There are fusion restaurants everywhere. Sometimes they are contrived, and frankly the fusion doesn’t happen. Usually they work best when the people involved have a foot in the food culture of the place where the restaurant is and in the culture of the source of fusion. There are no rules. But you know when it is successful, just as you might recognize something that isn’t.

Koi Asian Fusion works. We speak with General Manager, Eric Li, about the work and thought that went into the restaurant - work regarding the look and feel of the place, the food and its connection to real people who know the food, and the work at restaurant principles, like fresh seafood and wonderful ingredients and methods. And yes, even the cocktails are thoughtfully crafted.

Listen. It’s on Tip of the Tongue.

Next time you are in Shreveport, Louisiana, this is a must stop. When you are up to your eyeballs in Cajun, Creole, and north Louisiana food that people claim is authentic, and you want something else that is really delicious, pop into Koi Asian Fusion for a palate cleansing. It will make your taste buds zing.

Food and food culture does not observe political boundaries. Thus some important state foodways may be overshadowed by more well-known or more highly marketed foodways. In Louisiana, most people identify the food of south Louisiana when they think about the state’s foodways. Chef Hardette Harris wants to encourage us to remember the wonderful foodways of the northern part of the state, a place abundant with game and fresh water fish.

She has established an organization called Us Up North to keep these foodways front and center. We talk to Chef Hardette Harris. Listen. It’s on Tip of the Tongue.

Chef Hardette Harris

There is lots to say about food writing and how it has changed. Dianne Jacob is right on top of it all. She is the author of the multiple award-winning book, Will Write for Food, which is now 20 years old and in its 4th edition. She is a writer herself, a writing instructor, and a writing coach. She has a newsletter on Substack.

Dianne is unlocking her article with Emily Weinstein next week. You can read it here, Recipes Need a “Lightbulb Moment.”

Dianne Jacob

The first cover of Will Write for Food

Rachel Hope Cleves has written a book full of sex and transgression. The book is all about food, the development of restaurants, and how we left some of the prejudices about good food and sex behind us in the world of foodies. Today we think of healthy eating as our path to good sex.

You can also find Rachel on Blue Sky.

If this podcasts interests you, I recommend a conversation that Rachel and I mentioned on this podcast. A conversation with John Birdsall about his book The Man Who Ate Too Much.

Do remember Saveur magazine from the 1990’s? Well, it’s back. Kat Craddock, who grew up reading and admiring the magazine, who found her first dream job working there in the test kitchen, is now the Editor and CEO.

We talk to Kat about Saveur and its new incarnation. Listen, it’s on Tip of the Tongue.

Kat’s New Book written with Dr. Marie Pierre St. Onge

Caroline Chambers has made her much deserved reputation of Substack. Her new book, What to Cook When You Don’t Feel Like Cooking is out there. She tells her story and muses on the future. Listen. It’s on Tip of the Tongue.

You can read more about Caro on her website.

The interview is fun and personal. The cookbook has great ideas for food that is either very easy, when that is what you need, and also food that is a bit more elaborate for when you are in the mood.

Ilan Stavans and Margaret E. Boyle have written a book, Savor Judío, which explores the influences of Jews on the cuisine of Mexico. The book is full of sidebars that explain origins and happy mash-ups that can made of a delightful new dish reflecting both Jewish and Mexican cultures.

The book discusses holiday treats and surprises like Baba Ganoush con Chile.

Ilan Stavans is Lewis-Sebring Professor of Humanities and Latino Culture at Amherst College. Margaret E. Boyle is Director of Latin American, Caribbean, and Latinx Studies at Bowdoin College.

Read more about Ilan Stavns.

Read more about Margaret E. Boyle

You might also be interested in this podcast: Tip of the Tongue Episode 183: The Sephardic Experience.

Try TIp of the Tongue Episode 169: Food & Memory

The Port of New Orleans has been importing green coffee from the Americas for centuries. Green coffee distribution has been an industry in the city for a long time. And roasting and selling roasted coffee, while a newer industry, has serious roots in the city too. And coffee shops abound. Local ones, not only national chains.

French Truck Coffee is one of those local ones that has grown from one shop to many shops, brewing coffee and selling beans, and now its own food to accompany the coffee. We talk to Geoffrey Meeker, founder of French Truck Coffee, to see what’s up with coffee. Listen. It’s on Tip of the Tongue.