Food

November 22, 2024 0

Review:‘The Vegetarian’ Is a Brilliant Parable of Existence and Purpose in Troubled Times

Sometimes the most memorable fictional characters make silence their weapon of choice. In 2024 Nobel Laureate Han Kang’s The Vegetarian, which first appeared in Korean in 2007 and was translated into English eight years later by Deborah Smith, silence is the weapon of choice. Kang’s novel won the Man Booker Prize in 2016 and the writer herself was awarded the Nobel Prize this fall for what the selection committee called “… her intense poetic prose that confronts historical traumas and […]

September 27, 2024 0

Chef Shi Mei of Lenox Sophia Serves Up Big Flavors Inside a Small Space

by Harmony Witte

South Boston’s Lenox Sophia is not your typical restaurant – and in many ways Chef Shi Mei is not your typical chef. Trained in economics, Mei says the first dish he made as a kid was instant ramen. And his restaurant – where patrons are encouraged to bring their own drinks – is more akin to a tiny Japanese noodle house than a glitzy Hub bar. But the result is an intimate and delightful taste of small-room dining that serves […]

April 26, 2024 0

Don’t Throw Away That Yogurt Yet: Sampan Interviews Expert on Confusing Sell-by, Use-by Dates

by Derek He

Say you’re grabbing a bottle of milk from the fridge, and see its expiration day passed three days ago. It smells fine, but is it safe? The answer isn’t always clear. In many parts of the world, expiration dates are a familiar sight on a variety of foods, particularly those that are perishable such as meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy. The dates play a crucial role in influencing consumer behavior and managing store inventory. But the dates are not always […]

March 16, 2024 0

Laurence Louie is Making Big Waves as a Chef at Rubato

by Harmony Witte

Sampan went to Rubato, a Hong Kong style café, in Quincy to speak with Chef and co-owner Laurence Louie about his busy year as a Chopped champion, being a James Beard semifinalist, winning both Bon Appétit and Eater Boston’s Best New Restaurants awards in 2023, as well as being an expectant father. Of the items that we tried, the real stand out was Rubato’s signature dish—the fried chicken bolo bao. It was the perfect blend of succulent, perfectly cooked, fried […]

February 2, 2024 0

Four Season(ings): Celebrity Chefs Share Flavors of Lunar New Year

by DongDong Yang

Ming Tsai, Romy Dorotan, Tru Lang, and Ming Cao Serve Up Holiday Memories, Favorite Dishes The Lunar New Year kicks off Feb. 10. It’s the Year of the Dragon, which will mark continued power, nobility, honor, luck, and success, according to the traditional Chinese zodiac. The dragon is the fifth of the twelve year cycle of animals — Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig. Festivities in Boston and around the world will feature family, […]

December 23, 2023 0

Are Food Additives Bad for You?

by Jeff Millman

Potassium bromate, propylparaben, brominated vegetable oil, and red dye number 3: no, this is not a list of materials for an organic chemistry experiment. Instead it’s a group of food additives that will be banned as part of the California Food Safety Act, which California Governor Gavin Newsom signed in October. The legislation won’t go into effect until January of 2027, but it’s made nationwide news – after all, these are common food additives present in everything from fruit cups […]

December 22, 2023 0

Food Resources In Boston Not Enough to Feed Everyone

by Aditya Venkatram

Food insecurity is currently one of the biggest problems for America’s poor. According to the USDA Economic Research Service, an astonishing 12.8% of U.S households were food insecure in 2022, meaning that they had a difficulty in providing an adequate amount for all family members due to a lack of resources. This equates to over 44 million people in the United States that went hungry, including 13 million children. Food insecurity rates vary significantly across the country, but in all […]

August 19, 2023 0

Founder, Chef of Quincy’s First Japanese Restaurant Reflect on ‘Dream’ Come True

by DongDong Yang

In 1998, Quincy saw the opening of its first Japanese restaurant – Fuji, marking the start of JP Fuji Group’s unprecedented growth and success in Boston’s competitive restaurant scene. As it celebrates its 25th anniversary, Sampan met with Jimmy Liang, the founder and his partner and Executive Head Chef of Sushi, Ming Cao. Jimmy shared how he was first introduced to the art of sushi. “At 14,” he said, “I met my Sensei (teacher) who taught me sushi-making for a […]

January 20, 2023 0

Food and Memories at Lunar New Year Time

by Sampan Staff

China: Family Reunion Delight Sumiao Chen is the Founder and Co-owner of Sumiao Hunan Kitchen in Kendal Square Cambridge MA. In this role, she has successfully led the development and implementation of its strategic vision as well as management of operation in the last three years. Sumiao was born and raised in Changsha, Hunan, China. She comes from a family of artisans; her father was a famous local painter and calligrapher and her mother was a singer and has owned a […]

September 19, 2022 0

Ultraprocessed Foods Linked to Cancer: An Interview with Tufts University’s Dr. Fang Fang Zhang

by Kristen Si

Last month, a study published in the medical journal The BMJ (a weekly peer-reviewed medical journal published by the British Medical Association) connected the consumption of ultraprocessed foods to a higher risk for colorectal cancer. Dr. Fang Fang Zhang, a researcher at the Tufts University Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, led this project, focusing specifically on the effects of ultraprocessed diets on cancer risk through a large cohort study over 28 years. A key finding in her study […]

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