On Fri, 21 Oct 2005 12:08:59 -0700, "Rick Graham"
wrote:
>
>"PTravel" wrote in message
>news:3ri0t9Fj7dvrU1@individual.net...
>>
>> I'm really curious. Why would someone travel to Hong Kong, and then visit
>> an American theme park? I've never understood the proliferation of
>> Disneyland parks internationally, just as I've never understood the
>> proliferation of Hard Rock Cafes.
>>
>> What is the attraction?
>So why did my wife and I go to Hong Kong - Disneyland?
>
>I grew up near Anaheim, California. When I was eight years old, my parents
>took me to the theme park on opening day. For a child of eight, this was a
>lasting memory. Children of this era grew up with Disney as well as those
>of the current generation both in America and around the world. I was
>interested in comparing it to what I had known.
>
>The poster continues;
>
> "I've never understood the proliferation of Disneyland parks
>internationally, just as I've never understood the proliferation of Hard
>Rock Cafes."
>
>Its called capitalism and the same reason why the Chinese government has
>partnered with Disney to share the profits. Bottles of water sold at the
>park for 10 times the going price on the street provides lots of financial
>incentive for Disney and the Chinese government. Quite frankly, I don't
>understand the comparison between going to Disneyland in Hong Kong and going
>to the Hard Rock Cafe or to a McDonalds in Hong Kong.
>
>As for eating at the Hard Rock, my wife and I don't eat at American chain
>restaurants when traveling abroad. If fact, we rarely eat at American
>restaurants in the U.S.
Many of these restaurant chains outside the US are nothing more than
local franchises where the only thing American about them is the name.
The local McDonalds outlets here in Manila are locally owned and the
most popular items on the menu are spaghetti and fried chicken with
rice. Apart from the golden arches and the plastic model of Roland
McDonald, they bear little resemblance to McDonalds restaurants in the
US.
I'm not American, but I'm often curious to drop into the local
McDonalds when I travel just to see how their menu items have been
adapted to suit local tastes.
Chris |