Spring in Texas means vast fields of bluebonnets, rippling in the wind like waves in the ocean. In Japan, all eyes are on a different sort of flower, filling the air itself into a sea of petals. Sakura are reaching peak season right now across the central Honshu, the main island which includes hot spots Tokyo and Kyoto. It’s the most popular time to visit either metropolis, heralding in a crush of tourists from around the world. Why Are Sakura, AKA Cherry Blossoms, So Important? Their aesthetic attraction needs no explanation, but there’s a deeper meaning that strikes at the core of Japanese c ..read more

Don’t Kiss Me, I’m Not Irish If you feel compelled to kiss random strangers for good luck on St. Patrick’s Day, I’d venture to say that you’ve taken superstitions too far. Kissing someone who is Irish is supposedly the next best thing to kissing the Blarney Stone although that’s also an act of questionable common sense. Hundreds of thousands of lips have graced that same limestone; do you really want to share those germs in a post-pandemic world? Natural Green Cake Coloring This year, I have ten sweet and savory vegan recipes for you to wrap your lips around instead. Full of lucky four-leaf c ..read more

J. Lorraine Ghost Town 14219 Littig Rd. Manor, TX 78653 The post Wordless Wednesday: Ghost Town appeared first on BitterSweet ..read more

Of all the foods I crave, hot and sour soup is most commonly out of reach. Ubiquitous across Chinese restaurant menus big and small, often given away for free with a lunch combo, it’s a cruel joke that there’s no soup for me. Traditionally a Sichuan staple, standard recipes include all the usual non-vegan pitfalls: chicken broth, beaten eggs, and sometimes thinly sliced pork. In rare instances, you may luck out and find a vegetarian option without meat, but completely vegan versions are true unicorns. Hot and sour soup is a snap to make at home, but not without mild controversy. Truth be told ..read more

All apizza is pizza, but few pizzas are true apizzas- And no, that’s not a typo. Pronounced “ah-beets,” this very specific, exclusive subset of flat breads is more American than Italian by birth, not to mention an infant compared to the long-standing domination of their red sauced brethren. Leave your pepperoni in the fridge; clams are the crowning jewels on this East Coast treasure. Clam apizza can be traced directly to Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana in New Haven, Connecticut. Growing up in the tri-state area, this was the only choice when ordering pizza from a parlor. Nothing else could eve ..read more

An open olive bar is a very dangerous place for me to be. I’m not talking about the potential for cross-contamination with messy cubes of marinated feta, always carelessly crumbling beyond their containers, or germs from those who resist the shield of the sneeze guard. For me, the peril is in knowing when to stop. I have yet to meet a pickle I didn’t like, from mild to hot, and I always want to try more. One impulsive glance over the chilled chafing dishes could result in a pound of two of impulse pickles, and a correspondingly hefty bill. That’s where I met my current pickle fixation, Brazil ..read more

Some may consider mimosas the official drinks of brunch, but a strong Bloody Mary makes a compelling case for the title. Savory instead of sweet, the full-bodied tomato juice much more substantial base to alleviate a hangover from the previous night. Factor in a bold punch of spice, and that classic combination can instantly jolt you straight out of any lingering lethargy. Let’s zoom in on that subtle heat for a minute. What if we replaced standard-issue Tabasco with something more complex? The American staple is fine for a gentle burn, but let’s be honest: It’s a one-note, flavor, without de ..read more

Yuca Fries Cashew Alfredo Roasted & Raw 607 14th St. Oakland, CA 94612 Tofu Sougar Spinach Samosas Artichoke & Pea Tagine Savor Cafe 401 Irving St. San Francisco, CA 94122 The post Wordless Wednesday: New Bites Around The Bay appeared first on BitterSweet ..read more

Standing in the kitchen, hands full of half-peeled zucchini in the dark of night, I’m trying to channel my grandmother circa 1984. Five years before I was born, President Ronald Reagan was in office, astronauts went on the first untethered space walk on the moon, and Apple made a splash with its infamous aired the “1984” Macintosh commercial. It was also the year that Bon Appétit magazine published a recipe for Zucchini Cups Stuffed with Peas. I know this because my grandmother so carefully clipped and preserved this relic of the past. It survived nearly four decades, multiple moves, deaths a ..read more

Sliced paper-thin to drape delicately over the finest charcuterie board, or directly into one’s mouth, prosciutto is a luxury of the highest order. Italians would throw hands over proper labeling of the stuff, especially those with esteemed pedigrees like Champagne or Parmesan, as products of Denomination of Protected Origin, AKA, DOP (Denominazione d’Origine Protetta.) This may be grounds for a fight, but I’d like to throw all that out the window to make genuine, inauthentic prosciutto that can be made anywhere in the world, not of meat, but of plants. What Is Vegan Prosciutto? Vegan prosciu ..read more