Page 80 - Beyond Methods

68 Maximizing learning opportunities
that they can go to any search engine (such as Google or Yahoo) and enter: “globalization and McDonald’s.” The search will show them an overwhelming number of entries, and they can quickly browse through and select one or two items to read. Alternatively, they can go to the archives of on-line versions of leading international news agencies such as the New York Times (http://www.nytimes.com) or British Broad- casting Corporation (http://news.bbc.ac.uk), or any other leading news agency in their country. Ask them to make a printout of one or two items that are relevant for the assignment.
3.3.6 In class, lead a discussion on what they found. Even if only a few students obtained appropriate reading materials, share them with other students. Or, you may help them with materials you collected. Focus on the cultural factor first. If, for whatever reason, an appropri- ate example was not found in time, use the following:
On 24 May 2001, BBC News Online reported a news story titled “Mc- Donald’s grilled over ‘veggie fries’” (http://news.bbc.co.uk/low/english/ world/newsid_1348000/1348296.stm). On the same day, a similar story appeared in the New York Times titled McDonald’s Apologizes for Fries (http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/business/AP-McDonald’s-Fries .html).
Here’s the BBC story:
McDonald’s grilled over ‘veggie fries’ by Steven Evans in New York
Fast food giant McDonald’s has expressed regret for not giving the public what it calls “complete” information about the way its potato chips are cooked.
With a multi-million dollar court case on the way, the BBC has learned that McDonald’s has conceded that it may have confused customers over whether its fries were vegetarian, and so acceptable to Hindus.
In 1990, McDonald’s announced with much fanfare that it would switch to cooking its fries in vegetable oil, making them acceptable to vegetarians who will not eat food cooked in beef fat.
However, it has now emerged that this is only part of the process.
In North America, the fries are first cooked at plants using beef fat, and then frozen before being shipped to the restaurants for fur- ther frying.
American Hindus have started legal action seeking damages, which they say could run to millions of dollars.
In India the revelation caused rioting until the company assured local people that the method of cooking there was strictly vegetarian.