The article How Sushi Went Global by Theodore C. Bestor explores the phenomenon of the sushi boom that occurred in the United States and the world, in general, in 1970th. Such growth in popularity of Japanese food and culture was explained by the fact that more people started thinking about leading a healthier life and replacing red meat with fish, rice, and vegetables. The Japanese way of life and food preparation appealed to many people, and from the local dish, sushi became a symbol of Japanese culture that is famous all around the globe.
Sushi expansion caused the growing demand for tuna for sushi and sashimi making. Though in 1970th, Japan remained the leading producer of the raw fish that is used during the process of sushi preparation, tuna-producing farms appeared in many countries, including Spain, New England, and Canada. Though the workers there were not Japanese people, the majority of the technologies used in these farms came from Japan. At the same time, the sushi boom was influenced by the globalization process that made Japanese culture and cuisine even more recognizable. Moreover, sushi gained such popularity that it even made the owners of Chinese or Vietnamese restaurants change their course towards Japanese cuisine in order to get more profit and new clientele.
After sushi was recognized globally, Japanese people created a whole industry to teach sushi chefs and other workers relating to the global sushi business. However, sushi is currently associated not only with the Japanese but the Asian culture in general since people from Korea, China, Vietnam, and other countries run sushi restaurants all over the world. However, Japan still remains the core of the sushi industry and sets trends for other countries to follow.
The article Why Hollywood Rules the World by Tyler Cowen concerns the most influential movie producing area of all times and its influence on the movie-making industry and the world in general. Since cinema is one of the hardest spheres for globalization due to the complication of the process of movie-making, it is hard to outperform Hollywood who remains the leader in the field. Unlike other movie production companies, Hollywood is more susceptible to globalization due to its orientation on the wide range of viewers. Hollywood movies are designed not only for the American audience but for audiences all over the world.
The author states that unlike Hollywood producers and directors, who perceive the movies as handmaidens for the theatrical markets, European movie-makers regard television revenues as a substitute for the theatrical ones. That is why Hollywood films have such an enormous success, as they rely on the advanced publicity that is usually launched before a film is officially released. European films, in contrast, are designed to be placed on the TV, and that is why they do not often meet theatrical success.
Apart from that, Hollywood movie-makers learned to meet consumers’ demands in a global sense what makes its movies interesting for people outside the American culture. In addition, Hollywood studios pay attention to such aspects as the commercial success of the film and refuse to work with those that have lower chances of obtaining it. However, it is wrong to say that Hollywood studios contribute to American cultural imperialism since a lot of directors and actors are non-American by birth. Hence, when speaking about Hollywood, it is better to regard it as a universal movie-making industry that is based on American ethos.