When I was young, my dream was to become an artist or designer. During the time I grew up I spent lots of time reading fashion magazines and drawing, indulging myself in rock music and indie films for inspiration. I never realized how much time I spent enjoying delicious food as well.
Ironically I went to college for language education and my first job had nothing to do with fashion or art, I became a foreign language teacher, teaching Chinese as a second language. However, teaching in school was not for me, despite how much I enjoyed language teaching itself, I am not a fan of school and routines.
After I moved to New York. I went to school for fashion, got an internship in fashion & then worked for corporate fashion companies. Then, after 5 years, I opened my own fashion boutique in Brooklyn. I ran the business for 5 years. I worked hard every day, 6 to 7 days per week, never taking vacations.
For years, I was always busy with work or busy with my social life. I never cooked, I always ordered take outs, I almost forgot the taste of real food. One day I decided to slow down, I started to cook for meditation, and I soon realized the joy cooking gives to me and the inspiration it brings to me. Each ingredient, each seasoning, each method is fun to work with. Like art, there are shapes, colors, and layers in cooking.
It is also fascinating to discover a new recipe by pairing different ideas together. Besides cooking meals myself, I love exploring interesting restaurant spots that serves good food, good drinks, good music, and good vibes.
The journey of cooking and eating certainly satisfied my taste buds but more than that I am inspired to create more art & design and I am even inspired to get back to my language profession. I am fascinated by the idea of combining food, art, and language together and I am excited to share this inspiration with you.
In this blog, I will share a couple of things with you:)
- My homemade recipes (each recipe is followed by related art and related Chinese words /expressions with pinyin)
- My exploring of local spots with good food and fun characters
- My store ( Original art and designs, gifts, supplies, etc)
