What is the growth of fusion cuisine?

Fusion cuisine is not new. It's simply a new term for something that has been going on since before recorded history and which happens when one culture becomes aware of the foods of another culture or region through trading, invasion, Immigration and so on, and adapts those foods which either suit their own tastes, or from sheer necessity, into their own cuisine. I was once served a Lancashire hotpot (in Australia, not in Lancashire) in which the meat was delicious but, interestingly, served with potato chips (crisps) scattered over instead of potatoes in with the meat. Now that's fusion cuisine! The introduction of tomatoes into Europe is an outstanding example of well-documented fusion cuisine, as is the introduction of basil and other herbs, pepper and other spices, potatoes, and so on. Ketchup was made and named by the English and based on Asian fish sauce brought back by sailors on trading ships, before tomatoes ever arrived there. Then tomatoes turned up and tomato sauce was born as a condiment. Now the British and other English-speaking countries use both names for tomato-based sauces, and most people can't tell the difference. Ketchup is supposed to be more piquant. Fusion cuisine is a popular term because it implies carefully-considered and constructed meals devised by skilled chefs rather than just some peasants thinking those nice new red fruit would look good in a stew. I'm sure both views are valid, in their way.