# Holy Chinese Food!



## Neen (Feb 18, 2009)

What are ya'll favorite kinds of chinese food? I could eat it everyday and NEVER get sick of it. I love General Tso chicken over white rice, Veggie lo mein with extra duck sauce, crab rangoons and sweet and sour shrimp. Also adore Moo shu veggies, with hoison sauce and those pancakes...*drools* What do you guys order when you get chinese food?


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## Tracyarts (Feb 18, 2009)

Hot and sour soup. There is a little Chinese food place in my neighborhood that makes what I consider to be THE best hot and sour soup, and I could eat a large bowl of it every single day and not get sick of it for a very long time. 

I usually order hot and sour soup and lettuce wraps. On occasion black bean chicken or moo goo gai pan. But always the soup for sure.

Tracy


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## dreamer72fem (Feb 18, 2009)

Whenever I go to my fave chinese buffet I tend to always get the same things....green beans, peanut butter chicken, spring rolls and crab rangoon. They also have a sushi area that I LOVE...I know that is Japanese...but it ROCKS.


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## SamanthaNY (Feb 18, 2009)

CRAB RANGOOOOOOON!!!!!!

OMG, I adore crab rangoon (can you tell?). And the BESTEST ones I've ever had are, oddly enough, in Laconia, New Hampshire. Not exactly the central location for Asian culinary excellence, lol.


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## Sweet_Serenade (Feb 18, 2009)

Neen said:


> General Tso chicken over white rice



That! I get it like 9/10 times I get Chinese food, never gets old!

Occasionally, I go to a Chinese buffet and get some stuff I don't really know the name of, but it's all delicious. I've never had any Chinese food I didn't like.


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## MissToodles (Feb 18, 2009)

Sweet_Serenade said:


> That! I get it like 9/10 times I get Chinese food, never gets old!
> 
> Occasionally, I go to a Chinese buffet and get some stuff I don't really know the name of, but it's all delicious. I've never had any Chinese food I didn't like.



I always get General Tso's chicken. It must be made by a joint with bad florescent lighting and formica booths. It also must be dark meat and super crispy, spicy served with yellow fried rice. Too many places around me make it with white meat and it's way too dry and sort of sweet, not goopy and mushy.

I also tend to get steamed vegetable dumplings and hot & sour soup other times.


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## Cors (Feb 18, 2009)

I'm part-Chinese and grew up in Southeast Asia. I have to say that I am not a fan of westernised Chinese food at all. Too sweet, too mild, too greasy. :/ 

I don't have a favourite, but I generally love soups, extremely spicy stuff and _dimsum_.


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## Dr. Feelgood (Feb 18, 2009)

Szechuan style green beans! And in the summer. tofu with preserved egg; it's lovely and cool.


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## Canonista (Feb 18, 2009)

It depends on the restraunt. Some places can't make General Tso's chicken to save their lives, others make it as if the hand of God himself stirred the pots.

Each Chinese restraunt has it's own "thing" and I eat at that one when I'm hungry for what they're best at.

Today I ate Thai food. "Gang Gai with chicken. Extra extra hot. Extra sauce." Yum!


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## HottiMegan (Feb 18, 2009)

My all time favorite is spicy ginger tofu. I usually get two orders of it 
Then i always get veggie chow mein
Max loves broccoli and snow peas
Then we usually get some sort of special veggie dish. 

good god now i want chinese!!!


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## TearInYourHand (Feb 18, 2009)

I love Chinese food! I've been cutting down big time (I have a lot less spending money these days...hopefully that will change) but I have a few favorites. My local place makes a mean steamed veggie dumpling, they also do a great General Tso's tofu. Going to a dim sum brunch is probably my favorite though! And some good old westernized-Chinese hot n' sour soup!! :eat1:


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## toni (Feb 19, 2009)

Here is list of my favorite items.

Egg drop wonton soup
Garlic chicken (no vegetables)with pork fried rice
Crab ragoon :eat2TO DIE FOR)
Mongolian Beef
Steamed dumplings
Shrimp toast (so greasy but a must have once in a while)
Pepper steak with extra onion
Fried wontons
Hunan noodles extra spicy


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## Ruby Ripples (Feb 19, 2009)

*Tom Yam Won Ton Soup 

Dim Sums especially prawn ones

Salt n Chilli King Prawns*(King prawns coated in fantastic frying powder and cooked, then dressed with green chillies, onion and pepper, hardly any sauce in this dish, just lovely crunch and heat)

*Singapore Rice Noodles*(thin rice noodles with little shrimps, sliced ham and sliced char siu pork and little slivers of onion and chilli - spicy dish)

*Duck in peanut sauce *(I get my local delivery place to make it up for me, its not on the menu  )

*Beef in black bean sauce with red pepper and cashew nuts*(I have them change it from the menu's green pepper, as green inflames my joints. Also I have the cashew nuts added as its not part of the dish)

*Sesame prawn toast* 
(only if it has a good thick layer of the prawns)


I also love that my local place make me dishes without MSG, I wouldnt be able to have it otherwise. Thankyou Ocean Pearl :wubu:

(I put the dish descriptions, as it would appear American and UK Chinese food is different)


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## Ruby Ripples (Feb 19, 2009)

toni said:


> Here is list of my favorite items.
> 
> Egg drop wonton soup
> Garlic chicken (no vegetables)with pork fried rice
> ...



Wow! Apart from the chicken, you're my Chinese food twin!


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## sugar and spice (Feb 19, 2009)

I love Chinese food too here are the things I order depending on which thing I'm in the mood for:

Hunan Beef or sometimes Hunan Chicken but I love the beef.
Chicken Egg Foo Young or Pork Egg Foo Young
Chicken with cashew nuts
Chicken with Almonds
Beef with Tomato and Peppers
Egg Rolls
Beef and Broccoli
Chicken Chow Mein
General T's Chicken if I'm feeling brave.

My husband only likes three different things and always orders:
Sweet and Sour Pork
Sweet and Sour Chicken
Beef and Broccoli.

I wish we could afford to eat it more often but we more or less have it as a treat or special occassion meal.


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## ChubbyBubbles (Feb 19, 2009)

We don't eat Chinese food often but when we do, we pretty much always get the same things:

Me~
chicken & broccoli, no rice
egg roll or spring roll
wonton soup

My Hubby~
pepper steak w/ onions and mushrooms w/ shrimp fried rice
egg roll or spring roll
egg drop soup or wonton soup

We always share either crab rangoons or steamed dumplings. YUM!

Oh and how can I forget the yummy hot chinese donuts for dessert???


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## thatgirl08 (Feb 19, 2009)

I loooove Chinese food.. garlic broccoli is my favorite. Sesame chicken, sweet and sour pork and fried rice are close.


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## Tooz (Feb 19, 2009)

I still wanna have that General Tso's tofu in Mashpee! Can we go when I'm down in a few weeks/a week/whatever?

Orange chicken with the spice toned down is wonderful, as well as sweet and sour chicken. White rice, egg rolls. Mmmm.


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## Paquito (Feb 19, 2009)

Sesame Chicken and White Rice plz kthnks


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## Neen (Feb 19, 2009)

Tooz said:


> I still wanna have that General Tso's tofu in Mashpee! Can we go when I'm down in a few weeks/a week/whatever?
> 
> Orange chicken with the spice toned down is wonderful, as well as sweet and sour chicken. White rice, egg rolls. Mmmm.



Oh snap! hellz to the yea we can get some General Tso Tofu .. oh chile, it's ...just.. LIKE WHOA.


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## altered states (Feb 20, 2009)

MissToodles said:


> I always get General Tso's chicken. It must be made by a joint with bad florescent lighting and formica booths. It also must be dark meat and super crispy, spicy served with yellow fried rice. Too many places around me make it with white meat and it's way too dry and sort of sweet, not goopy and mushy.



And it's better the next morning - after being in the fridge all night!


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## altered states (Feb 20, 2009)

The wontons in peanut sauce and hot oil. I don't see this everywhere, but when I do, I always order it. 

I just heard my stomach grumble as I was writing that.


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## MLadyJ (Feb 21, 2009)

Cors and TIYH said the magic words....Dim Sum OMG..There isn't a dim sum place within 400 miles of me **sob**.

I spent my 20's in the SF bay area and there a sooo many top notch chinese places there. We now live in the mid-south and in my experience most of the chinese food here is way to sweet...I tried some chicken in black bean sauce and it was sweet...EEECCHH!

Hot and sour soup
I do love beef chow fun
all kinds of Dim Sum
shrimp and snow peas
mo shoo pork or chicken
lo mein ...and about that..in SF it's chow mein but here if you order chow mein you get this gawd awful stuff with white gravy..double eecchh.

I sure do miss Wor Wonton soup. Restaurants here don't even know what that is.

Enough of my junk..


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## TearInYourHand (Feb 21, 2009)

I just ordered some chinese food from my favorite place. Waiting for it to come is downright torturous! I ordered:
-steamed vegetable dumplings
-eggplant with garlic sauce
-vegetable chow fun (wide rice noodles) with tofu
:eat1:
My weekend treat!


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## toni (Feb 22, 2009)

Eggplant with garlic sauce. That sounds yummy. I am going to try that next time.


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## jewels_mystery (Feb 22, 2009)

Here goes my list.
General Tso chicken over white rice, extra spicy
Mei Fun
Orange chicken over white rice
Vegetable lo mein
Boneless ribs
Ribs


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## Smushygirl (Feb 24, 2009)

I had a fabulous Chinese meal today:

Wonton soup
Steamed Dumplings (pork)
Roast Duck
Salt Baked Shrimp/Squid/Scallop
Singapore Noodles
Sauteed Watercress with garlic
Rice
Lots of hot sauce

It was Heavenly!!! Those are some of my favorite foods.


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## Aurora1 (Feb 28, 2009)

Chinese is my absolute favorite food ever!!! lol

hot and sour soup (not too many places make it good at all, it's too thick and starchy...yuck!)

fried wontons
crab rangoon
sesame cold noodles
house fried rice
chicken with garlic sauce or chicken with brocolli or chicken with string beans (yeah, I like chicken)


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## goofy girl (Feb 28, 2009)

My list could probably go on for hours, but some faves:

Sesame shrimp or chicken
Crab rangoon :eat2:
shrimp eggrolls
steamed dumplings with that yummy spicy chive sauce
chicken lo mein
wonton soup- it must have firm wontons and nothing else floating in the broth
Orange chicken


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## MaryClaire (Feb 28, 2009)

I love Chinese food...

Shrimp Egg Foo Young
Egg Rolls
Beef fried Rice
Chicken Lo Mein
Beef Chow Fun

MY Ultimate Favorite is Hong Sue Chicken
they use the same fried chicken that come with Sweet and Sour chicken 
but this has brown gravy instead of sweet and sour :eat1:


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## TygerKitty (Mar 6, 2009)

MMMMMMMMMMM I totally love chinese food! I think I'm going to call a friend up and get some this weekend!

I loveeeeeee the following...

sweet n sour chicken
lemon chicken
pineapple chicken
orange chicken
peanut chicken
honey chicken
beef n broccoli
vegetable or chicken stir fry
chicken or pork fried rice
chicken or pork egg rolls
chicken or pork potstickers omg :wubu: 
general tsos chicken (sometimes, depending how it's made)

Hmmm what else... omg at the buffets I go to... they have those little deep fried ooey gooey doughy things with sugar on em, LOVE those even if they aren't chinese? I have no idea...

Can you tell I love chicken? lol... I try other things now and again but for the most part those are my favs!


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## sobie18 (Mar 10, 2009)

I love some good Thai & Korean food, myself...

Love the garlic burps...


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## Uriel (Mar 11, 2009)

Well, I'm spoiled, living in San Francisco.

As far as places, the best food I've had isn't even in SF, but in Concord, 30 miles inland. Little Mom&Pop place, been there for 30 years or so.
Fong Lin Cheng's.
There it is Shrimp with Brocolli, extra, extra spicy, or the Mongolian Chicken (They do it beef, chicken or shrimp, at request).

In SF, there are a lot of places that do traditional US style, and as Cors mentioned, you can get a grease fest. However, SF is lucky in that we have quite a lot of traditional Chinese style as well, but you have to ask the indigenous Chinese friends where to go.
I'm not up for a lot of it, as I don't eat red meat (Thus odd dishes of innards, tripe, whatever does not work for me), but as far as more authentic dishes, there are some I love.

There are several places the do Sweet-n-Sour whatever in a less heavy way, with the meat crisply done, and the sauce less ketshupy, and more golden. Shanghai is a great place in our (Chinese) Richmond district, and they have a plethora of noodle options other than chow mein. I'm a fan of slimmer noodles, as well as H.K. Style fried.
You can get pretty much everything 'dry fried', which I do. A lot less oil and fat, for those who care, plus, I love the slightly smokier flavor...Dry fried string beans with hot chilis are a dish that I love, as well as dry fried shrimp with salt,garlic and pepper.

There's a lot of Dim Sum here, and Tom Khiang is a fave place, a little more expensive than the 'pastry style shops' that sell it in China Town, but there are a lot of seafood options, and it is much fresher. 
I love the waitresses driving the cars by, hawking and extolling deliciousness of the various options, and they will take requests directly back to the kitchen. A fave of mine (Not sure what it is called) is spicy crab pate on about a third of a bell pepper, I'm not sure how it is cooked together, but I assume steamed.

Anyways, if am at a more 'general' place, I like anything with broccoli, mixed veggie dishes, sweet-n-sour chicken and garlic chicken wings.

-Uriel


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## TraciJo67 (Mar 11, 2009)

Cors said:


> I'm part-Chinese and grew up in Southeast Asia. I have to say that I am not a fan of westernised Chinese food at all. Too sweet, too mild, too greasy. :/
> 
> I don't have a favourite, but I generally love soups, extremely spicy stuff and _dimsum_.



Agreed, Cors. I can't stand the look, far less the smell, of Leann Chin <hurl>. I love dim sum, but there are few restaurants here that do it well, and of those that do ... the line is always out the door. Hubby & I used to gladly wait for an hour or more to get seated, but with a 2-year-old, that is no longer feasible. I miss it 

I love fusion, especially the Malay spin. Have you ever had Bak Kut Teh with onion rice? Heavenly. Bliss.


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## Cors (Mar 11, 2009)

TraciJo67 said:


> Agreed, Cors. I can't stand the look, far less the smell, of Leann Chin <hurl>. I love dim sum, but there are few restaurants here that do it well, and of those that do ... the line is always out the door. Hubby & I used to gladly wait for an hour or more to get seated, but with a 2-year-old, that is no longer feasible. I miss it
> 
> I love fusion, especially the Malay spin. Have you ever had Bak Kut Teh with onion rice? Heavenly. Bliss.



Oh hell yes! I usually have mine with salted veg, white rice and fried _youtiao_. I occasionally make them from satchets but it doesn't come close to the real thing. *drool* 

I love authentic Malay and Peranakan food. I'm part-Malay too and grew up eating amazing spicy fare. If there is anything I miss about Malaysia/Singapore, it is the amazing variety of food we have. :/


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## TraciJo67 (Mar 11, 2009)

Cors said:


> Oh hell yes! I usually have mine with salted veg, white rice and fried _youtiao_. I occasionally make them from satchets but it doesn't come close to the real thing. *drool*
> 
> I love authentic Malay and Peranakan food. I'm part-Malay too and grew up eating amazing spicy fare. If there is anything I miss about Malaysia/Singapore, it is the amazing variety of food we have. :/



Apa khabar, Cors! Saya tak perasan kamu orang Melayu. Kamu tinggal di mana? 

I agree with you about the amazing variety in Malaysia, Cors. The street vendor food is my absolute favorite ... I'll take a packet of nasi lemak wrapped in a banana leaf with an extra helping of sambal (prefer ayam base over the very salty, fishy ikan bilis, though) over the finest dining experience. Also, the roti canai ... chicken rice (Hainese style ... don't like the Malay version) ... God, I loved it all. I gained 20 pounds while living in Malaysia, a fact that didn't escape the notice of a taxi driver who randomly stopped for me about 8 months after our first meeting . The only food I absolutely didn't like was the Malaysian version of Western food, most particularly any kind of Americanized dish. There were times when I would have paid anything in a sit-down restaurant for a really, really good cheeseburger or a plate of alfredo-based pasta. The burgers have a much different texture and flavor as opposed to what I'm accustomed to, and any kind of cheese-based sauce was hit or miss ... and usually miss 

On another tangent: The seafood ... fresh, fresh seafood ... huge, meaty prawns that look and taste more like lobster, tender squid and scallops, steamed fish, curried dungeness crab .... <blissful shudder>


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## Cors (Mar 11, 2009)

Khabar baik, kasih. Saya boleh cakap sikit Melayu.  

I have been living in London for a while now. I was born in Johor, but moved to Singapore when I was 6 or so. We stayed in Woodlands, near the Causeway and go back to Malaysia to visit family almost every weekend. I remember the horrendous traffic jams! 

I adore vendor food, and used to wander around the pasar malams as a kid. Nasi lemak, chicken rice (love both versions), roti canai (we call it roti prata in Singapore), rojak, laksa, mee goreng, sup kambing, satay, spicy kangkong with cuttlefish.. I could go on and on. My mum makes amazing Chinese/Malay food too. *wistful sigh* 

I agree with you about not being able to find proper American food, though fast food joints are sprouting everywhere, even in the small town I once lived. Have you tried the famous Ramly burgers? Not too Western, but amazing nonetheless. Just skip the cheese and ask for more chilli! 

And oh my God, seafood! Have you tried black pepper crab and chilli crab? Shellfish cooked in sambal, lobster porridge and fresh live drunken prawns too. It is just not the same! 

I'm so hungry and deprived now, grrrr. 

Where are you staying now? Isn't your husband Indian? Indian food is amazing too, but I am more familiar with South Indian fare since most Indians in Singapore/Malaysia come from Tamil Nadu.


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## TraciJo67 (Mar 11, 2009)

I think you said, "I can speak a little Malay" ('sikit' is a word that I'm not familiar with). I can follow a conversation, read and write ... enough to understand the very general gist of a conversation, though not the particulars. I never attempt to speak it, except with my young nephews & nieces. It's hysterically funny to them, and I never tire of hearing them laugh, even if it's at me. When they were younger, I would chase them around, screaming "sayaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaang" at the top of my lungs  

We have relatives in Singapore and usually spend at least a few days visiting them when we make the trip (usually every other year). I love the cleanliness & the order of Singapore. I don't think that the food is quite as good, though ... maybe because the street vendors are ordered to keep things clean and up to code?  I swear, a bit of sweat and grease and other stuff I probably don't even want to know about is what makes the vendor food so good. 

I do love the messy, greasy ramly burgers. For those not familiar with Malaysian food, it is a fried beef or chicken patty wrapped in an egg (some put a fried egg on top) with cucumber, cheese, and lots and lots of sweet & mildly spicy chili sauce. 

I have tried just about everything you've mentioned ... Jerry's family makes it a point to expose me to as wide a variety of Malaysian food as possible. I have not tried lobster porridge, and it sounds divine. 

I gotta know: Durian. Love it, or hate it? I'm firmly in the "get that foul, evil smelling, nasty looking thing right the hell away from me" camp 

We live in Minnesota, Cors. I spent about a year in Malaysia while adopting my son; aside from that, we usually spend about 3-4 weeks there every other year. We were just there in September, for our niece's wedding.

My husband is Indian. The only food I *don't* like in Malaysia is ... ironically enough, Indian. I do like most Northern Indian fare, especially the Thai fusion ... but my husband and his family have their own very strong preference for their own version and don't much care for additions like tomato/coconut milk/yogurt/butter (you know, the stuff that tempers the HEAT). 




Cors said:


> Khabar baik, kasih. Saya boleh cakap sikit Melayu.
> 
> I have been living in London for a while now. I was born in Johor, but moved to Singapore when I was 6 or so. We stayed in Woodlands, near the Causeway and go back to Malaysia to visit family almost every weekend. I remember the horrendous traffic jams!
> 
> ...


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## altered states (Mar 11, 2009)

Here's a question: Is it me, or has standard American takeout Chinese changed over the past 15-20 years or so? I'm not talking authentic Chinatown dim sum - I'm talking the eggroll/PFR/General Tsos/Shrimp and Lobster Sauce type stuff. What I'm saying is that I really remember loving the stuff as a kid/younger person and these days when I get it, no matter where, inevitably it disappoints. I know there was an (unfounded) MSG scare a decade or so ago that led to a bunch of places getting rid of it. Thing is, they seem to have replaced it with gobs of corn starch and critical amounts of salt and sugar to jazz up the flavors. I realize that 1) my palette has no doubt changed, and 2) most cheap restaurants have slowly jacked up the salt and sugar in all their dishes over the years, not just at with Chinese places. However, I just don't enjoy it the way I used to.


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## sweet&fat (Mar 11, 2009)

It's not just you- I was just talking about this with a friend. I remember MUCH better Chinese food as a kid, even in the 'burbs (oh, Szechuan Garden, where have you gone?). We're talking good cold noodles, not tasteless ones with peanut butter gobbed on, spring rolls with shrimp and shredded pork, not just a mess of shredded cardboard, and more flavorful and less greasy dishes. Sigh.



tres huevos said:


> Here's a question: Is it me, or has standard American takeout Chinese changed over the past 15-20 years or so? I'm not talking authentic Chinatown dim sum - I'm talking the eggroll/PFR/General Tsos/Shrimp and Lobster Sauce type stuff. What I'm saying is that I really remember loving the stuff as a kid/younger person and these days when I get it, no matter where, inevitably it disappoints. I know there was an (unfounded) MSG scare a decade or so ago that led to a bunch of places getting rid of it. Thing is, they seem to have replaced it with gobs of corn starch and critical amounts of salt and sugar to jazz up the flavors. I realize that 1) my palette has no doubt changed, and 2) most cheap restaurants have slowly jacked up the salt and sugar in all their dishes over the years, not just at with Chinese places. However, I just don't enjoy it the way I used to.


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## sweet&fat (Mar 11, 2009)

It's not just you- I was just talking about this with a friend. I remember MUCH better Chinese food as a kid, even in the 'burbs (oh, Szechuan Garden, where have you gone?). We're talking good cold noodles, not tasteless ones with peanut butter gobbed on, spring rolls with shrimp and shredded pork, not just a mess of shredded cardboard, and more flavorful and less greasy dishes. Sigh.



tres huevos said:


> Here's a question: Is it me, or has standard American takeout Chinese changed over the past 15-20 years or so? I'm not talking authentic Chinatown dim sum - I'm talking the eggroll/PFR/General Tsos/Shrimp and Lobster Sauce type stuff. What I'm saying is that I really remember loving the stuff as a kid/younger person and these days when I get it, no matter where, inevitably it disappoints. I know there was an (unfounded) MSG scare a decade or so ago that led to a bunch of places getting rid of it. Thing is, they seem to have replaced it with gobs of corn starch and critical amounts of salt and sugar to jazz up the flavors. I realize that 1) my palette has no doubt changed, and 2) most cheap restaurants have slowly jacked up the salt and sugar in all their dishes over the years, not just at with Chinese places. However, I just don't enjoy it the way I used to.


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## Cors (Mar 11, 2009)

TraciJo67 said:


> *snipped*



Yep, sikit translates into little. I know it well enough to order food and bargain in markets, but it has been years since I got to use it. Haha, must be fun chasing your nieces and nephews around in the sweltering heat! 

Singapore is a great place to visit, but I hated living there because of the extreme "OMG you are nothing without straight As, worship the dominant political party and abhor anything strange be it gay fat or racial minority" mentality most people seem to have. The food in Singapore generally isn't as good for the inflated price, but there are exceptional stalls (like Boon Tong Kee chicken rice) and more variety when it comes to Western fare. 

It is great that you tried most of the local fare, heh. I had trouble convincing visiting friends to sample something exotic and strange. I personally love durian since I grew up near plantations. I can understand why the aroma/odour deters people though, but it tastes better than it smells! 

I can appreciate Northern Indian fare, but it is a little rich for my liking (what your husband's family makes sounds great though) and usually not spicy enough. I am not sure how authentic Indian food in the UK is, but there is a variety of good North and South Indian restaurants.


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## ladle (Mar 11, 2009)

We have some GREAT chinese restaurants here in Christchurch. Not OK....but GREAT!....my yardstick has always been the amount of Chinese people dining in the restaurant....if it's full of Chinese people...usually a good bet that it's good food. Full of (sucker) Europeans.....usually bad food.
Not a perfect rule...but yet to fail me.


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## HottiMegan (Mar 11, 2009)

I"m so depressed. The chinese restaurant that we went to regularly, i foound out uses chicken broth in everything. I had no idea until my mom came to visit. So i found out, a vegetarian my whole life, that i had meat. I'm very saddened that i lost a favorite retaurant and that i ate meat. (i'm a vegetarian for religious reasons so it's extra saddening) 
I'm going to have to find me a new chinese restaurant.


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## altered states (Mar 12, 2009)

ladle said:


> We have some GREAT chinese restaurants here in Christchurch. Not OK....but GREAT!....my yardstick has always been the amount of Chinese people dining in the restaurant....if it's full of Chinese people...usually a good bet that it's good food. Full of (sucker) Europeans.....usually bad food.
> Not a perfect rule...but yet to fail me.



This is interesting. The first time I went abroad as a teen (to England) I was amazed they had Chinese takeout. Ridiculous, I know, but for some reason I assumed it was just Chinese-American immigrants who slung eggrolls. Later on I did a semester of college in London and, being broke, sampled a few places near my apartment and school. There were dishes I recognized, some I didn't, and some they didn't have that I missed. Point being that Chinese takeout has its variations wherever it goes. "Chow mein" and "Egg Foo Young" was invented in San Francisco out of scraps, and most dishes we think are standards are at best heavily doctored versions of the originals. And in most cases there isn't any "original" at all:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/11/dining/11cashew.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=cashew chicken&st=cse 

As far as eating with the natives, a while back I went into the takeout near my first apt in NYC and noticed the guys in the kitchen were eating these weird white baseball-sized globs while taking a break. I asked the counter girl what they were and she smiled and sort of waved me off, like, No, sir, not for you - just stick with the wonton soup. I pressed her though and after a little while the kitchen guys were amused enough to give me one, free. It was awful (sort of like an unbaked pork bun) but still fascinating, because it had nothing to do with the stuff on the menu. Maybe the first "real" Chinese I'd ever had!

Same sort of thing happened to me recently, at Noodle Shop in the West Village. The place has kind of a weird, eclectic pan-Asian menu, but the waitress and cooks all are Chinese or ethnically Chinese Malaysians. It was a slow night and they were eating an early dinner and I asked what they were having. They looked at each other and then the waitress, who spoke the best English, told me "snow ear soup," or something like that. The main cook fixed me a bowl and suddenly I had four people surrounding me as I took my first bite. It was, again, really bad (by my Western pallete), a thick broth with gelatinous god-knows-what swimming around in it. Like congee but 100 times worse. Still I was forced to eat the whole thing - they watched me until I finished, and at the end I did my best to convince them how delicious it was.


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## altered states (Mar 12, 2009)

sweet&fat said:


> It's not just you- I was just talking about this with a friend. I remember MUCH better Chinese food as a kid, even in the 'burbs (oh, Szechuan Garden, where have you gone?). We're talking good cold noodles, not tasteless ones with peanut butter gobbed on, spring rolls with shrimp and shredded pork, not just a mess of shredded cardboard, and more flavorful and less greasy dishes. Sigh.



Okay, good, it's not just me. Now someone explain why you now have to pass by 12 pizza places to get a good slice in New York....


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## CaraCakes (Mar 18, 2009)

This post distracted me from posting something else, but thanks to the tabs in my browser, I'll still remember why I came here. 

Anyways...

I usually go to the buffet if I'm going for chinese because I love it so much and I know I want to eat a lot of it. Sometimes I get lucky and get to tagalong with my family when they go to the better, more expensive, family style one. 

I have a routine with the buffet. 

I start out with a plate full of sushi. (I make sure the place I go to has a good sushi bar-fresh and cold-warm sushi is BAD NEWS BEARS!) I usually eat some pickled ginger & soy sauce with it. I love the nigiri style sushi. 

Next I stock a plate full of fried foods. I get some chicken wings, crab rangoon, egg rolls, crispy fried shrimp and maybe some shrimp toast if they have it. This plate is usually piled pretty thick. I eat the chicken wings first, then toss soy sauce over the whole thing and down the rest. 

I drink Mountain Dew with my Chinese food. I get a lot of refills. 

The third plate always has some kind of chicken and mushroom combination. If they have it already made as one dish, AWESOME. If not, then I will find something with mushrooms, and sesame chicken and get some lo mein and/or steamed white rice. This plate has been nicknamed 'The Poop Out Plate' by my boyfriend, due to the fact that I used to be done after this plate, or sometimes in the middle of it. I start to get reallly full by now. 

If I do finish the poop out plate, and am still in the mood for more, I'll either go for dessert of fried chinese donuts (I call them happy bread, the sugar dusted fried bread thing...yummmie!) or I'll get some wonton soup broth. I love hot and sour soup at the more expensive place though, but the buffet never makes it as good as they do. So I stick with the broth from the wonton. 

If after this I am STILL hungry and not wanting to die, I might get another crab rangoon or some more mushrooms and lo mein. 

After this I'm done. And then I start whining about how stuffed I am, and how full I feel. 

I love it. And I always am in the mood for chinese food! :bow:


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## Aurora1 (Mar 19, 2009)

I did it again....and this time it OVERDID it...........
boneless spareribs
pk fr rice
chicken with garlic sauce
sesame cold noodles
fried wontons
crab rangoons

and since I had such a tremendous order they threw in steamed chicken dumplings for me 

OYE VEY?! Pretty soon I'm gonna look like an egg roll with legs!!!


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## DeniseW (Mar 19, 2009)

Oh man, that is awful, they should warn people about that because so many people are vegetarians. I am trying to go back to it now, I was one for a year because of moral reasons and then I slipped and haven't been back fully. I'm so sorry that happened to you....







HottiMegan said:


> I"m so depressed. The chinese restaurant that we went to regularly, i foound out uses chicken broth in everything. I had no idea until my mom came to visit. So i found out, a vegetarian my whole life, that i had meat. I'm very saddened that i lost a favorite retaurant and that i ate meat. (i'm a vegetarian for religious reasons so it's extra saddening)
> I'm going to have to find me a new chinese restaurant.


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## Your Plump Princess (Mar 20, 2009)

At Least Twice A Month, More if I can afford it, I Consummate my Love For Chinese Food. 


Chinese Buffets are the most amazing thing in the world. 
.. Their like, Tied, With The Internet!



>_< And Now I am reminded of how much I want Chinese Food.
THANKSALOT


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## shashank (Mar 20, 2009)

In India we have a different version of Chinese food, we call in Indian Chinese or now Chindian. :eat2:

Its basically the Chinese food, with some Indian spices, and it becomes a lovely combination. We find the authentic Chinese stuff too bland for our tastes. 

Secondly, India supports a large Tibetan population, and there are Tibetans living and working all over India. So their cuisine has left a major impact, infact all things Tibetan and also part of Chinese menu in India.


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## sweet&fat (Mar 20, 2009)

shashank said:


> In India we have a different version of Chinese food, we call in Indian Chinese or now Chindian. :eat2:
> 
> Its basically the Chinese food, with some Indian spices, and it becomes a lovely combination. We find the authentic Chinese stuff too bland for our tastes.
> 
> Secondly, India supports a large Tibetan population, and there are Tibetans living and working all over India. So their cuisine has left a major impact, infact all things Tibetan and also part of Chinese menu in India.



There's a place here in NYC that does Indian Chinese. Pretty tasty!


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## ladle (Mar 20, 2009)

sweet&fat said:


> There's a place here in NYC that does Indian Chinese. Pretty tasty!



Where in NYC?
I've never heard of this? I love Chinese food, and Indian food...the combination makes me very excited....YUM!
Might have to check this out


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## AtlantisAK (Mar 20, 2009)

There are only two places in Pittsburgh where the Chinese food is the way I like it. The Sesame Inn in Downtown and Chopsticks in the Squirrel Hill area. There are other places for other great non-american food, but we -are- talking about Chinese here.

Crab Rangoons like the paper football ones...The other ones are wayyyyy too hard. :3 I like the soft ones with a little crisp. 






 Beef teriyaki. I love this stuff with such a passion. I love it when they stick those extra pieces of pineapple on the end and you have to fish them outta the bag and the meat juices. So good!





Wonton soup, which I personally think is the greatest soup around, ever. They need to add more of the yummy gummy wontons though!





And I mainly stick with Beef and Broccoli. But I love lo-mein and so many other things....I'll eat anything Chinese.  Even some of the nummy waitors. nom nom nom.






EDIT: Oh, and theres another place I havent been to in ages and can't believe I've forgotten about it...its Ka Mei. They give you yummy huge portions of great food! They used to have bubble milk tea, but then they stopped serving it. After that...I kinda wanted nothing more but to cry.


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## Aurora1 (Mar 20, 2009)

AtlantisAK said:


> There are only two places in Pittsburgh where the Chinese food is the way I like it. The Sesame Inn in Downtown and Chopsticks in the Squirrel Hill area. There are other places for other great non-american food, but we -are- talking about Chinese here.
> 
> Crab Rangoons like the paper football ones...The other ones are wayyyyy too hard. :3 I like the soft ones with a little crisp.
> 
> ...



That looks sooooooo good ...where and when can I visit you so we can go ape on that amazing looking stuff?????????????


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## shashank (Mar 20, 2009)

sweet&fat said:


> There's a place here in NYC that does Indian Chinese. Pretty tasty!



Now that is a revelation. I thought it was unique to India, but I see that its gaining popularity. :bow:


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## AtlantisAK (Mar 21, 2009)

Aurora1 said:


> That looks sooooooo good ...where and when can I visit you so we can go ape on that amazing looking stuff?????????????



Haha, sweetie, you come to Pittsburgh...Meet me in Squirrel Hill someday and we can eat our hearts out!


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## BigBeautifulMe (Mar 21, 2009)

Inspired by this thread, I had kung pao chicken, fried rice, an egg roll and egg drop soup for lunch.


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## Fascinita (Mar 21, 2009)

Oh, my Lord. My kingdom for some good Chinese leftovers right now.


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## TearInYourHand (Mar 21, 2009)

Just ordered some chinese. I had a craving! (Probably because of this thread )
I got....
Steamed vegatable dumplings
Hot and sour soup
Shrimp in lobster sauce



MMM!


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## ThatFatGirl (Mar 21, 2009)

How does everyone feel about P.F. Changs?

I've been there three times in about as many years and each time I pretty much need to be rolled out the door on our way out. The food is heavenly. It's a bit pricey and a drive to the nearest locale, so I don't eat there nearly as much as my tummy would like to.


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## vardon_grip (Mar 22, 2009)

ThatFatGirl said:


> How does everyone feel about P.F. Changs?
> 
> I've been there three times in about as many years and each time I pretty much need to be rolled out the door on our way out. The food is heavenly. It's a bit pricey and a drive to the nearest locale, so I don't eat there nearly as much as my tummy would like to.



I agree with the price, it is on the high side. The decor is very nice, the food is prepared well and the taste is pretty good for "gringo chinese". It's hard to find authentic chinese food outside of a few major cities, but when you do, it's a different world!


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## Aurora1 (Mar 22, 2009)

ThatFatGirl said:


> How does everyone feel about P.F. Changs?
> I've been there three times in about as many years and each time I pretty much need to be rolled out the door on our way out. The food is heavenly. It's a bit pricey and a drive to the nearest locale, so I don't eat there nearly as much as my tummy would like to.




I've seen the PF Changs in Florida, Vegas and two places in NJ but for some reason I haven't eaten there yet. WTF? I dunno. I've heard the food is yes, expensive but wonderful. Forget about rolling me out the door after that place...I worry if they would be able to get me out of my seat!!!!


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## intraultra (Mar 22, 2009)

Add me to the list of people inspired by this thread to go get some Chinese food.

I ordered sweet and sour chicken last night and I'm about to go eat the leftovers now!


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## AtlantisAK (Mar 22, 2009)

ThatFatGirl said:


> How does everyone feel about P.F. Changs?
> 
> I've been there three times in about as many years and each time I pretty much need to be rolled out the door on our way out. The food is heavenly. It's a bit pricey and a drive to the nearest locale, so I don't eat there nearly as much as my tummy would like to.



There's a PF Changs in the waterfront area here in Pittsburgh, but I wasn't too impressed. I went there for my birthday and the only thing I liked was the dessert that I got, which was american I'm sure. The food was way too pricey for the amount you got and the taste was just off. Maybe it's just the Chang's in this area...but I would have preferred going to the podunk Chopsticks in Squirrel Hill, paid half the price I did and gotten twice the food. 

-shrug-


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## Aurora1 (Mar 23, 2009)

AtlantisAK said:


> There's a PF Changs in the waterfront area here in Pittsburgh, but I wasn't too impressed. I went there for my birthday and the only thing I liked was the dessert that I got, which was american I'm sure. The food was way too pricey for the amount you got and the taste was just off. Maybe it's just the Chang's in this area...but I would have preferred going to the podunk Chopsticks in Squirrel Hill, paid half the price I did and gotten twice the food.
> 
> -shrug-




That's right girl! We're plannin that Squirrel Hill Trip! :doh: How could I forget?? 

:kiss2:


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## ilovechococat (Mar 23, 2009)

Now I really want some Chinese! I guess the Kim Chi packaged noodles shall do for now... :eat2:


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## MLadyJ (Mar 27, 2009)

I've eaten at PF Changs a few times..somebody elses choice of restaurants..and agree with V.G. it's very americanized chinese food. Not really bad..just not really good. I've not had terriffic chinese food since we moved out of the SF bay area and ate in Chinatown or in Oakland's chinatown...Gawd but I'd KILL for some good dim sum. Now I'm hungry and cranky..I know I won't find it here in Kentucky!


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## prettyssbbw (Mar 27, 2009)

I like to get-
Breaded almond chicken.The place where i go makes a gravy for it that i swear is made out of coffee and it is sooooo delicious!
Chicken chow mein
Chicken fried rice
Spring rolls
egg rolls
Battered deep fried prawns. 
Sweet and sour chicken balls.
I had all that last night sans the egg rolls.

:eat1::eat1::eat2::eat1::eat1:


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## BarbBBW (Mar 27, 2009)

OMG i knew I shouldnt have opened this thread!!:eat2: I LOVE Chinese Food! But since I left New Jersey , I havent found anywhere that has good chinese food around me at all!!
I Love almost all and any chinese food.
General 's chicken
fried rice
shrimp w/ veggies and white rice
egg rolls
shrimp rolls
chow mein
egg foo young
OK ,... wait let me just get a menu and copy it,..so I can post it on here LOL


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## phatkhat (Mar 28, 2009)

Dim Sum...Hands down. :eat1:


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## KSFoodee09 (Mar 30, 2009)

Hello everyone! I too am a fan of Chinese food and welcome the opportunity to share my favorites. I am a Kansas girl so I dare not brag too much on the Chinese food I've eaten, but as I mentioned in my introduction post there is indeed a Chinese buffet that I have deemed the best I've ever had....we'll leave it at that.

My most favorite dish, however isn't found on buffets....it is Moo Shu Pork - sans the plum sauce and mandarin pancake. (first pic) I've even learned to make it at home which ensures my cravings are satisfied when the fixins are on hand. But, let's face it, I'm a foodee - the buffet experience is where it's at! The one I like to visit in Lawrence, KS is best hit during the lunch hour where they serve a fantabulous peanut chicken dish. Best I can tell is it's thin chicken breasts that are breaded in sugar (I think) and browned until it's crispy...then the chicken is cut into strips and a peanut butter type sauce is added and some green onions. It is divine and sooo worth the 17 mile drive! On Sundays the buffet offers walnut chicken which looked so, well...gross, I couldn't bring myself to try it until it ended up on a friend's plate and I gave it a taste test. Surprisingly good. (second pic) Now, the mini octopus that was on my friend's plate -- not so much. 

Other favorites include beef fried rice, crab rangoon, snow peas, sesame chicken and veggie lo mein. And more dishes of course -- because buffet = variety = happiness -- it's all good. :eat2:

.. L .. 

View attachment Moo Shu Pork.jpg


View attachment walnut chicken.jpg


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## HottiMegan (Mar 30, 2009)

When we were in the Bay Area, we used hubby's G1 to find a vegetarian chinese restaurant after we found out that our usual haunt was replaced with some asian bbq place. So we went to the Loving Hut restaurant. It was really yummy. Their philosophy is to eat vegan/vegetarian as an environmental move. The food was really good and the staff was super friendly. It wasnt AS good as the place we always hit when we were in Milpitas but it hig my chinese spot 
I also hit the asian market while there and got lots of springroll makings. So dinner on Friday is a boatload of spring rolls :d I had some for lunch today too.

oh and here's what we had:
Mu shu rolls 
Guru's Curry
chinese Broccoli 
Joyful Sweet and Sour
Veggie Chow Mein


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## BigBeautifulMe (Mar 31, 2009)

Darn you Chinese food thread!!! I am now having Chinese for lunch.

I got sesame chicken with pork fried rice, two shrimp rolls, egg drop soup, and mushu shrimp.


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