Dishing up 2017

Country-style braised chicken in mustard sauce at Jomi in Beijing. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Sorghum is suddenly global hot stuff because it packs lots of fiber and protein. As Brissette notes, it's also a source of bone-building magnesium and phosphorus, immune-boosting iron and B vitamins such as niacin and B6 that help convert your food into energy.

It's also gluten-free, already a buzzword that appeals to health-conscious consumers. International food packagers are already incorporating sorghum into ready-to-eat breakfast cereals and baked chips－and popped sorghum is a popcorn alternative coming to more store shelves in the new year.

In China, the introduction of a Michelin guide for Shanghai is good news for that city and probably (more) bad news for Beijing.

Michelin's attention helped entice several culinary luminaries to Shanghai in 2016, notes chef and magazine columnist Christopher Pitts, including Joel Robuchon, Alvin Leung and Marc Meneau. "Now it's time to pick up the pace," he writes in City Weekend Shanghai. "As of now Pierre Gagnaire has already been confirmed and I'm sure there are more to come. Five-star hotels love Michelin chefs; with Bulgari, St. Regis, W Hotels and Edition opening next year, we'll see which ones snag some more stars for Shanghai."

The boost in Shanghai's status as a culinary scene could be offset in Beijing, where China's slowing economy has scotched flirtations by celebrity chefs from Alain Ducasse to Jaime Oliver. We're still hoping.