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this post was submitted on 29 Apr 2026
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Today I Learned
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The thought is the simple carbs from rice, noodles, and high sugar sauces in a lot of takeout-style Chinese food gets digested quickly, so while one can eat that until they feel stuffed, the body will quickly break it down, and with the volume of fiber and protein in the meal being relatively low to the volume of starches and sugars, your stomach will soon be wanting more due to the low satiety provided. One could eat a smaller amount of, say, steak and broccoli, and remain fuller for much longer, due to the better nutritional balance and higher protein and fiber content which takes the body much longer to digest than starches and sugars.
It is played as a joke since a large number of people experience this overeating, yet soon hungry again situation, and attribute it to the food, although probably not in a way of understanding they're eating a different kind of junk food than what they're used to. My understanding is all this stuff is westernized and not really reflective of what Chinese food actually is.
This is also why people talk about Asians getting a "secret menu" at Asian restaurants. It's not as though Westerners are forbidden to order real Asian dishes, they're just a completely different taste profile than what a lot of Westerners are accustomed to, whether dishes be too spicy, too salty, or not sweet/saucy/cheesey/etc enough. One time I went fishing in the ocean and got way too many fish. I offered them to the guys in the Chinese takeout place attached to where I was working. They offered me some of what they made for themselves with it but gave me a heads up that I may not exactly enjoy it. I took a bite and it tasted sooooo salty, and I got surprised it still had the soft fish bones in it, and it wasn't bad but was not what my palette was ready for at the time and I could not finish it, meanwhile they were all grateful and fully enjoying it.
That was one of the most typed out joke explanations I've ever seen online, I salute your patience.
I try to keep things simple, but I also always want to give the most complete answer I can, so I end up being pretty long winded. If someone takes the time to ask a question, I assume they do want the full answer though. I always worry I'm beating things into the ground, but I really want people to know as much as they can. People are always free to tell me to shut my trap. 😄
shut your trap! jk, how do you think an owl would feel about American Chinese food?
Mmm, if they left the food out to attract some other critters they could indirectly eat healthily thanks to it. They'd be mad at you for making them wait though instead of just feeding them owl food. Eating American Chinese food would not make them happy. Have you ever tried using chopsticks with your toes?! 😜
I thank thee.
:)
I have always associated this kind if joke with America fast food, but I guess any fastfood works ofc!
Impressive writeup btw.
I'm a bit surprised how popular this was! I guess this was a question a bunch of people had but didn't want to ask.
Thanks Peter.
Due to my chronic meme illiteracy, I had to have knowyourmeme explain this one to me. We all need a little explaining now and then. 😇
I always thought it was because of the high salt content, and possibly how "spicy" Americanized Chinese food tasted to the palates of whichever decade first made that joke (50s?). With a lot of salt and spice you're drinking way more water than you normally would, causing you to feel full quicker.
Anecdotally when I eat a big bowl of ramen it's pretty much all simple carbs and it keeps me feeling full for about two meals' worth.
Both could be correct, especially since many folks' diets are much different today than they were that long ago.
I'm far from a nutritionist, and I don't think I could really explain the GI Index well enough to give the real how and why of eating a ton of simple carbs actually makes you still feel hungry despite eating enough to feed an army.
With the high salt content, people can feel a craving, that is actually for water, but can be misinterpreted as hunger. We know our body needs something, but we don't always understand what that something is.
My home ramen is too basic, and doesn't do much to fill me up, but the ramen place in town I find very filling, as the broth has some fat content, there's meat and egg for protein, and there's things like mushrooms, bamboo shoots, and other veg to provide that fiber which either takes a long time to digest or is just plain indigestible so it really sticks with you, literally. I can't be bothered to prep all that at home. 😁