Some Things Stay the Same!

I was thinking the other day about the city I lived in when I taught in Japan. It struck me that this city of about 70,000 people had two McDonalds but only one kaiten sushi place. Is this a theme? There are certain companies that just aren't content to stay within their own borders! Sometimes that's okay (I can't begin to explain the relief you feel when you see a Pizza Hut in Thailand after six months of Japanese pizza, which primarily involves seaweed, mayonnaise, and corn). Other times, it feels very much like a cultural intrusion.

These are a few of the companies I've noticed almost everywhere I've gone:

1. Costco
2. The Body Shop
3. McDonald's
4. Pizza Hut
5. Starbucks

I'm sure there are far more; I just haven't encountered them -- or can't think of them at the moment.

On the other hand, there are almost always small cultural enhancements made to these places to better suit the culture they're working with. McDonald's is a great example for me just because I have so much experience eating there (I know, I know). A few things I noticed in Japan:

-a shrimp burger
-you have to ask for ketchup, because they won't give it to you if you don't. Hardly anyone in Japan eats ketchup on chips.
-melon soda as an option

I guess it's part of today's cultural mixture: very western ideas adapted to fit another culture.