ObserAsian #6 Being Part Asian is Trendy

Ying and Yang. Peace and Harmony. East meets West. U Plus Sign Me Equal Sign Equals Us.

You know since it is the 21st century and all, things have come a long way. From the days of mass paranoia caused by the mass influx of Asian immigrants to work on the transcontinental railroad lines, and the days of the "yellow peril", we have surely made a lot of progress. Instead of threatening the wages and standards of living of whites, Asians have done such a great job in not meddling with whites that they have since become, "model minorities." In fact some might even say that we have, "made it," in the eyes of our American brethren and maybe even to the point where being Asian is, dare I say, trendy.

Much like trick yo-yo's, Pokemon, tamagotchis, beanie babies, pogs, and the Nintendo Wii, being exotic or having a "hint of the orient," has become quite the fad. Actually, now that I think about it, those fads that I previously mentioned all have Asian ties. See, Asian is cool. Being associated with Asia is the hot thing of the moment. I mean what's more desirable than a mixed race baby? I would argue a mixed race baby that's part Asian; they're so cute.

In fact being slightly associated with Asia has become quite mainstream. Before I get further in depth on this topic, let me reemphasize the slightly associated with Asia part. I mean to be fully Asian is to be communist, American job stealing, copyright infringing, and human rights violating. So clearly being fully Asian is not quite up to snuff with being part Asian. Jackie Chan and Jet Li never get to kiss the girl. Tiger Woods is married to her. Being part Asian has its perks.

For example nothing has exploded onto the scene of posh and hipster dining like Asian fusion restaurants. With the opening of each abstractly named fusion restaurant that has no absolutely no bearing with the food the establishment actually serves, fusion restaurants are taking America by storm. With their backless seats, modern furniture, interesting plating and small portion sizes, Asian fusion restaurants are redefining the way Americans are both viewing and consuming their spring rolls. It's hard to describe what fusion restaurant really means except that it's more expensive and probably has something to do with east meeting west.

The hipness of having Asian ties is not exclusive to the high end however, as fast food chains have recently latched on to the increasing popularity of being associated with Asian stuff. In fact nearly every fast food establishment has their version of an Asian salad or an Asian sauce. All it takes are some crispy noodles, some canned mandarin orange slices and some sesame dressing and you instantly have a fast food best seller. The marketing geniuses of fast food America have realized that you can take something you already sell, glob on some soy sauce or ginger based sauce and you can charge a thirty cent premium and rake in the big bucks.

The Asian trendiness factor need not be limited to culinary interests but has expanded into all aspects of Americana and has infiltrated the American household. We are not discussing Asian architectural mainstays like Buddha statues, pagodas or outdoor Japanese water gardens. Asian fusion furniture is a hybrid of modern furniture with an eastern flare. In short, Asian fusion furniture is modern furniture kicked up with another notch of vagueness. Confusingly, Asian fusion furniture is fast becoming one of trendiest growth sectors of the interior decorating world. I mean what makes a leather sofa Asian? Is it shorter? Is it shaded yellow? I kid. Regardless, it's another example of the increasing uptick in Asian culture creeping into mainstream society. I mean what's better than a regular mirror? Easy! An Asian fusion inspired mirror! I have no idea what makes this mirror an Asian fusion mirror, but I googled it and you know google is pretty good at the whole search thing.

With the increasing acceptance of Asian culture into mainstream American culture, you may be wondering what my take on all of this is. Well you know they say America is a melting pot. Well Asians are getting mixed into this proverbial melting pot as well and that's probably a good thing. I mean even if this increase in Asian culture is misguided, inappropriate, or potentially slightly politically incorrect, at least we're trying. I mean who doesn't like to try and be more like people who are different than us. That's why there's Halloween and these dudes. See we're guilty of it too.