Friday, April 25, 2014

German-Asian Fusion

I feel a tie to Europe, especially Germany, which makes sense, because the largest share of my family heritage descends from that area.  I'm finding out, years later, that many of the things my Grandma would cook were actually German cuisine, and all of the German delicacies my sweetie has shared with me have struck a feeling of nostalgia with me, even though I don't remember having those things before.  We're planning a trip to Leavenworth, Washington with my sister-in-law in a month or so, which is kind of like a "Little Bavaria" tourist town in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains, and I'm very much looking forward to the experience.

I also feel a strong tie to northeast Asia--Japan, China, and to a lesser extent Korea.  This is more unusual, since I have (to my knowledge) absolutely no Asian heritage.  I'm not just talking about enjoying sushi and chinese food, either, although I do.  My sweetie and I have talked about how we think I may have been Asian in some of my previous lives; she occasionally mentions to me that she can tell I must be happy because I start moving like a geisha.  There is something about Asian things--and yes, Asian foods--that just feel right to me.  I tend to keep a pair of chopsticks in my purse, for instance.  Many things I hear about Asian culture as opposed to Western, such as the tendency toward collaboration rather than competition, or the valuation of effort instead of the fixation on results, feel like an upgrade from the "dog-eat-dog," "sink-or-swim" mentality I am used to from the US.

I think I've been thinking of this dichotomy as a conflict, although now that I am thinking on it consciously, I don't know why it should have to be.  Who's to say, if I put my mind to it, I could blend the two things, even in the kitchen?  What would a German-Asian fusion dish end up like?  Maybe it will take a German-Asian kitchen witch to find out one of these days. ;)