Cherry Blossom time in Tokyo!

This videographer's work is always top-quality; I love how he takes you through the neighborhoods just as you would as a tourist.

Cherry-blossom viewing in Shinjuku, Tokyo

Here in Minnesota we are still knee-deep in snow, with the real start of Spring still weeks away. Videos like this give me hope that warm weather and the return of life to our northern tundra will actually happen!

Updating...

I've just posted an update to our Atlanta airport guide & am halfway through revising the Minneapolis/St. Paul entry. With these changes I'm tweaking the website's navigation buttons for easier reading - and also starting to change the tone of the entire weninchina effort.

When I started weninchina in 2008, I was thinking mainly of the 4,000+ families who traveled to China each year to complete child adoptions. While international adoption still takes place, the time and expense has dramatically increased (and not just in China), and the number of kids finding new homes overseas has plummeted. Even the number of adoption agencies here in the US who work overseas has dwindled. So the target market I originally was talking to has really shrunk!

Meanwhile, interest by families of every kind in learning about and traveling to East Asia is growing steadily - kids play the videogames and watch anime and want to learn more about the cultures that created the media they enjoy. And the availability of airline service between North America and Asia continues to improve, making it easier to take that trip.

So, I'll be gradually re-writing content across the website to de-emphasize the adoption-trip angle and write more from the point of view of a family going on vacation or for learning experiences, and also adding even more content from outside China/Hong Kong. This process will take some time - but it should also help me find more to write about, as well!

Thank you for reading my work over these past five years - I hope to bring you more and more in the times to come. I'm grateful for your feedback, story suggestions, and contributions!

Cheng Heng restaurant, St. Paul, MN

There's kind of a running joke in the Twin Cities about restaurant reviews in the local media that all the places to eat here are located in Minneapolis or rarely its western suburbs. On the St. Paul side of the line, there's nothing except the same five joints that our grandparents went to when we were kids.

While it offends the civic pride of those of us on the eastern side of the fence, it has meant that there's more seating available for us at some really exceptional places. However, starting next year our downtown-to-downtown LRT goes live, and I suspect a lot of people are going to discover the gems scattered along what we call the Midway district, and in particular the "Little Mekong" neighborhood just west of our State Capitol building.

One such restaurant we've recently tried is Cheng Heng - a family-run place featuring Cambodian dishes.

The phrase "hole in the wall" definitely applies - it's in a tiny strip mall on the south side of University Avenue. There's a small parking lot next to the building and a few on-street spaces - but the Western Avenue LRT stop is a half-block away and that's going to be extremely convenient for visitors staying in either downtown.

There's nothing pretentious about the decor - but it reminds us of so many places we've eaten at in Asia: a small shrine in the entryway, hand-painted murals, wood carvings from the old country. There are two good-sized seating areas, and they were both almost full at lunchtime on a Saturday! Lots of families, and a nice mix of all the different people who live around here coming in. They have a case of bakery items and cold plates for take-out, and the sit-down service was speedy (we were getting plates within 5 minutes of ordering.)

Prices are very affordable - my wife, daughter, and I had lunch for less than $30.

I had the Banh Hoy - steamed rice noodles with stir-fried beef and shrimp. The beef melted in my mouth and the shrimp were very fresh.

My wife had the Chha Mekatain - with the chicken and brown sauce (they also do it with a curry which also looked wonderful.) The fun noodles were perfectly cooked and the Chinese broccoli was crisp and clean.

We look forward to eating here again and bringing friends - a couple years ago I would never have considered even getting out of the car in this neighborhood, but I'm glad to have put away my skepticism. From talking with the restaurant owner, it's plain to see the determination of these businesses to not just survive but succeed - and with the imminent start of the train service, I think this area will be the new pride of the Twin Cities!

Yummy nougat candy from Taiwan

For Chinese New Year, we have a tradition of getting together with the other Minneapolis-area families who were in China to adopt their kids at the same time we were. It's always fun to see how all the kids have grown and what the similarities and differences are as more of their lives are spent in the States. It's a potluck dinner, and I always try to bring a few unexpected treats.  I came across this charming little box of candies at United Noodles - I didn't need to know the character for "milk" to know what was going on here...

Given the size of the illustration on the box, I had thought that perhaps the nougat-with-peanut bars were going to be a bit bigger, more like a "fun size" Snickers - but as you can see in this photo they are closer to Tootsie Roll size. However, the carton was packed full of them and all the families and kids were able to have as many as they wanted.  The texture is semi-hard but it softens up after just a moment in your mouth, and then it tastes just like a Snickers but without the chocolate and caramel...  Everyone liked them & I only had a handful to bring back home :)

New Year meal: Obento-ya, Minneapolis

I took my wife out to Lunar New Year / Valentine's lunch yesterday at our local Japanese izkaya Obento-ya. The food was wonderful and the service super-prompt and attentive.  (They were having a rough patch this past summer but the operation seems to be back on top.) Business has picked up for them, too - if going to dinner you'll definitely want to make reservations.

Prices are quite reasonable - we got all this and a pot of tea for just $30:

This is the "house ramen" - as you can see this is a pho-sized bowl with lots of kelp and noodles, and a generous amount of pork! The tea egg is extra & was done perfectly; beautiful golden yolk that blends perfectly with the broth.

This is the Makunochi bento - their "combo" platter showing off all the wonderful things they can do to protein. The yakitori beef could be put on a bun & put Arby's out of business... the salmon was crispy on the outside and wonderfully chewy inside... shrimp the perfect combination of savory and sweet.  In the upper left corner - Japanese potato salad, creamy like mashed potatoes with Qupie mayonnaise and bits of apple (!) in it.  They could sell this by the tub.

The bento combo comes with a cup of their miso soup, too; just the thing on a cold wintry day. So simple but it gives me such joy to smell and taste this!

Travel Haiku

Inspired by a post by @japantouristjp ...  #trahaiku are travel-themed 5-7-5 syllable poems about travel, Japan / East Asia, or the intersection of the two...  Here are a few I wrote today:

Coffee, cream, sugar

Waiting for the boarding call

Clouds swirl in my cup

Yamanote Line

brings me where I need to be

and circles back home

Narita Airport

All laid out so precisely

Model, or real life?

Lunar New Year blooms

with fireworks, laughing, smiles, and

 hope flowers again