The American Fast Food Influence on the Persian Gulf Nations

Fast food as the basis of the American food culture is now widely spread throughout the world. Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and other countries of the Persian Gulf are no exception; recently, the region has experienced a rapid development of the fast food industry. This fact determines the importance and relevance of this research work, the purpose of which is to study the nature and degree of influence of the American fast food on the population of the Persian Gulf, as well as to assess the attitudes of people of these Arab countries to such food today. Due to the fact that this work is based on experimental and statistical data from academic, official, and popular sources, the methods of complex analysis used include the empirical tool of comparing indicators and theoretical methods: analysis and synthesis, deduction and induction. Authors of the literature, which is used as a basis for writing this research paper, have the necessary credits and deep knowledge in the field of culinary science, health, and culture. The purpose of this research work is to determine the nature and degree of influence of the American fast food on the population of the Persian Gulf states, as well as determine the attitude of these people to such food today. The object of research in this work is the culinary culture of the American fast food, which has a significant influence on the way of life and health of the population of many countries of the Persian Gulf. This influence of the American fast food has a sharply negative character from the perspective of public health; however, despite all, the attitude to it by consumers-residents of the Persian Gulf is more positive than negative, and it is a paradox.

The Historical Aspect of the Rise of the American Fast Food

The American cuisine is one of the most diverse in the world. It is so due to the fact that a wide variety of communities and immigrant diaspora in the United States of America combined in the culinary practice the peculiarities of different styles of cooking. Nevertheless, the central place is occupied by the food culture of fast food, which developed on the basis of European and Mexican recipes, for example, tacos, pizza, and hamburgers. The United States of America is traditionally considered the birthplace of fast food. According to Lichtenberg, in the 1950s, places serving fast food began to be opened and popularized. The main prerequisite for creating the first “self-service cafeteria” with relatively cheap food in the United States was the social and economic crisis in the society that resulted from the Great Depression of the 1930s.

Characteristics of the American Fast Food as a Subject of Research

The American fast food is attractive to consumers with its flavor and price. However, these same characteristics make it a cause of many serious chronic illnesses. The main characteristic is that this food is prepared and sold quickly and is designed to meet the huge demand. In line, fast food presupposes selling products with frozen, pre-heated, or pre-cooked ingredients and is often pre-packaged for the self-service or delivery. It is worth noting that the additional advantage of fast food, which ensures consistently high demand for it, is its ability to satisfy hunger in a limited time despite lower nutritional value as compared to other dishes. In such a manner, although food prepared from semi-finished products cannot be useful and nutritious enough for the human body, it can satisfy the famine for a short time. In addition, destructive flavor enhancers that are added to fast food significantly increase its appeal to the consumer as compared to healthy food. It is also a fact that, unlike home-made food, all fast food dishes contain saturated fat, sugar, and salt, and high content of calories, as a result. In her study, Jessica Bruso emphasizes, “Make your burger a double and it will provide 576 calories.” In this connection, the frequent use of such food threatens the appearance and development of various types of diseases associated with poor nutrition.

Relevance of the Research Topic

Already in the early 1970s, the American fast food franchises were sold to international markets. The American concept of fast food began to be implemented in many countries outside the US, enjoying widespread demand. One of the most popular fast food chains, including Burger King, McDonald's, and Pizza Hut are characterized by high consumption all over the world. Such popularity is dictated by the processes of urbanization and globalization in the countries of the world. To save valuable time, people prefer fast food “on the run” to cooking food at home more often today. Daszkowski suggests that the average family does not spend more than an hour a year preparing home cooking. Due to the widespread popularity of the fast food industry, business units that offer fast food outside the United States today are more numerous than those in America. Therefore, according to the statistical data, in 2017, “in the United States are 14,344 McDonald's restaurants while in other countries - 21,914.” For example, McDonald’s came to Kuwait in 1994. By the beginning of 2017, all major fast food chains in the US has opened, “Whether it's McDonald's, Burger King, Hardee's, Johnny Rockets, Wendy's, Taco Bell, Nathan's, Pizza Hut, Subway, Domino’s, Five Guys.” It follows that since the number and popularity of such restaurants are growing, the influence of fast food is growing, as well. Therefore, it will largely determine the health of the population. Thus, the American fast food, which is the object of studying in this work, forms an understanding of the U.S. food culture in other states, particularly in countries of the Persian Gulf region, and determines its continuity as a historical, social, and cultural pattern.

Analysis of the Consumption of the American Fast Food by the Persian Gulf Nations

To date, the American fast food culture is widespread in the Persian Gulf Nations. The effect that the popularization of the food has on the Islamic society of the countries of the Persian Gulf is worthwhile to study as exemplified by such countries as Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Syria, and United Arab Emirates (UAE). It should be noted that for the Persian Gulf nations, the period of the beginning of the 20th century was characterized by the demographic and economic advancement, which directly affected both the way of life and the diet of people. In many countries of the Eastern Mediterranean Region, the constant employment of people and limited time have led to a gradual replacement of domestic food by fast food. This issue played a decisive role in the development of the fast food industry in the Persian Gulf nations. To date, the level of consumption of fast food in the Eastern Mediterranean countries remains quite high. A good example is Saudi Arabia. Today, American fast food chains are quickly growing in the country due to the high interest in buying such franchises from business representatives. In Saudi Arabia, the number of fast food restaurants and fast food departments of supermarkets, based on franchising, is growing every year. At the same time, the Western way of life is introduced into the culinary culture of the country. Among the factors that determine the high consumption of fast food, one can distinguish a variety of menus, pricing, quality and taste of meals, speed and convenience of service, location, and delivery services. It should also be noted that most people of Saudi Arabia prefer to visit fast food establishments that belong to international networks of the American fast food. They have more confidence in the quality of such products and services than of local institutions. The patterns also differ by the sex and age of consumers. Thus, according to the research, the highest consumption of fast food is observed among adolescents. Indeed, according to the research in Saudi Arabia, “84,9% teenagers in Jeddah depend on fast food.” In the context of the gender representation, the data show that the weekly consumption of fast food among women is smaller than among men. According to data on the consumption of fast food by women and men in Kuwait, ““Double” hamburgers 29.9% and 52%, drinks 30.8% and 37.3%, fries 34.0% and 40.9%, respectively ”. Thus, the consumption of the American fast food in the Persian Gulf nations in all age and gender groups is stable. At the same time, today fast food is eaten not only outside the house but also at homes thanks to the restaurant delivery service.

Analysis of the American Fast Food Influence on the Persian Gulf Nations

The generalized data on the fast food consumption in Kuwait and other countries of the Western Mediterranean region allow assuming that the temporary trends in fast food consumption roughly coincide with the rise in the national level of obesity. That American fast food had a devastating impact on the local population, causing the emergence of such major public health problems in all countries of the Persian Gulf as overweight and obesity. Moreover, according to the analysis of Musaiger, the Persian Gulf nations are stable the second in the world in terms of the prevalence of overweight and obesity following the USA. According to Webster, experts from the Ministry of Health of the United Arab Emirates, find that the amount of sodium contained in hamburgers and pizzas is unacceptable and note that given the level of the American fast food consumption in the country today, there are all prerequisites for increasing health care costs for the treatment of the ensuing diseases. According to statistics, in 1981, in the Eastern Mediterranean Region, there were about 24 million schoolchildren diagnosed with obesity or overweight. Over the last decade of the twentieth century, the number has doubled “in 2010, 41.7 million.” Data from the nation-wide Nutrition Surveillance system for 2006-2010 report that during this period, the percentage of childhood obesity and overweight in Kuwait grew by 1.5% and by 0.6%, accordingly. A similar tendency of the growing adult population, which is suffering from overweight or obesity, also is true in other Persian Gulf nations.

In addition, excessive consumption of fast food in the region leads to colorectal cancer and the development of other diseases associated with the increased cholesterol levels in the blood. An example is Oman; in 2000, a national health survey showed, “36,1% of the surveyed adult respondents aged 20-34 years were overweight or obese, 26% had hypercholesterolemia, 17.7% had hypertension, and 8.4% had type 2 diabetes or a violation of the test for glucose tolerance.”

In general, the data of the reports of the World Health Organization show that the percentage of preschool-age children with overweight in the Eastern Mediterranean region in 2011 were “in Djibouti - 12.3% and in Syria - 21.9%.” Also, it is necessary to take into account that the actual data exceeds information that is fixed in the monitoring systems for food supplies in these countries. In addition, over the years the treatment of obesity and overweight is subject to change. Thus, the consumption of American fast food has a negative impact on the health of the Persian Gulf nations of nations and poses a serious threat to the state of health systems.

Current Attitude of the Persian Gulf Nations to the American Fast Food

The attitude of the Persian Gulf countries to the American fast food population is rather ambiguous. After all, even realizing all the harm of fast food for the health, people's love for it does not lower. In such a manner, according to the data provided by Benajiba, no more than 6% of consumers recognize such food is healthy. Statistics obtained during the polls suggest, “35.5% of respondents, regardless of gender, believe that all fast foods are harmful to health. A vast majority (58.7%) recognized only some American fast food dishes as harmful.” Interestingly, about “50% of men, in contrast to 34% (of women) in surveys, recognized American fast food restaurants as more hygienic compared to other establishments. About 67% of respondents who consume American fast food are aware that it can lead to overweight, obesity and other non-infectious diseases” Despite the realization of all the harm of the American fast food, the annual high demand for it in the territory of the Persian Gulf states causes the expansion of fast food chains. The taste and convenience determine the consumer's commitment. Therefore, today, many American and other fast food brands are eager to spread their business in the Middle East. Annually, the majority of local people become consumers of the American fast food. Also, a big population of these people eats fast food at home.

A contradictory fact is a difference in understanding of the notion of fast food by each person. It is another hidden problem of the Persian Gulf society. Many consumers believe only Western-style products to be fast food; however, they need to recognize many local products as such, as well. For example, in Kuwait, based on the results of the study of Musaiger, “Hamburgers were most recognized as fast food by consumers (96%) and at the same time, only 75% of respondents recognized pizza as American Fast Food.” Men and women understand the meaning of fast food differently. About 88% of men who took part in the polls categorized a homemade sandwich with sausage, shawarma, and other dishes as fast food. Women, on the contrary, less often recognized food prepared at home as fast food. In particular, the problem concerned national dishes. According to polls, people prefer American fast food establishments because of their convenience and promptness of service, as well as the taste of dishes. In addition, the survey data suggest, “More than 70% of respondents in Kuwait estimate the price of fast food reasonable.”

There is also a controversial moment of cross-cultural food and cultural appropriateness in the use by Muslims of the American fast food. Patty-cakes made from natural pork, which are put in burgers, are inappropriate for the followers of Islam. Nevertheless, fast food networks came up with the specific menu in order to satisfy believers and attract more customers. In such a manner, burgers with chicken or fish are popular. In addition, the idea of being American made fast food face opposition in some countries of the region because of political and cultural concerns. From the perspective of the inhabitants of the countries of the Persian Gulf nations, “U.S. food corporations are perceived to be symbols of American interests.” In the spread of these networks, people see the expansion of the enemy. The negative attitude associated with the political coloring that people give to the business of the American fast food in the Persian Gulf nations is manifested in the form of “protesting through boycotts” against Starbucks and McDonald's. A good example is Malaysia, where Muslims were encouraged to stop eating and working at Starbucks and McDonald's.

Conclusion

Thus, the present study was conducted to determine what the American fast food is, the nature of its influence on the health of the Persian Gulf nations, and the attitude of consumers of these countries to the American fast food today. Basing on the results of the analysis of theoretical and statistical data, it can be summarized that today, there is a steady demand for American fast food in the population of such countries as Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. At the same time, the level of consumption of fast food by men is usually higher than that of women. According to the age, the adolescent group has the highest frequency of consumption of the American fast food. Along with the growing trend of the fast food consumption by the Persian Gulf nations, obesity levels increase, as well. Thus, one can draw an objective conclusion about the negative impact of the American fast food on the health of the Persian Gulf population.