The all-new McMao’s value menu!
Written By: Due-East on June 23, 2007
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 Tens of millions served |
| How’s “In the name of Chairman Mao we promise all dishes on the menu are half-price” for an advertising slogan? That’s what a poster hanging outside of a Nanjing restaurant says, along side it the image of Chairman Mao himself. Apparently, people so worshiped Mao back in the day that people would make promises to him (even though he wasn’t there to hear the promises) to prove their honesty, and the restaurant is hoping to capitalize on that. And it seems to be working so far. One restaurant patron is quoted as saying, “If someone makes a promise to Chairman Mao, he was telling the truth. You should know that Chairman Mao was our idol and nobody would dare cheat on him.” (nice job of coordinating your tenses between your two clauses, lady. – Sincerely, the Grammar Police) The article also adds that she thinks that the restaurant will be credible since it promises to Chairman Mao. |
| To further play on the nostalgia of older people, the restaurant’s inside is decorated in the Mao-era style. The paint inside is mixed with straw to make the walls look old, and there are propaganda-like banners with slogans such as “Work hard with quality to catch up with Britain and the United States in 15 years,” and “We’re all proletarian brothers, sorry to make you pay.” I call malarkey on that last one! Nothing like pulling at people’s nationalistic heart strings to sell products or services. That’s actually more of a capitalist approach than a communist approach. Tsk, Tsk. But [sarcasm] it’s totally ethical, I promise to Chairman Mao! [/sarcasm] |
| Of course, you can’t please all the people all the time. In true Chinese fasion, an employee of Nanjing’s industry and commerce administration said they “allowed businesses to reminisce about the past, but the commercial use of portraits of national leaders was illegal according to the country’s advertising law, and said they would inspect the restaurant later.” Joy! People are allowed to reminisce! And the article quotes a passer-by surnamed Song (宋) as saying that he doesn’t like the slogan and that he thinks it’s “sullying Chairman Mao’s name.” No comment here… |
| Link to article |
