The World and Donuts
A branch of Dunkin’ (formerly known as Dunkin’ Donuts) recently opened in the lovely Dutch city of Leiden where I currently live. Our local newspaper (link in Dutch) reported that “Leidenaars zetten tentenkamp op voor een jaar lang gratis donuts” which means that the good citizens of Leiden are camping out in front of the store in order to get a year’s supply of free donuts. Similar thing happened in Moscow when Krispy Kreme opened their first shop.
I was recently in Moscow and surprised to see so many Dunkin’ and Krispy Kreme (along with Starbucks and McDonald’s). In some areas it was hard to find local Russian food. If you are ever there and want to avoid the familiar try to find Cafe Mu-Mu (a Russian chain).
This lining up for goods (be it for free donuts or an expensive iPhone) is common and of course this is the globalization or McDonadlization (Dunkinization anyone?) that we encounter in all major urban settlements around the world. However it is not plain old homogenized consumerism. In fact scholars have written a great deal about this and recent works that make use of nuanced theoretical insights and ethnographic details show the complexity beyond the global-local interaction of modern food culture and consumption in general. Fast food chains and modern urban food habits are fascinating topics to study. And there is definitely a non-rational, emotional factor in place regardless of how much economists talk about the rational choice theory. The same person who lines up for an expensive iPhone might also go for the free donuts (at least in the Netherlands — sorry — a jab at Dutch stinginess).
