If you’re like me, you love Chinese takeout. Although the food you receive isn’t authentic Chinese cuisine, it is still delicious. The Chinese food served at Chinese takeout restaurants has been modified to contain more fried things and contains more sodium and sugar. Most people in China haven’t even heard of these dishes many of us call Chinese food here! Here are some of my favorite Chinese takeout dishes!
1. General Tso’s Chicken
This dish is deep fried chicken coated in a sweet honey-like sauce. It is super delicious and tastes even better with a side of steamed broccoli and rice.
2. Shrimp with Lobster Sauce
This dish contains steamed jumbo shrimp with a gelatin-like clear sauce called lobster sauce. It also usually contains a medley of different vegetables.
3. Lo mein
This dish contains thick egg noodles with a series of vegetables and meats. 
4. Shrimp Toast
This dish is deep fried bread with shrimp inside usually shaped as triangles.
5. Wonton Soup
This is one of my favorite soups of all time! It is chicken broth with big dumplings called wontons inside. 
Although I don’t like them, many people love the famous fortune cookies usually given with every meal at a Chinese takeout!
Next time you get Chinese takeout, try some of these dishes, you might like them! Until next time, 再见！
Great article, Jason! I usually order Chinese takeout – probably 2-3 times per month. Similar to your beliefs, I think that even though Chinese takeout food is unauthentic, it is still delicious! Additionally, I’ve never heard of “shrimp toast.” They somewhat resemble wontons? I wonder which Chinese dish “shrimp toast” is based off of. Nevertheless, wonderful article! Keep up the great work; your articles are always informative and interesting.
Nice article Jason! I love Chinese takeout. I agree, even though that they aren’t authentic, they’re delicious! I too, like the “General Tso’s Chicken”. It’s similar to Sesame Chicken. I’ve also never heard of “Shrimp Toast”, but it sounds good. It looks good too. It probably tastes good. I’ll be sure to try it next time I get takeout! Great article on Chinese takeout. Keep up the good work!
Nice article. I love all the soups in this article. I love wonton soup best because I love wonton. When I was young, my parents often cook this soup for me. I can also cook soup. I love shrimp with lobster source because I love seafood. I was born in a city near the sea, so I know a lot about seafood soup. Those dishes all show the wonderful food culture of China.
Thanks for writing this article, Jason. Being that I am kosher, it is a bit difficult for me to eat some Chinese food that consist of seafood, and many pork dishes. However, I have realized that there are many take out food that consist of chicken, which I like. Now that I have been to China, it is very easy to distinguish between what is that sort of stereotypical Chinese food such as chicken and broccoli compared to the kind of foods I ate in China, such as when we went to a dumpling restaurant. I, as well, do believe that Chinese food in America is unrealistic, and in addition, I feel that our Chinese food in America does not fully express the Chinese culture and food that is characteristic of Chinese food. Thank you for exposing me to the different types of Chinese take out food.
really nice article you included a lot of dishes. One of my favorite is lo mein（ 捞面）because personally, I like any kind of noodle, and the food that I can cook the most is also noodle. It’s easy to eat, and I also like the art behind it. Noodle usually have the most rules when eating it, making the noodle suxking sound means that its delicious and respectful to the cook, and try not to bite in the middle of the noodle when its in your mouth.
Very interesting article, Jason! Even though my uncle owns a Chinese takeout restaurant, I still learned about new foods from this post. I’ve never heard of shrimp toast or shrimp with lobster sauce before. However, I do love wonton soup and lo mein. I also don’t like fortune cookies but still open them for fun. Thank you for sharing!
Just terrific Jason. Chinese takeout has become very “americanized” in its taste, but it doesn’t mean that it’s not delicious. Personally, I love lo mein. I love noodles and lo mein has the perfect blend of noodles, vegetables, and meat. I also really like general tso’s chicken because it is crunchy on the outside and the sauce is my favorite. I have never heard of shrimp toast, but it seems very good and I will definitely try it. Furthermore, I would like to learn some of your favorite take-out places around the area. Although it isn’t very authentic, I still love to eat it and would like to find a restaurant with good food.
I’ve always wondered why Americans don’t use the same recipes to make Chinese cuisine. It doesn’t really make sense to me that American Chinese cuisine has more sodium and sugar than the authentic kind. But the dishes made are still very good. You had actually named many of my personal favorites! Lo mein and General Tso’s chicken have played a large role in my eating experiences. They’re both so simple, yet very tasty. I had never actually heard of Shrimp Toast, maybe I’ll try it next time I get takeout. I suppose the authenticity of these dishes aren’t necessary for a delicious meal!
This is really shocking to me. Whenever I would go to a Chinese restaurant, I would always order wonton soup or lo mein. I have always thought it was “authentic” Chinese food but having read this article, I now think differently. I really should be trying Chinese food rather than Americanized Chinese food. These dishes do look very delicious and I do want to eat them, but i’m now really curious as to what real Chinese food tastes like. The list of Chinese take out foods still surprise me though. Items such as the Shrimp toast and Shrimp with lobster sauce are foods that I have never eaten before. They sound really good and I want to try them the next time I order take out.
Great article! I myself have tried both “authentic” and actual Chinese food. Obviously actual Chinese food is much tastier, but Chinese food from the U.S is not that bad. I’ve never had the shrimp toast, but it seems to resemble a Chinese food I know. Today, whenever I eat Chinese food, I always eat real Chinese food, since my parents are both Chinese and we go to flushing a lot. Occasionally I’ll have “authentic” Chinese food, but it’s rare. I only wish that more Chinese restaurants served real Chinese food; people that eat “authentic” Chinese food may not even know that it is not authentic, and promote the wrong idea of Chinese cuisine. It’s also interesting that people from China have most likely never heard of Americanized Chinese food. Thanks for informing me about these great dishes!
Amazing article Jason! Many of these restaurants claim that they sell “authentic,” but they really aren’t. Although I do enjoy some of these foods, people shouldn’t get confused between real Chinese food and “authentic” Chinese Food. For instance, General Tso’s chicken is not an original Chinese dish, but many people regard as “take-out” or Chinese food. Furthermore, the famous Beef and Broccoli is not a real Chinese dish as well. However, many Americans seem to enjoy this dish, which would make Chinese restaurant to begin making and selling this dish. It’s also interesting how more of these American established Chinese restaurants are beginning to fry more of their food. When I go to China, I rarely see any foods being fried, but in America, a lot of foods are fried. These American established Chinese restaurants are clearly being influenced by their environment and the customers they receive. Again, this was an amazing article and very informative. Thanks Jason!
Amazing article Jason! You continue to put amazing writing pieces. I just ate, but after seeing this I got hungry again. I have had both “authentic” and real Chinese food. Some Places will try to claim like they have real Chinese food, but you can sorta just tell that it is “authentic”. Even though both taste really good, real Chinese food tastes 100x better. It just tastes more natural. I love trying new foods, so seeing this article relay caught my eye.
Sometimes when American people cook Indian foods, they leave out some important ingredients in the recipes, which is why it tastes different. In the same way, Americans do the same for Chinese dishes. I don’t really get why this shift in recipes happens, however, if the dishes are similar in taste, I don’t think it would matter that much. Looking at all these dishes makes my mouth water! For example, I would definately want to try the shrimp toast, the wonton soup, and maybe the shrimp and lobster soup. My favorite dishes are the Lo mein and General Tso’s chicken; I order them every time my family chooses to get Chinese takeout for lunch. Maybe next time I get takeout, I will try these dishes you listed above. Nice article!
The difference between authentic and not authentic Chinese food is extreme. On vacation, my parents often try to find Chinese takeout. We have not been to one non authentic restaurant that my parents have not complained about the food. This article was very accurate and entertaining.
Wow! What an interesting article about your favorite Chinese takeout dishes! I had no idea that shrimp with lobster sauce existed, much less as a Chinese takeout dish! It’ll be sure to be something that I will try out in the future. However, I do not like how Chinese takeout dishes have been modified to contain a lot of salt and sugar. It takes away from the authentic flavors of traditional Chinese food.
Wow! What an interesting article about your favorite Chinese takeout dishes! I had no idea that shrimp with lobster sauce existed, much less as a Chinese takeout dish! It’ll be sure to be something that I will try out in the future. However, I do not like how Chinese takeout dishes have been modified to contain a lot of salt and sugar. It takes away from the authentic flavors of traditional Chinese food.
Great article Jason, this article was not only informative but made me really hungry! Although I have never tasted or tried the shrimp toast next time i visit Chinese restaurants I am definitely going to ask! it looks and sounds great!
Very interesting article about Chinese takeout food. It makes me pretty hungry after reading this article, but Chinese takeout is so good. So many dishes are all just amazing and really appetizing. I also never heard of shrimp toast. It is something I’ll have to try sometime
Great Article! I don’t often get Chinese takeout or that kind of food but this article makes me want to try some. I have heard of some of them but the others were new to me and it makes me very curious to try them the next time I see it in a restaurant. I also like fortune cookies too!
This was a great article! I’ve tried many of these Chinese takeout foods, but I’ve never heard of shrimp toast. I don’t eat takeout often because most of the dishes are fried or add too much MSG. I hope that they learn to take out the MSG and bring out the authentic flavor in the dishes.
This article was great! I’ve had most of these dishes before, and they are very delicious. However, I’ve never heard of shrimp toast. After reading this article, I’d definitely like to try it. It’s interesting how Chinese takeout isn’t actually authentic to real Chinese food.
Great article! I have never tried “authentic” Chinese foods before, I have only tried the ones in America. Although I have had tried most of these foods. I have never heard of shrimp toast. I can’t wait to try it out the next time I order takeout!
Interesting article! I almost always eat homemade food when it comes to Chinese food. However, looking at your pictures of takeout food makes me want to order them myself. All of the dishes look amazing, especially General Tso’s Chicken. Thank you for writing this article!
I really liked this article. I also like Chinese takeout, and eat it often. I had no idea, however, that the dishes served in takeout weren’t authentic. I still think they taste amazing though, just like many other items in Chinese cuisine. Those pictures make me want to get some takeout.
This was an interesting article. I rarely ever get takeout, but my favorite dish is lo mein. I don’t like fortune cookies either. That shrimp toast is definitely Americanized and not authentic Chinese food, considering how fried it is.
I almost never get takeout Chinese food, but when I do its pretty good. Some of my favorite dishes are on here. I’m not a fan of fortune cookies too.
Thanks for this article Jason! There’s an apparent different between authentic and non authentic Chinese food and Chinese take out is definitely non authentic. However, it still attracts many of us in its own americanized taste. General Tso’s chicken is my go-to item in Chinese take out restaurants. I’ve never tried shrimp toast though and it looks pretty interesting.
Thanks for this tasty article! Though many of the dishes here are not actually Chinese, they are still fun to try. At some authentic Chinese restaurants, I receive regular and chocolate fortune cookies for dessert. I also tried the clear sauce shrimp. General Tso’s chicken is sometimes served at our school cafeteria and comes with either jasmine rice or lo mein noodles. KFC should also make General Tso BBQ wings along with bringing back its classic honey BBQ wings.
There is such a big difference between authentic Chinese food and takeout. I personally don’t eat Chinese takeout very often but I used to when I lived in Flushing and it was just right on my block. I remember often eating General Tso’s Chicken and other foods such as sweet and sour soup, wanton soup, and Lo Mien. Though I enjoy authentic Chinese food more as there is more variety (I especially love food from Sichuan) I must admit that Chinese takeout is really delicious and I would never turn it down. Thank you for writing such an insightful article in which you share your personal opinions on Chinese Takeout!
Chinese’s take out food is delicious and nice to eat, I don’t really think it is real Chinese’s food. Only the rice seems real everything else is just American Chinese food. I went to China a couple of years ago and I ate completely different foods. Even if it is not real Chinese it taste good to some people and that’s all that matters. I don’t really have a strong opinion on this so the end.
Good article Jason! I also like Chinese take out food too. I like all the food you listed. You made me hungry at the beginning of the first food! My favorite on this list is the wonton food. Thanks again!
Great article! I don’t think its real chinese food though. It is a staple for Americans. People love it even though it isn’t that healthy. Keep up the great work
I really enjoyed this article. I’ve seen pictures of some of these foods, but I never knew what they were called. Also, it was very cool to learn Chinese dishes I’ve never seen before. I love Chinese take out, and my favorite out of these five is General Tso’s chicken. Thank you for sharing.
It’s interesting, as most Chinese takeout dishes are based on authentic Chinese food but with far more oil, sugar, and salt. This helps the dishes appeal to Americans. Overall, I really enjoyed this article about Chinese takeout. However, nothing can beat real, authentic Chinese food. Anyways, great article!
Both an enjoyable and relatable article! Authentic or not, Chinese takeout is – and always will be – a personal favorite comfort food! Cheap, filling, and highly delicious, you can’t go wrong! I find it great that you can consistently find the same appealing menus in each and every takeout restaurant, no matter your location. I share Jason’s tastes in General Tso’s chicken and the ever-so delectable wonton soup!
很好的文章。 我喜欢这篇文章中的所有汤品。 我也可以煮汤。 我喜欢用龙虾来源的虾，因为我喜欢海鲜。 我出生在靠近海边的城市，所以我对海鲜汤了解很多。 这些菜肴都展示了中国美妙的饮食文化。
Amazing article, Jason! I really enjoy Chinese takeout dishes. There’s a lot that’s my favorite. Out of all these Chinese takeout dishes I have tried General Tso’s Chicken, Wonton Soup, fortune cookie, and Lo Mein. Out of all these, the one I love the most is Lo Mein. Lo Mein doesn’t just taste like regular noodle. It’s so much better than regular ones. Even though I don’t like shrimps, but I would love to try shrimp toast.
I know this is not very traditional, but General Tso’s chicken is definitely the best! Additionally, I always love getting Lo mein, even though I don’t really know how traditional that is either. It’s always interesting to compare the “same style food” except in different places. One of the biggest reasons as to why these meals were changed is because restaurant owners wanted to appeal more to westerner’s preference. When I was in China, I definitely noticed a difference. Westernized Chinese food is definitely sweeter. Anyway, thank you for sharing!