September 2011
1 post
Local Interlude: "A Child's View From Gaza" now in... →
August 2011
3 posts
Big Island Love: Below the Surface
Blues. All I could see was blue blue blue. Out on the water’s surface and then diving into the waves, the shades of turquoise swallowed us up. Then: bursts of cherry! smears of purple! pops of canary! interrupted the frame. A turtle at our feet!
Snorkeling around the big island Hawaii swept me in that underwater universe where nothing is familiar, and everything is delightful. Camera...
Branch to Jar: Plum Cardamom Jam
My father’s garden in Encinitas is blooming as usual! During our visit down south in mid-July, the plums were literally jumping off the tree. Jia Ching went ahead and climbed up to give the branches a shake and let the rest of the harvest loose. Countless plums rolled down the hill, filling my basket till it was clear that there was too many to consume over the few days we were home. The mix...
Simple Pleasures: A Sonoma Valley Picnic
Mid-June in Sonoma Valley this year was spectacularly warm, but not too warm. Let’s call it perfect weather for sipping wine and collapsing onto a picnic blanket. During our wonderful weekend stay in the area with some family and friends - and our beautiful little niece about to take her first steps - we packed up some cheese and crusty bread, a summery couscous salad, a bunch of fresh...
July 2011
1 post
No Cheesesteak Here: Three Dinners in Philadelphia
Philadelphia is one of those cities that I never got around to visiting back when I lived in Boston and New York. Frankly, the idea of a Philly cheesesteak never appealed to me.
Early in June, I attended a workshop in the city of Brotherly Love. Catching wind of a recent NYT article boasting about Philly’s newfound gastronomical charms, I was excited to find out what the city had to offer...
June 2011
3 posts
Never Plan for Rain: Our Wedding Story
Jia Ching and I got married this May in one of the most beautiful places on earth.
Overlooking the Bolinas Lagoon in Marin, friends and family gathered for a simple outdoor ceremony and fabulous celebration that I have taken to referring to as the lovefest.
Leading up to the wedding, parents, friends, a tent guy and the two of us engaged in an on again off again debate about the concept of...
Marveling at Redwoods
We took a day trip to Muir Woods in Marin with our niece Sydney and spent a few hours wandering through the peaceful and gorgeous forest of coastal redwoods.
Looking up and breathing deeply, I felt a great sense of awe for the nearly three-hundred foot-tall trees that have been around long before and will still be around long after my humble appearance on planet earth.
Uninterrupted, the...
Early Summer Bounty: A Mellow Afternoon in Salinas...
If you’re up in Northern California looking for a place to taste some satisfying and affordable wines, Salinas Valley is a lovely and quiet alternative to the hullabaloo that is Napa. I enjoyed a very mellow afternoon exploring the valley that neighbors Carmel with two of my dearest friends Clare and Carley earlier this season. The three of us share a deep appreciation for the opportunity to...
May 2011
3 posts
Austin in April: A Cool Weekend in the Middle of...
Visiting one of my dearest friends Alle this April was an excellent decision for two reasons. First, I missed her like crazy and the chance to catch up for a girls-only weekend was one of the smartest ideas we’d ever had. We spent most of our time laughing, talking and generally delighting in each others company, enjoying the brilliant blue skies over Texas.
Me and Alle grilling on Lake...
Yixing Diaries: Some Parting Words
As we say farewell to our life in China (for now at least), I’ve had time to reflect on the things I’ve come to love about the small city of one million people that we’ve called home for the last year.
I’ll certainly miss the relaxed ease and delightful affordability of shopping at the vegetable market down the street from our apartment in Yixing. Colorful and buzzing...
Yam People: Snacking in Kaohsiung, Taiwan
As you might notice next time you peruse the yams at your own local market, these root veggies often bear a striking resemblance to the contours of Taiwan itself.
This shapely characteristic has endowed yams with more meaning than most of us would assume. The word “Yam” in Taiwanese has an acquired colloquial meaning to refer to Taiwanese people who migrated from mainland China to...
March 2011
2 posts
Taroko Gorgeous: Earth, Ocean and Sky Meet in...
This month Jia Ching took me to Taiwan! My first visit to this famously charming island included some leisurely time spent on both east and west coastlines and an urban tour of five cities across Taiwan. We went down to the beach, and up to the mountain tops and ate everything delicious we could find in between.
I’ll begin my musafira chronicle of our Taiwan travels with the weekend trip...
An Evening in Hangzhou: Slow Food and Sunset Views
Hangzhou has been on my list of places to see in China since day one. Naturally when our Beijing-based Bay Area friends Michelle and Andrew proposed a day (or rather evening) trip to this sleepy city on West Lake we jumped on the chance! Better yet, the excursion was decidedly dedicated to our common passion for Chinese gastronomy.
After a quick and painless ride on the high-speed rail from...
February 2011
4 posts
Birthday Bites in Xian: My Tasting Tour of Chinese...
We took a short and sweet weekend trip to Xi’an to celebrate my thirtieth birthday last week. Just a short plane-ride away, the charming provincial capital of Shaanxi boasts some of the most fascinating history and some of the best street food we’ve encountered in China.
According to the history books, Xi’an is one of the Four Great Ancient Capitals of China and originally...
Yixing Diaries IV: A New Year Feast of Fireworks...
Celebrating the New Year in China this February, we’ve been shown an abundance two key ingredients in any display of Chinese festivities: fireworks and food.
Midnight fireworks over our building complex in downtown Yixing
Here is what I’ve learned about the former: ANY person can set off fireworks ANY place they want, at ANY time of day. Take your pick! For the past month in...
The Revolution Will Be f1ickrized: A View from...
I haven’t been to Cairo recently, but my brother Nadim was living there until last week when his fellowship program instructed him to leave. I have been devouring coverage of unfolding events with almost unwavering attention, watching in awe and concern as my brother and friends shared stories and posted photos online. I know my body is in China, but I stare at the screen so much I feel my...
On the Beaten Path: Touristing in Jerusalem,...
In addition to exploring and eating our way through the warm and wonderful cities of Beirut, Damascus and Ramallah, during our Middle East trip we also managed to spend a good deal of time visiting some of the world’s most notorious tourist traps. Lucky for us we had some fantastic company along the way to help us endure several days of disappointing food, regrettably high prices and...
January 2011
6 posts
1001 Bites: Ramallah
In my opinion, the overpriced and underwhelming food to be found in Palestinian cities like Jerusalem & Bethlehem have nothing on Ramallah. At least that’s what I’ve concluded from my short stay in the West Bank this winter. The lively and cosmopolitan city of Ramallah is the administrative capital of the occupied Palestinian Territories and a great place to experience some of the...
Sidebar: Gettin Busy in the Mission Kitchen
I’m happy to report that since returning from her year abroad of PhD fieldwork in Botswana, my dear friend (and Bay Area foodie lifeline) Clare has started blogging about her time spent cooking when she’s not busy attempting to get her dissertation squared away, or on the hunt for SF’s best scoop of ice cream!
The Mission Kitchen Blog is beautiful and fun to follow. Reading...
1001 Bites: Damascus
Damascus is such a rich and fascinating city, that it is admittedly difficult to focus on the food aspect alone. So pardon me while I digress for a moment.
Our recent visit to Damascus was my first time back to Syria in many many years, and my first time ever exploring the old city. Ten years ago, my mother reminds me, no tourist would dream of staying inside the old city walls and there...
One Thousand and One Arabian Bites: Eating my way...
I know, I know. My play on words here is so hackneyed and silly that it almost takes away from the hilarious irony of the title altogether :) You must forgive me. The thing is that on our recent trip around the Middle East it’s probably just about accurate to say that I took (at least!) one thousand and one bites in the course of our three week trip!
As usual, my biggest priority while...
Unions and Reunions: Beirut Brings Us Together
This December, we went to Beirut. Where do I begin?
Well, first off, we arrived in the most torrential storms Lebanon has endured in recent years. It toppled billboards clear off the freeway and tore railings off the cornishe! The important thing was that we got there safely and reunions went ahead as planned.
During this trip, we had quite an exciting family reunion that brought us...
Snapshot: A Zombie in Osaka, Japan
On route from Los Angeles to Shanghai in November, I encountered an unanticipated (and unwelcomed) detour due to a fat cloud of impenetrable fog over Pudong. The detour landed me in Osaka, Japan for half a day.
I explored the Japanese city the best I could on Delta Airlines’ dime. Mind you, I was in a nearly-comatose zombie state. This was the result of having spent twenty-plus sleepy...
December 2010
1 post
A Feast for the Senses: Four Days in New Orleans
It is really difficult to believe that exactly ten years have passed since my last time in New Orleans. Back in the day…long ago…I spent Halloween weekend 2000 visiting my dear friend Lynne in this beautiful city of soul. The highlight of that trip was the Voodoo Festival - where we bounced around to the live music of an odd yet exciting collection of bands including the Black Eyed...
November 2010
1 post
Marin Coast: Misty Shorelines, Morning Buns and...
I took a short and sweet trip up to Point Reyes Station this week, with one of my favorite fellow foodies and travel companions, to attend the Cowgirl Creamery lesson and tasting. Twenty-four hours that reminded me once again what an outrageous joy and privilege it is to live here in coastal California.
We spent the night one of the cabins at steep ravine where it is nearly impossible to book...
October 2010
2 posts
Reconnecting: Washington, DC
Back in the day, I was born in Baltimore. But I haven’t been back to the area in ages. Presenting at the Historians of Islamic Art & Architecture this month was a great excuse to make a trip to the nation’s capital, eat some spectacular food and re/connecting with old and new friends.
Walking on the Mall
Autumn on the east coast is particularly spectacular for a girl like me...
Detour: California
For the past month I have been back in California, also known as my homebase. After a couple weeks down south I enjoyed a spectacular drive up the coast from Encinitas to Oakland with my super fun-loving cousin Tara. This gave me the chance to take in large doses of the best stuff that California has to offer: fresh air, breathtaking coastline and delicious summer produce.
Here are some snaps...
September 2010
3 posts
Yixing Diaries III : The Bamboo Sea
Surrounding Yixing, the landscape is characterized by fields of tea leaves andsloping mountains that are covered in serene and lush forests of bamboo. Several official parks have been established in the area, charging visitors from near and far a fee to enter protected and enclosed portions of the famous “Sea of Bamboo” around Yixing.
Needless to say, living in a Chinese city has...
Hong Kong Island: A Natural Cure for the Big City...
It dawned on me around mid-August that I went this entire wonderful summer traveling the region, cooking, eating, exploring and meeting new friends…but all without one single day on the beach! No toes were dipped in the ocean, no hours spent basking in the sunshine on a sandy shore, no sunscreen applied generously, and no waves splashed around in. For a Lebanese San Diegan such as myself,...
Cooking Lesson: steamed buns from scratch
In case I never mentioned it, I am crazy for dumplings. If you’re a dim sum lover you’ve probably tasted some version of steamed Chinese buns which come in many fabulous varieties, from soupy and delicate xiao long bao to the dense and chewy jiaozi.
I do love them all, but my favorite variety are the light and fluffy baozi that come loaded with flavorful bursts of either sweet red...
August 2010
3 posts
Photo Album: Our Day in the Sun at the Shanghai...
Last month we met our friend Saima in Shanghai and spent a nine-hour day walking around the Expo in some of the most unforgiving heat I’ve ever experienced. At one point Saima was approached by a random pollster asking what our expectations of the Expo were and whether they had been met or not. This got me thinking, what were my expectations? I mean other than food of course which I’ve...
Yixing Diaries II: love and lanterns are in the...
Last night was July 7th of the Lunar Calendar, and what our friend Ella described to me as “Chinese Valentine’s Day.” More widely known as the Qixi or Magpie Festival, it’s a day that celebrates the legendary love of Niulang the cowherder and Zhinü the fairy sister/weaver girl that is forever written in the stars.
The story goes that Niulang came upon a river where...
a note on tofu.
i don’t like tofu. well, i didn’t. tofu is too often served bland and mushy…or worse…flat out flavorless and sliiimy.
whenever i’ve ordered a vegetable dish from one of berkeley’s many thai restaurant that automatically come dotted with chunks of the stuff, i’ve woefully elected to push it off to the side of my plate. woeful, because i feel like...
July 2010
3 posts
For the Sweet Love of Ice Cream
Anna Sussman, my extraordinarily fun and funny partner in eating, travel and laughing has just launched a genius new international blog on the wonders of ice cream.
ANNA ON THE JOB IN NEW YORK CITY
And what’s more, I get to be her Asia correspondent this summer while I galavant around the region, looking for my sweet icy fixes where I can get them.
Wow. When I was a kid, if I had known...
On Walls and Woks
During our stay in Beijing, (when I wasn’t eating) I spent most of my free time alternating between sightseeing in the unforgiving summer heat, watching world cup games in the air conditioned haven of our hotel room, or rummaging through guidebooks and goggle for great restaurants. However, in our final days we made two truly great decisions that resulted in some of the most memorable...
My Chinese Food Tour: Beijing
We arrived in China’s capital city and aside from avoiding overexposure to the pollution, I really had one big thing in mind: a food tour. And oh, I got what I wanted.
I should preface this by noting that (1) I generally haven’t had a good experience with Chinese take-out in the States, and (2) I don’t eat pork. It turns out that I love Chinese food, when it is delicious and...
June 2010
2 posts
48 Hours in Hong Kong
This weekend we had a long stopover in HK to deal with some visa issues and it turned out to be an amazing first exposure to this fascinating city. Here were the highlights, I’d recommend the same itinerary to anyone who has a weekend to spend here and isn’t huge on the clubbing/shopping scene.
Thursday:
After landing, we enjoyed a low-key Italian dinner at Sole Mio in Soho and a...
Yixing Diaries I
Notes from a day in Yixing
Yesterday we went around the corner to stop in a beauty supply store where I picked up a sweet pair of knock-off Abercrombie & Fitch flipflops for 3 USD.
Lunch was a plate of thick, fresh, cut noodles at the Muslim-owned restaurant where a dubious infomercial for a spray-on weight loss product on a television in the corner captivated everyone in the room, young...
May 2010
2 posts
Best of Britain
I have been pretty weak lately when it comes to posting on my time here in the UK. So to do a wrap up I’m throwing together a few posts on the highlights of my travels in and around Britain since last October. Sort of a round of catch up…better late than never!
I feel like London has been covered a million times over by other blogs and websites, and so although I’ll devote one...
December 2009
1 post
Matchy Matchy: themed film + food nights!
I didn’t realize it until just recently, but I am somewhat obsessed with coordinating themed film & food outing with my friends in the UK. I have done it four times now in the past month and realized it was worthy of a blog post. So here we go…
***
Turkish Film & Food Sunday, 15 November 2009
*FIVE STARS*
FILM On the Way to School
WHERE Turkish Film Festival, London
...
November 2009
2 posts
WatchIn Kennington park on November 14, 2009. All the leaves stripped off the trees after a storm. The wind conjured waves of gorgeous autumn colors. Be patient when you watch…after the first ten seconds of stillness it gets exciting…and even makes me laugh out loud to watch. You’ll see what I mean ;)
Enjoy!
october restaurant reviews
in case you’re wondering what i’ve been eating since i’ve been here, i’ve decided to start my london travel blog with an abbreviated account of the highlights of my restaurant experiences in the UK so far. i’m happy to write all of this down monthly if you are happy to read it. by the way the images are mostly taken off the restaurant websites, except for the pasta @...
October 2009
1 post
I heart London
Dear friends and family,
I am in London! A huge city with incredible food and fabulous people to share it with. While I’m here for the next several months, I’m going to post about the restaurants I try, places I visit, and films I see.
I’ve decided to do this in a personal letter format each time just to change it up from typical posts. Stay tuned!
Love, Mona
July 2009
2 posts
Unforgettable Fez, or as Jia Ching likes to call...
The train from Asilah to Fez was considerably more comfortable since the temperature had dropped significantly since our first train ride days before. As we whizzed by fields of sunflowers and little girls waving from atop stinky (yet adorable looking) donkeys, I was overcome by a giddy feeling of anticipation as we neared Fez. In Fez we would meet up with some of my favorite people in the world,...
June 2009
6 posts
Asilah, Morocco
A little bit about our time in Asilah. As our first stop in Morocco, we stayed for two nights in the sweet, pretty, little medina of Asilah, which has no shortage of white walls, blue doors, shoe stores, original artist murals, and spectacular views of the Atlantic. Jia Ching and I had a great time walking within the walls, realizing just how tiny the old city is.
Art on sale in the medina
...
The Timeless Road to Paradise
Leaving Beirut was bittersweet, as difficult as it was to say goodbye to friends, family, and manoushe, Jia Ching and I were eager for some new experiences in the old cities of Morocco. Escaping the cigarette clouds of the Hariri airport, our flight path first took us east to Doha´s international airport, or as we will always remember it: a no man´s land of extreme shopping and horrendous food.
...
