Mongolian Hot Pot: ‘The Next Sushi’?
Travel Blog • Eva Holland • 03.26.08 | 11:49 AM ET
In the summer of 2007, when the New Seven Wonders of the World were announced, World Hum rolled out its own list of wonders: the Seven Wonders of the Shrinking Planet. My favorite pick was the California roll, which represented not only the rise of sushi from obscure “ethnic” cuisine to corner store standard but also, as Jim and Michael wrote, “the many ways that cuisines from every corner of the planet are mixing in new, inventive and surprisingly tasty ways.”
Over at GOOD Magazine, Adam Leith Gollner offers up ten predictions for “the next sushi.” His suggestions include Mongolian hot pot, Korean bibimbap, mangosteens and Singapore street food. It’s an interesting list, but I can’t help but notice how East Asia-centric it is. How about Ethiopian food? Falafel? Or even Tex-Mex—on my last trip to Europe, the Tex-Mex restaurants almost (but not quite) rivaled the Irish pubs.
What do you think? Is hot pot the new sushi? What’s your pick for the California roll of the future?
Related on World Hum:
* New Seven Wonders of the World Named
Photo by star5112 via Flickr (Creative Commons)
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Peter Levenda 03.27.08 | 1:10 AM ET
My vote is for hotpot, with Singaporean street food a close second.
I’ve spent more than 20 years in China doing business, traveling,and opening offices there for American and European companies. Mongolian hot pot was a staple because (a) you cook it yourself, so if you get sick you only have yourself to blame! and (b) it was inexpensive and a great way to socialize. My local partner and I spent at least three meals a week in our favorite hot pot place near Tiananmen Square in Beijing.
Singaporean street food (like Malaysian street food) is varied and never ceases to amaze and entertain. In fact, I would have to say that Malaysian street food is better: the spices are hotter, the coconut milk is thicker, and the flavors are outstanding. Singaporean street food tends to be a little blander. But I miss roti canai, nasi lemak, ikan bilis, and all those typical dishes that made my more than 7 years in Kuala Lumpur so pleasurable.
Falafel? We’ve had that in New York for so many years that it’s hard to consider it a new contender for sushi. As for Ethiopian food, it has a lot to recommend it as well, especially the communal act of sitting around the brass plate with the huge layer of bread on top of which all the dishes are unceremoniously dumped!
(Sigh) How can I possibly choose one over another?