Category

Food Culture

The why behind the table: congee for breakfast, tea through the seasons, and what a birthday means on a Chinese menu.

Food Culture

Food as Seasoning, Not Medicine: What "Shiliao" Actually Means in a Chinese Home

Chinese food therapy has a mystical reputation in the West. Inside an actual Chinese kitchen, it is closer to seasoning: habits, seasons, and a grandmother with opinions. A starting guide.

Jack Chen · Nov 1, 2026 · 4 min read

Food Culture

Why Chinese Breakfast Is Warm: Congee, Soy Milk and the Logic of Morning

Ice water at breakfast is an American default that a Chinese kitchen would quietly fix. A tour of the warm morning table — congee, soy milk, youtiao — and the reasoning behind it, minus the mysticism.

Jack Chen · Oct 30, 2026 · 4 min read