Even my wife (who is now 43 years old) says that whenever she reminisces about Christmas, she thinks of KFC. I've even had a neighbor ask me once, "They eat Kentucky Fried Chicken on Christmas day is America too, right?"
What could I say? I answered...
"Yes, well... I suppose some people do... Some people eat McDonald's on Christmas Day!"
My neighbor seemed happy to hear that from me. I think he only heard me say, "Yes!" Anything else would have burst his bubble.
ABC reports here (and, for once, the western mass media does NOT exaggerate!):
"The Japanese are keen to celebrate Christmas in a non-religious way," said Roy Larke, a Rikkyo University Business Professor. "There's a certain amount of nostalgia attached to the KFC Christmas meal. People try to pass the tradition onto their children."
Weird you say? Well, read on...
The colonel's recipe is so popular here, the fast-food chain recommends customers place their Christmas orders two months in advance.
"Our holiday sales are five to ten times higher than other months," said spokesman Sumeo Yokokawa. "In Japan, Christmas equals KFC."
KFC's popularity can be traced back to a highly successful marketing campaign that began nearly 40 years ago.
At the time, the Christmas holiday wasn't as widely celebrated in Japan.
Yokokawa says many foreigners came to eat at KFC because they couldn't find a whole turkey or chicken anywhere else.
A KFC employee saw an opportunity to cash in, and the company launched its first Christmas meal in 1974: chicken and wine for $10, a pricey meal at the time.
Don't worry KFC fans... The colonel will be back into his
regular Japanese clothes by summer
Watch the video report here: http://abcnews.go.com/International/move-santa-claus-kfcs-colonel-sanders-signals-christmas/story?id=12437818&tqkw=&tqshow=GMA&tqkw=&tqshow=GMA
2 comments:
Love KFC in Japan for Xmas. Much simpler than having to prep that huge 'traditional' meal. KFC Christmas Pack and an Xmas cake from the local super, and you're done. Sadly, the wife has already bought a turkey for the actual day, and my 5 years running fried chicken xmas tradition comes to an end. Still going to hit up the local KFC substitute here in Liberia - the newly opened Monroe Chicken, the only fried chicken joint in the country - for xmas eve. And thus a new tradition is born. Happy Holidays.
Dear Rob!
Merry Christmas to you and yours! May 2011 see all your dreams come true!
Best!
Mike
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