Chow mein mainland style

The first time I ordered chinese food at college I recieved celery fried with chicken over rice when I ordered chow mein. I thought the restaurant had screwed up the order. The second time I got the same chicken and celery deal I knew it couldn't be a mistake. It seems that chowmein ceases to mean fried skinny noodles with veges and meats once you crossover the Pacific Ocean. Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't mein mean NOODLES?!

So beware when ordering chinese take out on the mainland!

Comments

I'm rather disappointed that not a single restaurant here in Austin servers chow fun. Luckily, even here smack dab in the middle of Tay-haas, chow mein is indeed a noodle dish -- thick, nasty, greasy noodles, but noodles nonetheless.

Where is this offending restaurant that neglected to included the "mein" in "chow mein"?

Yoonjee, I posted something in an earlier thread about my Mom's rules on how to suss out the authenticity of a Chinese restaurant, and never have her rules been more applicable than to the mainland.

(More so, actually, in places without an honest-to-goodness Chinatown, like Southern Oregon - my brother lived there and had the same exact experience with their chow mein. Yuck.)

Lesson learned: If they can't even get the signature noodle dish right, you're definitely not in a good Chinese restaurant.

I had lo mein last night in New Jersey (where I sadly still sit!) It had skinny noodles. See, we got something good here!

Well, if you ever come to San Francisco you'll get real, authentic chow mein. We have the best Chinese restaurants here, and I'm not just saying that because I live here...lol.

I have the chow mein/lo mein problem all the time here. No matter which one I order, I end up with the wrong one. I finally gave up and rarely eat Chinese at all ('cause chow mein is my favorite dish) and just buy the noodles when I'm in Hawaii and make my own.

There is nothing more disappointing than checking with the restaurant staff to make sure that chow mein is the right kind and having lo mein put in front of you.

Wouldn't be so bad, but I hate lo mein.

chow mein: skinny (non-fried noodles)
lo mein: fat (with thick white sauce)

Why do Chinese restaurants change these? Does it make a difference from where their ancestors/they emigrated?

Um...ok, here in Massachusetts, at our local chinese joint, LO MEIN is spaghetti-like noodles with a "soy souce" appearance, and CHOW MEIN is like.....cabbage-y 'stuff' hmmmm??????!!! Interesting...

I worked at a Chinese restaurant on the mainland, and have been spoiled for other places.

Havent found a decent place here in Honolulu yet that satisfies me, and i'm afraid to try the storebought noodles (don't know which brand to buy!). In Seattle I found grubbin' noodles.. I like mine dry, not soupy.

Well, Maple Garden Chinese is probably the best chinese food in Hawaii that i've found so far. I can't do the dim-sum stuff they have at most places here, i'm just not an island girl I guess.

But even I'm confused about the chow mein-low mein blah blah blah stuff.

NOTHING BEATS CHAINS IN WOON RI BEST CHINESE FOOD IN RI

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