Writer's Choice

Aloha nou. this time we have been given a free hand at typing what ever we feel like conveying  in assignment. I would like to touch on the subject that one of my classmates mentioned in his post for his blog.

I feel apprehensive about some of my schoolmate's success in the culinary field. I would love to believe that we all will attain some form of notoriety as professionals. It must be understood that not all persons are destined to be famous, but with emphasizing on hard work and diligent effort in this craft, the truly outstanding students will rise to the top. 

I have mentioned to many people that the only place where success comes before work, is in the dictionary. 

there seems to be a lack of educating in real world situations. Students speak of papers that must be handed in, or one plate that was presented in their minds as perfect, not many conversions are centered around the real life of line cooks. The industry can be brutal to those who do not possess a thick skin. It seems that many are under the impression that once they enter the culinary field, they will be transform into the most 

notable of Chefs on the strip. 

There seems to be a lack of comprehending that the culinary industry is like all other industries, one has to work their way up the ladder to become the one in charge. The ones that possess the gift of creativity above and beyond the average cook will be the star of the future, maybe. Self confidence is an extremely potent 

weapon to achieve success, but also has to be some form of humility to ground someone from the facade of

being greater than their abilities can support. Shoot for the stars, if you miss, you might hit the moon.

Sous Vide

Aloha nou everyone. Here I go with another entry in my school assignment.  Today I will bring up the subject of Sous Vide cooking.
There are some in the culinary world that insist sous vide cooking is not cooking, I am of the opinion that as long as the meal is prepared properly, why is one style not worthy of praise over another.  Cooking is an individual enterprise that showcases one's skills.  Some individuals talents are of greater experience over others, but that does not diminish the value of the time and effort executed in the delivery of a superb meal.
There are all sorts of cooks, from short order, to sushi, to fine dining cooks.  No one style is superior to the other forms. In my case, why can I not employ sous vide in my particular stance on serving food.  In theory, a piece of seafood can be submerged in the heated liquid for an extended period of time without loosing moisture.
For those not familiar with the sous vide form of cooking,  it is when an ingredient is vacuum sealed and placed in a warm water bath until a desired temperature is reached. Seafood is an extremely popular item in Asian cooking. I would make a sauce and fill the plastic bag used for storing the item to be cooked, place a fillet of fish in the same bag,  seal it, and submerge it in the water until it ready to be served.
Seafood is not the only protein or even food item that can be prepared sous vide.  Any food can be served this way as long as the cook knows the proper temperature he or she needs to reach.  Poaching would be the equivalent of sous vide.  Poaching is one the main cooking techniques agreed upon.  This is another fusing of old and new  in modern times.
As with most new ideas, there is a reluctance to incorporate new with old.  In our profession, we as cooks must keep current and  ever evolving to be relevant.  Confusion of Fusion with Sous Vide.  .

Contrasts in Fusion

Aloha nui. I hope that you have enjoyed peering my mind and glimpsing into what drives me in this direction of cooking. I enjoy  the meshing of styles because of my background. I was born in one part of the world, then moved to another part of the world. The worlds are different yet are the same. The east coast of America has a fusion of peoples from eastern Europe, where Hawai'i has a fusion of peoples from the Pacific. I was able to adapt because of my acceptance of other peoples views of life.
Now in keeping with the merging of differences, I want to bring to light some famous personalities in America. One celebrity is from the United States, while another was born in another country, yet both have achieved tremendous fame in this land. The former is Chef Ming Tsai, who owns Blue Ginger in Massachusetts, and the latter is Chef Masaharu  Morimoto of  Iron Chef fame.
Ming Tsai received his formal traing from Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, France. There he was instructed in the French techniques of preparing food. His style of cooking is Chinese Fusion. He blends his Chinese heritage with the skills he learned abroad. He has a television on PBS titled East meets West. That program demonstrates how he chooses to presents the meals he creates on a daily basis at the business he owns.
The other chef, Morimoto; has taken this concept in another direction. He uses his Japanese background to display his version of cooking with the same French techniques he was educated to utilize. Morimoto has several restaurants located throughout the country. His latest venture has brought his talents to the island of Maui. Chef Morimoto is a classically trained sushi chef who adapts his knowledge of the culinary world into a hybrid style of cooking.
These two well known chefs are from Asian heritages that choose to cross ethnic boundaries and create works of art in a manner that has been adopted by many younger, skilled, aspiring cooks; as well home grown foodies that choose food as a hobby. Many individuals are on point with fusion cooking while many more are way off base.
Morimoto and Tsai have transformed their individual repertoires of cooking into a fusion of western techniques with their Asian heritage. One chef has his Chinese background for inspiration, while the other chef employs his Japanese history to propel his creativity forward. I hope you were kept fascinated with my brief post.  I will update soon. A hui hou

My best meal to date

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).

Aloha nui.

     Confusion of Fusion is what I would like to name an area or culiary style that some would like to dabble in, while others have gained much success in and many more have tried to immitate.
     I have lived in Hawai"i for about half of my life. I moved there in the mid 90"s and adopted the culture and lifestyle. I am originally from Brooklyn, New York. Let me tell you that culture shock was was given to me as well as shared from me.
     I knew that things would be different, but also I would be able to understand some familiar things because my parents came from an island culture, Puerto Rico to be exact. The language in Hawai'i obviously was foreign to me, but also the cooking.
     I learned to eat poi, a kind of pureed potato. I first ate poke, which is cubed pieces of raw fish; mostly Ahi or Tuna, and opihi. Opihi are like snails. I had no problem eating haupia, a coconut pudding, or kalua pig, which is smoked pork. To my surprise I learned that Japanese food is not necessarily only the Benihana type of cooking.
     There are many pacific cultures represented in the 50th state like Korean, Filipino, Chinese, Tongan, Samoan, Tahitian and many more. I became fascinated with Japanese cooking. To be honest, local style Japanese and traditional Japanese food are not the same. the adapted version in Hawai'i gets it's foundation from the elders who first migrated to work in the plantation fields way back when the turn of the centruy was in the late 1800's.
     Local style food is not to be mistaken for Hawaiian style. Local style food is a mesh of the different nationalities combined during the early plantation days. One group would share their food with another group and eventually the varied cooking ingredients wound up being interchanged or fused together. I thought of how strange it must have been in those days to hunger for foods from home and not being able to find the ingredients needed to cook one's soul food, as it were.
     The fact that many people came from the same neighborhood, just a different address, made  swapping out of food cumbersome but not impossible. There, short and sweet; began what is known as Local style food. One can get a box lunch, which was once a meal sold in boxes to go; anywhere, on any island. Think of bento boxes at a traditional Japanese restaurant, little partitions carved into a box for different items of food. Now, when that same concept is adjusted to a paper box for take out meals, you have box lunches. A fusion of one culture with another. Most of us think of styrofoam containers.
     There are a few  internationally respected chefs who have adapted this blending of different cultures. Thanks to the television celebrity chef craze that's going on now, some  know of  Morimoto, some know of the Rubino brothers in Canada. There are other's like Alan Wong and Roy Yamaguchi, both from Hawai'i , whose style of cooking is fusion. Roy Yamaguchi graduated from the C. I. A. while wong graduated from Kapiolani Community College's Culinary Art program.
     I have been fortunate to fuse my Puerto Rican Background with the culture of Hawai'i. In the process, that has affected the way I cook food. I can not help but mixing Asian ingredients with western cooking techniques. I even throw in Carribean accents once in a while. I find that out after I have finished my plating and I share photos.
     I will get into the whole confusing cooking style with an ingredient later. Let me know if it is something that would be appealing to your palate. All comments are welcome. A hui hou.


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