If Colonel Sanders and Bruce Lee took each other on, I would think that Bruce would have the upper hand in all things Kung Fu. However, in fast food, the man in the white suit still reigns supreme, even in China. This might be Kung Fu versus Kentucky Fried.

Kentucky Fried Chicken is epically more popular than Kung Fu Fast Food. Beyond the fascination with all things foreign that happen in countries like China, I wondered what the fascination with KFC is in particular.

Though chicken sandwiches are served in KFC in China, the main focus stays on the chicken. The best I could posit for this is that there is not such a sandwich cuisine here, so pieces of whole chicken work quite well for most palettes.

But when no Western chicken or hamburgers, lovingly referred to as henbaobao, will do, Kung Fu Fast Food steps in. The thought behind it being that it is healthier than the Western counterparts, and not to forget that it is Chinese food, but mostly, it’s fast. The fact that Kung Fu Fast Food exists is small gastronomical evidence for the massive overhaul here that is modernization. But, it’s not like any more evidence of that is necessary.

It’s a preference to collect the quirky ones that point to something like private companies owned in an environment like China that use icons like Bruce Lee to sell fast food to workers that have short lunch breaks.

Kung Fu is a Chinese fast food chain at the end of the day. Without fail, conversations in China will fall to a pointing out of similarities and differences, and validly so, sometimes things are different. What soon follows is talk of copying. China copies things. China copies everything. China copies copies.

Though the fast food concept is copied, the content is not the same.

I ordered a number three, that being what I normally order when given the option to pick off a random number sheet containing preset meals. What follows is steamed rice and beef, though it was primarily beef fat, American ginseng soup, and boiled lettuce. Surprisingly, the lettuce was the winner, slightly sour from vinegar and salty enough to satisfy.

Though Colonel Sanders has a more than fair representation in China, there is one icon that wants into the fast food fight. It’s the dragon himself. I ate there because after all, I would eat what Bruce Lee ate.

For an account of one mans day working in Kung Fu Fast Food, visit Stefan Gates and Cooking in the Danger Zone.