The “Ness”

This week is the last one of APEM Asia Week. To celebrate being Asian American through food is as good as it can get. Yes, there’s a diversity of Asian philosophies, religions, politics, and geography, but food is such a focal point across all of Asia. Yes, other places love food too, like Italy, but it isn’t the same. In many parts of Asia, at all times you can get food from a 24 hour hotpot restaurant or some skewers at a night market. When I lived in China I thought it funny that people designated New York as the city that never slept. It’s probably the same assholes who called it the Big Apple. I used to hang with my friends in Nanjing or Shanghai, and we could get the best fried chicken sandwiches any time. We would hang at Boba places at 10pm and I’d yell to the guy across the alley to make me some Sichuan hotpot. Then we would all sit and watch as some domestic drama occurred in the apartment complexes across the street. Unless you are in Singapore or Japan, there’s potential for fun chaos in many parts of Asia and there’s usually food involved. Sometimes I lament that living in China may have been the peak fun of my life. I was rather young, and China is a different country now; but I don’t see anyone younger having that kind of fun. I hear people go to Dubai or did, but it is an expensive place. In China one could just get a delicious bowl of noodles for very little, even for the locals. Usually things don’t get cheaper, but I hope some more fun times come around somewhere, anywhere.

Going back to Asian food, it reminds me of this concept I always tell Jenny: that things need to have their “Ness”. That is, their fullness. I may not look Asian to most people, but conceptually for a lot of things I am undeniably so. A harmoniousness or balance is essential in all things done in life. I’m not saying it needs to be orderly, one should know from living in China that there’s plenty of chaos. But the whole is searching for harmony. And this is “Ness”. Take, for example, a taco. I love all kinds of tacos, but my favorite isn’t a specific kind. It is a taco that has all the elements for full satisfaction. There’s the right tortilla that is fresh, the meat perfectly seasoned with the right amount for the size, the onion, the cilantro, the right salsa, preferably thin matchstick radishes, and a squeeze of lime. That is “Ness”. Then there’s a Chicken Parm. The right bread is essential with some sesame seeds, the right thickness of chicken, the right mixture of seasoned breadcrumbs, the mozzarella, and the sauce. I prefer a bit of tang in the sauce to undercut all the heavy stuff, and it can’t be too big or else you feel like an asshole trying to bite in. Lastly, there’s the thing that most people fail at: the salad. Don’t even make a salad if you got shitty lettuce. It must be as fresh as possible and crisp. Take a bite of one and it should taste like the drinking water straight from an alpine spring. The next step is the vinaigrette. I prefer a good balsamic one over anything else. But any nice vinaigrette or a well balanced lemon dressing can be suitable. I’ve seen people put ranch and ketchup in their salads. We are looking for harmony, not the back of a Shop Rite. Also I think it weird when there’s too much in a salad. Less is always more. I’ve seen places add apples, nuts, cheese, and dried fruit all at once. Hey, if you are trying to lose weight and that’s your whole meal, then go ahead. But if you aren’t, then cut that shit out. A salad is some fancy shit, so make it so. There’s not really much in the way of you making your own salad that tastes like something from Alain Ducasse. Just keep it simple and less is more. That is salad “Ness”.

Anyway, I can go on with other examples, but I’m sure that is Asian food’s impact on the rest of the world. Before in the 80s and early 90s, food around America was pretty shitty. Yes, there was some fancy French food around and the classic red sauce Italian places, but it was mostly a wasteland. Then there was fusion, and while most of it sucked it left a mark. Americans and Europeans discovered soy sauce and food that hit sweet, sour, salty, etc... all at once. Ness.

I prefer to make very simple gelato and ice cream flavors. But many of you don’t enjoy them as much as I do. That is fine, of course. So whenever we make flavors with various components, it is important for each to have “Ness” otherwise we are going backwards. I’ve seen other ice cream places make some classless flavors and they’re entitled to do as such, but it is not “Ness”. It is rather desperation, something I am not unless there’s a BMW Z8 for sale and I have to fight someone for it. So when we make Deep Pretzel we have to be very careful. The chocolate gelato has to be the right cacao percentage and it cannot be too heavy in the flavor. The pretzels can be whatever but they can’t be a stronger chocolate than the gelato part. And while you can use any caramel, it is better to use one with liquor such as bourbon. This is a deeply American flavor so it must navigate junk and class at the same time. Generally, I think we accomplish that. The “Ness’ is everything.