I think this helps to fuel the "perpetual foreigner" attitude that many Asian Americans and Asians living in the U.S. face on a daily basis. Yes, people are curious about the food and the culture, but only on the level of novelty, as something fun and forgettable. It's very interesting to me to read this and to reflect on the reactions some of my friends had when encountering food and products deemed "American" in an international setting; for example in the Netherlands, "American Sauce" which is something kind of like Big Mac sauce, usually served with frites. My friends were a bit shocked and a bit hurt to see that people from another country had this perception of them eating American Sauce with everything and a few of my friends were quite vocal about trying to correct that assumption. Anyway, I understand that this is simply a way to move products and to offer a bit of novelty to their viewers/customer base, that's not offensive in and of itself. I just think it's lame that the people who watch those shows and buy those products think that they're accessing something real and not something that's a mere construct of media. It's too bad that the American palate is so restricted, otherwise authentic restaurants of various cuisines might actually have a chance in this country, but as is, I'd rather eat PB&J than some of the truly atrocious food coming out of the kitchens of purveyors of "Pan-Asian Cuisine."
I pretty much avoid any food with an "Asian flair". My wife is Chinese, and after eating very good Chinese food, throwing ginger in a chicken wrap or 5 spice powder on a burger is like throwing American cheese on a dumpling for "American flair". Any single ingredient can make something taste better or worse, but it only brings failed expectations for anyone expecting the food to be translated into the realm of another cuisine.