offerings, its striking logo, its distinctive ambiance, has become the symbol of a self-standing universe, a world of its own, connected (especially for young people) with the stimulus and the promise of participation in 'the American way of life'" (Smart, 23). The collapse of the Soviet Union has brought about an "Americanization" of the world. Fast food is just one form of American products that foreign consumers use to become more like Americans. By biting into a Big Mac, people all around the world taste something better than they have ever experienced: the American Dream. The golden arches symbolize success, freedom, and happiness.
             McDonald's success is driven by the 46 million people it serves each day. McDonald's tempers their impact on foreign cultures by providing traditional favorites as well as indigenous foods. In Plauen, for example, McDonald's serves potato dumplings along with hamburgers and fries (Schlosser 545). "In Norwegian countries McDonald's offers a McLak, a salmon sandwich, in the Netherlands a vegetarian burger, in Uruguay McHuevos, a hamburger with poached eggs, in Japan a Chicken Tatsuta sandwich, in the Philippines McSpaghetti" (Duresky 4). By offering localized food, McDonald's is able to bring its seemingly monolithic empire closer to home. Customers find the familiar food a "reassuring touch" (Duresky 4). Some McDonald's become so localized that in some places, "people in the area did not consider McDonald's to be foreign" (Schlosser 547). In reacting to McDonald's localization, consumers pour millions of dollars into the company everyday; enabling McDonald's to continue its policy of global realization.
             Consumers are the driving force in helping McDonald's policy of global r
             ...