The Colonel

KFC has China locked down. Sure you see Mcdonalds (creepy little girl come hither patter playing outside every restaurant) and Pizza Huts (way more upscale, sit-down than at home), and I even seeb two Burger Kings, but KFC? Damn, the Colonel is in charge! As we walked through old town and the shopping core today there must have been 7 or 8 of them. It seemed the same in Bejing and Xi'an too. Morag says it is because people just aren't that into beef here, so KFC makes more sense. Could be, but I also wonder if it isn't that The Colonel's face (which is on all the signs, and posters and storefronts) resembles that of the venerable ancestor. Serious, bearded, looking down from on high. Maybe it strikes some sort of cultural chord, or maybe they just got here first and out-maneuvered the others. You also see plenty of Starbucks, some Dairy Queens, and any number of the high end boutique type shops - Fendi, D&G, Prada etc. Maybe the Party still holds sway in the country side, but in the big cities I have visited, the dollar seems to be the chairman.