(Update: 7-12-13 -- A Panda Express representative reached out and informed us that only the steamed brown and steamed white rice will continue to be offered as menu options, while the fried brown and fried white will remain subject to vote until the campaign ends in August)

Eating at Panda Express is a struggle. On the one hand, there’s those handy 400-calorie-and-under labels guiding your eyes to the healthier “Beef and Broccoli” and “Tofu Eggplant” options. On the other hand, Orange Chicken. So it’s no surprise that when the popular mall food court chain swapped out its classic fried white recipe with a negligibly healthier fried brown rice one, more than a few folks raised their Styrofoam take-out boxes in outrage. Now, Panda is leaving the final decision up to us. Sort of.

According to Brand Eating, starting this week until August 31, Panda Express will be running a campaign asking guests to vote for their favorite rice, either the Classic White Fried or the new Brown Fried. Every purchase for either variety will count as a vote toward it, and the winner will be allowed to stay on the menu in September. The loser will be relegated to that dark corner of the Panda Express “secret menu” Purgatory – which is to say you can still order it, it just won’t get its own nifty name tag.

The illusion of choice – consumerism at its finest, folks.

H/T + PicThx Brand Eating