Giving Panda Express a Second Chance
I was surprised when my wife said she wanted to give Panda Express another try and am continually surprised when she wants to eat there again and again. Granted, the only thing she likes is the “chow mein” (what an unfortunate butchering of the word “chao mian”), saying that everything else has the same bland flavor. And it does.
The thing is, tasting Panda Express right after getting off a plane from China is a sure way to tell just how off American Chinese food is. Now that she’s been here a while, and the only authentic food available is either what she cooks or what we get at an expensive restaurant (which we can’t afford to do often), Panda Express makes for an okay lunch.
Responses to “Giving Panda Express a Second Chance”
Comments RSS Feed – All CommentsHopfrog — 21 September 2011 @ 8:24 am
Forgive me if I’ve already told you this story, I’ve told it a lot and lose track. When I first started dating my wife, P.F. Chang’s had been the ‘hot’ restaraunt here in the states for quite a while. I thought I would impress her by taking her to a Chinese restaurant that Americans seemed to universally think had great Chinese food. She did nothing but complain… everything was oversauced and there was not much variety with the meats, etc… I was a bit taken aback.
Many years later of her taking me to authentic Chinese restaurants here, in China, and L.A., I now tend to agree with her and see the very distinct difference in American Chinese food and well, Chinese Chinese food. To be honest though, I enjoy both and am not ashamed to admit I think Panda Express has some tasty dishes. Of course, I rarely eat there unless I am out and about on my own. The wife will only eat Chinese Chinese food.
Clark — 21 September 2011 @ 1:04 pm
Funny you should mention P.F. Chang’s. We’re actually headed there tonight to try it for the first time!
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