When I was growing up the foods I ate varied anywhere from a McDonald’s Happy Meal to a crock-pot stew made by my mother. I was raised by a single mom enrolled in medical school, so many of my meals were quick and easy. She tried her best, however, to provide a healthy meal so the take out and the frozen pizza meals were evenly distributed between home cooking. We did not pay attention to whether the beef was grass fed or the tomatoes organic, we bought what was offered at the local Pick ‘n… Continue

When I was younger I lived in Southern California and my parents housed an orange tree in the backyard. We would squeeze fresh orange juice for breakfast and I would nibble on orange slices for an afternoon snack. It was a great loss when our family was forced to move to Wisconsin so my mother could attend medical school. To this day my mom still talks about the orange juice we would squeeze every morning. The quality of the stuff we bought in the Midwest just did not compare to the stuff we… Continue

The unusual smells wafted through the hot air, as my friend, Will, lead the way through back alleys and snakelike tunnels to his favorite ramen shop in Tokyo. We zipped past vendors with their fake designer bags and ripped DVDs, tiny yakitori stands selling unrecognizable chicken parts on a stick, and seedy bars with businessmen who sweat beer and whiskey. With each turn we made the streets became darker and dingier, yet my curiosity became stronger.

Ever since I saw Tampopo, a film about… Continue