Monday, December 20, 2010

Bravo Colonel Harland Sanders!


Just as well we don't live in Japan. I see in today's FT that in the early 70s when Kentucky Fried Chicken had first started operations in Japan, a representative of a Christian mission school, not being able to find any turkeys, instead ordered chicken at a Tokyo KFC. A KFC employee then suggested that they should do an advertising campaign based around this.
The ads were so successful that KFC Christmas chicken meals have become a national custom. Christmas Party Barrels can be ordered two months in advance and are usually eaten on Christmas Eve. According to businessman, Yoshiaki Hirose, "It's like a Christmas standard. You want to have a party with your family, save your wife from having to cook, and you can pick it up from your local shopping street on your way home from work."

5 Comments:

Blogger Eurodog said...

The world has gone mad.

11:34 am  
Blogger Angus said...

For a moment I thought you were going to say that the representative of the Christian Mission had msitaken the image of Colonel Sanders for another bearded figure !

11:38 am  
Blogger Whispering Walls said...

Oui, ED!

LOL Angus

8:38 am  
Blogger Our Man in Abiko said...

Sorry I missed this post before Christmas. I can indeed vouch that this is the case, although I didn't know the origin, just assumed it was the usual usurping of religion for commercial gain.

You and your readers might be horrified to learn that this Christmas marked the first time that McDonald's Japan has tried to get in on the act, featuring a "festive" family meal of French fries, chicken McNuggets and soft drinks.

The Our Man household did not partake. But we couldn't get hold of turkey or whole chicken, so we had shrimp in chili sauce instead.

Anyway, too late to wish you a Merry Christmas, instead, Happy New Year.

3:34 pm  
Blogger Whispering Walls said...

Hello Our Man! Trust McD's to muscle in on the act! Chilli shrimps sound rather refreshing for Christmas, did you have Christmas pud? Happy New Year to you and your family!

8:30 am  

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