January 2008
Food in Asia But Not Asian Food
by Everett Hutt
People often assume that as an American, even one living in Paris, I must be a gastronomy Neanderthal. They expect me to cringe at anything mildly adventurous and eat only hamburgers and hot dogs. Since I love many cuisines and will try just about anything, this can really be quite annoying, but it does have its advantages at times. Nothing helps to abate stereotypes and cultivate relationships, both personal and professional, like sharing a good local meal.
So I was really looking forward to eating well on a recent business trip to Asia. I had an expense account and would be dining with good friends or clients. My itinerary took me to Hong Kong, Shanghai and Singapore, three leading cities in which to taste a wide variety of Asian cooking. Yum!
Instead, I managed to go to Asia for almost a week and not eat any Asian food at all. But what I ate instead was a phenomenal menu of unexpected dishes ranging from Italian to fusion. And in the end, I learned that just as Americans are stereotyped for playing it safe where food is concerned, maybe I had been guilty of stereotyping, too. Was it possible that in the Far East, chefs might actually know how to prepare a delicious meal that isn’t Asian?
I should confess right from the start that I am not an expert on Asian food. I am not someone who searches for the best Asian restaurant; I sometimes confuse types of Asian cuisines (for example, the various regional differences of Chinese cooking) and regularly forget the names of the dishes I like. But I do like Asian food enough to eat it regularly, even living in Paris with its fantastic French food around every corner. And I am adventurous; I will eat just about anything as long as it’s well prepared.
So how did I miss out on good Asian food? A combination of luck, circumstances and some personal choices.
I’ll start with the part I had the most control over: breakfast. I must admit that culturally, I have a difficult time with the Asian breakfast spreads laid out in hotels. Sometimes the dim sum looks appetizing in the morning, but I am never quite sure what I’m going to get. As for the various fish and rice dishes, they somehow don’t feel at all appetizing at 7:00 am. I prefer to stick with fruit and toast.
Lunch was more an issue of circumstances. It was almost always on the go. Half the time, I was on a plane, where the only real choice was a mediocre sandwich or a “snack.” And I wasn’t even interested in looking at the Asian fast food choices in the airport. It’s the same inauthentic Westernized “Asian” fast food ubiquitous back home, so why would I want to eat them here?
I did have two work lunches with colleagues. The first was in Hong Kong, but it was with Aussies. They loudly announced around lunchtime, “You’re American — let’s go get some sandwiches. I’m so tired of eating Chinese food all the time.” I meekly agreed, groggy and jet-lagged, and munched my way through a bland turkey and lettuce on white bread. The second lunch was in the suburbs of Shanghai with Chinese colleagues. I was brimming with expectations, so you can imagine how my heart fell when my colleagues showed up with a family-size bucket of Kentucky Fried Chicken (not even the spicy recipe, but the original one). “One just opened up near the factory,” my colleagues said beaming with pleasure. “We thought you would appreciate food from your own culture.” Again, I smiled and meekly complied. How could I disappoint them?
Dinners were my real hope. I only had one business dinner and the rest of the time I was dining with foodie friends who have lived in Asia for years. This was where I would eat great Asian food!
My first dinner was with an American couple who have lived in Hong Kong for eight years. Dining with them in the past, I have eaten delicious Tibetan and Filipino food, in addition to great dim sum. So that night, imagine my disappointment when Alex and Jayne suggested… Italian… at the Grand Hyatt. Of course, it didn’t matter that the food, wine and service at Grissini were impeccable; that the homemade minestrone soup was completely fresh and light; that the pumpkin and porcini mushroom risotto was a perfect mix of creamy and tangy; that the conversation and company were perfect. I wanted my Asian food.
My second dinner in Hong Kong was with a Cantonese friend. Prior dinners with him and his wife had led me to minuscule restaurants where eel and other delicacies had been ordered three days in advance. Delicious. This time, however, my hopes were dashed when Roger (without his lovely wife) took me to the private Kee Club on Wellington Street. The food is an original mix not just of many cuisines, but also of ingredients and styles. I ordered for a starter the “Jackson Pollack,” which was an intriguing combination of vegetables and egg whites. It was sort of a mush of different colors and tastes, which somehow held all together in an odd way. It was indeed aptly named, but it was definitely not Asian (or any nationality for that matter.) The Wagyu beef was at least from Asia, but the cheese and pumpkin purée with it was straight out of France. Much to my chagrin, I had to confess, this dish was smashing. And Roger chose an excellent 2004 Volnay 1er Cru from Domaine de Montille in Burgundy to wash it all down. I may not have been eating Asian food, but I certainly was eating well in Hong Kong.
My next dinner was in Shanghai. Could I dare to expect an authentic local meal? To impress me, some Chinese clients of mine decided to “surprise” me by insisting we eat… Italian. I should’ve known. Palladio, located in the Portman Ritz-Carlton hotel, is undoubtedly an excellent restaurant. The ravioli stuffed with assorted mushrooms was as fresh and light as I could have wanted while the veal vitello felt as if it had been FedExed straight from Italy. The Chinese chose a French wine for dinner (a lovely 1995 Château Calon-Ségur from the Saint-Estèphe region in Bordeaux) but it was so delicious that I didn’t mind the clash of cultures (European cultures, that is, since there was nothing Asian in the restaurant except for the diners and waiters).
My last chance for Asian food in Asia was a dinner in Singapore. I was again meeting an American friend, Cathryn, who has lived in Singapore for over ten years. Alas, she chose a trendy but good Australian restaurant called P.S. Café. The menu looked like something you would find in a chain fusion restaurant anywhere in the U.S., but it was done with panache. I had pasta with grilled chicken and tomatoes intelligently seasoned with Indonesian spices — at least those were Asian. The wine, a 2005 Shiraz from Massena Vineyards in the Barossa Valley, Australia, was big and bold, and paired perfectly with the food.
As I wound down my trip to Asia, I thought back on the meals I had eaten there. And what I finally came to realize was that perhaps I was being a reverse food snob. One does not need to eat only Asian food when in Asia to eat well. Indeed, I ate better Italian and Western food during my trip than I do on a regular basis at home. The moral of the story is that today you can often find good food from any region in many places around the world — as long as your eyes and mind are open to it. As proof of this, I did finally enjoy some Asian food on the trip. I ate a simple dish of sautéed beef with Chinese cabbage. It was on the Air France flight back to Paris. It was delicious.
Hong Kong
GRISSINI
Grand Hyatt Hong Kong
1 Harbour Road
Hong Kong, China
+852-2588-1234
KEE CLUB
6/F, 32 Wellington Street
Hong Kong, China
+852-2810-9000
Shanghai
PALLADIO
The Portman Ritz-Carlton, Shanghai
1376, Nanjing Xi Lu
Shanghai, China
+86-21-6279-8888
Singapore
P.S. CAFÉ
28b Harding Rd
Tanglin Village (Dempsey Road)
Singapore
+65-9070-8782/+65-6479-3343
