Meet Chuck Kuan. I met him on Facebook and he asked if we offered internships. I said, do you know that we are a zine? And he said yes but he still wanted to be our intern anyway, so he's the coolest. Let's learn more about our dear intern Chuck. I have never met him but I think he's a star. 

1. How did you find out about the Runcible Spoon? Why did you want to intern for us? 
I found the zine while reading about some food book fair that I (in the typical Chuck manner) found out about only after it ended. Not only do I like collaging a lot, I also kind of "pretend cook" a lot of the times, so it seems like a really good match.

2. What is your day gig? (Student, traveling magician, mouse?) 
Actually I'm a disillusioned psychology student trying to find interesting, non-psychology, paper-related things to do.

3. What kind of experience do you want to get out of an internship with a zine about fake recipes? 
Food is about storytelling and I guess because Runcible Spoon is about fake recipes the boundaries are limitless! I want to and I think I will have a lot of fun!

4. What meal would you like to eat before you die? 
Serious questions need serious answers– I would like to go to Fäviken, but hopefully it wouldn't be me paying for it.

5. What's the worst thing you've ever put into your mouth? 
A LOT of asian pickled foods aren't really for human consumption I think. Simply vile.

6. What's your approach when it comes to cooking? 
When in doubt, make it Asian! Use mirin, hondashi, gochujang, miso, etc. Honestly that's why if I don't follow a recipe things kind of all taste the same.

7. Say something about yourself in 4 1/2 words
Eating // all the time 

Welcome Chuck! Don't ever spell his last name like "Kwan" or "Kwon." It's "Kuan." Follow him on Twitter here. 

Don't forget our other intern Hollis! 

DC ramen shop Toki Underground and Charm City's legendary Woodberry Kitchen are teaming up for #Tokifact, a ramen-cocktail takeover at Artifact Coffee in Baltimore.

They've been very sweet in letting The Runcible Spoon come along for the ride - our new CHEAP I$$UE will be on sale at the #Tokifact event - so be sure to look around for our zine at #Tokifact!

Can't make it to #Tokifact but really want a copy of the new CHEAP? Get yours here.  

Great news, everyone! The Runcible Spoon's Spring 2014 issue is out December 3! 

If you ever thought that food had to be expensive to be good, you might be right. But that didn’t stop The Runcible Spoon from imagining all kinds of cheap food scenarios in the newest CHEAP I$$UE.

Order your copy now on Etsy 

In it you’ll find odes to freegans, Whole Foods sample-scourers, and free condiment chefs. Mix low-brow food with high and see what you get. The CHEAP I$$UE, our biggest zine ever at 36 pages, includes:

++ How to make food out of leftovers and a budget-eating advice column: 

++ A guide on how to set a dinner party table using items from the dollar store: 

++ How to make mochi in a microwave and a guide on porridges of the world: 

As always, the issue is handmade and collaged with love for our readers.

Get the CHEAP I$$UE on Etsy now, or pick one up at DC shops Qualia, Meeps or Seasonal Pantry. Also, we now have Holiday Gift Paks with 3 zines and a pin, so think about getting that instead!

-Hollis Miller

The Runcible Spoon Holiday Gift Pak is the perfect present for the offbeat food lover in your life. Perfect as a stocking stuffer or a gift by itself, the Pak includes a selection of goodies from past year: 

1 copy of the BREAKFAST issue (Spring 2013) 
1 copy of the SALT issue (Summer 2013) 
1 copy of the CHEAP issue (Fall/Winter 2013-2014) 
1 Runcible Spoon Pin 

They arrive in a shiny purple envelope, ready to wrap or stuff into a stocking.

Get yours here: http://etsy.me/1diR8ek 

Order by December 1 and get it in time for Christmas!

Get yr a$$ into gear. 

They say that once a magazine or a newspaper writes about a trend (ahem, New York Times), it signifies the death of that trend. But when I saw this article, "The Next Great Asian Food Trend is Filipino Cuisine," in Details Magazine, I nearly flipped out.

I've been waiting for this moment for a long time. I know I have an Arab name, but I grew up in a Filipino household where we lived and died by our rice cooker, and I have an immense love and appreciation for cooking and eating Filipino food. Over the past few years, I've been following the slow-then-fast growth of Filipino food in America - the food truck scene in LA, Chef Dale Talde's work in spreading the love of Flip food on Top Chef and beyond, the fancy Filipino fusion restaurants like Jeepney Gastropub that have been popping up in New York - and I think things are coming to a head. 

So before a Filipino restaurant opens up in your 'hood (rumor has it one is opening up in Columbia Heights), here's five names you need to know in Filipino cuisine to help you dive into more informed learning of our deep food history. I excluded Chef Talde because you probably know who he is already! 

1. Nora Daza: As the unofficial "mother" of modern Filipino cuisine, she is the trusted source for Filipino cooking both at home and abroad. Her best-selling cookbook, "Let's Cook with Nora," has all the classics, adobo, sinigang, mechado, plus Filipino versions of Chinese, Spanish and American favorites like paella, shrimp toast and spaghetti. She passed away this week sadly, but her memory will live on in my soy sauce-stained cookbook and through the work of her daughter, Chef Mariles Daza. 

2. Knorr: Not quite a person's name, but a good name to know. Many Filipino home cooks rely on Knorr brand flavor packets (or knockoff equivalents) to make popular Filipino dishes like sinigang, kaldereta, ginaatang and adobo. They'll refuse to admit it but I bet you if you asked they'd cave in and say YEAH it's from a packet. These things are jam-packed with MSG, but the cook would probably add in just a pinch of Ajinomoto anyway.  

3. Vanjo Merano: Vanjo is the Chicago-based cook and host of Panlasang Pinoy, one of the most-watched YouTube cooking shows for Filipino Food in the world. It's in Tagalog, but you can follow along and get a general sense of what's going on. 

4. Jun Belen: One of my favorite Filipino food bloggers. He takes beautiful photos of Filipino food, which is great because most of our national dishes don't look the most appetizing (close-up shots of kare kare, anyone?), and also offers up a little history about each dish. 

5. Doreen Fernandez: One of The Phillippines' most treasured food writers and essayists. She wrote the beautiful "Tikim" in 1994, a collection of essays on Filipino food traditions, techniques and histories. It reminds me that I have to look for my copy! 

I'm sure I missed a gajillion others but I am just so excited to spread the word that I just sort of did a brain dump. I'll keep adding more as I remember!

-Malaka 

In every issue of The Runcible Spoon's SALT issue, we included a mini zine called "My Beautiful Salt Twisted Fantasy," a collection of dream salt shakers by illustrators across DC. Marcella Kriebel, author and illustrator of "Comida Latina," made a beautiful drawing of a shaker that could produce any kind of salt you asked it to. We couldn't fit all of it in the mini zine (I had to cut it up so it could fit...), so here it is in its entirety. Enjoy!

Didn't get the SALT issue? Order it here. 

Meet Hollis Miller, The Runcible Spoon's very first intern. She just graduated from Williams College in Massachusetts and will be helping us with our upcoming Fall/Winter 2013 issue from start to finish. Here's a little bit about her!

Hi Hollis! Why did you want to intern for The Runcible Spoon? 
I love to cook and make collages, so The Runcible Spoon seemed like the perfect zine for me! I just learned about the zine this summer, and I really enjoy reading it. I am also interested in becoming a writer, so I thought I could learn about the process and get some great advice from the experts.

What is your signature dish? 
I am probably most known for making chocolate chip banana pancakes – they were definitely a crowd favorite on weekend mornings at school this past year. A close second would be chocolate chip cookies – you can see the pattern here.

How do you like to dress up your instant ramen? 
I'm kind of a purist when it comes to instant ramen – although I’ve always been interested by how much water people choose to use. After I cook the noodles, I usually drain most of the water out so that the flavor is really concentrated.

What's your life motto? 
Probably something like “Enjoy the day.” “Seize the day” always seemed a little too aggressive for my style.

What's 2+2? 
2 + 2 is 4, or perhaps a double date?

Thanks Hollis for being our Fall 2013 Runcible Spoon intern! We're very happy to have you on board. ^_^ -Malaka