DiligenceChina

What is showing up as a high-end import in Shanghai lately? A lot of the middlest of mid America.

Pabst Blue Ribbon beer is advertising on the World Cup in China. Pabst is apparently trying to challenge Budweiser as the premium import in China. Heineken, on the other hand, seems to be getting positioned in the middle of the market. (I am not joking — at least as far as Shanghai goes).

Dairy Queen is targeting the relatively big-spending yuppies in Shanghai.

I know I’ve pointed that one out before, but the one in the mall near me is getting pretty big lines.

Pizza Hut is old news. Scroll down to March or April for a photo of people lining up.

Swenson’s- the ice cream place — is around. I ended up there for dinner last week. (It was 4th of July weekend, and I was proving a point.) I never even knew they served food. The place was set up as this trendy-ish restaurant. Not fancy or anything, but not really a family place. It was about half-full — ALL Chinese except me — and not a single kid in sight. Wasn’t this a place you went for your 8th birthday for whistles and explosions and screaming?

Oh — we are finally getting Diet Coke in the regular supermarkets, as well. Is Pepsi Light the same thing as Diet Pepsi? I don’t think it is, but that’s what is on the shelves here. And two kinds of peanut butter — Skippy (both Smooth and Chunky) and that other kind. I’ve spotted Snapple and Dad’s root beer in the local place too, but it’s still priced like an import.