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Western fast food companies are aggressively expanding in Brazil

nytimes.com

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Re: Western fast food companies are aggressively expanding in Brazil

#61

Post by spaceseaman »

tomcam wrote: post #24
icelancer wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>>The same argument is used in the US to thwart limitations on sugary beverage purchases and other junk food with SNAP Those living under the poverty line don't like being hit with condescending statements coming from those who are supposedly trying to help them, either. Conservatives/Republicans at least call the poor lazy. Liberals/Democrats who want to restrict sugar/luxury items from EBT/SNAP often make ridiculou…

> Conservatives/Republicans at least call the poor lazy Not the ones I read. Could you cite some mainstream examples?

Here's [1] a study from the Pew Research Center stating that 51% of Republicans believe the poor are poor due to "Lack of effort on his or her part" rather than "Circumstances beyond his or her control" (32%).

And here's some prominent Republicans saying similar things over the last couple years.

http://www.politifact.com/wisconsin/article/2014/mar/14/cont...

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/03/jason-chaffetz-new-gop...

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2017/03/31/th...

Typically, the point is framed as a "lack of work and effort" or a "problem with culture" rather than explicitly saying laziness is the cause of poverty. I would say the unifying thread here is that Republicans believe the poor are poor of their own volition and choices, whether that's laziness, poor decisions, or a "poor culture" (what does that even mean?).

So yes. I would say that in general, many Republicans have called the poor lazy, and while it isn't the specific verbiage they like to use in public, it is the opinion of their constituents.

[1] http://www.people-press.org/files/legacy-pdf/1-23-14%20Pover...

Re: Western fast food companies are aggressively expanding in Brazil

#62

Post by ingenieros »

I think it's also important to point out that it's not just "western fast food" conglomerates doing all the damage. Frito Lay (Pepsi Co.) had its job cut out for them by local junk food producers so they simply bought them out and stuck their logo on the bag. Bimbo which is a Mexican giant in the processed food industry has been doing exactly the same all across the Andean region.

Another very important thing to keep in mind which this article fails to mention is the influence of all the free trade agreements which were signed by countries like Colombia and Perú in recent years. Now it's become more affordable than ever to export "goods" from the U.S into these emerging markets without paying any import duties. That is why you now find supermarkets in emerging nations that bare a strikingly resemblance to their american counterparts. A quick glance through the frozen food section will reveal items that weren't even part of the local diet just a few years ago such as pot pies and tater tots.

Re: Western fast food companies are aggressively expanding in Brazil

#63

Post by cdubzzz »

grecy wrote: post #36

I saw McDonalds being built in dirt-street towns in Guatemala, I saw lines three blocks long at KFC in South America, and I've seen many Porsches and Ferrarris in the parking lots of American fast food joints in third world countries. I am utterly shocked they have not moved into Africa yet. I've just driven tens of thousands of miles through 17 countries without a single Mcdonalds. Between Morocco and South Africa,…

There was a KFC in Accra back in 2011 or so when I was there, so they are definitely in Ghana, at least.

Re: Western fast food companies are aggressively expanding in Brazil

#64

Post by jkulubya »

grecy wrote: post #36

I saw McDonalds being built in dirt-street towns in Guatemala, I saw lines three blocks long at KFC in South America, and I've seen many Porsches and Ferrarris in the parking lots of American fast food joints in third world countries. I am utterly shocked they have not moved into Africa yet. I've just driven tens of thousands of miles through 17 countries without a single Mcdonalds. Between Morocco and South Africa,…

FWIW, there KFC is quite a bit busier than the rest in Africa

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_with_KFC_fra...

Re: Western fast food companies are aggressively expanding in Brazil

#65

Post by candiodari »

GordonS wrote: post #54
candiodari wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well, my issue with fruit juice is that one or even two aren't enough to not feel thirsty anymore. And any walk that takes 600-900 calories to get to my job is not one I'll actually take on a regular basis. A good estimate is 30-50 calories per kilometer, so a single glass of juice requires, let's say, a 5 kilometer walk to compensate. I'm a mostly sedentary westerner, but I don't think I've eaten 2000 calories in a…

I've never heard of anyone drinking 900 calories of fruit juice! Is this an American thing?

Just so we're clear: that's 3 glasses, right. Have you really never drunk 3 glasses of fruit juice ?

Re: Western fast food companies are aggressively expanding in Brazil

#66

Post by soneca »

crazygringo wrote: post #4

As an American who lived in Brazil for 8 years, honestly I'm not sure this is any worse than traditional food. A typical Brazilian lunch is a piece of meat with beans, sides of rice, french fries, and fried flour (farofa) -- that's right, 3 carbs of empty calories (2 fried) and no real vegetables -- all washed down with mostly-added-sugar "fruit juice concentrate" (cashew apple is really common). Bar snacks are 100%…

> " 'pizza' with copious amounts of sugary ketchup (don't ask)."

Only in Rio.

Re: Western fast food companies are aggressively expanding in Brazil

#67

Post by flachsechs »

mercer wrote: post #41
lerax wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Oh man... so much (wrong) bias about Brazil :/

What's the point of a statement like that if you don't elaborate?

it's tough seeing your country analyzed by an outsider. here, i'll do the same thing with my home country, america.

americans primarily eat cheap feedlot-produced beef and chicken, often in the form of fast food such as mcdonalds. the majority of beverages consumed are alcoholic or laden with sugar.

in the south, most of the cuisine is largely modernized slave food and plantation food. cigarettes and rum are, or were until recently, consumed in large quantities, made from sugar and tobacco which was the backbone of the slave economy in the gulf/caribbean region.

there is also an emphasis on quantity, with people oftentimes eating or serving more to a person than they can actually eat in a single meal. people frequently take the remainder to go, although many force themselves to finish.

unfortunately, americans' entertainment culture revolves around watching tv so the effects of overeating are compounded and result in epidemic levels of obesity and diabetes and other metabolic diseases.

is this true? is this biased? does this apply to berkeley, ca as well as it does to dallas, texas?

this doesn't describe me as an american, yet it's undoubtedly true, uncomfortable, and critical as it may be.

the truth hurts.

Re: Western fast food companies are aggressively expanding in Brazil

#68

Post by flachsechs »

lerax wrote: post #25
flachsechs wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

don't forget the caipirinha, usually a double or triple shot of sugarcane rum mixed with sugar syrup and fruit juice (more sugar)... sometimes served with granulated cane sugar on the rim of the glass. needless to say, it gets you hammered in a hurry. or the local beer... honestly i think the healthiest restaurant food i saw in brazil was the appetizer salad bar at the churrascaria, which is of course the kind of pla…

Oh man... so much (wrong) bias about Brazil :/

well i would have mentioned all the german cuisine in the south but we wouldn't want to remind everyone of that pesky nazi situation, would we?

Re: Western fast food companies are aggressively expanding in Brazil

#69

Post by cold_magma »

grecy wrote: post #36

I saw McDonalds being built in dirt-street towns in Guatemala, I saw lines three blocks long at KFC in South America, and I've seen many Porsches and Ferrarris in the parking lots of American fast food joints in third world countries. I am utterly shocked they have not moved into Africa yet. I've just driven tens of thousands of miles through 17 countries without a single Mcdonalds. Between Morocco and South Africa,…

Am a ghanaian. Junk food is quickly becoming a common place in this country. Surprisingly it's the "rich" that take them here as it's seen as some sort of status symbol. McDonald's isn't here yet.

Recently I was in Johannesburg and I can confess that KFC, McDonald's was almost in every corner I passed.

Re: Western fast food companies are aggressively expanding in Brazil

#70

Post by yodsanklai »

icelancer wrote: post #18
shihching wrote: post #13

> At one meeting, a representative from the food industry accused Anvisa of trying to subvert parental authority, saying mothers had the right to decide what to feed their children, recalled Vanessa Schottz, a nutrition advocate. The same argument is used in the US to thwart limitations on sugary beverage purchases and other junk food with SNAP -- these compose 10-20% of purchases, 50% of which goes to Wal-Mart, alon…

>>The same argument is used in the US to thwart limitations on sugary beverage purchases and other junk food with SNAP Those living under the poverty line don't like being hit with condescending statements coming from those who are supposedly trying to help them, either. Conservatives/Republicans at least call the poor lazy. Liberals/Democrats who want to restrict sugar/luxury items from EBT/SNAP often make ridiculou…

> Those living under the poverty line don't like being hit with condescending statements coming from those who are supposedly trying to help them, either.

So what? leave corporations feed them with junk food and ruin their health?

When I was a kid, we drank Coke at every meal and I'm literally paying for it as an adult - and it certainly didn't make me an happier kid. I wish our government had done something to avoid the damage (whether through taxation or information).

> Sometimes the single father or mother of two kids who struggles with daycare and a tough job 10 hours a day with 2 hours of commute time would like to buy their kids some ice cream and "bad" food to escape from the terrible life they have, rather than eat some broccoli or toasted kale.

There is a middle ground between ice cream and broccoli. And believe it or not, eating healthy food would make their life much better, regardless their commute time.

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