The Golden Arches

McDonalds.

I'm lovin' it.

Well. Not really.

I am not a big fan of the Golden Arches. While living in America, we rarely stepped into one, except maybe while traveling. I'm a sucker for an Egg McMuffin. Without the meat, of course.

Last Friday, McDonalds helped me not only reward some of my students, but also revealed some interesting differences between my home culture and the culture I now reside.

Who thought eating a McDonalds Happy Meal could be a learning experience?

The occasion for such an educational encounter was a celebration for my students who returned their homework EVERY SINGLE DAY of the first semester. I think that's worth a treat, don't you?

So my first lesson in cultural differences came the week before our actual meal. I learned two things about Taiwanese McDonalds:

1. They deliver!

and 

2. Their Happy Meal menu is healthier than its American counterpart.

I might add, mandated by the government to make sure the choices are healthier than those typically found in America. For example, the main component choices were chicken sandwich, fish sandwich, or chicken bites (real chicken chunks).

That's right. A hamburger isn't even an option! 

The side dishes consisted of a corn cup, small salad, or fruit bag.

Pop was not an option for the beverage. Just orange juice or milk.

Not wanting to be left out. I ordered a Happy Meal, too!

The above picture illustrates a couple other differences.

Yes, that is corn in my salad. It's normal in the Taiwanese culture to put corn in a lettuce based salad. And in case you missed it, the corn is topped with raisins, not only in my salad, but my students' corn cups.

Not a combination I would've thought of, but strangely, it works. 

Much to my taste bud's dismay and my waistline's delight,  not a single french fry was in sight.

As we unwrapped our meals , I noticed another cultural difference. Carefully unwrapping my fish sandwich, I smoothed out the paper and placed both the sandwich and salad on top. I created a "safe" place for my meal.

My students on the other hand carefully rewrapped the paper around their sandwiches, creating a "safe" place to hold it. While I have seen adults repeatedly eat in this manner, this was the first time for me to observe my students doing so. 

Not that one way is right and the other wrong, just different. 

That's one of the great things about living away from one's home country. You learn that your way isn't the only way to get things done. And that maybe, just maybe, once in awhile, you might discover a new way that you like even better (ie- not wearing shoes inside the house).

Sharing a meal with my students was quite positive in other ways. It allowed me share with them one-on-one about their lives. 

I am so blessed to have these TCKs (third culture kids) in my life. I love the diversity and mixing of cultures.

Four countries are represented in these pictures: America, Philippines, Spain, and Portugal. But yet, none of them have ever actually lived in their passport country. One has spent most of her life growing up in an African country. 

I can only imagine how different their outlook on life will be different from the one I grew up with in Ohio.

My world was small, landlocked.

Theirs is much, much larger, with exposure to lands, peoples, and cultures differing from their own, easily visited via airplane or internet.

I am so glad that God brought me to their side of the world, so I, too, could experience places, foods, and people outside my own culture. 

Who would have ever thought a simple Happy Meal could inspire such great thoughts?

I guess for the first time...

I'm lovin' it!