salad daze

A hundred years ago when I lived in New York City, there was a French-Japanese restaurant in sort of the Murray Hill area that was stupendously delicious, marrying two detail-minded cuisines with some nice balance that brought out the best in each one.  This was before Fusion Cuisine was big news all over, and long before it passed from cutting-edge to its present state of horrific overuse.  I can amuse myself for hours (Food Nerd over-share!) inventing or merely cataloging foods I categorize as Confusion Cuisine.  It's an excellent distraction if you are stuck in an airport somewhere, both because you will be bored and because you will see a higher proportion of examples roaming all around you.  Airport food courts are a rich natural habitat for Confusion Cuisine.  Think Wasabi Hummus on a Parmesan-Sundried Tomato Wrap with Feta. Think Cajun Shrimp Alfredo with Pita.  Think Grilled Chicken Breast with Kung Pao glaze and Pineapple Pico de Gallo. 

But borrowing a little here and a little there can work out, if a light hand and steady eye on digestibility are brought to bear.

If I had eaten this alone, I might have wondered if it was worth telling you about.  But wrestling over the bowl was observed at the table.  Maybe families all share a skewed tastebud. Let me know.

food-court-here-we-come tomato salad

handful of dried wakame seaweed

1 cucumber, peeled and seeded (if the seeds are large) and coarsely chopped

2 tomatoes, coarsely chopped

large handful of basil leaves, chopped

dash (or more) of sriracha chili sauce

3t (or to taste) tamari or soy sauce

1T EV olive oil

dash toasted sesame oil

squeeze of lemon or dash of rice vinegar

Soak the wakame in cool water to rehydrate; drain, pressing excess water out.  Toss everything together and taste to adjust seasoning to your liking.  Improves with ten minutes or so of resting time, which will mellow things a bit.  This is also true of people.