KFC fried chicken incense: genius or inappropriate?
The Thailand wing of fried chicken titan KFC announced this week that they have created a new product that is sure to leave you smelling finger-licking good. The fast-food giant developed a line of fried chicken-scented incense sticks to celebrate the upcoming Chinese New Year.
The incense sticks are perfect for those who want to bring the aroma of the Colonel’s secret recipe into their homes. According to KFC, each incense stick is made with 11 herbs and spices, carefully crafted to mimic the mouthwatering scent of their world-famous fried chicken.
Not only do they smell like the real thing, but they also look like it too! The incense sticks come in a modern box, but the outer layer has been designed to resemble a drumstick, complete with realistic-looking breading.
The incense sticks were met with mixed reactions, with some finding the humour in the innovation. But many others called it inappropriate and accused KFC of poor taste and cultural appropriation.
KFC had posted a video on their Instagram page previously, but that video and virtually any trace online of the fried chicken incense has since been scrubbed from their social media pages.
Many online complained that KFC should be doing better market research and understanding Chinese culture better before launching something like this, serious or not. Viewers considered it an insult to Chinese New Year and the culture and tradition of the holiday.
Even the wife of Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong noticed the KFC incense sticks, though she kept her stance relatively soft, simply sharing the pics with the caption, “Wah…”
KFC has had its ups and downs with social media, often infusing humour in its promotions, whether well-received or not. Its Twitter profile is full of jokes and funny tweets and is infamous for following just 11 carefully chosen people as a pun, despite having 1.6 million followers.
