Asian Flavors are in Favor (1/2)

Asian Flavors are in Favor Ethnic food is spicing up the nation's restaurant scene, even restaurants traditionally specializing in so-called American cuisine are scrambling to add items to avoid missing out. In a recent article published in Business Week, Eric Wahlgren painted a rising horizon of American dining. The menu at the Calabasas (Calif.)chain's restaurants reads like something from the U.N.'s cafeteria. There's spicy cashew chicken, Jamaican black pepper shrimp, miso salmon, fresh fish tacos, and spicy Thai steak salad, to tick off just a few items. Wahlgren illustrated the “Phenomena of PF Chang's” to further prove his point. When Chinese restaurant chain PF Chang's (PFCB ) went public in 1998, skeptics thought the concept risked ending up little more than a flash in the wok. So far the Phoenix-based outfit has proven them wrong. PF Chang’s now operates 118 more-upscale "bistro" restaurants and more than 50 quicker-service Pei Wei outlets, hasn't merely survived: It's hotter than kung pao shrimp. O.K., so 2005 sales growth may be slowing to the 20% range, from the last four years of 30% or so. But that's something close to a miracle in the notoriously competitive restaurant biz. "Before they came along, no one had been successful at doing a casual-dining Chinese restaurant. Bold, strong and exotic flavors are the driving force behind the burgeoning popularity of Asian foods. Chinese foods enjoy a large following partly because the entrees serve two to three people, the food is highly port?able and Chinese cuisine is "the ideal meal for a large group of people preferring to dine out," states Mintel International Group (Chicago) in its report, "Chinese Foods-?U.S.--March 2002." Asian Cuisines Go Mainstream No longer a niche market, no longer a phenomena, Asian Cuisines are now going mainstream, to have become an integral part of the American’s dining scene, and a dy?namic driving force for the nation’s foodservice industry growth. Asian dishes and Asian flavors are showing up on menus in all kinds of restaurants, from trend-setting, star-chef, upscale dinner houses to neighborhood café shops. Ameri?cans are far more adventurous in their eating habits than 2 decades ago. Leading the way in 1980s -1990s was the perception of “Chinese” cuisine, one of America’s first introductions to Asian cuisines. Today, 21st century, Asian cuisines combined are on the rise to replace the monopoly of Chinese restaurants. Japanese, Vietnamese, Korean and Thai, are stepping into the spotlights. The popularity of Asian foods is validated by significant growth in retail sales that is ex?pected to reach $1 billion by the year 2008, according to information provided by Diver?sified Business Communications (Portland, Maine). Asians have $254 billion in spending power, but are only one third the size of the U.S. Hispanic population (Hispanics are responsible for about $452 billion). Accord?ing to the U.S. Census, Asians numbered 11.3 million in 2000, and that population is expected to reach 19.6 million in 2020. Asian Cuisines to Be Defined Culinologist s Eric & Dari Carre offer a pre?cise viewpoint in defining Asian Cusines: “Asian Cuisine” should more accurately be called “cuisines from Asia” - as these foods and dishes originate from many rich cultures -and are composed of many sub categories, such as Chinese, Japanese, Thai, Korean, Vietnamese, Indian, Filipino, Southeast Asian, etc. Asian food represents the broader diversity of cultures, religions and customs of the Asian continent. Bold and delicious flavors are being embraced, and slowly becoming an integral part of American food. As America’s familiarity with Asia’s cultural diversity has grown, so has the public’s exposure to and appreciation of the regional differences within in each culture. Population Changing