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As I was driving around my city, I happened to pass by a local Jack in the Box. It was actually the first time I noticed something that caught my eye. And, to my surprise, it’s actually one of my favorite fast food places to go. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good burger from Jack in the Box. But today, I saw something that made me raise my eyebrows and scoff in skepticism. Teriyaki Bowls are now being sold in the Jack in the Box, which is something I never expected.

The inner irate Asian individual within me desired greatly to sample these bowls, react with disgust, and compose a furious critique regarding how this constituted cultural misappropriation and an exceptionally terrible one at that. Consequently, stumbling upon this enormous display of Jack’s novel Teriyaki Bowls caught me by surprise. I have not watched television for quite a number of years, nor have I encountered a proper advertisement owing to the presence of these marvelous adblockers. “Goodness gracious, my friend. That information is outdated,” you might be contemplating. And you are likely correct. It is the year 2018, my fellow humans. We are expected to become incensed about everything, let us not forget.

“As I read the line on the drive-thru screen, my expectations flared with the words ‘Combo – (1) egg roll’. Skepticism grew further within me, and I was determined to make sure I didn’t miss out on the entire experience. I ordered both the teriyaki steak and chicken bowls, and patiently waited in line at the drive-thru. I even made a U-turn to get there.”

Beyond mere books and kung fu masters, Asians are often burdened with this stereotype that we are always trying to imitate. Jack, what the heck? I can’t believe you would make such a racially insensitive comment. The image you shared is a product called “Flavor in BELT BLACK Sauce Teriyaki.” When I opened the bag and saw this teriyaki sauce, I couldn’t help but feel a mix of surprise and anger. I thought to myself, “You might have just lost a customer with that, Jack. Wow.”

Upon initial glance, the visually appealing Flame Broiler version or even Yoshinoya’s teriyaki bowl could actually be compared to. The bowls didn’t actually look too bad. To help me in the taste test, I had a friend who could be even less biased. I wanted to be fair and actually try the bowl. That being said, I didn’t want the simple sauce to deter me.

Tastewise

I must confess… I was taken aback.

It was not a good decision, but I had no other option. The fact that it came from a fast-food burger place made me feel bad about it.

Secondly, it was another quick-service restaurant attempting to imitate an Asian culinary approach.

Teriyaki, a popular type of bowl rice that has its origins in Asia, has become largely popular in the United States. Although it is not commonly found on Japanese menus, it was popularized in the 1960s as an American thing. Furthermore, teriyaki refers more to a cooking style rather than the actual sauce in Japan. While it may sound Japanese, teriyaki is actually a combination of two Japanese words.

First, it made a truly poor effort at creating a worn-out Asian joke. I really wanted to dislike it.

The Meat

The poultry (she despised the poultry) was superior to the carrots, and her friend said that she liked the broccoli, although she disliked vegetables. The steak was not good either. The teriyaki sauce was decent, although it lacked flavor, and the chicken was mostly juicy. The meat was okay… But not great.

I would actually come to Jack in the Box to get my burger and this bad boy on the side. Although the typical crunch associated with eggrolls is missing, this thing is not lacking in flavor at all. Both my friend and I agreed that this eggroll was the best part of our meal. But, man, I did want to hate this thing, I gotta say. Then I tried the eggroll.

The man said that the worst part of this bowl is where they overcooked the rice.

Unless you want to experiment with it for fun, simply go to a place you usually visit – it’s not worth it here. Therefore, if you were curious at all about whether or not you wanted to attempt the teriyaki bowl, don’t bother. My acquaintance rates it as a 2/5 (she truly disliked the chicken). In terms of teriyaki bowls, this is certainly not the worst one I’ve ever had. I rate this teriyaki bowl a 3/5. So, after all that, I suppose I have to say, apart from the awful “Black Belt” advertisement, this teriyaki bowl wasn’t actually that bad.

TLDR;

Without rice, 3/5. With rice, 1/5. Poor marketing. Decent bowl. Decent meat. Good vegetables. Subpar rice.