Experts’ Forum (2/4)

Mr Michael Pardus: There will always be a place for "authentic" cuisine, and it will exist side by side with the new. I think that the best "fusion" dishes will be incorporated into a new "World" cuisine that is developing. I see this as "evolution" cuisine. As in any evolutionary process there will be many failures that drop by the way in the pursuit of a true advance which moves ahead into the future and stays with us. To use the Chilie Pepper analogy again - Imagine Thai food without Chilies....that's what it was before 1500. You can bet that many bad dishes have been abandoned over those 500 years in pursuit of what we now see as "authentic" Thai cuisine...but really it's Thai/Central American Fusion. Jake Klein: Authentic to me is the wrong adjective. I prefer traditional. Food is a creative thing. It's necessary, and unavoidable that cuisines will blend together as people travel more, and live in foreign lands. Before there was such a thing as fusion cuisines and cultures had been mixing for hundreds of years. There are tremendous influences from Korea in Japanese cuisine. The Chinese have left very little of the Asian continent untouched. Muslim influences in Thailand. Fusion is part of the human diaspora. What should be emphasized in fusion? Ingredients or cooking styles? Mr Michael Pardus: Both, and cultural awareness and history as mentioned above. You can read the notes on the page, but unless you have actually been to New Orleans and heard Jazz in the streets first hand your music will be a flat imitation of real Jazz. Wendy Chan: There is no fast rule. Many incorporate Asian ingredients in an otherwise classically western stale dish. For example, I enjoyed a fantastic bouillabaisse with sharks fin. Another one is the replacement of potato chips with lotus root chips. The use of ginger and scallions with seafood is another successful East-West union. Then there is westernized cooking style of traditional Asian foods. They usually take the direction of a healthier approach, replacing the sugary, oily recipe with lighter alternatives, or presenting the traditional recipe as a salad dish with mire fresh vegetables and smaller amount of protein. Some actually argue that this is “new American cuisine”, not merely “new Asian cuisine” considering America is really a “melting pot” of numerous cultures. Jake Klein: The emphasis of a dish should always be on the main ingredient be it fish, meat or poultry. From there the other ingredients, style and, intellectual perspective all come into play. The key is to realize that some or all of these things can be present but, the most important thing is that they are harmonious, not competing, and have a purpose. In what part of the menu do you see most fusion ideas? Please name some popular Asian-fusion dishes. Mr Michael Pardus: Across the board. I tend to think that in less adventursome venues that the trend will be heavier in the low-priced appetizer section and perhaps I the cocktails - where a new customer can try a new idea without a large investment, but there are many high end concepts built around fusion and the entire menu reflects this commitment.