British couple try Chinese takeaway in America and notice big difference

Daily Mirror

9 hours ago

Chinese takeaways are popular in the UK, as well as the US, and a British couple sampled one in America. They noticed a big difference that they found confusing
A British couple tried a Chinese takeaway in America for the first time and noticed one big difference. Brits love ordering 'a Chinese', which features popular dishes like egg fried rice, chow mein and sweet and sour chicken.
There are many Chinese takeaways across the UK and they are popular for casual gatherings with family or friends. For some households, getting a Chinese takeaway for dinner is a treat and an easy option for others who don't fancy cooking. People in America also enjoy Chinese takeaways and a British couple, James and Siana, posted a video on TikTok trying one in the US.
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James shared that a Chinese takeaway 'is normally very good in Britain' so the couple were 'intrigued' to see how it is in the US.
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Siana firstly opened a 'stunning' container of broccoli beef and noted that it 'actually smells really good.'
The next dish in their order was orange chicken. James admitted that he had never had this before in the UK and Siana said she had never heard of it but did hear that it's a 'big thing' in the US.
Lifting the lid of the container, James smelled the chicken and remarked: 'Oh it smells amazing.'
Siana enthusiastically added: 'Ooh yum, that smells like sweet and sour chicken.' They also ordered some chicken fried rice.
The next dish was one that confused them. They explained that the item was called egg rolls but the couple thought they looked like spring rolls.
Siana asked if that is just what they're called in the US and asked viewers to let them know if egg rolls are the same thing as spring rolls.
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She mentioned another big difference between Chinese takeaways in America and the US: 'The one thing that we're missing is prawn crackers.'
James added: 'They usually just put them in for free but it seems like they've just added some white rice for free. Maybe that's something they do here instead.' Although they didn't get any prawn crackers, they did get some fortune cookies.
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The first dish in their order that they tried was the egg rolls and after taking a bite, Siana said: 'That's a spring roll but thicker.'
She liked how thick it is was and thought it was 'actually really nice.' Moving onto the orange chicken, James shared that it was 'really good' and the pair agreed that it tasted similar to sweet and sour chicken found in Chinese takeaways in the UK.
They then tried the broccoli beef, which they thought was 'average' and lacked flavour. However, Siana felt that since it wasn't 'overpowering', it was 'still quite nice.'
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Next, they sampled the chicken fried rice and they both loved it, with Siana sharing that it was 'just your typical fried rice' and 'very similar to the UK.'
The Food Network has cleared up the confusion about egg rolls and spring rolls on its website. It explains that egg rolls were created in the US but spring rolls were invented in China.
Also, egg rolls have a thicker skin and use a "wonton or thick, yeast dough wrapper" while spring rolls have a "more delicate, thin skin and use a spring roll wrapper."
In terms of the filling, egg rolls "typically contain cabbage and meat" and spring rolls are "traditionally vegetarian or vegan" but some variations include meat or seafood.