Why are chain restraunts depressing?

@ossobuco,

It's ok, everyone, I'm used to it. Ha, no I'm joking Osso.

Right, well I'll just give you the information to what sparked this thread, if you'll let me:
I've been living in Hong Kong for about two and half months now. As you probably know, it's quite a diverse place, central is shopping mall capital of the world, everything is the same, highly capitalist etc etc. My friend and I recently went to a trip to a little shanty fishing village on stilts the other week when other people from the school we work at were going to central for a meal, and we spent the day trying to work out exactly why we preferred to be where we were instead of in central. This isn't an 'oh look at me, I'm so individual thread' it's just me trying to work out why I'd place that value judgment, why is it that I'd consider those experiences in central to have 'less authenticity', since central in itself has a culture, a shopping mall culture, and I don't see why that should be considered 'inauthentic' just by gut reaction. I'm trying to critique the vibe I get from places.
I say 'typify the sorts of people', which yes, sounds snobby. I've eaten in chain restraunts loads, I don't actually hate them, and I don't mean that the people in there aren't interesting, you can people watch anywhere. Where that came from, was that at the school I work at (god this sounds ridiculous), there seems to be two main groups of friends, one lot are quite level headed girly girls, the others, well are people I find a little more 'interesting'. This is all pretty teenage, but I'm just trying to get to the bottom of my preferences on this area, e.g. why is there such a correlation between the people I find interesting, and what they and I like to do, and the people I don't find interesting, and what they like to do (go to central). I don't actually hate central, I just don't love it, but I certainly don't walk round it to see the pretty lights and inspire myself like some of the others do.

I hope this makes sense I'm late for work.

Oops I got the spelling wrong for this thread title didn't I?

4 Replies

@The Pentacle Queen,

Thanks for the clue, PQ.

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@The Pentacle Queen,

your more detailed information seems way different to me than the original premise as i read it

now it seems more like why do people crave comfort over adventure, if i was in a foreign environment i'd definitely choose to explore the path less travelled as often as possible too, try to eat at small independent restaurants when travelling because i can get mcdonalds at home if choose

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@The Pentacle Queen,

Quote:

why is there such a correlation between the people I find interesting, and what they and I like to do, and the people I don't find interesting, and what they like to do (go to central

Because those who prefer to stick strongly to the herd are the ones who seek the comfort of what they know, and those are are wanting to venture further out for adventure or knowledge have little use for the predictability and conformity of central.

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This is sort of like the holiday/vacation idea. I can't stand the all inclusive. I realize there is a need (if you will) for people to get away and just relax, but I'd rather check out the local restaurants and stay in the places that don't cater to the boring hotel food crowd. I've only ever stayed in one all inclusive and I hope never to return. The food is meant for the appetite that can't handle spice or salt. I've had food poisoning twice in foreign locals and both times were in hotels that catered to the crowd who would never dream of going off the beaten path. Ironic aint' it.

1 Reply

@The Pentacle Queen,

Even in Hong Kong you'll find good restaurants off the beaten path. I haven't
been there in 15 years, but I doubt that it changed to the point that there are
only chain restaurants. I've gone to places where no "Westerner" stepped foot
in and the menu card was written only in Chinese. You pointed at what you
wanted and hoped it was edible (it was delicious).

I did the same in Mexico, I even ate from the food stands at the street corners.

When you're young your stomach can handle all kinds of adventures, but most of us are a bit older than you, PQ, we don't want a lot of guess work when it comes
to food. Very Happy

1 Reply

@Ceili,

I agree with Ceili. Since I've moved close to San Francisco, I've learned to avoid chains. I always prefer the local eateries...and mom and pop shops of other genres, as well. You get more of a local flavor. It would be hard to drag me to Applebee's - although, I will occasionally get a taste for Olive Garden. That SALAD! That fagioli!

They are my only guilty chain pleasure.

(Now, they need to pay me for the advert....)

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@The Pentacle Queen,

Usually I hate McDonnals and Burger King, all so noisy and bad acoustics, there cooking machinery makes annoying loud beeping noise, staff shouting to eachother.

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@CalamityJane,

Yeah, I go to the little place at the end of my road and point at stuff, it's good. Actually, it's better that way, since you can see what it is you're actually ordering.
I once ordered 'mixed beef noodle' here, and it was rings of beef intestine with noodles and boiled lettuce, and I was alone in the place and the only westerner so I just had to eat it.. I still can't really eat beef.

1 Reply

@hawkeye10,

hawkeye10 wrote:

Quote:
why is there such a correlation between the people I find interesting, and what they and I like to do, and the people I don't find interesting, and what they like to do (go to central
Because those who prefer to stick strongly to the herd are the ones who seek the comfort of what they know, and those are are wanting to venture further out for adventure or knowledge have little use for the predictability and conformity of central.

Yeah. I think this is pretty much all it boils down to, isn't it, Hawkeye?
Unless anyone can add anything.

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@The Pentacle Queen,

The Pentacle Queen wrote:

I can easily typify the people I see in such places.

yes you can.
These are people driven by products, purchasing and the latest and greatest .. what ever it is.

It is a specific crowd and what ever attracts them, is what the stores will design themselves to be like.

A lot of people dont THINK about their purchases, they just BUY because it is on TV, or it is something someone else has. Those types of people dont pay attention to decor, they are only chasing the new shiny thing they want.
This expends to food, clothes, department stores.. etc.
There really is a niche for this style.. I think I understand what you mean

not EVERYONE who goes to these places is like that, but you DO see a general undertone of commonality there. No denying that.

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McDonald's decor always reminded of a NYC subway car. Not very got for the appetite. I don't have many chains restaurants where I live and they are not something I look for when traveling, but I have eaten at Olive Garden and I have to agree with Lash about that endless Salad - it was good, so was the chicken apricot thing I had. However, they have confused bread sticks with greasy hot dog rolls and I don't care if they are free and endless, I'm not eating them.

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@Green Witch,

oh GOD..
Yeah. It has been a few years since I have eaten at olive garden. And i remember when I ate that bread roll I had more oil in my mouth than anything else.
Oil, salt and flour. It was the most disgusting thing I had tasted in a long time.

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@Mame,

Mame wrote:

Because [chains] are formulaic and uninspiring. There's no character, as someone else has said, they can't change the menu or decor, and they are predictable.

It's not just that. For me it's the people who work there, and how they always seem to be reading from a script. I can't abide purchased, canned affection. I'm sure they are all perfectly interesting and authentic once they leave work and change back into their civilian attire, but at work the employees have no choice but to be saccharine.

I can't really stand the rationalisation of hospitality (and the way it spills over into the rest of our lives). I think George Ritzer calls the process the McDonaldization of society:

From: http://www.umsl.edu/~keelr/010/mcdonsoc.html

Quote:

The McDonaldization of Society...

George Ritzer has taken central elements of the work of Max Weber, expanded and updated them, and produced a critical analysis of the impact of social structural change on human interaction and identity. The central theme in Weber's analysis of modern society was the process of Rationalization; a far reaching process whereby traditional modes of thinking were being replaced by an ends/means analysis concerned with efficiency and formalized social control. For Weber, the archetypical manifestation of this process was the Bureaucracy; a large, formal organization characterized by a hierarchical authority structure, well-established division of labor, written rules and regulations, impersonality and a concern for technical competence. Bureaucratic organizations not only represent the process of rationalization, the structure they impose on human interaction and thinking furthers the process, leading to an increasingly rationalized world. The process affects all aspects of our everyday life. Ritzer suggests that in the later part of the Twentieth Century the socially structured form of the fast-food restaurant has become the organizational force representing and extending the process of rationalization further into the realm of everyday interaction and individual identity. McDonald's serves as the case model of this process in the 1990's....

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@Green Witch,

The design of fast food restaurants, including the furniture, is intended to discourage people from relaxing or remaining in their seats. They want the customers to eat up and get out.

1 Reply

@Setanta,

Quote:

The design of fast food restaurants, including the furniture, is intended to discourage people from relaxing or remaining in their seats. They want the customers to eat up and get out.

Dwell time is designed into sit down places as well. You are supposed to enjoy the space just long enough to eat a meal, then we need you to go away so that someone else can buy.

I was very annoyed to find out that the spin rate of the Space Needle has been increased by almost 10 minutes because too many people were lagging in their chairs waiting to finish a spin....now it goes too fast, but they turn the tables just fine.

On the flip side, we recently had a place fail that was expensive to set up, and only after it closed was it realized by the owners that the problem was that the chairs were too uncomfortable(they were strange and had been picked for looks)....the food, service and the space were fine.

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You know, I don't really have a massive problem with macdonalds. It's the middle band that annoys me the most.

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It's a simple choice of risk aversion vs potential reward. We simply take the known mediocre instead of trying for something worthwhile. The chains provide the known mediocre, or worse. It's sad because in many parts of the USA or maybe the world, they have taken the customers away from mom and pop restaurants and closed them down. Have you ever gotten an exceptional meal in a chain? I have a friend whose wife works in chain restaurants as a manager and says nearly all of the food is cooked in a microwave. The same stuff you can get in the new Bertolli bag meals, which aren't that bad, btw. Do you think there is actually a cook at Applebee's?

I used to travel 4 days a week for a living and I would avoid chain's like the plague. It was rare that the food was bad. Usually it was much better than a chain. The unknown wasn't such a risk after all.

The art of cooking is being replaced by someone in a lab somewhere who makes decisions based upon cost and preservation and blandness so as not to offend anyone. The art is gone.

Pizza is a good example. There used to be many excellent, family ran pizza joints when I was young. Now, Domino's and Pizza Hut dominate. Variety is difficult to find. I've taken to making my own pizza.

In another 500 years I hate to think how homogenized our society will be.

1 Reply

@The Pentacle Queen,

Quote:

restraunts

we love aunts resting up here

especially at xmas

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@IRFRANK,

Quote:

I have a friend whose wife works in chain restaurants as a manager and says nearly all of the food is cooked in a microwave.

More often boil-in-a-bag....

0 Replies

Why are chain restraunts depressing?

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