Why Wendy’s is as Bahamian as the Bamboo Shack
Take the automobile for example; can we consider it to be a part of Bahamian culture? Are any of the cars on the Bahamian road today made locally? The cars you see on the road today have no distinctive Bahamian traits. In fact the majority of these automobiles, by putting the driver on the left-hand side of the car instead of the right, are not even well equipped for the reality of the Bahamian road. Yet, I invite you to think what the modem Bahamian lifestyle would be like without the automobile. Such a concept is hard to imagine because the car is inextricably linked to modem Bahamian culture and lifestyles. Therefore the automobile can and should be considered ‘Bahamian’. I believe that the same principle holds true for fast food restaurants such as Wendy’s.
Do you know of a restaurant serving ‘native’ cuisine that has a larger presence in the Bahamian community than Wendy’s or a KFC? These fast food restaurants have become intrinsic parts of the Bahamian lifestyle. Think about how many people spend their lunch-break in line at the ‘drive-thru’ window. Think about the many parents’ promise their children that they will have their birthday party at McDonald’s. Many of our youth have been nurtured and raised on fast food. Even for many out island residents, the fast food restaurants hold a certain charm. When I lived in Eleuthera, many times I came off of a flight from Nassau saturated with the aroma of 11 herbs and spices. Inevitably at least one of the passengers on board saw fit to return to the island with some KFC.
Perhaps you are also thinking that these establishments are foreign in origin, so how could we ever consider them to be “Bahamian”? I invite you to think of the coconut tree. Its likeness is probably included in every promotional piece this country has ever produced; yet it is not indigenous to this country. The fact that it is not indigenous does not stop us from thinking of it as an essential part of the Bahamas. In fact a great number of the things we hold to as Bahamian, from the hibiscus plant to the casurina tree, have been imported to our shores. While I am not suggesting we put Wendy’s on our tourism literature, but surely the same argument can apply.