Monthly Archives: June 2016

New Opportunities, New Adventures

I’m writing this on board a Northeast Regional train speeding (as much as American trains can speed) from Washington, D.C. to New York on Tuesday morning. Whenever the Amtrak wifi slows or I need a moment to collect my thoughts, I glance out the window next to my seat and watch the scenery for aContinue reading “New Opportunities, New Adventures”

Three Weeks in China: The Dining Highlights

Almost as soon as I have a trip to China planned, I start plotting out my food agenda—old favorites I want to revisit and new places/things I want to try. Since this was a work trip, I spent a lot of meals sitting around banquet tables, eating dishes that were generally delicious but not necessarilyContinue reading “Three Weeks in China: The Dining Highlights”

Taipei: I Want a Do-Over

I was so excited to go to Taiwan. I’ve only been there once before—for two wonderful weeks back in 2014, right after I finished my dissertation—and was thrilled that my Asia trip this year would conclude in Taipei. I added on a couple of vacation days after the work portion of the trip was scheduleContinue reading “Taipei: I Want a Do-Over”

Liaoning: Dancing Cabbage, North Korea, and Plenty of History

After a Beijing–Shanghai-Beijing sequence during the first ten days of my China trip, I was off to a new (to me, that is) province: Liaoning (pronounced Lee-OW-ning).* Liaoning is up in China’s industrial northeast, part of the region known as Dongbei described in Michael Meyer’s In Manchuria [affiliate link]. Once the country’s center of heavyContinue reading “Liaoning: Dancing Cabbage, North Korea, and Plenty of History”

A Short Interlude in Swampy Shanghai

After five days of enjoying the beautiful Beijing spring, I headed out to the airport one evening and boarded a flight to Shanghai. As I stood on the tarmac waiting to ascend the plane’s steps, I looked around and thought to myself how absolutely perfect the weather was. Two hours later, I de-planed into theContinue reading “A Short Interlude in Swampy Shanghai”

Beijing: Brilliant and Beautiful

I’ve just returned from a three-week work trip to Mainland China and Taiwan, which involved visits to six cities and twenty-two days of hotel breakfast buffets. (I was rather surprised when I woke up in New Jersey this morning and my only choices were oatmeal with peanut butter or toast with peanut butter—and that I’dContinue reading “Beijing: Brilliant and Beautiful”