KFC: When is Chicken Not Chicken?

For most people, there’s little concern if our chicken meat has some pork or say some beef mixed in. But for some groups of Asians that would be an entirely different matter. Most people are already aware that Indians of the Hindu faith do not eat beef. But there’s also an entire class of Chinese Buddhists who do not eat beef as well. This appears to be a common trait especially in Buddhists of Chinese descent who live in south Asia. My own mother (and her sisters) adhered to that practice living in Taiwan. While she insisted her kids eat beef (for the protein), she herself never touched it.

So imagine my surprise when I learned this week that Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) is selling Kentucky Grilled Chicken (KGC) that’s made with beef. While 8Asians has already complained about racial stereotyping in KGC commercials, this brings KFC down to a whole new level. Many unsuspecting Asians for whom eating beef is against their religion and beliefs, probably won’t realize they’re eating beef when they eat KFC’s new offering of chicken. My mother, when she was alive occasionally ate at KFC, and would be likely a victim of eating beef if she had the chance to try KGC.

For those that are concerned, KFC lists the ingredients of their products on their website. It turns out, KGC isn’t the only product with beef. The chicken pot pie also contains beef. So if you’re not eating beef, you may want to stay away from these chicken offerings at Kentucky Fried Chicken.