January 6, 1982

-------------------------------------------------------------------- Evan Jones is the author of ''American Food: The Gastronomic Story'' (Random House and Vintage Books), ''A Food Lover's Companion'' (Harper & Row), and ''The World of Cheese'' (Knopf). By EVAN JONES AMERICAN food is more all-embracing in scope than perhaps it ever was. In the last decade Americans have turned to new combinations of cooking styles with interest far more catholic than the transient enthusiasm for haute cuisine that began in the 1950's with the jetage vacation jaunts to foreign parts. Tempted first by the classic culinary traditions, home cooks and diners-out have dealt with the nuances of nouvelle cuisine, just as they have learned the subtleties of an array of Oriental kitchens. We've passed through a decade of assimilation - borrowing from one cuisine to make another better. Our burgeoning gastronomic stance has worked small wonders through the use of the new kitchen technology and the express demand for specialty foods as well. And at least as significant is the growing insistence on absolute freshness of ingredients.

New York State employees may be asked to shorten their paid workweek to forestall thousands of layoffs. That is one of the many budget proposals that stand behind the annual State of the State Message Governor Carey will deliver to the Legislature Wednesday. The workweek proposal was immediately attacked by the employees' union. The Governor, who has spoken frequently of the fiscal crisis facing the state this year, also plans to offer virtually no increases in general local aid, and will present an education aid proposal certain to cut assistance to many of the state's wealthier school districts.

Chancellor Helmut Schmidt of West Germany, for the first time directly criticizing Soviet i n volvement in the Polish crisis, joined President Reagan today in expr essing concern about ''the serious pressure'' brought by Moscow ag ainst Polish efforts forchange. Mr. Schmidt's comments about the Russians were milder than those uttered by Mr. Reagan and other American officials. But they were welcomed by Reagan Administration officials as a signal that West Germany was prepared to join with the rest of the alliance in possible steps against the Soviet Union if the crisis persisted in Poland. NATO Ministers Meet Monday Mr. Sch midt said in a news conference later in the day that the foreign minis ters of the Atlantic alliance would discuss future movesat a meeting next Monday in Brussels.

The Exxon Corporation said yesterday that Libya had agreed to compensate the huge oil company for the Libyan assets it abandoned in November. The move, analysts said, suggested a new moderation on the part of the Governmen t of Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi. At the time of Exxon's withdrawal from the country - considered highly unusua l in an industry that has been reluctant to sacrifice any secure so urce of crude oil - Libya said Exxon's action did not conform with Libya's oil laws and was ''tantamount to failure to carry out leg al commitments and a unilateral breach of contract.'' Reserves and Liquefaction Plant That attitude on the part of the Tripoli Government led some industry analysts to suggest that Exxon would receive no compensation for its properties, which include oil and gas reserves, producing wells, pipelines and a plant to liquefy natural gas for shipment to Europe.

The Dow Jones industrial average plunged 17.22 points, to 865.30, yesterday as investors reacted to a surprise increase in the nation's basic money supply and to forecasts of higher interest rates by a prominent economist. These developments, coming in the face of eroding corporate profits and a recession of undetermined severity, apparently served to unnerve small and large stockholders alike. In the credit markets, a late rally erased some, but not all, of the substantial price declines that Government, corporate and taxexempt bonds suffered in earlier trading. Rates of short-term issues also rose. (Page D7.)