Author
"Romance will come your way soon." Starswept by Mary Fan 4.5 stars Pros: An invented language! Unique world-building Focus on the arts Cons: Too much mystery in the beginning Starswept is a wonderful book. I love the premise of the situation, where the arts are adored by an alien race. There are also interesting underlying themes of prejudice, xenophobia, and the value of human lives in the novel. I’m able to really identify with the main character, Iris. I love … [Read more...]
A new try... Cevapi: minced meat sausages Confession: I am not a huge sausage person. Give me bacon instead any day. However, I stumbled into a Bosnian restaurant recently and had to taste their cevapi. Cevapi is a type of skinless sausage that consists of grilled meat. It's super delicious due to the combination of umami flavor and roasted flare. Kinda like a mix of satay and gyro. Fun fact: The food is traditionally found in the Balkans; there are often grill shops that sell … [Read more...]
"You will be the guest of a gracious host." "I highly recommend Dragonfly Dreams not only to its intended young adult audience, but also to those interested in exploring acculturation across generations." ~ Lisbeth Coiman Today's post is a quick peek at a very kind review of my novel from Lisbeth Coiman, a bilingual writer: https://lisbethcoiman.com/review-dragonfly-dreams-by-jennifer-chow/ Keep an eye out for her forthcoming raw and moving memoir, I Asked The Blue Heron. … [Read more...]
Panda cake: an animal-shaped moon cake I've written about mooncakes before. If you want to know their historical significance, check out my past blog post. Yes, it's time once more for the mid-Autumn Festival. This year it's happening on October 4th. I couldn't resist tasting this animal-shaped panda cake, though. It's got a traditional filling of lotus seed paste but in a super cute shape! Fun fact: I grabbed my box from a nearby Costco. That's right, now you can stock … [Read more...]
"People are just as happy as they make up their minds to be." Our major summer vacation destination was Yellowstone! This trip crisscrossed across four different states: Utah, Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming. In Yellowstone, we got to see animals up close and personal! This bison was waiting for me outside my window. We also experienced several stops because of bison crossings. The park is known for its geothermal features. Since the Earth's internal temperature is super hot, it creates … [Read more...]
Huckleberry shake: a smoothie made with berries You might not have seen me on my blog for a while because of a recent summer vacation. We went to Yellowstone! I'll post more about my trip on Monday. But for now, I'll leave you with a taste from my break. Due to crazy traffic going into the national park, we made a pit stop at a local diner. Since they're known for their huckleberry shakes, I decided to try one. Now, I'm not a humongous berry fan. And beyond my appreciation of Twain, I … [Read more...]
Tebasaki: crispy fried wings These fried wings are known for their crispy skin. They're also marinated in all sorts of spices. The ones I tried were from Sekai no Yamachan. Their secret sauce combines soy sauce with other ingredients (perhaps garlic?) and a notable kick from pepper. The restaurant also uses special natural salt from Jiangsu Province, China to add flavor to their chicken. Tebasaki is a nice snack or appetizer that is part of the izakaya (Japanese pub) style of food. I like … [Read more...]
"Knowledge is power." My brother recently brought back a souvenir from Singapore which features the merlion. This mythical creature has the head of a lion and the body of a fish. It's the icon of the country. Designed in 1964, the fish symbolizes Singapore's fishing origins, since it's located on the water. The lion's head, of course, resonates with power. The merlion name was actually trademarked by the Singapore Tourism Promotion Board in 1966. There are several merlion statues around … [Read more...]
Foodie Friday: Mango Lychee Mousse This is a really fun dessert! As you can see, there are yummy chunks of mango on top. There are even a few lychee bits buried like treasure on the bottom. The whole thing is actually really light because of the mousse texture. Unfortunately, because of this, it feels insubstantial, like you can't really taste the dessert part of it, just fruit. I'd have preferred maybe a bit of cake to ground the flavors. Overall, a visually pleasing dessert. … [Read more...]
"Now is the time to go ahead and pursue that love interest!" The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon 5 stars Pros: Quick pace Timely discussion (immigration issues, cross-cultural relationships) Love story Cons: Different narrative formats (could be disorienting for some) Belieavability about love at first sight (for those who don't think it exists) The Sun is Also a Star is an amazing book. I love how it deals with really sensitive issues like immigration and … [Read more...]
Copyright © 2017 Jennifer J. Chow
