While many people don’t realize it, many of the foods you might consider to be part of “Asian” cuisine are actually created in the United States. Many of these foods are considered a fusion of Asian and American traditions, such as California Rolls or Orange Chicken.
History of Asian-American Cuisine
With the immigration of Asians to the United States in the 18th and beginning of the 19th century, immigrants began introducing their traditional cuisine to American society. Most notably, the first Asian restaurant, San Francisco’s “The Canton Restaurant,” opened in the United States in November 1849. While the food offered was utterly different from what people might expect in a modern Chinese-American restaurant, it paved a path for future Asian restaurants and Asian-American cuisine.
In the early 20th century, Asian immigrants recognized a need to adapt their traditional dishes to more American tastes, innovating to create these dishes, such as chop suey and fortune cookies. More people began mixing different traditions to create these unique dishes well into the 21st century.
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Importance and Criticism of Fusion Cuisine
Reflecting on Asian-American fusion cuisine, some people believe there are issues with these foods through cultural misrepresentation. This problem is shown through how some people in the United States incorrectly believe these fusion dishes are a proper representation of Asian cuisine. However, fusion cuisine has also played an essential role in introducing new types of dishes to the world and representing the current interconnectedness that the Earth is experiencing.