United Taste of America
No thank you Kobe beef burger, I want the real thing, cow eyelids and all.
I’m an American junk food junkie and I believe nobody is crazier about hamburgers than I am. I’ve set up a FedEx account to fly in burgers from LA. I’ve been known to take transcontinental flights to get my fix. I had my first kiss over an In-N-Out burger. I’ve got a swim-every-ocean, climb-every-mountain love for the fast food patty.
And I’m not the only one. The taste for Americana has seeped into Hong Kong’s culture little by little with the pioneers like McDonald’s, KFC and Pizza Hut still defining modern food culture decades after their first arrival. In a recent AC Nielson survey, Hong Kong ranked as the world’s number one city of fast food consumers with 61 percent of Hong Kongers interviewed visiting a fast food restaurant at least once a week. That’s 26 percent more than baconburger-hugging Americans. I definitely belong in this city.
If you are looking to satisfy your taste for the red, white and blue, here are some of this season’s newcomers that bring me such happiness.
Burger King
In the past, happy travelers allotted extra time to make a pit stop to Burger King’s only location beyond the immigration gates at Chek Lap Kok, but enough postcards in the suggestions box convinced Burger King to return to the island last month with a new location at the Peak Tower.
Hidden above a spiral staircase on the first floor reigns The King. But beware; there is no signage to indicate its realm. We’re not sure if that is because they’ve just opened and are still waiting for their sign or if they want this to be a secret private dining club for those in the know. Well, now you know.
Those who have experienced The King understand the “have-it-your-way” Whopper.
And if you have an American appetite you can “Go Large”, BK’s way of saying, “Super size me” for an extra two bucks. Should you become large from the “Go Large”, don’t run to your lawyer as the U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved a bill to ban lawsuits by obese customers who say they became overweight by eating at fast-food restaurants.
Krispy Kreme
In a bittersweet coincidence, Krispy Kreme has recently opened opposite my apartment. Every time the “Hot Now” donut sign lights up and glares through my bedroom window, it triggers a Pavlovian response in me.