Agriculture, Food, and Food Security - Dragons and Tigers: A Geography of South, East and Southeast Asia - page 137

quality and attributes including stickiness, fragrance,
and gluten and protein content. T Traditional rice-eating
societies are consuming increasing quantities of wheat
in the form of bread, cakes, pastry , and so forth.
Women who join the urban workforce have less time to
cook or bake, and are prone to buy pre-sliced, pack-
aged bread.
Those who can afford it are eating more meat. In
other words, people are shifting away from carbohy-
drates to fat and protein. In 1997, Asia' s meat imports
were predicted to rise 389 percent by 2030. In 1900,
China had 72 million head of cattle and produced 5,000
tons of beef. In 2005 it had 140 million head and produced
7 million tons of beef. Moreover, with continually rising
demand for beef, the country is no longer self-sufficient
and must import beef from elsewhere.
Increasing intensity of urban lifestyles has driven
up demand for ready-made, packaged, and fast foods.
Generational differences have evolved in dietary
choices. For example, the younger generation of Japan-
ese consume much more beef and beer than older peo-
ple, who continue to eat more rice and vegetables.
While dietary structures are becoming increasingly
similar across developing countries, adoption of
Western food consumption habits by younger people
is generating a divergence of food habits across gen-
erations.
As countries become more globalized and urban-
ized, supermarkets and fast-food outlets tend to replace
central food markets, neighborhood stores, and street-
food sellers (Figure 5-11). By 2002, the share of super-

markets in the processed/packaged food retail market
was 33 percent in Southeast Asia and 63 percent in East
Asia. In 1999, the supermarket share of Chinese urban
food markets was 30 percent. By 2001, it was 48 per-
cent. Supermarkets and fast-food outlets are most visi-
ble in big cities, but they are spreading rapidly to
medium- and small-size towns, especially in East and
Southeast Asia.
Louisville, Kentucky , is home to Y um!—the world' is
largest restaurant corporation with more than 36,000
restaurants in 110 countries. Pizza Hut and Kentucky
Fried Chicken are only two members in its diverse
group of fast-food outlets. Pizza Hut was introduced
into China in 1990 and as of 2009 had opened 440
restaurants in 100 cities. The fastest growing fast-food
chain in China is Kentucky Fried Chicken, with some
2700 outlets in more than 550 cities. When Y um!
China opened its 1,000th KFC in 2004, it gathered
1,000 managers on the Great Wall for “the world' s
largest Y um! Cheer!”
Fast-food restaurants are adapting their menus to
Asian tastes. For example, in Japan, McDonalds has in-
spired “Mos Burger,” which offers teriyaki chicken burg-
ers and rice balls. It also sells a green tea dessert with
sweet red beans, and a chestnut and green tea ice-cream
shake. Another burger business is “Mamido,” which
makes its burgers from fruit and confectionary ingredi-
ents. For instance, you can buy a “fish” burger that con-
sists of a banana shaped as a fish, topped with “tartar
sauce” that is actually dairy cream. The French fries are
deep-fried, elongated, custard cream.

Figure 5-11
The cook at this Thai food stall is adding soy
sauce to her specialty dish. Photograph courtesy of
B. A. Weightman.