American Fried Rice, and the Absurdist World of Asian-Western Food

[@ferriswalcc]

as an actual thai person, american fried rice is my favorite childhood meal, i love it sm

[@Ucada]

True. It's still my fav dish!

[@elleyhappy8190]

Me too😋😋😋❤️❤️👍

[@nattanonkertprakob]

It's still my favorite dish although I'm adult rn.

[@BIueDreamm]

I am not a Thai but I do order it when I am at tok la dee. The 24 hours restaurant with a super market.

[@nathanbarnhart7823]

No kidding? My fiancé (I’m an American expat living in Thailand) tells me about loving this growing up. I personally can’t stand it. But I don’t care for ketchup in general.z

[@issarest]

There is a dish in Thailand that's similar and older than American Fried Rice called ข้าวผัดรถไฟ (Rodfai fried rice consisted of Fried rice with Tomato paste, butter etc .. ) serving the socialite that travel by train (Rodfai in Thai) to Huahin in the mid 1920s. The dish was credited to Bertha Dechanuchit เบอร์ธา เดชานุชิต who oversea the Hotel Rodfai Huahin and the train to Huahin meal . You still can try the original recipe at The Railway Restaurant at Centara Grand Beach Resort & Villas Huahin which were the Hotel Rodfai Huahin.

[@OTRontheroad]

What an amazing lead. You’ll get credit when we do this video eventually

[@reinventingada]

Very insightful, I’ve never heard of this fancy rodfai fried rice before. I believe the general idea of rodfai fried rice is the cheap and convenient one consists of very few ingredients like Chinese broccoli ผักคะน้่า dark soy sauce etc. It’s a Thai style fried being sold by vendors on the trains during a brief stop at every station.

[@issarest]

well there is a confusion between the actual Rodfai fried rice and the normal fried rice sold by vendors on train. You can find the normal variety anywhere not only on train. Travel by train used to be very luxurious during the mid 1920s. Only the socialite can afford to travel by train (think of the Oriental Express).To add more confusion is the fact that the Rod fai hotel in Huahin was serving food on the train to Huahin. So the name mean the meal created by the Rodfai hotel and served on the train (Rodfai) at that time. It was a luxurious meal (most ingredients have to be imported at that time) not a cheap meal on the train like today.

[@pannavich_hsieh]

You can also try it at Took Lae Dee restaurant in every Foodland Supermarket, can be found in downtowns, Bangkok

[@gyanprakash7445]

blah blah blah mansplaining

[@matthewjanney2399]

having worked in a Thai restaurant in america, this was staff meal a few times and i love it, my boss i think said it was kind of a childhood nostalgia/collage dorm meal for her. The whole category of western food as re-imagined by Asian cooks is a goldmine of interesting things

[@OTRontheroad]

Isn't it?? I feel like there's so much I still don't know about it. Like living in Hong Kong before, I obviously fell in love with the chacaanteng over-the-top western stuff...but this was my first time even considering how expansive the category actually is.

[@kaizerkoala]

Chris Yenbamroong (Chef and Owner of Night+Market) seem to like this dish very much too.

[@abmong]

Yes, minus the raisins it's very popular with Thai kids. I had it many times as a kid growing up in Thailand in the 80s. Still popular with Thai kids today. Kids just love junk food and the dish has a lot of those ingredients what with the fried chicken, the cheap hotdogs, ham and ketchup. But rather than being American, the dish itself reminds me more of an English Breakfast fry-up. I might just create a new abomination... English fried rice... Rice stir-fried in baked beans accompanied by the English sauage, bacon, mushroom and fried egg.

[@TheBodiesInTheWaterBeckons]

​@@abmong same. I always put the raisins to the side (i hate it so much) after i devoured all of it.

[@abmong]

@@TheBodiesInTheWaterBeckons Raisins and Sultanas are food warts, GROSS.

[@pm7128]

I grew up in Bangkok but have been living in Virginia for 30+ years. Growing up, the American fried rice was sold in the pretty fancy steakhouse in Siam Square. It was not sold in street vendors like it is now. It was considered a high end food since ham and hot dog were imported, not locally produced. The name probably inspired by the ingredients; fried chicken, fried egg, hot dog, ham, and ketchup, Thais saw as American. The dish probably created by the chef in American restaurant to cater to local customers who were not familar with American food.

[@OTRontheroad]

Where in Virginia? I’m from Charlottesville

[@pm7128]

@@OTRontheroad I lived in Alexandria before moving to Woodbridge.

[@yugiohduallink681]

I've heard a different story of this dish. This menu is invented from a funny situation, There was an American's soldier flight which was canceled due to some reason, then a Thai chef who was already prepared foods for those tourists do not want to wasted the ingredients(they were sausages, eggs, ketchups, hams etc) so she decided to mixed everything together to create this wonderful dish. ( She named it American fried rice or ข้าวผัดอเมริกัน in Thai) I hope you understand the story ( not my native language tho)

[@choksommainadontan3565]

@@yugiohduallink681 เรื่องจริงครับ

[@Kwippy]

American fried rice is most popular among children in Thailand, with its sweetness, ketchup flavour, and particularly its lack of spices. Most young children do not enjoy spices and would not eat stuff like curries and spicy stir fries.

[@jatuphongwingwan8724]

I was an exchange student in America back in like 2003 or something, and I showed this recipe to my host family at first they were disgusted by the thought of having Ketchup in fired rice, but once they tried it they were ok with this combination. looking back at it I'm not regret sharing that experience with my host family, to show them what a perspective an American dishes and an American's influence on Thai ppl.

[@pmuean]

American fried rice holds a special place in my heart from childhood. It was the ultimate comfort food for me, but I didn't get to eat it often, only on special occasions, such as when my family decided to dine out at what I considered a fancy restaurant (although it was just a local establishment). So, if my words matter to you, please don't feel bad that American fried rice is a representation of American food in Thai cuisine.

[@OTRontheroad]

Thanks! Haha- my issue isn't with the dish, I just really, really don't like ketchup. I'm glad people like it. It's interesting and I had a blast making this video. But man...I can't do the ketchup rice! Other than that, it's quite fun.

[@siriratkovadhana5260]

same here. it was quite popular during 90's, remembering always ordered this when dined with family in restaurant.

[@irinaanttila2112]

There should be a club for people who absolutely hate ketchup 😆 I swear I can eat pretty much everything and I've travelled quite a bit but ketchup I have a tough time wirh.

[@RavenAdventwings]

@@OTRontheroad You should see what Thai people do when we eat pizzas - take a slice, then dump a dollop of ketchup, oregano, AND shredded cheddar on TOP of the pizza slice. Doesn't matter if it's a seafood topping, Hawaiian, or plain ol' pepperoni. You can imagine as I, having lived in the USA for six years, watch in dumbfound shock as they eat it all up while my plain unadulterated pizza sits limp off my hand. It took a while for most Thai people to also forego eating pizza with fork and knife. The younger generations have begun eating pizza the American way, but the ketchup topping seems to still be a hit. And due to commercial licensing, it's always the Heinz Ketchup that gets used.

[@OTRontheroad]

@@RavenAdventwings reminds me of the first time I went to a Chinese banquet and saw expensive French wine mixed with ice and 7-Up. But I’ll try not to judge- even if I think something is complete chaos, let everyone eat what they like.

[@thanwaniphatjaroen3031]

Very well-created documentary about something I've always wondered about as well! As a Thai person myself, I understand completely why you would be so sad when people associated your food with American fried rice. A lot of my foreigner friends also told me that Pad Thai is the best Thai food in existence, and Pad Thai is not even one on my top 20 favorite Thai food.

[@shank.7590]

I was so horrified at the scene where the woman tried to eat American fried rice with fork instead of spoon. IT DOESN'T WORK THAT WAY and it clearly showed with how her plate was such a mess lol

[@vitzveer]

You might not like it, but don't be sad about it. It is a special and nostalgic menu that has its place in many of Thai people hearts. Kids love it and when they become adults, many people still crave it from time to time. I don't like ketchap myself, but sometimes, once in a while, it's still good to have this dish.

[@AdrianPak24]

In Malaysia there’s a common dish usually found in Malay stalls call Nasi Goreng USA - or the USA fried rice. Not sure if it was inspired by Thailand or Invented in isolation.

[@JaTitapa]

Don't be sad because of American fried rice... At least, thai people still enjoy eating it especially kids!!​ It's only dish that they can eat sausages, eggs, ham, fried chicken, fried rice (all the kids favorite) in the same plate. It's like heaven when i was kid. If we use tomoto sauce to make fried rice.. It become risotto instead!!​ It's not thai 🤭

[@aerosuffly]

Whatever the origin is, I can say that I love this dish as a kid and still do! It is sweet, salty, umami. It is fun and playful to eat. You can argue with your mom that you an eat vegetable (the raisin and tomato which are not vegetable). Btw, Thai has something similar to spagetthi napolitan too. It is pad maccaroni, which you can find in most whatever-you-order food vendors. Some vendors will mix ketchup with the Thai sri racha chili sauce and stir-fry the maccaroni in that. Yum!

[@OTRontheroad]

That actually sounds like it might be sneaky delicious

[@juliandco]

This is great. Funny, too. When I lived in France, my host family kept offering me ketchup for my food. I never used it, but the French dad put it on everything. Now I use ketchup a lot--but I mix it with sriracha sauce.

[@OTRontheroad]

Ketchup...has a place. I’m not against ketchup as a condiment. But maybe not as the centerpiece of a meal

[@Thepolabear84]

The history of this dish was the left over American breakfast from hotel and the chef didn’t want to throw away so he made a special meal with rice for everyone. Thai people eat rice for 3 times a day and bread is just like a snack for many of us. It took me a while to eat bread as a meal even I have been living aboard 😅 we know what real American food taste like and this is just something easy to eat for us.

[@thatthebee]

I believe Thai people love the experience of eating 'western food'. It feel privileged regardless of the fact that it is actually not the 'western' food- Just the combination of western ingredients with rice. Great job on the video tho. (I love random insert of cat dolls and teddy bears 🐻😆)

[@kaizerkoala]

FYI, Thailand has something similar to Cha Chaan Teng too. We call it "Cook Shop". It's originated from Hainanese who worked as chef's assistance in foreigner house. Not long ago, it was about to extinct from the restaurant scene but make a little bit of comeback recently. Also, IMO, I think Thai's ketchup and hotdog is actually very different than in the State.

[@OTRontheroad]

If you’re interested, shoot me an e-mail sometime at [e-mail] ....I’d love to learn more about that subject. You just taught me something new. Forgive me if it takes a bit before I respond. In Laos. Back Friday.

[@michl2612]

That sounds interesting! Do you have the name of a restaurant that currently serves this kind of food?

[@kaizerkoala]

@@michl2612 The OG: Silom Restaurant (Borommaratchachonnani), Tampa Cafe (Florida Hotel near BTS Phaya Thai), Agave or Fu Mui Kee 2 (Rama 9) Historic one but now known more for Thai and Hainan dish: Mitr Go Yuan (Dinso rd. Near Giant Swing), Hua Hin Potchana (near Ministry of Transport), Ming Lee (Old Town) The one that is so far from BKK: Ko Heng (Sawan Khalok, Sukhothai Province) The new reimagination: Ang Mor (Phra Khanong) The one that is not strictly a cook shop but similar enough: Sa Ard (Si Yaek Baan Khaek); the owner is probably Teochew instead of Hainanese. This show the parallel evolutionn.

[@michl2612]

@@kaizerkoala Thank you so much for these tips!! I will be in BKK soon and explore them! Can't wait to try this specific kind of food.

[@icy2527]

@@kaizerkoala Silom restaurant is my childhood fav. Steak salad and beef tongue stew are the best !

[@nininnine]

You might want to have a look at Japan's Napolitan Spaghetti and the fired rice used in Omurisu which both uses ketchup as well.

[@MichaelDaniel123]

I am 72 year old American. Retired in Thailand. My Mother made what she called Spanish Rice. It was rice with maybe spaghetti sauce, onions, more. I do not think Ketchup. But we loved it. Young kids, you know. I now remember, hamburger also.

[@phuyaibankaengkro]

Don't know Why But I really enjoy watching your content, I learned more about my own culture from your channel than school .

[@tanfilly]

American fried rice began in the 1970s during the Vietnam War. Thailand was an American ally and was used as a military base during this war. American soldiers likely had sausages ketchup, ham, and raisins as their rations, so they decided to try to combine them with the local food, fried rice.

[@scottwarner9856]

Deep fried peanut butter french toast sounds incredible to be honest.

[@OTRontheroad]

And it is.

[@user-lc6dx4zm4y]

Now I can relate to how my Italian friends feel about NY-style Pizza, Chicago Deep Dish, or Pasta Alfredo. Don't get me wrong I love those dishes but my friends don't. Anyway, I love your content!

[@Tutiepitbull]

History of American Fried Rice It comes from a Thai chef who invented food for American soldiers who fought in the Vietnam War. the chef thinks Americans love to eat sauce and ham. therefore mixed together

[@lalida6432]

My (Thai) mom makes something she calls ‘Pad Macaroni,’ which is basically Bucatini (the ‘macaroni’ in question) stir-fried with tomato paste, slivers of onions, and chunks of chicken. It actually tastes pretty good. But I always thought it was an anomoly in our at home Thai cooking.

[@tyteen4a03]

American fried rice also exists in Hong Kong. Didnt expect it in Thailand of all places though!

[@lamancha5090]

This video is really well made and deserve more view. As a Thai person i really love this dish as a kid and i still love it now. I'm really addicted to ketchup. I was curious and try to research this dish as well but didn't get far pass Vietnam war before i find a dead end in Thai website. So, this video help a lots.

[@TheBodiesInTheWaterBeckons]

There's also an equivalent of this for Japan. The Tokyo Pancake or ขนมโตเกียว (Kanom Tokyo) in Thai, which i love so much. They're quite difficult to find as they only sell on a modified motorcycle.

[@OTRontheroad]

Yes, we’ve had others also suggest a video on Thai-Japanese street snacks. Something to file away for sure

[@J.L.sleepybear]

American fried rice, Stir-fried spagetti(or magaroni) with ketchup & hotdog(sausage), and Magaroni soup are favorite menus for many Thai kids many years ago including me. Again, watching this vid reminding me all the happy times when eating all those dishes cooked by my mum. 😊❤

[@ภูมิรพีอาษากิจ]

every time I see the pain on his face and the disappointment in his voice when talking about American Fried Rice, It makes me laugh my ass out 555555555555555 The pain and confusion feed me lmao the "Why" it's just perfect LMFAO

[@p5gBand]

OMG. I was born in Thailand to a Thai family who emigrated to the US 51 years ago. When we were kids, my mom used to make American fried rice as it was quick and inexpensive (both of my parents worked 2 and 3 jobs for a while so price was a big factor in our meals). I remember how much we loved that dish and today I make it for my grandkids when I'm in a rush or am feeling nostalgic. They love it too. Thank you OTR for the walk down memory lane.

[@Wookieks]

I was in the US Marine Corp and was stationed at Camp Hansen from 1980 to 1982, the base shown in your video and I know what you are talking about. Though I didn't care of some of the odder Americanized things, I preferred real Japanese and Okinawan food, I have eaten that before. Also I have seen more than one friend while staggering back from the bar stop at a food shop and order either fried rice or Yakisoba and drown it in ketchup. Broke my heart. It was perfect sans the ketchup. When I was in Hong Kong from 1995 to 2001 Pizza Hut had what was called Americas Favorite Pizza and it included Cuttlefish, Corn, and Thousand Island dressing. Being the adventurous kind I actually tried it with a British friend of mine. It went right in the bin and we ordered a Pepperoni Pizza. Americas favorite pizza was disgusting.

[@reddskii]

Only in Thailand for this menu ❤ the history is they used some materials that left from breakfast for Americans GI in 60’s. ❤

[@higashirinchiah1013]

Malaysian's Nasi Goreng USA consist of Shrimp ( U for Udang), Squid ( S for sotong) and Chicken ( A for ayam), probably not related to the country 🤣. My impression is usually slightly more luxurious than the average Nasi Goreng 🤣

[@applelaung8168]

I am in 50 and I heard the American Fried Rice story from my friend parents when I was young because as a child I love this dish. It’s the same story that you have. It’s all starting at the airport and flight cancellation. 😅

[@mitch7044]

I rarely order American Fried Rice but every time I eat it, it’s not bad at all 😀

[@wolfgang3385]

This used to be my childhood breakfast, I used to get this along with ไส้กรอกผัดซอส(sausages tossed in ketchup) I wonder why did ketchup become widely used in some thai dishes😂

[@NaratoNara]

Thinking of about American food for Thai people in common: - Bread - Tomato (this is why it is aways end up with ketchup) - Sausage - Fried Chicken - Cheese Main reference in their mind: Hamburger, Hotdog, Fast food

[@touchii018]

40-50 years ago, as a child from outskirt Bangkok, American fried rice was a fancy meal I love to eat at the restaurant that come with fancy ingredients: raisin, ham, sausage. Love it.

[@htinsharkyaw8308]

You got that kinda right for burma. We don’t add ketchup to the dish. It’s just your normal Asian fried rise with a bit more soy sauce(the sweet one) instead of a toast for our American fried rice.

[@AllanEdwin]

A slight tangent to this is Filipino Spaghetti, which is what you get when you substitute ketchup for tomato sauce. I suspect it came out of Filipinos cooking for Americans and only having ketchup. Over the years it has skewed away from the sour acid of vinegar in the ketchup towards being a very sweet sauce. It became the standard preparation and you can now buy prepared Filipino style spaghetti sauce in the Asian aisle at the store. To each their own, but I always give it a miss at get togethers with family and friends.

[@maekkongsawad]

I grew up with this dish at diners and street vendors. I believe it first started to become a thing during the Vietnam War to serve to American GIs on R&R in Thailand

[@tftfgubedgukm7911]

In Malaysia we have Mexican buns which have nothing to do at all with Mexico. Just like you have Mongolian Beef, Mongolian hotpot etc. Chop suey is BTW the English corruption of the Cantonese word "chap choi" meaning assorted vegetables.

[@silverchairsg]

There's Nasi Goreng USA in Malaysia. Nasi = rice, Goreng = fried, Udang = prawn, Sotong = squid, Ayam = chicken.

[@tatcha3801]

It has soy sauce and has a sweet taste from raisins So the slightly salty chicken and ham with the mildly flavored fried egg will make it a combination. and even if it's the same menu But the taste of each restaurant is different. It's a taste for locals, not a taste for foreigners But if you like ketchup with fried rice, you might like it.

[@OTRontheroad]

I think the Hong Kong version balances the soy sauce with the ketchup more than what we tried here, which was a lot more ketchup-forward. But yes your description is good

[@tatcha3801]

@@OTRontheroad They knew how to cook fried rice ! In the past, Thai people loved to eat food in Hong Kong very much. They serve Chinese food and Western desserts, but now Many Hong Kong restaurants have opened in Thailand.(restaurants From HK,so Thai people can eat it in TH. Lucky)

[@tatcha3801]

@@OTRontheroad We also have Tim Cook's favorite Michelin-star restaurant. recommended for foreigners !

[@Anakinpark]

I'm 40 and I still order this menu every time I go to Foodland(Supermarket). The story that I've heard since I was a child is This menu was made and sold to American soldiers stationed in Thailand during World War II. Some American soldiers were still unable to eat Thai food during that time. However, I remember that in the 80s and 90s this dish was not sold in street food but only in expensive restaurants. And I can only eat this menu for special occasions. When my family only goes to eat at a restaurant. 😊

[@nunknik1314]

สงครามเวียดนามไหมค่ะ ถ้าสงครามโลกครั้งที่2 น่าจะเป็นญี่ปุ่นที่ตั้งฐานในไทย

[@avcomth]

My dad was a liaison for the Thai foreign ministry and the US armed forces stationed in Thailand in the early 1970s---during the Vietnam war. He said that frozen processed foods such as sausages, hams, salami, fish fingers etc. that were flown in from America on C-130s would be marked "spoiled" in a certain proportion of every shipment by American personnel. Of course they werent really spoiled but a source of extra income for them. The pallets would be wheeled off the tarmac to waiting trucks bound for five stars hotels in downtown Bangkok.

[@aungkarns]

สวัสดีครับ ผมเกิดปี 1974 ในตอนที่ผมยังเด็ก ข้าวผัดอเมริกัน ไม่ได้หากินได้ทั่วไป ต้องเป็นร้านอาหารหรู ตามโรงแรม ซ้อสมะเขือเทศไม่ได้มีทุกบ้าน ต้องบ้านคนที่พอมีฐานะดีพอสมควร น่องไก่ทอด ใส้กรอกและแฮมเป็นของมีราคา ไม่ใช่ทุกคนจะหากินได้อย่างทุกวันนี้ และแน่นอนว่าในสมัยก่อนคุณภาพของแฮมและใส้กรอกจะมีคุณภาพที่ดีมาก ข้าวผัดอเมริกันสำหรับคนรุ่นผมคือเมนูที่หรูหราดูดี และอร่อยถูกปาก ตอนผมเป็นวัยรุ่นจะมีภาพยนตร์ไทยที่โด่งดัง ที่มีตัวละครเอกชอบกินข้าวผัดอเมริกัน ยิ่งทำให้เมนูนี้เป็นที่รู้จัก และไข่ดาวที่มีในเมนูนี้จะต้องเป็นไข่ดาวที่ทอดแบบฝรั่งไม่ทอดจนสุกกรอบแต่จะทอดพอสุก สวยงาม ข้าวผัดจะผัดกับเนยและซ้อสมะเขือเทศกระป๋องเข้มข้น ใส้ถั่วเขียวเป็นเม็ด ใส่ลูกเกดอย่างดี แม้ทุกวันนี้ข้าวผัดอเมริกันจะมีอยู่ในร้านอาหารทั่วไปแต่ก็ไม่ใช่ส่วนใหญ่ ส่วนตัวแล้วผมมีความทรงจำที่ดีกับเมนูนี้ครับ ขอบคุณครับ คนไทย

[@jatc11yey]

I've found Took Lae Dee to be near my hotel haha, should I order americn fried rice or maybe try something else haha

[@shebism]

As a filipino, this is my first tine hearing about anerican fried rice. Fried rice with ketchup is fancilly called java rice which is usually paired with restaurant style barbeque. All fried rice in my country is called sinangag. Put anything you, but it will still be sinangag.

[@nnf9431]

Ketchup may have been invented by the Chinese or Malays, so to end up in fried rice is just coming back full circle lol

[@OTRontheroad]

Lol- but if it was REALLY authentic to the original ketchup, it should use fermented fish...(honestly I think I'd like that more than the present version)

[@siawprasert2433]

American fried rice is my favourite childhood breakfast. Just love sweetness of the raisins in the fried rice. Another interesting Western influenced beloved snack that all Thai kids love is Thai style sandwich with sweet shredded pork, sweet mayonnaise and ham. Growing up eating sweet savoury I thought it was common food until I lived aboard and realised this is definitely only Thai test that Westerners wouldn’t get it.😮 Thank you for your vlog. It brings back my happy childhood with this fried rice. I haven’t seen it for a long time already.

[@OTRontheroad]

Thanks! And yes- I love that stuff. It's not that different from what you'd find in Chinese bakeries- pork floss and sweet mayonnaise on white bread. I'll admit it's a guilty pleasure favorite.

[@eccentricbeliever7]

Jasper's never been to the states?? How does he sound more american than the american on this channel

[@tarjeijensen9369]

Judging from the Cooking Haru KZbin channel, SPAM is still popular in at least South Korea. I love spagetti with Norwegian ketchup and black pepper. I will even eat bread with ketchup and mustard. I just love the taste. I also happen to love curries.

[@DeanHarringtonimages]

On your next trip to Japan... check out Sasabo hamburgers in Kyushu!

[@MelanieAF]

Just don’t blame Americans for all weird appropriations. Spam was a WWII military ration, and the Hawaiians still love it, in the form to which they put it.

[@CaravelClerihew]

How is this absurdist? It's Asians using American ingredients, likely a result of military aid or globalisation, to enhance local cuisine. Calling this absurdist is like calling New York-style pizza absurdist.

[@OTRontheroad]

It's like the Bizarro Jerry episode of Seinfeld. It's almost familiar, but something very off of what we know. And that's the point- it's only "absurdist" from the perspective of people who grew up in the west. If someone in Italy wanted to call New York Pizza absurdist, I'd be totally fine with that, as it definitely could be from their point of view. It's a totally subjective video and just about our own reaction to the food- certainly not calling anyone wrong here. Thanks for watching and commenting!

[@Emtdevo107]

I'll tell you what is absurdist. Telling other people what qualifies as absurdist.

[@tookitogo]

No, it’s very different: New York pizza evolved in USA _by Italian immigrants._ They had to adapt to the ingredients available there, but it began as an earnest attempt to continue making a familiar dish from the old country, initially for other Italian immigrants. Asian “Western” cuisine was developed _by locals,_ not by American immigrants, and not _for_ Americans, either! A much more apt comparison is things like the canned “Chinese” food introduced in USA in the 1920s by La Choy, a company founded by a Korean and an American. Or when you see things labeled as “Asian” at fully American restaurants.

[@GrumpyWebGuy]

(59yr old American who has lived in Asia) Never heard of it

[@eswillie]

I get it, but I'd have to be really hungry before I could say that I enjoy it. Better than nothing, I guess. I grew up with a mix of quite a few of the same ingredients, but after eating Thai and other Asian dishes, I would have a hard time with any of these. Reminds me of when I was in Bangkok and the first McDonald's opened.....the burger tasted like cardboard and I couldn't even finish it. Thanks for the history, though, it will explain a lot to folks who don't know how it all started.

[@OTRontheroad]

When did the first McDonalds open? Roughly

[@eswillie]

@@OTRontheroad I was in Bangkok for several months in the Fall of '69, and it was my understanding that it had just opened a month or two earlier.

[@mr.cookie7308]

Every family has a very basic, sometimes even weird comfort dish that they grew up with. And its as familar as that old family sofa thats been in the family for over 20 years. Thats what this dish represents for some Thai families that dream of America.

[@icy2527]

I agree with the comment about "Cook Shop" it'll worth your time.

[@woraponintanam5692]

Bro, try TOKYO NEXT its a dessert too and fr ya gonna love no cap

[@lorddaylight8740]

American breakfast + fried rice = American fried rice...

[@Peer_Review]

Pretty good video, although I can see why some people would get taken aback by some of your reactions to local cuisine. On the origins of raisins and carrots in American fried rice, the dish bears a lot of resemblance to Pilaf/Pilau/Polo that is found across Eastern Europe and Asia. It often has raisins, carrots, and some sort of meat but adding in ketchup as a cheap flavoring/substitute to more traditional spices wouldn't be the greatest leap to make. So my guess would be it has it's origins in Pilaf.

[@OTRontheroad]

Definitely something I wish I'd covered- oversight on my part. The section in the video about imported foods and how the spread of ingredients is actually what created basically all "Western" dishes- that's the raisins. In the 1950s, there was a big push of California Raisins into overseas markets, and at the time it was one of the most recognizable American ingredients available at Thai grocery stores. Absolutely my fault for not including this part- trimmed it from the script for length because I thought in context it was implied, but it most certainly was not. And thanks for the comment. I hope anyone who thinks of this in any way as condescending or offensive watches any of our other videos- it's literally a love affair with Thai/Asian cooking and culture. I'm a former journalist who gave up my career, packed up, and moved to China to study local cooking in 2010 and never looked back. I just hate ketchup.

[@SuperPromethee]

I'm trying to find 'american style fried rice' recipe..Is there such a thing on earth???😅

[@OTRontheroad]

hot-thai-kitchen.com/american-fried-rice/

[@BastyTHz]

this dish is made for american soldier that had docked in thailand in vietnam war time, those soldier are hard to adapt to thai food so this dish is making from ingredient that can find in america and thai, the old type didnt have resin, some even put toasted bread, and yep it didnt represent america or anything just for easier to stomach also thai gonna be next us military base since 7th fleet move from okinawa to thai and american-endose party won the most number in election.

[@tacticoolbob]

American Fried Rice is also comfort food from my childhood 🙏🥰

[@ricardodias3541]

As someone who immigrated to the US from Europe, this video gave me a deep sense of sadness every time "American Fried Rice" was shown.

[@patpatpatting]

Very cool clips. I wish that you have gone to Udontani to find the origin of the dish. I asked my aunt who used to work in Udontani Air Force base where she met her American GI husband. She made us kids, the American fried rice when she visited Thailand when I was young. I asked her how come the dish called American fried rice? She told me “I don’t know but I saw this in the Udontani AFB cafeteria.” She mentioned that it came from the GI leftover food: canned Vienna sausage, spam (my aunt called it ham in a can), snack size box raisins, and ketchup. Fried egg was added per Thai taste. I still do not know how the fried chicken, peas, and carrot came into the dish though. Coz back then it was only some diced onion (if you have it) and raisins. I believe the hotdog and deli ham was a substitute for the Vienna sausage and spam.

[@OTRontheroad]

Wow! I wonder if I could find anyone today who would talk about that story. Fun angle to check out.

[@patpatpatting]

I hope the new gens keep asking questions and find the connection of globalization through food. I know my grandmothers and my aunties did not care for me when I helped out in the kitchen but kept asking about the origin of the dish. Lol

[@bolshoibooze8010]

I'm from Udonthani and I asked the same question "why did they called it American". My dad used to work at the base #23 as delivery boy when he was a kid during the Vietnam war and he liked American fried rice. He confirmed that the America fried rice came out around that time where every fried rice in Thailand were literally the same old boring fast food and in seriously need of a new veriety. But my grandpa who has been around much longer said the idea of the American fried rice were actually American-Japanese influence. I have no doubt that the idea were much closer to taco rice. In Thailand during that time, hot dogs/hams/ketchup/even cheese were considered rare, foreign, the caviar of ingredients...and it makes sense because the target consumer were actually Thai people themselves.

[@xenro77]

this is one of those thing when that when you finish you felt like you're smarter.

[@Oakyman]

I'm in 40s and this is still my favorite dish since childhood!!

[@u2bst1nks]

Funny thing is that tomato ketchup was invented by westerners trying to recreate expensive fermented sauces imported from either South East Asia or China. So you have South East Asian people trying to make a western dish, using ketchup that was made by westerners trying to recreate a South East Asian sauce.

[@OTRontheroad]

that could be the first paragraph of the encyclopedia entry for "food history". It's a ridiculous (and endlessly entertaining) topic.

[@u2bst1nks]

​@@OTRontheroad I've always said that all food is fusion. As long as we've had the ability to travel and trade we've been trading food and the culture alongside it.

[@ranjanbiswas3233]

Hmm that's weird. We have CP in our country too and they sell this here(without ham because it's a Muslim majority country and sausage they use is Chicken sausage). I never tried it because raisins and ketchup in rice doesn't sound appetizing.

[@Naedlus]

Well, at least there were a few dishes on the list of "American" foods in Asia that I would be actively interested in partaking in eating, rather than just learning just how they came to be, and stuck around.

[@krusher181]

Why the hell are there raisins in it?

[@SadudeeBenjavichitsuk]

Jambalaya. Man. During Vietnam war, there were a lot of southern man from Louisiana and Alabama served back then.That is my theory

[@OTRontheroad]

That's an insult to jambalaya! Hahaha...I love the theory but if I served this to friends in New Orleans, they'd never let me back

[@SadudeeBenjavichitsuk]

@@OTRontheroad This is the most similar dish I can imagine. By the way love your way of work man. I always love to know food culture around the world. Keep it it bro

[@ohofai]

Love the depth of the history and how you compared it to the neighboring countries as well. I learn new things in every of your video. Oh how little I know about everyday food I eat !

[@yoozpenz]

Thai version of tomato risotto…yum

[@NickChamnong1]

The trick to this dish is to not eat the raisins.

[@PaulA-kr1nl]

It’s interesting that ketchup has made full circle from China to the West and back. The original koe-cheup (Southern Min) was made from fermented fish and soybeans but didn’t have tomatoes.

[@JimFeig]

There is a another pork based meat I think Asians would prefer over spam, its only made in one state unfortunately. Porkroll/Taylor's Ham

[@mirrorocean3852]

It was my favorite comfort food. When I was younger than 10..before I moved to the US, now I am 40, I normally ordered it at the swimming pool club near my house. It wasn’t sold at street vendors back then.

[@PJUNZIP]

This was my favorite food when I was a kid, 40 years ago. Even now, I still have it quite often sometimes.

[@denseone]

To be fair, the American Fried Rice or ข้าวผัดอเมริกัน has its fans, including those who eat it and those who cook it. Also the raisin is more important than you give it credit for, to be “authentic” you have to have raisins, otherwise it’s an adaptation (of an imitation of a stereotype). Great content and research by the way.

[@OTRontheroad]

Thank you! I responded to another comment about this earlier, about how I cut it from the script (maybe I shouldn't have?) but the raisins also showed up in this thanks to marketing (California Raisins) and what was available around that time period. Honestly I have no issue with the dish. It's the ketchup I have a personal hatred towards

[@denseone]

@@OTRontheroad Ohh I completely agree on the ketchup thing (my mom would argue otherwise, I think ketchup companies might be paying her, and my dad likes to put maggi in his to make ketchup "less boringly sweet").

[@ambrosiachan1]

thank you 😆. this is one of my favorite. I always eat this everytime I go to Bangkok. And this is the first time knowing the history of this food.

[@sokipper2007]

This and Pad Macaroni (stir fried macaroni with ketchup, tomatoes, onion, and eggs) are DEVINE.

[@ShawnCao-j8z]

I went to your restaurant in Shenzhen. It has one of the most authentic American foods I ever had in China. I love the waffle it serves.

[@ShawnCao-j8z]

I just noticed they are closed, so sad. 😟

[@OTRontheroad]

Hey- sadly, I have no idea the quality these days, haven't been a part of that business in quite a long time- sold my part of it when I left China and realized it wasn't maintaining the standards I was hoping. But wish them all the best.

[@ShawnCao-j8z]

I just checked my dianping review, I went there in June 2021, guess it is still the time before you sold it.@@OTRontheroad. Anyway, I love your channel.

[@OTRontheroad]

@@ShawnCao-j8z hah! June 2021 I would have been in the kitchen. Check your old photos if you have any. I’d have been standing at the corner expediting

[@andrewdunbar828]

My theory is that it came from both sides and merged in the middle. There's still depressingly many western visitors to Thailand that don't like spicy food and so won't even try any local food. I can imagine these types struggling to order something "safe" in places that don't cater to them. Or making their own food out of local ingredients. And then some locals trying what they saw these people eating out of either curiosity or some sense it would make them seem sophisticated. Up until maybe the '80s, lower/middle class Anglo (UK, American, Canadian, Australian) food was pretty bland. I think it predates fast-food chains.

[@JimFeig]

It sounds like a joke food a frat boy would make because it was the only thing he had available. The Noodle hot dog, would dull the flavor of the noodles but it would add convenience. Ok they clearly need to stay away from ketchup, it's just a condiment lol.

[@andrewdunbar828]

In Singapore and Malaysia there's a whole category just called "Western". Over many visits I only ever tried one once when I missed fish 'n' chips. It wasn't special and I went back to my general rule of never eating western food in Asia. Taco rice in Okinawa I don't count as Western food, I count it as locally invented fusion!

[@awibs57]

My mother came to America from Bangkok in 1956 (she's Thai-Chinese) and redid 2 years of high school for English fluency, then did 4 years of college, in Kentucky and Tennessee respectively. At her college, she and two brothers from Hong Kong were the only Asian people anyone had ever met. She used to literally cry at night over how much she missed eating rice. The school cooks tried to accommodate her and made the only rice dish they knew: rice pudding. Her friends all sympathetically shared their portions, but it was so much milk and egg and sugar, and you know how Asian people are with milk, so she was up all night vomiting. After that, the school let her and the two brothers take over the kitchen once a month for 'Chop Suey Night." There was absolutely *no* relevant seasoning available at a Christian school in the deep south in the 1950s, so they just put whatever they could into pots and sauteed them. Ketchup was absolutely a thing that went on rice sometimes because at least it added some kind of flavor but wasn't milk and sugar. The school eventually special-ordered soya sauce for them.

[@iskandartaib]

If you go to ANY restaurant in Malaysia that sells fried rice - be it a Mamak (Indian Muslim) restaurant, a Malay restaurant, a Chinese kopitiam, a street cart, or even a stall in a shopping mall food court, you'll find a huge array of fried rice options, including Nasi Goreng Kampung (with dried anchovies and a couple slices of cucumber), Nasi Goreng Cina, Nasi Goreng Mamak, Nasi Goreng Kantonis, Nasi Goreng Pattaya (I always ask people visiting Pattaya to see if they can actually find Nasi Goreng Pattaya in Pattaya) and Nasi Goreng USA (this usually involves a couple pieces of chicken sausage on the plate).

[@Shingojikung]

As a thai I still wonder why the "Tokyo" called so Its like a fold pancake with some Ingredients inside Actually more like burito

[@andrewdunbar828]

You could consider a story on the origins of catsup/ketchup. I'm sure you know it's not originally based on tomato and isn't from the west. I seem to recall it's originally from Hokkien people in the Philippines? and was a kind of fish sauce.

[@darksideorbit]

Fried Rice from Vietnam war era In Thailand.

[@benjaminchen5715]

American fried rice, a Thai invention, is a dish unheard of in the US. Chop suey and Egg Foo Young are American inventions, unheard of anywhere else. The other day, I went to a Thai restaurant in West Palm Beach, FL. The waiter served a bowl of soup made from instant noodle powder with a scoop of white rice added to it. He said it was a Thai appetizer. My reaction was like yours after tasting the first spoonful of ketchup fried rice.

[@tsuaririndoku]

How does this even called American Fried Rice when you don’t have Cheese Burgers and an AR15 include in the fried rice?!

[@randomsh-t917]

I love the way this channel uncovers the history of food.

[@busharmann]

Now i want one.

[@rahulm4490]

Man....this is just so, so interesting! As shown by the comments, Thai's seem to love this, even though the idea of Ketchup and fried rice seems like an insult and an oversimplification of the spectrum of American tastes to you. I'm guessing this is how you feel, coz that's the way I feel about Indian food in Europe. I had butter chicken in Norway and I was horrified...I want to scream at the Europeans, This is not Indian food...you should taste the real thing. This overdone, extra oily, dumbed down cuisine (and butter chicken is not sweeT FOR GOD'S SAKE) is just a 1/10th imitation of how tasty our home and street food is and the variety, subtlety and variation of the tastes....But people here seem to love it....I sometimes suspect that if they had actual. real Indian food- they might not like it that much.... It's like Chinese food in India....the dishes look similar (noodles, fried rice, manchurian this and that) but they are made with extra spices, extra oil and Chinese students who come to India say this is not Chinese food by a long mile....Meanwhile, Indians who have started travelling abroad and got the chance to taste real Chinese food find they much prefer the Indian style Chinese we have at home...Hence, you literally have 'Indian Chinese' restaurants opening up in California and Europe....LOL