What Asian Cuisine Will Next Go Mainstream?

By Guest Writer | Thursday, December 31, 2009 | 6 Comments

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3555466066 29824d9d52 What Asian Cuisine Will Next Go Mainstream? By Eddy

A few years back, I was at dinner with some colleagues after we had finished the day at the client site. In the course of making some small talk, the project manager (Caucasian male in his 50′s living in North Carolina) and I started chatting about my background:

Him: So Eddy … how long have you been living in Chicago?

Me: A few years now. I went out there for college and stuck around after I graduated. But I grew up in California and I was actually born in Taiwan.

Him: Oh Taiwan? I love Taiwan. My kids and I love Thai food. We order it at home all the time.

Me: (After spending a couple seconds contemplating if I’m about to possibly commit a major CLM) “Well, Thai food is actually from Thailand. Taiwan is a different country.”

Him: Oh … (Awkward silence. Then turns to the rest of the group.) So, are we ready to order?

I share this conversation not to exemplify general American ignorance to many things Asian/Asian American; I’m guessing many of you probably have similar stories so my hunch is that I’m likely preaching to the choir. Instead, I think it’s amazing how restaurants serving specific Asian cuisines have proliferated throughout cities all over America, regardless of the actual size of the actual Asian population in those cities. I mean — the project manager I mentioned above lived in North Carolina. Are there even Thai people in North Carolina? (Just kidding. Sort of.)

For example, I live in Chicago and I can say without exaggeration that we have a gagillion Thai and sushi joints all over the city (ok, maybe slight exaggeration there). Unlike Chinese and Korean restaurants — which, not counting places in the burbs, are predominantly located in Chicago’s Chinatown and Koreatown — restaurant serving Thai food and/or sushi can be found in many Chicago neighborhoods. Case in point: a quick search for “Thai Food” and “Sushi” on Yelp Chicago brings back 700 and 796 results respectively. Add to the fact Chicago does not have a very large Thai or Japanese community, nor does it have an actual “Thai Town” or “Japan Town” and I think it would be fair to say that both Thai food and sushi have successfully made their way onto the palettes of non-Asians.

So how exactly did sushi and Thai food become so popular while other Asian cuisines (e.g. Vietnamese, Korean) are still relegated to “exotic cuisine status that can only be found in specific neighborhoods?” Your guess is as good as mine. I’m pretty sure the California Roll played a large part in boosting the popularity of sushi, as it provided a “safe” introduction to the cuisines for American leery of eating raw fish. Take one gateway maki and add in the inherent pleasures that come with pounding sake bombs and all of sudden you have people clamoring for unagi’s and o-toro’s. As for Thai food, my hunch is that its popularity has been driven by the idea that it’s perceived to be not only cheap and filling but also a healthier alternative to the greasy stuff you’d get at your average American fast food chain. In other words, perfect for health-conscious people too busy to cook or broke college students sick of eating Big Mac’s.

As we welcome in the new year, I have a feeling another Asian cuisine is ready to make the jump to mainstream American acceptance. My money is on Vietnamese food, especially as the bánh mì continues to gain in popularity and people start learning that there are other things on the menu to order besides pho. What about you? Care to make a new year prediction as to which Asian cuisine is ready to make the jump?

ABOUT EDDY: Eddy is a native Southern Californian who currently lives in Chicago but constantly rebels against being labeled a “Midwesterner”. While he epitomizes a “Guy’s Guy” and enjoys things like beer, poker, MMA, basketball and football (fantasy and real life), Eddy likes to think he also has a refined side, as evident by his semi-ridiculous collection of colognes and cuff links as well as his affinity for dining out and all things Michael Buble. Not without his shortcomings, Eddy also has trouble swallowing pills (due to an unfortunate incident with a large fish bone when he was six) and sings horribly off key at karaoke (unless it’s “Baby Got Back”, in which case his Sir Mix-a-Lot impression will blow you away). In an ideal world, Eddy would have won the lottery by now but instead he bemoans the fact that it now costs up to $4.25 an hour to park on the streets of Chicago.

(Flickr photo credit: Ollie Crafoord)

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robbygarcha

The next asian cuisine to go mainstream is "Indian". Its is catching on big time. As in the early 1980's it became a food of choice in England more and more americans are catching on to the food. It is considered very healthy and has spices that have great health benefits.

If you have not had Indian food go lineup at the next Indian restaurant - you will be amazed and be warned it is very addictive.

In the future look for a Masala Jack's near you.

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jk2001

Hawaiian is huge in Los Angeles, and there isn't a big Hawaiian community here. Even the J-As who kind of introduced it here are dispersing, so there is not much community support - but, there is Hawaiian-style lunch plate food in many mini malls. They are probably the #2 Asian food after Chinese fast food (the "fake" kind), even beating out Thai food and Yoshinoya.

Then again, i'm judging from the central and eastern parts of L.A., which already have a lot of Asians, and are majority Latino/Mexican. It's hard to tell what White people like, because they aren't so "present". Maybe Thai and Sushi are huge, but, I just keep going to the same old places and never see the spread into new locations.

Now, to be geographically correct, Turkey, Iran, Iraq, Israel, and even Armenia are considered part of Asia. I'm rooting for falafel to become the next big Asian food, because it's the best vegetarian food of all time. (After that, Taiwan style vegetarian food!)

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lanivcox

As a Thai I've had the same thing happen to me but they think I'm Taiwanese. This of course, is followed by, "Oh, I love Thai food."

Healthy? I don't think so. Pad Thai is just one of those "safe" (and tasty) dishes like beef 'n broc so I think it translates well as you -California roll- put it.

Heard Iron Chef Mario Batali say, "Just came back from Vietnam and it changed my life" so I'd say that's a good bet.

Great article!

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frankfrankfrank

Well in Toronto, Vietnamese food is already pretty popular. I've been seeing many pho restaurants opening left and right, inside and outside of Chinatown. And even Viet restaurants in Chinatown are mostly populated by nonAsians the past year or two. Some places actually cater to the nonAsian population with their nice decor that they've adapted from Asian Fusion style restaurants. I would walk in to some restaurants and my friends and I would be the only Asians.

With that said, your prediction on Viet food being the next big hit is probably right. And with that, I'd imagine Malaysian or Indonesian food would maybe catch on next, since it's somewhat similar to Thai and Viet.

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jeffat8asians

I'd say that Vietnamese has a good shot, with high end restaurants like The Slanted Door getting a Michelin star and Sriracha sauce being increasingly used by nonVietnamese, both Asian and nonAsian.

Another cuisine to watch is Hawaiian food, a melange of American and different Asian foods. Chains like L&L are increasing their presence in the mainland, and with tourism to Hawaiian, many Americans are already familiar with the food.

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johnklin

OMG, I laughed when I read "Oh Taiwan? I love Taiwan. My kids and I love Thai food. We order it at home all the time."

I think the popularity of specific Asian cuisines is in large part due to Asian immigration patterns or the business opportunity (i.e. Americans taste for specific cuisine making that ethnic cuisine sustainable)

The first Asians to really immigrate in large numbers were the Chinese during the Gold Rush and to build the railroads (and China being the country with the largest population in the world doesn't hurt to have a large diaspora) - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overseas_Chinese#C...

For a good backgrounder on Chinese restaurants and food in America, I recommend The Fortune Cookie Chronicle - Adventures in the World of Chinese Food ( http://www.8asians.com/2008/03/09/the-fortune-c... )

I remember when Japanese restaurants / sushi places started becoming more popular in the United States in the late 1980s as more Japanese moved to the United States when Japan was going through their boom years, setting up transplant auto assembly factories, etc.

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