Sunday 27 January 2008

Boneless Box

If enjoying a humble burger based meal with a friend at KFC is akin to taking a sedate stroll around a park together, then sitting down with a friend to partake in the boneless box challenge can only be likened to storming a fortified bunker together.

Consider for a moment the enormity of the task. 8 mini fillets, 2 boxes of regular popcorn chicken, 4 portions of regular fries, 2 large sides, 6 dipping sauces and a 1.5 litre bottle. Completing that feast between 2 people is a staggering feat by anyones reckoning and it should be rewarded.

Saturday 19 January 2008

Evolution of the KFC brand

While designing and creating the KFB header image for the blog, I found myself searching the web for high quality KFC logos which I could *ahem* borrow and doctor. As I stumbled across an assortment of different logos from years gone by, it struck me that I hadn't until this moment considered the details of the KFC identity - especially the changes made in the recent brand update and logo redesign.

KFC's logo from 1997 until November 2006:



The new, redesigned logo - November 2006 onwards.



Although the logo has clearly been updated and the design tweaked somewhat, it maintains the same look and feel. We can see that the Colonel remains as the focus point and the face of the brand. However, he now appears to be wearing an apron over his white suit - this could be to reinforce the sentiment of good quality, home cooked food, and of course the fact that the Colonel devised the secret recipe himself. Personally, I like the idea that the Colonel is out back carefully preparing and constructing my Fillet Tower, even if it is just a marketing ploy.

The colour palette has also received an update, dropping blue altogether in favor of a stronger black shadow, while the KFC red is now a darker warmer hue. I think this was a good decision as the colours of the old logo now seem far to bright and gaudy in comparison, reminding me of food colourings and E numbers - not particularly good for a fast food restaurant chain.

Finally, the KFC typeface has remained but has been modernised by giving it a solid, clean white fill. The detail in the vector artwork of the Colonel has also been simplified, for example there are fewer shadows on his face and a less complexity in his beard and hair. This seems to give the Colonel new life and a fresher, younger face, rejuvenating the brand.

A short remonstration against the obesity argument

The plea for us not to overindulge is certainly a pertinent one in the UK, when healthcare is free for all at the point of use and funded by public taxes. The current fashionable argument goes a little something like this. Why should those people who live a healthy lifestyle have to pay higher taxes to fund the treatment of those corpulent souls who do not lead healthy lifestyles?

Yes, Heart Disease is the biggest killer in the UK. But is it the greatest drain on resources? The rotund and slothful amongst us can easily counter calls for them to lose weight, do exercise etc.
Having lived a life where they have enjoyed every meal the portly people amongst us have the good grace to shuffle off this mortal coil before the onset of any of the myriad costly health problems associated with old age.

Whilst a heart attack victim may need a bypass operation, an elderly person who has eaten healthily and exercised all of their life may find that they've worn out a few of their joints and so burden the tax payer with the cost of a couple of knee or hip replacements.

A few years later their healthy cardio vascular system may be let down by diseases of the mind associated with old age. Alzheimers, strokes, parkinsons or just plain old senility, all need treatment that costs the taxpayer. The only treatment for some of these ailments is palliative. 24 Hour care becomes very costly and may be needed for years.

It begins to look then, that eating copious amounts of delicious Kentucky Fried Chicken is far from irresponsible. Remember. . . . . you're doing it for the greater good.

Thursday 17 January 2008

A Quest: the Lost KFC of Burslem

In honour of being asked to write for KFB I undertook a journey to a magical place. I had heard tales of my goal in dingy taverns and hoped beyond hope that they were not the siren song of thieves and brigands trying to lure the faithful to their peril.

Burslem you must understand is a commercial and retail wasteland, playng not second, but third or fourth fiddle to the nearby retail juggernaut that is Hanley, the beating heart of Stoke-On-Trent. Could it be true? Could Burslem, a small and insignificant part of the city really be home to a house of Our Harland?

And so, with hope in my heart and hunger in my belly I undertook to traverse the city in search of haute cuisine in Burslem. If it were true, I would be able to lay claim to a prize greater than just a Zinger Tower, the prize of knowing I had visited every single KFC in the greater S-O-T area.

As I entered Burslem I passed boarded up shops and derelict factories; hope was fading. Then, however like a mirage of an oasis in the desert, I saw the gaudy plastic frontage flash past me and I knew then that I had found the legendary lost KFC of Stoke-On-Trent.

I left my automobile in a nearby side-street and resolved to finish my journey on foot, but before long I was forced to face my demons. As I approached the magnificent edifice in respectful silence something seemed amiss. I was confronted by a sea of empty vinyl covered seats and neither was there a warm and inviting phosphorescent glow from the striplights. . . This KFC was closed for business.

Was I too late? Had this KFC ceased trading only recently. My head span, my belly rumbled and my heart began to palpitate as if to tell me it needed some fresh oil and grease if it were to keep my blood flowing smoothly through my veins.

And then, a miracle I saw a flicker of light and realised that at 11.15am in this backwater, that Burselm had missed decimalisation and was still opening at the archaic time of 11.30am instead of the usual 11am we have come to know and love.

Saved from a near nadir I drifted into a reverie. As the hour approached I was brought back to reality by by the familiar sound of a KFC lock disengaging from it housing. I ordered a Zinger Tower and drifted away on a pillow of winds.

Saturday 12 January 2008

Original Recipe Blog

It's a great day to be a colonel - Kentucky Fried Bloggin' is now live!

Featuring all the latest KFC news, from new menu additions and taste tests to reviews of KFC restaurants in the UK and all over the world. Watch this space for more great posts!