LET’S CHAT ABOUT IT
America is known as “the melting pot” — the country prides itself on encouraging and appreciating many different cultures that all mingle and combine into one larger identity of “American.” Although this ideology has proven to be incredibly problematic and politically hypocritical throughout history and, unfortunately, still today, the food choices we are exposed to in this country prove that it is truly possible for that mingling and coexistence to occur positively.
If only that could be true for everything!
Cultural fusion across different cuisines is, in my opinion, one of the great innovations in food history. One of my favorite restaurants of all time is Japanese-Italian fusion — two cultures that do not seem alike at all on the surface, but whose food somehow complements each other perfectly. I never thought I would want to eat a spicy tuna roll as an appetizer to a pasta dish, but after doing so for the first time, boy do I want to.
When asked what my favorite food is, I always say “sushi and Mexican.” They are perfectly tied for first and, no, I will never choose one over the other. If you think about it logically, since I love both so much, wouldn’t it make sense for them to work well together?
They do.
Pictured above is a poke bowl — this dish is Hawaiian in origins and is one of my absolute favorite and regularly-eaten lunches. This is my own creation consisting of white rice, salmon sushi, spicy mayo, edamame, seaweed salad, cucumber, and guacamole.
Now that seems out of place, doesn’t it? While it might turn some noses up at first glance, I promise that the second anyone tries it, they’ll be in love. The spice and acidity in the guacamole is an amazing addition to the rich yet fresh poke bowl. Regular avocado just wouldn’t be as good.
If it weren’t for food fusion, I don’t think anyone would have ever added guacamole to sushi fish or any other traditionally-Asian dishes like seaweed salad. And, truly, the world would be a worse place.
We Stan Tacos 