'I'm Loving It' in America, Spain

When I was in high school my U.S. History teacher told our class about the "Golden Arches Theory of Conflict Prevention," thought up by New York Times writer Thomas Friedman. The theory goes that there has never been a war between two nations that each have McDonald's because if a country is at an advanced enough level economically and socially that McDonald's has invested money into franchises there, then it is against that country's best interest to get involved in a military conflict. Looks like we will not be going to war with Spain any time soon because during my month-long trip to that country I encountered numerous McDonald's -- although not as many as there are here. While it might seem odd to use McDonald's to explain the conflict-reducing advantages of globalization, the theory has held up so far, and the Golden Arches can also be a useful tool for explaining some of the differences I observed between American and Spanish cultures.\nIn the U.S., life is much faster paced and a McDonald's without a drive-thru is a rarity. While they do serve their food to go, Spanish McDonald's do not have drive-thru. Another way McDonald's exemplifies the Spaniards' laid-back style is that in the big cities, such as Madrid, they do not open until 10 a.m., and in Sevilla, where I lived for three weeks, they did not open until noon. This is a far cry from the 6 a.m. openings for all those Americans who cannot function without their coffee and Egg McMuffin. As a kid hot cakes and hash browns were breakfast staples in my American family, but in Spain the McDonald's do not even have a breakfast menu. Instead the country's main meal is lunch and throughout the rest of the day people tend to just have coffee, ice cream, or eat appetizers called "tapas" whenever they get hungry.\nThe varying menus at American and Spanish McDonald's demonstrate the corporation's attempt to tailor their international chains to each unique culture. The Spanish are bigger fans of seafood than most Americans tend to be, which leads the company to serve McMarin sandwiches, or fried white fish fillets, year-round. Other culture specific menu items in Spain include gazpacho, cold tomato soup, patatas deluxe, wedge-shaped french fries that come with a spicier version of ketchup to better mimic the homemade french fries so common in Spain, and ensalada mediterránea, a Mediterranean salad with tuna, olives, and hearts of palm. Perhaps the biggest menu difference is that beer, called "cerveza" in Spanish, is on the drink menu along with Coca-Cola Light (not Diet Coke like we have here), and Fanta, a brand of flavored carbonated beverages that are all the rage in Europe. Alcohol is a part of life for Spaniards and it is not uncommon to drink it with every meal. But they seldom get drunk, which is either caused by the extremely slow pace at which they eat and drink or because they drink so much they all have a very high alcohol tolerance. Eating is not just a mandatory habit, rather, in Spain it is a chance to socialize and enjoy life, and so even if the food is fast, the eating is not.\nMcDonald's even manages to reflect the cultural importance of appearance in Spain. During the summer, with any purchase of an item off of the McMenu the buyer would get a free belt, with a different belt offered each day. The belts actually were cute and made from cloth, and I saw many Spanish teenagers sporting them throughout Sevilla. This shows not only how "cool" it is in Spain to eat at the American chains such as McDonald's or Starbucks as a treat, but also how fashion and self-presentation are very important. My host mother chided me every morning as I left for school because I did not wear high-heeled shoes and fancy skirts on the twenty-five minute walk. She also thought I did not wear enough make-up, and one of her friends told me I would have difficulty getting a husband because I was too skinny and my chest was not big enough! Many Spaniards I met were very blunt and not even the McDonald's staff was afraid to say exactly what they were thinking. For example, one time I ordered a fruit and yogurt parfait and the cashier told me that I should get a coffee instead because it was cold outside (it was about 80 degrees Fahrenheit).\nMcDonald's has received bad press lately due to its unhealthy fare; nonetheless, a lot of people around the world still eat it and the company is still a hugely successful and profitable corporation that has spread a bit of American culture to all those international consumers. The list of differences between America and Spain is infinite; however, a comparison between the McDonald's in each place has an amazing way of summing up a few of the distinctions, and even getting a free belt along the way.