There's more to American food than burgers and french fries

Take the words "American" and "food", and you have the ingredients for a popular misconception: In the United States the cooking lessons ended once the burgers, French fries and ketchup hit the table.

My days in England

Taiwan sojourn

Cathy Ervay's semi-memoir about the foods of her heritage is such a luminous homage to the cuisine of Taiwan, it's surprising to learn that it came about almost by accident.

'San bei' flavors a crowd pleaser

"I really love the san bei dishes - San Bei Ji (Three Cup Chicken), or San Bei Squid, or clams or eggplant," says The Food of Taiwan author Cathy Erway. "It has a flavor combination that I find irresistible, and I think it's so much fun that you can apply it to practically anything, like lamb or tofu and who knows what else.

Eat Beat

Beijing Fun with food

Best bets

2015 WDSF World Open DanceSport Championship in Shenzhen

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Make declarer work for his winners

Fred Allen, a comedian who died in 1956, said, "A celebrity is a person who works hard all his life to become well-known, then wears dark glasses to avoid being recognized."

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The Marriage of Figaro in Beijing

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Watch out for and eliminate losers

Ogden Nash said, "A family is a unit composed not only of children but of men, women, an occasional animal and the common cold."

Essence of napa

California wineries are getting more serious about the Chinese market. Dong Fangyu samples some of the New World's best tipples at a recent Beijing seminar and wine-tasting