Cooking

Growing up in Sichuan means measuring seasons by the peppers in the market. At home, the wok was rarely quiet, and a handful of chilies was the quickest way to pull everyone into the kitchen. My wife and kid used to protest, waving chopsticks like white flags, so I dialed down the heat until they got hooked. These days they request this stir-fry by name. The dish is officially Hunan, but in practice it’s a friendly handshake between Sichuan’s smoky depth and Hunan’s clean heat. The heart of it is simple: bright fire, fragrant oil, and a flash of sweetness from good pork. ...

Essential Knowledge of Chinese Cooking Chinese cooking is a language of flame and patience. Recipes are useful, but the real fluency comes from understanding heat, timing, and balance—the grammar behind every stir-fry, braise, or steamed dish. The notes below are my crib sheet when I need to reset my instincts. The Magic of Beer in Braised Dishes When a chef tips beer into red-braised pork, it’s not a whim. Beer plays three roles at once: ...

Back in 2010 I dove into WordPress, spent weekends tweaking themes, and posted whenever inspiration struck. I also tinkered with the server far more than I wrote. Inevitably the machine crashed, backups were missing, and the archive vanished in one swoop. (Lesson learned: backups are dull right up until they become priceless.) I attempted a few comebacks, but work ramped up and two small kids arrived, so the blog went into hibernation. ...