My memory’s a little hazy on this, but I’m pretty sure those cans of mushy vegetables came with a can of crunchy noodles. Like a little kit.
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Yep, this is what the company history above says.
You can see the seam underneath the cellophane wrap where the two cans meet.
That’s how I remember it. Big can of chicken mush on top and small can of fried noodles on the bottom with a plastic seal holding it together. Its been a real long time though since I tried it.
Now I want to try it. Lol
That is right, you get the mushy vegetables in one can and the crunchy fried noodles in the other. Cultural philistine that I am, I added minced Hatch chilis to the vegies and served it over rice. It was not very good. I tossed the crunchy fried noodles on top. That texture was the only good thing about the meal.
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Grab some La Choy and some Chef Boyardee and let 'em duke it out for grossest food!
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I got some Chef Boyardee for my kiddo and they are truly gross. Even the highly-rated ones (mini ravioli, lasagna, etc).
I got some Spaghetti-O’s years ago - I was never allowed to have them as a kid - just to see. The pasta is a very close approximation of snot. I think I had two or three bites and pitched it.
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Dorm room desperation food back in my day! A worthy battle.
I’m still okay with Kraft Mac & Cheese. And Cup o’ Noodles. Of course, my dorm room desperation food was Doritos, Tab and Marlboro 100s.
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Kraft mac for sure, but usually doctored up. Better than HH.
What is this?
Hamburger Helper. My ex introduced me to it (like she did to doctored up ramen), and I prefer just using Kraft mac n cheese and add my own seasonings, herbs/ veg/meat instead 
Yes, you guys are correct.
But the actual can itself that’s labeled “Chicken Chow Mein” has no actual noodles in them. It is a bit of false advertising.
Ah. I have no memory of this being served in my parents’ house, but (I’m pretty sure) my sister says it was.
No, I have read everything you wrote. I just disagree with you and go back to the original story I linked to when I started the thread. Did you read it?
Food isn’t served in a museum setting. It changes and evolves and it would be safe to say that nearly every dish is made differently by each person who makes that dish (with perhaps the exception of the OCD types who measure and weigh each ingredient). At which variant is it no longer authentic? New ingredients appear. New techniques are developed. Food technology changes. Myths are then created about it.
I go to France regularly. One of my favorite things to have is steak frites. Steak frites can be made with entrecote, bavette or some other cut of meat. It can come with a sauce or no sauce. The sauce may be poured over or under or on the side. The sauces can be poivre, roquefort, wine, shallot, and so on. Frites are thick, thin, in between, single fried, double fried, tan, golden or dark. Served alongside or as separate dish. Two different versions will look completely different. Which is authentic? Who knows and frankly who cares as long as its good?
The chase for the authentic in food becomes another “bucket list” thing to complete. I hate the concept of a bucket list. As though life is about checking off items on a to do list rather than actually living and enjoying it. Another notch to put in the belt and be able to boast about how you have had the dish of whatever prepared on the banks of the great greasy limpopo river by a real whoville denizen made with parsly quite sparsely, just 22 springs (apologies to the doctor).
You’re free to go and chase whatever you think is authentic. I am off to chase good food regardless of where it came from or who prepared it. I believe that was the original premise of CH.
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Just to be clear: growing up on Long Island, I was used to standard chicken chow mein that did not have noodles. It was served with rice.
The version of La Choy in the can was most often sold as a two-part container that did have dry noodles. However, they did sell larger cans of chicken chow mein that was just the chicken, vegetables, and sauce without the separate container of noodles.
I asked this far, far, far upthread…
and never got a straight answer. Unsurprisingly.
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I am curious to find out if folks who denigrate the idea of authenticity in food apply the same for other aspects of life. Clothing, rituals, agriculture, language, anything else at all. Or is nothing authentic? Is the word authentic ever used in those other contexts? And if so, do the same litany of ensuing articles put down the concept?
As noted, “mein” MEANS noodles. Calling what you ate chow mein makes as much sense as calling meat sauce over rice spaghetti bolognese.
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