Research Term Paper
Vladimir Duverger
Tues, Thurs (11:15-12:30)
November 6th, 2014

To begin, Haitian culture is a very diverse and was engrained into me as I grew up, being that I had a Haitian mother. One of the most diverse things about the culture and one thing that many people can agree with, is the food. As for me, that's one of my favorite things about being Haitian-Dominican decent as I get to eat the amazing food. But another culture who's food is a big part of their being, are Asians and their style of cooking and what they eat and what they make, and etc. So I thought, why not visit or get in depth with another culture whose food is a huge part of their being. And for this paper, I've decided to get into Asian food and how it differs from my culture as well as the importance it plays in their culture. To continue, as I began to think of where I can go to try real Asian food to really speak on for this essay, I remembered about my neighbor. My neighbor whom is of Chinese descent owns restaurant called 'Asia Town'. When I approached him about wanting to learn about different Asian foods and taste them, he invited me for a free meal at his restaurant to try some of his popular dishes. He even explained to me that a lot of his food is cooked by himself and though he gets help from his mother, he makes sure to keep the 'Asian style' in his food. A lot of popular buffets make their food 'mainstream' according to him and he mentioned to me, his restaurant was the best place to try real Asian food. Furthermore, as I entered his restaurant on September 12th and there wasn’t too many people in the restaurant and therefore he wanted to give me a ‘taste’ of his culture’s cuisine. He explained to me that there are actually three cuisine areas of Asia. They are ‘The South West’, ‘the North East’ and ‘the South East’. And he manages to incorporate all of these areas within his food despite being Chinese. He mentioned that with Chinese cuisine, it was important that I went to his restaurant because it with a lot of cooks it takes a certain cook with skill and experience to translate Chinese culture into their cooking.

First, I was introduced to a dish called ‘curry’ but because I’m a vegetarian he turned it into a ‘Vegetarian Curry Soup’ with tofu. He explained to me that curry is a very important in the Asian dish and one of the first dishes really introduced to many people who first try real home cooked Asian food. The concept of curry however came from India and spread east, and differs according to cuisines (Frisch, E: Curries from Around the World: Differences by Country). But the people of the South East modified the original by substituting coconut milk for yogurt as the basis for the sauce. (Grove, P: Curry, Spice & All Things Nice: History of Restaurant) As I was eating this dish, he also let me know that in his family when they eat curry sometimes it’s either for Dinner or during a special holiday. This is a similarity with Asian culture and Haitian culture. For New Year’s we also eat a certain soup called ‘Soup Joumou’ which is pumpkin squash turned into soup and mixed with a few other things as well. And the resemblance between ‘Soup Joumou’ and ‘curry’ was almost very similar to me, and although they taste different there’s still the same type of style behind it. In similar fashion, ‘Soup Joumou’ is usually made by Mom’s and they make it for the whole house in Haitian culture, he explained to me that they serve it as their appetizer which is like a ‘welcome to our home’ kind’ve message. Once again I connected both, because for Haitian-born people ‘Soup Joumou’ is usually given to anybody who happens to be in the same house as us on New Year’s. And not only just New Years, but I’ve recalled my Mom giving it to friends during special occasions when there are guests over. After I had the ‘Vegetarian Curry Soup’, I wanted to try something off of the menu that really was an Asian cuisine specialty. I didn’t want to try the typical ‘sushi’; I wanted to expand my taste buds a little bit. Keeping in mind that I’m a vegetarian, I saw something on the menu entitled ‘Laksa’ which was described as a ‘spicy noodle soup’ on the menu (with my choice of meat or tofu) and I immediately thought I had to try it. While preparing it, Mr. Beriminito (the owner of the restaurant) mentioned to me that Chinese cooks make sure that their food is very healthy. Which is why a lot of Americans go on ‘Asian inspired’ diets by not eating meats, or eating salads and etc. because it truly derived from Asian culture. One of the big differences I noticed between Haitian and Chinese food, is they eat with a more healthier agenda while Haitian cuisine is a lot more fuller on spices, oils, greases and etc. Not to devalue Haitian food (it’s great!), but Chinese cooks make their food with fresh vegetables, fish and barely ever use chicken or if they do – it’s not greased up and slapped with oils and spices so much, like it would be in a Haitian kitchen. Now he made sure he clarified, because that’s not to say Chinese food doesn’t have it greasy or unhealthy food here and there, but for the most part – Asian food is very fresh, clean and made with health in mind. I explained to Mr. Beriminito, about the differences between a Haitian kitchen and a Chinese kitchen and how while not all Haitian food is made with grease and oil and etc. in the Caribbean, food is made with a lot of extra ingredients to make it spicy and flavorful. As my Grandma would say, ‘put some meat on them bones!’ is the intent that they use when they make these foods. He explained to me there’s a reason why Asia is known for diets and etc because they use a lot of herbs and salads and etc. in their meals, even with their curries and their noodles and etc. As I continue, finally the ‘laska’ meal arrived. It was rice noodles, with tofu and it was topped with a lot of greens and herb looking things on top of it. I took my first bite out of it and already, I can taste the spice from the rice noodles. Although it was good.. I can see what Mr. Beriminito was talking about because the spice went away because of the herbs also sprinkled into the meal. What differs in Haitian food is there’s a lot of exaggeration with spices and foods, therefore it definitely hits you harder and longer. With this, there was a bit of spice but it resonated well in my mouth and wasn’t intolerable. This was another difference between Haitian food and Chinese food. Finally, there was a final thing I had to taste to compare Haitian food and Chinese food. Desert plays a huge part with Haitian food and it’s deserts make Haitian food so sought after and imitated by many. One popular Haitian desert, for adults mainly is called cremas. Cremas is a creamy and very sweet alcoholic beverage that is usually drunk for desert and there’s even a ‘watered down’ creation of it without alcohol but just made with creamed coconut and sweetened condensed milk while the alcoholic version has rum. Of course, I couldn’t have any alcoholic beverages so I checked the desert side of the menu after my ‘laksa’ meal. I came across something called ‘Douhua’ and it was described as ‘soybean pudding’.

Mr. Beriminito explained to me that ‘Douhua’ may be the most popular Chinese desert just because it’s a pudding that everybody can enjoy and taste, because it’s similar to a yogurt or sorbet almost. ‘Douhua’ was going to be the last meal I tasted. Douhua is the short form of doufuhua and in every Asian cuisine it’s done a little differently. In northern China, douhua is often eaten with soy sauce, thus resulting in a savory flavor. Douhua in Sichuan is often made without any sugar at all, then served by carrying pole or bicycle vendors with a number of condiments such as chili oil, soy sauce, Sichuan pepper, scallions, and nuts, and is sometimes eaten along with white rice as well. In Taiwan, douhua is served with sweet toppings like cooked peanuts, adzuki beans, cooked oatmeal, tapioca, mung beans, and a syrup flavored with ginger or almond. During the summer, douhua is served with crushed ice; in the winter, it is served warm. And in the Philippines, it is known as taho and sold door-to-door or outside churches. (Bai, M. “Tofu, a Healthy Traditional Food in China”) After eating the ‘Douhua’, I was told that it was the most popular dish in Mr. Beriminito restaurant because of it being something that his mother had made since he was younger and he carried the recipe, to make it a specialty of his at his restaurant. Although, it wasn’t like like the Haitian beverage ‘cremas’ –Haiti cuisine has a pudding of its own that’s very similar which added another point to the similarities between the Haitian and Asian culture. In conclusion, despite the Haitian culture being a very diverse one and the one of two I was exposed to growing up, I was exposed to it the most and only really knew of that culture. Having a piece of the Chinese culture and being able to taste their meals, and hear the history on it made me view the similarities and differences between both cultures. Both cultures have their famous dishes, and their practices with their dishes or what makes these ‘dishes’ famous for their cultures and their specific reasons. But moreover, I’m thankful to have experience the Asian cuisine first hand and taste their popular dishes and learn the history behind them.

Work Cited

Bai, M. (2011, October 19). Tofu, a Healthy Traditional Food in China. Retrieved October 6, 2014, from http://www.cits.net/china-guide/china-traditions/tofu.html
Rodgers, G. (n.d.). Laksa. Retrieved November 6, 2014, http://goseasia.about.com/od/malaysianculturepeople/a/laksa_noodles.htm
Grove, P. (n.d.). Curry, Spice & All Things Nice: History of Restaurant. Retrieved October 6, 2014, from http://www.menumagazine.co.uk/book/restauranthistory.html
Frisch, E. (n.d.). Curries from Around the World: Differences by Country. Retrieved October 6, 2014, from http://www.foodservicewarehouse.com/education/curries-from-around-the-world-differences-by-country/c27599.aspx