It wasn't until I started polling my white friends that I realized "fob" isn't a well known term outside of the Asian community. 

"Oh, uh...like a key fob?" was the typical response accompanied by blank, confused stares.

Nope, not that kind of fob. A fob is someone who is "fresh off the boat"--a derogatory term for a recent immigrant who may not be hip to the language, culture, and food of their new country. "Recent" can also be used loosely here, as my parents have been in the U.S. for 25 years and I would, without hesitation, still call them fobs. 

"How rude!" You bristle, at hearing me refer to my adorable Chinese parents by a racial slur. 

Fob has lost almost all of its negative connotation over the years, but moreover, I want to emphasize how proud I am to be part of a fobby family. I was born in Beijing and moved to the states when I was seven. While I was certainly a fob then, the me today is probably more twinkie (yellow on the outside, white on the inside) than fob. But let's not split hairs. This blog embraces my fobby roots, the memories watching my grandma cook up 肉饼 or 打卤面 in our tiny kitchen in Beijing, and then later, in the U.S., following along as my mom taught me to make  西红柿炒鸡蛋 for the first time. I may have a 9-5, but I am a passionate home cook. Every taste, every smell, every texture when I recreate these dishes takes me to a place of nostalgic euphoria. 

These are my fobby recipes--sometimes w/ a twinkie twist. Enjoy!