For this month's That's Beijing, a local English-language magazine, I wrote an article on exploring Beijing's spots that serve absinthe. (I know, it was quite the tough gig.) Absinthe has been in the news back in the States ever since last year, when it was un-banned and subsequently started popping up on many bars' lists. So I decided to explore Beijing's options and found a few places that served not only shots but also tasty cocktails. (It's still not online yet, so perhaps I wil have to make a PDF to link to.)

More self-promotion (after all, this is what food blogs are for): In the feature, the 2007 Restaurant Awards for Beijing, I was on the "panel of experts" and gave my picks for restaurants in cagetories including Best Sichuan, Best Indian, and Best for a Romantic Dinner. Though I do have to point out the wording mistake (not mine) in my profile at the end. In NYC I worked as a pastry cook for several months, and did not go through the years of work it takes to become a pastry chef. To those outside the restaurant world this is a minor word issue, but to those who work in the industry, it's a huge distinction.

Minor grievance aside, this issue is a handy guide for anyone looking for restaurant recommendations in Beijing.

This past Saturday Appetite for China was featured on BlogHer in a nice little write-up in the Food & Drink section. Check out their site for other blogs, on food and just about every other topic, written by women.

In other news, I have been bombarded with work, taxes, and catching up on the news out west. Living inside China I'm getting the full brunt of the state media and citizens' reactions, but as an expat and a current events addict I have the luxury of more resources for information. Maybe when I have more time I'll try to get my thoughts together coherently about this messy situation in a way that won't get me blocked or simply reiterate other Western perspectives.

In the mean time, I'm remembering the delicious momos and gyathuk ngopa from Tsampa, a lovely little restaurant in NYC's East Village that was an oasis of serenity from the more frenetic world outside.

Today's Seattle Post-Intelligencer has an article about Sichuan* peppercorn's comeback in the US after years of being banned. About a week ago I had answered a few questions posed by writer Rebekah Denn about the spice's role in Sichuan cuisine. In the article are a few quotes, as well as the Sichuan Cucumber Salad recipe I posted in January.

If you have time, check out the Seattle PI's story!

*I use the spelling "Sichuan" throughout my site, where as Seattle PI uses "Szechuan." I base my spelling off Pinyin, the most common Standard Mandarin romanization. "Szechuan" is a throwback to the days before the US adopted Pinyin-based spellings (other examples: Peking is now Beijing, Canton is now Guangdong.) While "Sichuan" is becoming the standard in English publications, "Szechuan" is still heavily used. Both are correct, but this footnote is just to lessen any potential confusion.

World Hum, my portal for travel news, just posted an article I wrote for them called "How to Eat Peking Duck in Beijing." It's part of the site's series of "How to's" that are culturally specific to a given destination.

Included in the article is a bit of Peking duck history, how to order and eat Peking duck, and a list of recommended restaurants in Beijing. It's geared towards the Peking duck newbie, but veteran eaters of kao ya will probably also find it interesting. (I hope!)

Related duck posts:
Video: Thanksgiving in Beijing with Peking Duck
Crispy Duck Spring Rolls