American in Scotland defends UK in Chinese takeaway war with the US on TikTok

A BIZARRE argument has erupted between UK and American TikTok over the “authenticity” of our humble British takeaway.

The spat emerged after US Tiktokers became making videos slamming Chinese dishes from Brit and Irish creators on their For You page.

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And an American living in Scotland has stepped in to defend our version of Chinese food, much-loved across the four nations.

Popular content such as “What I eat in a day?” videos and watching creators share their favourite orders from the takeaway can gain traction on the social media platform.

Videos of people opening their prawn crackers, pouring curry sauce on their chips, and dipping chicken balls into bright-red gooey sweet and sour sauce can often go viral gaining millions of views.

But many Americans struggled to get their head around some of the menu items from a traditional UK Chinese takeaway – and losing their mind over how we call it a “a Chinese.”

US-based creator Soogia, who has 1.7million followers on the platform, even went as far to say the suggestion of “going for a Chinese” could be construed as racist, although she knows it was not intended to be.

She added her confusion at our love of dishes salt and chilli chips, chicken balls and curry sauce, “when there there’s such a beautiful world of Chinese food out there.”

Soogia’s video went viral, sparking outrage from UK creators who felt it was a “chronically online” take, with many British Chinese stepping in explain the relationship and history behind a Chinese carryout on these islands.

However, Edinburgh-based TikToker Hayley Phillips (@haysfordays) who has lived in Scotland since 2012, responded to Soogia’s viral video as the voice of reason.

The creator has previously explained to a US audience the idiosyncratic nature of Scots cuisine – from Scotch Pie to Irn Bru.

This time she broke down why our beloved Chinese food is so different to that in the states.

She said: “This discussion is everywhere and my American followers have asked for an explanation, so we’re getting a Chinese tonight.”

Hayley first explains why it is called “a Chinese” – clearing up the confusion over the phrasing.

She continued: “Both in the US and the UK, we are shortening a longer phrase.

“It is what we leave out that makes the difference.

“So in the US, what we are really saying is I’m getting Chinese *takeout* or I’m getting Chinese *food*.

“And ‘food’ and ‘takeout’ are both mass nouns, so you don’t need to put an ‘a’ in front of it.

“In Britain, it is *takeaway*, rather than takeout.

“And that is a count noun.

“And you also tend to say a Chinese *meal* or an Indian *meal* which is also a count noun.

“They don’t typically say Chinese food, or Indian food.

“And count nouns are countable so you would say ‘a’ meal or ‘a’ takeaway.

“And there are lots of differences between British Chinese food and American Chinese food.

“There are similarities as well, there are a lot of the same dishes.

“But some of the most important things, are very different.”

In a second video, Hayley addresses the differences such as chips as a side dish and the overuse of curry sauce.

She explained chips are a go-to side dish with most meals in the UK and that chips get served with Takeaways of pretty much any cuisine, each with their own version.

She added: “And one of the best parts of British Chinese food is salt and chilli chips, and the ones I get are usually seasoned with salt, MSG, some kind of spice, such as Chinese five spice, and then they get tossed with fried peppers and onions, and you have it with this specifically Chinese-style curry sauce. It’s delicious.”

Hayley shows her plate of food, with Lemon Chicken and chow Mein – and Salt & Pepper chips with curry sauce.

She added: “Don’t knock it until you tried it, it’s amazing.”

The rise of Chinese takeaways in the UK started after the Second World War, with the return of service personnel from Hong Kong who decided to move to the UK.

They exploded in the 1960s and 70s, but catered to the basic tastes of post-war Britain who survived rationing and were not used to sophisticated flavours of a more global cuisine.

Adaptations of Chinese dishes using local vegetables and cuts of meat made the takeaways in the UK swell in popularity, where they now remain one of our top five cuisines.

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