In anticipation of my dumpling party with Jennifer 8. Lee this afternoon, I’ve researched a little more about this very articulate and funny lady. Appearantly, her parents named her after JFK airport, not its President namesake. Her younger sister Frances, and younger brother Kenneth complete the initials. According to Lee, JFK was the airport her parents landed when they first moved to America, kind of like the Ellis Islands of the late 1800s and early 1900s. Lee graduated from Harvard before becoming a reporter with the very prestigious NY Times.

This video clip from Ted was done as part of her book tour for The Fortune Cookie Chronicle, and it’s a talked titled “Jennifer 8. Lee Hunts for General Tso.” It is really funny and insightful. I hope you enjoy it. Be sure to tune in tomorrow for a recap of my visit to my new found idol!

Dumpling – 餃子- jiǎo zi

I’m super excited about the dumpling party Jennifer 8 Lee will be hosting this weekend at her house in NYC. I can’t wait to meet her, and taste some of her yummy creations. For those of you who are not familiar with Jennifer 8 Lee, she’s a metropolitan reporter at The New York Times, where she has worked for many years. She harbors a deep obsession for Chinese food, the product of which is The Fortune Cookie Chronicles (Twelve, 2008), which explores how Chinese food is all-American. For a preview, check out her appearance on the Colbert Report.

I wonder how many types of dumplings we will be making this Sunday at the party, will there be as many as the picture below? My mouth is already watering thinking about these little treasures.

I was so excited to have found these series of books from Huy Voun Lee.  They are great to introduce children to learn Chinese characters.  When I was little, my teacher taught Chinese characters to me the same way too.  What I really love about this book is that, it gives very simple and yet interesting instructions that the children will understand.

For starter and also season appropriate, check out At the Beach, currently available at our shop!

Recently, in one of the many open houses I visited in Summit NJ, I came across a personal correspondence from Madam Chiang Kai Shek to the homeowner. It was totally unexpected, but it reminded me once again how powerful and influential the Soong sisters were. For those of you who are not familiar with the Soong sisters, they were, along with their husbands, amongst China’s most significant political figures of the early 20th century. They each played a major role in influencing their husbands, which, along with their own positions of power, ultimately changed the course of Chinese history. It is also commonly said that of the three sisters, “one loved money (Ai Ling), one loved power (Mei Ling), and one loved China (Qing Ling).” To find out more about the legendary Soong Sisters, you can read Soong Dynasty by Sterling Seagrave, an investigative journalist who grew up in China to western parents. With his journalistic background, I feel it gives him more credibility in the stories he tells. Alternatively, grab some popcorn and watch a piece of history in this movie version of the Soong Sisters starring Michelle Yeoh, (aka bond girl) and Vivian Wu (Joy Luck Club).

Shanghai Girls

Lisa See’s new book is out!  I haven’t read it yet, but I am always inspired by her books.  I can’t wait to read this one as it is set in the 1930’s, one of my favorite periods.  Shanghai Girls is about two sisters whose parents sent them to LA from Shanghai in pursuit of better lives for them by marrying “Gold Mountain Men”.  Their trip to LA was a nightmare and that was just the beginning of the story.  I am going to order a copy now, what are you waiting for?