Panda Express 3 with Oscar Montoya

"Panda Express 3 with Oscar Montoya" is Episode 286 of *Doughboys*, hosted by Mike Mitchell and Nick Wiger. "Panda Express 3 with Oscar Montoya" was released on February 4, 2021.

## Synopsis

Oscar Montoya (*Bless the Harts*, *Spanish Aqui Presents*, *Inside the Disney Vault*) joins the 'boys to talk video games and horror movies before a review of Panda Express. Plus, everyone admits their food secrets in another edition of Concessional.

## Nick's intro

From 1964 to 1975, the UCLA Men's Basketball Team ruled the roost, winning ten NCAA championships over a dozen seasons under the stewardship of the "Wizard of Westwood," coach John Wooden. Anchored by back-to-back Hall-of-Fame big men, Lew Alcindor (later Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) and Bill Walton, the UCLA Bruins' dominance on the hardwood would never be matched by another men's team and cemented the SoCal university's reputation as a basketball school.

As for UCLA football? Even in its own city, it's second banana to one of the most storied programs in history, the USC Trojans.

But the Football Bruins at least began to approach relevance in 1976 with the hiring of coach Terry Donahue. Over a nearly 20-season run, Donahue led the UCLA program to five PAC-10 Championships and three Rose Bowl wins, compiling a 151-74-8 record and landing himself in the College Football Hall of Fame. He would later go on to manage the NFL's San Francisco 49ers.

But Coach Donahue's contributions on the gridiron may in fact be secondary to his legacy in chain restaurants. In 1983, Terry and his brother Dan Donahue, who worked in real estate, connected with Andrew and Peggy Cherng, the owners of a successful Chinese restaurant in Pasadena, California. Together, they developed an "express" version of their "inn" concept for stationing in the food court of the nearby Glendale Galleria mall. This stripped-down counter-service version would become the company's primary business model, meeting an unmet demand for budget-friendly American/Chinese food, including its signature Orange Chicken.

Today, with over 2000 still-family-owned locations, it's the Cherngs who deserve the credit for their company's staggering success, but his role in its conception is a noteworthy part of Coach Donahue's winning record, both on and off the field.

This week on *Doughboys*, we return, once again, to Panda Express.

## Fork rating

The Doughboys first reviewed Panda Express back in 2016 when Nick gave it 2.5 forks and Mitch rated it 3 forks. Two years later, they returned and both of them rated it 4 forks.

In between those two reviews, Panda Express was also part of the Munch Madness: Chicken Fight. It lost in the first round (the Small Pieces region) when its Orange Chicken was defeated by McDonald's Chicken McNuggets. It then moved to a Fat Chance Kitchen battle, where it again lost, this time to Chick-fil-A.

	+ 1/2 Chow Mein, 1/2 Super Greens
	+ Eggplant Tofu
* Vegetable Spring Rolls
* Cream Cheese Rangoon
 Mike Mitchell
* Family Meal
	+ Chow Mein
	+ Fried Rice
	+ The Original Orange Chicken
	+ Beijing Beef
	+ Honey Walnut Shrimp
* Honey Sesame Chicken Breast
* Grilled Teriyaki Chicken
* White Steamed Rice
* Chicken Egg Rolls
* Cream Cheese Rangoon
 Oscar Montoya
	+ 1/2 Fried Rice, 1/2 Super Greens
	+ Honey Sesame Chicken
	+ Broccoli Beef
* Chicken Egg Rolls

## Concessional

In this segment, The Doughboys reveal their deepest, darkest food-related sins.

For this episode, they focus on quarantine-specific secrets and confess them to Papa Shaq.

 Mike Mitchell
 Mike Mitchell

## The Feedbag

What's the grossest thing you've ever eaten from pure desperation? Did it taste delicious because you were so hungry?

## Photos

Eggplant Tofu, Chow Mein, Super Greens PlateVegetable Spring RollsVegetable Spring RollCream Cheese RangoonBeijing BeefChow MeinHot Mustard Sauce, Plum Sauce, Chili Sauce, Hot SauceGrilled Teriyaki ChickenFried RiceHoney Sesame Chicken BreastThe Original Orange ChickenHoney Walnut Shrimp