Addendum - Virgin Territory & The Absence Of A Soul

Haha! I cracked up when I read Matt's comments on FB. Reread the part on bastardized food and realized that I sounded pretty harsh.

Actually, I love bastardized sushi rolls. My favorite is the Volcano Roll. They have them in Japan, but they are considered more a novelty.

In 2001, I brought a few Japanese friends out to eat in Oklahoma. They told me that it is not real sushi. I replied, "I know, but what can we expect in Oklahoma."

We still had a great time and we enjoyed the food for what it was.

Volcano Roll
Though I love the Volcano Roll, I will stop short of calling it Japanese. Just as curry pizzas are not "Italian", sushi rolls filled with craw fish and avocados are not Japanese. And yes, curry pizzas are delicious.

Butter Paneer Pizza
Because sushi and pizza have become commonplace, every culture has their own variations. My favorite place for Singapore sushi is Sushi Tei. They are a conveyor belt style restaurant.

Cuisines are constantly changing. For any cuisine to evolve, there has to be an influx of new cooking techniques and/or ingredients. I love trying new cuisine, fusion (bastardized) or traditional.

What is fusion? Is fusion just slapping some teriyaki sauce on a steak? Or is fusion mastering the different techniques and intricacies of different cuisines to create something new and amazing?

I lean towards the latter.

Again, I do not have anything against multicultural foods, just how it is classified.