Jolly Dogs and McSpaghetti: Anthropological Reflections on Global/Local Fast-Food Competition in the Philippines

ABSTRACT

The Philippines' fast-food scene presents a compelling model of how Western market forces such as globalization and neoliberalism can have positive impacts on local populations. For example, competition between multinational brands (McDonald's) and their local counterparts (Jollibee) increasingly informs Filipino cultural/political identity. Jollibee's bellwether position in the country's thriving fast-food trade has become an intense source of national pride. Innovative menu items, aggressive marketing, and subtle expressions of postcolonial resistance all contribute to Jollibee's dominance over foreign companies, especially McDonald's. Ethnographic data from a provincial Philippine city in 2005–2006 reveals how smaller domestic players effectively compete against global retail giants.

KEYWORDS:

• Fast food
• globalization
• anthropology

I wish to thank Josie Gonzalez, Mario Granada, Martha Heine, Barbara Kinsey, Eduardo Narciso, and Michael Newlin for their valued contributions to this work. Moreover, gratitude is extended to the University of Central Florida (UCF)'s Department of Anthropology, UCF's Office of Commercialization and Research, and the UCF Southern Region for their support during this research endeavor.

Notes

A busy bee in the hamburger hive. If McDonald's is the goliath of fast food, Tony Tan's Jollibee is its Filipino David. (2002, February 28). Economist.