This article was kind of
odd, but it interested me. It talked about Cambodian Refugees, who fled to the United States back in the 1970’s due to war and political turmoil, who
are trying to return to Cambodia to rebuild their lives and start businesses.
The article talked about a man named Chenda Im, who fled Cambodia at age
19. He recently returned four years ago, by the "American" name of Mike. He just opened up
his own burger joint in Cambodia called Mike’s Burger House. He said that the
Cambodians aren’t familiar with Burgers. They try and eat the Bun first then
the burger. Mike tries to teach them how Americans eat a burger, but most people get mad at him and want
to eat the burger their way. haha This article didn’t just interest me because of
the burgers though. It was cool to hear about these people transitioning back into their home
countries, and how many of them brought back with them the desire to share
western culture along with a desire to thrive economically. – Ben Rindlisbacher
Here is the link: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/13/world/asia/back-home-in-cambodia-with-food-as-comfort.html?ref=cambodia
That is a pretty cool story, and I've seen something like this in my experiences in Korea, there was a man who attempted to make authentic philly cheese steak sandwiches. He experienced some problems with his business for some different reasons: cultural differences because Koreans weren't used to that type of food and the size of the sandwich, also he overpriced the food just because it was western cuisine. He was a big hit among foreign visitors but never became really popular among his countrymen. I believe the key to this type of business is making the transition process as smooth as possible, and being patient.
ReplyDeleteThis is interesting. Something I need to remember is not to assume. For example with this article, although I know how to eat a hamburger I shouldn't assume that everyone else does.
ReplyDeleteCultures are different; they contain and people learn different things.
McKenzie Carpenter
I remember that there was a burger joint in India and it was so different than almost anything else we ate so it was a delicacy. The grass always seems greener on the other side, I guess, because I spend all of my life craving a good Asian dish.
ReplyDelete