Being out of the country for nearly a month has a tendency to adjust a person's perspective of "home." Home has had various meanings and geographical locations in various moments in my life. Conceptually, it means numerous--and sometimes conflicting--things at...
When visiting Chicago for the first time last year, I of course had Intelligenstia Coffee as a must-go destination. Sure, they've got a super spiffy space in Venice (LA) now, but Intelligentsia originally hails from Chi-town, so I wanted to...
I'm going through Yoko withdrawl. We were literally joined at the hip for the last month, gearing up for our GIFT OF FOOD benefit: chatting, Skyping, meeting with each other, organizing, coordinating, planning with our other awesome collaborators. It was definitely a huge team...
We all know how even the saddest piece of stale-ass bread can taste so good when we're out in nature, hungry after a walk and enjoying the snack with friends and the singing birds. When you talk about umami, it's not just about the flavours...
You may think that coconut custard pudding sounds quite ordinary or not your thing, but trust me, you haven't tried one of Sri Lanka's best-loved desserts. I'm a self-confessed dessert-aholic and one of my favourite sweets is crème caramel (pudding or
The Prohibition Era figures prominently in the collective imagination of the cocktail world. The aura and mystique surrounding that era still wields great influence on popular culture. The popularity of HBO's Boardwalk Empire is a perfect example of our still not fully reconciled...
My new favorite thing to cook with! Photo by Erin Gleeson.
Before the 2011 Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami, Sendai was a city that made my favorite miso. One tablespoon of Sendai miso goes into my dashi every morning for a breakfast consisting of miso-shiru, rice and umeboshi. In recent weeks, Sendai...
“Floreant Agni” (May the Lambs Flourish) - Motto of the original Lambs theatre club The month of March is supposed to end like a Lamb but Mother Nature is not playing nice–it is still 30˚F outside! Nevertheless, this week’s cocktail captures winter’s...
My parents do their daily and weekly shopping at the vegetable shop just down the road from their house. The thing about South Asian countries is that even though their produce is fresher than fresh, but because of the heat, things go...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9wFSoMiiBQ My colleague Kristen who produces videos for Japan Society’s Youtube channel, asked me if I knew of any onigiri (rice balls) shops since they wanted to showcase them in an upcoming video. I thought, “How about I teach how to make onigiri in the video?” That’s how this...
There is nothing like an expertly crafted Old Fashioned-style cocktail to help you navigate the rapidly changing weather of late March. Since, it is not quite Gin Rickey weather and too warm for a Hot Toddy, a solid whiskey...
When selecting a mid-March cocktail for this article, I was tempted to go the easy route with a St. Patrick’s Day whiskey drink. Then this weekend, I had the fortune to dine at Magasin Wells (aka M.Wells), the critically acclaimed Québécois-American diner in...
Before I go into this week's tear-jerking post, I am fortunate to tell you that all my peeps in Japan are fine, but my thoughts are with everyone who is affected by the earthquake. This is truly awful, sad, and devastating for all of us....
After baking beets in a terracotta dish (lid-on), the skin should peel off easily using just your fingers. Photo by Erin Gleeson.
Step-by-step instructions on how to make Oolong Hai, or shochu iced tea.
About a year ago, Dickson's Farm opened up a shop in Chelsea Market and I often go there to get my meat. It's fresh, and sometimes you can see the guys butchering huge chunks of cow. It's nice to buy meat where you can...
Step-by-step instructions on how to make the Japanese shoyu marinade for ikura (salmon roe).
My MO-obsession (baking with rice flour) has returned, and this time, it's the MOcaron. Now that I know exactly what to do when it comes to macaron-making, substituting almond flour with other ingredients is not that hard. Having said that, I had no idea...
If you are getting tired of using beer kits or following other peoples recipes and are ready to start creating your own beers, this post is for you. When I first moved out to San Francisco I started putting Sierra Nevada Pale Ale in...
