Yong Chen and Clarissa Wei on CCTV

It's always a bit of a kick when you see someone you know on TV. It's exponentially more awesome when it's two unrelated people you know. Long-time readers of this blog will be familiar with the close relationship I have with Yong Chen, Professor of History at the University of California, Irvine,...

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Tacolandia 2016 Exclusive Pre-Sale Code!

(Get your tickets a whole week before everyone else at Ticketfly using presale code TACOPANDA.) It's coming... It's coming... TACOLANDIA. That magical, lime and chili infused wonderland where Taco Spirit Guide Bill Esparza leads me on a kaleidoscopically gluttonous dreamwalk. Of the 7 major events...

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Newport Beach Wine & Food Festival This Weekend!

Newport Beach's second annual Wine & Food Festival runs this Friday, October 2nd, through Sunday, October 4th, at the Newport Beach Civic Center. Tickets are still available. The main event is the Daytime Festival from 1pm to 5pm on Saturday, October 3rd, and Sunday, October 4th. Cooking demonstrations,...

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Mid-Autumn Festival Dumpling Feast

(Home made dumplings with pork, Napa cabbage, and shrimp.) Growing up, the Mid-Autumn Festival was a low-key affair for my family. Since it often happened during a school night, my mother would buy mooncakes from a local Chinese bakery and make us a hot pot or dumplings. When my siblings and I were...

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LA Weekly Burgers & Beer 2015 Buddy Pack

The LA Weekly has been on a tear over the past year with food festivals like Tacolandia, Pancake Breakfast, Sips & Sweets, and the Essentials. This Saturday's Burgers & Beer at the LA Coliseum is shaping up to be amazing, with burgers from headliners like Thomas Keller's Bouchon, the infamous...

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Savor Santa Ana 2015 VIP Pass Giveaway!

Some exciting news for all you Hungry Pandas! Chubbypanda.com is giving out TWO VIP passes for the Savor Santa Ana food festival in Downtown Santa Ana this Thursday, July 23, 2015. Each $45 VIP tasting package includes: 10 tasting tickets for food samples from participating restaurants. 2 drink tickets...

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Chop Suey, USA!

Of the truly great mentors I met at UC Irvine, Food and Asian American history professor Yong Chen was the most influential on my blogging. An incorrigible foodie, he shared with his students an infectious enthusiasm for food as a tangible form of history, a consumable form of expression, and a traceable...

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Savor Santa Ana Tonight!

Looking for something to do in the OC after work? Check out the Savor Santa Ana Tastings Night in Downtown Santa Ana tonight from 5:30pm - 9:00pm. Buy your ticket books HERE! Each $10 book gets you 12 tickets and a walking map of participating eateries in the area. The idea is that you stroll...

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LA Weekly's 2014 Pancake Breakfast This Weekend!

Looking for something to sop up your Sunday morning hangover? The LA Weekly has you covered! From the mind of KCRW's Good Food host, Evan Kleiman, comes this year's LA Weekly Pancake Breakfast lineup, featuring 38 of the hottest breakfast and brunch spots in all of Los Angeles. Confirmed attendees...

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Last Day for the Tacolandia 2014 Presale!

(Get your tickets before everyone else at Ticketfly using presale code CHUBBYPANDA.) The best part about business trips to our Mexico offices? Hanging out with my engineers at those offices. The second best part? Tacos. Whether it's grabbing a quick bite from the cart of a street vendor, gathering...

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