#ChineseFoodiesofIG: Chef Anita Lo
Chef Anita Lo (chefanitalo.com)
This is part of an ongoing series of interviews I’m doing with my favourite Chinese foodies that I follow on Instagram. Come and follow the #ChineseFoodiesofIG hashtag on Instagram and leave a comment showing your support for these talented folk!
Where are you from? Where are you really from?
I am originally from Michigan — a suburb of Detroit called Birmingham. And I really really am from there! I get that second question a lot from people who live in less diverse places in the US. It’s an alienating question.
What does home taste like?
So many foods: I grew up in a multicultural family. Chicken paprikash, New England clam bake, laksa, pastrami, Chinese noodles, fried chicken.
Rice or noodles?
Noodles. But it depends on what else we’re eating.
Share a food memory:
My earliest food memory was when I was two years old. I was on my aunt’s porch in Malaysia and I was eating the best orange. It was so juicy that it was dripping down my face, down my shirt and down my arms and off my elbows. Then my mother came over and cleaned me off.
Who’s your Chinese food legend?
Peter Chang from the DC area. Best Sichuan.
Favourite Chinese vegetable:
Pea shoots.
Know any good Chinese restaurants?
In New York City: Guan Fu, La Chine, Hunan Slurp, Le Sia, South of the Clouds, Wu’s Wonton King...
Dream dinner party guests:
My girlfriend, Mary Attea and my closest friends.
What’s in your fridge?
Seltzer, milk, condiments, beer and sake, lemons, garlic and onion. And some random things my cat sitter left behind.
What would you like to tell the world about Chinese food?
Chinese food is a vast category with many subcategories, as befits a large country. There are many cuisines that are under the Chinese umbrella. And get over your MSG fears! Science has debunked the myths that it is bad for you, or that it can cause headaches or allergies. And it’s in so much Western processed food too.
Food images courtesy of chefanitalo.com