“Your first mistake”: SA woman tries KFC in America for the first time and her reaction says it all

• A South African woman visiting the USA ordered KFC for the first time and filmed her honest reaction to the food
• She described the lemonade as watery and diluted, and her disappointed expression caught viewers' attention
• South Africans in the comments rallied behind local food, insisting nothing compares to KFC back home

A South African woman known on TikTok as @naledi_m_kekana had one expectation when she sat down at an American KFC: that it would taste exactly like home. It did not.

The clip, posted on 9 September 2026, was filmed in what appears to be a mall or food court in the United States. She captioned it:

"POV: you were excited to try American food for the first time 🇺🇸🍗✨"

Her verdict on the lemonade came quickly.

"It tastes like diluted, watery lemonade. It's horrible," she said, barely hiding her disappointment. The look on her face as she tried the burger said the rest.

Why the food tastes so different

Part of the reason American fast food tastes different to South Africans comes down to ingredients. In the US, many processed foods and drinks are sweetened with high fructose corn syrup rather than cane sugar, which is more commonly used in South Africa. Chicken farming practices also differ, with South African livestock often raised under less intensive conditions, which can affect the flavour and texture of the meat.

American commercial food also tends to include more preservatives, dough conditioners, and artificial additives than South African equivalents, many of which are either restricted or not commonly used locally.

Watch the video that started the conversation below:

Mzansi weighs in on American food

South Africans and others from across the world jumped into the comments section on the TikTok page to share their thoughts:

@Iambrightonkista_official wrote:

"South Africa has the best food in the whole world, nobody can say otherwise 😂😂😂 our food is actually farm-raised and farm-grown"

@Lelo⁷ said:

"KFC is already not good 😩 what do you mean it gets worse 😭"

@yhu sana noted:

"That's why they're always dipping in sauces."

@leryityi added:

"But guys, Americans have also been saying nonsense about our food."

@sarah commented:

"Well, your first mistake was eating KFC 😭😭 it's terrible here."

@Aqeelah Salie-Watson shared:

"Someone told me that you need to add salt to most of their food cause it lacks."

@.... declared:

"They can't beat SA KFC!!! 😭✊"

The video struck a chord with many South Africans who had long assumed international fast food chains tasted the same the world over. For Naledi, one sip of that lemonade was enough to prove otherwise.

More on South African food

• Briefly News recently reported on Anele Mdoda praising KFC’s new Streetwise Family ad starring Sdumo Mtshali and Zikhona Sodlaka.
• A South African woman in New York City found Kaia, a South African restaurant, and called its Malva pudding the best she had ever tasted.
• A baboon helped itself to snacks in a parked car in Cape Town, and a woman who grabbed it was bitten.

Source: Briefly News

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