Fast food has been introduced in global markets for more than 25 years now. It has been very well accepted as it is a clean, fast and cheap way to eat. There are many restaurants in the fast-food industry with each providing fast food of its own taste and kind. From Burger King to KFC and Mr. Chao Asian fast food, all tastes and flavors are available to different people and cultures. In Lebanon, American fast food is as popular as it is worldwide. The fast-food concept has gained popularity in many different cultures where it has been referred to with different terms. Furthermore, American fast food is different from the local Lebanese fast food which is a modification of traditional Lebanese dishes. This essay will explore the reasons behind the popularity of fast food in the context of the Lebanese market. The essay will also focus on attempts being made by Lebanese restaurants to modify traditional Lebanese dishes to serve as fast foods and the potential the food has.
Most of the traditional dishes take a lot of time to prepare. A traditional Lebanese meal is composed of many appetizers usually cold served, like “lobbies” or “bemieh” a mix of starters, like “kebbeh” and “lahme baajin”. Kebbeh is made out of lamb while lahme is made out of fish or seafood. Kebbeh and lahme make up an Arabic lunch in addition to any kind of dessert and side dishes. It is very significant to note that it takes a lot of time to prepare either Kebbeh or lahme and any traditional dish for that matter. The reason why people are changing away from traditional dishes is that the world is being globalized and people are adopting new ways of doing things with preparing food included.
Time is a very significant resource to any person and saving it is the main agendum literary to any person. As its name indicates, fast food has to deliver the food to its customer in a very fast and efficient way. On the other hand, a traditional Arabic lunch would take many hours before the deserts are brought to the table. Time is a major issue nowadays. The population is much more active than it used to be, and life in Lebanon, for many, is quite demanding as people have to really struggle to make ends meet. Fast foods provide the golden opportunity of saving time.
The Lebanese economy is not developed and the living standard of the Lebanese is quite low. Low labor wages in the Lebanese market make it hard for the Lebanese to opt for the traditional dishes as they are expensive to prepare. Lunch as a kebbeh is very expensive for a household and must contain the best products in order to have the best flavor possible. The Arabic lunches described above require a good amount of spices which makes them quite expensive, unlike fast foods. Fast foods have provided a better alternative to the traditional dishes as they are cheap and serve the purpose effectively as the traditional dishes would. This is why the introduction of fast-food restaurants and chains is very successful and generates enormous revenues.
Some efforts have been made to make some traditional dishes available as fast foods. Availing of traditional foods as fast foods is expected to counter the fast movement of fast foods. For instance, the most common fast food known to us and to most Europeans and Americans is the Kebab. The kebab can be viewed as a masterpiece as it easily fits different personal tastes since one can the kebab’s meat, the filling, and the sauces. It is very quick to prepare, eat in the same way as a sandwich and the servings are in large quantities. Nowadays, in Beirut, the variety of traditional dishes which can be prepared quickly and served as fast food is amazing, from the kebab, to the falafel; most dishes are represented. Most of the restaurants offer a broader menu beyond those offered in a falafel stand. Kaba-Ji Grill is an example of a fast-food restaurant which offers a wide variety of traditional dishes on a fast-food basis. Kaba-Ji Grill has expanded to cover some regions in the US.
Life has become quite demanding globally. In an attempt to save time, Lebanese have resorted to using fast foods. Preference for fast foods has temporarily shifted the Lebanese tastes to western dishes. It is a relief to see creativity at work as it modifies a good number of traditional dishes to fit the market demand for fast foods. The modification of traditional dishes into being fast food makes them lose their traditional taste as most of the cooking stages are cut down. Traditional fast foods risk being criticized because of losing the traditional taste. Despite the risk of criticism due to loss of traditional taste, traditional fast foods have a huge potential of widely being accepted especially among adult Lebanese eager to recall childhood memories when the traditional foods were widely used. Traditional dishes prepared as fast foods will help the Lebanese people as they are both pocket friendly and help to reunite the Lebanese traditions with the Lebanese in a world which is speedily globalizing.
Finally, I believe that keeping a traditional four-hour lunch is significant as it helps to keep in touch with relatives. There is a need to keep our traditional dishes alive. Taking into account that sustaining Lebanese traditional dishes is quite expensive time-wise and financially, the traditional fast food then provides the only alternative to keep the traditional dishes alive. Traditional fast food has a huge potential of wide acceptance not only within Lebanon but also worldwide. It is a possibility and will be a joy to see traditional Lebanese fast food served all over the world in the same way western fast food is served.