Especially this sentence:

"Some families said cheeseburgers and fried chicken are increasingly replacing sizzling goat and basmati rice."

It's sad enough that some families can't afford the traditional ingredients of their cuisine--as an immigrant myself, I know how important the flavors of home can be. But when it's cheaper to feed the kids on junk food, the effects may become societal.

Tthe epidemic of obesity crosses all cultures.

You really want to do multicultural food analysis, come to Toronto.

:)

Its probably not that interesting a job. She probably sits and reads import-export manifests and marketing data all day, punctuated with making meaningless Powerpoint presentations for variety.

but at my local "World Market" (which is 80% Asian foods) the produce is almost always cheaper than at the regular grocery stores. And not just the more exotic foods -- apples and oranges are usually 30% to 50% less than the chains.

And frankly taking a trip to the local Asian market is worth it just for the Nong Shim Brand of Kimchi Ramen. It's ramen that rocks.

I don't cook Asian food every night but I do a lot of shopping at the Asian markets here in Philly because the produce is cheaper by half and fresher. They sell every vegetable sold at the supermarket besides Broccoli Rabe and Collard Greens and a lot I can never get at the regular store. The meat is better and you can actually get cuts like flank steak, pork shoulder, etc. instead of just sirloin, "london broil" (the most horrid cut of meat on earth)and pork chops. And, assuming I am not buying organic, it's all comming off the same boat or train anyway. Mainstream supermarkets are absurdly overpriced, especially when it comes to fresh fruits and vegetables.

I actually knew the woman who was the Travel Editor for Gourmet Magazine. Talk about a *sweet* job!

"Listen, I know it's not important that massive economic upheaval is causing immigrants to eat damaging junk food instead of their more nutritious traditional diets, but here's something of real note: Some lucky soul actually gets paid to indulge her bourgeois fascination with fancy foods!"

Among the terms people of my general political persuasion tend to be comfortable bestowing upon themselves, "foodie" may be the one most likely to make me vomit.