Yay or nay? US fast-food giants now offer Chinese regional food

The item is part of a new promotional activity whereby McDonald's offers once a month a new creation, first redeemable by members for free using a coupon and then available to the public for a limited period.

The sweet-and-spicy dessert was due to be sold in select McDonald's stores, including in Shanghai and Shenzhen, from January 26 to 31. However, the company said Tuesday it is suspending the offer "due to the COVID-19 pandemic" in a statement published on Weibo, a Chinese Twitter-like platform.

The menu addition was predictably divisive. Some were optimistic about the flavor and called it "innovative," others however noted that the combination of spice, oil, and ice cream spells bad news for their digestive system.

KFC is also taking the same path as McDonald's. The fast food chain, known for its fried chicken, introduced hot-and-dry noodles to the menus of 100 stores in the dish's birthplace, Wuhan in central China's Hubei Province. The noodles, called reganmian can be ordered alone or as a set, with soy milk, deep-fried dough (or youtiao ) and fried eggs.

Reganmian is a common go-to breakfast choice for locals in Wuhan, and KFC's version is the result of a partnership between its parent company Yum China and the Hubei Provincial Government to support locally-produced ingredients. The team-up draws on previous efforts to support local farmers and food producers who have been hit by COVID-19, which in China was first recorded in Wuhan, and the subsequent 76-lockdown in early 2020.

"Overall, the taste is good," one customer surnamed Bao told CGTN, adding "but a portion is still not enough for one person."

Analysts say that these new concoctions are a way for fast food chains to draw foot traffic following a tough year on the catering industry in 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic, according to Chinese business outlet Sina Finance. With competition heating up in first- and second-tier cities, out-of-the-box offerings can also help foreign brands stand out in an increasingly crowded fast food space.