We are all star-stuff

Yeah the UK/Chinese relationship turned out very differently than the US/Chinese relationship, which is why OP’s own comparison is to Chinese restaurants (presumably their local “default ethnic cuisine”).

I remember watching early Lost promo videos where a very smug JJ Abrams swore blind there was a fully logical explanation for everything happening. And then a polar bear showed up. And I realised that whatever definition of “fully logical explanation” he was using probably didn’t align with my own definitions of those words lol. That show was pure hype with talented actors.