To say that city-life in China is busy would be a huge understatement. Nothing ever seems to close, cars never seem to leave the streets and crowds only thin out when inclimate weather rears its ugly head. Cities are crowded concrete jungles filled brimming with people.  Yet the hustle-bustle of Chinese metropolises stands as a testament to the vast modernization and urban development that China has undergone in the past few decades. Add in a population boom (as citizens continue to move from rural areas to urban ones) and what remains are these hive-like cities with millions of people buzzing along with their daily business.

And what powers most of these people through the day when they don’t have time for a proper Chinese meal (lazy susan included)? Fast food or 快餐 (kuài cān). Now here I think it is important to make a distinction between corporate and largely foreign “fast food” chains, such as McDonalds, KFC and Pizza Hut, and the kind of fast food you can get at on any street, either from a cart vendor or from a small restaurant. Unfortunately for the health of most Chinese city-dwellers, corporate fast food chains are growing in popularity, and much like in the United States, can be found on most high-traffic blocks and street corners.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8hfgElpu-s

While I seldom (unless it’s 4 am in Wudaokou) visit these “big three” western fast food chains, Chinese citizens are infatuated with hamburgers, fried chicken and terrible, terrible pizza (it tastes like it has a pound of sugar in each pie…yuck). For them, it’s a sign of affluence and wealth–the ability to clog their arteries with sugar and fat-rich foods. In the US, fast food is seen as a low-cost, high-caloric way to satiate your belly. But in China, it’s a luxury good.

Barring the health concerns (China really should learn from the US’s mistakes, namely heart disease, obesity and diabetes) created by such fast food industries, the prevalence of “fast food culture” looks to emerge as a staple of upper class citizens and the emerging elite. Their “little emperor” children 小皇帝 (xiǎo huáng dì) demand it after all…

My students, who were mostly from well-to-do families, couldn’t get enough of McDonalds and KFC, and would often grow perturbed when I mentioned my distaste for the burgers, fries and chicken wings. “How can you be an American”, they’d ask. “Why don’t you like your food?” When I’d try and respond about the deliciousness of Chinese food and how McDonalds isn’t really traditional American food, they’d all scoff and talk about how much they love Big Macs and french fries. Now serving 1.4 billion and counting! Mcdonalds even serves “McWeddings” in Hong Kong:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1rhuntig4tk

But if you are a westerner and want a little taste of Americana, here are the most popular chains in China. Just don’t overdo it, and remember that Chinese food is healthier, tastier and waaaaay cheaper.

First off, they’ll ask you what you want or 你要什么? Fortunately many of the menus include a picture to which you can point if you “fast food vocabulary” isn’t up to snuff. Then they’ll ask you if you are eating here or want it to go. If you want to know how to say “to go”, say “带走” (dài zǒu) which translates literally as”carry go”. They’ll also ask for cash or credit card, 信用卡 (xìn yòng kǎ) and if you want ketchup or 番茄酱 (fān qié jiàng).

Here are some useful fast food vocabulary words:

McDonalds or 麦当劳 (mài dāng láo)

hamburger－汉堡包 (hàn bǎo bāo)

french fries－薯条 (shǔ tiáo)

cola－可乐 (kě lè)

KFC or 肯德基 (Kěn dé jī)

KFC is a close second to McDonalds and I get the distinct feeling that Chinese people absolutely love the Colonel. I was told that he (and KFC) are even more popular in Vietnam, because the cartoon rendering of him looks eeriely similar to Ho Chi Min…go figure. Anyway, here are some basics:

chicken－鸡肉 (jī ròu)

leg－鸡肉退 (jī ròu tuǐ)

wing－鸡翅 (jīchì)

Pizza Hut or 必胜客 (Bì shèng Kè)

pizza－比萨 (bǐ sà)

bread－面包 (miàn bāo)

where is the bathroom (cause believe me you’ll need to know this)－洗澡间／厕所在哪儿？

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