There are many legends of the origin of silk, but this story from the American Museum of Natural History is my favorite . Empress Xi-Ling, was drinking hot tea under the mulberry bush when a cocoon dropped into her tea cup. When she attempted to pick it out of her cup, a strand began unraveling from [...]
{ 2 comments }
As a student of feng shui and Taoism, we learn that our health is a part of our holistic well-being. Feng shui is about “living in harmony with nature”. This means not only living in harmony with our living environment, it also includes how to take care of our bodies as well as our mind [...]
{ 1 comment }
Chinese philosophy, culture, and traditions are deeply rooted through the influence of the Five-Element or Wu-xing Theory. The five elements are; Fire, Earth, Metal, Water and Wood. Each element is associated to all things in nature, such as seasons, foods, colors, emotions, organs, and shapes. Although I have been a student of feng shui for [...]
{ 0 comments }
Through my years of studying Asian philosophy and culture, I realize that even though I have read or have been taught a concept, it often takes years before I have any idea of what it really means. Compared to Western thinking which is more black and white, Asians tend to be very gray. I find [...]
{ 0 comments }
Mu Shu Pork is a Chinese vegetables and pork stir-fry that is wrapped in a Mandarin crepe with hoisin sauce. It’s what I would call a Chinese burrito. This “home-style” version was taught to me by my Chinese girlfriend, who is a fabulous mother, professional and cook! She simplified this tedious traditional recipe rather drastically, [...]
{ 0 comments }
photo by jez atkinson What I love about the New Year is that it always brings new energy and hope. Although in reality there is no beginning or end to our daily lives, it gives us all a chance to embrace change and set new challenges. The Universe never stays the same. Things are always [...]
{ 0 comments }
I just wanted to share with you what I think is the most beautiful fruit in the world: the dragon fruit! It is found in southeast Asian countries and China. The first time I came across this exotic dragon fruit was in Japan when my father received it as a gift. The vivid shocking pink [...]
{ 0 comments }
image by: Jack W. Ried The past few days I have been staring at my monitor for way too long! This causes my eyes to feel very heavy and tired and I begin to squint. So, I decided to ask my master if he had any advice or exercises he could teach me. [...]
{ 2 comments }
In Asian cooking we use many different types of clear noodles. In English, if one hears vermicelli you automatically think of Italian pasta, but in Asia there are two types of common vermicelli used in cooking. One is a made out of rice and the other is made from mung beans. In Japan, the rice [...]
{ 1 comment }
Recently, there has been a surge in the number of people who are gluten intolerant. In fact, my sister-in-law’s husband became allergic to gluten a few years ago. While having dinner one night, he had a sudden allergic reaction and had to be rushed to the hospital. At the time they were completely baffled and [...]
{ 2 comments }
Normally, I really enjoy cooking but once in a while when I have too much going on in other areas of my life, it really starts to take a back seat and I don’t give enough time to prepare and think about our meals. When you have many mouths to feed, this isn’t the best [...]
{ 1 comment }
A year and a half ago, a son of ours was going through “senioritis”. That’s the term used by the teachers at our school to describe the attitude of seniors in high school when they lose interest in studying. This usually happens once they are accepted to college or when they feel they have the [...]
{ 0 comments }
