Glocalization: Taking the edge off Globalization

- Do you know what they call a Quarter Pounder with cheese in France?
- They don't call it a quarter pounder with cheese?
- Hell no, they got the metric system. They don't know what the fuck a quarter pound is. They call it a royale with cheese.

The term globalization is becoming increasingly common around the world. For some it represents the future and how the world may change to become more equal, with merging cultures, ethnicities, economic systems, social justices and political ideals. For others, it is a pernicious force that poses a danger to local markets, domestic culture and unique customs. Either way, no matter what you think, it is happening.

Sometimes, foreign customs may seep into a culture naturally. When something is practical, it makes sense to follow suit. For example, using knives and forks began somewhere and spread throughout the Western world and eventually spread overseas and across distant continents. Actually it is thought that forks were developed in ancient Egypt and knives were a product of France, yet this perfect couple met somewhere along the lines of history and we take their practical use for granted.

On the other hand, global trends may barge in on a culture regardless of their ultimate use. Think of the McDonalds and Starbucks around the world. We see them everywhere whether we want to or not. Franchises are not always welcome and small Italian city showed this when locals opted to continue eating local goods back in 2002. After opening in 2001, the McDonalds restaurant in Altamura shut its doors in only 2002 (1).  In light of the various attitudes regarding embracing globalization or protecting traditional heritage, there is one thing that helps bridge that divide: ‘glocalization.’

Glocalization is, as the name suggests, the mix of both globalization and localization. This process involves localizing a foreign ‘product’ to keep local elements intact. Glocalization takes the edge off the product and makes it more palatable for native mouths, eyes, ears and minds. The most common place we see this is in food. Let’s go back to McDonalds and Starbucks, two experts in glocalization. South Korea is home to the Bulgogi Burger, the Kimchi Burger and the Shanghai Spicy Chicken Burger (2). In Thailand, Ronald McDonald is seen bowing down to local customers, as is local custom (3). Going one step further, McDonalds in France got rid of poor Ronald and replaced him with Asterix, the well-known French kids cartoon character (4).

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="500" class=" "] Glocal goodies await inside![/caption]

Similarly, Starbucks is another fox when it comes to entering foreign farms. Living in Korea, I have noticed that Insadong in Seoul is a major tourist zone, bustling with traditional arts, crafts and food. When Starbucks tried to set up shop here, local residents and store keepers were greatly annoyed, as referenced in this. In order to succeed, the store name Starbucks has been written in the Korean script hangeul. The interior also matches the local mood, with Korean rice cakes (deok) and lemon teas on sale inside.

On its latest expedition, Starbucks also made a foray into the Muslim world but angered locals in Saudi Arabia with its smiling mermaid logo. As local residents have strict views on the role and place of women in soceity, the logo has now been edited with the mermaid removed (5).

Starbucks has even managed to set up a store right in the Forbidden City, Beijing, China. Starbucks attempted to adjust smoothly by making things appear somewhat local, however this particular example shows how glocalization doesn't always succeed; Starbucks eventually shut up shop after intense protests from Chinese locals.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="420" class=" "] Fobidden City. Forbidden Cafe? Nope[/caption]

 

Glocalization is not only limited to food. In the music world, South Korea, which for me is majorly over-globalized, is another expert at localizing foreign products. The success of Korean pop, or K-pop as it is better known, has spread to other Asian nations like Vietnam, China and Taiwan. The spread of K-pop brings economic and cultural advantages for South Korea but undermines local talent elsewhere.  In fact, due to K-pop, which is supposedly Korean, is being limited in China as it is bringing in Western fashion styles, music and consumerism with it. However, clever marketers in Korea saw a perfect chance to seize upon; EXO - the Chinese/Korean boy group (6).

Moving onto the film world, Hollywood also smartly conceals localized content in its films to boost worldwide sales. For example, it may be hire a Korean actor in a Hollywood blockbuster to shore up sales in Asia. The actor may not be the best for the position, but it will guarantee big cinema attendances in Korea (7).

Even if you have watched the same movie, drunk the same cup of Starbucks’ coffee or had the same Mcburger in two countries, perhaps you could see that not every aspect of your experience was identical in both. Glocalization may seem like something sneaky that is used to make more money, and yes it may be. But like the knife and the fork, new things can be practical for us and we need to embrace them. As globalization increases, I think we should enjoy watching how a product or service adapts to local needs.

Pop Culture: Enjoy... But Be Cautious

Stuck in Stereotypes

I once read that the majority of Americans don’t have a passport. As a European, I thought this was an incredibly shocking, if not dismaying, piece of trivia. On the other hand, presumably even those without passports know that Italians eat pizza and pasta and the typical French person cycles around with a baguette, wearing a black beret. An Irish citizen wears green and stumbles drunk down the street. Australians throw boomerangs at kangaroos. All the classic stereotypes.

These examples seem perhaps quite harmless at first glance, but what about the others---all Arabs are Muslim, all Blacks are poor, all Jews are greedy.

Stereotypes influence our decision making and are difficult to unlearn. Where do we form these ideas? How do we come to know---or think we know---so much about countries and cultures we have never experienced firsthand? The answer is through popular culture – the media of film, books, magazines, music and videos.

Mass Media: The Importance of Popular Culture

We cannot underestimate the power of mass media and pop culture in shaping our perceptions, ideals or prejudices of another culture. When it comes to ‘exporting culture’, there is both “High Culture" and "Low Culture" (a.k.a. Pop Culture). High Culture includes opera and ballet but reaches a smaller audience. Pop culture is much more ubiquitous and as a result arguably more influential. Let’s look at the most popular example---violence on our screens.

It is well documented that watching violence in film and on television could negatively influence the viewer. There is evidence to suggest this is true. Recently, a young man in the USA killed and dismembered his girlfriend after being inspired by a popular show about a serial killer, Dexter. On the other hand, Norway is regarded as a very peaceful country with low internal conflict. Is it a coincidence that the same country attempts to control, avoid and limit negative influences from its media? Crime is not sensationalized, television has little violence, boxing is banned from television. Even E.T. was rated too violent for viewers under 12.

Violence on television is a widely debated topic in the public eye. Why then, is less thought put into monitoring and researching the power of pop culture? Most people would look down at the importance of studying pop culture, believing it to be insignificant. Pop culture can be fun and educating but at the same time, it is a major factor in building prejudices and creating stereotypes. When original content is made by one culture and exported to another, we need to examine it carefully and make an educated decision on whether or not it is accurately portraying a culture’s image.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="329"] How are Asians usually represented in film? The men traditionally played the role of the villain such as Ming in Flash Gordon. On the hand, women tend to be painted as soft, feminine and desirable.[/caption]

Film: Learning about Cultures without Personal Experience

While I have yet to visit most of the countries in the world, it seems that I already know so much about them. You probably feel the same. Those who have yet to visit Paris, New York or London all have wonderful images and notions of their streets and alleys. Bustling Asian markets, piranhas in the Amazon and tribes in Africa. We are all constantly learning about cultures without firsthand personal experience. This increases the risk of misshaping our attitudes.

Through mass media, I know that India, for example, is a colorful place with a rich history, delicious food and with wonderful landscapes and locals. I do however, also know that a series of high-profile rape cases have tarnished the country’s image over the past few years. This has lead to a decrease in tourism. I know this from reading the news or watching a documentary but often it is film that is the most widespread channel in delivering gateways into other cultures. Looking at India again, the film Slumdog Millionaire was criticized by Indians for showing the country in such a dim light. Yet friends who have visited there can’t speak highly enough of such a beautiful place. Who to trust more, media sources or those who have been there and done that?

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="556" class=" "] Slumdog Millionaire presented the slums of Mumbai in a brutal but honest light. Still, it would most likely turn viewers away from India.[/caption]

Taken, the Hollywood blockbuster about human trafficking in Paris, apparently led to a decline in annual tourism in France. Parents told the movie’s leading front man Liam Neeson, “I’ll never send my kids to Europe.” To Asia, after the movie The Beach was released showing Leonardo Di Caprio’s adventures in Thailand, tourism soared there. People saw what an interesting culture Thailand had to offer with friendly locals, crazy parties and pristine beaches. They also expected shots of snake blood, shark infested-waters and drugs growing out of thin air on their arrival.

Heading north, to eastern Asia and Korea, a French actress Brigitte Bardot highlighted that Koreans eat dog in the French media prior to the 2002 FIFA World Cup. This spread across the global media and painted Koreans in a barbaric way, despite their huge advances in modern technology and innovation. The eating of dog, although a separate topic, is a custom that has lasted centuries and is ingrained in local culture here. We shouldn't compare cultures as being right or wrong, simply different. On a better note, Korean dramas have recently become huge in Cuba, of all places.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="488"] Phi Phi island in Thailand. Since the Beach, the area has received an incredible boost to tourism but local culture and the surrounding environment have taken a battering.[/caption]

Media: Objective or Subjective?

In general, we often believe that the media---whether a newspaper, a television show or a documentary---is objective and reflect their subjects much like a mirror would do. However, in fact the media is more like a window. It is mostly subjective and only offers us one viewpoint. Another window from the same building may cast a different light. This is to say that when we consume foreign pop culture we must do so with an open mind. What we are seeing, reading and hearing may not represent the true culture of a nation. The media is usually affected by local constraints that we are not aware of such as religious, political, historical or gender differences.

Korean director Kim Ki-Duk has had great success at international film festivals but his movies have never been widely appreciated in his homeland. If someone was to watch just one of his films, they would have a misrepresentation of Korea. Traditionally African-American women were portrayed as domestic stereotypes like in Tom and Jerry (which now carries a racial warning to viewers). Often media that is ‘factual’ or ‘based on a true story’ is only telling one side of a tale. Others rewrite history altogether; Disney’s Pocahontas, for example, all but overhauled the tragic history between natives and European adventurers.

[caption id="attachment_3259" align="aligncenter" width="250" class=" "] Media framing - what we see may not be a true reflection[/caption]

Keep an Open Mind

As technology improves, culture is spreading more and more. However, there is also a major global imbalance. Individuals from less populous cultural groups tend to import huge amounts of foreign content as it isn't plausible to consume only their own. Societies that watch too much foreign media may lose touch with their own. On the other hand, major nations like America, tend to view or consume little or no foreign content.

Finally, for many of us, some cultures and some nations exist only through popular culture. Mass media and pop culture are major powers in building our perceptions of other cultures and can often be only somewhat correct and educational. Those who do use media as their primary source of learning about other cultures thus need to consume as much as possible with an open mind in order to see a wider, probably more accurate picture of a nation, group or culture. Still, the best way to learn is still to get out there and mingle with real people.

2014 Asian Games - Was it Worth it?

What the hell are the Asian Games? I, myself, had no idea the Asiad existed at all until I went to cover the games in Incheon this past month.

The name is self-explanatory. The Asian Games are a set of events held throughout and between Asian countries every four years.
The Asian Games are very much like the Olympics, except on a more regional-based level. There are over 44 events such as soccer, fencing, archery, swimming, decathlon, triathlon, and any other “-athon”.
The 17^th Asian Games were held in Incheon, South Korea this year. I was fortunate enough to be part of the Asian Games News Service, and as a reporter for the organization, I had access to all the events.
The games and events were fun to watch, but there were more than just enjoying the games. More than the sporting events themselves, I saw a lot of problems with the entire Asiad and its infrastructures.

 

1. 
   

   No one shows up to watch

   
   There were 36 different sporting events this year, and of course some events might not be popular. I covered basketball and boxing, and both events seem exciting and fun. However, there were barely any spectators for the games. The stadiums were emptier than an abandoned warehouse. Unless the event was in its finals, people didn't want to pay much money to come watch.
   
   [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="502"] "Where did everyone go?"[/caption]
   
   There are a few dedicated fans that come to support their teams, like the Filipinos who cheered on for their basketball team.
   I was sorely disappointed at the lack of turnout for the events such as boxing. For a grueling ten days, I watched over 200 individual boxing matches, and each day, the seats throughout the gymnasium sat empty.


2. 
   

   Game officials are biased

   
   If the system can be cheated, it will. I watched basketball, handball, soccer, and boxing games in person. Without fail, the referees or judges would favor the South Korean team or athlete.
   The women’s lightweight boxing finals between India’s Sarita Devi and South Korea’s Park Jina stirred up quite the controversy. Anybody who watched that fight would have no doubt that Devi won the fight. The decision to give the victory to Park did not sit well with everyone (especially the Indian nationals) except the Korean spectators. The controversial decision is still under official investigation and the topic is still hot among boxing aficionados and fans around the world. Yet, I saw more unfair rulings on the field in other events like soccer and basketball.
   
   [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="456"] Men's basketball: South Korea vs. Iran[/caption]
   
   The men’s basketball finals between S. Korea and Iran was truly an exciting game. Never for a minute did either team take a big enough lead to assume they would emerge victorious. With 16 seconds left in the game, Korea was barely leading 76-75. Iran would have no choice but to foul to stop the clock from ticking down, and Korea managed three more points at the free throw line. With eight seconds left, Iran was trailing 77-79. However, in their last drive to score one more basket, they were fouled numerous times by the Korean players, but the referee failed to blow his whistle and simply let the clock expire. I saw similar favoritism on the soccer field as well, but I won’t get into that. I’m sure I painted fairly detailed accounts of favoritism for Korean athletes. It wasn’t simply the game officials that had a hand in creating a substantial Asian Games.
   [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJGYPS6xVxM]


3. 
   

   It’s not well-organized

   
   In the first few days of the Asian Games, over 100 Korean interpreters simply left. That accounted for over a third of the interpreters available, and some of them were essential because they could speak Arabic, Russian, Chinese, and a few other languages that would have proven useful on the field. They left because they were told one thing, but found to their dismay that the organizers could not deliver on their promises. The interpreters were promised lucrative pay, decent housing, and good working conditions.
   
   [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="500"] The only time they were smiling[/caption]
   
   However, when they began their jobs interpreting, they had to work around the clock, being a lackey to the different foreigners that came to speculate and participate. They were told they would be working an eight-hour work schedule, but instead, they had to work more than 12 hours at a time.
   Their pay was much lower than what they were told, and at one point, they were served lunch with stale rice, old dainty meat, and foul-smelling vegetables.
   
   [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="459"] Okay, maybe it wasn't this bad, but it was still unedible.[/caption]
   
   Without them, it was hard for reporters who didn’t speak Arabic or Mongolian like me to conduct interviews. I scrambled and fought my way through other reporters to get a quote from an athlete, but my efforts to reach him or her would be useless as the athletes simply stared at me and kept saying, “No English.”
   
   [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="500"] "No English"[/caption]
   
   Overall, South Korea did not have the budget to host such a huge international event, which is why many of the volunteers or workers had a hell of a tough time working throughout the Games. However, it wasn’t completely bad because…


4. 
   

   It’s a great way to meet new people

   
   Although I mentioned above that not many people come to watch the sporting events, there are foreign medias that come from different parts of Asia to broadcast and write about the Games.
   Many of the reporters didn’t speak English, but we all managed to break through this language barrier and communicated effectively.
   Reporters from Jordan were especially friendly. They sat next to us during the boxing matches, and they always had a smile on their face. I sat watching many other people from places such as India, the Philippines, and other Asian nations come to watch and support their respective national athletes play. Through the spirit of competition, many other people along with myself, formed new bonds and contacts with people we never thought we would ever meet. I even had the chance to meet and interview the prince of Qatar. That’s a chance I would never have been given had I not been present at the Games.

There were a lot of issues with the 2014 Incheon Asian Games. However, despite all its flaws, it was an opportunity to bring people of many different cultures into one location. There was a Food Festival that showed off the delectable dishes from countries like Kazakhstan, Sri Lanka, and Thailand. I had the chance to interview some of the head chefs, and the Kazakhstani chef wanted to prepare horse meat, which is the main source of meat in his homeland.

It was a pity he couldn’t find horse meat in Korea because from the fragrances of smoked lamb in his kitchen made all who smelled it salivate. It wasn’t only the Korean spectators that had the chance to mingle with different cultures. People from China were able to shake hands, take pictures and talk with people from Turkmenistan, and the same held true for most of the other different-cultured people.
As long as people are able to have the opportunity to open new lines of communication with other people, then the problems of the Asian Games may be a price we are willing to pay.

The Mean Things We Say about People from Other Countries

[caption id="attachment_2306" align="aligncenter" width="960"] Why can't we all just get along?[/caption]

As a foreigner to Chinese, Korean, and Japanese friends, I seem to incite conversations on international topics more often than would seem the norm in strictly native circles. And, perhaps as some perverse gesture of solidarity with the Westerner in the room, these conversations quite often turn into xenophobic venting sessions directed at East Asian neighbors. The catharses usually begin as polite self-deprecating observations on one’s own society and then morph, with varying degrees of speed and completion depending on the drinks being served that night, into stronger and more earnest insults to the reputations of nearby countries.

What strikes me most about the content of such conversations is not just that the participants have generally realized that I lived for almost three years in China and developed several friendships along the way, have a Korean boyfriend and a close relationship with his family, and have made a few Japanese friends in both Chinese and Korean language classes and am thus very likely judging their xenophobia with some critical scrutiny, but that the comments, whether they be made by Chinese people about Koreans, Japanese people about Chinese, Korean people about Japanese, or any permutation thereof, are all pretty much the same.

[caption id="attachment_2312" align="alignright" width="300"] Regardless of whether we're red, green, blue, or purple, we might just tend to insult our neighbors in similar ways.[/caption]

A few close Chinese friends in Beijing once told me over lamb kebabs and beer that they considered Koreans “很吵，没有礼貌，不太聪明 (loud, rude, and unintelligent).” A few months later, I had a similarly sized group of Korean friends confiding to me over banchan and fish that Chinese tourists struck them as “시끄럽고 예의 없어 (loud and rude).”

Similarly, a Chinese friend complained to me several times that I should watch myself around Koreans, who are cold-hearted business-minded folks who will befriend you for personal gain and, once you cease to be of use to them, “只把你扔掉了 (just toss you away).” Perhaps, though, I shouldn’t heed that advice, as, according to a Korean acquaintance, Chinese people are “물질만능주의자 (exclusively materialistic).”

The hate doesn’t stop at bashing each other’s aptitudes and principles. A close Korean friend once told me that she thought that compared with Chinese and Japanese, 우리 나라 여자들은 가장 예뻐 (our country’s girls are the prettiest).” This  declaration ironically called to mind an offhand comment once made by a female Chinese friend that Chinese girls had bigger eyes and were naturally prettier than Korean and Japanese individuals.

Multiple Chinese and Korean people have also complained to me that people from the other country "always" try to seize everything important in East Asian history as their own invention. The Chinese end of this argument is humorously depicted in one of my favorite Youku videos, which alleges that a Korean professor claimed that Sun Yat-sen and Yao Ming had Korean ancestry and that Korean academics have before concluded that Confucius, Xi Shi (legendary beauty said to have lived in the 春秋 period), and Li Shizhen (Ming Dynasty doctor and polymath) had Korean blood and will soon declare that the universe itself was created by Korea.

Such xenophobic sentiments have not been limited to close friends in intimate quarters. The head of my office in Beijing once told me after some slight inebriation at a company banquet that he considered the smartest and most accomplished people in the history of the world to be Chinese, German, English, and Japanese, but “对不起，不是韩国人 (sorry, not Koreans).”

This comment was countered and perhaps topped by the Yonsei KLI Korean teacher (and my absolute favorite teacher at the program, so I take her comments in a benign context) who asked our class if we didn’t think that Korean students were “다른 나라 학생보다 더 똑똑하지않아 (just smarter than students from other countries)?”

It might be easy to think so when surrounded by fellow Koreans, but I have a feeling that some people from the other 195-odd countries around the tip of this tiny peninsula might disagree.

 

This post is adapted from an article originally appearing in Strolling Toward a Mountain of Tigers, the author's personal blog on life, science, and how those two words together are redundant.

Drink up! (The drinking culture in Asia)

Beer, vodka, soju, sake, whiskey. Whichever your preference, alcohol is a great way to unite people. Drinking has become so widespread that there are customs and cultures based on it.

Drinking cultures vary in each country. If you’re planning to drink in Korea, China, or Japan, here are some tips to get you started on your inebriation.

China

The preferred choice of alcohol there is baijiu. Baijiu is high proof, and because drinking in China has been categorized as masculine, most men tend to drink it. Though there are times when they tend to drink beer or wine, nothing shows your masculinity like baijiu. However, it’s not always about finishing your shot of baijiu before anyone else. There’s an etiquette to drinking when you find yourself sharing drinks with business associates, be mindful of how you behave.



When someone toasts, it is expected of you to finish your cup, or ganbei. When people do toast, be sure to clink your glass against everyone’s. If the person you’re toasting against is your superior, be sure to bring your glass lower than theirs when you clink glasses. But beware, if you clink glasses, it means you want to go bottoms up! If you’re not sure how to work yourself into the Chinese drinking culture, just be sure to use both hands when offering, receiving, or drinking your beverage.

Japan

As most people may have heard, sake is popular in Japan. However, the most popular drink is actually beer. With breweries like Asahi, Kirin, and Sapporo, you’ll see restaurants, bars, and izakayas (Japanese pub) stocked and ready to serve you beer. But if you’re looking for something more traditional, most izakayas are ready to present you with sake, which can be drunk either cold or hot. It may not sound appealing, but certain sakes taste much better when served hot.



If you find yourself sharing drinks with Japanese businessmen, make sure you NEVER pour your own glass. Something to keep in mind is you should always wait for other people to offer you a fill. It is custom in Japan to never leave a glass or cup empty, so if you happen to see someone in need of a refill, offer to pour. Some may refuse to show modesty, but if pressure is applied, most will accept your offer. In turn, they will insist on refilling your glass as well, so be sure to leave your glass full if you don’t plan to drink anymore.

Korea

The most sought out alcoholic beverage in Korea is soju. This traditional Korean drink has sold twice more than any other spirit or liquor worldwide. In Korea, the drink is found almost anywhere – from your local convenience stores to top-notch Korean restaurants. One of the best things about soju is that it’s relatively cheap and it’ll get you buzzed (or heavily intoxicated, depending on your consumption). What’s even more popular than soju is somaek (소맥; soju mixed with beer). The golden ratio (황금 비율) of soju to beer is 3:7. Some will choose to add more or less soju, but you can’t go wrong with 3:7.



Wherever you go to drink, be sure to always toast the first glass or shot and finish it, too. Depending on whom you’re dinking with, you may have to finish your glass every time your counterpart does. In corporate Korea, your superiors will want to keep pouring you drinks and it is considered disrespectful if you don’t empty your glass. Also, be sure to use both hands when either pouring or receiving drinks (especially if the counterpart is your superior).

Despite where you are, if you're out drinking, always be sure to keep the customs of the host country. Being able to blend in with that country's drinking culture will prove more fun and interactive. Just be sure to drink responsibly. Now, drink up!