Recipes

The likelihood of China using military force to “reunify” Taiwan is growing. Some believe the Chinese government could use military action to distract its population from troubles at home after China’s economic growth fell to its second lowest level for decades in 2022. There are numerous signals from Beijing about its intentions towards Taiwan, which the People’s Republic of China claims jurisdiction over. During the 2022 Communist party congress, President Xi indicated that Taiwan is at the core of China’s “rejuvenation” and that peaceful reunification is preferable but that China does not “renounce the use of force”. Simultaneously, tensions in...

Dear Pro member, Last week, I had a casual chat with a startup founder in Myanmar, whose startup ecosystem is in dire straits. The COVID-19 breakout, Feb 2021 coup, and the economic downturn hit startups the hardest. Over 70-80 tech companies have shut down, and the junta is least bothered about startups. Feeling neglected and with no way out, local startups and even big IT companies moved to neighbouring countries, such as Thailand and Vietnam. I am gathering more details to write a piece about Myanmar’s many problems. If you know someone who can share some details about the issues...

Chinese eCommerce giant Alibaba is still suffering the effects of COVID-19. The company released earnings results Thursday (Feb. 23) showing growth of 2%, a slower pace than its last quarter, as the retailer dealt with the continued impact of the pandemic in China. “We delivered a solid quarter despite softer demand, supply chain and logistics disruptions due to impact of changes in COVID-19 measures,” said Alibaba Chairman and CEO Daniel Zhang in a statement, adding that Alibaba expects consumer sentiment and economy activity to recover. Among the setbacks cited in the earnings report was a decline in the gross market...

Meet Chef Marie Kacouchia. We had the pleasure of interviewing her about food history, health, culture, and her cookbook, Vegan Africa. Read on and enjoy her recipe for Sautéed Spinach and Mushrooms with Plantains.     In your experience, how have you found food to tell a story and shape culture? Food is both created by history and creates history. Cuisines are created by history because they mix with invasions and population movements. It shows the movements of people and the introduction of new ingredients, cooking methods, and recipes. Sometimes these cuisines are impoverished–think of the globalization of cuisine and...

After a year’s hiatus due to Covid we are super stoked to announce that the Beijinger's Hot & Spicy Fest, brought to you by TABASCO sauce, is finally back! Yes, you’d better start building up that spice tolerance in preparation for the hottest event of the year coming to Fudi (Yaowa Lake Park) Apr 14-16. The first official Beijinger festival since 2021, and our first festival of 2023, this is one weekend that you do not want to miss!  What do we have in store? As usual there will be spicy foods from dozens of vendors representing cuisines from around...