Hamburgers, Pizzas Winning War With Traditional Dim Sims
The Age
Sunday May 5, 1996
Beijing, Sunday.
China has launched a crusade to stem the growing fad for Western fast foods by criticising their nutritional content and announcing plans to beef up the indigenous industry.
While the campaign may be based on legitimate health concerns, it also reflects the Government's fear that China's infatuation with the West, which in most cases means the United States, is eroding traditional values.
The Ministry of Internal Trade, which oversees the restaurant industry, says it will soon unveil the first national blueprint for the development of the indigenous fast-food industry. The plan will propose measures to enhance the quality and appeal of local fast foods and fast-food sellers.
Chinese fast food, while undoubtedly cheaper than the foreign alternative, is generally served by hawkers and small operators who place little emphasis on hygiene or presentation. But the local fare is being staunchly defended by the Chinese media.
The official China Daily newspaper reported last week that domestic fast food was tastier because it was produced by hand.
Another newspaper, the China Youth Daily, quotes Professor Chen Xuecan, a member of the China Association of Nutritionists.
He says fast foods pose a risk to Chinese children because of their high calories, fat and protein content.
With annual sales of $A5 billion, the market has attracted a flood of foreign investors in recent years, predictably led by the McDonald's hamburger chain. The group now has 17 shops in Beijing and is expanding at a rate of knots.
Sandwiched between the likes of McDonald's, Kentucky Fried Chicken and Pizza Hut and the cheap local fare is Steve Liondos, a Greek-born Sydneysider who has just opened China's first doner kebab shop in central Beijing.
Mr Liondos, who once supplied Australian restaurants with his ready-made sauces, has teamed up with Chinese partners to launch what is intended to be the first of a nation-wide chain.
He is not worried about the heavyweight foreign competition.
``You can't fill your tummy on a Big Mac, but here you can.
" And he's unconcerned about the backlash against foreign fast food.
``There's no way they can stop the tide. Chinese people love this kind of food."
© 1996 The Age