"Panda Express 4 with Matt Kowalick and Holly Prazoff" is Episode 501 of Doughboys, hosted by Nick Wiger and Mike Mitchell. "Panda Express 4 with Matt Kowalick and Holly Prazoff" was released on June 26, 2025.
"Tomorrow… with Holly Prazoff & Matt Kowalick of Screentimers Podcast @hollypraz.bsky.social @kowalick.bsky.social @screentimes.bsky.social" - @doughboys.bsky.social
Synopsis[]
Matt Kowalick (@mattkowalick) and Holly Prazoff (@hollypraz) of Screentimers join the 'boys to talk parenting, carnival eats, and kids' meals before diving into a review of Panda Express Cub Meals. Plus, a drank or stank with the new Sprite+Tea.
Stick around after the episode for a bonus segment with the writer and artist of the Doughboys Comic Book, Alex Firer and Fred C. Stresing! Get the Doughboys Comic Book at beourkids.com.
Nick's intro[]
On February 21st, 1972, President Richard Milhous Nixon began his historic visit to the People’s Republic of China. The weeklong summit, which began the road to normalizing relations between the two superpowers following two decades of non-contact, transformed global trade and geopolitics. And it also birthed the phenomenon dubbed “panda diplomacy.”
President Nixon in China
In the aftermath of Nixon’s tour, China gifted two giant pandas, Ling-Ling and Hsing-Hsing, to the National Zoo in Washington, DC, immediately making them the Smithsonian’s star attraction — the Moo Deng of their day. The next year, Chinese-American immigrants Andrew, Peggy, and Ming-Tsai Cherng opened a sit-down restaurant in Pasadena, California named for the Chinese bear species that had quickly become a Yankee obsession. The Cherng family opened a take-out version of the concept a decade later, and that mall-friendly spin-off would grow to become the largest Chinese-American chain in the country.
Upon Nixon’s death in 1994, a strain of revisionism took hold, rehabilitating Tricky Dick from exiled pariah to flawed man who nevertheless merged a modernizing domestic policy with de-escalation of Cold War global conflict. Sure, he loved getting drunk and saying racial slurs, and also was responsible for killing countless civilians. But c’mon! And it doesn’t hurt that the Watergate scandal, which abruptly ended his presidency, looks positively quaint by modern standards. Remarking on his landmark visit to the People’s Republic, Nixon said, “This was the week that changed the world.” Even for a man prone to self-mythologizing, this was not hubris: Nixon to China reshaped the trajectory of that century and the one that followed.
And it also gave us pandas… and indirectly, their namesake fast-casual Chinese-American chain.
This week on Doughboys… we return, once again, to Panda Express, for the kids’ Panda Cub Meals.
Fork rating[]
The Doughboys have reviewed Panda Express three prior times. The first was way back in 2016 when Nick gave it 2.5 forks and Mitch 3. A couple of years later, they returned and they both gave it 4 forks. Lastly, they went again in 2021 and Nick gave it 3.75 forks and Mitch stayed at 4.
In between those reviews, Panda Express was also part of the Munch Madness: Chicken Fight. It lost in the first round (the Small Pieces region), and then moved to Fat Chance Kitchen, where it again lost.
For this episode, they return to try the Panda Cub Meals, which are smaller meals for kids.
| guest / host | ordered | fortune | rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nick Wiger | Orange Chicken Panda Cub Meal
|
Your golden years will be happy and fulfilling. | 5 forks |
| Mike Mitchell | Orange Chicken Panda Cub Meal
|
Your smile brings happiness to others. | 5 forks |
| Matt Kowalick | Teriyaki Chicken Panda Cub Meal
|
Your smile lights up a room. | 5 forks |
| Holly Prazoff | Orange Chicken Panda Cub Meal
|
Root for the underdog. | 5 forks |
| shared | Cream Cheese Rangoon |
Even though they all only ate Panda Cub Meals, they all offer their ratings for the full restaurant.
And with these scores, Panda Express joins the Platinum Plate Club!
Drank or Stank[]
Sprite+Tea
In Drank or Stank, the Doughboys try a beverage and rate it either 'Drank' or 'Stank.'
For this episode, they have a Sprite+Tea.
Everyone seemed quite impressed by the drink.
| guest / host | rating |
|---|---|
| Nick Wiger | Drank |
| Mike Mitchell | Drank |
| Matt Kowalick | Drank |
| Holly Prazoff | Drank |
| Amelia Marino | Drank |
| Emma Erdbrink | Drank |
Roast Spoonman[]
"You shall not pass!" - Gandalf the Grey
| “ | "You shall not fast!" - Gandalf the Gain | ” |
–Ethan in NZ | ||
#hashtags[]
- #DoughboysDay
The Feedbag[]
| “ | Are there any chains you'd like to see expand with fresh or frozen versions into grocery stores? | ” |
–Ben S. | ||
| guest / host | chains that might work in a grocery store |
|---|---|
| Nick Wiger | |
| Mike Mitchell |
|
| Matt Kowalick | Dunkin Donuts donut dough ice cream |
| Holly Prazoff | Wendy's Frostys |
| Emma Erdbrink | McDonald's McNuggets |
| Amelia Marino | Playa Bowls |
Quotes[]
| “ | Matt: I wish I had a kid when [Mitch and I] lived together. You and I raisin' a kid. Holly: My husband and I have discussed that if anything ever happened to one of the two of us, Mitch would step in to take over as one of the parents. We did research and thought 'who would be the best?' And the answer is Mitch. |
” |
–Matt and Holly re: parenthood | ||
| “ | If you used to dip the old Wendy's fries into a Frosty, it kind of tasted like a funnel cake. | ” |
–Matt Kowalick | ||
| “ | Boys love sniffin' dresses! | ” |
–Mike Mitchell | ||
Drops and Plugs[]
| reference | notes |
|---|---|
| Prince "Controversy" and Steven A. Smith | in Mitch's drop "Steven Ate Smith" (by Boomer in Astoria, OR) |
| Screentimers | Matt & Holly's podcast |
| Doughboys Comic Book | Alex & Fred's comic book [beourkids.com] |
Related Episodes[]
| Panda Express episodes | Matt Kowalick episodes | Holly Prazoff episodes | Alex Firer episodes |
|---|---|---|---|
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Photos[]
