The first time U.S. soccer legend Tab Ramos played on a team in the country he had just moved to from Uruguay, Argentina was the reigning champion of the 1978 World Cup and the boy was thrilled that the jersey he was given, the Harrison Rec kit, was orange “like the Dutch one.” Ten minutes in, the coach took him off the field: he was too good to compete with that group. He was 12 years old.
© George Etheredge (George Etheredge)
KFC set out to recreate the image of three parts of the U.S. in sandwich form, and it looks like they hit at least one bullseye.
People in Japan are well aware that KFC originated in the U.S. Seeing as how Kentucky doesn’t get a lot of international tourists or pop culture attention, though, very few Japanese people have any strong impression of Kentucky Fried Chicken’s home state, to the extent that most Japanese people call KFC itself simply “Kentucky.”
So for the trio of sandwiches KFC Japan is adding to its menu, collectively named “The American Burgers,” they’re picked three other parts of the U.S. for their themes, saying that they want for them to be edible expressions of the image of America. That might sound like a challengingly abstract goal, but they might have nailed it with their Las Vegas “burger.”
I’ve put “burger” in quotes since it usually implies a sandwich with a either a ground meat patty or a bun, but the Las Vegas Style Double Down Fillet Burger has neither. Instead, it’s a pair of boneless fried chicken pieces being used to sandwich onion rings, a cheddar cheese slice, what appears to be a large dollop of mayonnaise, and a drizzle of barbecue glaze. KFC Japan describes the combined effect as “a guilty flavor,” and it absolutely looks like the sort of extravagant decadence one would wallow in while visiting Vegas, right down to the inevitable soul-searching self-questioning “Should I really have done that?” afterwards.
The other two members of the The American Burgers trio are less likely to trigger a review of your life choices, though they’re both definitely heavyweight meal options too. Picture above, the New York Style Onion Ring Fillet Burger scales itself back to one piece of boneless fried chicken and has a bun, but does keep the onion rings and cheddar cheese. The other key ingredient here is a garlic sauce which KFC boasts combines the umami properties of bacon and onion, with the goal of the sandwich, KFC Japan says, being to to deliver a hearty meal evocative of a New York diner.
And last, there’s the Texas Style Spicy Avocado Filet Burger. This one ditches the New York sandwich’s onion rings and garlic sauce, and instead gives you a diced avocado filling. This is sort of an unusual choice, linguistically/geographically speaking, since in America a burger with avocado is usually called a “California burger.” KFC Japan says the avocado filling is inspired by guacamole, but with an extra spicy kick added to it, and that Texas was chosen for the name as a symbol of guacamole’s popularity across the southern U.S.
With guacamole being at least as popular in California as it is in Texas, and having been introduced to the U.S. via Mexico, the “Texas” theming still feels a little off, and while New York is famous for its delis, it’s not necessarily any more known for diners than other large American city. Still, full marks to KFC Japan for capturing the excitement-to-potential-regret roller coaster of a Vegas bender in sandwich form.
The New York and Texas American Burgers are both priced at 580 yen (US$3.75), while the Vegas one is for higher-rollers at 790 yen. They’ll all be on sale for a limited time at KFC Japan branches starting May 27.
Source: KFC Japan via Shokuhin Sangyo Shimbunsha via Kinisoku
Images: KFC Japan
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KUALA LUMPUR, June 5 — Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) and Kuching City FC have been drawn in different groups for the group stage of next season’s Asean Club Championship (ACC) during the draw conducted by the Asean Football Federation (AFF) today.
AFF, in a statement, said JDT have been drawn in Group B with Port FC (Thailand), Lion City Sailors FC (Singapore), Công An Hà Nội FC (Vietnam), PKR Svay Rieng FC (Cambodia), Persib Bandung (Indonesia) and the winner of playoff 2.
ACC debutants Kuching City, meanwhile, are in Group A with Buriram United FC and Ratchaburi FC (both Thailand), Tampines Rovers FC (Singapore), Borneo FC Samarinda (Indonesia) and the winner of playoff 1.
The top four teams from each group will advance to the quarter-finals, which will be played on a home-and-away basis.
The semi-finals and final will also be played on a home-and-away format.
The ACC 2026-2027 brings together the best clubs in Southeast Asia, with group-stage matches played in a single round-robin format whereby each team will play three home and three away matches. — Bernama
LONDON, June 6 — Actor Anthony Head, best known for his roles in Buffy The Vampire Slayer and Ted Lasso, has died at the age of 72, his family announced yesterday.
The British actor, the brother of singer Murray Head, was best known as librarian Rupert Giles in the cult US supernatural TV series starring Sarah Michelle Gellar, which ran from 1997 to 2003.
“It is with heavy hearts that we announce the death of our extraordinary father, Anthony Head,” his daughters Emily and Daisy Head, said in a statement released to the PA news agency.
“He passed away peacefully of complications due to pneumonia, surrounded by his family. It has been, and forever will be, an honour and a privilege to be his daughters, and to have witnessed firsthand the impact both he and his work have had on so many,” they added.
Head rose to fame in the UK in the 1980s in a series of television adverts for coffee.
In the adverts which ran from 1987 to 1993, he and actress Sharon Maughan played a couple who fell in love over a cup of coffee.
Most recently, he played former Richmond FC owner Rupert Mannion, the ex-husband of Hannah Waddingham’s character Rebecca, in football comedy Ted Lasso.
Head was also a singer known for his distinctive baritone voice.
His long-term partner Sarah Fisher who ran a sanctuary for rescued horses died in December aged 61. — AFP
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