Asian Cuisines

We here at the IK are peering out the window, where El Niño, conspicuously absent last month, has reappeared with a vengeance. We’re also working on a long-overdue book review for our editor at PopMatters.com, where you may read our review of Bee Wilson’s excellent First Bite.  While there is indeed food…

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Asian Noodle Soup

November 20, 2015

This will be brief, as I am experiencing an acute episode of Right Lateral Epicondylitis, or tennis elbow. After visiting a shockingly insensitive physician Thursday, I departed with a handful of steroids and useless instructions to “do nothing”. As doing nothing is not possible, the man insisted “do something about…

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Jook

September 23, 2015

  “You need to go to the ER,” John said. Last Thursday night my temperature soared from its normal 97 degrees to 100.7. “Let’s stay here.” I said through chattering teeth. John doesn’t drive anymore.  Going to the ER would mean driving myself, an unthinkable effort. Swallowing aspirin, I wrapped myself…

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Japanese Rice Bowl

September 11, 2015

When I moved to California in 1985, it was rather like being dropped on Mars.  Everything–the landscape, the weather, even the English people spoke–was different. I wandered around in a state of perpetual culture shock. The food was different, too.  I’d never seen, much less tasted, authentic Chinese, Mexican, or Vietnamese…

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