A “taste of the heart” is just one of the translations for “dim sum,” but it’s one I favor. I find the description carries over to dumplings too, which are a major component of dim-sum and are featured at this time of Lunar New Year as a symbol of good luck. The Chinese aren’t alone in their love for dumplings.

From Cave, to Cart, to Cooking Chef Terrance Brennan has built a Career on Coddling Cheese

You hear the words often and their meaning becomes clear as you wander the city today. Chefs, market leaders and organizers, restaurant owners, architects and builders, are preserving what is historically significant and pushing forward in innovative ways. The renewal, rebuilding, rebirth is being lead by the people in the hospitality industry; by those passing on Creole building traditions, by musicians and by chefs.

Are bunnies the new chickens? Is bison the new beef? Will goat nudge lamb off the menu? While bison, goat, and rabbit aren’t new, per se, they are garnering fresh interest among chefs and home cooks (and media) eager for sustainable options. Demand for bison and goat is on the rise nationally, says Becky Faudree, Whole Foods’ global meat purchasing team leader.

Perhaps that’s overstating things a bit. But Bobal, a grape indigenous to Valencia Spain, has one of the highest concentrations of resveratrol in any grape. The micronutrients are touted to make us younger, slimmer, healthier. Let others repair to the lab to continue their studies. After my introduction to Bobal and other wines of Valencia, I am smitten. Why not do your own field research there, enjoying them in their natural environment? Whether or not you return younger or slimmer, you will certainly return happier.

Everything you need to know about seafood ratings, from what the colors mean, to the problems with overfishing, bycatch, farmed and illegally caught fish.

When the Kitchen God reports to the Jade Emperor all the secrets of your household, will he give a favorable report? At Lunar New Year, Chinese families do one of two things to ensure it. Smear a dab of honey on his mouth, or give him a piece of sticky rice cake (Nian Gao). This way, he’ll say sweet things (or some say, his mouth will be stuck shut so he cannot make an unfavorable report!).

Kids play on the statues in the Boston Public Gardens inpired by Robert McCloskey's children's book, 'Make Way for Ducklings.' Sure, there's lots of history here. The Freedom Trail, the historic battles, the Old North Church, Paul Revere's ride... but what else can you find in Boston? Blue men, enormous swans, and a green monster.

The Lion Dance in Boston's Chinatown district - photo by Caleb Ho. This is one of those secrets one is conflicted about sharing. Tell the world and risk long lines the next time you stop at your favorite noodle shop. But ridiculously good food, for short money, is too good a secret to keep, lines be damned!

A lot of women wrestling with issues of being a working mom have unwittingly adopted the role model of both their accomplished, career-driven fathers AND their accomplished, stay-at-home mothers. It doesn’t necessarily occur to them until the two things come to a head, usually with a call from the school nurse on the same day as an important client meeting.

Honestly, if I had been this nervous about sex, I would still be a virgin. I can proudly say that I am a canning virgin no more. In contrast to other such firsts, this time I was very anxious before, but deeply satisfied later. This inaugural journey into canning was not pretty. You might say the journey of a thousand tomatoes begins with a single slice.

Advice to a new lawyer about golf, shoes and corporate culture. Inspired by the ferocious debate about Hillary Clinton, post-feminism, sexism, and stilettos. She wrinkled her nose as if you’d just put something smelly under it. An accomplished, smart, young associate at a large law firm, my friend is determined to make her billable hours, do good work, learn everything she can, and make herself more valuable to the firm.

The Glass Hammer article “Why Working Mothers Lie” and the comments that followed it illustrate what can go wrong when work and family issues are mishandled at the workplace. The problem is not bias against working mothers, though it exists. It’s not preferential treatment for working parents, though this too exists.

Mushrooms and Parmigiano-Reggiano are the kings of umami, amplifying one another’s flavor exponentially. Spinach and prosciutto add even more to the mix to make this hors d’oeuvre simply irresistible. 1 1/2 pounds white or cremini mushrooms (sometimes called “baby bella”) 1/3 cup frozen spinach, chopped (thawed, squeezed of excess water)