IELTS Writing Task 2 – In many countries traditional foods are being replaced
In many countries traditional foods are being replaced by international fast foods.
This is having a negative effect on both families and societies.
To what extent do you agree or disagree?
You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.
You should write at least 250 words.
IELTS Writing Task 2/ IELTS Essay Sample
Sample Answer 1:
In this era of technology and globalization, all spheres of life have changed dramatically and
food is also no exception. I agree that international fast foods and restaurants have eaten
up traditional foods and cuisines and this has had a detrimental effect on families and
societies. A number of arguments surround my opinion.
There are a lot of detrimental effects on families. Firstly in this torrid pace of life, people are
working till their death. They have no time to prepare and enjoy traditional home cooked
food. Ultimately, they switch to an easy option of restaurants. McDonalds have become a
ubiquitous term in every home. Secondly, there is the influence of occidental culture over
the oriental one. People are forgetting their roots. For example, in earlier times all family
members used to sit together and eat, and over the dining table they shared their
happenings of the day. These fast foods are eaten alone mostly because they don’t appeal
to the palate of the older members. As a result, family bonds and relationships are getting
vague. Moreover, the art of home cooking is suffering a lot.
Admittedly, this trend has harmful effects on individuals. Undoubtedly, people are affected
by health hazards like obesity and other diseases. Obesity is the root cause of many other
diseases. Fast foods are rich in fats and salts which are not good for health. An obese person
is more likely to suffer from diseases like hypertension and diabetes.
There are tangible consequences on society too. Broadly speaking, as people get inclined
towards fast food and restaurants, local culture dies out. It is because traditional food is
inextricably linked with culture. Undoubtedly, the identity of the society and nation will
disappear. It will be monopolized by western societies. Also, if people are not healthy, the
productivity of the nation will come to a standstill. Last but not least, fast foods promote
use-and-throw culture which adds to the problem of garbage dumps, contamination,
pollution and eventually many diseases.
To put into nutshell, I pen down saying that international fast foods have carved their niche
and traditional food has taken the backseat. Certainly, this has adverse effects on
individuals, families and societies.
Model Answer 2:
Eating fast food has become a commonplace for the general public in this day and age. People are enjoying the fast service and delicious food products, such as KFC and pizza-hut. However, I am of the opinion that this phenomenon has negative impact on domestic lives as well as communities.
Firstly, the proliferation of fast food satisfies the needs of working families who are characterized by irregular working hours, allowing them to eat at anytime and anywhere. Despite the convenience of international franchised food industry, the consumption of this type of food would undermine the family bond. People are less likely to spend on time family meal. Since cooking at home allows family members to gather frequently and exchange their opinions on the table, and most likely, to resolve the conflicts among the different family members. In the contrast, if people choose not to eat at home habitually, this would probably weaken their emotional ties between each other.
Secondly, in spite of the economic benefits that stems from fast food chain, such as the increasing demand for meat products, it has inevitably posed a threat to the society. For one, the consumption of fast food is believed to have a strong correlation with healthy issue. For example, compared to traditional cooking method which emphasize a balanced diet, fast food such as fried chicken are regarded as one of the key contributing factors to obesity and overweight. For another, the cultural erosion can be partially attributed to fast food. Since young people are less likely to be exposed to authentic family meal. As a result, traditional cooking skills and culture may be on the brink of extinction with the passage of the time.
In conclusion, fast food does not only pose threats to family relationship, but also to people’s health and cultural aspects, although it has changed our living patterns and stimulated the local economy.
Model Answer 3:
With the globalization and international trade facilities, international fast food brands are present in almost all major cities around the world. Fast food chains like Domino’s Pizza, Pizza Hut, Burger King, Starbucks, KFC and McDonald’s are quite popular among the people in all continents. It is true that the international fast foods are gaining more popularity while they are replacing the intake of traditional foods in many countries. In my opinion this trend has severe negative consequences both on our family and society.
First of all, people love to eat fast foods. Thus Pizza, Burger, Pepsi, Sandwich etc. are more popular among teens, office employees and other people than the traditional foods they have. The number of fast food shops is growing everyday and this is quite alarming. With the busy lifestyle people are solely relying on fast food items than preparing traditional foods at home. In a busy city someone scarcely wants to spend time preparing foods for the family while s/he prefers to order fast foods from home. Thus we have fast food shops in every corner of our city-streets while many city dwellers do not have time to prepare traditional yet hygienic and organic foods at home. As a consequence we already have a society where overweight is a common problem. For instance, according to the recent statistics published by the healthcare ministry, every child out of 15 in our country is suffering from some kind of weight related problems and fast food is the only reasons for that.
Second, fast food is the reason we see increasing number of obese people in our community. They diet habit is directly related to our physical and mental health and reliance of fast food is destroying the overall health of our new generation. Thirdly, the fast food items have little hygiene and lots of fats and this is one of the reasons people suffer from so many diseases these days. An ill or overweight child is sometimes a burden for a family. Food preparation and having meals together in a family is a tradition that not only brings family members together but also ensures their sound health and relationship. However, the international fast foods are decreasing our family bonding on one hand and they are severely deteriorating our health on the other hand.
Finally, society and country have to allocate more budgets to treat the ill population while our reliance on fast food will only increase the number of ill people in a society. From this regards, international fast food chains is a great headache for any country. Traditional foods not only represent the tradition and value of a society, but also offer the best nutrition and healthy ingredients to us. On the contrary, international fast foods destroy our well-being by decaying our health slowly and also generate a fast food loving new generation that will suffer from numerous diseases and will have little respect on their own culture and tradition.
In conclusion it is a very pressing issue that we are relying more on fast foods than preparing traditional foods at home. This has so many negative consequences that individuals as well as government should take quick and effective steps to revert the dreadful trends of eating fast foods.
Sample answer 4:
Over the last years, the local food in several countries around the world is supplanted by fast food. Presently, a proportional of people believe that this phenomenon is dangerous to the families, individuals and the whole society. While others ponder that, this trend is beneficial and could be lucrative to the country. Here, I would like to account for both the views with my own perception.
Multifarious points shore up the formal view. First and foremost, consumption of fast and junk food is related to the health problems. In fact there are several medical studies that prove the strong connection between fast food and certain diseases, such as high cholesterol, obesity and so on. What is more, the relations within the families are affected by this trend. In other words, for long time ago, the families are enjoyed to gather around the food table, so these gatherings are lost nowadays as many people prefer to eat outside their homes. Moreover, traditional cuisine is considered as a cultural heritage of a country. thence, replacing the local food by international fast food is harmful to the cultural identity of the nation.
On the other hand, some people are supporting the latter view. Firstly, in these days, as many people are need to work round the clock. The fast food is becoming a good choice for a large number of the families, as both parents are working for long hours in the day. Thus, these fast food preserve time and effort for many families. In addition to that, the fast food restaurants are creating more jobs in a cities, thus, it will help the economy of the whole country. Lastly, people in large cities are exposed to the stress and tension of the noisy fast paced life, so it is worthwhile for them to enjoy the different types of fast food in a restaurant during the weekends.
In conclusion, undoubtedly, both the views have their own significance. We can neither support nor go against either of the sides. But, still, I believe that, the traditional food is an integral part of a society and should be supported and preserved.
Sample Answer 5:
Nowadays, there are many fast food restaurants on the streets and they are always full of people from children to adults. It has posed a terrible threat to traditional foods’ place and some argue that it has a negative effect on family life and the society. As for me, I agree with the opinion above.
It is undoubtedly true that fast foods bring much convenience to people’s life. In today fast-paced life, time is measured by money which is cruel but realistic. It is common for freshmen in the company work overtime or stay up late at home to complete the mission. They often choose fast foods during the break, easy and quick, where the traditional foods can not compare to. However, there seems to be more drawbacks than benefits.
To begin with, fast foods are gradually shaking the base of the society. Traditional food is one of important parts of social culture, marrow of Chinese history. It is carried on from generation to generation which hold people’s connections together, deepening emotion among people. But it is replacing by fast food and disappearing in people’ life. This will definitely influence cultural inheritance and national cohesion.
In addition to damage to culture, fast food will probably affect negatively family’s harmony. Previously, it was an enjoyed time for a whole family to eat food made by them, sitting around a table. Such food may be simple but full of love. While now, fast food is not unusual on board and people lose the opportunity to cook together to communicate with each other and lose the interest to talking about the food. Food is rarely a method of transporting love in a family but something to est.
Personally, fast food has appeared along with the development of the society. We could not ignore its benefits. But it is much urgent and important for us to save traditional food and emphasize its significance to us. What we should put in the first place to choose is will traditional foods.
Model Answer 6:
More and more families now subsist on fast foods supplied by international restaurant chains such as KFC and McDonalds. In fact, many families have forgotten the art of traditional cooking. In my opinion, this is a negative trend with far reaching consequences.
The food that we eat plays an important role in keeping us healthy. Home-cooked traditional food is healthier than restaurant food for many reasons. Traditional cooking methods are developed by communities over a long period of time. There are several benefits to sticking to this style of cooking. To start with, foods prepared in traditional ways keep us healthier. Also, traditional cooking uses locally grown ingredients. This eliminates the need to import fruits or vegetables from far-away places.
The fast food culture has not only caused health problems but also killed the family bonding over meals. When families sit around a table enjoying a meal, it strengthens relationships. Nowadays in many families children and adults just sit in front of the TV and eat from fast food packets held in their hands. This does not help their health or their equation with others in the family.
Fast food consumption has several implications on the society as well. The prosperity of a society depends upon the health and well-being of its people. When people develop health problems because of their bad eating habits, the government and medical insurance companies will have to cough up huge amounts of money to cover their medical expenses. The government will pass that cost on to the public by increasing taxes.
To conclude, societies all over the world are falling prey to the fast food culture. This has several negative implications. It is high time the government and the media created awareness about this growing menace.
Model Answer 7:
Nowadays, fast-food is the common solution when people all over the world are seeking a quick and easy meal. However whether eating fast-food meal on a regular basis will lead to various problems remains a controversial issue. I agree with the view that despite its convenience, eating too much these junk food will definitely put negative impact on the families and societies.
First, it is obvious that fast-food is low in nutrition, but high in sugar and calories. Eating these food regularly can cause severe health problems such as heart disease, diabetes and even cancers. Therefore families should be aware of these effects when determining whether fast-food is safe to be included in the diet, especially when some members are suffering diseases already.
Moreover, fast-food will indeed pose a threat to the traditional food culture in many countries. As fast-food is easy to cook, and can be seen everywhere, people would like to eat outside instead of doing home cooking. As a result, after generations, citizens in the countries will become much unfamiliar with the traditional food recipes, which is a great loss.
That is not to say that these restaurants should be banned completely. As they are internationally standardized, foods are under strictly quality control and thus relatively safer than most of other food. But honestly, compared with the shortcomings, these merits are unfortunately meaningless.
In sum, eating too much these popular junk food will be harmful both to consumers’ health and holistic society; meanwhile, these restaurant do not needed to be closed but to limit to a small scale. Only by doing so can we ensure that we will have convenient and diversified food.
Submit your Essay here in the comment section, we will add your essay in our post.
(Collected, Source – Book, Internet)
