It's funny you flag that, because that was the part I spent the most time pondering how to word. 'Japanese'? No, because it's more Chinese restaurants I think of as being the problem. 'Chinese'? Except, well, the food served there isn't a whole lot like actual Chinese food, I am given to understand, and this problem applies to anyone who uses a lot of rice, so Korean or Thai food seem like they might have problems. 'East Asian'? But is Thailand really 'East Asian'? And again, none of this stuff is particularly authentic... Ah, fuck it: 'oriental'. It even conveys correctly that this is all food as warped by Western consumers' preferences and demands and not necessarily reflective of the original countries.
Chinese-style food?
In Japan it is common to refer to Thai, Vietnamese etc. as "Asian".
Not sure how to help you find a better word without seeing the study itself to know precisely what they observed. For inauthentic Chinese etc. food, there are a number of descriptors - pan-Asian, Asian fusion, Americanized Chinese food, or just a short phrase ("Asian-influenced cuisine catering to Western palate" or whatever). You might've used it in an ironic sense but that's easily lost on readers.
I wonder if that's a piece of US-hypersensitivity? I'm British and it sounds a little old-fashioned but nothing close to 'offensive'. I even checked with a friend who works in an advice center and needs to be extremely aware of such issues and he didn't think it was problematic.
Anyone else in the UK agree or disagree?
[citation desired] I'd love to know who dislikes "oriental". And do they like or dislike "occidental"?
Are you interested in who, or why?
It's because the word evolved during the 20th century into a mild pejorative. Similar to the word "gypsy." Occidental isn't disliked because nobody ever called anyone an Occidental in a sneering way.