Western fast food is a mere fad: Sociologist

JAKARTA (JP): A sociologist has doused concerns expressed by some people about the trend towards Western fast food, saying that it is simply a fad and will not affect the national culture.

If Indonesians are turning to hamburgers or American fried chicken, that doesn't necessarily mean they're Westernized, according to Rusdi Muchtar, a staff researcher at the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI).

The trend towards Western-style food is by no means an indication of "cultural change", Rusdi said.

Instead, the newly-acquired eating habits reflect "a change in lifestyle" for certain people, he was quoted as saying by the Antara news agency.

"There is no need to worry about the penetration of foreign cultures through foods," he said. "People are only trying something novel."

Rusdi explained that urban dwellers are constantly flooded with new information about Western lifestyle, most of it accompanied by witty advertisements. However, imitation usually goes no further than the surface because society already has strongly-established values, Rusdi said. "When people imitate foreign cultures, they usually imitate the appearance (of the cultures), like hairstyle and fashion."

Rusdi even believed that, instead of feeling threatened by the growing popularity of foreign food, local food producers should learn from the foreign producers in developing and marketing food specialties.

No less than President Soeharto attempted to appease local food producers' concern about being out-competed by foreign food products in Indonesia. During last year's celebration of World Food Day, Soeharto said that the shift towards Western food such as hamburgers and hot dogs is only because they are trendy.

However, the trend also means that the traditional Indonesian food producers will have to improve the quality and the taste of their products, Soeharto said. (swe)