It's noon in Nanjing, and the downtown McDonald's is packed with people - students, shop girls, executives in coats and ties, construction workers, young families, elderly "lunching ladies," and the odd foreigner or two. They sip chocolate shakes, munch on Big Macs and pass around large orders of fries. A birthday party is in progress in one corner, and McDonald's employees are playing games with the children and handing out balloons.
Bemused, I sit eating Chicken McNuggets with a Chinese friend and wonder aloud for the hundredth time why the Chinese seem to love McDonald's so much and why the cuisine seems to appeal to people of all ages and economic levels, despite the fact it is expensive in relation to local incomes.My students have given me a variety of explanations. "Everything is so clean and efficient," one explained. "It's fast; you don't have to wait," according to another. "The atmosphere is good," observed a third.
No one ever seems to rave about the food, however. "It's OK," a Chinese colleague explained to me once. "It's not as good as Chinese food, of course, but I think we Chinese like eating Western food sometimes. It helps us feel connected to the world." She went on to say that ordinary Chinese feel comfortable going into McDonald's and other Western fast-food chains, whereas many would be intimidated by formal Western restaurants like the ones found in big hotels.
Today, my more political friend observes wryly that the McDonald's craze is really a form of rebellion. "Despite the years of negative propaganda about the West," he says, "people here are attracted to the West, particularly America. They are voting with their stom-achs."
What if, I ask him, the government suddenly reversed its policy of "opening to the world" and decided McDonald's was a pernicious influence and closed all the franchises down?
"Ah, then you would have trouble," he predicts with a smile. "The people would never permit it. They might endure denial of other rights without complaints, but not the withdrawal of McDonald's. You see, it's a symbol to them of a better, freer life. It's a sign that the bad times are really gone and there are better times ahead. There would be another revolution if the government tried to take away Mc-Donald's."
I look at him carefully to determine if he is joking. It isn't clear, so I do the only thing I can think of in this situation. I order both of us another round of fries.