ayam brand tote

A tote bag illustration for Ayam Brand sardines in Malaysia. My family used to buy these when I was little, so an especially fun project for me! They’ll be doing some in-store promotions with the totes.

Here’s the full tote bag illustration: Ayam Brand sardines on nostalgic dishware from my childhood in Malaysia. Sedap! 😉

Scrambly sketch page.

beginning on the new island

An illustration for my agency newsletter on the theme “beginnings”: an ancient Polynesian girl arriving for the first time at a new island, her arms full of canoe plants.

Canoe plants were a set of about 20 or so food plants that the Polynesians took with them in their canoes and propagated all over the Pacific. They include taro, sweet potatoes, coconuts, yams, and breadfruit.

Her dress is made of mulberry barkcloth – essentially paper! She’s also with her poi dog, which were related to dingoes but are now extinct. They were pot-bellied dogs evolved to eat poi and take care of children. A lot of internet descriptions of them are rather dire (they were fairly dim and as likely to play and sleep with the tribe’s children as they were to be eaten by them), but I think they sounded kind of sweet.

This picture was inspired by my recent (40th!!) birthday trip to Hawaii.

notes from france: bon appétit!

Les adventures culinaires en Paris et Lyon. Dedicated to Lactojoy, without whom none of this would have been possible!

notes from france: orangina

In first year French, Madame Gabet taught us how to order an Orangina. But what was an Orangina? Was it better than Fanta? It was so French and mysterious. On a layover in Calgary the summer after freshman year, my family stopped at the resort in Banff and had lunch on the expansive terrace overlooking the Canadian wilderness. And oh mon dieu, there it was on the menu, Orangina!! The moment I had been trained for arrived. With rapture, I said to the English-speaking Canadian waiter, “Un Orangina, s’il vous plaît.” It was delightful. Ever since then, even though I don’t like soda anymore, I can’t help but ask for an Orangina s.v.p. in Francophone countries. And it is still delightful.

café jacqueline

I keep meaning to go back to Café Jacqueline in North Beach for a soufflé. This is Chef Jacqueline’s egg bowl that she’s been using for ever with a pysanka perched on top of the pile.

uji time

I looove Japantown. This was so. Good. 🤤 Matcha soft serve & Pocky with adzuki beans in a taiyaki cone.

eating around los angeles

A quick sketch of some of the things we ate on a recent trip to Los Angeles. There were some lovely dinners out but I think I liked having pupusas and chili mangoes in the park best.

unicorn poop

A little detail from the Austin food illustration: Unicorn Poop! This is a magical ice cream flavor at my friend Valerie’s vegan ice cream shop, Sweet Ritual, in Austin. It’s the shit. ;D

eating around austin

Some classic Austin eats (my first hippie food: a portabella mushroom burger at Martin Brothers :D) mixed in with some new favorites. Prints are available on INPRNT.

eating around vancouver

Thinking gluttonously back to last spring in Vancouver. We ate so many scrumptious things (scrumptions?) I couldn’t fit them all. Favorite restaurants were Ask for Luigi, which was in a sweet little house, and Bao Bei, which was kind of like an elegant 1930s Mission Chinese. Honorable mention goes to Peaceful Restaurant for their handmade dan dan noodles and lamb dumplings, Pourhouse for their juicy grassy wildly good hamburger, and Kintaro for their spicy ramen that had a golfball-sized lump of chopped garlic perched on top of an evilly delicious deep red broth. Steve insisted on a ramen tour of Vancouver, from which Marutama‘s chicken broth ramen emerged the victor. He also insisted on multiple nights of poutine and three Japadog lunches. :O

delicata squash and soba noodles

drawing noodles is pretty satisfying.

my favorite lunch lately

salmon rice bowl with kimchi, shiba zuke (purple japanese eggplant pickles), pickled ginger, seaweed, avocado, and cucumber with chili sauce.

eating around maui

Evidence from our tropical island holiday a few weeks ago: mostly I swam and ate.

family food: malaysia

also presented with affection (i’m looking at you, notorious durian), the food of my mother’s people.

family food: england

presented with affection, the (infamous) food of my father’s people.

eating around san francisco

a few of my favorite things to eat around town. NOM

mission paletero

A paletero waiting for school to let out in the Mission.
(a couple years in the making!)