As the Chinese Lunar New Year draws closer, we recommend to you the interesting article "Pizza Cathay" by Dr. Alijandra Mogilner. For those who have traveled to China, it may refresh your memory of Chinese cuisine and culture; and for those who have not yet visited, her article provides a nice way to get acquainted with the cuisine and culture around the dining table in China. It is both enlightening to read and enjoyable beyond daily politics.  

Again, I express my sincere thanks to Dr. Chien Chiang for generously providing the photographs of the immensely beautiful snow scenes of Jilin, a northeastern Chinese Province.

Have a Happy Chinese Lunar New Year! It will be the year of the rat, or of the mouse if you prefer.