• Food,  Travel

    Best Won Ton Noodle Soup in Taichung

    It’s funny how my favorite breakfast place has changed owners and was somewhat disappointing during this last trip to Taiwan, but it wasn’t a total fail because right next door I found a new favorite place! If you’re craving won ton soup, be sure to check out Jiang’s House. Actually I have no idea if that’s the real name but I know it’s one of several won ton noodle soup places owned by someone named Jiang so that’s what we’re going with. My friend (she knows THE best places to go!) brought me here and said I had to order the won ton soup. We didn’t get their signature soup…

  • Food,  Grief,  Loss

    Grief and Loss of a Pet

    My essay “I Hated Cooking and Then I Had to Cook For My Dog” is up today at The Ascent on Medium. It’s a tribute to Hana, my brat terrier, who I had to put down on May 27, 2019. It was the worst day of my life. This essay helped me work through my grief and connect with her. I felt her with me as I wrote it. I attribute my joy for cooking to her and that’s what this essay is about. How a non-chef like me was forced to learn to cook when Hana suddenly couldn’t digest commercial dog food. How my own health required a gluten-free,…

  • Food,  Travel

    Best Hidden Gem for Breakfast in Taichung

    Update 4/2023: I just returned from a trip to Taichung and of course, had to stop at Ri Zheng, my favorite breakfast place. But it’s changed! I was told they have a new owner now. The biggest change is that their hours are now 6pm to 11am. So if you want to go for a midday snack, you’re out of luck. The second change is that they no longer have the beef pies that I love! I was so disappointed! Their specialty now is fan tuan which I did not try but my friend absolutely loves. She says it’s their specialty which was confirmed by all the orders of fan…