Asian Dining Arising (3/4)

Finally, the beverages consumed in the traditional Asian diet help in the fight against cholesterol. Most Asians, as a matter of course, consume pots of tea, both green and black, on a daily basis. This tea acts as a mild diuretic, which helps to flush the body of substances and free radicals that cause stroke and heart disease while lowering the level of fluids in the body. Some researchers believe substances in green tea may have strong cancer-fighting properties as well. Sushi craze Sushi is a hot commodity that entered the American scene more than a decade ago, drawing fans near and far with its elegance, simplicity and mystique. Judging by its popularity around the country, sushi is hot. There are sushi restaurants, sushi stands and sushi takeouts. We can even find sushi freshly prepared in grocery stores – convenience at its best. Sushi is definitely hot a passing trend. It is delicious, nutritious and fun to eat. The whole experience of eating sushi is entertainment at its best. In fact, skilled sushi chefs are greatly in demand. So much so that institutions are popping up all over the country and sushi chefs are commanding big bucks. What was once a five-to-ten year discipline is now an art that can be learned in less than a year? Places like the California Sushi Academy are breaking all tradition by opening the art of sushi making to people of all backgrounds. Sushi is big business – not a trend. Besides, sushi is not only tasty, but it’s good for us too. Who could feel bad about that? The Wasabi trend “Wasabi just seems to be a hot flavor, an Asian flavor,” said Robert Schueller, assistant marketing director at Melissa’s World Variety Produce. The Los Angeles company, which sells exotic foods to retail stores, has just introduces a wasabi garnishing sauce and a ginger-wasabi miso dressing. Food manufacturers just love wasabi, using this Japanese rhizome (or cheaper American horse-radish) to jazz up oils, mayonnaise, dressings, crackers, nuts and even jams. Chefs use cheaper wasabi powders and pastes to enliven salad dressings, mashed potatoes and other foods. And, of course, sushi wouldn’t be the same without a little finger of green wasabi paste served along side. Some food manufacturers who hip to trends, are looking to spike sales of salad dressings, mayonnaise, crackers, mustards and even peanuts with wasabi’s sharp flavor. “East meets West” Whether it’s called fusion or eclecticism, blending cuisines is one of today’s hottest culinary concepts. The combinations are numerous – Thai and French, American and Indian, Southwest and Asian. For example, Atlanta’s Fusebox restaurant, which opened in October 1998, combines Asian and American cuisine. “It’s modern American food with an Asian influence,” says Marketing Director Jody Clarke. Traditional American dishes are combined with Asian spices such as miso. Menu items are presented in an Asian style, served in bamboo steamers and Japanese bento boxes. As Ming Tsai points out in his introduction to the “Blue Ginger” cookbook, attempts to combine the best of western or French cuisine with the best of Eastern cuisine often end up more with “confusion” than fusion. Yet, the idea of combining flavorful ingredients from one cuisine with the other is irresistible. What’s needed to make the combos work is someone who knows both, and that’s Tsai. Raised in Dayton, Ohio where his parents ran a Chinese restaurant, he went to Yale to study mechanical engineering, but later decided that food was his real passion. That led to training in Paris and then in Japan before he came back to the U.S. to begin work in San Francisco. Today he holds forth from his Blue Ginger restaurant in Wellesley, Massachusetts and on his “East Meets West” television show on the Food Network. Multicultural and the future