Mandy cooked because it channeled her focus, helping her cope with the difficult circumstances of her new life. She filled her kitchen with warming spices and sticky sauces while she shared recipes and observations about life, food, and cooking in her blog posts. Born in Taiwan and raised in Vancouver, she came of age food-wise in New York City and now lives in Hong Kong; her food reflects the many places she’s lived. This entertaining and unusual cookbook is the story of how “escapism cooking”—using the kitchen as a refuge and ultimately creating delicious and satisfying meals—helped her crawl out of her expat limbo. Illustrated with her own gorgeous photography, provides that comforting feeling a good meal provides. Here are dozens of innovative and often Asian-influenced recipes, divided into categories by mood and occasion, such as: Poached Eggs with Miso-Browned Butter HollandaiseCrackling Pancake with Caramel-Clustered Blueberries and Balsamic Honey Buffalo Fried Chicken RamenCrab Bisque Tsukemen Cumin Lamb Rib BurgerItalian Meatballs in Taiwanese Rouzao Sauce Wontons with Shrimp and Chili Coconut Oil and Herbed YogurtSpicy Chickpea Poppers Mochi with Peanut Brown Sugar and Ice CreamRecycled Nuts and Caramel Apple Cake Every dish is sublimely delicious and worth the time and attention required. Mandy also demystifies unfamiliar ingredients and where to find them, shares her favorite tools, and provides instructions for essential condiments for the pantry and fridge, such as Ramen Seasoning, Fried Chili Verde Sauce, Caramelized Onion Powder Paste, and her Ultimate Sichuan Chile Oil.