Lina Sharif

When we think of western diet, we think of steaks, burgers, and fries while we normally associate eastern cuisine with rice , fish and soups . It’s time to pit east and west in this ultimate cuisine comparison. Who will come out on top?

What does a typical western diet look like? Sugar, protein, and fat are abundant

in the western diet. Fruits ,grains ,and vegetables are less common. This diet is also linked to a higher intake of manufactured of processed foods, which are typically less expensive and hence more generally consumed by the low–income population. A typical western diet consists of – Dairy foods, cereals, refined sugars, refined vegetable oil, etc.

What is an eastern diet? A person on an eastern diet would consume almost three times the amount of plant–based foods as meats, poultry, or seafood.

The eastern diet contains far less salt, sugar, empty calories, and starch than the western diet. The disadvantage is that it is more expensive and may be more difficult to come by compared to the western diet.
Now what do customers demand more?

Talking about Bangladesh perspective, with many burger joints and pizza parlors, the country is becoming a heaven or international food chains. Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) was the first fast food chain in Bangladesh, opening in Dhaka in 1996.

Since then, several other international chains, including, Pizza Hut, Domino’s, Burger King, and CP Five star, have followed suit. Western food’s popularity has also resulted in the rise of delivery services such as Food Panda, Pathao, Shohoz Food, and Hungry Naki.

These businesses make it even easier to get your favourite meals without leaving your house or office. According to Euromonitor International, the value of Bangladesh’s fast–food market increased by 13% between 2012 and 2017.The vast majority of Bangladesh’s fast–food outlets are concentrated in Dhaka.

There are, however, an increasing number of outlets in other major cities, including Chittagong, Sylhet, and Rajshahi.The number of fast–food restaurants has more than doubled in the last decade.Bangladesh now has over 1000 fast-food restaurants, which is expected to grow.This means that fast-food restaurants will have more potential customers.

Another factor driving the rise of Western diet in Bangladesh is the younger generation. They are more exposed to western cultures via television, movies, and social media.

As a result, they have developed a taste for western foods such as burgers and pizza.In addition, they are less likely to prepare traditional Bangladeshi meals at home.

Another factor contributing to western food’s popularity in Bangladesh is the growing number of working women. According to BBS report , nearly 40% of all women between the ages of 15 and 29 are now employed, up from 25% a decade ago.

This has resulted in a shift in eating habits, with more people preferring quick and convenient meals from restaurants and takeaways to cooking at home.As more women enter the labour force, they have less time to prepare traditional home meals. Instead, they eat at fast food restaurants.

Now, based on what factors would customers demand their diet habits between Western and Eastern foods? Firstly, If we talk about serving size, compared with traditional eastern dishes, western serving sizes are much larger.

Secondly, in eastern cooking, meat is only part of the entire meal while in western cooking : meat is the star of the show. Eastern dishes are far more of a mix between meat and vegetables, and arguably provide better nutrition.Eastern cuisines also uses rice in far more versatile ways that in western cuisine , which treats rice as more as more of side dish.

In western cooking , rice is often treated the same way as steamed vegetables and mashed potatoes. To contrast this , most eastern meals aren’t complete without rice. Sometimes noodles can replace rice ,but recipes will incorporate both ingredients if it can.

Thirdly,western cooking puts a great emphasis on the use of seasonings and condiments. All western eating establishments have a wide array of sauces and seasonings including ketchup,gravy and mustard. Eastern food uses its fair share of seasoning as well,including basil,cinnamon, coriander , cloves, garlic , ginger to name a few.

We estimate and compare income and price elasticities of total food demand and the demand for 15 food groups in rural, urban and city areas of Bangladesh for 2010 and 2016.

The results show that Bangladesh diets shifted from coarse to refined rice, consumer preferences for vegetables and pulses were relatively low, contributing to worsening dietary quality. On the other hand, the consumption of nutritious, animal-source foods including fish, poultry, and eggs increased due to high consumer preferences and declining food prices-partly thanks to governmental production support.

Regarding the dietary implications of rapid urbanization , the analysis suggests that rural consumer’s diets will largely follow the trajectory of urban consumers in Bangladesh.

Bangladeshis are becoming more reliant on the western food-chains for their meals. This is because they are convenient and often cheaper than traditional Bangladeshi restaurants.As a result, many local eateries are struggling to complete and are being forced to close down.

Thus, lower income households purchase less healthful foods compared with higher income households. Food purchasing patterns may mediate income differences in dietary intake quality.

Although the western diet has a higher chance of causing chronic obesity ,that does not mean that one should deprive themselves of western foods. In the same sense, even though the eastern diet is healthier compared to the western one, one should not completely stop eating western food. Eastern and western diets may also adopt significant aspects of one another’s food philosophies.

The writer is a Department of Marketing Jahangirnagar University-51