One of the greatest joys of traveling is bringing home loot, whether for yourself or for friends and family. Some travelers purchase objets d'art, others, clothes and accessories. Me? I almost always go for food and kitchen knick knacks. I just spent three weeks in Singapore...
Supposedly, summer bade us farewell several days ago. The signs are all there: the sun dips lower in the sky, shadows lengthen, and the occasional nip in the air gently reminds me that summer is winding down and autumn is nudging its way in. However, all around me,...
Since the launch of the paperback version of “The Asian Grandmothers Cookbook,” I’ve been doing book events and signings around town. Rather than just talking about the book and the process of putting it together, I’d like to encourage everyone to emulate it and start recording...
One of the most common questions I get asked about my cookbook is: “Which one’s your grandma?” My sad reply: “She’s not in there.” I didn’t really know either of my grandmothers. My paternal grandmother, whom I called Oma, (I wrote about her in this post) lived...
I'm so happy to announce that the paperback version of The Asian Grandmothers Cookbook is now out. To celebrate this special occasion, I produced a book trailer using photos from the book, a soundtrack, and Windows Live Movie Maker. Et voilà, you can feast your eyes on...
Two weeks ago, I attended an event to celebrate Singapore’s 47th birthday that fell on August 9th. By some strange turn of events, I was roped in to lead a few songs in the requisite sing-a-long sessions. We sang popular folk songs like "Burung Kakak Tua,"...
As much as I adore canned creamed corn, come summer, I love sinking my teeth into a fresh cob and gnawing off the sweet corn kernels bit by juicy bit. My other favorite way with sweet corn is to toss the niblets into a salad...
Technicolor Vietnamese Pickles (Do Chua) Asian pickles do not adhere strictly to Western pickling methods (quick pickles, salt-brined etc) nor do we have a tradition of canning using sterilized jars and such. This method is a combination of quick pickles and salt-brined pickles and they'll keep...
The Vietnamese sandwich, a.k.a. bánh mì, is the epitome of cheap, good food. In fact, so remarkable is the bánh mì’s reputation, the New York Times Magazine devoted an entire article to this glorious sandwich. The article also suggests that Seattle, with its thriving Vietnamese community,...
