an adult, which is another factor that is contributing to this obesity epidemic.

 

Observations: 

 

Burger King:

put info from interview here

 

Domino's:

expensive!

clean

clientele was young, wealthy looking people, maybe stuedent age

 

Concepción's tienda:

1L juice is 3x more expensive than 1L soda

used to be less processed foods

 

 

Questions to answer:

QUESTIONS I have about street food vs. fast food in Oaxaca, Mexico

 

-is fast food here cheaper or more expensive than fast food at the same chains in the USA?

-is fast food here cheaper than street food? if not, why do people buy it?

-with abundant and affordable fresh and whole food, who would choose to buy fast food?

-who the heck buys taco bell in mexico?!

-what are people's perceptions of new fast food chains? does their age affect this?

-who are the main customers at fast food chains?

-what do the people who work at fast food chains think of fast food?

-has the increasing amount of fast food chains hindered any business of street food, markets, or restaurants?

-how do supermarkets fit into this? westernization of food?!

-what is this whole mcdonaldization of society phenomenon that Andrea was talking about?

-what happened with the McDonalds that tried to come into the zocolo? what were the protests like? why did no one protest the Burger King on Alcala or the Dominos near the Zocalo?

 

Citation and sources:

Malkin, Elsabeth. "Mexico Confronts Sudden Surge in Obesity." The New York Times. The New York Times, 29 June 2005. Web. 25 Feb. 2012.

            <http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/29/international/americas/29obese.html>.

"One Taco Too Many." The Economist. The Economist Newspaper, 21 Oct. 2010. Web. 25 Feb. 2012.

            <http://www.economist.com/node/17314636>.

Ordonez, Franco. "Mexico Is Second-fattest Nation after U.S. | The San Diego Union-Tribune." Union Tribune, 24 Mar. 2008. Web. 25 Feb 2012.

            <http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20080324/news_1n24obese.html>.

"Sins of the Fleshy." The Economist. The Economist Newspaper, 16 Dec. 2004. Web. 25 Feb. 2012.

            <http://www.economist.com/node/3507918?Story_ID=3507918>.

Tilly, Chris. "Wal-Mart in Mexico: The Limits of Growth." University of Massachusetts Lowell, 1 May 2005. Web. 25 Feb. 2012.

            <http://www.uml.edu/centers/cic/Research/Tilly_Research/Mexico/Tilly-Wal-Mart-Lichtensteinbook-rev-5.01.05.pdf>.

Tuckman, Jo. "US Lifestyles Blamed for Obesity Epidemic Sweeping Mexico." The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 11 Aug. 2003. Web. 25 Feb. 2012.

            <http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2003/aug/11/foodanddrink.mexico>.

 

 

Interviews:

Taco Bell employee (to see who buys food, history)

Concepción, owner of tienda on Joaquin Amaro

McDonalds employee (to see who comes and eats, history of establishment)

Ashley Hill, former McDonalds employee (to see who buys food there in the USA)

Magdalena, cooking teacher (to see history of processed food)

Street food vendor, to see competition, compare prices, etc.

 

 

 

Research plan:

February __th-- Interview at Burger King

March 30th-- interview at McDonalds

April 8th-- observe and research Domino's

April 9th-- interview at McDonald's

April 10th-- interview Ashley Hill

April 11th-- interview Concepcion

 

______-- interview with Magdalena

 

 

Other things:

Nutrition comparison

Cost comparison

Effects (obesity, etc.)

Reasons for consumption

Observations

            -Burger King

            -Taco Bell

            -Tiendas

            -Domino's

            -McDonald's

            -Soriana

History

Effects

Who buys it? Comparison