JAKARTA - January 31, 1990 or 30 years ago, McDonald's fast food restaurant opened its first branch in the communist country, Moscow, Soviet Union. You could say that McDonald's massive expansion was extraordinary, because it managed to penetrate the anti-capitalist state market.
Crowds line up to pay the equivalent of a few days' wages for burgers, coke and fries. The emergence of a symbol of capitalism which the Soviet people welcomed with enthusiasm is a sign of the changing times in the proletarian state.
According to journalists from the United States (US) who reported the incident, as quoted by History, witnessed how amazed the customers there were. "Simple sight of shop workers ... in this rough commercial country," he said.
Meanwhile, Soviet journalists said the restaurant was a picture of US rationalism and pragmatism towards food. "Contrast with our own ideals that have not yet been realized," he said.
However, for the average Russian customer, visiting the restaurant is not a political statement. They are merely a chance to enjoy a little pleasure in a country still recovering from devastating economic problems that created internal political chaos.
The arrival of McDonald's in Moscow is a small but sure sign that change is imminent. And sure enough, less than two years later, the Soviet Union which was then led by Mikhail Gorbachev disappeared as a nation. The country then broke up and the territories became independent respectively.
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