A few days ago I visited a tile showroom in Bellevue called Ambiente, which specializes in European tile. Their tile designer Stephanie Lappano guided me to what’s new in the tile market. It’s always a fun outing to see and learn about new trends, as materials change constantly. As I tend to gravitate toward a …
Ki in Japanese and Qi (pronounced chee) in Chinese is what my master calls: “living energy” of “life energy”. So, I was wondering if the Chinese and Japanese definition of ki/qi is really the same? I was reading a fellow blogger Ben’s article, “Two Kinds of Chee” on his blog called AsianLiving.me Please stop by …
Omiyage is the Japanese custom of gift giving. It is usually a souvenir from your travels or from your home town. For the office worker who goes on an out of town trip, usually a box of the local delicacy is the most common omiyage. I used to travel throughout Japan, and at the town’s …
Last week I was in Chicago for my son’s college orientation and I must say that during the summer, it is just a fabulous city! Cold weather is really not my thing and since I have never experienced Chicago in the winter, I can only write about what I know: summer time. As a student …
I love noodles! Hot, cold, with soup, fried, with a sauce, it doesn’t matter, noodles are just so wonderful and versatile! Noodles are an Asian staple, but if you go to any Asian grocery shop there is such a variety that it can be extremely confusing. Since the weather is getting warmer….well actually since I …
Shoyu, or soy sauce made from fermented soybeans, is a liquid flavor base of many Asian recipes, and I would say the main ingredient in Japanese food. I also believe shoyu is addictive. It is known that when traveling outside Japan, many older generation Japanese bring their favorite brand of shoyu with them. However as …
What is Miso? The most common miso is fermented soybeans, but today you can find many other varieties including fermented rice and barley. Due to the abundance of Japanese restaurants, miso can now be found not only in Asian markets but is no readily available in Western supermarkets. When shopping for miso remember that …
