Indulgent dishes like the towering fudge cake and the Big Macro veggie burger helped M Cafe de Chaya put to rest the idea that macrobiotic food is deprivation cuisine.

Diets no longer constitute deprivation cuisine such as boiled vegetables and bland porridge.

Today's buzzwords for menu writers are roasted, grilled and braised. No steaming on that list. It has fallen victim to its own virtuous image: these days, steaming sounds like deprivation cuisine; too healthy, too boring.