I visited Zhou Yi in Shimen, Hunan and followed her and her husband to the markets where they bought the afternoon’s meal. The rest of the story is coming soon.
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By request of an enthusiastic reader who was left with a refrigerator booty of vegetables and inspiration to cook, here is a soup recipe I like to make often. The original order was for a soup using pork rib, daikon, and ginger. With these three ingredients, you can cook a heart-warming soup packed [...]
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Singapore — I wake up happy. The air, noticeably humid, might make the day go south for some, but I like humidity. I tend to think it does good things for my skin. I start with an hour of Nike Training in the living room. Sliding doors open to [...]
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Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia — Omniscient clouds loom overhead on the afternoon of day three. I love the mood of the weather here. By day mother nature delivers clear blue skies with a small breeze and in the late afternoon cools down the city with a trio of fat rain drops, lightning, and [...]
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Beijing, China — After a few winter holidays from Christmas, New Year’s and Chūnjié (Spring Festival, 春节), friends return from abroad and the calendars quickly fill. Time to reconnect and catchup over home-cooked meals. It’s part of my new year’s resolution to dine in more as it truly nurtures a sense of quality time, quality [...]
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By Juling He
Beijing, China — Returning home one day, I notice a small restaurant near Tuanjie Hu Subway Station, called Mén Dīng Li Bàodǔ (门丁李爆肚). It is always busy with customers. It is beyond my ability to figure out what kind of restaurant it is from the literal meaning, ‘doornails and cow belly [...]
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Jíníng, Inner Mongolia, China (中国，内蒙古，集宁) — In a land where winters are cold and lasting, the people rely on yànmài (燕麦, Oats), originally from the alpine areas of Shaanxi. Yóu miàn (莜面, oat flour) helps the body resist hunger and cold; it also aids in protecting the liver, kidneys, replenishing [...]
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Chengdu, Sichuan, China — Xiào Ayi is a mother whose skin glows with rosy cheeks. Her husband and boys are round, suggesting a healthy appetite and sound diet. My first impressions of the Luō (罗) family were in awe of the mother’s care towards feeding her family well [...]
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Beijing, China — After a delicious celebration at Café Sambal, I was invited by the owner’s daughter, Shauna Cho, to taste dishes from the new organic/vegetarian menu. After eating such a healthy set of dishes, I felt like I did myself a favor. Actually, Shauna did me the [...]
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Chengdu, Sichuan, China — I thought I knew what Má Pó Dòufu (麻婆豆腐, Pock-marked Old Mother’s Tofu) was until I had the real thing in Chengdu. Going to the Asian food aisle in a Western supermarket and picking up a packet of Ma Po Tofu instant sauce to help [...]
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“While cooking, we don’t measure ingredients. We cook with our heart.“ ~Yáng Hóngyǐng 杨宏影
Chengdu, Sichuan, China — In 2007, a visit to Chengdu with my nephews barely hinted at the flavors and character I had yet to discover three years later. The difference between traveling guided by a Continue Reading →
Méixiàn 梅县, Guangdong, China — I am fascinated by the diaspora of any people. Given the ease of mobility, we find ourselves in every country of the world and even on the moon. The family I met today is Chinese, of the Hakka minority group. They migrated from China to Indonesia and descendants dispersed from there; some moved to the United States while some like my host, Wēn Pó (age 82), “returned” to China. Chinese who have lived abroad and return to live in China are called huáqiáo (华侨).
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