Food the Wong Way, and some other hobbies
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Going Home
Taiwan Adventures 1Dear reader, I’m trying something different this time with the writing. Let me know how it goes. Thanks! Y Belonging is a funny thing. As an Asian American kid growing up in Minnesota, I just wanted to be like everyone else I knew. My mother (born in Taiwan) persistently spoke to me in Chinese despite…
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Friendly Friday:
Fresh Flavors from Fit Foodie Finds’ Red Coconut Curry MeatballsWhen I saw fellow Minnesotan and food blogger Lee Hersch recently drop a coconut curry meatball photo on Instagram, I just had to try her recipe. Substitutions: All the chili paste I could find had fish sauce/shrimp contaminant in it, so I couldn’t have it in my house due to allergy. However, my roommate/partner/spouse brilliantly bought…
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Thrifty Thursday: How to Save on Shopping When You Bike
Right in time for April’s 30 Days of Biking: BicycleBenefits.org offers this $5 sticker which gets you discounts at different places across the nation! Just bring your stickered bike helmet in when you arrive on two wheels, and not only will you save marginal cost on gas and car maintenance, but literally get a discount when,…
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How to Time Travel
Tips on Extending Your Vacation Time & SpaceAlaska’s official state motto is “North to the Future,” meant to represent Alaska as a land of promise. In the spirit of time travel,* here are some tips on how to stretch your vacation outside the bounds of the time you were physically there, with my Alaskan Adventures for illustration.
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Pro-tip Tuesday:
Repurpose Used Spice Containers for BakingEver get to the middle of a baking project and find your hands all sticky but out of flour in your bowl for dusting? Did you finally use up one of those expensive little containers of spices from the store, and it’s got a little sifter cover thingy? Repurpose it to help you dust surfaces…
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Empanada-rama at Stephanie’s: I wish I could take a picture of this smell!
Empanada: The name comes from the verb empanar, meaning to wrap or coat in bread … Empanadas have their origins in Galicia (Spain) and Portugal. They first appeared in Medieval Iberia during the time of the Moorish invasions. A cookbook published in Catalan in 1520 mentions empanadas filled with seafood among its recipes of Catalan,…
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5 Things To Explore in Fairbanks
Alaskan Adventures Part 4This last installment on Alaskan Adventures is packed with travel tips. Enjoy! “To know the wilderness is to know a profound humility, to recognize one’s littleness, to sense dependence, and interdependence, indebtedness and responsibility.” -Howard Zahniser, author of the Wilderness Act of 1964 Downtown Fairbanks was more cosmopolitan than I expected (ok ok, I did…
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Aurora Hunting & Chena Hot Springs in Alaska
Alaskan Adventures Part 3My grandma used to tell me that the Northern Lights were the spirits of our ancestors celebrating as they look down on us from above. If you whistle, they will draw near and dance for you. -Raymond Frank (per the Morris Thompson Cultural & Visitor Center) Given the snow storm the weekend we were there,…
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Dog Sledding: Just Short of Magic
Alaskan Adventures Part 2This blog post is one of a multi-part series on Alaskan adventures near Fairbanks. In 2010 the Alaskan Malamute was named the official state dog of Alaska. Slate.com April 2012 One of many excellent recommendations per our VRBO hosts was to book with Just Short of Magic** for a sled dog ride (a.k.a. mushing), a little drive north of…
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