Couple of years ago, when I was back home one summer, KFC and Pizza Hut had just opened and it was the newest buzz in the capital, Kathmandu. There were pictures in the local newspaper of people lined up out the door to the side walks to get a taste of the “fancy” new chain that had just opened. Although, it was only 2o minutes away from where I was living, I chose to not participate in it and promised myself that I would never eat in KFC when I am home. For me, it was simple logic. I did not see the point in eating in a foreign chain restaurant when I could eat in local restaurants that are opened by Nepalese. It was a matter of supporting local businesses (and the food taste better and its cheaper to eat in local restaurants). KFC didn’t last long and it was shut down last year. In a way, I was kind of happy it shut down (By no means I do not support the circumstances it was closed under) because I feel that there is no need for more foreign chain restaurants but rather investment in businesses that already exist in the country. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/15/kfc-pizza-hut-nepal-shut-down_n_1779004.html
KFC and Pizza hut were the only major fast food chains in Nepal. However, there are many “western” style fastfood restaurants opened by locals. My research will be on their appropriation of so called “western” fast food restaurants. It will focus on their interpretation of what “fast food” culture means. More to come…