I rarely cook rice at home. I haven’t even used my rice cooker since November 2014! And I’m of Chinese descent. As a child, I ate rice nearly daily – always at dinner as I ate western-style breakfasts (eggs and toast or cereal. Sometimes, a very unique version of oatmeal my grandmother made consisting of […]
It’s not census time in Canada, but one question has always been in my mind. What am I supposed to answer when they ask about my so-called “mother tongue?” Do I REALLY say that it’s Cantonese? Or should I say that it’s English? I feel like I’m lying either way, as I’m sure many children […]
The now-cancelled #racetogether campaign at American Starbucks locations had me thinking. Ethnic issues aren’t something that I think about on a daily basis – it’s not something that really “affects” me all that often. However, once in a while, things do happen. As I’ve noted in the past, it almost always comes from women of […]
Totally WTF, right? But this was what my grandmother told me to discourage me from dancing. I only know one other person who had a family member tell her that and yes, she, too is first generation Canadian with Chinese immigrant family members. Maybe it’s just misunderstanding, something that was lost in translation, but that’s […]
Coconut bread, also known as “cocktail bread” (gai may bao in Cantonese), is readily available at Chinese bakeries and grocery stores (like T&T). This sweet-tasting bread is perfect for making French toast, which is what we did on Christmas Day. As I didn’t really feel like using a skillet, I decided to bake mine. I […]
Non-Cantonese speakers are always asking me how to say “hello” in the language. The truth is, there isn’t really a way to do so. On the phone, one might say “wai?” but that’s not super-formal. And “nay ho” and even “nay ho mah” isn’t appropriate all the time, either (a little bit too stuffy). I […]
If you recall, a while back, I wrote about dining at Scarpetta in Vegas, located at the Cosmopolitan Hotel. Another restaurant in the same hotel is China Poblano, which features Chinese-Mexican fusion. This unusual version of fusion is only the second of its kind I’ve been to – the other one was Sidedoor in Ottawa, […]
The Lunar New Year is almost upon us. In fact, the year of the snake starts this coming Sunday. New Year foods can vary from region to region and from household to household. There is jai, of course, eaten on the first day (and of which I discussed in further detail last year). One thing […]
Over the holidays, one often had to deal with lots of family gatherings. And family gatherings means lots and lots of food. My parents are from Hong Kong, so food plays an even bigger part of events. It’s very much part of Chinese culture in general (yet, there’s a lot of “body shaming” if you’re […]
I was contacted by the PR company who works with Blue Dragon, a company that makes a series of delicious stir-fry and other Asian-inspired sauces before the holidays. As I was going away, I asked that they hold of sending me anything until I returned. Last week, they sent me a huge box containing not […]
