Kenji in Asia

August 1, 2014 7:54 AM

J. Kenji Lopez-Alt, managing culinary director at food blog Serious Eats, recently took an extended trip to China and southeast Asia with his wife, Adri, after driving across the country during a move from New York to San Francisco. He documented his Asia trip on a personal blog set up to elude Chinese censors.

Lopez-Alt is the author of the James Beard award-nominated column The Food Lab.

Lopez-Alt previously on the Blue:

60 Vegan Recipes

The Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie

Complete Guide to a Stress-Free Thanksgiving

Hamburger Myths

Cooking the In-N-Out Animal-Style Double at Home

Perfect Prime Rib

posted by ultraviolet catastrophe (13 comments total)

SO MANY DUMPLINGS being eaten by other people. SO MANY TEARS.
posted by maudlin at 8:06 AM on August 1, 2014 [8 favorites]

His account of the Yangzi River cruise is pretty harrowing.
posted by themadthinker at 8:10 AM on August 1, 2014 [2 favorites]

In preparation for a batch of deviled eggs, I followed Lopez-Alt's hard-boiling method just last night. We'll see how it works.
posted by Faint of Butt at 8:16 AM on August 1, 2014

I've said it before, J. Kenji Lopez-Alt is the perfect NPR name.
posted by leotrotsky at 9:35 AM on August 1, 2014 [7 favorites]

He seems like a pretty awesome guy all around. I made his chocolate chip cookies recently and though I hated waiting they were really amazing. It was shocking just how good they were tbh. I was expecting something nice enough, but wow!
posted by Carillon at 9:42 AM on August 1, 2014

OMG that cruise sounds like something you'd find on the river Styx. David Foster Wallace never saw anything like that.
posted by sevenyearlurk at 9:47 AM on August 1, 2014 [1 favorite]

His account of the Yangzi River cruise is pretty harrowing.

That's pretty much what happens when you "decide to go full-immersion" in the internal-to-China tourism industry. For the most part it's apocalyptically terrible (IME), and I don't know why Chinese citizens put up with it.

...when I went up the Yangtze, shortly before the dam, the boats aimed at Chinese people were disastrous. I mean worth-getting-on-a-freighter-loaded-with-coal-instead disastrous.

The less said about the long-haul bus to Dalian, the better.

"Foreigner-class" is a deeply disturbing concept, but given the alternatives, go for it.
posted by aramaic at 9:48 AM on August 1, 2014 [2 favorites]

I've said it before, J. Kenji Lopez-Alt is the perfect NPR name.

Yeah, what's up with this name?
"Kenji" sounds Japanese, "Lopez" sounds Spanish/Latino and "Alt" sounds German.
So, to stay with the culinary theme, it's like a temaki sushi with lots of salsa and bratwurst - not that there's anything wrong with that...
posted by sour cream at 9:51 AM on August 1, 2014

Yeah, what's up with this name?

He did a Reddit AMA last year, and was asked that very question. Apparently the Alt is from his German father, the Kenji comes from from his Japanese mother, the Lopez is from his wife's last name, and the J stands for James.
posted by PearlRose at 10:39 AM on August 1, 2014 [4 favorites]

Thank you for giving me something to read this weekend!
posted by mudpuppie at 11:34 AM on August 1, 2014

I've yet to decide which food will be the first I run to get when I go back to China, but he's got me leaning towards xiaolongbao and lamb skewers. As much as street food seems of questionable quality, it is just so so good.
posted by sarae at 1:06 PM on August 1, 2014

sour cream: "Yeah, what's up with this name?"

As a holder of a ridiculous Benedict Cumberbatch-y name, mine doesn't hold a candle to his. It's like something out of a China Mieville novel.

That being said, the man knows his sous-vide.
posted by Sphinx at 4:35 PM on August 1, 2014 [1 favorite]

His wife (Adri from the posts on his blog) is Adriana Lopez-Alt and rather cool in her own right. Guess they decided to merge surnames when they got married.
posted by peacheater at 5:23 PM on August 2, 2014 [1 favorite]