Topics: UK Food, US Food, Fast Food, Social Media
When it comes to Friday night dinner, a lot of us Brits are likely to opt for a tasty Chinese takeaway.
In 2024, Best for Britain polled the nation and discovered that the humble Chinese takeaway was everyone’s favourite.
And that’s really no surprise, because there is really something for everyone: succulent sweet and sour pork, crab claws, chewy dim sum, peking roasted duck, wonton soup, and so many more delicacies.
But our Chinese takeaway options have United States residents scratching their heads, because, it turns out, many British staples don’t really exist Stateside.
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Across the Atlantic, General Tso’s Chicken, Crab Rangoon, and egg rolls are the most popular Chinese grab-and-go dishes, according to restaurant delivery service, GrubHub.
American-based TikTokers are only just learning that their favourite Chinese takeaway items don’t really exist in Britain.
They are also being exposed to the fact that some of us pour curry sauce over our chicken chow mein, eat chicken satay, and indulge in crispy seaweed, as per a report by CNN.
In December, a US TikToker uploaded a video sharing her experience with British Chinese takeaway.
The mukbang included her chowing down on salt and pepper fries dipped in curry sauce, fried rice, and sweet and sour chicken.
“The UK Chinese food looks so bland and tasteless,” wrote one viewer.
Someone else remarked: “Ok, but you have too many vegetables for this to be ‘a Chinese.’”
A third commented: “I’ve seen chicken balls are a thing too. Gotta try those.”
Another clip, recorded in 2023, saw a British TikTok user dishing up her Chinese, which included tubs of crispy beef, and egg fried rice.
The viral video made it big on US food TikTok, with one user penning that the moreish offerings looked ‘so different from the States’.
“This is so funny to me bc I know this has to be awful,” reported a second. “I’ve only been to London once but I was miserably hungry for 4 days bc the food was so bland.”
“Love all the non-British people being confused. it may seem weird to you but this is actually top scran for us,” a UK resident typed.
Speaking about why American’s are so shocked by what Brits can order for their Chinese takeaway, Diana Yeh, senior lecturer at City St. George’s, University of London, whose research focuses on the British Chinese community, said: “I guess it goes to show how little is known about us [British Chinese people].
“TikTok tells you the first top layer of what’s going on in society. At the same time, it narrows some of these debates into something much smaller than they are. So what can we uncover and learn from underneath that?”
She continued to say that people may forget that there is ‘enough space in the world for other offerings’.
“I think it’s really important for us all to remember those interwoven histories between the different communities and how valuable migrants have been to British society,” she added to CNN.
Ruiz Asri, who runs the popular food blog and media site Honest Food Talks, told The Mirror that American food often features ‘bolder, spicier flavours, drawing influences from a broader range of Chinese regional cuisines, such as Szechuan and Hunan’.
"Americans also tend to have larger portions and dishes containing crab as there are many freshwater opportunities across the country.”
Meanwhile, in Britain, restaurateurs favour sauces like oyster, hoisin, curry, and black bean; fruity elements like pineapple and lychee, and other English flavours.
“American Chinese takeaways frequently use soy sauce, garlic, and ginger… [and] lean more towards spicy and savoury profiles,” Asri added.
"Long story short, the differences between the two cultures can be attributed to immigration patterns, cultural tastes, available ingredients, and regional differences.”
So, next time you want to comment on someone’s Chinese order, maybe try it out first if you can.
