Food Adventure

I've been saying for months now, that there was no way that I would go and set foot in a North American restaurant that has been brought here to Shanghai. In part, I don't want to communicate to the residents here that I simply need North American food, or that there might be something about their food that I don't like. Those of you who read this blog, and who know me, know that I like to eat locally wherever I go.

While my guests were in town, and after a few days of eating locally, one of the party suggested that we go to KFC for something more familiar to her. I initially resisted a bit; I have not set foot in a KFC, nor have had any product from that fast food restaurant in over 25 years. Then I recalled that fast food companies from elsewhere, often modify their products to fit with the local clientele and I was curious to see what they were selling. And I did it to be hospitable to my guests.

We went up to the counter and they provided us with a laminated menu in English- that was a relief since I am not sure how we would have navigated through the standard fast food menu placed high behind the counter- there is no way to point to your choice with any accuracy. I ordered a chicken burger- there were a number of them, and I am not clear on the difference between them- so I arbitrarily chose #9. This did not come with any sides or drinks. I also ordered their new product- deep fried shrimp balls on a stick. My guests ordered similarly but with the full meal of fries and a drink, and the shrimp balls. One of them ended up getting a fish burger (hee hee- at KFC no less), but proclaimed it tasty.



The shrimp balls were okay; they tasted of shrimp but had too much batter for my taste. The burger was very intriguing. Smaller than an average North American burger, it was also not a chicken breast. It had been made from ground chicken and contained corn, shredded carrots and something green. The tray had a cover that had lots of cartoon images of a stomach exercising, and eating vegetables, so this may have been KFC's attempt at making the patty healthier, or perhaps just more palatable to the Chinese market.

I really can't compare it to the North America product, but those of you who eat there can perhaps tell me about the size of the burgers and whether they have stuff in them. Good experiment, no regrets.