Through numerous foodie adventures over the past year and change, I’ve fallen in love with many new foods. My mouth waters at the thought of salty garlicky bun cha in Hanoi and spicy succulent khao kha moo in Thailand and soft pungent French cheeses. And of course, who can forget my ultimate profession of love to the pierogis of Poland? But even with all the newly discovered favorites, when it comes to comfort food, there is still nothing, nothing, that…
The Great Wall Simatai Section in photos
One negative side effect of constant travel is that after a while, you become more numb. Things don’t appear as glittery or exciting as when you first start out. White sands and turquoise waters aren’t exactly a novelty anymore, nor are ancient churches and dazzling skyscrapers. Perhaps it sounds haughty of me to say that it’s hard to be truly surprised anymore. Believe me, I treasure every single place I visit, but it is true: there are few things that…
June 2015 travel re-cap: goodbye Asia and hello Europe!
Well, I didn’t intend to take a mini blogging break, but I guess I got swept up in the romance of summer in Europe. Instead of words and editing photos, my thoughts are of ice cream cones and cobbestone streets and outdoor cafes. I’m finding it hard to focus on blogging tasks when the weather is so beautiful and the town looks like a fairytale and there’s so much ice cream to be had. Whereas Asia made me want to stay indoors…
Chinese hotpot: a spicy good time
Hotpot (火锅) is a favorite among the Chinese. It’s so ubiquitous in China that it can be found just about everywhere – from the very north in Mongolia (where it’s believed to have originated) all the way to the humid south. Each region does it a little differently: Beijing is known for lamb hotpot in a copper pot, Sichuan for their signature numbing-spicy broth, and the Cantonese region for fresh seafood. But in all versions, hotpot is essentially the cooking…
[Wuhu] Geng Fu Xing: the best xiaolongbao in the world?
Xiaolongbao may just be the world’s favorite Chinese dish ever created. Who doesn’t know it by now?? They are commonly known as soup dumplings, or my personal favorite – “dumplings with delicious juice running down your chin,” as seen on the English translation menu of many Chinese restaurants where I lived in LA. (Actually the literal Chinese translation is “little bamboo steamer buns”, because these buns are a lot smaller than traditional Chinese steamed buns, so they are made in a much…
China beyond the big cities: a weekend in Wuhu
I’ve already talked at length about Beijing and introduced you guys to where I come from. Beijing is special to me because it’s where my life began and where my favorite people in China live. But what about my other set of family? The ones on my dad’s side? Now, I’m admittedly not as close to my dad’s side of the family as to my mom’s. I lived with them for a short stint as a baby. And I wasn’t able to return…
What to expect when you have a Chinese girlfriend
I don’t have a big family in the States. It really only consists of my small immediate family of four. And even then, the only family member D has met was my mom, over a couple of quick meals. So it’s accurate to say that he had no idea what he was in for when I brought him to China. And then all of a sudden, in the span of two months, he met and spent a significant amount of…
[Beijing] Da Dong Roast Duck: probably the fanciest meal I will ever eat
Thanks to everyone who supported more food posts on this blog! To start off, I am introducing you to Da Dong restaurant in Beijing. This is probably the fanciest food post I will ever have on this blog. Be forewarned: the following picture-heavy post may make you very very hungry. Beijing’s roast duck is perhaps the most internationally acclaimed Chinese dish ever created. And so when we went to Beijing, aside from cravings for my favorite childhood dishes from my…
April & May 2015 travel re-cap: the months of homecomings
I didn’t get a chance to write my usual monthly recap post at the end of April so this one is a 2-fer. I had my Lasik surgery at the very end of April and I may have slightly underestimated the recovery period. I thought I’d be back on the laptop in 2 days. But my (new, improved) eyes had other plans and decided that they didn’t want to look at a screen until a week later. And by then,…
I can’t believe I’m not in Holland! – Tulips in Beijing
Ever since early April, it seems that my blog and Instagram feeds have been popping up with pictures of everything spring. As we’ve been hanging around tropical countries for the past several months, we haven’t really noticed a change in season. But for the rest of the world (okay, just the northern hemisphere), it appears that spring has truly arrived, bringing with it blue skies, pastels, and of course, newly blooming flowers. I may be a tad late to the spring party…