Doughnut sticks more than just fake youtiao

In the melting pot of the United States, where diversity, integration and convergence are woven into each and every thread of the social fabric, Chinese Americans still look for ways to indulge their nostalgia and ease their homesickness.

Some have discovered a temporary fix at a fast-food chain.

Every morning for the past three Saturdays, Cindy Wang has driven her two preteen sons to the nearest McDonald's for breakfast.

Contrary to her long-held belief of eating healthy, Wang orders doughnut sticks coated with cinnamon sugar by the dozen.

Sometimes, "I need to go back to the counter and order seconds and thirds," the Chinese-American woman said. "It has become our new family ritual."

Wang is one of 4 million immigrants who are trying to reconnect with their Chinese heritage.

In February, McDonald's unveiled its new item — doughnut sticks — to enrich its breakfast menu, particularly the bakery category. The treats, about the size of an adult's index finger, come in half-dozen or dozen servings.

"They're light and crunchy on the outside and soft and warm on the inside," according to McDonald's promotional material, noting that the main ingredients are enriched flour, water, butter, vegetable oil, sugar, vital wheat gluten, salt, milk and yeast.

"We want to do better at breakfast," said McDonald's CEO Steve Easterbrook in October, adding that he hoped offering doughnut sticks would "re-energize sales during the morning".

Rumor has it that the doughnut sticks look like replicas of (and taste an awful lot like) the dough sticks of China, a traditional breakfast delicacy better known as youtiao.

A marketing tool to drum up clients' interest over the competition, the launch of the new food has evolved into a culinary treat for Chinese Americans across the land.

They visit McDonald's stores in throngs, share pictures and race to be the first to try them. They broadcast their comments and compare prices in different cities. They purchase soy milk from other markets then order doughnut sticks, as they believe only that combination makes for the authentic traditional snack.

The topic "McDonald's in America is selling youtiao" has gone viral — a short video on Weibo has attracted about 300 million views and over 20,000 comments so far.

"I rushed myself into a store, ordered a dozen to quench my appetite," said Shan Wang of Fremont, California, on her WeChat moment. "I forgot to tell the clerk not to sprinkle cinnamon sugar, though. Otherwise, the doughnut sticks taste more like youtiao."

Although McDonald's has recommended a price of $1.29 for six, or a dozen for $2.39, prices at local stores vary with market demands. Customers in Silicon Valley pay double the recommended price.

Oddly, McDonald's doesn't sell doughnut sticks as a breakfast item in China. Back there, not many people understand why Chinese Americans get so ecstatic over a doughnut stick.

"An equivalent to your one dozen only costs us 20 cents," said my high school bestie. "Don't you have a better choice than the oily, fried and expensive stuff that you call American youtiao?"

Alas, I don't have a substitute to connect with my Chinese culture.

Contact the writer at junechang@chinadailyusa.com.