THE MEMOIR OF A BEEF BURGER

/* unvisited link */ a:link {color: blue !important;} /* visited link */ a:visited {color: purple !important;}/* mouse over link */ a:hover {color: blue !important;}/* selected link */ a:active {color: blue !important;} [ezcol_1half] MY grandfather was a mysterious man. Not much is known for facts but there are certainly many stories about him, speaking of a skinny, humble working-class man often seen in between two slices of bread trying to make a buck or two at food fairs back in the late 1800's. Who his ancestors were and where they came from, is still up to this day, my most intimate wonders. Were they even named a Burger? And whatever stories, legends even, being told about his tale of becoming the untoppled icon of a nation's food-identity, remain exactly that, just stories. But if there is one thing indisputable about those stories, the truth that inspired the myth, or at least so everyone says, it's that he was a fine and proud citizen of America. And that's fine enough by me. Truth is, I was never too held up on who my grandfather was. After all, I'm pretty sure, I am nothing like him. I am

OLD BEIJING LAMB SKEWER

[ezcol_3quarter][/ezcol_3quarter][ezcol_1quarter_end] THERE are many virtues about Beijing, and as far as I'm concerned, they are all true.  The widely studied, highly evolved lung-capacity of its residence to withstand extremely volatile air molecules is among the most celebrated.  The profound unity and rewardless participation in the national sport of competitive spitting, for god and country, is none but true patriotism.  Then, perhaps the most famous although not as extraordinary as the former points, that it's true, these fine citizens do know how to roast a damn duck. Like actually actually. But the most extraordinary things are those that go unadvertised.  The best-kept secret, the silent do-er in this fine metropolis is tucked away in every unknown streets and corners, and I mean every streets and corners.  It's the most note-worthy and representative of Beijing street-food scene, and as far as I'm concerned, it is this word - 串. [/ezcol_1quarter_end] [ezcol_1quarter][/ezcol_1quarter][ezcol_1quarter][/ezcol_1quarter] [ezcol_1quarter][/ezcol_1quarter][ezcol_1quarter_end][/ezcol_1quarter_end] [ezcol_1half][/ezcol_1half][ezcol_1quarter] It's the most brilliant, most comprehensible character ever invented.  It looks exactly what it means - skewers. Mostly, lamb skewers. " 串 " Everyone loves this stuff, and for a good reason.  This is after all, the kingdom of the north, and they are not "meeeh~" about their lambs.  Infiltrated into every nooks and crannies of the city, there are casual restaurants called "skewer

THREE CHEESE MAZEMEN

  MIGHT AS WELL CALL IT, A-MAZEMEN [ezcol_1half] SOMETHING truly unexpected happened this morning. Something that, as far as I can remember, has never before happened to this under-exercised but nonetheless, well-conditioned casing of white-meat.  In the wee hours of this morning as a standard procedure, I rolled over in a complex twist and tango with my blanket and pillows as how it's been professionally done in the past three decades, and in a turn of event, inexplicably

THAI HERBS AND PORK SALAD

I'm determined to get a life during this Labour Day long weekend so let me quickly leave you with this.  Best.  Damn.  "Salad".  You'll.  Ever.  Have.  Period.  Period. HOW COULD IT BE?  OH WAIT, IT'S THE PORK. It's a recipe I developed for Food52's column "Half Way to Dinner", and initially I didn't write any measurements down because I wasn't sure how open you guys would be towards a "ground pork salad".  But it turned out, a few request for it came in and so I made it again the other night

MEXICAN CHORIZO + GARLIC SHRIMP BURGER

"BOYS WILL BE BOYS?" What happens when you practice general lawlessness between a 6-pounds white prince who has, for his entire 14-years of life, consistently mistaken himself as a Magnificent Pit Bull, and a 26-pounds mutt boy who, constantly subjected to his ambiguous status in the house, has quietly developed some sort of combative inferiority-complex? Sibling rivalries? Boys will be boys? I don't think so

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