Getting fat in China is now easier than ever with fast food restaurants like McDonald’s and KFC now making deliveries.
It seems not a week goes by without some news outlet releasing a supposedly groundbreaking new study detailing how lazy and obese we are as a country. We get it — as a whole, we’re eating too much and forgetting to exercise all together. The image of a typical all-American now includes a Big Mac, fries and a double chin. Everywhere you turn there’s a new restaurant or service making sitting on our asses and gorging on deep fried chicken and milkshakes even easier. Our will power to say no to Taco Bell at midnight has vanished. Our metabolisms have immigrated to a country that cares.
The rest of the world seems to think we lost our edge when we switched to khakis with elastic waistbands. I guess their parents never told them it’s impolite to point and laugh at the fat country. However what they haven’t realized is countries like China are following our trail of trans fat. Two of the most popular food destinations in China are McDonald’s and KFC, two places where washboard abs, tight asses and strong pecs go to die.
China has been making a concerted effort to become one of the world’s leaders in finance, military and industry. Little do they realize they are also gearing up for battle on the scales as well. Not only are McDonald’s and KFC incredibly popular, both fast food chains also offer delivery services — aka the get fat quick plan.
Delivery is becoming an important part of the growth strategy at McDonald’s Corp. and Yum Brands Inc.’s KFC chain in parts of the world where cities are too crowded and real estate costs too high to justify building drive-throughs.
In cities like Beijing, Seoul and Cairo, armies of motorbike delivery drivers outfitted in colorful uniforms and bearing food in specially designed boxes strapped to their backs make their way through bustling traffic to deliver Big Macs and buckets of chicken wings.
McDonald’s Asia/Pacific, Middle East and Africa division, which accounts for more than a fifth of the company’s revenue and showed same-store sales growth of 8.1 percent in November, is planning to add delivery service to many of the new restaurants it builds.
Already, 1,500 restaurants out of the division’s 8,800 in 15 countries offer delivery, and it plans to build more than 650 new restaurants next year, with up to 250 of those in China alone.
Just give it a couple more decades, China, and your lithe figures will be a thing of the past. You’ll cry while inhaling your third Big Mac of the day and your stores will be forced to carry waist sizes larger than a 31.
Your day will come, China. It may be over a 100 years from now, but one day you’ll understand our struggle with excess. Remember: with great convenience comes chubby cheeks and stomach rolls.
[WSJ via Chicago Tribune]
