Posted: 02/25/19 | February 25th, 2019
While walking down the streets of Medellín, I came across a Dunkin’ Donuts, a donut chain from my hometown of Boston. (It’s the best. Locals are quite attached to Dunkin. Don’t mess with a Massachusetts resident and Dunkin.)
As I looked at the store, a pit formed in my stomach and I got quiet and melancholy.
For days, I had been coming across Starbucks, McDonald’s, KFC, Papa John’s, and now, Dunkin’ Donuts!
Medellín had been overrun by the chains.
Another place ruined by globalization!
Another place where the local character was dying.
Or…was it? (Said in a Morgan Freeman narrator voice.)
Was that Dunkin’ Donuts really a bad thing?
Or that Starbucks I saw earlier? Or all those Papa John’s? (I mean that garlic butter sauce is amazing.)
As I continued down the street, a thought struck me: What had that Dunkin’ Donuts really ruined?
I mean the shops and stalls nearby were still full of life and brimming with customers buying snacks and coffee.
What was really bothering me?
Then it hit me.
I realized that maybe why I got sad was because what Dunkin’ Donuts really had destroyed was not Medellin but what I thought Medellin was.
As travelers, I think we tend to hate “globalization” because we imagine places to be a certain way from books, movies, and our collective cultural consciousness.
We often have this image — based on no firsthand experience — of what a destination should be like and how the people should act. We imagine deserted beaches, or quaint cafés, or rustic old towns, or gritty, worn-down cities because we saw that in a movie or read a book ten years ago. I mean, most Americans still think Colombia is teeming with narcos or that Eastern Europe is still like it was the day after the Iron Curtain fell.
This is not a new phenomenon. We want the places we visit to fit into the box we mentally created for them. We want our image of them validated.
Heck, even Mark Twain felt this way about the Taj Mahal:
” I had read a great deal too much about it. I saw it in the daytime, I saw it in the
moonlight, I saw it near at hand, I saw it from a distance; and I knew all the time, that of its kind it was the wonder of the world, with no competitor now and no possible future competitor; and yet, it was not my Taj. My Taj had been built by excitable literary people; it was solidly lodged in my head, and I could not blast it out.”
I mean we in part travel for a sense of adventure and exoticness. To be explorers and find spots devoid of any outside influence. My friend Seth Kugel said in his book a town in England became popular with Chinese tour groups in 2016 because it was quintessentially English. Chinese tour groups wanted to see a place that matched their vision.
Globalization stops all that from happening.
Suddenly, we’re walking down the street — and we see a part of home.
Our illusion – the myth we created about the destination we are in – is shattered.
“Well, there’s a Starbucks. The tourists are here. This place is ruined now.”
But is that really a bad thing?
When we imagine how someplace should be — like Thai islands with little huts and empty beaches, or rural villages filled with only local food and pushcart vendors — we seek to freeze the world (and often with an air of leftover colonialism).
We forget that places aren’t Disneyland and it’s not 100 years ago. Things change. Places develop, mature, and move on. The world around us hasn’t stood frozen in time to act like our theme park. (And this doesn’t even touch the tip of the iceberg around the colonialism / Western stereotypes associated with these ideas.)
Would I rather see the world full of mom-and-pop stores and no Dunkin’ Donuts in Medellín?
On the surface, yes.
But if I really think about it, that’s because I want to escape my home, not be reminded of it. It’s because I’d like the world to match the one I see in books and movies. It’s because no one is completely immune to the views I just talked about. I’ve created a castle in the sky that I don’t want to see destroyed.
But part of the art of discovery is having your preconceptions shattered.
For example, most Americans (and maybe even most people in the world) view Colombia as this remote jungle full of coffee, crime, fruit, and narcos roaming the street. It’s gritty and dangerous.
But Colombia is nothing like people think it is. Medellín has one of the best transportation systems I’ve ever seen outside Scandinavia, and Wi-Fi is everywhere. There’s also some incredible Michelin star–worthy gastronomy taking place here. Bogotá has world-class museums. Digital nomads flock there. The roads are stellar. Many young people speak English, they are educated, and they are very informed of world events.
So, as Colombia sheds its narco past and embraces the world as much as the world embraces it, should we – I – be surprised that the guy riding in a little jeep is playing Taylor Swift, or that burgers and pizzas and gin and tonics are really popular? Should we be surprised that Colombians want a taste of the world too?
We often think of globalization as a one-way street, where the Western chains “invade” other countries. Our conversation in the West is always about how we’re ruining other places.
Yet these places don’t survive on tourist dollars alone. Locals do eat there. Who are we to tell them no?
And I often think about the reverse: when people from other non-Western cultures travel, do they have the same reaction?
Do Colombians travel somewhere and go, “Ugh, a mondongo place here? This place is ruined.”
Do Italians hate the sight of pizza on vacation?
Do the Japanese lament seeing sushi abroad?
I don’t want to see the golden arches next to the Pyramids, but is it so bad that there are some franchises in Egypt? Who are we to say, “Hey, you can’t have that. I want to imagine your country as this Arabian Nights fantasy! Get rid of that pizza place! Where are the guys on camels?”
Whether it’s a chain or just a type of cuisine, I don’t think the mingling of cultures is such a bad.
Globalization is not perfect. And, of course, its benefits aren’t balanced. People have written volumes on this subject. Let’s leave that aside. I’m not here to discuss that. I’m here to ponder globalization and our perceptions of it as travelers.
That Dunkin’ Donuts reminded me that the globalized world that allows me to be in Medellín also allows Colombians to access not only my culture but other cultures as well.
I think we need to stop viewing globalization through the myopic one-way lens of being a Western traveler.
Do we really want places to stay impoverished / secluded / unconnected so we can have an “authentic” experience based on some fantasy we have about a destination? Do we really not want the locals to experience pizza, or burgers, or Scotch, jazz music, or Thai pop, or anything else not local?
I don’t think we should look at globalization as causing a place to be “ruined.” Cultures are always in flux.
The same process that has brought unfamiliar cultures to us has also brought parts of our culture (among others) there.
When you have more cultures interacting with each other, you get to understand that everyone is a human being and shares the same wants and needs.
And I think that is something we should celebrate.
Matt’s note: Before everyone freaks out in the comments, let me be clear: I am not saying globalization is all rainbows and unicorns. There are a lot of problems with multi-national corporations, specifically, when it comes to taxes, labor, and how much money they keep in a country. There are also a lot of environmental and social problems related to outsourcing. Those are important social and economic issues that need to be addressed politically so that everyone can share the benefits of a more globalized world. I don’t deny there are problems. But this post is simply about looking at the issue from a traveler’s perspective.
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Jerry
You can’t blame the locals. And the big chains are businesses out to make profit. Bring the two together and you have increased revenues and (theoretically) better lives for all concerned. And it has been decided by the customers! If they didn’t visit, those business would not be there. I don’t do the chains at home (UK) BTW.
We have always found that, if you look hard enough, there are still the locals selling local foods. And that is the challenge – to find them.
Ally
I absolutely love this post! Your intial thoughts are exactly how I’ve felt while traveling and you’ve given me a new way to understand what I’m actually seeing and even what it says about me! And the end note was also good to include since that’s a big part of what I’m thinking about when I feel down about seeing American chains and things. So thank you for this!
Staci
Been reading this site for a few years, and this is my first time commenting. Just wanted to say: Thank you so much for writing this! I’ve been waiting a long time for Western writers to acknowledge this “postcolonial gaze.”
From guidebooks to blogs by self-proclaimed Citizens of the World, you find people talking about “authenticity” and “the real [insert exoticized country].” Just because you don’t see big, global businesses in a rural town, it doesn’t make it any more authentic than the city which does.
When I travel, people never guess that I’m American, so I often wonder what visitors to the U.S. would consider “authentic” American…
Anastasia Wasko
I second what you’re saying, Staci! Bravo, Matt.
Maggie
This post has provided me with a lot of food for thought. I think I will continue to tend to patronize local establishments when I can because I still believe that more of the money that I spend that will stay in the local economy. But the idea of not automatically viewing globalization as evil is one worth noting. Thank you.
Ben
I agree with others that this is a very interesting post.
I guess when I see these chains abroad I don’t view them through the lens of globalization, but rather I think of how they have destroyed so much of the character of NYC and wonder, “If Starbucks can do so much damage at home, imagine what damage it might also be doing abroad.” I cringe more when I see another Starbucks/Duane Reade (Walgreens)/Chase Bank pop up at home than I do when I see a Starbucks in Bratislava.
In January I was in Accra and somewhat recently several KFCs opened. The locals are spoke to about saw this as a source of pride, like oh we’ve finally made it on the international scene, rather than oh the evil Americans have come to rape our economy with their corporations.
As long as global companies can exist side by side with local companies without eradicating them, I don’t have a problem with it.
Jill
Yes, exactly–and if only the big corporations could exist side by side with local businesses at home, too. I would believe in it more abroad if we saw it more at home.
Juan
Was in New York in October last year ad really enjoyed it despite big chain brands. It is now imposible to experience NY before Starbucks but I did notice that part of the city is the flux of stores, how one store was in X avenue and now moved elsewhere or where the flagship used to be…
A traveler born in Costa Rica…
Ellie
I know that some big organisations are adopting the term of Glocalisation where they incorporate local styles and preferences into their products and services.
Love the thought process of this post
BG
“Suddenly, we’re walking down the street — and we see a part of home.”
Only if you’re American.
Brendan
Must admit I have mixed feelings when I see a McDonalds or KFC when I am travelling overseas (from Australia). I sometimes think ‘oh great somewhere for the tourists to eat’ and happily ignore them, but on the other hand I visited a McDonalds in Florence last year and what struck me was the people in line were Italian and not just tourists. There goes my stereotype. I guess people the world over want it. It doesn’t mean my vision of this Renaissance city is diminished in any way. As you say – people the world over just want to try different things.
Nicole
As a traveler, I’m not really bothered by the proliferation of international brands in major cities as long as the countries offer something uniquely theirs. Sometimes, it’s comforting when you know you’ll have a backup shop or restaurant to go to, in case you can’t find anything suitable in the new country.
Back at home, I’m actually more concerned about how the same (group of) brands are appearing in every malls in the city (Singapore). I hope for a more unique blend that can differentiate one mall from another. And hoping that more small businesses can make it in the retail scenes. It’s seems to me that malls are mostly meant for established brands in my country.
DARREN PALMER
Had to laugh when I saw this post – eerie timing – I’m literally about to sit down and write an essay on Globalisation, tax avoidance and Starbuck’s entrance into India just now (after obviously procrastinating on facebook and your blog for a bit)! Sometimes I’ll dive into a chain when i’ve been on the road for a longtime as a ‘treat’ though in reality isn’t that backwards! The real treat is finding the local delicacy… I recall getting yelled at in a Subway (sandwiches) in Argentina a few years ago as my Spanish was poor and spotting (was it) KFC or Pizza Hut or both from the Sphinx?
Cass
Something that I’ve found interesting about McDonalds around the world, is that they didn’t just take this amaeircan chain and force the world to eat American sized (read:massive) portions of greasy burgers and fries. Each country or city can have specialty menu items that are more intune with the local cuisine and menus can differ from city to city in each country. There’s even completely vegetarian McDonald’s in parts of the world where meat isn’t a big consumable. So while they are an American chain, each one has its own personality.
Steve Chisnell
I have been appreciating your blog for some time as part of my regular newsfeed, Matt, but I was truly happy to see this reflective post. The “post-colonial gaze” mentioned in an earlier comment was what I was thinking as I read. I am constantly reminded in my own travels about my naive and romanticized expectation of the places I visit–the Maasai reminded me of this again this past summer. Who am I to expect a different culture to meet my imagination? And this from a deep skeptic of corporate displacement of local economies. Thank you!
Robert
I love seeing a Starbucks whenever I’m traveling, but was really annoyed seeing McDonald’s and KFC near sangrada familia in Barcelona, so I’m not sure where I fall on this. You bring up some really good points Matt!
Christine
Generally love your articles but really feel like you missed the mark on this. By skating on all the things you put in the comment/disclaimer you basically wrote a surface and disappointing article. I hope this isn’t the new style for 2019.
NomadicMatt
Thanks for the feedback. Can you elaborate? What mark did I miss?
Beto
Maybe I should as a Costa Rican chip in on the other side of the fence here. Working on brands somehow connected with tourism, I have a broad idea of what the average tourist seeks here – untamed rainforest nature and sloths, toucans and monkeys frolicking around everywhere. But at the same time we have just about any American commercial franchise operating in these shores and way too many cars and gridlocks because our public transportation system sucks. While there’s been a slight backlash against what is perceived as a boundless invasion of American chains, truth is also that locals also raved about Burger King re-opening in the country and lust about some of the facilities Americans often take for granted. It is wise to put yourself in other’s shoes to see both sides of the story.
Easeintees
I think because of globalisation we are facing the issue of culture mix and unique nature of culture each location vanished.
George
I always love reading opinionated articles. I often have the same feeling when traveling: the absence of local color. When I traveled to Minsk last year I didn’t see chain stores and to me, it felt that I had a more original experience. Thank you sharing, Matt.
Pete Rojwongsuriya
I agree with you that there is no stopping globalization, it’s been happening for thousands of years ever since we started trading with each other. Taj Mahal was possible because of the European discovery of America and the influx of wealth traveling down through the Silk Road into then, the Mughal empire.
Thai islands like from “The Beach” are long gone (I’m Thai so I’ve seen the development first-hand) and Medellin, are as you said, modernizing fast. I’m currently in KL right now and it’s nothing like what I had in mind when I was young, or the time I visited 20 years ago.. or just 4 years ago I was here. Places are always evolving whether we like it or not. Globalization is not ruining anything, it’s just the way human progress as we interact with each other.
That said, the more reason to go traveling NOW as some places are still pretty isolated like Timor Leste, Central Asia, waiting for us to discover etc. 🙂
Giovanna
This is really insightful! Often times we’re so quick to judge without considering how our own point of view, existing perceptions, and what we’re searching for could be problematic. It’s easy as a traveler to be alarmed and upset by the exportation of American business and culture, I get upset by it as well, but at the same time, our own expectations of what we consider to be a country’s authenticity is fashioned from film, tv, books and that country’s culture brought to our own countries through their immigrants. How can we really know what’s authentic or not expect by observing and listening and questioning our own expectations? Thank you for making me think.
Valeria
Trans-cultural heritage is a fascinating subject. Certainly with globalisation (and the concept of post-modernism) culture by-passes geographical barriers both across the internet and because travel has become so much easier.
Culture now passes across borders and cultures. A little like ants or birds who don’t keep to the physical borders we set ourselves.
It’s a complex issue as you have well documented in this post.
I like your example of Medellín as I have also been there, and as you say globalisation has if anything helped to improve the local transport system and I used it a lot in the week I was there.
Jill
As a traveler, I think there is a big difference between being disappointed in seeing (to use an example) American cuisine (or fashion, or music) in other places in the world, and being disappointed in seeing massive corporations that have a clear reputation of exploitation and poor quality taking root in other places. I won’t attack Dunkin’ (west coast baby here; I’m from where Starbucks was born, though I’ll criticize them all day) but I think we can fairly target McDonald’s, haha. I’m sad to see McDonald’s in Zadar, Croatia, not because I don’t think Croatians deserve to enjoy cheap and fast burgers and fries, but because McDonald’s as a company does a lot of ethically questionable things and I don’t want to see that influence seep into places in the world that otherwise might have stronger values. Local Parisians may stop into a McDonald’s, but France overall has very firm beliefs about food quality–it would really blow if those values slipped over time to make room for the corporations that I believe ruined the American food structure. My husband said it well too; he points out that he loves seeing locally owned burger joints abroad. Burgers are something America can do really well, and it’s fun to see other countries’ take on it. Burger King and McDonald’s don’t care about making beautiful, delicious burgers though, they care about making a profit.
So I think my overall point is… you bring up an important talking point; my husband and I discuss the messy and confusing implications of globalization constantly on our current backpacking trip. There are a lot of benefits to globalization, but I think the influence of big American corporate food chains is not one of them. It’s not, at heart, wishing that other places would stay a certain way, it’s wishing the whole world would change for the better, not worse.
Really great post though, thank you for opening the discussion in the community of travelers! It’s an important but complicated topic!
Lazar
“Do we really want places to stay impoverished / secluded / unconnected so we can have an “authentic””.
Fundamentally flawed assumption that non-globalization equates poverty / seclusion / disconnectedness. From wrong assumptions it is easy to get to wrong conclusions.
NomadicMatt
Ok? Explain.
Juan Kandler
I am costarican and I have been living in Vicenza and then Milano for the past 8 months. This trip has made view authentic as a very romantic/ unatainable. Even if Vicenza probably fits the definition as it isn’t as touristy as other cities in Italy like Verona and Firenze wich retain some of their original character but have developed huge shopping streets full of brands. At the same time this streets correspond to larger populations. Maybe I am looking at it the wrong way…
This article also made me think about non american chains, I am thinking about Rosso Pomodoro or Spontini in Italy, withouth entering into quality, they do tend to also create a standard experience, outside the local history and culinary identity of each city. Or the Pops ice cream chain in Costa Rica… being local makes them authentic? Do they create a national cuinary image?
NomadicMatt
Interesting points about local chains. Didn’t think about that!
Jimena
I think it’s interesting that you bring up colonialism because in the end, as a traveller from the “developing” world, what I think when I see these chains in my own country and abroad is a power relationship not unlike colonialism and yet way more subtle.
The reason why these type of chains abound in “developing countries” is the aspirational idea that what other cultures have to offer is not only different (which say increases diversity) but better. In Mexico we have a word for it: malinchismo. And it means that whiter, blonder, in English and foreign will always be considered better.
You may see say McDonalds or a Dunkin Donuts or a Starbucks, which back home in Boston or NY, aren’t luxury brands but bring them into a developing country and they can be. The reason why it doesn’t necessarily compete with the local businesses teeming with costumers (as you mention) is that a minumim wage worker cannot necessarily afford them, but wealthier people in the country do and will use that as a way to show how cultured or sophisticated or richer they are because they use foreign brands.
A Starbucks or a McDonalds does not replace local business initially, but not unlike in US cities, they start a process of redifining and gentrifying a city neighborhood to cater to more expensive tastes, which eventually reshapes who is and isn’t living and doing business there.
Because of this, when I think when I see these things in my own country an abroad is a HUGE power imbalance between local businesses and transnational corporations. We go around the world and see the same US brands everywhere in every market because well, globalization. But how often do you go to a US or European city and see a business from a developing country thrive? It seems a bit one-sided, and it is because years of colonialism set up developing countries to fail by extracting their resources AND imposing almost exclusive commercial restrictions with the colony.
The cool sides of globalization like travel and experiences and new products are really nice, but it’s mostly wealthier countries AND wealthier people from developing countries who reap these benefits. And we need to recognize it and ACT accordingly. Let’s not kid ourselves thinking that having McDonalds, Dunkin Donuts, and Starbucks will really do much for impoverished communities, and keep justifying a broken system.
Jimena
Forgot to add! Highly highly recommend reading Bani Amor on travel and colonial legacies. They are amazing!
Diana Winkler
I agree with one poster who mentioned some of these American companies have questionable business practices. I don’t go to these places in the U.S because of it. I prefer quality over cheap prices. I have French friends who eat at KFC, and I wonder why they would want to eat sub par food in the gastronomy capital of the world. But it’s their choice. I hope I never seen a Walmart outside of the U.S. Walmart has not anything to improve the American life-only padding the CEO’s pockets.The employees get low wages, brands get space on their shelves in exchange for a painfully small profit, while Walmart gets tax discounts that other companies don’t get. Cheap, low quality merchandise has replaced fine quality craftsmanship and attentive customer service.
When I travel, I don’t think all modern progress is bad unless it is harming the locals. Sometimes in a strange place where the food is wierd and you don’t speak the language, a meal from a familiar menu would be comforting. (Especially if you have kids.)But I normally don’t go to American chains overseas unless there isn’t any other choice. Thought provoking article, Matt. Thanks.
Todd
Some excellent points and ideas, Matt, and lots to agree with; no culture is immutable, nor should it be. If you don’t mind, I’m going to leave Dunkin Donuts alone for a while, and talk about the language. English is a bit of a mongrel language, having borrowed elements from languages all over the world. And this makes it the hardest language to learn as a second language in the world. However, I can go to the streets of almost any major city, and not have to use a word of their language. Our language affects the way we think, and the way in which we see the world; it helps to shape our thoughts and perceptions. And we are forcing others to in many ways, think like us, through a globalized language. And then we consider them happy to experience our culture through things like Starbucks…. it is no small surprise that this is their new standard, or something they would strive to attain. This continues to lead to a one way spread of culture, but also a one way spread of perspective and outlook. The idea of a changing culture is not a bad thing, but in a perfect world, should merge seamlessly into the existing framework of a culture’s thoughts, ideas and outlooks, rather than supplanting or replacing it.
Jamie
I think globalization makes travel slightly worse (by reducing variety), but probably makes life slightly better for the locals. IF I’m right about that, then complaining about it as a tourist is quite selfish.
Martin
Very thought provoking.
I remember having a discussion almost 50 years ago with friend from Canada. he thought certain things were ruining the world. I said it was progress.
I suppose at the end of the day it is a point of view and is not a simple topic.
Good to make people think about our world regardless.
Plastic on the other hand…………
NomadicMatt
Plastic is terrible and needs to be severely controlled! Ruining the world.
Martha
I am a psychologist, I think globalisation create a broad and open mindset to people.