There’s a strange phenomenon to do with food that happens the second you cross the border from your own country into another. Somehow your native food immediately descends into something hellish.

The recipe is simple. A self-described ‘killer dhal’ from Anna Jones. The ingredients list is fairly long, but nothing unusual or complicated to the process. And yet something was wrong with the onions.

I used to love chocolate, cakes and cookies, until I moved to China. It didn’t take long for my palate to adapt and now I find sugar far too sweet. It’s interesting to ask why?

Without the street food of Beijing, I wonder if I ever would have fallen for the city. I share some of my favourite snacks, many of which have faded from roadsides.

November 11th, 2015 I arrived in Beijing. It’s not an easy city to live in, but even on day one, there were glimpses of things I would grow to love.