Researching food! :)

(麦当劳！ McDonald's in China!)


Not much to say about this week! Having survived another consecutive battery of three-hour long Chinese classes within the past five days, I am ready for a breather! Yet, there is no rest for the study abroad student :) I have two ten-page research papers coming up, a group project to present in about two weeks, a book to read (China Candid by Sang Ye)…along with my sanity to keep in tact!


While I could try to explain the rules of Mahjong, I have realized that there are WAY too many variations to even begin an explanation on this blog. Instead, I’ll leave this post short and mention my second research paper (with all advice and suggestions welcome!) While my first paper is going to be on western influences in the Chinese gaming industry, in general, my second paper will be on McDonald’s. I I will be doing my research on McDonald's applies to the phrase "Made in China" and the differences I have learned about Chinese McDonald's (versus American McDonald's). I will also be discussing the localization of McDonald's in China and what has made it evolve culturally.


Any suggestions for how to go about this? I think I might try to interview workers, if I can find some that speak English. Of course, there will have to be some “research” done on the food, too! :D I am fascinated with the way America’s fast food culture has been interpreted here – maybe others will be interested, too!