Most Hong Kong people have never been to Kentucky (many United States citizens have never been there either), but the state has become a household name through its fried chicken. Although you would be hard-pressed to find this 'authentic' dish served by any Kentucky citizen proud of her native cuisine, people around the world associate the state with the chicken that Colonel Sanders made famous.
In Hong Kong, Kentucky Fried Chicken, or KFC as it is now known, has been around since 1985 and there are now 16 outlets around the territory. Part of its success is due to its consistency - what you eat at its outlet in Central tastes very similar to what you get in Tsim Sha Tsui.
Some of the products, such as desserts and salads, are made in a central kitchen. But workers at each outlet prepare and cook the chicken according to standards set by the parent company in the US.
Area manager and training officer Alexander Chan says: 'We use standard recipes and procedures that are the same at all KFCs. We have quality control checks to help ensure consistency.
'In each outlet, restaurant and shift managers conduct daily inspections of the products, making sure taste and temperatures are correct. In addition, area managers and training officers make unannounced visits to the stores to check on quality, service and cleanliness.
'Sometimes it is difficult to keep standards consistent. We receive chicken from different sources, so the taste could vary slightly. But when we identify a problem we do everything we can to solve it.' Does Mr Chan get tired of eating KFC? 'No, I'm proud of what we serve. My son loves it; he enjoys it when I take him on inspections. Sometimes I even eat KFC on my days off or on holidays in other countries.' While the thought of eating the same food day after day does not appeal to most people, beer-lovers may envy Sunny Lai. He gets paid for drinking it.
