Mochi

Japanese mochi’s Chinese origins, and how similar names of rice cake snacks in Hong Kong and Taiwan suggest a shared history

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March 3 is Hinamatsuri – Dolls’ Day or Girls’ Day – in Japan. One typical food for this festival is hishi mochi 菱餅, multicoloured rice cakes. While other elements and foods of the festival may be less familiar to outsiders, mochi is known the world over. Mochi is a rice cake made of mochigome, a … Read more

In case you weren’t aware, outdoor cats are stone-cold killers

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There are differing opinions on cats’ personalities and behaviour: They’re affectionate, they’re aloof, they love you, they hate you. Then there’s the undeniable fact of what they become when left to roam free outside: indiscriminate, stone-cold killers. A new study has found cats roaming free prey upon almost any animal, reptile, insect, and amphibian around the world … Read more