You are not alone.
A new study shows that a growing number of Americans have turned to a more open-minded approach to eating in China, a trend that’s also seen the emergence of some very unusual food and beverage options.
A majority of respondents said they’d rather eat in a more conventional setting, but the results are not quite as positive for Chinese food.
The study by the Pew Research Center and the Harvard Business Review examined the responses to a survey that asked people whether they would like to eat in China or eat out.
The survey had a total of 2,001 respondents.
The majority of the respondents who said they would prefer to eat out were women (71%), and a majority of them were younger than 30 (72%).
The study, which was conducted in early March and conducted via phone interviews, focused on the opinions of 1,924 adults.
The data has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.9 percentage points.
Pew surveyed a sample of adults in the U.S. in the fall of 2018, after it released its first results on the health of the Chinese economy.
The research shows that while Americans are less likely to be overweight, they are more likely to report being overweight or obese.
The Pew survey also showed that a majority (57%) of respondents would like their next meal to be served in the restaurant, while 38% said they wanted their next food to be prepared by a kitchen employee.
While most of those respondents said their next meals would be prepared in the home, nearly half (46%) said they wouldn’t want to serve food at all.
Peyton M. Craighill, the study’s lead author, said the trend toward eating out may have been influenced by a broader cultural shift.
The findings are the first to show that Chinese Americans are becoming more open to eating out than previously believed, she said.
“They’re increasingly embracing open kitchens, restaurants, and the idea that you can do things more efficiently,” Craighil said.
She noted that Americans are increasingly finding new ways to enjoy Chinese food, as well.
Pebble, the online shoe company, is using a new app to offer its Chinese customers a menu that allows them to choose from a wide variety of Chinese food options.
“We want to make sure that we deliver what the customers want, and if they don’t want what they want, we make it available for them,” said Paul Chang, the CEO of Pebble China.
