Just like us mere mortals, celebrities also love a fast-food order or two. Miley Cyrus, for example, has apparently been partial to a Panda Express since her Disney Channel days, but her go-to order has seriously divided fans.
Panda Express is a long-standing institution specialising in American-Chinese cuisine, known for its succulent orange chicken, Beijing beef, and black pepper Angus steak, among other speciality dishes.
The eatery, headquartered in California, can be found in mall food courts, casinos, various military bases, and even Universal Studios Hollywood.
Cyrus, 33, is apparently a life-long Asian-Chinese fan, having ordered from a local store while working on Disney Channel’s Hannah Montana.
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The actress revealed during the Hannah Montana 20th Anniversary Special that she and her co-star Emily Osment, who played Lilly Truscott on the beloved children’s programme, would head to Panda Express to fuel up after gruelling shoot days.
Cyrus admitted that her after-work order was ‘really gnarly’ and justified it by saying it was because she ‘was from the south’.
“My favourite thing to get at Panda Express was the white rice and pour Diet Coke on top, instead of soy sauce,” the ‘Flowers’ singer confessed.
“No wonder [Osment] was like, ’Who is this bumpkin that they got?’
“I am from the south in a way that it's really hard to describe.”
The Tennessee native’s Diet Coke and white rice order has drawn criticism online, with one Instagram user typing: “I’m convinced this either sarcasm or a ‘let’s give them something to talk about’ comment.
“WTH. Can we not ask unreal people these insane questions so we can save ourselves from these insane responses?” another replied.
Others have been a little more open about Cyrus’ unique order, with podcaster Caleb Parke writing on X: “You can take the girl out of the country, but you can't take the country out of the girl. And now it's becoming a viral TikTok trend...Would you try it? It's a no for me, but I'd do it with Ranch... Anybody do something similar?"
Another Instagram user said that the white rice and Diet Coke combination was 'probably just similar to like regular sweet rice’.
Interestingly, Cyrus’ order may not be as ‘out there’ as first perceived.
One Redditor who requested a ‘good recipe for hibachi-style fried rice’ was told that a lot of dishes contain Coca-Cola.
“The ones around here have Coca-Cola in the hibachi fried rice that might be the flavour you're missing,” the user alleged.
“You can watch them make it just note about how much/what stuff they're using.”
In response, the original poster said: “Ooh Coca Cola? Never heard of that, will definitely experiment with that, thanks!”
A quick Google search will bring up multiple Coke fried rice recipes online, too, with blogger Marla Meridith writing that the beverage adds a ‘subtle sweetness’ to the dish.
So the celebrity may really have been on to something with her ‘grarly’ Panda Express order after all!
Ella Scott