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Zhen Kitchen: A Chinese family’s restaurant legacy in Doha | Fork the System
Doha, Qatar – About 20 years ago, in a land far far away, a young Ma Zhong Yan decided to leave Shenyang, China, to make her fortune in the world. She wanted a new start for herself, her husband Zhang Bin and her daughter Zhang Jia Ni.
So she talked to a friend, whom she still refers to as her “sister”, and together they decided they would try their luck in the United States, they had heard many success stories from there. The next step was to speak to an agent who arranged work visas, so they found a guy who knew a guy who knew an agent, and had a conversation. Everything was agreed, and the agent said he would get them visas to the US asap.
But things rarely work to plan, and the agent could only get visas to a place they’ve never heard of before: Doha, Qatar.
Today, sitting in her restaurant in Doha’s West Bay, Zhong Yan says she’s still not sure how that happened, a soft smile on her gentle face that glows in the afternoon sun. But, she says, cradling a cup of green tea, she’s glad things worked out the way they did. Even considering the pain of having to leave her husband and daughter behind so she could start a new life for them.
They’re both here with her and Zhong Yan is coming to the restaurant less often, taking a bit of time to herself now that Jia Ni has taken over managing it while Zhang Bin oversees operations in the kitchen.
She came in specially to speak to us and looks relaxed, sitting next to our friend Grace who has come to dinner to help translate. The cozy setup makes us feel like we’re visiting her at home rather than at the family’s newest venture, Zhen Street Kitchen. This is their second act after they had to close their first restaurant – a cult favorite among those Dohaites in the know – Playstation Cafeteria.
The 41 Best Gifts (2022) For Food People
Each year our staff and contributors round up best gift ideas for cooks, eaters, and the kitchen-curious. Read on for our ultimate gift guide for all the food people on your list.
It’s the season for togetherness, charity, goodwill towards mankind! Also presents. Mostly presents. While there are people on your list who require but a token, a trinket, a just-a-little-something (check out our list of gift ideas under $50 for those folks), there are others who require something…more. For your loving hubs, your friend who’s had a rough year, or your favorite child (you know which one), these are the big ticket holiday gifts that will bring a little extra sparkle to the season.
Photo by Emma Fishman
Gift your aunt with the dusty fake orchids in a dried arrangement in one of these sculptural vases made from recycled paper. It will last just as long as faux flowers but is a serious home decor upgrade.
Making rice just got cuter. This ceramic Japanese rice cooker (from Hario, which makes some of our favorite coffee gear) whistles like a tea kettle when it’s time to take it off the flame. Measuring is a snap as well—add enough rice to reach the first line on the interior of the pot, then water up to the second line and you’re good to go.
These hefty marble vessels are handcrafted north of Bangkok from local marble in sumptuous shades of pink, yellow and brown. Use the shallow stand as a catch-all tray and keep your A-List fruit on display in the pedestaled bowl.
Artist Janie Korn crafts candles that look like pimento-stuffed olives, shrimp cocktail, and the face of Tavi Gevinson, but I’m partial to this likeness of an Italian rainbow cookie.
We’ve never met a panettone we didn’t like, but Olivieri 1882’s are in a class of their own. Even your bro whose whole personality is that he studied in Florence will be impressed. Go with the classic or wild out with triple chocolate or salted apricot caramel. On the off chance that you have any left over, get ready for the best French toast of your life.
For your dad who is still buying pre-ground coffee, this incredibly handsome countertop grinder from Fellow, which has recently been upgraded with even better burrs, will take his Aeropress, pour-over, or French press to the next level. If Pops is an espresso drinker, though, this gadget isn’t for him; get the Mazzer Mini.
These opulent goblets ooze holiday cheer. They’re a holiday season extravagance—the geometric crystal stems are hand cut, and the etching on the side of the glasses is incredibly delicate—so this is not the best gift for your clumsy friend.
The gift that is for your clumsy friend? Kintsugi is the Japanese art of repairing broken or chipped pottery using gold lacquer, and this kit contains everything she’ll need to mend that cracked teacup.
If you’re traveling for the holidays, gift your host a generously sized mug from Mudwitch and then steal it for yourself every morning. San Francisco ceramist Viviana Matsuda’s wares sell out quickly, so keep an eye on their Instagram for info about drops and restocks.
Photo by Emma Fishman
No shade to those heritage French brands, but these sleek enameled cast-iron Dutch ovens designed by chef Sergio Herman for Serax have us feeling weak at the knees. These are heirloom pieces that will have your future grandkids remarking on your exquisite taste.
If you’ve ever thought, “This bowl is great, but I wish it had three anatomically accurate legs and came with faux leather slides in their own tiny shoebox,” boy, are you in luck.
This brass dabba from Diaspora Co. is a thoughtful gift for the organization enthusiast. It’ll keep their most-used spices neat and within reach instead of perilously stacked on a shelf next to the stove. Each piece is hand-spun by a single craftsman in Bangalore who has been honing his trade for over 25 years, and it comes with your choice of seven jars of high-quality, ethically-sourced spices (including Diaspora’s best-selling turmeric).
This 53″-long runner, made from reclaimed denim linen, is a rare gift that’s appropriate for both your Deadhead uncle and your Gen Z cousin.
Kyiv-based Gunia Project launched their Freedom collection of ceramics and accessories in response to the Russian invasion. This hand-painted, gilt-edged platter features St. George—aka St. Yuri, an important figure in Ukrainian culture—but instead of the traditional dragon, he is vanquishing a Russian warship.
Let your cottagecore nibling live out their pastoral fantasies with this extremely charming picnic basket from Kazi Goods, handwoven in Ghana.
This trio of liqueurs hails from Haiti, and the labels are reason enough
Blake Shelton Just Revealed His Sweet Holiday Cooking Tradition With Gwen Stefani
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Heartfelt traditions are one of the best parts of the holiday season, and The Voices‘s Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani are revealing some of their delicious ones.
“Gwen and I, our cooking tradition has become during Christmas—and not just like your normal, typical [dishes]. But we always challenge ourselves and try to come up with a different, weird, complicated, difficult thing to cook every year,” Shelton told Us Weekly at the 2022 Rockefeller Center Christmas tree lighting. “It started one year [when] she wanted to do a beef Wellington, which is not easy, by the way.”
The Voices‘s country king went on to explain that cooking and singing with Stefani each have unique obstacles, but cooking is less challenging because they’re both in it for the fun. “Singing with Gwen is way harder than cooking with her,” he said. “Cooking is easy for us because neither one of us really knows what we’re doing, and all we do is laugh the whole time. With music, we actually take [it] serious.”
Related: Gwen Stefani Took a Cute Photo Sitting on Blake’s Lap During The Voice Live Show
Shelton and Stefani have collaborated on many musical projects, with their duet “You Make It Feel Like Christmas” being the perfect bop to play around the holiday season. The couple performed the song at the tree lighting, setting the tone for a night of festive merriment. Officially tying the knot in July 2021, Blake and Gwen will surely create more “weird and new” holiday dishes in their time. And we can’t wait to hear about them!
See more of Shelton and Stefani on The Voices, airing Mondays and Tuesdays on NBC at 8/7c and the next day on Peacock.
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