FOODIE FRIDAY!

End of the week finally!  Thought I'd never see it go.  I walked about 4 miles today just flat hunting, at least I snuck in some fitness!  Saw several properties today, but nothing "ticks all the boxes" yet. 

Today I had to be out of the flat so the estate agent could show our flat to potential buyers (boo! hiss!) so I decided to get some lunch at my new favorite spot--Mr. Toy's Flying Wok Noodle Bar.  For £4 you can get a box of noodles and a soda, brilliant!  I got my favorite--Hokkein noodles with tofu and mix veg in singapore sauce--and enjoyed my lunch on the beach.  

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It got me thinking about Chinese food in the UK. You wouldn't think that Westernized Chinese food would vary much from place to place, but there are a few menu differences I've noticed as an expat.  Here's a description of some of them!

1.  PRAWN CRACKERS.  It's a delicious cracker made from shrimp and starch and fried.  Over here when you get take-away Chinese food you get a small white trash bag (ok probably not a trash bag but it's similar to the white bin bags I put in my small pedal bin in my bathroom) full to enjoy with your meal.  I LOVE THEM.  If the hubby leaves me alone in a room with them, I will eat them all before he gets a chance. 

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2.  WHERE'S THE LO MEIN??  Although probably the highest calorie item on the Chinese food menu, Lo Mein is one of my favorites from the States.  But it's difficult to find this on a menu over here.  Often it's called Chow Mein or fried noodles.  Sometimes it's identical to what I'm used to but other times it's a very thin, dry noodle instead.  Depends where you go--always an adventure to find out!


3.  PAPER OR PLASTIC?  One thing that a lot of people here like about the Flying Wok Noodle Bar is that they serve the noodles in a traditional white box.  Like so:

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People get a kick out of it because this is actually very rare in the UK.  I've grown quite accustomed to the white take-away boxes where I'm from. Instead, Chinese take-away over here generally comes in plastic tupperware which is great for washing and re-using later for leftovers!

4.  ALL YOU CAN EAT!  A Chinese buffet on either continent is a beautiful thing.  I still recall fondly my undegrad days in Pennsylvania when a group of my starving friends and I would go China Buffet in town and stuff ourselves silly.  (And when I say "in town" I mean a shopping center in the middle of nowhere, next to Walmart).  In England, they do have the "trough-style" buffet bar that we all know of, but they also have a different take.  Some buffets you go to have menus and you don't even have to get up to refill your plate (amazing)!  You just pay a flat fee and then pick out food all night if you want.  If you can still fit through the door when you're done, then you're not doing it right!

Any other differences you've noticed in Chinese or other types of take-away??

This weekend should be a laugh, as Worthing is hosting its annual Birdman Competition.  Long story short, people fling themselves off the pier with their home-made flying contraptions to see how far they can go.  For more information about the events, go to their event website.  I walked down the pier today to find that preparations are underway for Saturday and Sunday's flying events! 

Kieran's parents were kind enough to let us borrow their binoculars for the weekend.  We have a pretty decent view of the activities from our flat, but the binoculars will give us a much better perspective!  More updates to come!

Hope everyone has a great weekend!
xoxox
Amanda