Chengdu Diary
 
 

Sichuan Burger at McDonald's

 
“The Sichuan burger turns out to be a grilled chicken sandwich.”
 
 

A reader of this blog commented on one of Melissa Block's posts about food with the suggestion that she try a Sichuan burger at McDonald's. We never got around to it while our All Things Considered host was here, but on my lunch hour today, I thought, why not?

There's a McDonald's that's open 24/7 just a couple blocks from my apartment. I pass it almost daily, though until today, had never stepped foot inside it. One morning, very early, I did notice a man doing tai chi right in front of the doors. Unfortunately, I was in a taxi and had no time to snap a photo.

mcdonald's chengdu sign

Sign of the times in Chengdu..

Andrea Hsu, NPR
mcdonald's chengdu

McDonald's restaurants in Chengdu are heavily promoting the "Numbing and Spicy" Premium Grilled Chicken sandwich. Note the Sichuan peppercorns and red chili peppers.

Andrea Hsu, NPR
mcdonald's chengdu box

"Mala" means "numbing and spicy" -- the two flavors Sichuan cuisine is renown for. There is a hint of both in McDonald's Mala premium grilled chicken sandwich.

Andrea Hsu, NPR

WHAT'S IN A BURGER?

Anyway, today I went in and asked for the Sichuan burger, which turns out is not a burger at all, but a grilled chicken sandwich, spiced with both chili peppers and Sichuan peppercorn. The cashier told me it's new on the menu as of last month, and a quick glance around the restaurant revealed that it's selling pretty well. About half the customers seemed to be eating it, no doubt thanks to its heavy promotional campaign.

I ordered the set meal which included the chicken sandwich, fries, and a sweet iced milk tea, for 23 yuan (just over $3). I'll just say this: it's no worse than a grilled chicken sandwich at a Mickey D's in Washington, D.C. The "spicy and numbing" flavor is pretty mild compared to what I've been eating on a daily basis here in Chengdu.

Curiosity satisfied, I headed out. And then, steps away from the door, I passed a woman selling dou hua -- soft tofu, Sichuan style. Definitely, I would say, the better choice.

-- Andrea Hsu

12:42 PM ET | 04-17-2008 | permalink

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I prefer to try the local food rather than McDonald's when I travel to a new place. As I said in an earlier comment, you can find a lot of local food on Chunxi road. Besides that, you can go to Yulin road.

Sent by Song Qiuying | 11:32 PM ET | 04-17-2008

I'm from Phoenix, but have been in Chengdu for almost two months now, educating myself on Taoism.

Last night, by the time I finished my Taiji and negotiating with my landlord over how large of a discount I should get since mushrooms started growing in my apartment, this McDonald's was all that was open. Today I got a link to the page and it happened to be this article. I'm not sure I had as nice an experience there as you, or maybe I just remember the McDonald's at home tasting better than it does, but it was quite a coincidence. Small world.

Sent by Dax Howard | 12:31 AM ET | 04-18-2008

It is a marvel that locally grown food is available in McDonald's nowadays, since the company represents the world of globalized food.

Probably it is forced to do so by competition with KFC, which periodically offers local flavors. The Sichuan burger's real Chinese name is Guo Kui. In my diminishing memory, the typical Sichuan burger goes through two basic procedures: frying and baking.

You could refer to the following links to get a rough idea about the typical Sichuan burger:

http://www.yuetuan.com/bbs/UPDate/img/2004-12/20041252010450327.jpg

http://pzrxw.com/images/tc/jdgk_001.jpg

Enjoy your stay in my hometown, Chengdu!

Sent by Hansen@Frankfurt | 12:57 PM ET | 04-18-2008

Smart move of McDonald's!

I just hope the McDonald's here in the US can serve this "GuoKui" version. I am sure it will be a hit!

Sent by yang | 2:26 PM ET | 04-18-2008

My, I wish I were home in Chengdu now! The pictures of Sichuan Burger make my mouth water. Too bad you cannot find such a thing in Iowa.

Sent by Xixuan | 5:44 PM ET | 04-18-2008

I thought this post was talking about another kind of "Sichuan Burger". Basically, it is a baked wheat bread (more like pita bread) stuffed with pot-stewed pork or other kinds of meats or vegetables. Some even stuff Fu Qi Fei Pian in it. It is definitely a treat.

Sent by Liang Huang | 10:53 PM ET | 04-18-2008

Very interesting!

Andrea says "the Sichuan burger, which turns out is not a burger at all, but a grilled chicken sandwich..."

I think this explains why Mandy insists that in China hamburgers are made with chicken rather than beef. By the way, I don't think the popularity of the Sichuan burger is so much the result of the promotional campaign. Maybe it's the other way around. Chinese are much more used to eating chicken than beef.

Sent by James Dew | 12:41 PM ET | 04-20-2008

As a Mandarin Chinese teacher in Tennessee, we took six high school students to Chengdu last summer and stayed at Furong GuCheng, which calls itself China's largest ecological resort. The same company had just opened GuoSe TianXiang (www.floraland.cc)

I urge you to visit there and see the large Uncle Sam statue waving the US flag. We had a splendid time and were made to feel very welcome. We saw more birds, flowers and other wildlife than we see here in the Southeast US!

Sent by Ai Dehua Laoshi | 10:54 PM ET | 04-24-2008

As a graduate of Sichuan University over ten years ago, I'm so thrilled to see the picture of the statue of Chairman Mao on campus. (I think it is in front of the department of biology, if I am not wrong).

As a poor student, I didn't own a bike, therefore I had very limited mobility and that made it tough to find gourmet food. So my appreciation of Sichuan gourmet cuisine didn't come until after my arrival in the US. Even the cafeteria food of the Sichuan University is much better than the way-too-fancy resturants here in Washington, D.C.

I miss Chengdu. You're all lucky, so enjoy the food.

Sent by zhengdao | 10:30 PM ET | 04-26-2008

Most Chinese people do love chicken more than beef, and the McDonald's chicken hamburgers are my favorite.

I love McDonalds and KFC because they reflect the American credo of pragmatism. Our Chinese people are much too sophisticated at playing tricks and making things complicated when they deserve to be simple. Going to a Chinese restaurant to have lunch takes three times lomnger than these fast-food places do.

Sent by Wecan Wong | 10:50 AM ET | 04-27-2008
   
   
   
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Melissa Block

Melissa Block

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Andrea Hsu

Andrea Hsu

Producer

 
 
 

About 'Chengdu Diary'

We first launched this blog in the spring of 2008, when a team from NPR's All Things Considered headed to Chengdu, China, the capital of Sichuan Province, to prepare for a week of special programming on China. On May 12, 2008, the staff found themselves in the middle of an unexpected story when a massive earthquake struck southwestern China.

The 2008 entries on this blog offer a day-by-day chronicle of the team's experiences before and after the quake. The 2009 entries document a return visit to Chengdu and to the parts of Sichuan Province most affected by the disaster.

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