Food is like the weather. Experienced by all, it makes for reliable small talk, both accessible and banal. We’ve all been there. Be it with a coworker or an in-law or those friends we meet for brunch on a quarterly basis, there we find ourselves, again and again, circling that conversational cul-de-sac, dutifully providing our views…

The honeydew is unloved.

How do you wash rice?

Get thee to Iceland.

In December 2015 I booked a trip to Japan on a whim. (It was my birthday and a good error fare is more irresistible than Chik-fil-A on a Sunday.) It turned out to be the best vacation I’ve ever been on. The country is beautiful and I visited in April at peak cherry blossom season which gave…