You don’t need to see it, because you can guess the plot. Ramen Girl (2008) is a cross between Karate Kid (1984), Tampopo (1985), Lost in Translation (2003), and your standard rom com. The story goes as follows. American girl (the late Brittany Murphy ) meets boy and trails him to Japan. Boy dumps girl. Girl drowns her sorrows in a bowl of ramen. Then she finds herself. She apprentices with a tough Japanese ramen chef, discovers the beauty of traditional Japanese culture,

We continue our ruminations on the impact of Chinese migration on Asian eating. But instead of merely calling attention to this phenomenon, I would like to bring the discussion back to a larger problem that we touched upon earlier in the term. Can we talk about a cuisine having an "essence"? Are there drawbacks to thinking about cuisines as being "owned" by particular cultures? How do we demarcate the boundaries of a culture in a world where people move and recipes are shared

Over the last couple of weeks, we have tackled the role of colonialism in Asian food history. Since the sun is finally out and the weather has warmed up, it's time to change our tune and leave behind this sad history. As Linh Trinh pointed out on Thursday, it would be a mistake to chalk up everything in Asian food to European imperialism! I wholeheartedly agree! This week and next, we'll look at how human migration has done its part to make Asian food a lot yummier. This is a

Do you like halva or flaky Chinese New Year candy? Then read up on the history of this cosmopolitan treat.

Ever wonder what the rulers of China ate? Read all about the history of a sweet milk curd made with.... none other than rice beer.

Spicy, fragrant, and mint, this pastry reportedly came out of the emperor's own kitchen. Read all about it.

Nowadays, we associate Tibetans and Mongols with milk tea. But the Chinese once could not get enough of the stuff.

Who came up with the idea of mixing milk with black tea? If you think Europeans were the first to do this, think again.

Think cheese wontons were invented in the USA? Think again. Here's a 16th-century recipe!

Buttery, fluffy, and fragrant -- these steamed buns used to delight people in the Song dynasty.

It can be hard to imagine Chinese food full of dairy. Here's a recipe that will not only help you imagine the past, but also tempt you.

If tapioca pudding doesn’t sound like a Chinese food, you’d be right. In my mother’s kitchen, it was much more. It was also medicine.

Song-dynasty cooks liked their butter. Here is a recipe for a crispy sesame cookie from China's South.