Zandie effortlessly pops the entire clove of garlic into her mouth. It’s Chinese New Year and we’re bao-ing dumplings to celebrate, as per new year’s eve tradition. The garlic clove just finished its swim in a shallow dish of shaoxing wine vinegar,…
How to spend Chinese New Year in Shanghai
I can always get behind traditions involving food. Shanghai is wonderfully quiet during the Chinese New Year. This is a time when most foreigners peace out to seek warmer climates and most Chinese return home to celebrate with their families and be pestered about…
That 'aha' moment
I used to think that the way we can make a new place feel like a home, that is to say, like a familiar place, was by filling it with the things that make us feel at home. For me, that meant…
Understanding China
At times, I wonder about my ‘legacy’ in China. Now okay, that sounds a bit ridiculous. The last seven (almost eight) months that I’ve spent in Shanghai, my Chinese speaking abilities have rapidly improved (not as significantly as I would have liked them to, but…