Chow Mein vs. Lo Mein - DPChallenge Forums

05/07/2006 01:47:38 AM · #5

I've heard some of the more authentic restauraunts refer to Lo Mein as having soft pasta-like noodles, and Chow Mein as having hard crunchy "noodles." But there are many variations from restauraunt to restauraunt it seems. Some places it's more like chop suey with noodles, some places it's more like noodles with a few vegtables give or take meat.

If you like the soft kind, try a Mongolian barbeque if you have one around. It's kind of like a buffet. You put whatever meat and vegetables you want in a bowl, pile some noodles on top, take it up to a guy working at a big round grill, and he uses these big sticks and fries it all up for you. Good stuff!

05/07/2006 01:57:06 AM · #6

Chow mein means fried noodles. Usually with one veggie and one type of meat.
Lo mein means mix noodles. Usually contains more then one kind of veggie and more then one type of meat.

Ther terms mean different things in different parts of the country. It really depends on how big of a chinese/asian community near the restaurant. If there is a Chinatown nearby then it probably more authentic.

In Oregon, Chow mein is like a pretzel type noodle probably made the same way as a pretzel and meat and veggies surrounding.

Noodles can sometimes be ordered with round, flat, small, or long noodles. You can possibly order any of these as a "Chow Mein" and they would taste differently.

If you get a chance try "Pan fried noodles" otherwise known as "Chow mein Hong Kong Style. Noodles that are fried and a gravy/sauce is poured over it with veggies and whatever meat you choose.

Message edited by author 2006-05-07 02:17:46.

Nikon AF Nikkor 50mm f/1.8D

05/07/2006 02:01:46 AM · #7

Originally posted by GeneralE:

I don't know about chow mein, but I believe Chop Suey was invented in San Francisco, maybe as another of those "recipes of necessity" ...

In Chinese pronounced "jop shoy" which means a variety of ingredients, or basically leftovers.

Message edited by author 2006-05-07 02:12:48.

ShorterThanJesus

Nikon D300

05/07/2006 02:08:12 AM · #8

Chow mein in most Calgary (Western Canada) 'chinese' restaurants is a bowl of assorted greens, sprouts, a 'meat' of some sort (chicken, beef, pork, tofu, etc.), topped with crunchy noodles. But even then, driving across town seems to yield different results.

Alas "Chinese food" often has little connection to the culture the ignorant public (myself included) assumes is behind it. Most of us are addicted to "Americanized Chinese Food".

Here in Calgary, when we order chinese food, ginger fried beef is a staple of the meal. I was rather disenchanted when I found out that this dish is heavily rumoured to have been developed right here in Calgary. It was odd when, during my travels through eastern Canada, I would attempt to order ginger beef and either not find it on the menu or recieve something which was clearly not the 'ginger fried beef' which I am used to. But again, this definition can change between restaurants with a mere 2 blocks between them.

Bear_Music

Samsung Galaxy S24, S24+, S24 Ultra

Sony 24-70mm f/4 Vario-Tessar T* FE OSS

05/07/2006 02:12:52 AM · #9

Oddly enough, I just sent the guests away from an 8-course Chinese meal I prepared a couple hours ago. Now I have to clean it up.....

"Real" Chinese food can be very difficult to find, if only because there are so many definitions at war with each other.

Robt.

05/07/2006 02:14:17 AM · #10

Originally posted by Bear_Music:

"Real" Chinese food can be very difficult to find, if only because there are so many definitions at war with each other.

Each villiage in China will prepare the same dish a little different but with the same name. Difference can be ingredients, spices, etc.

Telehubbie

Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM

05/07/2006 02:18:12 AM · #11

Originally posted by ShorterThanJesus:

Alas "Chinese food" often has little connection to the culture the ignorant public (myself included) assumes is behind it. Most of us are addicted to "Americanized Chinese Food".

You mean Panda Express isn't authentic? :-) That orange chicken there is pretty tasty though.

idnic

Canon EOS-60D

05/07/2006 02:18:58 AM · #12

In a mu-shu phase myself. Had Mandarin-resturant-owner-friends for years and acquired quite a taste for the menu.

amandalore

Tamron SP AF 28-75mm f/2.8 XR Di for Canon

05/07/2006 02:28:14 AM · #13

yeah, i've noticed the same inconsistency in different places... california chow mein is thick noodles with bean sprouts and pieces of meat and other veggies mixed in. in kansas, i got a bowl full of onions and broccoli, and in st. thomas, usvi, chow mein is different from restaurant to restaurant, and a man from china who worked in one of the restaurants told me that chow mein in chinese means vegetables on a bed of crunchy noodles. down there lo mein is very thin flat noodles and in california lo mein is papery thin noodles, more like a tangle of noodle like substance. so point being that i would agree with everyone that it probably means left overs of some sort

amandalore

Tamron SP AF 28-75mm f/2.8 XR Di for Canon

05/07/2006 02:30:33 AM · #14

also wanted to add... well everyone probably knows this, but that fortune cookies were invented by a restaurant owner in california

GeneralE

Canon PowerShot S3 IS

Canon 12x IS USM (S3 IS built-in Lens) -- 36-432mm (35mm EQ)

05/07/2006 02:41:18 AM · #15

Originally posted by amandalore:

also wanted to add... well everyone probably knows this, but that fortune cookies were invented by a restaurant owner in california

My son's second-grade class got a (brief) tour of a fortune cookie factory about a year ago -- it uses a really cool (hot!) machine to bake them.

05/07/2006 03:22:14 AM · #16

Originally posted by GeneralE:

Originally posted by amandalore:
also wanted to add... well everyone probably knows this, but that fortune cookies were invented by a restaurant owner in california

My son's second-grade class got a (brief) tour of a fortune cookie factory about a year ago -- it uses a really cool (hot!) machine to bake them.

Hopefully he brought home a bag of broken cookies. Cheap and just as good except for the missing fortunes :P

05/07/2006 03:24:43 AM · #17

Costco currently carries boxes of instant noodles that you had water to cook just like Cup-A-Noodles and they call it "Chow Mein" .

paddles

Pentax FA 50mm f/1.4 AF

05/07/2006 09:20:46 AM · #18

Hmmm, the fact that China is both a very large and very populous country made up of quite a number of different people-groups means that "authentic Chinese food" could include all sorts of things.

However, I find it difficult to believe that "all sorts of things" could include sweet and sour pork.

MikeJ

Canon EOS-1D Mark II

05/07/2006 10:20:32 AM · #19

I hear people ask about steak in the US all the time. They say in one part of the country it's a thin slice of meat with a bitter taste, in another it's grilled, in another it's broiled and in another you get half a cow and you have to throw peanut shells on the floor. Yes, visitors to the US get real confused when they order steak and get something different each place they go.

;)

Mike (who likes his steak a grilled prime rib)

zerocusa

Canon EOS-1D Mark II

05/07/2006 10:29:19 AM · #20

lol, chinese food names all kinda 'distorted' in US :p

cfischl