Primary Colors

A couple weeks ago when I was sharing my holy ramen experience in Japan, I briefly discussed some research that I had done prior to my trip. For a couple weeks I went through online databases trying to find some information on the impact that American fast food has had on Japan. I was curious about how a franchise like McDonalds has actually changed standards in a formerly (and still very) traditional country.

This may sound like a bit of a continuation of that post from a couple weeks back. I guess it is. Just a little comparison of traditional and western fast food in Japan, and the Calbee + store.

When I say traditional fast food I am talking about restaurants that have little to no obvious influence by other international fast food chains. That ramen place I discussed about a couple weeks back was traditional. Underground. Dark. Crowded. Though this combination of adjectives sounds pretty unsatisfactory, as you can tell from my post, it was the opposite. Research that I found went through analyzing adjectives like these but it seemed as if the writers never actually went to these places. Never actually felt the atmosphere that these places pour on their customers.

These traditional fast food joints are homey. McDonalds claims to have served 100s of billions of people (They probably have) (They have.) but when you go into one does it seem as if people have been eating at that restaurant for years before you? McDonalds feels the exact same every time I go in there. Like a doctors office that injects you with lard.

The ramen I ate in that traditional Japanese fast food place was probably worse for me than anything (well, not anything) on McDonalds menu. But it felt like it. I appreciate that. If I know I am eating food that is bad for me and I eat food that is bad for me, its fine. But if I go into a white tiled, primary color accented, pristine box, that says its better to eat healthy, and then bite into a oily piece of beef with warm pickles, I feel bad.

Okay. I don't like McDonalds (except the soft serve). But it's crazy the influence that it has had in Japan. I was walking through Harajuku, and amidst the loud street clothing stores and Cosplay dressed citizens, I saw a pristine white box. I saw primary colors. It wasn't McDonalds though. It was Calbee+. I had to walk in. I had eaten Calbee snacks my whole life. Soy bean crackers!! Shrimp CHIPS!! If you have never had any. You need try. So, I walked into this McDonalds like store and was blown away. Uniforms. White tiles. PRIMARY COLORS. Instead of smelling french fry oil in the air. I breathed in potato chips (trust me, there is a difference).

This is where this post gets a bit pointless. I loved this place. They served soft serve ice cream in a nest of chocolate covered potato chips. Though it felt as if McDonalds had thrown up all over this restaurant, I loved it. It had no hint of traditional Japan, anywhere. What happened to my "traditional Japan" pride? I guess that is the power of ice cream.