Beijing and Hong Kong Food

Eating wild blackberries while hiking an unrestored section of the Great Wall;
Having a Baishi apricot blossom tea ice at the sculpture garden of the Pace gallery in Beijing's 798 Art District;
Yogurt snacks at Wangfujing Night Market in Beijing;
Hot pot ingredients come to you on a conveyor belt on "Gourmet Street," the food court at Oriental Plaza in Beijing;
Shaved ice, red bean, and condensed milk desserts;
Mung bean popsicles -- many people were cooling off with these at Tiananmen Square, so I had to try one;
Tasting fine jasmine and osmanthus green and oolong teas in Hong Kong;
Even Starbucks has adapted to the Asian preference for jellies.

Matcha Source

Rob G. and I toasting his upcoming wedding (and cooling off) at the Matcha Source pop-up shop in Soho.

Thanks for the shout-out, Matcha Source! Here's one right back "atcha":

Matcha Source provides high quality powdered green tea from Japan. Chefs love this stuff because it is so delicious, good for you, and blends easily into both liquids and fats, making it a wonderful ingredient for desserts especially but also all kinds of drinks.

Through July, they have a pop-up shop on Crosby Street between Broome and Grand. If enough of us go, maybe Soho will get a more permanent one-stop shop for all things matcha!

Food Poem Fridays: Erica Jong's FIGS

Figs

by Erica Jong

Italians know
how to call a fig
a fig: fica.
Mandolin-shaped fruit,
feminine as seeds,
amber or green
and bearing large leaves
to clothe our nakedness.

I believe it was
not an apple but a fig
Lucifer gave Eve,
knowing she would find
a fellow feeling
in this female fruit

and knowing also
that Adam would
lose himself
in the fig's fertile heart
whatever the price—

God's wrath, expulsion
angry angels
pointing with swords
to a world of woe.

One bite into
a ripe fig
is worth worlds
and worlds and worlds
beyond the green
of Eden.

Maximizing Your Budget for Organic Produce

This house buys organic, but it can be more expensive than conventional produce. Fruits and vegetables that are grown conventionally absorb different levels of pesticides based on how tough an outer layer they have. You can get away with buying conventional pineapple, for instance, save a little money, and still not be exposed to too many chemicals in the fruit.

To help consumers, the Environmental Working Group has put out information on which fruits and vegetables absorb the highest, and lowest, amounts of chemical residue.

Choose organic when it comes to these fruits and vegetables:
Celery
Peaches
Strawberries
Apples
Domestic blueberries
Nectarines
Sweet bell peppers
Spinach, kale and collard greens
Cherries
Potatoes
Imported grapes
Lettuce

For these fruits and vegetables, even if you buy conventional, you won't get too much chemical residue because they have a tougher outer layer:

Onions
Avocados
Sweet corn
Pineapples
Mango
Sweet peas
Asparagus
Kiwi fruit
Cabbage
Eggplant
Cantaloupe
Watermelon
Grapefruit
Sweet potatoes
Sweet onions

The President's Cancer Panel recommendeds eating produce without pesticides. There is a proven association between pesticides and health problems such as cancer, attention-deficit (hyperactivity) disorder and nervous system disorders; pesticides can also weaken immune systems and harm the developing brain.