As the autumn wind quietly flies by and the leaves slowly drift down, the ground looks like a fall blanket. Fall is the season of nostalgia. It brings me back to my childhood in China. I can still see the endless golden rice fields and the sweat of hardworking villagers, and hear the laughter of […]
pork
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Stuffed Wild Morels
Spring is here and seasonal mushrooms are popping up everywhere, including morels, some of my favorites. I first tried these tasty mushrooms not too long ago. Once I found out how pricey they could be, l knew why I had never heard of them before. I had to look up what they’re called in Chinese: […]
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Chinese Comfort Food
The “Secret Menu” at Szechuan Garden (753 18th St., Arcata) might be more accurately titled the Student Menu. Owner Nina Zhao, a native of Shenyang in Northern China who took over the place five years ago, added the page and a half list because so many Chinese and Chinese American students from Humboldt State University […]
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A Mess of Ribs
If fighting over politics isn’t intense enough for you, may I suggest ribs? Even within the guidelines of competition judging, our personal and regional aesthetics make the whole business like drawing from a deck of wild cards. Still, the pros will generally tell you that for competition ribs, the meat should cling lightly to the […]
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Fancy Toast and Bacon
Depending on the day you’ve had, a cocktail may or may not cover it — even if it comes with “intention,” like those on the bar menu full of essential oil-spiked concoctions at the Griffin (937 10th St., Arcata). Might they be where the room’s pleasantly herbal fragrance is coming from? In any case, despite the […]
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Whole Hog
Some time ago, my son approached me with the idea of building our own waterwheel-powered rotisserie large enough to spit and roast a whole pig. Every year he joins a group of friends for a get together at an undisclosed location on the Trinity River and this time he wanted to bring something a bit […]
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Summer Checklist
We need a term for the sudden panic at the start of August when we realize summer is finite and we have not yet had all the fun. It was this wave of recreational anxiety that led us to Lighthouse Plaza (180 Lupin Drive, Arcata) for mini golf in the shadow of a Bunyon-esque lumberjack. […]
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Lumpia
Lumpia has always brought a sort of nostalgic discomfort to me — more specifically, to my stomach. Lumpia is simply a fried egg roll filled with ground pork and vegetables. But after coming face-to-face with it at every family party and eating them a couple hundred times, lumpia made an inevitable departure from my diet. […]
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Good Decisions
Tucked back from the street, its fence camouflaged with peeling fliers, La Chiquita (1021 I St., Arcata), brick-and-mortar counterpart to the taco truck of the same name, is easily missed on the walk past Los Bagels and Wildwood Music. Luckily, there is the smell of steamy tortillas and carnitas to turn your head. A news […]
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Angels and Morsels
The parking lot of Siam Orchid (427 V St., Eureka) is packed enough to simultaneously irritate and inspire hope, given the number of businesses that have moved in and out of the spot. Don’t fret; there’s more room in the bright dining room, where a photo of King Bhumibol and Queen Sirikit preside over twinkling […]
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The Belly and the Bird
It’s not that you thought you were done with burgers, but you really did intend to take a break. Have a salad. OK, you were going to get the fried chicken sandwich, but then someone said the words “pork belly burger.” Let’s be frank: If somebody puts a handful of roasted, glistening pork on top […]
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Korean Tacos: Geography vs. Destiny
The Bering Strait, scientists speculate, could have once been a land bridge between Asia and North America. Just a hop, skip and a jump across some glaciers, and yet we’ve had to wait thousands of years for that hybrid of Asian and Mexican cuisine, the Korean taco. It’s a schlepp to to the Creamery District […]