Japanese eaters have demonstrated a pretty intense hankering for fried chicken, and millions celebrate holidays like Christmas by sharing a steamy bucket of the good stuff with their loved ones. But with fried chicken comes fried chicken fingers, and good old Col. Sanders is here to help. KFC Japan has unveiled an intriguing eating-aid to keep cleanliness closer at hand: the Finger Nup [sic].
Some filthy minded individuals on the internet have already chimed in with some alternate suggestions for what the "nups" look like. But I think they seem like a half-handed gesture at a real solution to clothing ruined during a chicken bender.
Food customs being obviously regional and my Japanese cultural literacy being low, I can't say whether this two-fingered promotion is really a good idea. It gets at the glistening heart of why eating chicken can be a dangerous affair, but who the hell eats with just thumb and forefinger?
The finger napkins have been rolled out at over 200 Japanese KFC locations to test consumer interest, and similar products are already a big hit in Korea. If they prove as popular IRL as they have been online, maybe even Americans will give up our hard earned greasy fingertips.
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In Hong Kong (and, I presume, lots of other places), KFCs supply thin plastic gloves by default. The PPE is so deeply a part of the fried-chicken experience that they changed the Yankee slogan, "finger-lickin' good," to just "so good."
My buddy designed these and they have had solid growth and adoption in Asia. (they also made a hilarious advertisement)