The Hilarious Origin and Evolution of “Are You Telling Me a Shrimp Fried This Rice?”

Perhaps you’ve seen some version of this joke floating around social media “You’re telling me a chicken fried this rice?” Or maybe it was a shrimp, or a boot that cut some jeans At first glance it seems nonsensical, but that’s exactly the point. This absurd style of humor has its roots in an early Twitter meme and has evolved into a formulaic and widely-shared snowclone joke

As a writer fascinated by internet culture, I decided to dive into the origin story and proliferation of the “Are you telling me a shrimp fried this rice?” meme. Here’s the funny backstory and examples of how this quirky format endures

The First Fried Rice Tweet

After combing through countless iterations of this joke, I traced the format back to a February 2013 post by Twitter user @TamiCru

“you’re telling me a chicken fried this rice?”

This simple twist on the classic takeout order “chicken fried rice” sparked endless remixing. The tweet accrued over 1,300 retweets and 2,300 likes, proving the concept resonated with people.

Early Variations

In the years following, people riffed on the formula with their own ingredients. For example, in June 2014, @TMoney68 quipped:

“I love Chinese food as much as the next guy, but you’ll never convince me a chicken fried this rice.”

And a December 2015 Tumblr post from lxnln played into shrimp’s popularity:

“You’re telling me a shrimp fried this rice?”

The shrimp version really took off, including an August 2018 tweet from @emiilywrld that earned over 47,000 retweets and 146,000 likes. Clearly this snowclone had legs!

The Meme Takes Off

By late 2019, the meme spread rapidly as people got creative with the fill-in-the-blank format. No longer limited to fried rice, the joke expanded to include things like:

• “You’re telling me a raisin made these cookies?”

• “So you’re saying a tree grew this chair?”

• “You expect me to believe a sailor knotted this rope?”

In October 2019, @Chaselyons’ jeans variation gained over 43,000 retweets and 249,000 likes. The meme was now mainstream and variations abounded. Even Buzzfeed compiled examples in a December 2019 article, a sure sign this joke had gone big time.

Why It Works

The appeal of this joke is how it subverts expectations. Riffing on common food items or phrases, it purposefully misses the point and creates an absurd visual. The humor lies in the asker pretending to take things overly literally. Using simple language also allows easy replication.

Even though the basic premise is the same each time, the flexibility keeps it fresh. People enjoy coming up with their own combinations, like @fluffiestbunny’s “You’re telling me a pillow case didn’t actually case this pillow?” and @MikeIsaac’s “So you’re saying a snake unhinged this jaw?”

Most Popular Versions

Analyzing current uses, the most prevalent versions are:

• Shrimp: “You’re telling me a shrimp fried this rice?”

• Chicken: “You’re telling me a chicken fried this rice?”

• Boot cut jeans: “So you’re telling me a boot cut these jeans?”

• Raisins: “You’re telling me a raisin made these cookies?”

Shrimp and chicken fried rice remain iconic, but boot cut jeans and raisin cookies have rising popularity for their recognizable wordplay.

Why Shrimp Endures

Of all the entries, shrimp fried rice remains one of the most widespread and continuously shared versions. I think this comes down to a few factors:

• Short and Simple: At just four words, it’s incredibly succinct and easy to reuse.

• Food Association: Fried rice is a familiar dish with widespread appeal.

• Funny Visual: Imagining a tiny shrimp frying rice is inherently silly.

This combination gives the shrimp version broad accessibility and memorability, cementing its status in meme history.

Other Notable Examples

While shrimp fried rice rules supreme, other funny standouts include:

• @Chaselyons: “So you’re telling me spongebob lives in a pineapple under the sea”

• @jpbrammer: “So you’re saying Lady Justice removed her blindfold and then did her makeup?”

• @MikeIsaac: “So you’re saying a snake unhinged this jaw?”

• @fluffiestbunny: “You’re telling me a pillow case didn’t actually case this pillow?”

These demonstrate the joke’s flexibility across food, idioms, characters, and objects. There’s nearly endless remix potential!

How Long Will It Last?

One factor in a meme’s longevity is how easy it is to replicate. This one succeeds there, only requiring tweaking a few words. The simplicity enables continual fresh variations.

Google Trends data also shows the meme maintaining consistent popularity since 2019 with no signs of slowing. As long as people find humor in these intentionally obtuse phrases, the joke format will endure. It may evolve, but the DNA will remain the same.

In the fast-changing digital world, few memes have this kind of staying power. But the inherent humor and flexibility of “Are you telling me a shrimp fried this rice?” has struck a chord across platforms. What originated as a quirky food-based snowclone has expanded into an entire genre of absurdist internet comedy. And as long as people keep coming up with new imaginary scenarios, this meme has incredible staying power. So next time you enjoy some shrimp fried rice, make sure to thank that little shrimp!