# What's the straight dope on chinese buffet crab meat?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-straight-dope-on-chinese-buffet-crab-meat/599258>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [October 11, 2011, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-straight-dope-on-chinese-buffet-crab-meat/599258 "2011-10-11T04:25:47Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Willcross](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b2d939/32.png) [@Willcross](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Willcross)\
**Post date:** [October 11, 2011, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-straight-dope-on-chinese-buffet-crab-meat/599258/1 "2011-10-11T04:25:47Z")

</div>

I was wondering what the crab meat at your average buffet really is? This will obviously vary from location to location.

I notice sometimes it’s all one piece but has a very mushy texture. Other times it consists of tiny tubes (?) like it’s been through an extruder.

Is the meat imitation? Ground up parts of lower grade crab meat? Soy? Do higher class buffets use real, fresh crab meat, or is it pretty standard to use imitation?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![MikeG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mikeg/32/4329_2.png) [@MikeG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeG)\
**Post date:** [October 11, 2011, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-straight-dope-on-chinese-buffet-crab-meat/599258/2 "2011-10-11T04:31:13Z")

</div>

Any piece that is around 3/4 around and cut on a bias is almost certainly fake. Basically at a buffet the only way you are going to get real crab is in the shell or in a crab cake but probably not then.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\
**Post date:** [October 11, 2011, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-straight-dope-on-chinese-buffet-crab-meat/599258/3 "2011-10-11T05:03:46Z")

</div>

always assume it’s “krab” unless proven otherwise.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\
**Post date:** [October 11, 2011, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-straight-dope-on-chinese-buffet-crab-meat/599258/4 "2011-10-11T05:18:05Z")

</div>

It’s fish, usually pollock.

ETA: link: [Crab stick - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crab_stick)