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Food Feed

georginechikchi

Exploring food and families @ioelondon Keen cook, curious eater, also @chineseweaning
#WetMarketWednesdays
My take on food language ⬇️

Wuxi • Shanghai Of caramelised eel, malantou (my m

Wuxi • Shanghai
Of caramelised eel, malantou (my mum’s and porpor’s favourite chopped wild herbs), and many pictures of what we saw over the Easter break. Familiar foods and words, but it felt like being another world. Had a random convo with the train station vendor making this egg wrap which the children enjoyed 🍳 but he did say the local cuisine is all very sugary!
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Lots of gimmicky desserts which are designed to be seasonal 🌸 soft serve 🍦 with popping pearls, popmart mango flavoured ice lolly, more for photos checking in 「打卡」 that we’ve been here. But delightful to have xiaolongbao, steamed egg and stewed pork at Disneytown, this theme park marks a decade this year, who would have imagined how it was before that…?
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People - so amazing to see @chaochao2012 at the French Concession after a decade plus more, both sweetest and coolest, one of my first friends in London, met randomly in the toilet which we shared on 5/F at High Holborn House. Also cousin @11sc11 and fam who generously hosted us… despite each of us falling sick along the way… maybe the air has to blame? There’s a collection box of all those lighters at the airport (Cray!)
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#wuxi#shanghai#foodpics#travelpics

On feeding families Laura Goodman was writing for

On feeding families
Laura Goodman was writing for this article in the latest Sainsburys Magazine @sainsburysmag and asked me for my thoughts and top tips in nourishing families. Store cupboard and frozen items help, but it still involves a lot of (undervalued) work (time, physical and mental load) in planning, preparing, cooking and serving. I have so many pictures of food we cook and eat and here are some of the repertoire. Staples, greens, sauces, meat patties, soups. That’s about it really.
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So much of feeding research exists outside of nutrition. I always wondered why there’s not more interdisciplinary work on this. But I think more about how feeding remans heavily 1) gendered, and 2) moralised - what makes a good feeder/carer/… mother? During Covid, I started a family account @chineseweaning to jot down some food for thought. It wasn’t as typically ‘weaning’ as it should have been, and became more about some of the cultural aspects of feeding and eating, and how much of that also contributes to our parenting identities.
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#foodforthought#quoted#foodquote#feedingfamilies#familytable

Ringing in the Year of the Horse with lots of swee

Ringing in the Year of the Horse with lots of sweet treats and family eats. Our time in British Columbia amidst dramatic forests and seas.
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A lot less festive fanfare but it’s all about how we make it our own. We now usually greet each other ‘Happy New Year’ 新年快樂 to but for a long time the New Year is always about Fat Choy (getting rich), Onwards and Upwards or having our wish come true. Of course also Good Health.
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Home vibes away from home, getting together with relations from both sides who had lived in Vancouver from between 30-50+ years, long chats with my cousin and of course the incredible Tree!
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#vancouver#bcfamily#bcfriends#cny2026

「北京小吃好吃不貴」 Beijing small eats, delicious but not

「北京小吃好吃不貴」 Beijing small eats, delicious but not expensive. Really interesting to potter around the streets and hutongs to try local ‘small eats’ or maybe more collectively as ‘snacks’ but that term’s got a bad rep - braised intestines, tripes, soy ‘juice’ and fried cassava ‘cakes’ - all served with some form of garlic or fermented veg to bring out their mostly savoury flavours which are used to 「解饞」 - a term which I appreciated fully during this trip which means to satisfy via the tastebuds. Our local friend and guide told us that some of these dishes were created during the poorer times when food was scarce, so every bit of the animal or tuber was used. But whatever they are, the flavours and textures made them the unique dishes they are.

Plus more proper eats of zhajiangmian, hotpot and of course roast duck. Scroll to the last for a video of this piece of steamed aged tofu which was presented just like another exquisite dish.

From finding hidden gems to morning runs and scroll around the Forbidden City, a big thank you to my travel buddy, who showed me the cool side of Beijing! Fourty-eight hours in the capital, first time back in twenty years when I was a final year undergrad on an exchange trip with a local food science programme. Next time we will try harder not to talk as much about the children…

#beijingeats#北京小吃

If food is a marker of place, then its diverse off

If food is a marker of place, then its diverse offering must tell of the rich tapestry of its people. This was the impression I had of Taiwan, our first visit, we did touristy things and it was full of surprises everywhere. From fried wild leaves to Xiao Long Baos, the variety of cuisines of indigenous peoples and other migrants from mainland China is a great taster of what Taiwan offers.

I had the pleasure of meeting @dearclarissa whose book Made in Taiwan encapsulates exactly this. We share the interest in sitting the month, and it was so wonderful to exchange ideas with you!

The main reason visiting Taiwan was taking part at the Taipei International Choral Competition with my Old School’s women’s choir. Part two of this trip was singing and more eating, making pineapples cakes and boba tea too.

Education is social reproduction. The past few months of rehearsals have made me realise, experience and reflect on the extent of this. We obtained the Gold Award which was a notable achievement especially given the huge range of ages between mid-20s to early 70s.

#taiwan#firsttimetaiwan#foodtravels#foodstory#foodwriting

Part Two of this week-long trip was back down sout

Part Two of this week-long trip was back down south at the Centre for Parenting Culture Studies at UCL.
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I spoke to fellow scholars whose research all contribute to ‘parenting culture studies’ the diverse topics reinforce the need for more family research, especially on the changing ideas of ‘parenting’. My focus here is on how social actors negotiate feeding practices within the family, shaped by the many factors which are mostly cultural. We discussed the ideologies and practices of reproduction and care work, their very gendered nature as women bear their lion’s share, but also increasingly the call to include men’s voices too was most interesting to explore.
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Again, reflecting on how food - and of course nutrition - should also be an interdisciplinary matter.
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It’s great to connect with everyone and and finally see 2/3 of my supervisory team in real life Professors Charlotte Faircloth and Therese Hesketh (missing Professor Rebecca O’Connell).
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My first trip travelling solo after many years, it did feel exhausting a lot of brain work, planning, and remote controlling to ensure that things are in order. Lots of selfies, video calls and pictures of meals etc. to keep everyone posted of my whereabouts. After a few days, my tastebuds were calling for umami! I am very grateful for the conference grants received (and all my social actors!) to make it a possibility. It’s great to be back!
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#phdlife #interdisciplinary #parentingculture

Conference week! Two papers sharing my research wi

Conference week! Two papers sharing my research with two very different audiences. Part One was at the European Society for Translation Studies (11th Congress) at University of Leeds - largest of its kind in the UK.
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I discussed how translation is not only part of the research process but informs how we interpret findings, every step of the way. In my case, I have found the language in infant feeding to be fascinating and how local practices can help shape transnational discourses. Of course also concepts in food and the body, many ideas are more meaningful when we take into the context of eating, feeding and customs (who, how and why?)
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Reflecting on how food - and of course nutrition - should also be an interdisciplinary matter.
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There were lots of amazing (non-food) talks too which makes me think about how translation is not just between languages but a fundamental part of the human experience. From theory to practice, ever spared a thought for those working in conflict zones? It’s all fascinating and very thought-provoking.
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So good to meet fellow congress delegates especially these ladies from Australia! As we bonded over drinks and dinner at the Royal Armouries Museum, I asked what they thought about the meal… ‘this is what we call 「白人飯」（white person’s rice/meal… typically derogatory)’. It’s been a while since I’ve come across this term years ago on Twitter. To be honest, it was a nice meal of roast chicken, potato dauphinoise and grilled veg, with a savoury and then raspberry pannacotta, nonetheless it’s funny to see this used in practice!
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Also feels like uni catering has improved, I enjoyed my cooked brekkie plus some very generous fruit platters.
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#estleeds2025 #phdlife #Leeds #universityofleeds #translationstudies #foodstudies #interdisplinary #microblog #conferencereport

Snippets from Guilin ⛰️ in Guangxi, a place marked

Snippets from Guilin ⛰️ in Guangxi, a place marked by its karst mountains and water ways, and named after the osmanthus flowers which are all over the city. The ancient saying 「桂林山水甲天下」 depicts how its natural landscape is ‘the best’ in the world, and it’s really rather breathtaking.
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First time taking the high speed rail and travelling with the family on a tour group. I thought we were never going to do that anymore with small children in tow spending days touring and sharing meals with practically strangers. But it turned out great as we managed to visit quite a few places, and enjoyed the many stories the tour guide had to share.
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What struck me was the prevalence of 「农家菜」 or rural family food - you’d see signs everywhere for a unique rustic flavour. Jakob Klein had written extensively about this and I remembered studying about it when doing my MA in the Anthropology of Food @soasuni The idea spurned out of fears of food safety and repackaged as eco-tourism. Freshness - and the connection with the land - is talked about often. We tasted many dishes, the local ‘oil tea’ (herbal), rice noodles, free range poultry, bamboo rice, beer fish in Yangshuo and this interesting fruit called jelly melon.
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Touristy is almost like a dirty word these days in our search for authentic experiences, but in cities like Guilin its economy is very much steeped in tourist income. Our guide shared her personal story of growing up in the hills with her tribe - practically segregated from everywhere - and found opportunities as a migrant worker. They would bring sweet potatoes and sweetcorn to school and these will be cooked by the only teacher there for lunch. White rice was never available but they did not feel marginalised - it was simply the life. So much to reflect on and think about when your paths crossed albeit briefly.
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#guilin#桂林#travelwrites#traveleats#chinatravels

I spoke to @kitchenbee on her latest piece on ‘ult

I spoke to @kitchenbee on her latest piece on ‘ultra-processing’ baby food for @Guardian. Just judging on the vast responses it’s obvious that feeding children is extremely moralised, and the industry is very clever in tapping into parents’ aspirations (and fears). This is exactly the reason I started microblogging @chineseweaning a few years ago, to document my journey through the lens of food, some good/straightforward and equally many, ‘bad’ frustrating days when after spending a lot of effort cooking and then met with little enthusiasm.

As ever, great and thought-provoking, Bee writes about how ‘foods’ and ‘snacks’ marketed for babies (apart from infant milks) are an unregulated space where colourful pouches and puffs with little nutritional value now dominate the ‘baby food aisle’.

Full article here: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/mar/15/ultra-processed-babies-are-toddler-snacks-one-of-the-great-food-scandals-of-our-time

Reposted images from @kitchenbee

Meal for one ☝🏼 Going free flow with a fridge rumm

Meal for one ☝🏼
Going free flow with a fridge rummage, first week with littlest is now in full-time nursery. Yes! Monday noodle bowl 🥣 with roughly chopped leftover veg with frozen dumplings, Tuesday gruel bowl from ‘instant cereal pack’ topped with wonky purple beans which I was excited to purchase at the market then the enthusiasm quickly faded - finally cooked with leftover duck meat. And an ice lolly to cool down, why not?
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Great to have some good uninterrupted hours, currently writing ✍️ my methodology chapter… capturing what I did should be straightforward right?
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#lunchbowls#phdlife#fooddiary#fridgerummage

A few weeks ago, over two hundred members of the p

A few weeks ago, over two hundred members of the public joined us in this @UCL connect session on nutrition, organised by the VC's advancement office. 💫 We shared thoughts on the topic of 'productivity', what to eat, drink and more. One of the most energising panels I have had, thanks to the brilliant chairing by Adrian Brown, with Nicholas Peat, Mariela M. and Aysenur Tekneci. Also to Lisa Yiasemides and Tim from the UCL Alumni Relations Team for putting this together. 🔎Full video downloaded and available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYUpbX-vu7Q&list=LL&index=2&t=58s

What is the relationship between nutrition and pro

What is the relationship between nutrition and productivity? 🧠💥 Over lunchtime on 2 July, I will be joining UCL Connect as a panel speaker with Adrian Brown, Mariela Martinez Nicholas Peat and Aysenur Tekneci to discuss and share our views on nutrition and work performance. It’s an online session and free to attend, so do get your tickets here: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/alumni/events/2024/jul/ucl-connect-nutrition-how-enhance-your-productivity-work
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I’ve got my two cents about the topic having had what felt like an everlasting rigged schedule, just restarting my short runs recently after drop-offs running wherever path I find so long I can slot in 2K~15mins. Grateful that this app has tracked all my runs when I started ‘training’ for the only 5K I have done with NCT friends a decade ago (thanks @ghalaszclarke for this pic of us!). It always feels good after but it’s kicking start which had always been a challenge for me who had never been athletic. It’s become easier with the warmer weather, and the appreciation of towering trees along the way, feeling engulfed by oxygen and the rush of blood in the face.
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#uclconnect#uclcommunity#uclalumni#nutrition#productivity

Exquisite meal at this Hokkienese restaurant, with

Exquisite meal at this Hokkienese restaurant, with dishes that my mum grew up with, five spice meat rolls, prawn knots and popiah and so on, one of the more regional cuisines that ‘loses out’ to Cantonese food. So interesting they sent a bowl of (longevity) noodles and a hard boiled egg in lieu of something sweet. Turn of a decade and unexpectedly became teetotal with a renewed appreciation for tea recently.
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#birthdaymeal#birthdaynoodles#hokkienesefood#mingpavillion

Been nearly twenty years since I did this elective

Been nearly twenty years since I did this elective course “Globalisation and Culture” by Professor Gordon Mathews and recently found myself seated in the same lecture room again @thechineseuniversityofhongkong after reconnecting with him lately. I was simply desperate for some final graduating credits at the time but the lectures were so engaging and topical which planted a little seed of interest only to be nurtured more than a decade later @soasuni and it’s hard to believe now my PhD @ioelondon has eventually found its place at the Social Research Institute where anthropology plays a huge role.
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Finally, I am happy to report that writing has officially commenced my first 4000 words in “Reflexive Methodology” I never realised how much the ‘me’ in my research process takes such a prominent role, but my shifting positionality as both an insider-outsider affects how the study is conceptualised, and how the findings are analysed and written. I have two more years to write but I really do hope I could get another 40k words in before the end of this year. I have found writing to be a painful process and there is no other short cut but to keep putting my head down, although it is always rewarding in the end.
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Working from home is also much of a luxury these days, I used to be really efficient, but now I get quite easily distracted. When I can leave the clingy toddler behind, I try the public library or indeed mostly at the nearest Starbucks - however in this day an age can you believe that consistently strong WiFi is still hard to find?
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#springthoughts#cuhkalumni#phdlife#hotdesker#maturestudent#writersblock#phdblock#phdwriting#mumwriter#timesqueezer

A little lax with cooking after the holidays and r

A little lax with cooking after the holidays and recovering from a bad cold, but the lack of soup must be evident when the oldest asks when I am making soup, specifically the one with fish, tomatoes and potatoes. I thought it was funny how she was so specific about it, but also my desire to compensate right away, I’ll make it for you tomorrow! Am I being an intensive parent?
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2023 was the year I felt being in the ‘sandwich generation’ - caring for young children but also seeing signs of aging from my mum and dad. A lot of the care work is physical and I think the emotional side of it is what tolls most. Feeding, specifically making soup, offers me some time to reflect, the specific ingredients and their functions (and how to manage time and space in the kitchen).
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(I also got to unexpectedly spend a bit more time around my alma mater CUHK)
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#soup#cantonesesoup#湯#sandwichgeneration

When relatives from Hawaii come to visit… we have

When relatives from Hawaii come to visit… we have all macadamia nuts chocos! Mini pre-thanksgiving lunch hosting my dad’s cousins (their mums were sisters and very close) from all across the Pacific. Roasted poussins, baby asparagus roasted veg, and a cucumber, woodear mushrooms and chestnut ‘salad’.
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Growing up we would see our grand-auntie every couple of years and she’d bring us these Hawaiian treats (also red packets of US dollars). She had this unstoppable energy radiating from her sun-kissed skin (also in yasaki sneakers 😆) and even thousands of miles apart, would write regularly to her sister, my grandmother, and grandfather, and we’d get to read her letters too as she’d always ask about her nieces, nephews and their children. A fervent Christian, she’d always preach about the love of God, and this is clearly influential in her children’s work. Uncle John specifically does missionary work alongside serving in the US army - always super fascinating talking to him (last photo was back in 2016 when he took us to the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific). Also he speaks my grandmother’s Cantonese shiqi dialect which brings back fond memories.
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#hawaiianhost#chocolategift#thanksgiving#familymeal

Recent eats from our table… I’ve started clocking

Recent eats from our table… I’ve started clocking in the time I start and finish cooking our evening meals, on average between 30 to 45 minutes. Then adding the eating time (which the children often seem to take forever these days), and washing up, adds another one hour. But the process starts with buying everything which goes into these meals - I’m also thinking the mental work which goes into thinking and planning. A background in nutrition makes me think a lot about balance and variety but none of this is possible without a vibrant food culture that already embodies food diversity.

Celebrating 🔟🎉 Lighting up Colin and Connie the ca

Celebrating 🔟🎉
Lighting up Colin and Connie the caterpillars with 10 candles each, we marked this special occasion with our friends @nctcharity earlier - when we met we were all newly expectant parents and (how we and the babies, now tweens) bonded over numerous coffees, pub lunches and of course Pizza Express Piccolos which we have witnessed the impact of inflation over the years………………. and here we were with our giant Sunday roasts at the Great Britannia no less!
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#colincaterpillar#chocolatecake#turning10#bringyourowncake#nctfriends

Ears of corn @brookhavenmkt bundles of three for a

Ears of corn @brookhavenmkt bundles of three for a dollar that reminds us of the extent of this crop is grown in the region and throughout the country.
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Wrapping up the time which started with cooking for the children at 2am that slowly moved towards more social hours. Soupy pasta, meat dishes and stir-try veg, fruit crumble which were all fun and satisfying to prepare.
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Grateful to mother-in-law for sharing her kitchen space where we had lengthy conversations about women liberation and family life. And her stash of crockery which she built up in the past five decades - impressive collection!
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#chicago#illinois#corn#earsofcorn#homecooking#foodwriting#foodforthought#darien#suburbanillinois#midwest

Day out in Chinatown, where we had a dim sum lunch

Day out in Chinatown, where we had a dim sum lunch at Phoenix restaurant, of giant siumais and assorted mango desserts.
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A walk towards the River, where the children played at the park under the bridge where my mother-in-law told me about the history of the area as we talked about the idiom of 「上善若水」which is the aspiration of being like water.
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Stopped by the road which is dedicated to her friend who had made massive contributions to developing the area but passed away recently. And the public library which has a sizeable ‘Chinese heritage’ collection where we also chatted with some other parents and grandparents as the children mingled in the kiddies area.
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#chicago#chinatown#midwest#chicagochinatown#華埠#唐人街#芝加哥#dimsum#phoenixdimsum#dimsumljnch#mangomango#foodwriter#foodwriting#chicagopubliclibrary#上善若水

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