The Traditional Japanese Christmas Dinner Is KFC, Because Why Not?

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Bored of dry turkey? Then why not head to Japan, where they have a very different approach to Christmas dinner.

Every year the Japanese flock to KFC on the 25th of December to get themselves a bucket of the Colonel’s finest finger licking chicken, apparently.

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The tradition is called Kurisumasu ni wa Kentakkii, or Kentucky for Christmas, and it started back in the 1970s when a KFC employee overheard a tourist in Tokyo struggling to find festive turkey in Japan, saying that he thought KFC’s chicken was the next best thing.

Although Japan doesn’t usually celebrate the festive season, thanks to a clever advertising campaign in 1974 the tradition took off, and this year it’s expected 3.6 million Japanese households will head to KFC to celebrate the holiday.

Apparently their exclusive festive menu sells out every year and people start booking their orders as early as October.

The special menu includes festive additions like the Christmas Party Barrel, which contains different layers of food, including special plates, KFC Original Chicken, salad, ice cream and even a bottle of wine.

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And if you’re feeling slightly more traditional you can also pick up a whole roasted chicken, stuffed with cheese and mushrooms.

To be fair, Christmas dinner at KFC sounds pretty good…