Sanders Heads to France With a Tin-Ear Accent

[TexasTowelie]

Sometimes you encounter an idea whose time has come. That doesn’t make the idea good.

Case in point: Twice in as many weeks, a famous American face has dived into the French market with strong “We come in peace” vibes, pioneers for their ilk, zealously shilling our two favorite types of food—junk and fast. Both men are charged with explaining the merits of their brand in great detail. And both do it with a wretched accent.

Because it’s funny!

We’re still reeling from Owen Wilson’s hopelessly fumbled French on behalf of Oreo, which has perhaps proven so awkward for everyone involved that viewing rights for the ad itself are not available outside France. (Been a long time since we’ve seen somebody try shoving the internet genie back into its box.)

Now, with warm regards from Sid Lee Paris, we give you KFC’s Colonel Sanders.

Source

[treestar]

1. Ironic with it being France

Where they have such great cuisine - you would think American junk food would not sell very well.

[DFW]

2. But it does

French cuisine can't be whipped up in three minutes, and their lunchtime pauses are often too short (and expensive!) for working people in big cities. I have to be in Paris several times a month for work, and I have the time maybe three or four times out of the year to eat in a real French restaurant. It takes me 4½ hours to get there and another 4½ hours to get home. I don't have the luxury of sparing 90 minutes for an expensive leisurely lunch. I and the guys from my offices there usually call ahead to a Vietnamese place next door or a Lebanese place about 300 meters away, pick up the food when it's ready, and eat in the office. We don't do McDonald's (there is one nearby), and wouldn't do KFC (too greasy), but they'll appeal to people whose work schedules, budgets and diets make them practical.

[treestar]

4. I've been there and I think I'd go to their

little places, like the Patisseries or whatever they call them.

[DFW]

6. Fine for a snack

Or maybe a baguette with a slab of butter and some ham or brie. But it's no substitute for a hot lunch, and even they are crowded at lunchtime. Macdo might be a flop in Aix-en-Provence, but central Paris is a big western city like any other (just prettier).

[Codeine]

3. American junk food sells well everywhere,

regardless of the perceived quality of traditional local cuisine. There’s a reason for it’s success; it appeals to human taste buds.

[treestar]

5. Yep.

I remember seeing the McDonald's on Piccadillly Square and thinking what the heck? But it was popular and slightly different - they had hot tea of course!