Rolled in a thin pancake with shallots and crisp cucumber pieces, which normally accompany Beijing roast duck, the new item is actually not duck meat but fried chicken.

Called "chicken roll of old Beijing", it is flavored not only with hamburger sauce but also a sweet sauce made of fermented flour, a condiment for the famous Beijing dish.

Chen Guangquan, a native Singaporean and general manager of KFC in Beijing, said the century-old Beijing delicacy was their inspiration for the new food.

"We have always been looking for new tastes which fit Chinese customers and we found Beijing roast duck is very nice and favored by Chinese people," Chen said.

It would be hardly for KFC to succeed worldwide, Chen noted, if it only stuck to the American tastes without giving any due consideration to the diversified cultures and customs of local consumers in other countries.

(Poeple's Daily February 13, 2003)