Saigon & The Mekong Delta, Vietnam
I had a fantastic weekend in Vietnam and took some interesting pictures. The people are an interesting reminder of the power of forgiveness and moving beyond past traumas - they are incredibly kind and open, even to Americans. Pictures here.Cuisine in China
I am writing this as a celebration of some really great meals the last week while in Guangzhou in particular. It's also intended to be a reminder that those who think Chinese food consists of fried nuggets of chicken meat of indeterminate origins coupled to sauces that are a vague concoction of soy, hoison and maybe some chili oil misrepresent the incredible opportunities within Chinese cuisine. Derivations of this misunderstanding revolve around what Americans call stir-fries – thrown in sliced bamboo from a can (along with the not so complimentary taste of aluminum), assorted nuts on the top, maybe even a number of mushrooms: that’s a pretty good primer on how Americans view Chinese food. Too ...Boa Mo Garden
This afternoon after our meeting, my hosts took me to Bao Mo Garden. They also provided the ubiquitous moon cake for celebrations. This is, as near as I can tell, a take on Elmer's Glue in the form of a lotus root cake with egg yolk embedded. I had flashbacks to kindergarten, eating boogers and tasting from the glue bottle. The garden was beautiful, and more than made up for the moon cake. Pictures of the Bao Mo are here.Nanjing, China 2007
If you have ever read Iris Chang's The Rape of Nanking you will know the ghosts which haunt Nanjing. I briefly visited the city last week and have some pictures posted for your enjoyment.Shanghai Pictures
Some of my pictures from Shanghai this past week can be seen here on Flickr. Enjoy!New Column Available
My newest column on the Mattel toy recall and how it should impact US companies' imports from China has been published in the upcoming 9/24 IBJ. You'll have to pick it up in a bookstore or be a subscriber to the site.Hitchens Comments on Senator Craig
It was inevitable that Christopher Hitchens would comment on Senator Craig's resignation. It would not be Hitchens' style to be compassionate, but his article is gentle in its awareness of the self-hating that characterizes those like Craig. Discussing a relevant study by Laud Humphrey, Hitchens goes on to say: "The men interviewed by Humphreys wanted what many men want: a sexual encounter that was quick and easy and didn't involve any wining and dining. Some of the heterosexuals among them had also evolved a tactic for dealing with the cognitive dissonance that was involved. They compensated for their conduct by adopting extreme conservative postures in public. Humphreys, a former Episcopalian priest, came up with the phrase ...No End In Sight
Charles Ferguson’s new documentary on the war in Iraq, No End in Sight, manages to focus on an aspect of our misadventure which has recently become fashionable to discuss: whether a more intelligent handling of the time frame immediately after the toppling of Saddam Hussein’s invasion, would have prevented the chaos which has since unfolded. This has become a favorite argument of many conservative thinkers like Andrew Sullivan, who still believe that invading Iraq was the right thing to do, but that the aftermath was not properly managed. Even Bill Maher on last Friday’s show, invited Ambassador Barbara Bodine to participate on his panel, stated that after watching the film he found himself essentially saying “we ...Michael Smith
Those of us who look from outside the kitchen often characterize the emotion that draws chefs to hone and practice the culinary arts as love, but this is the wrong word; professional cooking at elevated levels is about passion. Best practiced, it is as all consuming and intense as the manic art that is painting, sculpting or writing music. It is little surprise that the lives of successful chefs often trace the same storylines as our famous artisans - of love found and lost, the inexorable intertwining of personal and professional - but everywhere and always going back to the food, perhaps the most tangible forms of art that can be practiced. This past week Michael ...Hearth Restaurant
Now almost four years old, Hearth was opened by Marco Canora in the East Village. Prior to opening Hearth, Canora worked at Tom Colicchio’s flagship Craft as well as Danny Meyer’s Gramercy Tavern, two perennial favorites of the New York City dining community. Canora has not disappointed his fans as Hearth has continued to impress people with cuisine that as Frank Bruni put it “tilts Italian” but manages to stand as original American. « Previous EntriesAbout MysteriousFaith
“If anyone can show me, and prove to me, that I am wrong in thought or deed, I will gladly change. I seek the truth, which never yet hurt anybody. It is only persistence in self-delusion and ignorance which does harm.”
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