The Lawrentian

Issue date: 11/13/09 Section: Features

Media Credit: Molly-Judith Wilson

Kentucky Fried Chicken, or KFC, is not my personal favorite fast food chain. I prefer Wendy's or DQ for an occasional chocolate chip cookie dough milkshake, but I think London as a whole would disagree with me. When I thought of London, dreaming of coming over the ocean all summer, I tried not to expect anything lest I be disappointed. Still, there were some ideas that just seem quintessentially English. I thought of crumpets, I thought of The Sex Pistols and I thought of rainy weather. I did not think of KFC, though I see now that I should have.
When I arrived out of the tube station for the first time on Gloucester Road and before my friend and I got hopelessly lost on our way to Metrogate, we noticed the first three restaurants on the street: KFC, Starbucks and Burger King, all in a neat little row. Two blocks down was another Starbucks. Needless to say, we were somewhat disappointed. At first, I felt that this was an 'Americanization' of the true English culture that I so desired to see. Eventually I came to realize different, but more on that later.
This is not to say there are not traditional English foods over here. I have been to an Afternoon Tea that cost more than an entire outfit from Topshop, a clothing store with a student discount. I have purchased packaged scones, eaten finger sandwiches, drunken more English breakfast tea than is natural or normal, tried a mince meat pie and had Fruli, a pinkish fruit beer. I have had BLT baguettes, eaten triangular-cut sandwiches from plastic wrappers - very popular over here - and had many chicken-filled samosas.
But, honestly, KFC is by far the drug-of-choice over here, and it comes in many forms. There is the traditional Kentucky Fried Chicken by The General, but then there are spin-off restaurants, such as Crispy Chicken, Box'O'Chicken and the aptly named Fried Chicken.
They are cheap - for London - they are greasy and they are deep-fried. They leave that smell in your clothes that won't go away until you've done laundry; they leave grease stains on your pants when you forget and wipe your fingers on your legs. In short, they're just the same as in the States, besides the fact that they might be a little pricier, but hey, Kentucky is pretty far away from Europe after all.
My point is, don't think that America is the only country in the world that has an obsession with fast food. Sure, the burgers in McDonald's are a little classier here - they're on square buns - and sure, they're about twice as expensive, but they're still burgers at McDonald's.
Burger King still sells Junior Whoppers with Cheese and KFC is probably the most popular chain restaurant in London. This is not an 'Americanization' of London, but rather an assertion, an assurance even, that fast food is delicious where ever one travels in the world.
Sure, crumpets and tea are nice now and then, but at 3 a.m. in SoHo, three hours after the tubes have stopped running and with the dreaded prospect of having to find the appropriate bus back to Metrogate, there is really nothing that tastes better than a Big Mac, some Medium Fries and a Vanilla McFlurry.
So the next time some European person says that America has spawned all the evil in the world with its fast food chains, you can look right back at them and know something: Even in Central London, in seeing distance of the Lamborghini Dealership, there is guaranteed to be a friendly neighborhood KFC lurking somewhere in the background.

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