A bit late, but better late than never, I have to comment on the fast food fascination there seem to be in Vietnam. From what I read in news papers and the like the same goes for many Asian countries.
As you might have read around the Hanoi/Vietnam blogspheare, KFC - Kentucky Fried Chicken - an American fastfood chain recently opend a "restaurant" here in Hanoi. This is the first of it's kind in the capitol of Vietnam. Here's no McD or other international fast food chain!
So what does this mean and why are people so fascinated with the term fast food? In just about every restaurant here there's a sign saying fast food. Is fast food really something a nice looking restaurant would self itself by? So it seems. The term appeals to Westerners, but also to Vietnamese....
My guess is as good as any's - but I agree on what is stated in the comments on Vietnamese God's blog - what is happening here was the same thing that happend in the Western world in the 50-60's. I remember reading in Hillary Clinton's biography that her parents took the family to McD as a special treat. Fast food is/was some kind of status symbol. That was before obesity-research - before people realized how unhealthy this kind of food is.
In Hanoi the KFC is not placed in the touristy Old Quater. The market for Westerners wanting comfort food is of course there, but I think the target is Vietnamese middle class people. Here it is the new and growing middle class' who wants to signal their wealth and Western lifestyle by eating at KFC.
To me KFC isn't even comfort food as we don't have it the city where I live. But I'm no saint - I do like fast food especially if I'm hung over! And I prop pop by McD to have a bigmac and some fries when I go to Bangkok in October - long live fast food ; )
Oh btw have a look at Preya's blog - I thought it was rather funny
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