Ric Watson is a freelance graphic designer and photographer who credits a Mediterranean diet with helping him recover from a near-fatal motorcycle accident. He discovered a passion for Asian food and cooking when he met and fell in love with travel consultant Trudy Thelander, who had been introduced to authentic Asian cooking by her Chinese-Malaysian sister-in-law.

In 2004, Ric and Trudy created MediterrAsian.com, a website dedicated to informing and educating Westerners about the health-giving benefits of traditional Mediterranean and Asian eating and lifestyle practices. The site has received praise from Tufts University, USA Today, Yahoo!, Parade magazine and others for offering sound nutritional advice and delicious yet nutritious recipes. Ric and Trudy's cookbook, The MediterrAsian Way, received a recommendation from the Library Journal, and was named one of the best cookbooks of the year by the Santa Barbara News-Press.

From Ric:

When I was a teenager I lost two very precious things—my dad and my health. My dad, who suffered from bouts of severe depression, took his own life. Then, less than a year later, I was involved in a motorcycle accident that nearly took my life, and robbed me of my health.

There was nothing I could do to bring my dad back, but I put all my heart and soul into getting my health back.

Unfortunately, no diet or exercise plan I tried ever helped me fully recover from my accident. It was only when I was introduced to traditional Mediterranean eating practices by my uncle (who had been stationed in that region with the British Air Force during the 1960s) that I finally regained my health and mobility and got back into shape again. Not only that, migraine headaches that had plagued me since I was a young child simply disappeared, and have never returned.

Apart from all the health benefits, what amazed me the most about a Mediterranean way of eating was how utterly delicious the food was. Rustic stews, warming soups, plates of herb-infused pasta, pizza hot from the oven, and other scrumptious foods like paella, risotto, and hummus.

When I met and fell in love with Trudy, she introduced me to authentic Asian food and cooking (which she herself had been introduced to by her Chinese-Malaysian sister-in-law). And what a discovery that was! It opened up a whole new world of incredible flavors, textures and aromas. I also happily discovered that traditional Asian eating practices shared many similarities with traditional Mediterranean eating practices—so I didn't have to worry about losing my hard-won good health by incorporating Asian dishes into my Mediterranean-style diet.

Thankfully, Trudy also adored the Mediterranean dishes I introduced to her, and the time we've spent together cooking and eating Mediterranean and Asian foods have been some of the happiest times of our lives.

We launched MediterrAsian.com in 2004 to share our passion for Mediterranean and Asian food and cooking with others. We're absolutely convinced this way of eating isn't only the healthiest way you can possibly eat, it's also the most enjoyable. And because a MediterrAsian way of eating emphasizes plant foods over animal foods, it's very beneficial for the planet too.

Cheers!

ric@mediterrasian.com

From Trudy:

From as far back as I can remember I've had a real passion for food and the rituals surrounding it. Some of my fondest memories as a child were weekend barbecues in summer. I come from a big family (there are nine of us all counted) and I remember the table was invariably weighed down with large amounts of delicious food. I loved being outdoors in casual surroundings, and I really relished the joy and togetherness that sharing good food can bring. That feeling has never left me.

Something else I'm passionate about is looking after my health. I think my respect for health comes mainly from my parents, who were both physicians for over 30 years in the small town in Australia where I grew up. In fact, my parents' medical practice was attached to our house, so you could say I was raised in a health-conscious environment!

Consequently, as much as I love good food, the health aspect of food has always been just as important to me. Unfortunately, good food and good nutrition are often mutually exclusive, and on many occasions my taste buds have had to suffer in order to eat healthfully.

But my whole concept of "good nutrition" changed entirely in my late teens when my brother, Neil, married Vivian, who is Chinese-Malaysian. It was through Vivian that I had my very first introduction to truly authentic Asian cuisine. I remember it was a generous serving of fragrant chicken curry. It was an irresistible and unforgettable taste experience that left me with an addiction to Asian food for life! Incredibly, this traditionally-prepared food was not only delicious, it was also very nutritious—consisting mainly of lean protein sources such as chicken and fish and plant-based foods such as vegetables, grains and legumes. This inspired me to try cooking authentic Asian dishes myself at home, and often.

Vivian was an invaluable source of advice. She shared her own favorite recipes and gave me an inspiring cookbook that featured many of the diverse and wonderful cuisines of Asia. I also remember how much it fascinated me going to Asian grocery stores with her to shop for exotic ingredients like curry pastes, fish sauce and Asian greens—ingredients that were considered "foreign" at that time, but are now commonplace in most supermarkets.

My career in the travel industry has also exposed me to many cultures and cuisines other than my own. I now live and work in New Zealand, but for many years I worked as a senior international travel agent in Australia.

One of my duties as a travel agent was to go abroad and inspect the facilities of international hotels. These overseas trips allowed me to have a first-hand look at the traditional foods of different places and peoples. For someone like me who's greedy and loves good food, I took great pleasure in doing my "job." Apart from inspecting hotels, I sampled dishes in foreign restaurants, tasted exotic foods from market stalls and street vendors, and gathered recipes and ideas to recreate at home on my return.

In the years since that first fateful curry, my appetite for ethnic food and cooking has grown and grown, especially after meeting Ric, who introduced me to the wonderful tastes, textures and soul-satisfying goodness of traditional Mediterranean cuisine. Over the years we've not only formed a loving relationship with each other, we've also formed a loving relationship with Mediterranean and Asian food! We're now delighted to have the opportunity, through this site, to share our passion for MediterrAsian food and living with you.

trudy@mediterrasian.com

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