The End of Cheap China, Revised and Updated: Economic and Cultural Trends That Will Disrupt the World

CHAPTER 5WHY CHINESE CONSIDER KENTUCKY FRIED CHICKEN HEALTHFUL CHINA’S IFFY FOOD SUPPLY CHAIN IS PUTTING A PREMIUM ON SAFE FOOD

I was interviewing Emily, a twentysomething Shanghainese woman, about her eating habits. Emily had flowing black hair and shapely shoulders and carried herself with the self-assurance of someone who has been told she could be a model and knows it. She wore a stylish dark-blue dress that matched her looks, mottled brown pumps, and a bright pink Hello Kitty wristwatch. As we spoke she drank a Frappuccino while she constantly messaged her friends on her iPhone 4. Then she suddenly said to me, “I love Kentucky Fried Chicken. I go there all the time because it’s healthful.” I did a slight double take. Since when is KFC considered healthful?

I pressed Emily to explain. She said, “I know fried food isn’t really healthful, but I trust KFC to be safe.” I asked her what she meant. “First, I trust that KFC uses real cooking oil,” she said. “Lots of street vendors use recycled oil from sewers. I don’t think KFC would do that. And they wouldn’t put cardboard in their batter—I heard some dumpling restaurants do that to save money. And I don’t think they would use expired or tainted ingredients. Many restaurants dye their food or add all kinds of additives that are toxic.”

The more Emily and I talked, the clearer it became that she did not consider Kentucky Fried Chicken and other fast food chains like McDonald’s and Dunkin’ Donuts “healthful” in the conventional ...