As a prolific meme creator and sharer, I’m always delighted when a new viral meme starts spreading across the internet. One of my recent favorites is the “A Shrimp Fried This Rice” meme, which takes the common snowclone format of intentionally misinterpreting phrases for comedic effect. In this post, I’ll cover the origin story and examples of the meme, explain why it suddenly surged in popularity in 2019, and share some hilarious shrimp fried rice image variations. Get ready to laugh and maybe be inspired to try making your own shrimp fried rice recipe after reading!
The Earliest Known Examples
The “You’re Telling Me a Shrimp Fried This Rice?” snowclone meme pokes fun at the idea of taking common food phrases literally. The earliest known version seems to have appeared on Twitter back in February 2013. User @TamiCru tweeted “you’re telling me a chicken fried this rice?” and quickly amassed over 1,300 retweets and 2,300 likes.
Over the next few years, the format spread with other variations like “I love Chinese food as much as the next guy, but you’ll never convince me a chicken fried this rice.” But the shrimp fried rice version exploded into one of the most popular and enduring versions.
In August 2018 Twitter user @emiilywrld posted the now iconic shrimp fried rice joke. It earned an impressive 47,000 retweets and 146000 likes at the time. Clearly, the humor of imagining a tiny shrimp frying a giant pan of rice resonated with people.
Why the Meme Suddenly Got So Big in 2019
While the early shrimp fried rice jokes got some traction online, the meme really took off in popularity in the latter half of 2019. There seem to be a few likely reasons for the sudden surge:
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Variations expanded – People started creating many more versions like “so you’re telling me a boot cut these jeans?” This kept the joke feeling fresh.
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Timing – Late 2019 was around when more mainstream media started covering viral meme trends. Outlets like Buzzfeed wrote articles spotlighting examples of the shrimp meme format.
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Relatability – The joke’s premise of intentionally misunderstanding common phrases in a ridiculous way makes it broadly appealing. It’s a simple, effective comedy formula anyone can recreate.
Hilarious Image and Video Variations
Part of what gives the shrimp fried rice meme such viral potential is how easy it is to recreate with different visual variations. For example, people have made funny illustrations actually showing tiny cartoon shrimp frying rice in a wok.
Some other great image versions I’ve seen are things like a shrimp chiseling the Lincoln Memorial or an elaborately formally dressed shrimp painting the Mona Lisa. There are so many everyday phrases involving animals that lend themselves perfectly to silly visual interpretations when taken hyper-literally.
In addition to all the funny pictures, people have also made amusing video edits of a tiny shrimp walking up to a stove with a massive wok of rice and “frying” it. There’s something inherently hilarious about seeing the complete size discrepancy play out in motion.
The Meme’s Lasting Appeal
More than six years after the earliest known example, the “shrimp fried this rice” meme continues to have lasting appeal and influence. Its simple yet effective formula for comedy clearly resonates with people, as variations on the joke keep appearing.
In fact, when I checked the ever-relevant r/dalle2 subreddit, I found a thread from just two months ago where people requested and shared AI-generated images related to the meme. To me, this shows how the shrimp fried rice joke seems to have become permanently ingrained in internet culture.
Its legacy is also evident in how you’ll now frequently see references to it in comments on social media posts about making shrimp fried rice. So even seeing pictures of delicious shrimp fried rice recipes can evoke a knowing chuckle thanks to this meme.
My Takeaways from This Viral Meme Phenomenon
As someone fascinated by memes and what makes them spread, I really appreciate the shrimp fried rice joke for a few reasons:
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It proves that a simple, effective formula – intentional misinterpretation of a common phrase – can spark joy and laughter even years later.
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The visual variations it inspired showcase how memes can become participation events that motivate crowdsourced creativity.
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It’s a reminder that even “silly” or absurdist humor can have mass appeal. The human experience thrives on laughter.
So, You’re Telling Me A Shrimp Fried This Rice?
What is a shrimp fried rice meme?
So, You’re Telling Me A Shrimp Fried This Rice? The phrase originated from a poorly translated English subtitle in a Chinese martial arts film, which quickly gained attention and became a popular internet meme. How has the meme impacted popular culture?
Where did the phrase ‘Are you telling me a shrimp fried this rice’ come from?
What is the origin of the phrase “Are you telling me a shrimp fried this rice?” So, You’re Telling Me A Shrimp Fried This Rice? The phrase originated from a poorly translated English subtitle in a Chinese martial arts film, which quickly gained attention and became a popular internet meme.
What does fried rice with shrimp mean?
I suspect that’s an artifact of translation: The word order for “fried rice with shrimp” in Chinese is typically “shrimp fried rice.” The earliest record of fried rice comes from the Sui Dynasty, roughly 1500 years ago. Historians believe that fried rice was a way to incorporate leftovers into the day’s cooking.
How to cook shrimp fried rice?
Directions Step 1 Cook rice beforehand, let cool. Step 2 In a small bowl, toss shrimp with 1 tsp. cornstarch. Step 3 In a separate bowl, combine gravy ingredients. Step 4 To cook the fried rice, pour 2 Tbsp vegetable oil in a wok over medium heat. Step 5 Heat the wok on high heat, add 1 Tbsp oil.