I read another article about this on Atlas Obscura recently too. It was interesting because it talked about how poorly KFC was doing initially when it was first opened in Japan: How a White Lie...
I read another article about this on Atlas Obscura recently too. It was interesting because it talked about how poorly KFC was doing initially when it was first opened in Japan: How a White Lie Gave Japan KFC for Christmas
It's interesting how fast food restaurants are perceived differently around the world. Apparently in America KFC tastes awful and is looked down upon as one of the worse restaurants.
It's interesting how fast food restaurants are perceived differently around the world. Apparently in America KFC tastes awful and is looked down upon as one of the worse restaurants.
Yeah I was really surprised when my American friend told me KFC is absolute garbage. As a European I always felt KFC tasted pretty average for a fast food chain. I never regret going there...
Yeah I was really surprised when my American friend told me KFC is absolute garbage. As a European I always felt KFC tasted pretty average for a fast food chain. I never regret going there personally (as in, I don't find it worse than going to a McDonald's or a Pizza Hut)
I also ate KFC in Japan and again I have nothing negative to point out. It tasted fine, like how fried chicken should taste.
I'm really curious how it tastes in America. There must be a big difference for KFC to get such a bad rep there.
Those descriptions sound incredibly gross. What a shame that it's like that, especially since America tends to have a ton of variety when it comes to food. I wonder what causes this. I can't...
Those descriptions sound incredibly gross. What a shame that it's like that, especially since America tends to have a ton of variety when it comes to food.
I wonder what causes this. I can't imagine it's just laxer food regulations (which I'm not even sure is true).
In general there is an attitude of "bigger is better", at any cost, towards food in America. The mentality has infected our fruits and veggies as well. Wild Maine blueberries are bursting with...
In general there is an attitude of "bigger is better", at any cost, towards food in America. The mentality has infected our fruits and veggies as well. Wild Maine blueberries are bursting with flavor, but the average grocery store blueberries you find are 3x the diameter and pale in comparison.
I hate to admit it, it's kind of a guilty pleasure in my family. :p That said, apart from a few items I like, most of the menu is pretty mediocre at best, and some of it actually pretty bad. That...
I hate to admit it, it's kind of a guilty pleasure in my family. :p That said, apart from a few items I like, most of the menu is pretty mediocre at best, and some of it actually pretty bad. That includes the "original recipe" fried chicken.
I wish I could find it, but I remember seeing some documentary (or episode of a series) that talked about restaurant chains adapting to overseas markets. Apparently most of them end up being "fancier" when they make the jump, including when foreign chains make it to the US—it just happens far less often than the other way around.
I’ve noticed this too. Spent most of my life in the US, now living abroad. It blew me away to find most people here excited for US-based fast food chains. McDonalds, A&W, Carl’s Jr., KFC, Dominos,...
I’ve noticed this too. Spent most of my life in the US, now living abroad. It blew me away to find most people here excited for US-based fast food chains. McDonalds, A&W, Carl’s Jr., KFC, Dominos, Shake Shack (1h+ lines for months after it opened). People even willingly eat Pizza Hut. Prices for them are comparably higher here too. All of the places we would think of as mediocre-at-best lazy cheap options in the States. This is in a country where you can easily get an excellent lunch, made to order, from a wide array of cultures and cuisines for as low as $3. And, after eating the fast food chains here, having had extensive experience with their US versions, it’s more or less the same quality (though they do experiment more with limited run “local” twists).
Can confirm. Even the original recipe, which should theoretically taste the same everywhere, is often vastly better outside the US. The American food supply since Col. Sanders' time has become...
Can confirm. Even the original recipe, which should theoretically taste the same everywhere, is often vastly better outside the US. The American food supply since Col. Sanders' time has become largely toxic, with craptastic, loosely regulated standards, so it's not much of a surprise, I guess.
KFC is just bad in America. Outside America, it actually tastes delicious. Better quality chicken. Better spices. Better sides. That said, best damn fried chicken I ever had was in a New Orleans...
KFC is just bad in America. Outside America, it actually tastes delicious. Better quality chicken. Better spices. Better sides.
That said, best damn fried chicken I ever had was in a New Orleans buffet.
The phenomenon is slightly overstated. The Japanese simply do not take Christmas very seriously. To them, it's about as important as Valentines day in the US. While many people do celebrate with...
The phenomenon is slightly overstated. The Japanese simply do not take Christmas very seriously. To them, it's about as important as Valentines day in the US. While many people do celebrate with fried chicken (not necessarily KFC, as many fast food and convenience store chains have begun offering Christmas Fried Chicken), many people do not celebrate much at all. It's a regular work day here. While Christnas decorations do go up around the city, the holiday itself pales in comparison to New Years Day
I read another article about this on Atlas Obscura recently too. It was interesting because it talked about how poorly KFC was doing initially when it was first opened in Japan: How a White Lie Gave Japan KFC for Christmas
There is a classic book on marketing called Positioning which explains perfectly how this might happen.
It's interesting how fast food restaurants are perceived differently around the world. Apparently in America KFC tastes awful and is looked down upon as one of the worse restaurants.
Yeah I was really surprised when my American friend told me KFC is absolute garbage. As a European I always felt KFC tasted pretty average for a fast food chain. I never regret going there personally (as in, I don't find it worse than going to a McDonald's or a Pizza Hut)
I also ate KFC in Japan and again I have nothing negative to point out. It tasted fine, like how fried chicken should taste.
I'm really curious how it tastes in America. There must be a big difference for KFC to get such a bad rep there.
In CA, bulk chicken is $5 a pound. I splurge for the $6.50 butcher trimmed thinly pounder stuff :P
Those descriptions sound incredibly gross. What a shame that it's like that, especially since America tends to have a ton of variety when it comes to food.
I wonder what causes this. I can't imagine it's just laxer food regulations (which I'm not even sure is true).
In general there is an attitude of "bigger is better", at any cost, towards food in America. The mentality has infected our fruits and veggies as well. Wild Maine blueberries are bursting with flavor, but the average grocery store blueberries you find are 3x the diameter and pale in comparison.
I hate to admit it, it's kind of a guilty pleasure in my family. :p That said, apart from a few items I like, most of the menu is pretty mediocre at best, and some of it actually pretty bad. That includes the "original recipe" fried chicken.
I wish I could find it, but I remember seeing some documentary (or episode of a series) that talked about restaurant chains adapting to overseas markets. Apparently most of them end up being "fancier" when they make the jump, including when foreign chains make it to the US—it just happens far less often than the other way around.
I’ve noticed this too. Spent most of my life in the US, now living abroad. It blew me away to find most people here excited for US-based fast food chains. McDonalds, A&W, Carl’s Jr., KFC, Dominos, Shake Shack (1h+ lines for months after it opened). People even willingly eat Pizza Hut. Prices for them are comparably higher here too. All of the places we would think of as mediocre-at-best lazy cheap options in the States. This is in a country where you can easily get an excellent lunch, made to order, from a wide array of cultures and cuisines for as low as $3. And, after eating the fast food chains here, having had extensive experience with their US versions, it’s more or less the same quality (though they do experiment more with limited run “local” twists).
Can confirm. Even the original recipe, which should theoretically taste the same everywhere, is often vastly better outside the US. The American food supply since Col. Sanders' time has become largely toxic, with craptastic, loosely regulated standards, so it's not much of a surprise, I guess.
KFC is just bad in America. Outside America, it actually tastes delicious. Better quality chicken. Better spices. Better sides.
That said, best damn fried chicken I ever had was in a New Orleans buffet.
The phenomenon is slightly overstated. The Japanese simply do not take Christmas very seriously. To them, it's about as important as Valentines day in the US. While many people do celebrate with fried chicken (not necessarily KFC, as many fast food and convenience store chains have begun offering Christmas Fried Chicken), many people do not celebrate much at all. It's a regular work day here. While Christnas decorations do go up around the city, the holiday itself pales in comparison to New Years Day