The Cultural Meaning of Pizza Hut

Deborah Fallows explains the prestige of fast food culture in China:

The newspapers report about the vogue of fat camps right next to the stories of internet addiction camps. Also in vogue are fast food places, of course. But McDonald's, KFC, and PIzza Hut are more than just exotic and efficient; they're upscale. Whenever we frequented Pizza Hut, we had to remember to make reservations, as it was one of the places to dress up and go for special family dinners. I'm not sure if McWeddings have moved from Hong Kong to the mainland yet, but they are mentioned with interest in the Chinese press.

What caught my eye this week were the giant posters advertising Fatburger! Coming Soon!, a franchise that improbably boasts Miami, Riyadh, Las Vegas, and many other international venues. This was splashed along the walls inside a high-end new mall, right next to Fendi and Shiseido.

This is a good concrete manifestation of the reality that for all its recent success, China is still quite poor. Chinese people and Americans both like Taco Bell, but nobody in America thinks of Taco Bell as aspirational. Indeed, Taco Bell marketing is oriented around the idea of trying to convince Americans that aspirational dining is overrated and the idea of eating an upscale meal at Taco Bell is broad satire.