#food

A crowded street market under colourful umbrellas

3 Jun 20262 min readLife

In praise of the morning market

Supermarkets are convenient, but the traditional market is where a city shows what it eats and how it lives. A reflection on chợ in Vietnam and morning markets in Taiwan.

Osaka Castle above its stone walls and trees

12 Sept 20252 min readJapan

Osaka: merchant city and the nation's kitchen

Osaka grew up around trade rather than a court. Its castle, its canals and its famous appetite for street food all come from that merchant past. A profile of Japan's most down-to-earth big city.

3 Apr 20252 min readLife

Half sugar, less ice: learning to order milk tea in Taiwan

Bubble tea was born in Taiwan, and ordering it here is a small language of its own. Notes on sugar levels, ice levels and why the drink matters.