In the contemporary world, national food is widely replaced by international fast foods. This pattern stems from globalization and shifting food choices. I firmly believe this is a negative development, as it blurs national identity of the country and weakens health of people.
The primary reason for this tendency is largely attributed to rising global connection. It is globalization that enhances connection between countries, providing an opportunity to exchange with their culture. Although implementing different traditions to its own may expand the traditions, it can also deprive the uniqueness of the country. Examples can be seen in United States, where their cuisine is mainly dependent on other countries’ dishes, such as Italy or China. While fast foods like pizza or frenched fries are extremely popular in America, this dishes was made in Italy and Belgium respectively. Another contributing factor lies in shifted priorities. Many people instead of prioritizing their traditional food tend to eat international fast food due to a global recommendation. Advertisements and other methods of promoting a certain food attracts individual attention. Consequently, they prefer international foods instead of traditional.
Despite some beneficial aspects this tendency provides, it is largely a negative development due to the effect it has on cultural identity. Traditional food significantly reflects the culture of the country, and its rare consumption may lead to not only extinction of national cuisine, but also loss of cultural identity. Should individuals prioritize global cuisine rather than national food, they would be deprived from national heritage of the country. As an extension, it may also contribute to certain health problems. Unlike national food, a large amount of sugar and chemicals contained in fast foods may lead to complicated health issues such as obesity or cancer. For instance, a problem of people’s obesity in America is largely stems from vast array consumption of fast foods. Therefore, it indicates that international fast food may blur cultural identity and weaken the health of individuals.
In conclusion, although worldwide consumption of fast foods is attributed to global connection and social priorities, this pattern may lead to extinction of traditional food and perpetuate health issues.