ANGELENOS AND OUR DISCRIMINATING PALATES.

Byline: Larry Lipson

In this new millennium, we will see many changes in the eating habits of Southern Californians. We're eating out more often and even when we dine at home, the meals may have been prepared by a supermarket or takeout restaurant.

Ready-to-eat meals from supermarkets or restaurants have become known as home replacement meals by the food industry.

As for our restaurant-going, our multiethnic population has helped many of us achieve a polycultural palate.

That doesn't mean that our basic appetite excludes such favorites as hamburgers, hot dogs, steaks and prime rib. It does mean that pastas and pizzas are hardly Italian anymore. Menus that list them are now described as New American.

It also means that such exotic eating places as Afghani and Ethiopian cafes are cropping up in the suburbs.

These are a couple of the newcomers that have replaced the once exotic - now familiar - Thai and Japanese restaurants. So familiar are dishes like pad Thai and sashimi that Thai and Japanese restaurants are easy to find in just about every neighborhood.

In some areas Asian restaurants seem to outnumber the gas stations in the same blocks.

In addition, the spicy flavors and cooking methods from Asia have found a place in mainstream restaurants as well.

Although we still worry to some degree about how our food choices affect our weight and health, restaurants that specialize in healthy eating rarely make much impact. And though some of us have strong feelings about what meats or dairy items we ingest for various reasons, we don't see a lot of vegetarian or vegan restaurants dotting the landscape.

But we do like spicy foods. And so our passion for Mexican (and occasionally Southwestern) fare hasn't diminished. And some of us find the hot curries of India much to our liking, though not all Indian food is fiery.

We also see an ever-expanding range of Middle Eastern (Persian, Lebanese, Armenian, Israeli), Caribbean, Russian and South American (Peruvian, Brazilian and Argentinian) restaurants where we can be adventurous.

And there's a resurgent interest in French food.

For a while, French food was deemed too heavy, too rich. And then with the nouvelle plates, too little.

Now, though, French kitchens appear to have learned to cook light and to serve more generous portions. And many modern French chefs utilize Asian techniques and ingredients to increase their dish appeal.

As for good old American, there's still plenty of that around. There never seems to be a dearth of barbecue outlets or steak and chop houses. Good seafood though, still remains a bit more scarce.

And we can always find a scattering of Cajun, creole and soul food spots, even in the 'burbs.

Diversity is what's happening today in restaurants. And the freshest of ingredients is what we're looking for.

A few veteran restaurant-goers may admit remembering when canned vegetables and frozen fish were the restaurant kitchen's norm.

Restaurants like that wouldn't last 10 minutes today.

Yes, the new millennium diner is much more savvy about dining out.

CAPTION(S):

2 photos

Photo:

(1 -- cover -- color) no caption (Larry Lipson eating a corned beef sandwich)

Corned beef sandwich courtesy of Bagel Nosh, Encino

(2) no caption (Larry Lipson)

David Sprague/Staff Photographer