Why can't the staff at KFC in Japan tell the difference between white meat and dark meat?

Question

I've been wondering for long time, but here in the states, if you tell the staff at KFC or deli section of the supermarket that you want a piece of chicken breast, they DO know what you want.
But in Japan, they have no clue what chicken breast or thigh is.
Even the manager of KFC doesn't know sometimes...

Why do you think they really don't care about it??

I know they don't use "white meat" "dark meat".
Even if I say "むね肉ください" or "ももをください", they get totally lost.
They understand drum stick(ドラムスティック), but that's it.

And I'm Japanese, and I DO speak Japanese...

Answer 1

If you can read Japanese here is some interesting information about KFC in Japan:
http://q.hatena.ne.jp/1061462690
(at above web-page Japanese people are discussing why customer can't specify the part of chicken when they order fried chicken at KFC etc. According to a parson writing answer on that page, Among parts of chicken sold at KFC restaurants in Japan,the thigh part fried chicken is most popular and many customers would choose only that part if they were allowed to choose etc.

When dining out, some people may have big concern that which part of poultry are served. For example fillet is non-fatty meat among chiken meat. In Japan, many people aren't big meat eater and some young people might not much care of between breast meat and thigh meat sometimes but at supermarkets and butchers or poulterer in Japan, definitely meat and poultry are categorised by parts and also are often categorised by countries of production.
http://www.misbit.com/knowledge/foods_chicken.html
http://kodawari.lin.go.jp/ryori/bui/image/chicken.html

Answer 2

Dark Meats Dark meats simply have more myoglobin proteins, the magic stuff that ships oxygen to the muscle cells. Dark meats must use myoglobins as they transfer oxygen more efficiently to the muscles than glycogen. Muscles used more frequently, get to be dark. This is why non-flying poultry drumsticks are dark meat, while breast meat is white. When dark meat is cooked it turns the myoglobins to metmyoglobins, which is brown/gray. Metmyoglobins are very high in iron (albeit there is not that much in dark meat in the first place). White Meat White meat gets the 'juice' through glycogen. Glycogen is a polysaccharide of glucose, an animal starch. Animal starch is stored primarily in the liver and broken down into glucose when needed by the white muscle. Nutritional Comparison Dark meats tend to contain more zinc, riboflavin, niacin, thiamin, vitamins B6 and B12, amino acids, iron than white meat. Dark beef meat contains about 11 times more zinc than tuna, and about 3 times as much iron than raw spinach. Chicken dark meat contain vitamins A, K, B6, B12, niacin, folate, pantothenic acid, minerals as selenium, phosphorus and zinc. Even the fats in most of the dark meats have healthy parts. They contain Omega-3, and Omega-6 fatty acids, and other ‘healthy’ fats. It is the saturated fat content which lowers the true quality of dark meat.

Answer 3

Just reading your question a whole scenario comes to mind, and it ain't pretty.

First, you're here posting questions in English, so I'm assuming that you can't post the same thing in a similar forum in Japanese. Therefore you aren't completely fluent and comfortable using Japanese.

Secondly, at KFC you just buy something from the menu, so you shouldn't be making things difficult by trying to change your order.

You're fooling yourself when you say that the staff can't distinguish between a breast and thigh and you know it.

If you want a breast, then order whatever set comes with a breast. Don't screw them over by picking and choosing.

Anyway, chicken is so cheap in Japan. Make your own fried chicken at home if it's such a problem. That way you can have as much chicken breast or thigh as you want, fried as long as you want.

Failing that, why not have some delicious Japanese-style fried chicken, like tebasaki or karaage?

I feel sorry for you complaining about some chain restaurant known for its ill-treatment of animals, as if you'll never have customer service problems with them outside of Japan.

Answer 4

むね肉 and もも肉 are broad, and the words mom's generation use often. KFC cut meat into more small parts.

キール：(胸) keel
ウイング：(手羽) wing
リブ：(あばら) rib
サイ：(腰) thigh
ドラム：(脚) drum

It is like ロース(Loin) for pork. Loin is also broad. Rib and short loin are the parts of loin. But chuck is sometime called as shoulder loin （肩ロース）as well.

http://www.kfc.co.jp/qa/index.html
This topic was aired on TV sometime, and teenagers were asking how to order in the KFC (but they say KFC often refuse the request, cos everybody is fond of thigh
and drum.).

Vocabulary gap is existing in each generation, however, I think the gap is wide in Japan today; particularly between teens, lower 20s and the other upper generation.

Answer 5

The problem is likely that they are selling set-piece meals and are just not up for pimping your snack pack. The whole business model of fast food is standardization. If the meal calls for a thigh and a breast and you want two breasts they will be short one breast for the next customer. Chicken anatomy shouldn't be beyond anyone, but it's also kind of hard to differentiate between white and dark meat under the batter. Look on the bright side-KFC Japan's tea biscuits and honey-maple syrup rock. I hope they keep that standard!

Answer 6

It is probably due to the KFC Japan corp training. KFC probably does not train the staff in such subjects. Good question.

Answer 7

Maybe their minds are focused on technology not chicken. Don't worry, soon you'll be able to walk into a KFC in Tokyo and an android robot will take your order and know exactly what you want.

Answer 8

You know in Japan we don't use the White meat for chicken breasts or the dark meat for drum sticks.
We say "ムネ肉(mune niku)”(white meat)”モモ肉momo niku)”(thigh)”ササミ(sasami)”(white meat)”手羽(tebe)”(wing/ there 3 different part of wing. 手羽先(tebasaki)、手羽中(tebanaka)、手羽元(tebamoto))"足の肉(ashi no niku)"(dark meat) instead of 白身の肉(shiromi no miku).(you can say 白身魚 for fish, though)
We also use drum stick for ドラムスティック(doramu sutikku)(dark meat).
If you want to order White meat use word ”ムネ肉”(mune niku).
I almost forget you can say "鶏の白身(tori no shiromi)" but this word is not for order Fried Chickens.

How to order a white meat in Japanese.
ムネ肉のを下さい。(munenuku nowo kudasai)
ムネ肉を願いします。(muneniku wo onegaishimasu)
ササミの部分はありますか？もしあればそれを下さい。
(sasamino bubun wa arimasuka? moshi areba sorewo onegaishimasu)
Dark meat.
足の部分を下さい。(ashino bubun wo kudasai.)
足をお願いします。(ashi wo onegai shimasu)
ドラムスティックを下さい。(doramu sutikku wo kudasai)

Answer 9

Because you don't speak Japanese ?

Answer 10

They do know the difference between white and dark meet. They are just still subconsciously upset about the atomic bombs your government dropped on Hiroshima and Nagazaki 52 years ago killing more than 150,000 people including children and dont exactly feel like serving you if you catch my drift.
But it's okay they'll eventually get over it.