KFC in Asia
KFC (short for Kentucky Fried Chicken) is an American fast food restaurant chain headquartered in Kentucky, USA that specializes in fried chicken. It is the world's second-largest restaurant chain. KFC now has outlets in NPT and Yangon. But how did KFC become so popular in Asia? The answer is multi-faceted and stems largely from the company’s keen ability to be in the right place at the right time.
Read the article below and answer the eight IELTS style questions.
Questions 1 - 4. Identify the statements as True, False or Not Given.
KFC is the only American fast-food chain in China.
Prior to the 1980s, many Chinese had not eaten Western style food.
After the 1980s, many Chinese travelled to the United States.
In the 2010s, the market demand for KFC skyrocketed in China.
Questions 5 - 8. Complete the sentences with ONE WORD from the reading.
5. John Christen believes that _______ people were attracted to KFC because they wanted to be seen to be able to afford American luxuries.
6. In some Asian countries, KFC provides localised meals that ______ to local preferences.
7. A further attraction of KFC is that the _______ of chicken is permitted by all the major religions.
8. In Japan, KFC has become associated with __________ holidays.
Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) has more than 5,600 locations in China alone, making it by far the most dominant American fast-food chain in the country. When China opened up to foreign investment in the mid-1980s, many Chinese wanted to try Western food. Eating American food became kind of like taking a mini-tour of the United States itself. KFC was there early on to capitalize on the new market.
When KFC first opened in Beijing in 1987, it was widely viewed as a step forward in China’s opening up to the world. For many Chinese, KFC was their first taste of American culture right when the country first allowed bits and pieces of outside influence to creep in. This reaction was replicated over and over again at a rapid rate — at one point in the 2010s, KFC opened a new location in China every 18 hours — as the company expanded across the country. Residents were so excited at the opening of a KFC store there that they welcomed the restaurant with a full-scale parade, floats and all.
“KFC was seen as epitomizing western living,” says John Christen, an English teacher who lived in China. “A bowl of noodles from the local restaurant may have been six yuan, or a dollar, and a KFC meal maybe 35 yuan, or six dollars. So the thinking is, ‘If I can afford the food, I am rich like an American. There is a big push for middle-class families to have the luxuries of the West. It’s all in an attempt to live like an American.”
To cater to local tastes, some KFC locations offer localized menu items in addition to the classic bucket. In China, for example, you might find a take on one of KFC’s most classic options, the Twister, spiced up with cucumbers, scallions, and duck sauce and re-dubbed the Dragon Twister. Chicken biryani is on the menu in Sri Lanka, and Thailand stores sell a shrimp donut.
The Original Recipe fried chicken remains the top seller, though, and even as the novelty of eating American fast wood waned, KFC stores remain packed — KFC did nearly $5 billion in sales in China alone throughout 2018. It isn’t just the appeal of Western food that keeps KFC thriving. While Muslims don’t eat pork and non-vegetarian Hindus don’t eat beef, pretty much all of the world’s major religions allow consumption of chicken. That makes KFC a more accommodating and convenient choice than other fast food outlets.
In Japan, the convenience also stretches to holidays. Since the run of a popular 1974 advertisement declaring Kurisumasu ni wa kentakkii (Kentucky for Christmas), KFC has been a staple for Japanese Christmas dinners.
Full article at https://matadornetwork.com/read/kfc-dominate-fast-food-asia/
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