“An Englishman teaching an American about food is the blind leading the one-eyed.” -A. J. Liebling

I have often heard it said that the Vancouver restaurant scene owes its bounty to our large Asian population, that the expansive palate of Asian diners mirrors that of the French.

Obviously Asia is a much larger area and contains many, many different cultures and cuisine types. What they all have in common, however, is the funk. The funk is the opposite of white bread, of pale tomatoes, of commercial mayonnaise and prime cuts of meat. The funk is spot prawn brains, spicy kimchee, furry tofu and my oh so funky homemade fish sauce. Or what will be my oh so funky homemade fish sauce.