By Naji Issa---

On the last issue of Outlook, I noticed a ÒLetter To The EditorÓ signed by Òa group of hygienic studentsÓ in an article about AUBÕs cafeteria. The writer made an assumption that AUB students are not interested in ÒkoussaÓ and Òkibbeh bi labanÓ and rather prefer junk food. I would like to draw to your attention that home made food is the most hygienic meal one can have, and that the display of kitchens to the customerÕs eye in Bliss streetÕs restaurants gives no clue whatsoever about the quality of food used (the meat, the oil, etc), but I can understand this remark, given that most people are always taken by appearances. It is a pity to see Bliss streetÕs old places disappear: the old famous Faysal restaurant (not the one we have today) that used to face AUBÕs main gate, famous for its intellectual clientele and for the discussions and meetings that used to take place there, gave its place to McDonalds, one of the famous symbols of globalization. This is not just a coincidence; it is a pure reflection of the changes in our society and culture. As ÒmodernÓ youth, we are ready to accept ÒfalafelÓ plates offered by McDonalds in Egypt; we find it ÒcoolÓ, but not our true ÒfalafelÓ; we find it ÒyukÓ. We are ready to accept local food only in the case where the restaurant that offers it has its name in English, ÒZaatar w ZeitÓ, ÒShay w NaanaaÓ, etc. Citizens and municipalities in Europe and the US struggle to avoid the opening of international chains such as McDonalds, BurgerKing, and Starbucks in their towns, for the simple fact that they threaten their local stores and their local economy. The city of Ocean Beach in USA, and in Millau in France are but a few examples. In Lebanon, we think of this as a prestige, and we are ready to wait in lines, just for the sake of saying that we were there. We have no mention whatsoever of consumer culture; we just keep on consuming, most of the time beyond the limits we can afford, and this is also true on the country scale : borrowing with high interest rates, and ÒGod onlyÓ knows how we are going to pay. We are fond of labels, foreign labels. Everybody buys ÒEastpackÓ bags, just because everyone else does so as consumer herds. Has anyone ever thought how much harm are we doing to the local economy? Has anyone ever thought that WE are going to face the consequences in the future? We just keep on complaining about how bad the economic situation is, and at the same time we are not willing to act: all Lebanese citizens complained about the latest increase in car fuel prices, only a thousand were present on the demonstration. Globalization is not just an economic term; it is also a cultural phenomenon that turns the human being into a consumer animal and reduces all civilizations to product markets. Just stop for a moment and think about it.