I feel like the word breathtaking is overrated. We use it so much that when something truly takes our breath away – and I mean with that sharp intake of breath and an utter loss for words, I completely lack the vocabulary to…
The courage to eat with a spoon
Learning to use chopsticks in China is easy. Learning when not to use them is hard. Dinner in Shanghai – my home for the past two years – is rarely eaten alone. A dinner is the sort of grand occasion…
Leaving WordPress
I’ve done it. I’m self-hosting my blog! This feels like a big step, because Skipping Customs (first called Pasta Republic) is something I started over three years ago and over the three years it’s become a place where I’ve been able to openly…
I got stung by a jellyfish in Malaysia
twelve mai tais Happy Hour is from 11am to 5pm and it just seems irresponsible not to order four at once. Mai Tais in hand, we walk up and down wet sand part of the white beach. We each take…
If I put soy milk into my latte, am I Chinese enough for China?
I’ve been on a huge China kick the last couple of weeks – I’ve finally started getting groceries online from YiHaoDian (an online Wal-Mart/Amazon hybrid where I can buy puppy food, sparkling water, and a Kindle all in one go), ordering lunch…
We told the consul general he should play more beach volleyball
What did we get ourselves into..