Can I just say it took all of my self control (of which there is lamentably little), not to title this post something corny like “Miso Thankful.” Why do I feel this way? The longer I write this blog the more amazed I am at the incredible people I encounter from writing this blog....
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If you had asked me about dragon boats before a few years ago, I am sure I would have looked at you funny. They were not on my radar until, while still living in Washington, DC, some of my work colleagues spoke excitedly about dragon boat racing on the Potomac competing against teams...
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Hawaii, the United States’ backyard paradise, is one of those places that is almost impossible to define in terms of its cuisine and culture. The indigenous people were devastated by disease and fighting when Captain Cook settled on the islands. Since then, people from China, Japan, Thailand, Korea, the Philippines and points beyond arrived...
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The history of soy sauce is a bit like the sauce itself, kind of murky. What is consistent is that the precursor to soy sauce is something called jiang. Jiang was a method of preservation popular with the prehistoric people of Asia involving preserving meat and fish with salt. This process produced a bi-product,...
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Imagine you are Zhu Yuanzhang living in the 14th century, and are of the Han tribe of China. You are tired of living under an oppressive Mongolian overload of the Yuan Dynasty, and desperate to overthrow this ruler. You hatch upon a brilliant plot to unite your people to rise against the conquerers. You...
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When you think of curry, which country or region comes to mind? India Thailand Caribbean Japan China Britian Any of the above, and indeed many other countries would be correct, and you would still be thinking in the right direction if your mind wandered to Germany or South Africa and a host of other...
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As I previously mentioned, I think street or fast food can go a long way to providing a multi-sensory cultural experience that accurately captures the current culture of the country, region, or city in question. Every time I bite into a conchita pilbil taco, I am transported back to Merida, Mexico, or a gelato reminds me of...
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Hot off the presses! Oxen were spotted running through the streets of San Francisco’s Chinatown and reports are coming in that this phenomenon is playing out in Chinatowns around the world. Your intrepid reporter raced to the scene, and the following is an eyewitness account of what she found. Approaching Chinatown via Kearney Street...
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