McDonalds and KFC have good breakfast. Breakfast in China in general isn't that great. In Kunming breakfast is barely edible and only at a few places or street vendors is it decent.

Agree with Alex, Breakfast at McD's and KFC are good :)
After living in North China for three years, I can honestly say I've had enough Chinese food. Bring me a western franchise any day!

99.9% of time do not get ill eating at western franchises, wish the same could be said for the many chinese places i have eaten.

completely agree with the food safety issue it is just so much safer to eat in mcd and are you forgetting about the smoking issue? do you want your lung to be filled with nicotine while you eat? that alone is enough to drive me to mcd two meals a day when i hardly ever go to mcd in the states so go figure

Food safety paranoia - "after 3 years...I've had enough Chinese food" - wow.

Should I only be watching Chinese TV shows or only wearing Chinese brand clothes? I think a western food fix now and again keeps most of us ex-pats sane. I eat Chinese food 80-90% of the time, but I enjoy my occasional sandwich, pasta or MacD/KFC. Variety is the (non-lajiao) spice of life.

@ JJ and Janice
Why do you care if somebody cares, you obviously do, too. Hence your post.

Those Chinese guys in SF are onto something because the buffet offers actual "FOOD!!!"

China/Yunnan has great breakfast if you go beyond the baozi/jiaozi/mixian and if you can get up and make a 300 meter walk, but I assume that this is the real issue, the food being not right in front of us, when we step out of the door. A hint.... make your own breakfast, cheap healthy and convenient.

I have been in China for more than a decade and good sick from (chinese) food 3 or 4 times and I am not Mr. 'Iron Stomach'. Same for my senior parents when they visited, my Dad has a sensitive stomach, like a cat. Didn't get sick once, while trying all kinds of stuff.
But I don't eat from street vendors and chose rational or by recommendation.

@Tallamerican
Not sick yet, ....just wait, the big realization comes later.
French Fries for example contain 17 (!!!!!!) ingredients,vs. 2 ingredients in any 'normal' diner or restaurant.
And a few are carciogenic, based on oil (and I mean, the oil you put in your car, not in your food),

p.s. for all the western food freaks, I got sick from Sal's food, once.

So what?...Still eating there and still loving it.
In the end Sal uses Chinese ingredients into making western style food, same-same!
Sometimes it just happens even in the cleanest restaurants and even in the west. Chinese food is fantastic and there is no disease that would make me chose McD's over a Chinese option.

I always eat McDonald's and have never ever been ill. I tried a gongbaojiding at a local restaurant on Monday night and have been getting an upset stomach since then. McDonald's is always a safe bet.

I have also seen Chinese people in the West who only eat Chinese food every day, and i think, what do you even leave China for?
But everyone has their own level of adaptability. I think the point of our thread here could be to encourage people to try new things, but we don't need to lay on guilt when people also go back to things with which they are familiar and comfortable. Isn't that the term - comfort food? We've all had 'bad China days' when we need a bit of that.
I've also promised my son a rare trip to McD's today as a reward for good behaviour (sounds like parole!). Golden Arches bribery is a vital tool in the arsenal of desperate parents - whether in China or the West!

yankee00 wrote: McDonald's is always a safe bet.

Depends how you define 'safe'. Yeah, it won't give you the runs. The food is prepared in a clean kitchen.

But...
1 - McDs had pink slime in their meat until recently.
2 - KFC chicken is (or has) allegedly contained high amount of antibiotics.