Week 4: Glocality

One of my favourite activities to do is research about the food industry. Usually, in my spare time I would search for new restaurants, find different restaurants to dine, read up of food blogs or watch Master chef or My Kitchen Rules.

As I walk down the Western Suburbs of Melbourne, I realised that the suburb I live in offers a wide range of food from around the World. Usually, one street would consist of a row of Vietnamese and Chinese restaurants and grocers. Whereas, if I walk down another street, it would consist of mainly Indian restaurants or halal butchers. This made me realised that, the suburb I live in is surrounded by many different cultures. It is like once I step into a particular street; I experience a different culture or even feel like I am in a different country. This relates to ‘glocality’ because food from around the globe is accessible by the local people. This is one of the many examples of how ‘glocality’ contributed in Australia’s food Industry.

Popular fast food chain McDonalds can be found anywhere around the world. However, depending on its location its menu has been ‘glocalised’ to suit the culture (Ritzer 2004, p. 179). This is why we find that what is on the Australian McDonald’s menu is different to what we find on the Asian McDonald’s menu. In India, you would not find meat patties but instead, McVeggies because raw protein is scared. Whereas in Singapore, customers can order porridge or rice with your meal (Rouse 2011).

In Meyrowitz article ‘ The rise of Glocality’ he quotes that ‘While all physical experience is local, we do not always make sense of local experience from a purely local perspective (Meyrowitz, p.22)’. This quote is true to an extent. However, I have lived in such a diverse suburb for my whole life. Therefore, I am able to understand and experience the different cultures and beliefs just by going out to my local shops, restaurants and community facilities.