Chapters 34-35- Fast Food

Chapter 34

Fast Food Places

The first time that I went to Luoyang in 2002-2004, there was a McDonald’s in Shanghai Market, a shopping center which was over an hour to walk to from where I lived. By bus it took maybe 20 minutes. I think that was the only fast food place. It was very busy on the weekends because kids would want their parents to go there. Shanghai Market is an open air shopping center. There were some stores underground also. I rarely went there, just now and then.

The second time in China, 2010-2013, I lived four blocks from a big shopping center called Xin Du Hui, also the store Wang Fujing. Along with those places there were two McDonald’s, a Pizza Hut, two KFC’s and a Dairy Queen. The one McDonald's was a small place by Pizza Hut and it only sold ice cream. The Pizza Hut was really nice, very pretty inside. I’ve never seen any here in the US as pretty as the ones in China. 

A lot of people would go to these places especially on weekends when there were sales in the stores or it was a holiday. When any of those things were going on, you could compare it to Black Friday or Christmas here. Thousands of people everywhere. It was a good place to avoid during those times. I didn’t go to those places very often even though they were close. 

I really liked going to DQ because ice cream is one of my favorite things. They only had ice cream there, no sandwich’s or fries. They didn’t have as many kinds of blizzards as we do, they had banana splits and shakes. I would really get the urge for French fries once in a while so I would either stop at McDonald’s or KFC and also have a sandwich from those places now and then. The chicken sandwiches were very good. They don’t have hamburgers like we do. I had a hamburger two times during those three years and didn’t like them. Mary liked ice cream very much also so she and I would go to DQ from time to time.

Chapter 35  

Fast Food

Let’s not forget fast food. The first time that I was in Luoyang, there was only one fast food place and that was McDonald's. It was really popular with the kids. It was very busy on weekends. I am not a big McDonald's fan. If I went there, I may pick up French fries or ice cream. Most of the time, I would go with someone that wanted to go there or had kids that wanted to go.

The second time I was in Luoyang, there were many more fast food places. I lived within four blocks of two McDonald's, a Pizza Hut, a Dairy Queen and two KFC's. If you are a fast food person, this would be great. I would stop now and then. I missed French fries at times and I liked the ice cream. I preferred the Chinese food over these places. Some of my students liked them, some didn’t.

I had a hamburger at McDonald's only a couple of times over the years but I didn’t like it. It didn’t taste the same as in the US. I thought maybe they feed their cattle different than we do and I was also told that some of their beef comes from Australia. Chicken sandwiches and others were ok. The sandwiches at KFC were good, also the chicken. In China, the chicken was a little spicy but I liked it. They have the prettiest Pizza Huts in China, much nicer than ours in the US. We are very spoiled in the US, we have so many different kinds of pizza and toppings. The pizzas there were ok but needed more toppings and flavors. The Dairy Queens there had only ice cream and drinks. They do not have sandwiches or French fries like here. The ice cream, banana splits, blizzards and shakes were just like in the US.


My colleague Mary and our friend Kim (Xue Lian) enjoying a Blizzard.




DQ is part of the Xin Du Hui Mall and is located outside on the second floor. Really pretty and also a popular place.




The deliveries are made with bicycles. Hopefully the deliveries aren’t too far away.






Eating with my friends Guan Jigang and his daughter Guan Xin. Jigang’s wife, Huang Guoqin, took the picture.


The first floor of the Pizza Hut is behind the McDonald’s. You can see the second floor of Pizza Hut through the windows. This McDonald’s is small and sells only ice cream.


Like I said, Pizza Hut is really pretty inside.