Salads have come a long way from iceberg wedges dribbled with bottled French Dressing. The momentum today is finding ways to combine a variety of elements into new experiences.
First there was fusion food, sometimes subtitled California food. Strict food constructionists may shudder at combing cuisines. But experimental chefs trump food purists in today's culinary world. Appetizers may be petite won tons filled with almost anything, complemented with shredded beets. Mango salsa might top Alaskan salmon, served with a few fresh pea pods. Dessert - ah, dessert - hot chocolate sauce with just a bite of hot pepper drizzled over a Bavarian-inspired chocolate cake or eclairs stuffed with fresh fruit . And the wine may come from almost anywhere.
Contemporary poetry bears little resemblance to the classical forms used by Keats or Wordsworth - or classical East Asian forms. Free verse has over-ruled Shakespeare's iambic pentameter. Prose poems defy definition - is it a poem or a prose piece? Rules of writing poetry have morphed into "the only rule is there are no rules." Such mixed genres seem to challenge poets to break more rules And making up words is not limited to Sarah Palin.
Walking around the indoor track the other day, I was listening to MPR on my iPod. I discovered another fusion occurring with music. My classic music station was playing (video) gamers music based on classical music. Keep in mind, gamers music is intended for a young audience not particularly interested in the classics. Yet, here is a group of composers passionate about combining the classics with the visual of video games. Fascinating!
Technology, travel, Internet access, migration of people - all have given us a rare gift. Our is the first generation to experience a remarkable new world. It is NOT the world I grew up in - a world of hot dish, second generation white northern Europeans, and Lawrence Welk. And lettuce wedges.
Salad anyone?
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