Kuromame (simmered black soybeans)
I know this is a little after the fact, but what are your New Year’s traditions? I love hearing about all the different things that other cultures and families do to celebrate, or the lucky things that you’re supposed to do or eat. I’m half Japanese, so my family always does a huge sushi feast
Kimchi
I’ve been to South Korea exactly once, and it was on a 12-hr layover on the way home from Vietnam. For the two weeks in Vietnam, we had been wearing shorts and tank tops for the hot, humid weather. But in Korea it was rainy and cold, so it was a last-minute scramble to figure
Apple Beet Crisp
In high school, a friend once told me, “you know what I hate about you, Allison? It’s that you have no opinions.” Unsurprisingly we grew apart real fast after high school, but the thing is, she wasn’t wrong. I spent most of my life being afraid of people judging me. And because of that, I
Curry Grilled Cheese
The summer before I was set to start kindergarten, my dad came home from work one day looking alarmed. “The school is on fire!” Someone – a student, I think – had set the kindergarten building on fire. And I was absolutely DEVASTATED – I thought that meant I wasn’t going to get to go
Jalapeño poppers
I was 18 when I discovered I was lactose intolerant. It was New Year’s Eve, and I was at my parents’ house, and the guy I was dating at the time was there with me. We had been eating appetizers all evening long – especially my mom’s spinach dip, which is my favorite thing ever.
Savory crispy kugel cups
When I was a child, I vowed that I was going to read every single book in my little local library. Unsurprisingly I never quite managed that, but this library was my absolute favorite place. I come from a family of readers. Every weekend from when we were little, we’d go to their weekly reading
Do Chua (Vietnamese Daikon and Carrot Pickles)
The first time I went to Vietnam with Son, was a decade ago, and I was still terribly picky. I hated cilantro, which was in EVERYTHING, and so I spent the majority of the trip trying to sneakily pick the cilantro out of my food. I always have a finicky stomach, and the stress of
Broiled Salmon with Scallions and Sesame
The Nutcracker ballet will always have a special place in my heart. For me, it’s like the dishes you ate at home as a child – they may not have been your favorite at the time, but once you grow up, you realize they’ve become your comfort food. And that’s how I feel about the
Miso Maple Carrots
For the last couple of years before he passed away, my dad was paralyzed from the waist down and almost entirely bedridden. We all knew his time was limited, so we started doing Sunday dinners with him every week. At the time, my now sister-in-law was fully vegan, so it became a fun project for