Reminiscences

About the author Privacy policies, terms, and conditions I shopped primarily at two places in Zehlendorf, Berlin for my groceries: Edeka and Lieber Asia (Asia Markt). I have always preferred supermarkets to grocery stores. Edeka, at least the bigger outlets, should be known as the former and not the latter. There are at least three Edeka outlets in Zehlendorf, Berlin.  The one I frequented is on Sundgauer Stra ß er , which is a 3-minute walk from where I live. I restock skincare products at the outlet in Clayallee , which has a bigger assortment of both Western and Oriental fresh food, sauces, spices, and even toys and stationery.                                     (taken at the outlet on Sundgauer Str., Zehlndorf)  At Edeka I buy all the high-quality and affordable items that enable me to eat and live very well. Besides fresh meat and vegetables, I ...

  About the author Privacy policies, terms, and conditions You probably have heard of horror stories from both  Airbnb  hosts and guests. I am not here to add a new chapter to the horror collection.  Drawing upon a friend of mine's recent experience with a Airbnb host, I hope to shed light on the proper ways of hosting an accommodation via Airbnb. In the end, I aim to offer a fellow guest's perspective on how to become a moral and professional Airbnb host who respects guests' boundaries and a more decent human being. *** My friend from the U.K. had to stay in Vancouver for three weeks. Although she did not make a last-minute booking in the literal sense, she was two weeks away from her trip and so was left with very few options on Airbnb. When she booked the place that she ended up staying, the host requested that she booked an extra 15 days to "hold" it because she did not want to leave it vacant.  My friend had to comply. ...

About the author Privacy policies, terms, and conditions When I arrived in Berlin a couple of years ago, it was already past 8 pm. As it was cold and dark, I ordered food via the most popular food delivery service,  Lieferando.de . The restaurant where I placed my order was  Sushi Yana  on Berliner Str. in Zehlendorf. The tofu fried rice tasted okay. It is not generally economical to order a quick meal, given the delivery fee and tips. However, Sushi Yana charges no delivery fee for any order above 7 euros. Whenever I am too busy to cook, I order from it. Sometimes it is a few pieces of salmon nigiri; at other times, duck/chicken/beef fried rice.  I do not normally order drinks, though. I have rarely visited the place in person despite living nearby--It is certainly a lovely, affordable place: I just have too many options when I can afford to eat out! Why a blog post about this place? Because it is run by lovely people. Not long ...

About the author Privacy policies, terms, and conditions An old friend of my father -- let's call him Uncle John -- has three sons. Before his retirement, he lived a very frugal life, despite having a management position and making a middle/ upper middle-class income.  He seldom ate out with his family, and did so only on some "big days," such as each of his family member's birthday.  He was poked fun at by many of his peers for his way of living.  Now, as I look back, I recognize that he had very good reasons to act the way he did. I might not have taken such "extreme measures" if I were in his position. Yet I don't think that his choices were unwise, or that he mistreated any of his family members or jeopardized the childhoods or well-beings of his children. I will let you know more about Uncle John tomorrow. If you are short on cash, or have some future plans (be they about education, travel, or relocation) that w...

About the author Privacy policies, terms, and conditions During my month-long visit to Vancouver, I dined at the same restaurant multiple times. Let me tell you the reasons. :)  One evening, I just finished penning a new essay for an American think tank, and so I decided not to do my cooking as usual. I went to this place is called ETEA Cafe , located on 3281 E 22nd Ave, in Vancouver (Renfrew-Collingwood).  As the name would suggest, this is not a place for fine dining. ETEA Cafe is indeed a fast food restaurant. In fact, it is advertised as a Taiwanese bubble tea restaurant. The night before, I went out past 9 pm and only two restaurants were open in the neighborhood: this one and a Korean restaurant. I went for the latter: Damn! Their food was meh and it was a total rip-off! (please picture this: flavorless udon noodles with two shrimps and two oysters costing over $15 excluding tax and tip!) ETEA Cafe is a very pleasant surprise. So hungr...