Foodventure Fail: Shrimp Fried Rice and Veggie Egg Rolls
Knowing I had some odds and ends at my house that didn’t amount to much in and of themselves, I stopped at Trader Joe’s last night to pick up some things to supplement what was already in my pantry and fridge. I had big plans for a fun meal that would make for a great post, but I was too hungry to engage in a big project, so I went with Plan B. I picked up frozen shrimp fried rice and vegetarian egg rolls, in part because I was craving Chinese takeout but didn’t want to pay for it and in part because I wanted immediate gratification. In the end, I was less than satisfied.
The egg rolls were supposed to cook for 20-25 minutes in a 375 degree oven and be turned once after about 10 minutes. I put them in a lightly oiled pan, as instructed, but when I went to turn them, they were stuck in a bad way and fell apart. When the entire cooking time was up, they were not crisp and the insides that ended up on the pan were burned in such a way that made the pan almost impossible to clean.
The shrimp fried rice wasn’t terrible, but it took much longer to cook through than the bag said it would. After heating a little butter in a pan and getting the pan very hot, the food should only have taken about 2-3 minutes to cook, but after 3 minutes, the shrimp were still frozen solid. Plus, I’m not sure why this didn’t occur to me before I bought it, but the idea of frozen egg pieces did not sit well with me and I never got past that. I was too filled with anxiety wondering if the shrimp were really cooked enough and praying that I didn’t bite into a semi-frozen piece of egg to enjoy what was otherwise an ok meal.
What’s worse though is that because this was all so unsatisfying, I’m still craving Chinese.
Yes, I’m embarrassed to admit all of this, but I promised Frank a post about my Tuesday dinner. It was an official Foodventure Fail. But hey, for those of you who don’t like pretentious food blogs, know that I’m big enough to admit that I’m not above a fast, frozen option, particularly on a weeknight.
If you have a better suggestion for a cheap, takeout alternative–or weeknight meal in general that doesn’t disappoint–please pass it along in the comments section.
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Tags: Foodventure Fail, seafood, weeknight options
March 4, 2009 3:35 pm 
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By Dana, March 4, 2009 @ 4:58 pm
so yea of course I’m going to comment on this because I just had to let you know that even the effort you put into a frozen meal is 10x more than any meal I prepare. Here’s a day in the dana diet:
- Morning: Take oatmeal package from my company’s pantry. Make tea in one of those machines where you hit a button (no real tea bags involved)
-Afternoon: Buy a small soup or half a sandwich from one of the generic places in the bland square that spans 53 – 59 st btw park and 5th…immediately regret it
-Evenings: sometimes a bowl of life cereal, sometimes i’m too lazy even for that
So keep your chin up about the frozen chinese food. At least in that you can see the ingredients, unlike take-out from ‘human delight’
By Katie, March 4, 2009 @ 5:08 pm
Haha, I love it. Low key is good. You should talk to Dan about the continental spread his work used to provide, but has since nixed on account of the recession. It’s really ruining his lifestyle.
And yes, anything is better than “Human Delight.” I have a new favorite though that I’m pretty sure doesn’t involve cats: Golden Dragon in Alexandria. My favorite dish is “Shredded Beef with Green Peppers and Parsley.” I use quotes because that’s what it’s called on the menu, but instead of green peppers, it is served with asparagus and apparently “parsley” to the Chinese is actually “cilantro.” The first time I ordered it, I got a big kick out of that. Now I take pride in ordering it and feeling ahead of the curve because I know what I’m really going to get.