Lesson 13 - The impact of the popularisation of western culture

The Impact of the Popularisation of Western Culture

Lesson 13

Task 3 – The influences of McDonald’s upon us (p.47)

Eating habits westernized (西化 )Eating plenty of meat and few vegetables is unhealthy

Fast food is convenient (方便 ), so a lot of people who have to go to work choose it for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Hamburgers, French fries and other fast food which are high in cholesterol (膽固醇 ) have also become very popular among young people.

Experts (專家 ) pointed out that because of increasingly westernised eating habits, Hong Kong people are now eating plenty of meat but few vegetables. This change of eating habits can cause a lot of problems.

Apart from obesity (肥胖 ), it also increase the risk of diabetes (糖尿病 ), heart diseases and stroke (中風 ).

12th November 2005

McDonald’s Happy Meal Never Goes Bad, Nutritionist Proves

The fact that McDonald’s food didn’t go bad like regular food goes shows that many preservatives (防腐劑 ) are added to it.

Junk food (垃圾食物 )

19th March, 2010

Homogenisation (同質化 ) of dining culture (p.50)

As fast food restaurants such as McDonald’s, KFC and Burger King expand globally, people from different nations are gradually eating the same food – hamburgers, French fries, milkshakes, Coke, etc.

People’s taste has become more homogenous. This threatens the existence of traditional (傳統的 ) food shops.

If such high-cholesterol food becomes our major food, it will lead to an unbalanced diet (不均衡的飲食 ), obesity and other health problems.

Task 4 - An integration of the east and the west, or the rising of the west and the downfall of the east? (p.52)

In a globalized world, the introduction of Western culture generally results in one of the following three situations.

A. Under the influence of Western culture, the local culture gradually disappears (消失 ).

B. Local culture blossoms (興旺 ) thanks to stimulation (刺激 ) from Western culture.

C. Local culture and Western culture influence each other, gradually integrating (結合 ) and developing into a new culture.

The result of cultural exchanges (W.S. p.26)

A. The presence of a foreign culture will cause the local culture to gradually disappear (消失 ).

E.g. Some Chinese traditional festivals are fading away (衰退 ), the Lantern Festival (燈節 /元宵節 ), Seventh Sister’s Birthday Festival (Chinese Valentine’s Day)七姐誕 , and Yue Lan-Festival (盂蘭節 ).

The result of cultural exchanges (W.S. p.26)

B. Local culture will be strengthened with stimulation from foreign culture.

E.g. The Cheung Chau Bun Festival (包山節 ) is becoming more and more popular.

The result of cultural exchanges (W.S. p.26)

C. When local culture integrates (結合 ) with foreign culture, a new culture emerges.

E.g. Traditional Chinese medicine (傳統中醫藥 ) becomes more vital (重要 ) by combining with western research methods (研究方法 ).

Discussion Which of the situations are reflected in the following cases? Explain your

answers. (W.S. p.27-28)

Case 1: Chinese herbal (草藥 ) tea Case 2: Dragon boat races at Dragon Boat FestivalCase 3: “Cha chaan teng” (Chinese tea restaurant) culture in Hong Kong

A. Under the influence of Western culture, the local culture gradually disappears. B. Local culture blossoms thanks to stimulation from Western culture. C. Local culture and Western culture influence each other, gradually integrating and developing into a

new culture.

Group Discussion 3-5 students in a group (each group discuss one case) Discussion Worksheet Time: 6 mins

After discussion, each group needs to choose a representative to write your answer on the blackboard

Chinese herbal tea

B. Local culture blossoms thanks to stimulation from Western culture.

Reasons: Chinese herbal tea is firmly rooted in traditional Chinese folk wisdom (民間智慧 ).

In recent years, some herbal tea manufacturers have adopted Western management techniques by improving the packaging, design and product promotion.

They have developed traditional herbal tea into an instant (即時 ) and healthy drink that can satisfy Hong Kong people’s needs.

As a result, Chinese herbal tea has gained in popularity.

Dragon boat races at Dragon Boat Festival

B. Local culture blossoms thanks to stimulation from Western culture.

Reasons: Dragon boat races have been a custom at the Dragon Boat Festival, which

is still valued by society today.

In recent years, international dragon boat races have invited teams from the Mainland and other countries.

Dragon boat races have gradually developed into a sport.

“Cha chaan teng” (Chinese tea restaurant) culture in Hong KongC. Local culture and Western culture influence each other, gradually integratin

g and developing into a new culture.

Reasons: Cha chaan tengs offer a wide variety of dishes that combine Chinese food and Weste

rn food.

Focusing mainly on efficiency and low price, restaurant owners often do not pay much attention to interior decorations (室內裝飾 ).

In recent years, in response to market needs, some cha chaan tengs have started to introduce a modern management system and a chain-store operating style (連鎖經營模式 ), and have successfully attracted many customers.

Conclusion

Globalization has brought with it Western cultures and their consequent growth in popularity.

This cultural development is mainly driven by large-scale multinational corporations which affect the local culture in many ways.

Although America-led (美國主導的 ) western culture spreads globally via (透過 ) multinational corporations, generally speaking, the influx (湧入 ) of foreign culture will not completely damage the local culture. On the contrary, it will lead to an integration of both cultures, giving rise to a new culture.

Vocabulary

westernized (西化 ) cholesterol (膽固醇 ) unbalanced diet (不均衡的飲食 ) homogenisation (同質化 ) stimulation (刺激 )