Why This Food Blogger in Beijing Is Always So Angry
Lee has lived in Beijing for five years and isn’t thrilled about it. All photos courtesy Mandy Lee
Mandy Lee hates living in China. That much is clear from her food blog, Lady and Pups, which documents Lee’s disdain for her current home. And, of course, her sumptuous meals.
Lee moved to Beijing five years ago when her husband’s job relocated, but it wasn’t until 2012 that Lee — bored and lonely at home — began concocting fanciful delicacies and photographing them. She has a flair for the dramatic, baking things like a savory truffled pork pie topped with an intricate Chinese-inspired lattice. Also in her repertoire: a braided brioche loaf infused with coconut milk and palm sugar, and a show-stopping lacquered roast goose stuffed with Chinese sausage-flecked sticky rice. They’re the work of someone with a lot of time on her hands.
Lee’s cuisine certainly has an Asian influence, but her dishes can’t be categorized so simply. They’re also colored by her wandering past: Born in Taiwan, Lee moved to Vancouver, Canada, at age 12. After high school, she left for New York City, where she studied architectural design at Parsons the New School for Design. It was in the Big Apple that she met her husband; after seven years, she followed him to Hong Kong, and two years later, to Beijing.
But just as striking as Lee’s beautiful dishes is her attitude toward living in China. Lee pretty much says it all on her “about us” page: “Three years ago (and counting) I moved from New York to Beijing, which marked the beginning of my pre-midlife crisis,” she writes. “Does anybody know what that mean? Anger doesn’t even cut it. This little project is a phoenix rising out of the tormenting flames of living here with all its misery. So come share how I turned a lot of frustration and anger in a lovely meal.”
Lee’s savory pork pie.
“Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying don’t travel here,” Lee told Yahoo Food by way of apology. She ticked off its virtues: A rich cultural history. Amazing food, cheap and plentiful, to be found on any street corner. But that’s where the positives end.
“The pollution is just as bad, if not worse, than what’s portrayed out there in the [Western] media,” Lee lamented. The sky is rarely ever blue, she added, courtesy of the dense smoke that fogs the city. “When we travelled to Paris a few years ago, I was literally staring at the sky the whole time,” she said, her voice tinged with a hint of horror. “How sad is that?”
Then there’s the political climate. The Chinese government censors things left and right, Lee said, and her objections to how the country is run have made it difficult to find kindred spirits. “You can only make friends here if you like to talk about non-confrontational issues,” Lee said. “Don’t touch politics or pollution or anything like that. And I talk about all these things…”
Lee’s Xian rice noodles, draped in chili oil.
In many ways, Lady and Pups has been Lee’s saving grace. It keeps her busy, and her mind sharp. She has dreams of one day going to graduate school for a degree in architecture, but for now she’s content to stay at home and cook for the blog. She’s not entirely alone during the day — her dogs, Dumpling and Shrimpie (a Maltese and mutt, respectively), keep her company. And though Lee has few friends in everyday life, she has many online thanks to her considerable fan base. (They’ll likely be voting for her in Saveur’s annual blog awards, for which Lady and Pups is up for Best Photography.)
At any rate, Lee doesn’t plan on living in Beijing forever — or, for that matter, any place for long. “I wouldn’t mind living in Europe for a few years; I think that’s the best place to raise dogs,” she mused. But maybe she’ll move to India or Malaysia, she said, should the opportunity presents itself. She also hopes to return to New York City someday.
“When I turn 50 or 60, I will probably want to settle down in one place,” Lee concluded. “But I don’t know where that place is yet.”
Previous bloggers of the week who should be on your radar:
Why this scientist gave it all up to become a pastry chef
How two kids and a deployed military husband led to a Tex-Mex ‘Sweet Life’
How to make a mixed-diet marriage work: one food blogger explains
Who’s your favorite food blogger? Tell us below!
