Signs of American Life (McDonald's Restaurants) Essay

Signs of American Life (McDonald's Restaurants) - Essay Example A country's culture can be judged by many things, such as its language, films, drama, literature and of course, its cuisine. Although there are many regional variations of its cuisine, the single most visible form of American culture as exemplified by its cuisine is its fast foods. Fast food service restaurants are invented in America and McDonald's is its foremost example that combines the can-do spirit, its stringent individualistic attitudes towards life in general; a hurried pace of life, such that even eating is hurried and harried. In old Europe, eating is done in a leisurely manner as shown in its fine dining establishments but in America, it is different. A general mood is do things quickly in order to achieve material things in life and get ahead. Alexis de Tocqueville hit it on the right spot to have observed this restlessness in Americans; a general tendency to acquire material things that lead to disillusionment, disquiet, unhappiness and an unstated feeling of getting le ft behind by the faster, next fellow. (Tocqueville 1). Long before the term â€Å"keeping up with the Joneses† was coined or invented, Alexis de Tocqueville had already put it succinctly what one single trait to describe the Americans. In his statement, â€Å"it is strange to see with what feverish ardor the Americans pursue their own welfare; and to watch the vague dread that constantly torments them lest they should not have chosen the shortest path which may lead to it† in which an observer gets the impression most Americans are always outdoing each other, not wasting even a single moment by eating fast. Instant coffee, instant meals and instant gratification are exemplified by McDonald's Restaurants in which a customer can order a quick bite and have it within a matter of minutes. McDonald's has been immensely successful because it catered to this American trait of having everything at once, not a minute longer than necessary. People who are always on the go who ne ed a quick bite can hop into any McDonald's outlet and expect to be served very