special food for special occasion

HIME, are you cooking for a crowd or just a few people? What sort of facilities do you have, for example, lots of woks or just a couple, deep fryer, oven etc. Need a bit more info...but chinese food would be a great choice for a tappas style menu :)

So when I think of Asian appetizers I'm not at "tapas". I'm at dim sum. When I think tapas I think of at least mediterranean or preferably Spain or Portugal or Basque or somewhere right around there...which would you prefer?

I love the spring rolls made with the rice wraps that you dip in water for about 30 seconds, then fill with fresh veggies and maybe a light dressing (ponzu-based vinaigrette or light peanut dressing). Lettuce wraps would be nice, too. You can stuff mushrooms; hollow out 1" slices of European cucumber, and stuff with whatever; make tiny skewers on toothpicks using veggies and/or fruit. You can make tiny baked tartlets or turnovers, and fill them with hot or cold mixtures.

I'm sure others will have more imaginative suggestions.

For me personally, I wouldn't combine the two in an event unless I had "stations". Then you could really get away with having different influences without it look schizo. I would look at doing things that would hold well unless you have a staff that will allow you to do dim sum al a minute? Cuz if you can handle that, then you could do passed trays of gorgeous seafood and veggie tempuras as well but those are things that just won't keep well.

Things that would go well on a buffet would be...(but please note some of these are very labor intensive to create) I won't repeat the appetizers previously mentioned because they sound great and are good ideas:

Asian marinated shrimp wrapped with snow pea pods
Pearl balls
Potstickers
Steamed dumplings with broth (the name escapes me now but you make a potsticker or purse and add a spoon of gelatinized broth. Then you steam them and when they are warm the broth liquidizes and you eat them by either putting the whole thing in your mouth or you nick a little hole in it with your teeth and suck out the broth first then eat the dumpling. It's so different and totally gorgeous!
Shrimp toasts
Asian marinated crab claws
Deep fried soft shell crab in lettuce wraps
Froglegs in french butter sauce (Vietnamese)
Five spice chicken wings with a hoisin or ponzu dipping sauce
Curried chicken tartlettes
Orange beef on skewers
Spareribs Chinois (google this with Wolfgang Puck - great recipe)

and I could go on and on! Tapas are a whole other thread.

not too sure about the asian cuisine....lettuce rolls are good for finger food......I am much better with Mexican cuisine,