Do you really think that any Asian culture's food could ever be considered a delicacy?

Question

Sorry, I just think that the best asian food could be found in any old restaurant, and that by no stretch of the imagination could it ever be considered in the same league as the best Italian or French cuisines. Just b/c it's the best the cuture has to offer doesn't make it equal to the finest french & italian food. Morons will consider this racist but try to look at the issue objectively.

Answer 1

I don't think you're being racist, you just don't like Asian food.

Answer 2

No, I don't think you're racist, I just think you're ignorant.

I really don't know HOW you can imagine that Italian or French food actually TASTES better than Asian food! But if that's your personal preference, then great! Eat your Italian and French food and enjoy it!

It's all very nice that you feel able to come on here and state your opinion in a way that's only just short of being offensive, but why disguise it as a question?

Frankly, I find that the best Italian food can be found in any old restaurant - and most of it's not so hard to make yourself!

As for French food, what's so amazing? The only true 'delicacy' I can think of off the top of my head is Truffles! They're weird, and ultra-expensive. I've never tasted them, but just because something's hard to find and expensive does NOT make it wonderful!!

I'll stay here and enjoy my favourite Indian, Chinese and Japanese foods thank you VERY much!

Answer 3

Just because Asian food is served in so mant restaurant doesn't mean it's GOOD Asian food. Have you ever had Asian food in somewhere like Thailand? It is a whole different type of thing than it has become here. Everything has to be commercial and stuff here. Most people can't cook Asian food like it was (and is) originally cooked. How many restaurants that you've been to had spaghetti on the menu? French and Italian food is a different sort of MINDSET towards the food, just because Asian food isn't as fancy doesn't mean it isn't cuisine. It's a different kind of atmosphere, Asian food isn't considered on the same level just because it's easier to find, and less expensive? That's not fair. It isn't a racist kind of thing, but more of a class type of thing. Asian food is a delicacy to some people (me included, i love it) but it's a different approach to "delicacy" than fancy Italian or French foods

Answer 4

My friend, you obviously have never gone out much from your corner of the woods. Please go and eat in Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai, Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore, Tokyo, etc and then give your honest opinion. Honestly, I have eaten many, many dishes that would put western delicacies to shame in both chinese, japanese and thai restaurants. Did you know that italian food would simply not exist if it wasn't for chinese noodles for example. Italian pasta is nothing but a rehash of Chinese noodles. Please go and have some good asian food in a good asian restaurant and not in your corner panda express before generalizing as grossly as you have done in this question.

Answer 5

objectively?
you just stated that it couldn't be considered in the same league as Italian and French cuisines, how can we answer objectively when somehow you already stated your distaste for Asian cuisine?
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delicacy is a food that is particularly prized within a given culture

Asian cuisine may not be appreciated in the west, but it doesn't mean that it is nothing compared to western delicacies

Answer 6

True asian food is rarely found in america, it's just like how we think all mexican food is spicy but if you go to mexico a lot of it isnt. The asian food in asia is different than the asian food in america.

Answer 7

Chinese food that you have eaten may only be American Chinese food. American Chinese food are for people like you that don't know any better.
For myself, I think Italian is the best. Sorry to say that French for me is at the other end.

Answer 8

most asian food can't be found in any restaurant; not everyone knows how to make it. but i do think fries and pasta are found in any old restaurant; i'm just dumping some mccains into my deep frier right now.....they are the finest cut fries you'll ever find.

Answer 9

we asians morons will not consider you racist....only plain stupid mr. know-all !!
this closed attitude won't take u far anyways......so sorry.

Answer 10

The cuisines of Asia are as diverse as they are deliciously exotic. Chef Michael Rosenblum has been living and traveling in the Far East on and off since 1998 in an effort to understand and define the finest cuisines of the orient.

CHINESE

Being the most diverse and likely the most popular of all Asian cuisines in the west, true Chinese fare is also the least understood. Worlds apart from the greasy egg rolls and neon signage of suburban America, authentic Chinese fare is like nothing else in the culinaryworld. Truth be told, the Chinese have, over thousands of years, devised a rather sophisitcated means of appreciating cusine, often in the form of comparing, contrasting and categorization.

Often the Chinese judge their food according to three disctincive attributes: Si, Xiang and Wei. These three constituents must be combined properly to create the necessary balance in a dish. The first word Si, is the second half of the word Yan Si, meaning "color". The second, Xiang, represents "fragrance" and the third, Wei, the first word of the pair Wei Dao, means "taste" or "flavor". Together, Si Xiang Wei, describe the necessary components of fine food in their order of importance. For Chinese to appreciate food, it must first be pleasing to the eye, then pique the interest of the nose, and finally, arouse the palate.

Ba Da Cai Xi- The Eight Classic Schools of Chinese Cookery

It is worth saying more than a word about the eight Classic Schools of Chinese Cookery. Generally speaking, most gastronomic authorities recognize them as distinct varieties of cuisine, each celebrating dishes or methods regarded as that which best articulate the flavor of the people or environment of the respective locale. Though Chinese cuisine is, as a whole, still highly regional, there has certainly been a current of knowledge and skill that spans the vastness of the country. During China’s revolution in the middle of the 20th century, droves of individuals fled from every corner of the burgeoning communist nation to escape persecution. Conversely, the central government sent many people from major cities to rural areas, continuing a pattern of cultural diffusion. Many political refugees fled to Taiwan, British controlled Hong Kong, the island of Macau and most other neighboring Asian nations- not to mention countries outside the eastern hemisphere.

With survival and safe passage, came time-honored flavors of the towns, villages and homes that so many left behind. The loss suffered by this generation is in some ways the eating-world’s gain. By this measure, tourists savoring to experience all of the flavors of China can do so without leaving their plush Shanghai hotel rooms, and Northern businessmen, lonely for a taste of Jing Cai, or Beijing style food, can usually seek it out even in the southern most tip of Hong Kong. For it’s part, Authentic Chinese cuisine has maintained it’s integrity by principle versus transmission of specific formula, just as American’s enjoy true New York pizza in Washington state, or Delight in New England Clam Chowder in New Mexico: It is the skill of the preparer that makes all the difference. Within the framework of this sociological phenomenon exists a deeper pattern of sharing that which is undoubtedly Chinese, yet it has simultaneously eroded the fringe areas of culinary distinction. In essence, while there are still individual dishes that are arguably from Wen Zhou or Hubei China, much of what one will find within China is rather similar, with only a master’s personal tough setting the brilliance of a well-executed dish apart. The eight major schools are known in short as the cuisines of: Chuan, Jing, Lu, Min, Su, Wan, Xaing and Yue.

Chuan Cai- Sichuan Cuisine

With pickled delights, fresh and dried chilis, and the numbing sensation of Prickly Ash, or Hua Jiao, Sichuan province’s lush landscape and use of wild vegetables and meats, offsets its remoteness, and keeps it in the forefront of the appreciative palate.

Jing Cai- The food of Beijing

The imperial cuisine of Beijing owes much of its favor to outlaying neighbors. Borrowing cooking techniques from all other parts of the country, the food of Beijing and it’s surrounding locales can vary substantially. However, the heavy use of ginger thick, fermented sauces and elaborate presentations predominate within the walls of the ancient kingdom, while simple local dishes made infamous by their over-abundance of oil, but enjoyed nonetheless remain constant. Originally, grains such as winter wheat, corn, millet and amaranth were staples of the northerner’s diet unlike rice which is king in the south.

Lu Cai- Shandong Cuisine
From the mountainous north, and comprised primarily of foods styles of Jinan and Jiaodong, Shandong cuisine is not exceptionally hot in spice, but bright and crisp in both flavor and mouth feel. It is often regarding as China’s original classic.

Min Cai- Fukien Cuisine

The cuisines of this region in south China are as varied as the scenery. Including many micro-regional flavors under a single umbrella, Fukien fare is distinguished by its intuitive use of fresh, seasonal seafood, sharp pickled items, the inclusion of medicinal herbs and sweet fermented rice sediment or Lao Zao. Soups are quite common in this locale, and the flavors, not unlike the people spirited and adventurous.

Su Cai- Jiangsu Cuisine

Graceful and elegant and sophisticated are words which best describe the foods of Jiangsu, also referred to as Huaiyang cuisine. Many cooking methods are enjoyed in this river-delta region, without a single dominant force. Flavors are known to be light and balanced with a great deal of attention stressed on the importance of preserving a food’s natural flavor or Xian Wei. Vegetable carving and both sweet and savory pastries are well known in this part of china, with local chefs holding high status in the culinary world. Skilled preparers of Su Cai know well that with seasonal changes, one should change the balance of a dish. Although possibly too bland for the tempered palates of the central or northern Chinese, authentic Jiangsu fare is delicate but not yielding in flavor, while being bold without overpowering.

Wan Cai- Anhui Cuisine

The foods of Anhui are less common outside of China, and therefore less appreciated. Dishes tend to be sweet and savory, often employing the light savoriness of aromatics such as shallots, garlic and wild leeks. With special attention to braising and slow-cooking, thick fortified stews and sauces highlight the texture and natural flavor of many ingredients.

Xiang Cai- Hunan Cuisine

Hunan cuisine is also made up of several other micro-regional assets. Sour and pungent flavors predominate against a backdrop of heat-inducing aromatics from the Capsicum Family such as fresh and dried chilis. Among the famous dishes from this region is Dong An Ji, known throughout the country as former Communist Chairman Mao Zedong’s favorite dish.

Yue Cai- Guangdong Cuisine

Cantonese cooking or Yue Cai, is proudly heralded as the most difficult style of cooking; at least by southerners. The sheer volume of delicacies boggles the mind, and a true master must be equally skilled in both wok and cleaver. Dim Sum or Dian Xin, classically enjoyed in tea houses everywhere, and the old workhorse of adventurous Americana, is still a tool used to measure the quality of a master Cantonese Chef. It is likely the food style most familiar in America, with it’s Mainland Chinese counterpart focusing on delicately flavored dishes which showcase the freshness of ingredients. Though more often than not Dim Sum is laborious, it is rarely as elaborate as some of it’s regional cousins.

In addition to the eight major schools of Chinese cooking, the following six branch schools of practice are also given due consideration as being classical, in that they generally contain over four hundred distinctive indigenous dishes with unique cooking methods and combination of ingredients. They are:
The Hui or Muslim school from north, central and western China
The Yunnanese School, from the province of Yunnan which shares borders with Vietnam and Thailand

The Lower Yangtze, also known as Yangchow or Hangchow style cooking from south-coastal China

The Hakka School, from the south-central delta and oceanic regions of China

The Guizhou School from Guizhou province, china's poorest and most remote province

The Formosa School from the island of Taiwan, which is nestled a few hundred miles southeast of Hong Kong across the South China Sea

This list is by no means exhaustive, and though many a literati have tried, no one has as yet been able to define Chinese food for what it is. Rather, authentic Chinese cuisine as it is enjoyed within the reaches of the middle kingdom is a culture and counter-culture, which can be more easily defined, by what it is not.
The Chinese employ every type of known cooking and preparation method in their cuisine. Dishes are known for their use of ginger, dark vinegars, roasted spices, garlic, chilies, funguses, thick fermented soy and whole bean sauces, and raw sugars.

Chef Michael has worked in dozens of Chinese restaurants in the United States, learning both classic and contemporary interpretations of Chinese cuisine, and studied directly under master chefs from all areas of China. Fluent in the Mandarin dialect, Chef Michael, through his research, travels and apprenticeships is considered a budding authority on the subject of authentic Chinese fare.

JAPANESE
Traditional Japanese cuisine enjoys a unique reputation among the cuisines of Asia, in that it is largely defined as a style or mindset of cooking, rather than being confined in its interpretation by limiting factors such as an ingredient list with a clear starting and stopping point.

Isolated by water on all sides, the chain of islands which make up the Japanese Empire are known for its culinary inventions, the most widely appreciated being sushi and sashimi. The preparation of raw fish in Japan is believed to date back as far as the fifth century BC, but the written words did not appear for another two hundred years. It was in the eighth century BC that rice containing preserved fish, given in the form of tax to the central government, was the beginning of Japan's modern day staple. There are many different types of sushi and sashimi in Japan today, including pressed, rolled, hand-formed, and cone sushi, and composed slices of fish or sashimi.

Japanese chefs worldwide are also credited with the perfection of lightly fried dishes called tempura and sweet and savory delights grilled on either an iron plate or fragrant woods charcoals. Japanese cuisine is home to a wide variety of noodle, rice and soup based dishes, as well as extensive pickled dishes, stews and sweets made of glutinous rice flour. Tofu in its many forms also makes a frequent appearance in Japanese cuisine, as do various types of seaweed, mushrooms, gourds, melons and preserved seafood products. Some meals or social gatherings will often include the consumption of a Japanese spirit called Sake, which is made from fermented rice and can be served hot or cold. The Japanese are also expert in the art of preparing tea, the most famous being the many green teas enjoyed in gardens, homes and restaurants all over Japan.
The Japanese take the preparation of food very seriously with freshness and sanitation being of paramount importance. Presentation is crucial in the traditional preparation of food, and tends to lean towards the minimal versus the ornate. Japanese cuisine holds the virtues of harmony and nature as the cornerstones of enjoying food, with Japanese dishes frequently employing the simple flavors of pickled and fresh ginger, a native green horseradish, fermented soybean pastes, rice vinegar, sweet soy sauce, rice wine, and sesame oil as the main vehicles of flavor.

Chef Michael is well versed in various areas of Japanese cuisine, having spent time in Tokyo visiting restaurants and fish markets to experience this fascinating cuisine first-hand. He also studied as a private student of master Sushi Chef Liu Ke of the renowned Kansas City Jin's Restaurant.

THAI
Enjoyed throughout the world as a cuisine that is not only singular in it's ability to combine many ingredients with very distinctive properties, but also for its liberal use of herbs, curries and preserved seafood, the cuisine of Thailand stands alone as both an art and a science.

Divided historically into two separate classes, royal and peasant cuisine, Thai food has something to offer almost any palate. The royal cuisine, now all but vanished from contemporary society, focused on delicately infused sauces of coconut milk or broth to flavor dishes like chilled rice with jasmine flowers and steamed crab with coconut and fish sauce. The peasant cuisine, which now reins, is famous for marrying the explosive powers of ingredients like Prik Niu or bird's eye chilis, with the herbaceous and astringent flavors of galangal, Khaffir lime, basil and lemongrass, the nutty earthy qualities of spices like clove, cardamom and coriander, and the pungent flavors of fermented shrimp pastes and fish sauce all under the backdrop of creamy coconut milk or oil.

Thai curries generally fall into one of three categories: coconut curries, yellow curries or jungle curries, and each have their own distinctive aroma and mouth feel. The umbrella of Thai cooking culture also covers a wide variety of fried dishes, braised meat and noodles, grilled dishes, fresh composed salads and beverages. As most Thai men spend some part of their adolescent or adult lives in Buddhist monasteries, Thais are also expert vegetarian cooks. Much of Thailand enjoys a jungle climate, enabling year round availability of fresh fruits, and lighter starches like glutinous rice or rice noodles are eaten at almost every sitting. Chef Michael is well versed in the many styles of Thai cuisine, and specializes in the classical dishes from northern Thailand where he studied.

INDIAN

Famed for its intoxicatingly flavored stews and aromatic starches, India is home to more individual cultural strata than possibly any other country in the world; a variety that is reflected in no better way than in the edible culture that India has created. Dating back literally thousands of years, references to food, drink and spices are present in religious ritual, spiritual happenings and of course, daily life. Many of the dishes familiar to westerners are curries flavored intensely with potent mixtures of spices called "masalas". Indian cooking is also closely related to the healing arts as food is believed to have great effect on physical health and emotional well-being. There are virtually hundreds of thousands of classical preparations in the Indian pantry, and considerable variation can be seen in preparing the same dish from region to region.

Authentic Indian dishes are typically flavored with whole or ground masalas such as cumin, cardamom, cinnamon, allspice, turmeric, black pepper and cloves. In addition, a backdrop of flavor for most curries is usually created by the use of onions, garlic, ginger, fresh chilis and a root indigenous to South East Asia called Asafoetida. In the southern regions of India, it is not uncommon to find curries that also include coconut milk, which is often substituted for the popularly used dairy products from water buffalo in the north.
Chef Michael spent considerable time as a personal student in the Kansas City home of Mrs. Rajani Manjeshwar learning the secrets to classically prepare home-style fare, and specializes in dishes from the northern region of Bihar.

PACIFIC RIM / OCEANA
The soul of cuisine in the pacific islands, including Samoa, Hawaii and Fiji, is truly captured in the beauty of simplicity. They emphasize freshness, bright flavors and a lively combination of ingredients. The origin of what is now known as Asian Fusion, likely originated in the islands of Hawaii, as chefs from all over the world combined new ingredients from Asia with classical techniques from their motherlands, in a paradise that went on to become a nexus of culinary freedom. Today, Fusion cuisine has exploded into a food craze with global appreciation.


Pacific Rim/ Oceana cuisine is not restricted by boundaries of water, but relies on what's fresh, what's exotic, and more often than not, what's biting. Dishes frequently include fresh seafood, tropical fruits and vegetables with Asian flavoring ingredients, and are often prepared in the classic style of their locale, with subtle European accents.
During the years Chef Michael lived and worked for Ko'olau Catering Company on the windward side of Oahu, Hawaii, he had the opportunity to work alongside some of the finest talent in the islands including chefs Alan Wong, Roy Yamaguchi, Jean-Marie Josselin and Chai Chaowasaree to name a few. He spent his time perfecting the art of fish cookery, and creating his own unique style of New Asian Cuisine.