Comments on: What Asian Cuisine Will Next Go Mainstream?

By: robbygarcha

robbygarcha — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 07:47:21 +0000

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.

By: jk2001

jk2001 — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 11:19:00 +0000

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!)

By: lanivcox

lanivcox — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 20:19:28 +0000

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!

By: frankfrankfrank

frankfrankfrank — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 01:19:27 +0000

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.

By: jeffat8asians

jeffat8asians — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 05:44:41 +0000

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.

By: johnklin

johnklin — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 03:23:12 +0000

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.