On Tuesdays, my apartment becomes a Civil War reenactment. From the third floor, we hear the crackling fire of a hand-cranked oven, a voice yelling a signal, and the BOOM of the popcorn machine that follows like clockwork. We’d spent the last few…
To fall in love with anyone, eat street food
I’m so excited to share my contribution to Snacks Quarterly for the their newest issue! http://www.snacksquarterly.com/to-fall-in-love-with-anyone-eat-street-food/ More about my struggles with writing: Shanghainese street food. What it’s like to write.
Massachusetts-Shanghai: An Interview
Look ma! I’m Internet-famous! Ok, so not really, and this isn’t quite the piece I talked about earlier (that’ll get published in April), but I’ve been lucky enough to get interviewed by BlogExpat about my time in Shanghai. Check out…
What it's like to write
All writers are liars. We exaggerate, spinning lies out of words in order to create a stronger, more compelling narrative. We disregard facts to make what we write feel more ‘real’ (which is kind of counterintuitive, isn’t it?). In my…
Gutter oil, no soy sauce, and other things about Shanghainese street food
It starts at midnight. A ladleflul of oil and the cracked egg are followed immediately by two (heaping) teaspoons of white MSG powder. The street vendor asks me if I want to add chili to my noodles (they come next,…