Aloha nui again. I am reiterating my penchant for fusion style cuisine. I was exposed to this style early in life, although I was not aware of it until I relocated to Hawai'i.
When I was still living in Brooklyn, I would frequent the Chinese restaurant in my neighborhood. I would order half a fried chicken with French fries. The chicken is admittedly Chinese, the fries obviously are not. I remember pondering the matter while eating my meal.
When I did move to Hawai'i,I was quite certain that I would find splendid Chinese food. I knew that locating an edtsnlishment was merely a matter of trial and error.
I ventured into a Japanese restaurant to add variety to my dining. I ate my first Japanese meal at Satsuki. It was an unpretentious, simple looking restaurant. The vibe was casual and wholesome. I was quickly taken aback with the menu because it was of course in another language. I did not let the lack of understanding another language impede me from ordering my meal. I simply pointed to a photo corresponding to what I wanted to eat. My choice was a safe one, rice with shrimp and vegetables. I allowed myself to believe that Japanese cooking was the commercial, franchise type of cooking one will find at Benihana. I later learned thst style of Asian cooking is tepanyaki.
What was served to me seemed ordinary enough. Steamed fluffy short grain rice, shrimp with sevrral shrimp in a golden brown, crispy; not soggy, batter. The accompaniment to the steamy, sweet crustaceans were seversl slices of pickled cucumber, and julienned slices of carrots. Chilled bean sprouts marinated in sesame oil and vinegar were side items fir the plate. I chose simple food because the Japanese people prefer minimalist preparations to cumbersome theatrics when food is involved. They try not to muddle things.
I never had tempura, which is the batter preparation for my shrimp, and dashi was another treat for me. Dashi is the dark, sweet, thin sauce that is usually accompanies food that is presented tempura style. To me the flavor and textures were sublime. I thought the combination of crispy food with a thin sauce was quite genius. Now when I eat tempura, it must be served with a dashi sauce, not tartsr sauce. That fusion of styles is not a combination that appeals to my tastes.
I will get into more detail about confusing fusion in the next post.
A hui hou( Until we meet again).
When I was still living in Brooklyn, I would frequent the Chinese restaurant in my neighborhood. I would order half a fried chicken with French fries. The chicken is admittedly Chinese, the fries obviously are not. I remember pondering the matter while eating my meal.
When I did move to Hawai'i,I was quite certain that I would find splendid Chinese food. I knew that locating an edtsnlishment was merely a matter of trial and error.
I ventured into a Japanese restaurant to add variety to my dining. I ate my first Japanese meal at Satsuki. It was an unpretentious, simple looking restaurant. The vibe was casual and wholesome. I was quickly taken aback with the menu because it was of course in another language. I did not let the lack of understanding another language impede me from ordering my meal. I simply pointed to a photo corresponding to what I wanted to eat. My choice was a safe one, rice with shrimp and vegetables. I allowed myself to believe that Japanese cooking was the commercial, franchise type of cooking one will find at Benihana. I later learned thst style of Asian cooking is tepanyaki.
What was served to me seemed ordinary enough. Steamed fluffy short grain rice, shrimp with sevrral shrimp in a golden brown, crispy; not soggy, batter. The accompaniment to the steamy, sweet crustaceans were seversl slices of pickled cucumber, and julienned slices of carrots. Chilled bean sprouts marinated in sesame oil and vinegar were side items fir the plate. I chose simple food because the Japanese people prefer minimalist preparations to cumbersome theatrics when food is involved. They try not to muddle things.
I never had tempura, which is the batter preparation for my shrimp, and dashi was another treat for me. Dashi is the dark, sweet, thin sauce that is usually accompanies food that is presented tempura style. To me the flavor and textures were sublime. I thought the combination of crispy food with a thin sauce was quite genius. Now when I eat tempura, it must be served with a dashi sauce, not tartsr sauce. That fusion of styles is not a combination that appeals to my tastes.
I will get into more detail about confusing fusion in the next post.
A hui hou( Until we meet again).
Wonderful blog from my understanding of what a blog is supposed to be, I am extremely jealous at this point as I make comparisons between yours and my blog. With that said, I would like to congratulate you dear sir on a magnificent posting, the pictures not only radiate but they pop, your emphasis on fusion cooking stands out, I clearly have an understanding of your perspective and point of view. However, I did find one slight error within your blog, it was a missed spelled word, the word I believe you were trying to spell was "establishment", in your first paragraph. Regardless of the one flaw that I had come across, I would have to say, undoubtedly, that this is a very professional layout. I to have a fondness for fusion cooking, so I look forward to revisiting your blog. Thank you.
ReplyDelete- James Pratt
Right on Popcorn. I appreciate your honest opinion on this growing ptoject we have. I must slow myself so as not to allow minor deails to impede my over all direction. The small tiles on my mobile device are not user friendly to me.
ReplyDeleteHell my fellow inspiring chef. I always enjoy any knowledge you drop and teach me on a daily basis. I also enjoy simple food and I think the Japanese , Chinese and any oriental countries have made their food soo simple but its has an explosive sense of taste , smell and colors. I would love to find a great Japanese restaurant out here in vegas to enjoy some good cooking. Well boss man til your next post.
ReplyDeleteAloha nou. I appreciate you taking time to give your opinion on my work in progress. I show you my photos because I know you have an understanding of my passion for how I get "There". Any critiques are welcome ftom you
DeleteGreat blog with answering who, what, when, where, why and how. The description of the meal was good and the explanation of the Dashi is even better. I would agree with James that I would run it through the spell checker before posting. I liked the explanation of how Asian cuisine and you met. Good idea, making a point to describe the Japanese minimalist point of view when preparing a dish; was an excellent decision.
ReplyDeleteMahalo Braddah. Thanks for your time and honest critique. A work in progress will allow for a few errors. These small tiles erk me. I will check myself and put an emphasis on corrections before posting my entire entry.
DeleteSabaidee! I love your blog topic, confusing fusion cuisines. There so many restaurants that open these days and are just down right confusing. They think that fusion food has to have more than one type of food in the same dish (laugh out loud). On with the best food topic, I can definitely see the food and feel the texture, but I can't taste the food. Like how different flavors of the vegetables come together with the rice, shrimp, and dashi sauce. But I like how you describe the setting of the restaurant, simple décor to go along with the Japanese simple plating.
ReplyDeleteThanks. I will adjust my writing to include the taste sense. You sre correct that fusion is catchy but overdone. Too many Chefs forget the simple nature of Asian cuisine.I knew you would my direction. Again I thank you for your insight.
ReplyDelete