VietNamNet Bridge - The concept of fast cooking originated in the west out of an industrialised, frenetic lifestyle, where people with little time looked to dash in and out for their meals, or even ate as they drove to or from work.

Residents of HCM City, however, patronise fast food outlets for another reason - to relax or kill time.

At a KFC store on Cach Mang Thang 8 Street, a grey-haired man enjoys himself, munching on a crispy fried chicken leg, taking occasional sips of a soft drink, and dipping chips into soya sauce.

Another guest enters with her daughter, who is being rewarded for getting good marks at school.

Two other people, close friends, have chosen the KFC store as a place to have lunch in an air-conditioned setting.

There is no sign of any haste whatsoever around the customers, bucking the very purpose for which fast food was conceived.

An attendant at a Lotteria convenience store on Nguyen Thi Minh Khai Street says most customers come at night during the weekend, including lovers and small families with parents, and spend hours chatting and playing with children.

It is clear that fast food outlets have become a favourite venue for people who are too lazy to cook for themselves and a place for kids to hang around while their mothers are busy doing their shopping.

Affirms Tran Thi Lan, a resident of Tan Binh District: ” I don’t know where to take my children over the weekend, and fast food outlets have turned out to be a very convenient option.”

(Source: VNS)