KFC, McDonald, and others: Foreign edition

[Kislath]

The BBQ sauce in a Canadian McDonald's is far better than the American version.
I used to make a point of stocking up on the stuff whenever I'd go to Canada, stuffing my pockets full of those little containers.

[Winter_Wolf]

If KFC-China and KFC-US were people, KFC-China would pimp slap the other guy so hard he loses half his teeth. Just completely dominates. Also it's funny and sad that taking a date to US fast food while in the US is considered cheap and generally poor manners, if you want to impress your date in China, you go to a bona fide KFC, or McDonald's, or Pizza Hut. Seriously, imagine getting dressed up in your nicest clothes to go eat greasy pizza, or even just fancier than normal to grab a bite at a fast food place.

Also you see horrors such as kimchi pizza and seafood+corn pizza at Pizza Hut China. But you can also get escargot and pasta dishes like one might at a proper restaurant. Really a complete reinventing of the franchise. Oh, and a proper meal there costs a significant chunk of a typical paycheck. Then again, cheese is expensive on the mainland.

[Lettuce]

I remember trying to order a biscuit to go alongside my meal in a Vancouver-area KFC and having the girl behind the counter stare at me like I was nuts. I had a small breakdown. How could KFC exist without biscuits?!

I find the lack of mashed potatoes more surprising, actually. You already HAVE gravy from all of the chicken, and it's not like potatoes are rare in England... :P

fixed...
Corn & coleslaw are both available as sides in the UK at KFC, But why would biscuits be there? who has digestives with chicken...
I could see "savoury scones" added to the UK menu otherwise idiots would get confused too easily.
and until recently KFC were the last fast food place to serve chips not "fries" (chips are usually fatter but not wedge shaped)

Eek, yeah. I mentioned corn on the cob later but when I was listing American sides in my head I was thinking of like already-shucked corn in a bowl, which UK KFC doesn't have, and my brain didn't equate corn-on-the-cob with shucked corn because it's dumb. But hey, corn on the cob is superior anyway, so I'm ok with that. The coleslaw I didn't know about, though! That's swell. It must be just my tiny KFC up north here doesn't have it...

And digestives with chicken would be... interesting But hmm, actually, maybe if it were used as like breading and served with spiced chocolate sauce like chicken mole...

As for the chips/fries thing, I've personally sort of ended up calling any sort of chips/fries things 'fries' and what Americans would call 'potato chips' as crisps, and forgone the actual use of the word 'chips' altogether unless I'm ordering from a menu or talking about a fish 'n chips place or something. This is because I (unfortunately currently still) have an American accent, so when I say the word 'chips' I am invariably asked "when you say chips, do you mean...?" and I'm forced to clarify "like fries" anyway, so I've just kind of cut out the middle step.

I've heard there were people who considered Taco bell good food, but I never actually met any until now. I hear they mostly come out at night.... mostly.

All kidding aside, do you really think it is that good? Or do you have a lack of Tex-Mex options to begin with? Admittedly I'm probably spoiled as I have a choice of over 30 different places for Mexican food or Tex-Mex in a 5 mile radius that aren't Taco bell (and there are 3 of those as well).

Yeah, I really do think it's that good. But I think so probably for both of those reasons. I lived in Western NY and the only competition Taco Bell had was called "Mighty Taco", and they were definitely worse. Given how pervasive it is, it's probably a lot of peoples' first (and sometimes only) introduction to Tex-Mex up north, so I think it sort of gains a home-field advantage too. But regardless of those points, compared to like, McDonald's and most other fast food places, I personally think that Taco Bell is definitely way, way better. I mean, I have no doubt better Tex-Mex EXISTS, and probably better Tex-Mex fast food, too... but I think it's entirely decent food and a good cost for value.

Also Tex-Mex in general doesn't really exist in the UK outside of rare, not-fast-food restaurants (at least not where I live). If people want something resembling Mexican, they generally buy an Old El Paso kit and make it themselves. That's part of why getting Taco Bell here is so exciting.

Someone should organize a Taco Bell meetup in Essex.


And related to the soda discussions: What's called lemonade over here in England is NOT American lemonade. American lemonade is basically water, lemon juice, and sugar. BRITISH lemonade is like Sprite. I've heard most clear citrus-y drinks referred to as lemonade here.

[Yuki Akuma]

I've heard there were people who considered Taco bell good food, but I never actually met any until now. I hear they mostly come out at night.... mostly.

All kidding aside, do you really think it is that good? Or do you have a lack of Tex-Mex options to begin with? Admittedly I'm probably spoiled as I have a choice of over 30 different places for Mexican food or Tex-Mex in a 5 mile radius that aren't Taco bell (and there are 3 of those as well).

Yeah I... live in the UK? In Hampshire? Tex-Mex isn't a big thing here.

All your fast food in the US is gross, by the way~ UK versions of KFC, Burger King and McDonalds are way better.

(Wendy's buns are way too sweet. Why are they sweet.)

[cobaltstarfire]

(Wendy's buns are way too sweet. Why are they sweet.)

You might want to avoid kings rolls (Hawaiian Rolls) if you don't like mildly sweet breads.

I actually haven't eaten much at Wendy's so when I think of it I just think of the weird square burgers, and their annoying ads. If you must order something from a Wendy's don't order the chilli though!

Had a band director that long ago worked at Wendy's, and he told us about what makes Wendy's chilli (really it's probably any kind of fast food chilli). Wendy's Chilli is all the old hamburger patties from the day that got too cold to sell. They take those patties, put them in a mildly heaten bin. Leave them there alllllll day and night long.

Day day, take them out of the heated bin, hose them down (I can't remember if this is with a particular agent or with water), and drop them in a huge pot to boil. Mash up the patties and turn them into chilli.

Also cross your fingers if it's late at night that the workers don't just grab an old patty out of the bin that's probably 5-12 hours old for your order rather than making something fresh.

[tomandtish]

And digestives with chicken would be... interesting But hmm, actually, maybe if it were used as like breading and served with spiced chocolate sauce like chicken mole...

Assuming you weren't being sarcastic, our biscuits are more like scones, although not as sweet.

Yeah, I really do think it's that good. But I think so probably for both of those reasons. I lived in Western NY and the only competition Taco Bell had was called "Mighty Taco", and they were definitely worse. Given how pervasive it is, it's probably a lot of peoples' first (and sometimes only) introduction to Tex-Mex up north, so I think it sort of gains a home-field advantage too. But regardless of those points, compared to like, McDonald's and most other fast food places, I personally think that Taco Bell is definitely way, way better. I mean, I have no doubt better Tex-Mex EXISTS, and probably better Tex-Mex fast food, too... but I think it's entirely decent food and a good cost for value.

Also Tex-Mex in general doesn't really exist in the UK outside of rare, not-fast-food restaurants (at least not where I live). If people want something resembling Mexican, they generally buy an Old El Paso kit and make it themselves. That's part of why getting Taco Bell here is so exciting.

That's hard to imagine, and if I succeeded I think it would keep me up at night. You have my sincere condolences.

[factotum]

Assuming you weren't being sarcastic, our biscuits are more like scones, although not as sweet.

She's American, I'm pretty sure she knows that. It was Archonic Energy who made the original joke about having digestives with chicken that she was responding to.

[Archonic Energy]

I find the lack of mashed potatoes more surprising, actually. You already HAVE gravy from all of the chicken, and it's not like potatoes are rare in England... :P



Eek, yeah. I mentioned corn on the cob later but when I was listing American sides in my head I was thinking of like already-shucked corn in a bowl, which UK KFC doesn't have, and my brain didn't equate corn-on-the-cob with shucked corn because it's dumb. But hey, corn on the cob is superior anyway, so I'm ok with that. The coleslaw I didn't know about, though! That's swell. It must be just my tiny KFC up north here doesn't have it...

And digestives with chicken would be... interesting But hmm, actually, maybe if it were used as like breading and served with spiced chocolate sauce like chicken mole...

As for the chips/fries thing, I've personally sort of ended up calling any sort of chips/fries things 'fries' and what Americans would call 'potato chips' as crisps, and forgone the actual use of the word 'chips' altogether unless I'm ordering from a menu or talking about a fish 'n chips place or something. This is because I (unfortunately currently still) have an American accent, so when I say the word 'chips' I am invariably asked "when you say chips, do you mean...?" and I'm forced to clarify "like fries" anyway, so I've just kind of cut out the middle step.



Yeah, I really do think it's that good. But I think so probably for both of those reasons. I lived in Western NY and the only competition Taco Bell had was called "Mighty Taco", and they were definitely worse. Given how pervasive it is, it's probably a lot of peoples' first (and sometimes only) introduction to Tex-Mex up north, so I think it sort of gains a home-field advantage too. But regardless of those points, compared to like, McDonald's and most other fast food places, I personally think that Taco Bell is definitely way, way better. I mean, I have no doubt better Tex-Mex EXISTS, and probably better Tex-Mex fast food, too... but I think it's entirely decent food and a good cost for value.

Also Tex-Mex in general doesn't really exist in the UK outside of rare, not-fast-food restaurants (at least not where I live). If people want something resembling Mexican, they generally buy an Old El Paso kit and make it themselves. That's part of why getting Taco Bell here is so exciting.

Someone should organize a Taco Bell meetup in Essex.


And related to the soda discussions: What's called lemonade over here in England is NOT American lemonade. American lemonade is basically water, lemon juice, and sugar. BRITISH lemonade is like Sprite. I've heard most clear citrus-y drinks referred to as lemonade here.

Have you tried Victorian lemonade?

Also a minimeet at lakeside sounds fun... I wonder how many UKitP forumites we could summon?

[Lettuce]

Assuming you weren't being sarcastic, our biscuits are more like scones, although not as sweet.

She's American, I'm pretty sure she knows that. It was Archonic Energy who made the original joke about having digestives with chicken that she was responding to.

Yup, don't worry, I know American biscuits quite well. ...Or knew, anyway. I rather miss them; scones really just aren't the same. I should learn how to make them at home...

Have you tried Victorian lemonade?

Also a minimeet at lakeside sounds fun... I wonder how many UKitP forumites we could summon?

I have never had, nor heard of Victorian Lemonade. *googles* ...Ahh, it's a kind of booze. That explains it; I'm one of those crazy people who doesn't drink. I ASSUME it's not carbonated, though...

I know the meetup was my idea, but I actually probably couldn't make it. Essex is like neary 6 hours away from where I live by train. My nearest Taco Bell is in Barnsley, and even that was quite a journey.

Still, it was better than Manchester, which is where I thought I'd have to go. When I looked up the locations of Taco Bells in the country like a year or two ago, before I moved, there were only two in the entire country, so hey, progress!

But anyway, the chain we REALLY need over here is Cinnabon.

[Brother Oni]

And related to the soda discussions: What's called lemonade over here in England is NOT American lemonade. American lemonade is basically water, lemon juice, and sugar. BRITISH lemonade is like Sprite. I've heard most clear citrus-y drinks referred to as lemonade here.

On this topic, try ordering cider for your children in the UK.

My wife lived in America for a number of years (NJ to be precise and she still hasn't lost the accent ) and made the mistake of ordering it for herself once. Unfortunately she's a complete lightweight (it's in her genes) and spent the next half hour or so sleeping it off.

[Archonic Energy]

Yup, don't worry, I know American biscuits quite well. ...Or knew, anyway. I rather miss them; scones really just aren't the same. I should learn how to make them at home...



I have never had, nor heard of Victorian Lemonade. *googles* ...Ahh, it's a kind of booze. That explains it; I'm one of those crazy people who doesn't drink. I ASSUME it's not carbonated, though...

I know the meetup was my idea, but I actually probably couldn't make it. Essex is like neary 6 hours away from where I live by train. My nearest Taco Bell is in Barnsley, and even that was quite a journey.

Still, it was better than Manchester, which is where I thought I'd have to go. When I looked up the locations of Taco Bells in the country like a year or two ago, before I moved, there were only two in the entire country, so hey, progress!

But anyway, the chain we REALLY need over here is Cinnabon.

how about this

there's a Cinnabon in lakeside too... just sayin'

edit: this is more what you should be looking for...

[Aedilred]

But anyway, the chain we REALLY need over here is Cinnabon.

We have it! On investigation, though, the three stores I know of turned out to be three of only four in the country.

If you're already heading to Lakeside for Taco Bell there's one there, it seems.

[Gnomvid]

Those cinnamon rolls just don't look right, they are way too perfectly rounded and there's too much glazing on them, also I bet there's not a smidge of cardamom in them either so they aren't true cinnamon rolls.

Which reminds me I need to bake more often real Swedish cinnamon rolls for the win.

[KuReshtin]

Those cinnamon rolls just don't look right, they are way too perfectly rounded and there's too much glazing on them, also I bet there's not a smidge of cardamom in them either so they aren't true cinnamon rolls.

Which reminds me I need to bake more often real Swedish cinnamon rolls for the win.

Technically, if there's cardamom and not cinnamon in cinnamon rolls, then they're not cinnamon rolls.
I think it's mainly in Sweden that we use cardamom instead of cinnamon and still call them cinnamon rolls/buns.

Speaking of which, I spoke to my mother last night on the phone and she mentioned that she'd baked 200 cinnamon/cardamom buns in the past few days. it was not very nice of her to say that, because they are very very good, and now i miss her cardamom rolls.

[Gnomvid]

Technically, if there's cardamom and not cinnamon in cinnamon rolls, then they're not cinnamon rolls.
I think it's mainly in Sweden that we use cardamom instead of cinnamon and still call them cinnamon rolls/buns.

Speaking of which, I spoke to my mother last night on the phone and she mentioned that she'd baked 200 cinnamon/cardamom buns in the past few days. it was not very nice of her to say that, because they are very very good, and now i miss her cardamom rolls.

Well maybe we are different up north then as both my granny's and mum and me mix cardamom in the dough when making cinnamon rolls, as it makes for a superior taste experience.