Invitation to a Banquet: The Story of Chinese Food!
My new website is currently underway, but will be a little later than I had hoped, mainly because I’ve been preoccupied with other stuff! In the…
Land of Fish and Rice: UK edition now out!
Today is the official publication day of my latest book, Land of Fish and Rice: Recipes from the Culinary Heart of China! It’s a collection of…
Land of Plenty reprint now on sale!
I’m very happy to announce that the reprint of Land of Plenty (the US edition of Sichuan Cookery, my Sichuan cookbook) is now on sale. To…
Eating animals to extinction
The seamy side of Chinese gastronomy was in the headlines again this week, as fourteen police officers in Shenzhen were suspended and a police chief put…
Endangered sharks
I was very interested to see this article on the Guardian website, highlighting the threat to sharks from tuna fishing. Basically, enormous numbers of sharks are…
The threatened pangolin
The pangolin, or scaly ant-eater (chuan shan jia 穿山甲), is an extraordinary creature. Plated in armour-like scales, it looks like a pine cone (or a stylised…
The gastronomic adventures of Michelle Obama in China
While I was in Chengdu in March, I found myself staying in the same hotel as Michelle Obama for a couple of nights. Despite our proximity,…
‘Extravant eating and drinking has never been part of Chinese culture’ (!)
Over the last year, high-end restaurants in China have been struck as if by lightning by President Xi Jinping’s ‘anti-corruption campaign’ and ban on dining out…
Roast chicken musings
As always, cooking mainly ‘Western food’ for Chinese friends was an interesting experience. For a start, I faced unusual competition for the best bits of the…
President Xi Jinping’s steamed baozi
Last week, Chinese president Xi Jinping caused a sensation after being photographed queueing up for a tray of steamed baozi at a Beijing snack shop, Qing…