Back in 1996, my life was at a crossroads − kind of like that crappy Britney Spears movie, I forget what it’s called. Anyways, it was a crazy time to be living. I had done some experimenting with alcohol and drugs, which was a big deal considering I was eight years old at the time. The only thing that kept me going was my torrid love affair with dance. It was during this time period that I became known as the Asian Sensation.
In those days, political correctness had not yet spread throughout the country. My racially exploitive nickname was simple, catchy, and just as memorable as my jumping splits. Dancing was the only time I felt free. This was mostly because they kept me in a small cage when I wasn’t dancing, but I digress. My upstart career came to an abrupt end when I grotesquely tore my groin muscles right off of the bone. I had not thought about dance since then until I tuned in to the new season of Dancing With the Stars to indulge my irrational man-crush on Adam Carolla.
All of the memories came rushing back to me, filling me with a deep sorrow fueled by the stagnation in my soles. I had to cope with my disappoint the same way that I always do: shopping and eating. It’s one of my many ambiguously feminine traits. To my surprise, I came across egg rolls that shared my former moniker. They were Asian Sensations Chicken Egg Rolls, produced by the probably-not-Asian-but-sounds-Asian-enough-to-be-sort-of-authentic Schwan’s frozen food company. The picture on the box looked appetizing, so I decided to give it a shot.
Once taken out of the box, I was cheered up by the fact that the individually-wrapped egg rolls were fairly substantial. One is big enough to pair with some fried rice for a filling lunch. I threw one in the toaster oven and waited as it cooked, tapping my toes all the while. When it finished, I tore it open to see its innards. It contained cabbage, processed chicken, celery, carrots, and onions, but all I could really see was chicken and cabbage. It was all I could taste too; the vegetables were chopped so fine that all of the texture was lost. Even worse, the indiscernible sauce was annoyingly sweet and added no spice or excitement to the experience. The egg rolls were edible, but certainly not deserving of the Asian Sensation name.
Still feeling kind of down, I visited their website, AsianSensations.com, to see if it might be a porn site of some kind. It is not, but apparently I can win a private concert with singer Julie Roberts. This begs several questions. One − who the hell is Julie Roberts? Two − why is Asian Sensations promoting a white blonde as their big star? And finally − is “private concert†a thinly-veiled euphemism for “hot sexual tryst?â€
Either way, none of it adds up and I haven’t been this confused since my high school crush explained that she was “not necessarily un-attracted†to me. Alas, it was another lesson learned: don’t look to egg rolls to solve your life problems.
(Nutritional Facts – 1 egg roll – 140 calories, 5 grams of fat, 1.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 10 mg of cholesterol, 400mg sodium, 20 grams of carbs, 1 gram of dietary fiber, 2 grams of sugar, 5 grams of protein, 15% Vitamin A, 6% Vitamin C, 2% Calcium, and 8% Iron)
Item: Asian Sensations Chicken Egg Rolls
Price: $2.50
Purchased at: Albertsons
Rating: 6 out of 10
Pros: Reasonably priced and fairly big egg rolls. Egg rolls are both microwaveable and oven-able. Being a badass on the dance floor. Possible contest sex with Julie Roberts.
Cons: Flavor is a little to sweet to eat by itself. Vegetables all come together in a soggy mass. Eating away your pain. Tearing groin muscles. Crushes that try to let you down easy but end up destroying your psyche instead.
I really have to question the authenticity of these egg rolls. If I’m reading the box correctly, I think I read Asian STYLE Sensation.
I shall try them. Thanks to your advice, I will avoid the odd sauce and grab my big bottle of siracha
i don’t know ace, this “Asian style” is just like “chocolaty” and “blissy” i don’t trust any Asian dishes that dont have any actual Asian writing written for Asian people on it.
Some foods just aren’t meant for microwaving. I think egg rolls are one of them.
If you and Marvo ever started a new boy band, you could name it “Asian Sensation” to relive the halcyon days of your youth.
Per Chuck’s suggestion, if we ever start an Asian boy band, I get to be the shy member.
they look good. I would eat those if I was starving.
Is it just me or does “Everyday Asian for any occassion” sound less than p.c.? That comment alone leads me to have deep, deep concerns about the authenticity of the “asian style sensations.” (Ohh, although I am a fan of the japanese style sensations – so funky!)
Ooh! I didn’t see that line.
Everyday Asian for any occasion may not be very pc for food but I just might respond to that if I saw it on craigslist under casual encounters.
That is if I looked in the casual encounters section. Which I totally don’t
Eggrolls are almost always overrated IMO.
Did you enter the contest?? When you win could you blog about her?
Well, it must be authentic as there is bamboo on the packaging!
I think Chung’s makes a pretty decent eggroll. And they microwave pretty well, despite what Chuck says.
I am SO late in responding to this, but:
http://www.theimpulsivebuy.com/wordpress/2008/02/11/cafe-latte-slurpuccino/
Doesn’t anybody remember the 7-11 Café Cooler that debuted in 1998? That died a quiet death but I guess they couldn’t leave well enough alone. (Actually, I liked those.)
Ace, you’ll always be our Asian Sensation (don’t tell Marvo, though, he’ll be jeaous).
I’ve bought these before and was perplexed with the odd, sticky substance they exude after baking. That sets up a ton of punchlines, I know, but they were strange.
Re Sam: greasy I can understand, it’s egg roll. We may not like it, but greasy sometimes happens. Sticky? Without dipping sauce? Ew!
Trader Joe’s used to have a pretty good lumpia- wait, no- egg roll, didn’t they?
Kylie – Ah, the ever-present rooster sauce. Is there anything you can’t make edible?
liz – Yes, I realize that these egg rolls are probably about as Asian as Kobe Bryant, but I have gone far beyond the point of caring anymore.
Chuck – I’m not starting any boy bands with Marvo, that guy would spend more time getting his chest waxed than working out our synchronized gyrations.
Marvo – I just can’t shake the feeling that it’d be hard to promote the first singer with a pie pan for a face.
Shannon – This is true, but I also said this about the saltine crackers I found under the fridge this morning.
SheRa – I’m actually glad I didn’t get Japanese sensations — too much hentai and poison blowfish in those boxes.
Amanda – Nah. Unfortunately, some questionable decisions I made with some questionable dealers of pharmaceuticals in the past prevent me from giving out my name to most nationwide contests.
Eryn – I actually enjoy the red fan that they have back there. I can only imagine what type of Asian exploitation films the graphic designers must have been watching when they made the box.
Meredith – Sadly, I was in elementary school when those came out and I was not allowed to drink coffee.
Karen – Thanks, Karen. It’s a good thing that Marvo pays illegal immigrants to run his website or else he’d see our comments about him.
Sam – I didn’t experience this, but thank you for making me paranoid about mucusy discharges every time I eat an egg roll.
demondoll – I’m not sure, I have only recently frequented Trader Joe’s. I’ll definitely be on the lookout for egg roll or egg rollish products in the future.