One of the Ashkenazi Jewish foods I've always been curious about is gefilte fish. Mostly because so many of my Jewish friends vehemently dislike the canned or jarred version they grew up eating. It certainly didn't seem all that appetizing, especially for a young child!

As a 21st century, modern, California born and raised, Japanese-American, Reform Jew, eating consciously is deeply rooted in my soul. There's a Japanese saying, "mottainai もったいない".  It conveys a sense of regret over waste.

Last year, I was listening to one of my favorite podcasts, Code Switch (a podcast about race and identity), when I heard an episode that triggered something powerful in me.

Traditional cultures around the world have rituals around death and dying to help people heal. Over the years, many of those rituals got lost on their way to us. 

For someone who lives to celebrate holidays at home with friends and family, one yearly holiday tradition we have may seem a bit out of character...

Lisbon might just be my favorite city in the entire world. We traveled to Portugal for our honeymoon and completely fell in love with the country.

To celebrate our one year wedding anniversary, Bryan and I decided to take a long weekend trip to Austin! 

January 1st is the most important holiday on the Japanese calendar. New Year's Day in Japan is spent with family celebrating traditions, many of which are centuries old and deeply rooted in Japanese culture.

For many people, the winter holidays also mean it's the season for hosting overnight guests. This week, I rounded up my favorite products for the guest room.