I love American Chinese food. The food has changed. Either it's fusion food, or it's more authentic or something. I don't like it as much anymore. Chicken tastes like that nasty wooden chicken, flavors are more bland, ingredients have been dropped. Fried rice, for example - they don't bother adding peas or carrots or sliced green onions or even much of any fried egg. Gristly beef or chicken. Barely any flavor. You get the sense they're doing the minimum, maybe because the clientele is more diverse and they're trying to please everyone. I rarely get Chinese-we used to get some about once a month.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We also ordered Chinese for Christmas dinner. From a place in Arlington. TNR. It took 2 1/2 hours to get the order. The restaurant was overwhelmed. But, the food was delicious and staff were pleasant.

Whats TNR

I think it’s the name of the restaurant.

I always get a mix of healthy and decadent dishes, and I’m usually pleased. I splurge with crab rangoon and steamed dumplings, then I usually have steamed vegetables and maybe some simply prepared chicken. I think too often people just order only the indulgent stuff and then feel sick. If I skip my favorite apps, I might get General Tso’s chicken or something heavier as a main, with steamed vegetables on the side. I think it’s good to balance a little, as it’s so easy to go overboard with Americanized Chinese food.

If it’s 9 years since you last ordered either your taste memory’s fuzzy or the cooks have changed or both.

Anonymous wrote:We also ordered Chinese for Christmas dinner. From a place in Arlington. TNR. It took 2 1/2 hours to get the order. The restaurant was overwhelmed. But, the food was delicious and staff were pleasant.

Whats TNR

I'm always slightly disappointed with takeaway Chinese. I've had wonderful home cooked Chinese meals but takeaways, even from reputable and more "authentic" places rarely wow me. I do have a soft spot for fried pork dumplings but everything else tends to be greasy and the old joke that you're hungry after a huge Chinese meal seems to have some merit to it for some reason. So I rarely get Chinese takeaways.

I bought a bottle of Chinese sherry and that with tamari, sesame oil, crushed ginger and garlic means it's easy for me to quickly stir fry fresh and tasty meals similar to what I had at my Chinese-American childhood friend's mother's kitchen and I love it.

You might be missing MSG

Maybe it didn't have a flavor because you have covid?

We also ordered Chinese for Christmas dinner. From a place in Arlington. TNR. It took 2 1/2 hours to get the order. The restaurant was overwhelmed. But, the food was delicious and staff were pleasant.

Anonymous wrote:If you’ve been eating clean it may be a change in your taste buds. I’ve found that crap food tastes crappier than I remember. Donuts make me sick now.

Yep, me too. This is a good thing, OP.

Chinese food on Christmas Day is the worst time to order. It's a total s(&tshow. Horrible cooking and quality of food. DH and I said after we barely could eat our food that we're not doing it anymore. 20 years ago it was a fun tradition for a few people to do this. Now it's a packed, two hour wait for crappy food.

Taste, preferences, and tolerance to fatty foods, change with years. What you liked and tolerated well in your 20s may not go as well when you’re in your 30s or 40s.

Anonymous wrote:You don't have to earn food, fyi. You seem like you have unhealthy attitudes towards food.

+1. Why does it matter that you ran 4-5 miles this morning? You don’t need to justify your decision to get Chinese to us.

Same! Ordered last night and so greasy and bland even though asked for extra spicy. Don’t think we’ll order Chinese again for a long time.

What took you so long?