hospitality foodservices research
KisameChap13.ppt
Chapter 13
Religion and Food Service Management
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RELIGIOUS INFLUENCE ON DIET
- As an important aspect of cultural values, religion influences individuals’ behavior in their everyday life, including dietary habits.
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RELIGIOUS INFLUENCE ON DIET (Cont’d)
- There are two major categories of religion in the world: universalizing religion and ethnic religion. Universalizing religion refers to the major religions that actively recruit new members, and have as a goal to convert all of humankind.
- Three dominant universalizing religions are found in the world: Christianity, Islam, and Buddhism.
- Some influential ethnic religions in the world include: Judaism, Hinduism, and Shintoism.
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Christianity
- Christianity is the largest universalizing religion in the world, with about one-third of the world population (approximately 1.9 billion people).
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Roman Catholics
- Fasting, which means to have only one full meal a day, is recommended on Good Friday and Ash Wednesday.
- Even though the year-round prohibition on red meat or poultry products on any Friday is no longer obligatory, many restaurants and cafeterias still serve fish on Friday every week of the year.
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Eastern Orthodox Church
- Red meat, poultry, dairy products, and fish are not allowed at any time during the six-week Easter Lent.
- There are several other less strict lents during the year, including a six-week lent before Christmas.
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Seventh-Day Adventists
- Alcohol is strongly discouraged because the Adventists believe nutrition is an important part of their religious experience.
- Adventists avoid caffeine, aged cheeses, and hot spices such as peppers.
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Mormon
- Mormons believe that in 1833, founder Joseph Smith received a revelation from God that forbade the consumption of alcohol, coffee, tea, and tobacco.
- Milk and juice are recommended for serving the Mormons. The first Sunday of each month is a voluntary fast day.
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Islam
- Islam, the second largest universalizing religion, has about 1 billion followers worldwide. Followers of Islam are called Muslims.
- The practice of abstaining from food and drink in daylight hours during the month of Ramadan has a direct impact on food service operations in Islamic countries.
- In addition, Islamic teachings forbid the consumption of alcohol and pork, and prohibit gambling.
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Buddhism
- Buddhism is the most widespread religion of the Orient, dominating a region stretching from Sri Lanka to Japan and from Mongolia to Vietnam.
- Along with Christianity and Islam, Buddhism remains one of the three great universalizing religions in the world.
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Buddhism (Cont’d)
- The diets of Buddhists tend to vary from country to country. Chinese, Myanmar, and Thai Buddhists are likely to be vegetarians, while Japanese and Tibetans usually eat meat.
- Buddhists who keep a vegetarian diet usually eat milk, eggs, and honey, but not fish. Soybeans and products derived from them are therefore a major source of protein for Buddhists.
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Judaism
- Judaism has about 13 million adherents throughout the world.
- At present, almost half of the world’s Jewish population lives in the United States, another 30 percent in Europe, and 20 percent in Asia and Latin America.
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Judaism (Cont’d)
- When it comes to eating, food is either kosher (ritually fit) or nonkosher.
- First, pork, shellfish, and their by-products are not kosher.
- Meat products must come from animals that have cloven hoofs and chew their cud. Therefore, beef can be kosher if butchered properly, while pork can never be kosher.
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Judaism (Cont’d)
- Second, meat and poultry must be slaughtered and processed in a special way.
- Third, dairy products may not be served at the same meal with meat. For example, serving broiled chicken with a glass of milk would violate the rules.
- In the Jewish diet, all vegetables are kosher.
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Hinduism
- Hinduism, a religion closely tied to India and its ancient culture, is an ethnic religion practiced by more than 80 percent of India’s population.
- The consumption of beef is strictly prohibited by Hindu law since the cow is considered a sacred animal.
- Alcohol use is strongly discouraged.
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Hinduism (Cont’d)
- On October 13, 1996, McDonald’s opened its first restaurant in an upscale New Delhi neighborhood.
- The hamburger, called Maharaja Mac, contains mutton, which is consumed by both Hindus and Muslims. McDonald’s thus adopted a menu that keeps with Hindu religious practice.
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Shintoism
- Shintoism is an ethnic religion in Japan with no founder or bible. Shinto legends define the founding of the Japanese empire as a cosmic act, and the emperor was believed to have divine status. Therefore it is also known as emperor worship.
- As a part of the World War Ⅱ settlement, the Japanese emperor was forced to renounce such a claim.
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Shintoism (Cont’d)
- Such beliefs directly influence Japanese business operations. For instance, a Shinto priest is always invited to conduct a ceremony for the opening of a new restaurant.
- No specific dietary restrictions are emphasized in Shinto.
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REGIONAL CUISINE AT HOTEL RESTAURANTS
- Palatable local cuisine provided by a hotel’s restaurants always enriches tourists’ travel experience in a foreign country.
- International hotels normally offer several food service outlets to provide specialties of local cuisine. Many international hotels are known for their exquisite cuisine and first-class service.
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PRODUCT SOURCING
- Retention of reliable distributors and suppliers is crucial to operation success.
- To minimize the sourcing problems, food service companies attempt to source the majority of their products inside the host country, and enter into partnerships with local companies.
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MENU MODIFICATION
- Respecting local cultural customs, particularly dietary practices as influenced by religion, is crucial to the success of overseas food service operations.
- In addition to religious influence, people in different cultures simply differ in taste: some like a particular food and some do not.
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MENU MODIFICATION (Cont’d)
- When KFC first began operations in Japan in the early 1970s, the managers soon found out that the Japanese customers complained about the cole slaw being too sweet.
- The inclusion of chicken wings on Domino’s national menu was largely determined by their success in overseas operations.
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OTHER DEVELOPMENT AND OPERATIONAL ASPECTS
- The high cost of real estate in Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Singapore has forced U.S. companies to reevaluate the functional designs of their stores.
- Companies have to redesign the back of the house for better flow and optimal use of space.
- The size of KFC stores in the densely populated Japanese cities was reduced from the prototype of 132 m² (about 4,400 sq. ft.) to 66 m² (about 2,100 sq. ft.).
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