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Fast Food Culture

We live in a land of agonizing contrasts. On one hand, we have the largest epidemic, in any nation, of malnourished people. On the other, it will soon be the largest epidemic, in any nation, of obese and diabetic people who will be prone to have trouble with their kidneys, eyes, nervous systems, or other parts of the body just by consuming the junk served by the fast foods outlets that have come up across the country.

In India on one side, millions are dying since they just cannot afford one square meal a day and on the other hand Indians with a lot of money are killing themselves by eating high calorie, high fat dishes that go by the name fast food. (Actually, it is better to call it junk food, rather than fast food at least in India. It does not come any faster than the traditional idli, vada, dosa, samosa, pakoda or chat in our shops and stalls; indeed it comes slower).

The most important question is how these multinational fast giants made there foray into India. When the economy was liberalized, these MNCs grabbed the golden opportunity. It was a classic situation where the urban Indians had the money, but do not have avenue to spend the money. Hence, the fast food culture took India by storm. They marketed the product really well, roped in famous bollywood stars and cricketers for their advertisement campaigns. The Indians living in the cities have completely forgotten about their traditional Indian dishes and took to the “Western” fast food culture. A survey conducted by a leading Indian newspaper says that over 23 per cent of the children in Delhi are obese. One hopes that this estimate is not true; if it is, one shudders to think of the numbers in Mumbai, Hyderabad, Pune, Chennai, Kolkata, Gurgaon and other nouveau riche cities with their fast prevailing mall culture and fast food attractions.

Here is a typical scene from one such mall in Hyderabad. It has a 4-movie multiplex theatre, surrounded by 40-odd fast food kiosks and 20-odd shops that sell clothing, perfumes and jewellery, music and video CDs and DVDs. Not one of them sells traditional Indian meals or snacks. And the mall, like 20 others in the city, is filled with thousands of youngsters who obviously have enough to spend. We did not have such scenes in India twenty years ago, but this mall and fast food culture is expanding explosively across India. This too is part of the globalization of India, a part that causes great concern about the health of its citizens.

The research firm recently surveyed 13 countries on their food habits and health, particularly fast food culture and obesity. The results reveal that the number one fast food nation in the world is the United Kingdom. About 45 per cent of the people in the UK are fast food eaters, and say “I like the taste of fast food too much to give it up.” Next come the Americans, with 44 and Canadians with 37 per cent. At the other end of the scale are the French. A full 81 per cent of them reject fast food, as do 71 per cent of Singaporeans. These two countries too are globalised, developed nations, and yet their people reject fast food.  We had 15 per cent of Indians obese, not just overweight. In 1980; it jumped to 27 per cent in 2000. Where would urban India, the one that promotes, and prides itself on, globalization, like to be? With U.K. and U.S., or France, China and Singapore? The choice is ours.

A 12-oz (340 ml) can of Coca Cola yields 155 cal, and a small portion of McDonald’s French fries has 210 cal, and as much as 15g total fat (and the bad ones, the trans fats, form 4g of this amount). More often than not, these are eaten as snacks and not as meals, and thus add to the calorie and fat content- contributing to obesity and associated ill health.

Compare these with Indian snacks and ‘tiffin’. One midsize idli offers 70 cal and 0.2 grams fat, a plain dosa 140 cal and 5 grams fat (hence a set dosa or steamed dosa is better), and a samosa packs 370 cal and 18 grams fat (matching a pizza slice or a plate of fries). This comparison is not to say: “avoid burger and fries, and eat only idli vada,” but to request to use moderation and caution.

About the Author

I am Sriram Srinivas working for consumerdaddy website. We write many blogs and articles to create consumer awareness. Consumerdaddy is a leading consumer protection portal in India with consumer reports for over 40,000 companies and 200,000 products.

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