Event

Iconic Dinner Series V. 3

How did we come to consider Fusion Cooking as the naughtiest word in food? Ok, let's be honest, there perhaps should not be a place for wasabi mashed potatoes, spaghetti tacos, hot dog flavored pot stickers, and the "megaburgerpizza", to name a few of the imaginative horrors we encounter. But, the fact is that all food is fusion to a certain degree.

"Fusion" has become synonymous with "confused cooking"; perhaps because of the natural growing pains associated with the globalization of ingredients and culinary cultures we have experienced over the past 40 years.

Consider that what we know today as curry -and there are many versions- is completely based on the introduction of chilies from the New World via the Portuguese, lamb and goat introduced by the Mughal conquests in the northwest, and spices brought from the West by means of the Arab spice trade route. General Tso, who doesn't actually exist, became the iconic figure of Americanized Chinese Food. The prevalent use of tomatoes and polenta in Italian cooking is a recent manifestation of foods imported from South America. Pasta, or noodles, were brought from China. The hamburger is the birth child of the ground beef patties from Hamburg and the Earl of Sandwich's famous insight. The Vietnamese Banh Mi sandwich is one of the great examples of fusion cooking gone right: crisp french baguette and pate combined with native Vietnamese flavors such as cilantro, mint, lemongrass and star anise.

This dinner will be a testament to the virtues of great cooking based on the fusing of different culinary cultures and their native ingredients. We'll explore "Americanized" meals such as the Big Mak and Chow Mein and "Frenchified" foods like "Le bahn Mi".

To comply with Washington food laws, we can only serve dinners at private events to members. Free membership is obtained by joining our mailing list. You will be enrolled with the email address you provide when purchasing, and may unsubscribe at any point. Thank you!

We look forward to seeing you at the table!