No McD's for Tunis!

I love my blog list. I have been able to find some jewels from around the World, putting the best of the internet into my RSS feed reader. This morning, one of the blogs I follow from Tunisia (thanking the Google geeks for Google Translate through Chrome), I came across this image.

image credit: nawaat.org

In recent history Tunisia is credited with the beginning of the Arab Spring, the series of protests by civilians to oust dictatorships that have stripped the countries of their wealth for their own advantage and for the advantage of Western Corporations. It began with Mohamed Bouazizi. He was tired of being harassed by corrupt officials who would not allow him to sell his tomatoes to make a living so he set himself on fire in protest in January this year. 

It is interesting that they would be one of the first countries on the Continent of Africa to stand up against McDonalds and other franchises that would seek to undermine local food markets and vendors. 

In the West, we have been exposed to the ills of McDonalds, Burger King and Taco Bell among others, who promise cheap food that ends up making people quite ill and does not live up to the advertisements they pepper the highway and television commercials with. More often than not, after purchasing a cheese burger from McDonalds, you end up with this,

image credit: Calgary Reviews

The famous movie Supersize Me, produced in 2004 and directed by Morgan Spurlock follows one man (Morgan Spurlock) as he ditches his super healthy diet for McDonald's for one month. By the end of the month all health indicators are very low, a reflection of the kind of health enjoyed by people who regularly eat food from these fast food chains. So it would call to reason that people who have a diet that is rich in nutrients and locally grown would not want the services of a company like McDonalds.

The Tunisian diet consists of a lot of fish, couscous and vegetables prepared in time honored ways that have kept them healthy and relatively free from cardiovascular disease and the complications that result from that kind of sickness. Their diet is also a reflection of their culture and heritage passed down through the ages that makes them unique and interesting, something that must continue to be honored.

The main claim for lifting the ban on franchises is to allow for job creation and increased wealth for the populations, but as many developing country nationals will attest, this does not happen. The high paying jobs are reserved for expatriates and the menial positions whose pay hovers around the poverty line are passed on to the local population. Job creation is desirable, but the cost may prove to be much more than Tunisians may be ready to pay.

Hurrah Tunisia! Keep healthy!

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