As you read through our essays on weninchina.com, you will see a common thread of encouragement to get out of your hotel room and start walking around your neighborhood. There are many familiar icons to help you understand what you'll see, and familiar situations that will allow you to do things like shop for groceries - from the first day you're in-country.
A great example of an American brand you know well that will help you feel more in control, and will help you learn more about the Chinese people, is KFC, and its sister brand Pizza Hut.
KFC was the pioneer fast-food restaurant in China, opening its first location in 1987. They are much larger than McDonald's here, with over 2,200 stores as of mid-2008, and you'll find them not just in the big cities, but also smaller towns too. You are almost certain to have a KFC within walking distance of your hotel! Pizza Hut came over in 1990, and has ramped up to 360 locations as of mid-2008. These two brands have defined what "quick-service" and "casual dining" restaurant formats mean for the Chinese people. Everyone else is playing catch-up.
A big part of why China has embraced these two chains is that they have greatly adapted their menus to the tastes of the locals. Don't worry, you'll still be able to get pepperoni and a bucket of fried chicken. But yes, you can also get a Tuna Fish Combo Pizza and fried squid at Pizza Hut, and congee, codfish burgers, and egg soup at KFC.
The restaurants look much the same as they do back home. The ordering process is also the same. At KFC, you'll walk up to the cashier - and she will pull out a laminated card (the photo above) with English titles of everything on the menu board. Even if you don't know a word of Chinese, all you have to do is point at what you want and pay. At Pizza Hut, the menu is in both languages, with plenty of pictures, so again, just point at what you want.
Prices are a notch below what you'd pay in the States: about $12 for the large pizza (feeding two adults and two kids); a combo meal at KFC runs about $3, and a "bucket" about $9. While this is still pretty spendy for local wallets, it's welcome news for your adoption meal budget.
Drinks at both chains are mostly about juices, teas, and smoothies. You can get regular Pepsi, but that's it for carbonated pop. Everything's good, though, and yes, you can trust the ice.
In Shanghai, Beijing, Qingdao, and Guangzhou, Pizza Hut also delivers. The phone number is 4008-123-123, and most importantly, they have English-speaking staff.
On weninchina.com, we have an expanded version of this article that goes deeper into the KFC/Pizza Hut history in China, gives more detail about what the food tastes like, adds a page from the in-store Pizza Hut menu, and of course features more photos and links. We are now up to 27 essays about the travel experience in China, written to be useful for families, especially those who are completing adoptions.
