Clarissa Wei
We Need to Pick More Mushrooms in Order to Save Them
In the San Francisco Bay Area, there are only two designated areas for wild mushroom harvesting—but one chef and forager believes that's not nearly enough.
I Soaked in Coffee-Flavoured Hot Springs and a Sweet Potato Sauna in Taiwan
The Chuan Tang Spring Spa Hotel features pools flavored with coffee, tea, milk, lemongrass, and Chinese herbs, giving me the feeling of being slowly cooked in a vat of chicken broth.
We Can Feed the World with Kelp Forests
With just under four acres of ocean, kelp farmers can average about 200,000 pounds of mussels and 500 pounds of dried kelp each year.
Why It's Harder Than You'd Think to Serve Local Seafood in California
Mitch Conniff's commitment to serving local seafood means that he sometimes pays twice as much as his competitors for the same fish species. "But it’s worth it," he says.
Why Our Founding Fathers Adored Chinese Tea
Donald Trump has painted China as the ultimate antagonist, despite the fact that it has long supplied Americans with their caffeine fix. Even George Washington was particularly fond of China's premium green tea.
How Teaching Goats to Change Their Diet Can Help Create a Sustainable Dairy
Dairy farmer Gloria Putnam’s goal is to wean her goats off of hay—a water-intensive crop in drought-stricken California—and get them to graze on the natural landscape.
Why We Don’t Eat California Spiny Lobsters (Even Though They Taste Better)
California spiny lobsters lack the pincers typical of Maine lobsters and are sweeter than their East Coast counterparts—but Americans are lucky if they ever find them on their dinner plates.
This Man Is Helping the Entire Country of Bhutan Go Organic
From 2008 to 2013, Dr. Appachanda Thimmaiah served as the organic agriculture consultant to Bhutan and set in motion a plan to turn the whole country organic by 2020. Spoiler alert: The secret is cow piss.
How to Kill Your Lawn and Grow a Food Forest During a Drought
An experimental farming project at the Los Angeles Arboretum demonstrates that fruits and vegetables can still be grown in rain-deprived areas without weekly watering.
Reindeer Ice Cream and Horse Milk Are The Dairy Products of Our Future
I spoke to Dr. Young W. Park, an expert on non-bovine dairy, about how horse milk compares to a cow's and why bear cheese isn't a thing.
These Taiwanese Businesses Are Turning Trash Into Fuel and Violins
"In Chinese culture, reusing and recycling is in our genes. This is a Buddhist way of thinking."
Inside the Best Restaurant in Tibet
“Makye Ame is not just a restaurant,” says owner Tsering Wangchen. “It’s a stage where people can experience Tibetan culture.”