Seanon Wong Greater China 25 The impact of globalization on indigenous cultures has been hotly debated in recent years. Proponents of globalization celebrate it as the ultimate order of humanity. David Rothkopf, an international trade scholar, for example, argues that the “homogenizing influences of globalization… [are] positive; globalization promotes integration and the removal not only of cultural barriers but of many of the negative dimensions of culture.” Being the primary sponsors of globalization, Americans should not hesitate to promote their culture worldwide because it is “fundamentally different” and provides “the best model for the future.” 1 On the other hand, critics condemn globalization as a new form of domination. e cultural imperialism thesis claims that “authentic, traditional and local culture in many parts of the world is being battered out of existence by the indiscriminate dumping of large quantities of slick commercial and media products, manly from the United States.” 2 Regardless of one’s take on this debate, one common assumption prevails: Indigenous cultures, as Barber famously proclaims, are giving way to the uniform culture of “McWorld.” Commentators have rightly observed that in China, as in other countries opening up to global exchanges, the entry of Western fast food (American in particular) has altered the dietary habits of many Chinese. However, it would be a grave oversight to conclude that Chinese culinary practices are in peril on the course towards cultural homogenization. In this article, I take a revisionist standpoint on the cultural effects of globalization. Using the culinary cultures of China as illustration, I refute the claim that globalization is simply cultural homogenization by highlighting that globalization has provided for the promotion and exportation of certain local cuisines; it can thus be understood as a means of propagating elements of traditional cultures in novel ways. e increasing awareness of Chinese culinary cultures worldwide offers a case in point: thanks to the proliferation of Chinese fast food establishments globally, Australians, Europeans and Americans can savor Chinese dumplings, Mongolian hotpots, Cantonese dimsum and northwestern Chinese noodles – cuisines that were mostly unheard of in the West before China lifted the “bamboo curtain” and resumed foreign contact in the 1970s – with What’s in a Dumpling? The Chinese Fast-Food Industry and the Spread of Indigenous Cultures under Globalization Seanon Wong University of Chicago Critics of globalization who bemoan the corruptive effects of McDonald’s and KFC on fragile local cuisines often overlook the interesting corollary that globalization also serves to export local cuisines, stimulating instead of stifling cultural diversity. Taking as her major example Chinese fast-food, Wong makes a strong case that, far from being subsumed, local cultures have thrived in today’s globalized environment by benefiting from enlarged markets and modern business management.