John’s comments on obesity in America — the latest is here, and be sure to follow the links inside — brought to mind a couple of observations from our recent trip to China.
Number one is that as the country’s economy has moved toward the West, the fast food industry has moved to the East. Not only the Japanese Ajisen Ramen chain — which was right good, by the way, and a far cry from the blocks of dry noodles college students and cubicle dwellers enjoy — but Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, and most especially McDonald’s and KFC, are all in full advance.
The fried chicken people have carved out a niche which looks like carpet bombing — if you’re on a main street in Shanghai, I doubt you’re more that two blocks from a KFC. We went to one in Beijing last week and it was packed, and we were the only foreigners in the place. The menu had more spice, and they accommodated the Chinese preference for small quantities of many different things; the same was true at McDonald’s, where they offered a value meal with three soft drinks and an assortment of small sandwiches, chicken nuggets, and other items — I dubbed it the McPuPu Platter.
We saw a local English-language news story on indigenous fast food as well. One example is a dumpling company in Beijing, which has over eighty kitchens throughout the city, a call center fielding 35,000 orders per day, and a fleet of bicycle, motorcycle, and van deliverers — and they guarantee thirty minutes or it’s free, just like American pizza chains. Their owner explained that the new society values speed in addition to quality, and so that’s their hallmark.
Back to John’s comments, one of our local guides commented that although KFC and McDonald’s are especially popular with the younger Chinese, the parents express concern about the effects of too much of that menu. He was surprised and somewhat gratified when I told him that American parents say exactly the same thing — although we all still patronize the convenient if somewhat predictable fast food outlets of choice.