tofuwatch.com

BIO

I’ve climbed China’s Buddhist mountains. I’ve pedaled my mountain bike 1,200 miles on a solo trip from Beijing to Hunan province.

And I’ve watched monks practice movements at the major birthplace of Chinese martial arts.

I’m a freelance writer who believes exposure broadens the mind and clear communication yields results. I love analyzing the new. But I recognize value in the old.

I launched TofuWatch.com on May 18, 2009 because, well, I like bean curd. It needs to be more central in our lives. Of course, moderation with everything is good. The Chinese characters I’m using translate into “Observe Tofu.” From left to right, the first two characters are for the food.

I also wanted a vehicle to discuss what I find captivating in life - architecture, the economy, trade, history, art and migration.

Feel free to send me a note about this blog or if you’re interested in my writing and editorial services.

As a journalist, I’ve covered U.S. visits by Chinese President Hu Jintao, the Dalai Lama and former Mexican President Vicente Fox. In the Pacific, on the U.S. island of Guam, I chronicled how human smugglers and migrants arrived clandestinely by boat from China.

My work has shed light on Asian Americans in Seattle, biotechnology companies, trade, the Tsingtao brewery in China and people falling in love at cemeteries.

I grew up in tech-savvy Sunnyvale, Calif. But the grit, altitude and scale of China have expanded my views. I’ve dined at a century-old Beijing duck restaurant that Henry Kissinger visited. I’ve hiked the mountains where Mao once hid and areas so high that I towered above clouds. I once stood inside the mud hut my grandfather called home.

My work and education have taken me to New York City, Washington, D.C., Salinas, Calif. and Guam. Most recently, I covered breaking news, business and the suburbs for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.

One of my proudest professional accomplishments was being published in Cultural Curiosity: Thirteen Stories about the Search for Chinese Roots (University of California Press).

My family and I live in the Seattle area, where we enjoy the region’s mountains, water and sunsets. My wife and I enjoy long conversations about China and how the past influences the present.

Depending on how you count it, China’s history stretches back 3,000 to 5,000 years. About four years ago, researchers there even found a 4,000-year-old bowl of preserved noodles.

Oh, yes. My wife cooks outstanding Chinese meals - and many of the tofu photos on this site are of her creations. These days, I’m also on the lookout for great places to play ping pong and spots to fly our kite with our son.

I’d like to thank Corianton Hale of SleepOp for the logo design. He and his business partner, Michiko Swiggs, offered great advice throughout the process.

• You can find me on LinkedIn.