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Governor calls for compromise in the
"Burger / Tamale" War
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OaxacaInfo
November/December 2002 |
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It all started on a Sunday afternoon in August when about 500 people protested the opening of a McDonald's restaurant on the main plaza of Oaxaca. Instead of the usual marches and loud protests, the demonstrators placed large tables in the city square and proceeded to eat large quantities of tamales, a national dish consisting of corn flour and meat wrapped in a cornhusk.
The protest was organized by the Cultural Heritage Pro Defense Council (PROAX), which is led by Oaxacan painter Francisco Toledo. In 1989, Oaxaca was declared a Cultural Heritage Site by UNESCO, and many consider McDonald's presence in the city to be an insult. "We do not need a symbol of U.S. transnationals in this area where our cultural identity and political institutions are represented," PROAX said.
The protesters also complained about the "terrible quality" of the company's food, which they consider detrimental to the people's general health. They also believe McDonald's lacks ecological sensibilities and contributes to the destruction of rain forests in Mexico and Brazil.
Local musicians played indigenous songs as a backdrop to the event, while huge paper figures were erected as people shouted "No to junk food" and "Yes to Oaxaca's great cooking."
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Painters, writers, politicians, representatives from the food business, local leaders, U.S. tourists and the general public participated in the protest.
PROAX asked the authorities to "prevent transnational fast-food corporations from entering the nation's culturally relevant areas. We particularly want the state legislature to modify laws and rules to exclude these types of businesses from areas that have been declared part of the cultural heritage of Oaxacans and mankind," the protesters said.
A few days later, the mayor's office said it was planning to consult the public about allowing a McDonald's franchise to open on the city's historic main square. Oaxaca Mayor Gabino Cue Monteagudo told reporters that although his administration must act in accordance with existing regulations, he will conduct a poll designed to provide an additional means of determining whether or not to permit the restaurant's opening. The mayor said the controversy surrounding this issue was becoming important nationwide, because it is not just a case of putting a restaurant in a historic building; residents are also protesting to protect their own culinary traditions.
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"No al McZócalo!" |
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Nevertheless, Cue Monteagudo said "the globalization of the food industry" must also be considered, recalling that many U.S. tourists who like fast food visit Oaxaca. The director of the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) in Oaxaca, Eduardo Lopez, told reporters his organization had already authorized the franchise to "use the ground," so long as it obeyed city ordinances concerning the preservation of historic buildings. Meanwhile, Toledo led an effort to collect signatures on the main plaza asking the authorities to revoke McDonald's authorization to open there.
Toledo said he would continue with the crusade he began in August to prevent McDonald's from opening a restaurant in the most important plaza in the southern city of Oaxaca's historic downtown. "Why put a pile of ground beef right on our main plaza? This is an ominous sign of our loss of values" he said.
Considered the most important living Mexican artist, Toledo has led the fight to stop the fast food chain, which already has official authorization, from opening a restaurant in Oaxaca. The city is designated by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.
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In an article published in El Universal daily, Toledo defended the preservation of Oaxaca's historic treasures and architectural heritage and urged city residents to prevent politicians from ruining public buildings.
"Cities are a reflection of the society and people who built and lived in them. Cities manifest our human contradictions, our vices and our inequalities, but also our history and our most important values," the painter said. "Oaxaca's streets and buildings, our symbolic spaces, like the public square, should express the respect we have for our historic origins and traditions."
Other cities have adjusted to the arrival of McDonald's in the old world. The old city of Barcelona, Spain, allowed McDonald's to set up shop and long as it was able to 'fit in'. The photo at right testifies to the company's efforts.
Oaxaca owes its fame to the beauty and harmony of its architecture, the wealth of its cultural traditions, the extensive variety of its typical food and a temperate climate, Toledo added.
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McDonald's in Barcelona, Spain |
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Finally, the governor stepped in and called for a compromise on the dispute between McDonald's and local residents. Rather than exacerbate the "burger vs. tamale" debate that has absorbed much of the city over the past few months, Gov. Jose Murat suggested the fast food chain might want to find a less controversial location for its restaurant. Making his first comment on the issue since activists, led by Oaxacan painter Francisco Toledo, declared a protest against the construction, the governor urged citizen and business leaders to take the "sensitivity" of the issue to heart.
"This debate can't be reduced to a confrontation of cuisines," he said. "It has more to do with the cultural heritage of the Oaxacan people not being offended or damaged." The protesters argue the McDonald's would sully the image of Oaxaca City's 450-year-old town center and that fast food chains are an insult to the state's diverse cuisine. Though Murat said the areas around the two main squares should be managed very carefully, he emphasized businesses should also be given an appropriate space within the city.
"It's time to end this stupid, misdirected, sterile debate because there's a place for everyone in Oaxaca," he added. He said cultural rather than strictly legal considerations should be used to determine the outcome of the dispute. "It's not a question of legislating but of preserving our cultural heritage," he said.
So, plans to open a McDonald's restaurant in the historic heart of Oaxaca City were knocked back a bit after the governor told investors they would have to look for an alternate site. At a meeting with business representatives, he said in the city's historic center "no McDonald's should be built, as (the area) is an emblem of Oaxacan cultural heritage and we should conserve it." Murat said the translational company could instead open the restaurant a few blocks away from the main square or choose a commercial area in some other part of the city that would not harm the image of the 450-year-old main town square and be an insult to the region's diverse cuisine.
As of Saturday, November 23rd nothing has been resolved.................
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FOOTNOTE: |
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• McDonald's invested $80 million in Mexico last year to open 52 new restaurants with an increase in sales of 30% in the country this year as a result of the expansion and rising consumption. The company has 208 restaurants in Mexico, of which 70% are locally owned franchises.
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The Mexican affiliate of McDonald's Corporation recently lost a court challenge of its use of an advertising slogan, “The first hamburger with Mexican flavor” to publicize the McMexicana burger featuring avocado sauce, or guacamole.
• A chain of 13 restaurants operating in Chihuahua, argued that it had registered the same slogan with the Mexican Intellectual Property Institute in 1994.
• In Nochistlan (photo at left), a small restaurant has sprouted the arches of McDonald's.
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email: ResOffice@ResHelp.com
web: http://www.oaxaca-hotel-group.com
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