Guest Posted May 21, 2002 Report Share Posted May 21, 2002 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- VIRTUAL UNREALITY Colonel Sanders doesn't do 'funky chicken' E-mail alleging beakless, footless chickens unleashes furor in Thailand -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- By Anthony LoBaido © 2000 WorldNetDaily.com BANGKOK, Thailand -- KFC International, the American-based fast-food behemoth, has found itself caught up in a 21st-century propaganda war which threatens the down-home, folksy image of Colonel Sanders. The Colonel, long an icon overseas of the American way of life -- a symbol of "metalanguage" like Coca-Cola, baseball and McDonalds -- has now been targeted with a massive e-mail disinformation chain letter that is wreaking havoc upon the organization in Thailand, not to mention elsewhere around Asia and the world. At the center of this cyber storm is an e-mail that has been making the rounds of the Internet in recent weeks. It reads as follows: "KFC has been a part of our American traditions for many years. Many people, day in and day out, eat at KFC religiously. Do they really know what they are eating? During a recent study of KFC done at the University of New Hampshire, they found some very upsetting facts. First of all, has anybody noticed that just recently, the company has changed their name? Kentucky Fried Chicken has become KFC. Does anybody know why? We thought the real reason was because of the 'FRIED' food issue. It's not. The reason why they call it KFC is because they cannot use the word 'chicken' anymore. Why? "KFC does not use real chickens. They actually use genetically manipulated organisms. These so called 'chickens' are kept alive by tubes inserted into their bodies to pump blood and nutrients throughout their structure. They have no beaks, no feathers, and no feet. Their bone structure is dramatically shrunk to get more meat out of them. This is great for KFC because they do not have to pay so much for their production costs. There is no more plucking of the feathers or the removal of the beaks and feet. "The [united States] government has told them to change all of their menus so they do not say 'chicken' anywhere. If you look closely you will notice this. Listen to their commercials, I guarantee you will not see or hear the word 'chicken.' I find this matter to be very disturbing. I hope people will start to realize this and let other people know. Please forward this message to as many people as you can. Together we make KFC start using real chicken again." While the e-mail chain letter might seem questionable, absurd and even preposterous -- as a matter of fact, it is completely false -- it has generated shock waves in fast-food circles in Thailand, reaching to the highest levels of corporate society. To begin with, GMO or "genetically modified organisms" are a touchy subject in Thailand, whose huge GMO cotton crop has been called into question as unfit for export to the GMO-septic European Union. As such, the KFC-GMO e-mail scare is being treated as serious business within the fabled Kingdom of Siam. Suwanna Usanachitt, the managing director of KFC International, Thailand branch, said that KFC has posted information on its corporate website to counter the propaganda spread by the erroneous e-mail chain letter. That information can be found at KFC's website, on which the company states: "Our chicken is purchased through many of the same suppliers that you might find in your local grocery store. Our poultry meets or exceeds USDA standards. Plus, it must pass our own rigorous internal quality guidelines." Usanachitt said, "The GMO rumor was previously widespread in the U.S. Now it has spread to Thailand. ... We are taking the problem of the rumors very seriously." KFC International believes the rumors began shortly after the recent spat between the U.S. and European Union in global trade talks over GMO products. In Thailand, 90 percent of KFC's chickens are supplied by a company named Charoen Pokphand. Adirek Sripratak, the vice president of CPF Plc. -- a subsidiary of CP Group and a major player in the fast-food chicken industry in Thailand -- said that the "Chickens supplied to KFC are free from GMO, as the group exports chickens to Europe and Japan, which has strict regulations against genetically-modified food." Adirek added that he was "confident that the quality of chicken supplied to KFC restaurants met international health standards and that no GMO source was involved." "Part of our supplies come from contract farms which rely on national farming methods and feeding processes. They do not inject any chemical-based growth substances into the chickens," he added. The use of growth accelerators is considered "toxic residue" by industry standards. Other chemical processes involved in chicken farming include injecting chemicals in the form of capsules under the skin of the chickens to prompt the fowl to ingest double the normal level of feed with the aim of faster development. The latter process is only used in sterilized chickens, which rank as only 5 percent of CPF Plc.'s total supply, according to a company spokesman. CPF Plc. operates a plethora of chicken farms around Thailand, raising 16 million chickens every month. More than 50 percent of all chickens raised are designated for export. "We only inject vaccines to prevent our chickens from diseases and no chemical substances are fed to accelerate their growth," added Adirek. WorldNetDaily acquired the e-mail chain letter from Korean-American Susan McDonald, an English teacher and television actress based in South Korea. McDonald is a graduate of Columbia University in New York. According to the University of New Hampshire's website, "the hoax includes reference to an unspecified study of KFC done at the University of New Hampshire and there is no such research or study that was done here." A spokesman for the American Chamber of Commerce in Bangkok said that she had only recently been made aware of the KFC-GMO e-mail chain letter and, as such, was not prepared to comment. Numerous Thai nationals interviewed by WorldNetDaily expressed shock, surprise and even horror when presented with the contents of the KFC-GMO e-mail chain letter. "It sounds horrible," said one Thai mother of two small children. "I don't think I would want to eat at KFC anymore if that's how the chickens are produced." Rachel Bernard, a Seattle-based surgeon on vacation in Thailand scoffed at the contents of the e-mail when presented to him by WorldNetDaily at a local KFC restaurant. "I can tell you this e-mail letter is a fraud," she said matter-of-factly. "No such machinery exists. It's beyond current science. I think the KFC people should be looking into who launched the e-mail. Was it Burger King or Pizza Hut or some other competitor?" Why would so many people believe the contents of the e-mail? "It just shows you the power of the Internet in the modern world," said Bernard. "American students lack math, science and logic skills. They are filled with sci-fi propaganda from Star Trek and The X-Files. People will believe anything. The whole world has become one big 'Wag-the-Dog' scenario. But if, as an American, you can't trust in Colonel Sanders, then really, who can you trust?" -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flashermac Posted May 21, 2002 Report Share Posted May 21, 2002 Wild Man, one of my students last term told me her family raises chickens near Nakorn Pathom. I asked if they sold them to KFC, and she said no. Thai chickens are too small! KFC raises their own. I didn't think to ask her what KFC does to make them bigger. But anyway, KFC in Thailand is a scandal! Greasy, overcooked ... "chicken fangers" that you can break dishes with. Sod 'em! I buy GAI YANG from the Isaan vendors for 1/3d the price of KFC. Only thing worth getting at FKC is the mashed potatoes and gravy. To my surprise, Thais like that. But KFC is from the West, so Thais figure "it must be good" and pack the places to spend their oney. They also express amazement when I tell them that there is no comparison between KFC in Thailand and the stuff the old Colonel made in the US of A (not that it is wonderful either). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 21, 2002 Report Share Posted May 21, 2002 Agree completely. The Five-Star Chicken stands dotted arounf the capital sell chicken that is much better than KFC, AND cheaper. And KFC in the U.S. IS better than it is here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 21, 2002 Report Share Posted May 21, 2002 I remember the souse chef at Hyatt Waikiki telling me he toured the Sizzler Steak House processing plant in Chicago. This was maybe 19 years ago. He said that they inject enzymes into the meat to make it tender. In fact, if they did not sell fast enough, meat would eventually turn into a 'mashed potato' consistency. He wondered what that did to people?s stomachs, because the enzymes might continue to work after digested. I always wondered about this, and cannot eat at a Sizzlers without remembering that. Which is silly, because I'm sure all chain steak houses do the same, to make less expensive cuts more tender. If you ever knew what parts of an animal go into hotdogs, sausage, McNuggets, Slim Jims....well, let's just say the lips, beaks, eye's, tongue?s, brain, feet, forehead skin (yup, that's what Slim Jims are made from)...it's all used. Nothing goes to waste. Now...let's talk about veal.... I'm not a vegetarian, but I can see their point. A grocery store had everything all neatly visually sanitized. Far removed from the actual "screaming of the lambs". Sorry...didn't mean to ruin anyone's dinner tonight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flashermac Posted May 21, 2002 Report Share Posted May 21, 2002 Spam spam spam spam spam spam spam spam ... p.s. Notice how the contents are no longer listed on deviled ham anymore? No it just says "meat products". When I was a kid, I read the lable once and nearly tossed my coockies! Pig snouts, intestines, lungs, peckers, balls ... everything you could think off. Put me off the stuff even 'til today. And if you ever want to turn vegetarian, look at the beef hanging up in an Asian market sometime. Starting to mold, covered with flies, looking like something from the house of horrors ... it did actually turn one Brit friend vegetarian. He won't touch any "flesh food" anymore. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 21, 2002 Report Share Posted May 21, 2002 Oh -Oh! NOW you've done it. Don't EVER knock Spam in front of a Hawaiian. HIGH THAIED, over to you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 21, 2002 Report Share Posted May 21, 2002 That's one of the things I miss about Hawaii: The ubiquitous Spamburger, on menus everywhere. I never considered Spam a meal choice until I lived in Hawaii. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 21, 2002 Report Share Posted May 21, 2002 Unless you 'Live Hawaii', you'll never understand this. Spam was developed during the 2nd World War. It's ingredients have always been VERY suspect. And yet, known the world over. So....where might the capital of 'SPAM' consumption be to this day, you may ask? The most remotely populated place on the face of the earth (and probably rightly so).......Hawaii. That's right....We LOVE this shit. Eat it with rice, eggs, seaweed....hell, we even eat it with HAM, which it's supposed to be. Order coffee with cream...you guessed it. The reply from your local waitress will be "would you like some spam with that?" I kid you not. Please...get me the fuck out of here. Please...........God help me, I miss my puu-ying's........somebody help me......... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 21, 2002 Report Share Posted May 21, 2002 "...hell, we even eat it with HAM, which it's supposed to be." That's right, Spam is formed from two words: "SPiced hAM." Ah, Spam, Spam, Spam. I kid you not, go to Hawaii, and you will see that Spam's not just a Monty Python joke anymore. Hmmm. Maybe I should change my name to "Siam Spam." Or maybe for db's new moniker: "Spammaster." "Spammeister." "Spam I Am." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 21, 2002 Report Share Posted May 21, 2002 Post deleted by DoxyBlue Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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