I suppose you are aghast at the news that KFC holds a special place in anyone's heart. But you should know that KFC in Asia is a zillion times better than KFC in America, not only in my opinion, but in the opinions of other Americans who travel here also. It is extremely clean, modern, efficient and clean (I said that twice on purpose). The food selection is somewhat different than in America, and I generally like it. But it is less the food, more the ambience, that makes KFC's in China memorable.
KFC is a sign of a modern city. When I ask someone about a city in China, and I'm trying to find out how developed it is, the first question I ask is if it has KFC and how many. Because KFC is always the first to go in to a developing city (followed MANY years later by McDonalds and/or Pizza Hut). Any city with a KFC is a pretty okay city. Any city with all three is a city to be reckoned with.
When I lived in Bedrock, I almost fainted in shock when I saw the first KFC go up many years ago. In a city of a couple of million people, all we could eat was Chinese food until then. KFC was far too expensive for the average person to go to, so only the wealthy people in town would go there. Fashionable moms would take their children to the play area. Wealthy and educated people who wanted to show they were internationally minded would go there to meet others like them. I can't even count how many acquaintances and friends I made at a KFC. It was exciting, fun and clean!
Sometimes I would go there 2-3 times a week. If I worried about the effects of fried chicken on my heart health, I just drank coffee. It was my home away from home.
I miss those days, when everything was new and exciting. I still like to go to KFC, to remember the old times, but these days most people are too sophisticated to walk over to a foreigner to start a conversation. So I am happy to sip my citrus tea (pictured above) and reminisce.
No comments:
Post a Comment