CURRENT MISSION

Trying to figure out how I can be a positive force in the world. And getting to China by boat.

ABOUT ME

I can veer between being super gregarious and super introverted, probably depending on the weather.

I keep a blog of essays, http://jamieabroad.blogspot.com.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Met a great couple of guys who showed me around Haerbin in China.

Interests

Trying to write clearly, eloquently, beautifully.

The ins and outs of regional cuisines.

Cycling, hiking, all forms of public transit, and other ways to move yourself around the planet.

• dining
• cooking
• japanese food
• boating
• blogging
• cycling
• hiking

Music, Movies, and Books

I'm kind of a reading junkie, and get very antsy when I don't have a book at hand. I read pretty indiscriminately: I used to devour fantasy and sci-fi as a kid, pondered over heavy fiction like Faulkner in high school and college, but now I'm mostly just a sucker for really well written non-fiction, whether it's MFK Fischer on the history of food or Paul Theroux walking across Africa.

I recently saw Children of Men, which was one of the most terrifying and beautiful movies I've seen in a long time.

When I was a kid my parents had a copy of Back To The Future they recorded from television, I must have seen it at least a dozen times.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I worked for several months in a small soba restaurant in rural Japan, handmaking the buckwheat noodles every morning and working the lunch shift.

Teach, Learn, Share

Well, I'm a proficient enough cook, always looking to learn about regional cooking, guess I know a bit about cooking Japanese food, and am a bit of a nut for properly cooked rice, the perfect sticky medium between mushy and undercooked.

Countries I’ve Visited

China, Taiwan, United Kingdom

Countries I’ve Lived In

Japan, United States