Kentucky Fried Chicken has opened more than 3,000 branches in China, and now the restaurant chain is more profitable in China than in the USA. One theory for KFC's boffo success: Colonel Sanders resembles Confucius.
More chicken lore in this month's Smithsonian magazine: How the Chicken Conquered the World, by Jerry Adler and Andrew Lawler
8 comments:
Or because quality food awareness hasn't caught up in China yet...
In Japan, getting KFC is a Christmastime tradition. Is it because KFC's colors are red and white? Or maybe because the Colonel looks like Santa.
Well they both have unusually large ears at least. On a serious note though I believe Asian KFC s offer more than just chicken. If I recall correctly they sold hamburgers at the we ate at in Indonesia ten years ago. Or was it McDonald's that was selling buckets of fried chicken...? Seriously the menus are different. There are also less competitors.
Keith, yes, according to the article, there are at least 30 items on the Chinese KFC menu, and chicken is pretty far down the list. And when it comes to chicken, people prefer dark meat.
Another theory for the popularity of KFC in China: clean bathrooms.
Eyes, bought of them, I think -may be I wrong, but is identically, like Mona Lisa with Da Vinci! :)
KFC seems always to be more popular overseas than here -- and is available in places where MacDonald's doesn't go. Cheap, fast food -- seems everyone loves it, unless and until they can afford better.
As it says in The Diamond Age, "the house of the venerable and inscrutable colonel."
Adding to "D"'s Diamond Age reference:
SHANGHAI [late 21st century] Judge Fang switched back to English. "Your case is very serious," he said to the boy. "We will go and consult the ancient authorities."
The House of the Venerable and Inscrutable Colonel was what they called it when they were speaking Chinese.
Venerable because of his goatee, white as the dogwood blossom, a badge of unimpeachable credibility in Confucian eyes.
Inscrutable because he had gone to his grave without divulging the Secret of the Eleven Herbs and Spices.
Word of their arrival preceded them; their bucket already rested upon the table. The small plastic cups of gravy, coleslaw, potatoes, and so on had been carefully arranged.
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