Editor’s Note: A Chinese teacher/translator and writer living in Washington, D.C., Jody Melto of Curlicue Chronicles joins us for a tasty trek through China…

At first glance, I didn’t want to like Feeding the Dragon, the recently published travelogue/cookbook on China. First of all, there are the names of the co-authors, sister and brother duo Mary Kate and Nate Tate. But that’s not their fault.

However, young Mary Kate Tate asking in the introduction, “How can we record each person’s story, taste every dish? Have we bitten off more than we can chew?” is quite their fault. It reeks of a Julie & Julia attempt. I bet The Two Tates have talked about just playing themselves when the cookbook is optioned. Now I’m just being snarky. I did that with Julie & Julia, come to think about it.

At least my snark has backstory. I spent the first part of my 20s living in a small Chinese town as a student on scholarship, working as a teacher, model and even as an actress in some really bad television shows and one martial arts film to earn enough money to travel over 250 hard-seat hours by train throughout China. No credit card. No cell phone. No parents footing the bill. Pretty hardcore travel. Who can blame me for being snarky when it comes to a couple young hipsters who claim to have roughed it through China on a quest to “taste every dish?”

Just when I’m feeling quite smug, Mary Kate & Nate Tate (I just love saying that) do something that impresses the hell out of me — they admit to eating dog. They weren’t ballsy enough to include a recipe calling for dog meat. But I give credit when it’s due. And that took balls. I’ve killed the mood at more than one dinner party after raving about doggie dumplings. (Dog people can be so freakin’ sensitive.)

Positively speaking, some of the recipes, like Mapo (Spicy) Tofu, did take me back, some of the anecdotes are amusing and the photographs are gorgeous, making Feeding the Dragon, for me, a better travelogue than cookbook. Though I was often confused as to who was narrating, was it the Mary Kate or Nate part of Mary Kate & Nate Tate? For that, I blame the editor.

The book is divided into chapters based on regions where they traveled. Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Sichuan … I get those. But Tibet? And Xinjiang?? These are two of the sparsest landscapes in China. Culinary wastelands. They eat yak. In fact, Mary Kate writes (at least, I think it’s her), “It occurred to me that the extremely basic food of Tibet isn’t necessarily something to write home about. The yak butter flavor in tsampa can sometimes taste rancid …” Yet they do write home about it. A whole chapter to be exact which includes a recipe for Tibetan Butter Tea, the non-rancid variety.

I skipped the Tibet plateau chapter and chose to make Yunnan Potato Balls with Spicy Dipping Sauce partly because I love Yunnan province and partly because I had all the ingredients, one of which is unsalted butter. In China, I would’ve shaved my head for a stick of butter. During my nearly four years living there, I only saw butter in Hong Kong, which was then still a Royal colony of Great Britain. So, they had lots of butter.

Spicy Dipping Sauce
6 fresh small red chiles, seeded and thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup sugar,? juice of 1 lime
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup Asian fish sauce

Combine the chiles, garlic, sugar, lime juice, water, and Asian fish sauce in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Decrease the heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.

Potato Balls
1 1/2 pounds baking potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon salt
Oil, for deep-frying

Place the potatoes in a saucepan and add enough water to cover them. Bring to a boil and cook for 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are fork-tender. Drain the potatoes well and place them in a large mixing bowl. Use a potato masher to mash the potatoes until smooth. Slowly stir in the butter, water, flour, egg, and salt and mix until smooth.

Heat up the potato mixture in a large saucepan or wok over medium heat. Stir constantly for about 3 minutes or until the dough begins to clump, and then remove from the heat and let cool in the refrigerator until cold.

Grease your hands with a little oil and form a tablespoon of the potato dough into a ball. Repeat with the remaining potato dough.

Heat 2 inches of oil in a wok over medium heat until a small piece of potato dough turns golden brown in 30 seconds. Fry about 10 of the balls for about 2 minutes, or until they are golden brown and crispy. Make sure to turn the balls over while cooking so that they brown on all sides. Use a wire strainer to transfer the balls to paper towels to drain. Repeat with the remaining balls. Serve the piping-hot potato balls with a side of the dipping sauce.

My husband and son liked them. But one loves Tater Tots. And the other is six. So …

Feeding the Dragon and its accompanying website do something very well — they both describe in great detail how to understand Chinese ingredients and how to find or substitute them. Feeding the Dragon is worth it for that alone.

One of the small pleasures of being a stay-at-home mom is that I rarely have to use a travel coffee cup.  Sure, I may have to reheat my coffee three times before I make it to the bottom of the mug, and I have a tendency to set my coffee down randomly only to stumble upon it days later, but at least I avoid that perilous first sip from the tiny hole when you just know you are about to burn your lip.

My husband, of course, is not so fortunate, so when I received a sample KeepCup — “the first barista standard reusable cup” — I passed it on over to him for a trial run.  His overall assessment was that it wasn’t too bad, although the color scheme made him feel like he was drinking from a sippy cup.

In both of our opinions, however, the greatest thing about the KeepCup is the rubber band/bracelet thingy that came with it.  Actually, it came with two of them, in case you and your S.O. don’t like the same kind of coffee, but are too cheap to buy separate cups.

I think the idea of this rubber band is that you take the world’s finest tipped Sharpie, and darken in your coffee preference.  Then, you just hand the cup to the cashier and avoid that annoying moment of social interaction wherein you actually tell the barista what you would like to order.

I do have a few questions about this band, though.

1. What the heck is doppio?  Is it the marijuana brownie of coffee?

2.  What is flat white supposed to mean?  It sounds insulting.

3. Why are there 8 spaces for the number of sugars?  If you need 8 sugars in your coffee, do you really deserve to call yourself a coffee drinker?

4.  What happens if I don’t fill in the word “hot”?  Will the barista let my coffee sit out until it is room temperature before giving it back to me?

I do appreciate the KeepCup’s attempt to cater to a wide variety of tastes, though.  I see great potential in this concept for the future of those, “I’m with the cause” bracelets.  Maybe there could just be one bracelet that lists all possible diseases, and people could just fill in those that they are interested in curing.  Hmm…I feel there is a great idea here somewhere.  Thoughts?

10. The Noble Pig —  Noble Pig Sandwiches, Austin

Texas may be best known for its beef, but perhaps not for long, if chefs John Bates and Brandon Martinez have anything to say about it. Their year-and-a-half-old Noble Pig serves up a namesake sandwich that somehow combines everything that is beautiful about pork products on one truly outstanding sandwich. Tender pulled pork, spicy slivers of ham, and crispy bits of bacon are all mixed together, topped with provolone cheese, and served on toasted, house-baked bread, for a porky trifecta that hits all of the spots. (Photo: Marshall Wright)

9. Pane et Panelle — Bar Stuzzichini, New York

Chickpeas may get typecast as functioning only in falafel form, but it turns out balls aren’t all they can do. Panelle is actually an old Sicilian street food snack—chickpeas and flour formed into light, airy strips and fried in olive oil. Stuzzichini‘s sandwich revives that classic and perfects it, layering crispy strips of panelle on a sesame-studded bun, in between levels of soft ricotta and caciocavallo cheeses. The result is a light-but-addictive sandwich that will make you curse every overly dense falafel wrap that has crossed your lips.

8. Chicherrones Banh Mi — Ink Sack, Los Angeles

There are a million banh mis in American nowadays, but we were most swept away by this version from Top Chef champ Michael Voltaggio. At his new Ink Sack sandwich shop, tender slices of pork belly and pork butt are topped with pickled vegetables, plus the kicker — crispy chicharróne fried pork rinds, creating one incredible multi-culti pork bomb.

7. Rabbit Cheesesteak — La Fromagerie, Alexandria, VA

We’re big fans of the cheesesteaks gone wild trend, and while we have a feeling Philadelphians won’t approve of this version, ES is all on board. DC-area shop La Fromagerie replaces the tired beefsteak with slices of Parisian braised rabbit; subs smoked mozzarella for the whiz; and tops the whole ciabatta off with carrot puree and caramelized onion.

6. Ebbett’s Cuban — Ebbett’s Good to Go, San Francisco Bay Area

Another classic that is hard to mess with, we’ve had plenty of modern Cubans that don’t live up to the real deal. Not so with the version hawked by roving Bay Area food truck Ebbett’s Good to Go. Slow roasted Niman Ranch pulled pork and artisan ham make the perfect pig-on-pig combination, while gruyere brings the goo, a crusty Acme roll provides the crunch, and the whole thing is finished off with jalapeno relish and chipotle mayo.

5. Garlic Bomb — Jake’s Sandwich Board, Philadelphia

Clearly, Philadelphia is not letting Virginia lay claim to the cheesesteak crown just yet, and Jake’s Sandwich Board has stepped up to the table with perhaps the ultimate garlic-lovers’ creation. A crusty roll is covered in homemade garlic spread, then topped with rib-eye steak and melted provolone, plus more sauteed garlic on top, and the garlicky pièce de résistance:  deep-fried, crunchy, battered whole garlic cloves.

 4. Grilled Cheese Donut — Tom + Chee, Cincinnati

We’ve seen a lot of crazy grilled cheeses pop up around America recently, but none gets our saliva flowing quite like the simple-but-genius version at Cincinnati’s Tom + Chee. Can you really argue that a grilled cheese wouldn’t be better if put between two slices of grilled donut instead of bread? No, you can’t.

3. DUC — Xe May, New York

OK, fine, we couldn’t resist adding a second banh mi option here, but the one at new East Village sandwich spot Xe May takes the cake by going half Vietnamese, half Italian, for basically the craziest meatball sub we’ve ever seen. Grilled meatballs are covered in housemade tomato sauce and provolone, but finished with the full banh mi treatment: fresh cilantro, pickled carrots, daikons, cucumbers and chili mayo, all served on a crispy baguette.

2. Roasted Cauliflower — No. 7 Sub, Brooklyn

No. 7 Sub chef Tyler Kord can do amazing things with meat, but we’ve been most impressed with his uncanny ability to turn regular old vegetables into exciting sandwich creations (his Brussels sprouts sub made our original best new sandwiches list). When No. 7 expanded to Brooklyn this year, he added this cauliflower creation that yes, sounds like something a stoned nine-year-old might have created, but is most definitely adult-approved. Sauteed cauliflower florets are topped with golden raisins, scallions, potato chips and smoked French dressing, for one seriously fulfilling veggie meal.

1. Irish Breakfast Sandwich — Beachside, San Francisco

When it comes to outrageously meaty meals, it’s hard to beat a full Irish breakfast, which always must include thick-thick slabs of salty bacon, savory Irish sausages, and circular slices of black (blood) pudding and whit (oatmeal-pork fat) pudding. But what if you put all of those ingredients on a sandwich? Clearly, it would be unbeatable. Beachside‘s sandwich has all of those porky products, plus a fried egg and slice of grilled tomato, only slightly fancied up with a thin layer of garlic aioli spread on the crispy bread, plus a housemade, tarmarind-spiked “brown sauce” on the side for dipping.

More:
America’s Top 10 New Sandwiches, 2011
America’s Top 10 New Sandwiches — Veganized!
Top 10 Foods Only America Could Have Invented

I like doughnuts. I like them better than cupcakes and most other desserts, because doughnuts are fried and have that savory bit about them. They’re one of the sweets I can eat a lot of, and I do when I go to the doughnut shop at 8pm and the guy gives me 6 extra for free. Chocolate iced? Forget it. They’re my dessert kryptonite.

So when Krispy Kreme contacted ES and asked if one of us wanted to go to their first-ever Blogger Summit, I jumped on it. To be honest, I was really reserved at first. I’ve never been a Krispy Kreme fanatic, and I felt like I was walking into the McDonald’s of the dessert world — could these doughnuts really compare to my beloved local doughnut shop? Did it matter? Could I like them knowing they’re mass produced from a mix? I knew I wouldn’t see anyone making batter by hand, but I tried to keep an open mind as I departed for the Krispy Kreme Factory Tour  in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

Turns out there weren’t any oompa-loompas. Mostly, it was just a big factory with a lot of pallets of ingredients and bags of mix that they produce to send out to the stores. I think I saw shelf stable egg yolk. I’m not sure. Much of the tour resembled my college chem lab rather than any food-serving establishment. We weren’t allowed to take pictures in many parts of the factory…to preserve integrity, and I guess also for liability purposes. Nobody needs pictures of me falling into the glaze river.

The theme of the tour was consistency; every doughnut needs to taste exactly the same. In the lab, they test every batch of dry mix that goes out. After a few hours at the factory, I was feeling discouraged and over the whole “factory farmed doughnut” thing. But then I ate a doughnut fresh off the line. It was still warm with glaze, and I decided that maybe I’d give this company a chance.

The Krispy Kreme story is an inspiring one. It’s not about how the company was founded or what is behind it; it’s about what it does for people and families. Sometimes the food IS about the food. But most of the time, the joy of eating comes from the people you’re sharing it with. And at Krispy Kreme, I quickly learned that’s what it’s all about.

Yes, the doughnuts are good. They’re really good. Especially when they’re hot off the line. But the Krispy Kreme folks are extraordinary, and work every day to bring an extraordinary experience to their customers. Throughout the duration of the summit, they weren’t just smiling and being nice because they wanted me to blog about them, either. It’s really easy to tell when people are being nice to you because they have to or should, and when people are being nice because they have warm hearts.

The spirit didn’t just live inside Krispy Kreme HQ, either. Winston-Salem seems to be infected with this friendly Krispy Kreme fever. The first night at the summit, it was really fucking hot in my room. I mean, like 78 degrees and no matter how many times I turned the thermostat down to 64, it wouldn’t get colder. I called the front desk and they sent an engineer up. The man who showed up at my door was a charming individual. He asked if I just got in, how I liked the town, etc… When I told him I was there visiting Krispy Kreme, he couldn’t say enough about the doughnuts. But it wasn’t really the doughnuts. The smile on his face and the tone of his voice as he reminisced about eating Krispy Kreme as a child in the 1960s were more than just results of a good doughnut. It was about going every week with his family and getting the doughnuts together.

There were similar stories all around from everyone I came in contact with. Krispy Kreme CEO Jim Morgan (a very skinny man, mind you, who stressed that doughnuts are a treat, not an everyday staple) told an inspiring story about a woman from his church, whose sister had recently passed away and requested a Krispy Kreme doughnut each of the two days following her death. She hadn’t spoken in days, but each day she whispered “Krispy.” Two Krispy Kreme doughnuts were the last words she spoke and the last foods she ate before she died. I was skeptical of the story. I thought is the taste of a Krispy Kreme doguhnut really something people want on their deathbed? No sooner had I thought it did Jim say “it wasn’t about the doughnut” and assured us it was instead about the memories. The last thing this woman wanted wasn’t the sugary taste of a doughnut, but to be reminded of her younger days eating Krispy Kreme doughnuts with her family.

It’d be really easy to call bullshit on this story. I’m sure many of you will, and you don’t have to tell me that bad companies can still have inspiring stories. I know it’s true, but I really didn’t smell bullshit here. And you know what? I’ll probably never go to Krispy Kreme just because I want a hot doughnut. I don’t have the connection that other people do, since I grew up in the Northern U.S. and don’t have those childhood memories. It’s probably why Krispy Kreme has had trouble penetrating this market. But now when I walk by the Krispy Kreme in Philadelphia I do stop when the “hot” light is on, to eat a warm doughnut and be reminded of the wonderful experience I had while I visited Winston-Salem. There are a lot of assholes in the world, but you won’t find them at Krispy Kreme.

Let the record show that in February 2012, the foodie revolution officially went too far.

Now, I can do a pickle-tini. I can do a grilled pickle.

Pickled watermelon? Pickled ramps? Pickles on the Christmas tree? Yes, yes, and hell yes. But pickles in my coffee? For seriousness? I’ve checked and checked, but it seems this is not some sort of pop-up April Fools’ Day joke. Metrocurean reports from DC:

Peregrine Espresso is pushing the sour envelope with a specialty drink now on offer, dubbed Love Potion Number Brine (above). Joining forces with new DC-based pickle company Gordy’s Pickle Jar, Peregrine created a drink that mixes Gordy’s sweet brine with espresso, milk and a little simple syrup on ice.

If they start serving this with a side of nutella pickle relish, I am retiring.

More from Metrocurean.

Here are the most surprising discoveries I unearthed while in the throes of my mission:

Not one, not two, but three kinds of nutmeg. Why? WHYYY? How did this come to be? What do I even use nutmeg for? My squash soup, I guess. And various roasted vegetables. Maybe spice cookies sometimes? I don’t know, I don’t know. This is basically a lifetime supply.

Um. Random “souvenirs” from Australia? These are all like three years old and I totally had no idea they were still in my pantry. Maybe I had big plans for the port wine jell-o in the past, but clearly by this point all those dreams have been shattered.

On the left/middle: two baggies of homemade spice mixes. On the top is a cajun spice rub from a summer BBQ, and on the left is umami powder, left over from this recipe. (Which I cooked/posted in the beginning of the summer! I mean, spice mixes don’t go bad, right?) On the right is a bag of saffron I purchased in the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul! I’m just so well-traveled, humblebrag to the max, apologies. This is from summer 2009. I ask the same question I asked above: this doesn’t expire, right? I guess I’m not a sophisticated, exotic person who uses mass amounts of saffron in her day-to-day (or, year-to-year, apparently) cooking.

Trendy foodie ingredients. We have…black garlic! This one can’t go bad because the garlic is already fermented, or so I am telling myself. I bought this stuff online from England when it first hit the market a year or so ago. It’s really good in certain pastas and whatnot. I should probably try to use it more often.  In the middle is agave syrup… a pretty hip and I guess “healthy” sweetener, but looks like I haven’t really made much of an effort to actually substitute it for sugar. Finally, we have crystallized ginger chips. The fatal flaw of this one is: I don’t bake hardly ever, nor do I especially like cooking sweet things in general. I think I got these to make ginger cookies a couple Christmases ago. I should probably gift them to our very own BakersRoyale, who could surely do them more justice than I ever could.

Ahh, Grecian sea salt. I’ve been hoarding this bad boy for three years as well. I really don’t know what’s wrong with me. I just can’t part with this stuff. Is it any better than your average American table salt? Who knows, but I can tell you that the memories sure are worth keeping this little plastic canister around. Even if there is only a tiny sprinkle left inside.

So yes, my pantry is bizarre. I think what it comes down to is this: food is more than just FOOD. These amusing remnants represent sentiments, memories, plans, and possibilities. I just don’t have the heart to toss any of these potential treasures. Who knows when I might come up with the perfect recipe incorporating nutmeg, passionfruit pulp, agave syrup, crystallized ginger, Turkish saffron, and Grecian sea salt?

What’s in your pantry?

Can someone who is allergic to peanut butter really make a good  peanut butter anything besides a quick smear between some jelly and bread? Unless my friends and family are all liars, the answer is yes.

I have to rely on them as my taste testers when it comes to peanut butter treats.  The last one I made was a Fluffernutter (marshmallows, Reese’s peanut butter cups, chocolate chips and Nutter Butter cookies). Although well received by the majority, it did receive feedback from two people that it was too “peanut buttery.” To correct that, this time I decided to try cutting the strong peanut butter flavor with some Nutella. It worked. The Nutella comes through strong enough to taste, but not so much that it overwhelms the peanut butter. As it turns out my friends actually preferred the Fluffertella Bars over the Fluffernutter Bars.

So if anyone gives this a go, do come back let me know if my friends are lying to me.

Fluffertella Bars

Makes 8×8 pan | Preparation: Line pan with a foil sling and cover with bake spray.

Ingredients:

• 10 Nutter Butter sandwich cookies, chopped
• 10 Reese’s cups (regular size), chopped
• 3 cups mini marshmallows, divided use
• 2 tablespoon butter
• 4 oz. semi sweet chocolate chips
• 3 tablespoons Nutella

Instructions:

1. Place chopped Nutter Butter sandwich cookies, Reese’s Peanut Butter cups and 1 ¼ cups of mini marshmallows in a bowl and toss to combine. Set aside.
2. Place remaining 1 ¾ cups of marshmallows in a pan over low heat and stir until melted. Add in butter and stir to combine. Add in semi-sweet chocolate chips and Nutella, stir to combine. Remove from heat.
3. Pour warm marshmallow mixture over chopped Nutter Butter and Reese’s Peanut mixture. Fold to combine and pour into prepared pan. Using an offset spatula spread top to an even finish. Chill in refrigerator for about one-half to two hours or until bars set. Once set remove from refrigerator and cut to desired size.

Notes:

• To shortcut the hands-on time and avoid chopping up the regular size Reese’s cups, use mini Reese’s cups.
• The Fluffertella Bars can be prepared a day in advance and will keep for up to 2 days once made.

BUT! Sometimes I am just embarrassed for this city. Such an incident occurred today when I was out grabbing some groceries at the market near my office. The special of the day:

You guys. YOU GUYSSSSS. I know Seattle isn’t known for its amazing, authentic soul food, but COME ON. Chicken ‘n’ waffles, but the waffles are legit EGGOS wrapped in saran wrap?! A whole box of Eggos costs less than $6.99. This is total pandering to the “southern food trend,” and I don’t like it one bit.

We’ll forgive the spelling error because the sentiment is so correct.

(Via: Crystal Diamond Rose)

Plate It: Creamed Honey

We love honey. We hate how it sticks all over everything. Creamed honey is pure honey that is crystallized so that it changes texture; you get a smooth, creamy product that spreads like butter and doesn’t drip-drip-drip all over everything like that pedestrian un-creamed honey. Brilliant. (Available at http://www.shopbot.co.nz/)

Hate It: Push Pop Cakes

The latest mom blogger craze picks up where cake pops left off. Come on, foodie moms — please stop sacrificing practicality for cuteness. That is not how you eat a cake. Push it up and things start to fall apart once you take your first bite.  (Photo: kristin_a)

Plate It: Travel-Size Brie

Finally. We no longer have to fly with just Laughing Cow. Quality doesn’t compare to regular brie, but it’s sure better than no brie. (Available from Ile de France)

Hate It: Rachael vs. Guy Celebrity Cook-Off

Really, Food Network? Market research told you the world wanted a show that combines Guy Fieri’s overenthusiastic douchiness with RayRay’s perky catchphrases? And then you decided all it needed to be perfect was a former N’Sync member and maybe Lou Diamond Phillips? To be fair, we can’t hate on the ingenious inclusion of Coolio.

Plate It: Rachel vs. Guy Recaps on Grantland

Max Silvestri’s hilariously in-depth recaps almost make us think we should actually be watching this show every week…almost.

Hate It: “Eatie”

Sorry to keep picking on Rachael (OK, not sorry at all), but her attempt to coin a word that is more cutesy and annoying than “foodie” has been entirely successful. (Photo: Eater)

Plate It: Candied Egg Yolk

Somehow our 100 ways to cook an egg didn’t get to turning the yolk into candy. We’re calling this the next food trend NOW.