Cowboy Chicken

Cowboy Chicken is a story depicts the differences in the capitalistic society of America compared to the socialistic society in China. When a new America restaurant, Cowboy Chicken, is opened in a village of China, the workers and the customers are all engaged in new rules of the capitalistic society. At the beginning of the story everyone who had opened the store was very grateful to have such a high paying job. Unlike in the United States the job of frying chicken had prestige as seen when the father gets upset because his son is making more than him, "At the sight of my monthly wages- 468 yuan- my father because heartbroken. He'd had dropped too much that night, full of self-pity, and waving a half- smoked cigarette...Honwen, Ive joined the Revolution for almost forty years and I only earn three hundred yuan a month. But you just started working and you draw a larger salary. This makes me feel duped, duped by the Communist Party I've served". This shows the difference in costs of labor between each country. Americans are not willing to work under such low wages while Chinese are. The Cowboy Chicken was not liked a first only, accepted by the young new hip crowd. But Peter changed all that. He had gone to school with the main character but left for college in America to get a business degree and came back a smart and savvy manager of the restaurant. He got the restaurant to cater weddings and meeting events to bring in new customers. The restaurant was challenged by a man who claimed to have found a fly in his food. The Americans would have apologized because they believe the customer is always right, but in China it does not work that way. So the workers threatened the man's life if he did not back down. The main difference of capitalism comes with the wealth of Peter and the disposal of the leftover food. When the workers see the wealth of Peter they began to plot against him and want him fired. But the main character realizes that he is invaluable to the company and he deserves what he makes. Not only does he make more he burns the leftover chicken. In a capitalistic society nothing can be given for free because then people will not work for things. If they had given the chicken to the poor, like the moral way to do, the business would fail because no one would pay for chicken they would wait to closing time and eat the left overs. That is how a capitalistic society works. When the workers went on strike they thought their manager would bend to their will, but no in an American business you are easily replaced with one word. The Chinese people are appalled and plan to fight back but it will not work, it is two different ways of life. Overall this was an interesting story that made you contemplate the differences in societies .
Eunuch- a castrated man, especially one formerly employed by Oriental rulers as a harmen guard or palace official.
Cauldron-a large kettle or boiler
Henchman- a unscrupulous and ruthless subordinate, especially a criminal