Panda Express Beyond Orange Chicken

In case you're thinking of trying it, there was $1.25 upcharge per serving in my area.

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There are very few items that have no upcharge.
@sestrahelena wrote:

There are very few items that have no upcharge.
Grilled Teriyaki
Kung Pao
Broccoli Beef
Beijing Beef
Black Pepper Chicken
Orange Chicken
Honey Sesame Chicken Breast
Mushroom Chicken
Sweetfire Chicken

Think I'm missing a few...
@sestrahelena wrote:

There are very few items that have no upcharge.

Most do not. A few do.
Sounds better than Carotenosis Chicken, I guess.
"Beyond" is the brand name of the artificial meat they sell. I choose not to eat artificial meat. I'll stick with real chicken, real kung pao chicken, just to make sure some teenager doesn't get the fake stuff mixed up with the real stuff.
Yeah, I dunno, is it just me? I never had a problem with Morningstar Farms, they clearly labeled their stuff was from veggies.

But I'm reluctant to try stuff that tries to mimic meat, or meat grown in a laboratory.

Frankly, I don't even like tofu.
My guess is people who are vegetarian or vegan probably do not even want to eat at Panda. It is like Burger King or McD offering a fake meat option.
I eat very little meat, but like ceasesmith said, I stay clear of anything that tries to act like meat. If I were ordering at Panda I would choose Eggplant Tofu. And ask for hot sauce or red pepper, because their interpretation of spicy and mine are worlds apart.
@hbbigdaddy wrote:

My guess is people who are vegetarian or vegan probably do not even want to eat at Panda. It is like Burger King or McD offering a fake meat option.

Happiness is not a goal; it is a by-product. Eleanor Roosevelt
I hate to burst anyone's vegetarian bubble but several years ago I read that the sauces Panda use on all their items are not vegetarian but meat based. This is probably why the tofu eggplant is not being advertised to the vegetarian community. So it all depends how strict you are. As for the Beyond Burgers for strict vegetarians you would need to check with McD or other fast food restaurants to make sure they do not slap those on the same grill they just grilled a greasy beef burger on. The hospital I used to work for had a veggie burger on the menu even 20 years ago. I would go to the grill at lunch to order one and see them just shove aside the beef burger leaving all the grease on the grill instead of using the empty 80% of the grill to make the veggie selections. The same disappointing thing happened one day when I was eating lunch at Benihana. The other group at our table ordered some seafood appetizers. The chef cooked those up first and then put our food on next. None of us had a seafood allergy but I know those can be very bad with only a bit of seafood. I hope they have learned not to do that anymore. And hopefully those with bad allergies watch very closely how their food is cooked.

@KathyG wrote:

I eat very little meat, but like ceasesmith said, I stay clear of anything that tries to act like meat. If I were ordering at Panda I would choose Eggplant Tofu. And ask for hot sauce or red pepper, because their interpretation of spicy and mine are worlds apart.
@hbbigdaddy wrote:

My guess is people who are vegetarian or vegan probably do not even want to eat at Panda. It is like Burger King or McD offering a fake meat option.
They used to use chicken broth but now use vegetable broth. Their sauces are not meat-based. The real reason they don't/can't claim anything they serve is vegan or vegetarian is because they use the same equipment for all items. If you go to their website, you'll see that they are careful how they describe their offerings. Instead of saying an entree is vegetarian or vegan, they say something like that entree uses plant-based proteins.

@sandyf wrote:

I hate to burst anyone's vegetarian bubble but several years ago I read that the sauces Panda use on all their items are not vegetarian but meat based. This is probably why the tofu eggplant is not being advertised to the vegetarian community. So it all depends how strict you are. As for the Beyond Burgers for strict vegetarians you would need to check with McD or other fast food restaurants to make sure they do not slap those on the same grill they just grilled a greasy beef burger on. The hospital I used to work for had a veggie burger on the menu even 20 years ago. I would go to the grill at lunch to order one and see them just shove aside the beef burger leaving all the grease on the grill instead of using the empty 80% of the grill to make the veggie selections. The same disappointing thing happened one day when I was eating lunch at Benihana. The other group at our table ordered some seafood appetizers. The chef cooked those up first and then put our food on next. None of us had a seafood allergy but I know those can be very bad with only a bit of seafood. I hope they have learned not to do that anymore. And hopefully those with bad allergies watch very closely how their food is cooked.

@KathyG wrote:

I eat very little meat, but like ceasesmith said, I stay clear of anything that tries to act like meat. If I were ordering at Panda I would choose Eggplant Tofu. And ask for hot sauce or red pepper, because their interpretation of spicy and mine are worlds apart.
@hbbigdaddy wrote:

My guess is people who are vegetarian or vegan probably do not even want to eat at Panda. It is like Burger King or McD offering a fake meat option.
I like Gardenburger. I'm with you on the fake meat. If I choose to go meatless, I get my protein from beans and other veggies. I don't use fake meat because I can eat meat whenever I want to. Vegans don't have that option.

@ceasesmith wrote:

Yeah, I dunno, is it just me? I never had a problem with Morningstar Farms, they clearly labeled their stuff was from veggies.

But I'm reluctant to try stuff that tries to mimic meat, or meat grown in a laboratory.

Frankly, I don't even like tofu.

"I told myself to quit you; but I don't listen to drunks." -Chris Stapleton
McDonald's tried that once. I think it lasted for a few days.

@hbbigdaddy wrote:

My guess is people who are vegetarian or vegan probably do not even want to eat at Panda. It is like Burger King or McD offering a fake meat option.

"I told myself to quit you; but I don't listen to drunks." -Chris Stapleton
Many years ago one of the ff places, I think maybe Burger King, had a veggie burger announced here. I went over to get one . It was not on the menu board anywhere so you had to know to ask for it. No one that did not see the announcement I got knew about it. After a few months they cancelled it. Same thing at my work cafeteria. They had a veggie sandwich option with guac instead of turkey. I love guac. It was not on the menu. Half the workers did not even know about it and wanted to charge for the guac. After a few months they stopped making it.
I looked into Panda and they say that several of their options are plant based but since they use the same pans to prepare as the meat they are not truly vegan. I would hope they wash out the pans between making one dish and then switching to another esp for those with nut and seafood allergies.
My wife is allergic to gluten. Every time we go to the Road House (Or an other non fast food place), she has to ask for a special gluten free menu .
I love meat and am not vegetarian or vegan. But I grew up in a rural area with family farms and saw how livestock was treated more or less humanely. The way they do it now with factory farms bothers me some. I am not a PETA activist or anything, but I will occassionally enjoy the fake meat burgers or chicken nuggets simply to contribute a little less to animal suffering that goes against the values I learned as a kid. And the fake meat is actually just fine. Sure, fake beef doesn't taste exactly like beef, but neither does pork or chicken, and they still taste like meat.
@sandyf wrote:

As for the Beyond Burgers for strict vegetarians you would need to check with McD or other fast food restaurants to make sure they do not slap those on the same grill they just grilled a greasy beef burger on.

I have this vague idea that several decades ago, McD's was the defendent in a lawsuit because they were making their french fries in lard without telling anyone the fries weren't vegetarian. I suspect that McD's corporate has strict guidelines about these things, but that individual franchises might very well ignore them.

I'm not vegetarian, but I am a huge sticker for food cross-contamination. I'm probably oversensitive, but I was disgusted at Texas Roadhouse when I finished my side dish of applesauce to find a piece of broccoli hiding underneath it. When I order a pizza with one topping, and a stray piece of a completely different topping shows up, it ticks me off. The worse, though, was a JITB shop in which pieces of cooked rice were inside the wrapper of my burger -- at a restaurant that does not serve rice. I'm pretty sure I got stray bits of an employee's brought-from-home lunch that day. I definitely submit photos of stuff like that with my reports (except for Texas Roadhouse, since it's a non-photo shop).
On a non-shop, I noticed a difference between the image of the orange chicken on the promo board and the product that was served to me. That image whetted my appetite for orange chicken that looked like the image-- that is how some other orange looks in real time. My product tasted well, though. End of nitpicking.

I feel for people who have food sensitivities and food allergies. It is as their personal kitchens as well as the public kitchens must be as strictly monitored as kosher kitchens-- all the time and not just for a faith season. Even a non-religious person might need this much attention to detail constantly, simply to benefit from whatever foods they can eat.

My garden in England is full of eating-out places, for heat waves, warm September evenings, or lunch on a chilly Christmas morning. (Mary Quant)
Are you referring to organic foods?

@Tanischri87 wrote:

EAT THE BUGS

"I told myself to quit you; but I don't listen to drunks." -Chris Stapleton
No, haha. I'm referring to the drive to get people to eat bugs.

@HonnyBrown wrote:

Are you referring to organic foods?

@Tanischri87 wrote:

EAT THE BUGS
I tried Beyond Orange Chicken and absolutely loved it. I doubt I would ever order plain 'ole Orange Chicken again if given a choice between the two. It had great flavor and texture with a bit of heat. I don't mind that it was made from beans. Hope it stays on the menu.
@amyann2 wrote:


The worse, though, was a JITB shop in which pieces of cooked rice were inside the wrapper of my burger -- at a restaurant that does not serve rice. I'm pretty sure I got stray bits of an employee's brought-from-home lunch that day. I definitely submit photos of stuff like that with my reports (except for Texas Roadhouse, since it's a non-photo shop).

JITB serves a teriyaki bowl that has white rice.
Just saw a promo with Panda Express. They are basically letting you try the BEYOND orange chicken for free. I don't think we can use this deal on shops, but if you wanted to try it and not really pay for it, this is the deal (cut/pasted from Panda email)

You Buy
a bowl of
Beyond™ the Original Orange Chicken™
We Give
you any bowl free*

Use code: BEYOND
[www.pandaexpress.com]

Excerpt: "Buy a bowl of Beyond™ the Original Orange Chicken™ and we give you any bowl free*...Free bowl discount applies to lowest priced bowl in the order. Valid only on Panda Express website and app at participating locations. Ends 10/9/22. Taxes, fees and other restrictions apply: see below. Prepared on shared cooking surfaces."
[www.mcdonalds.com]

Excerpt: "Do you add any type of flavor when preparing your fries?
Yes. When our suppliers partially fry our cut potatoes, they use an oil blend that contains beef flavoring. "
@amyann2 wrote:

... I definitely submit photos of stuff like that with my reports (except for Texas Roadhouse, since it's a non-photo shop).

I've done a few TXRH C/O shops. All required numerous photos.
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