COOKING / Regional & Cultural/Asian Regarded as the world’s healthiest cuisine, Asian food is traditionally cooked quickly to conserve fuel and energy. Preparation can be meticulously time-consuming but also contains the essence of simplicity. Once most ingredients are peeled, chopped, sliced, minced, shaped and shredded with concentration and rhythmic ease with a Chinese cleaver on a wooden board, the wok, a bamboo steamer and long chopsticks or a wooden spoon will take care of the rest. Asian cuisine is local, authentic, and traditional. It is rich in taste from the herbs and spices used in the preparations. Asian cuisine features multicultural dishes from di- verse cultures and origins from Southeast Asia, Europe, America, and around the globe.