Once-mighty KFC quickly becoming relic of bygone era

I always feel very uneasy when I hear this nursery rhyme my four-year-old daughter learned from kindergarten about ordering food at KFC.


According to Chinese tradition, I am supposed to pay special respect to her teacher but I totally disagree with this rhyme that may brainwash my kid. KFC is the last choice for me.


So a conflict is inevitable whenever we pass by a KFC outlet. I have to try all means to persuade my little girl to change her idea. But she always wins the battle, as the threat of childhood obesity and stunted development is totally beyond her comprehension right now.


I can fully understand her 50-year-old teacher who taught the rhyme. She still has her first impression about KFC from the 1990s when it was the symbol of high quality and cleanliness.


As the early bird that entered China's fast-food market in 1987, KFC has enjoyed great success and big fame in the past three decades. It gained a reputation as offering a taste of the United States for Chinese people born in the 1960s and became an icon of China's opening up.


However, its golden era has ended due to health concerns, competitive strategies and increasing local rivals.


The first and most important concern is about health.


For me, eating KFC is sinful because weight loss is always a priority for me and other middle-class people who value a healthy lifestyle.


But KFC's fried chicken, French fries, hamburgers and soft drinks are globally well-known junk food. And more and more Chinese believe that fast food usually is high in calories, high in fat, high in sodium and low in nutrition.




The article transsshipment from China Daily