Crispy, caramelized Spam glazed in that perfect soy-sugar mix, pressed into warm rice that’s just sticky enough to hold everything together, then wrapped in a strip of nori like it’s holding the whole thing in place. It’s handheld, it’s satisfying, and it disappears way faster than you expect every single time.

For me, it’s more than just food, it’s one of those things that instantly takes you somewhere. Late-night bites, quick meals in between long days, something you grab without thinking but always appreciate. It’s the kind of snack that doesn’t need explaining. You either know, or you’re about to find out.

Ingredients:

• Spam
• Soy Sauce
• Sugar
• Mirin (optional)
• White Rice
• Nori

Directions:

• Slice your Spam into thick pieces and pan-fry them until they get that golden, crispy edge.
• In the same pan, add a quick glaze, soy sauce, sugar, maybe a little mirin if you have it, and let it caramelize over the Spam until it’s glossy and slightly sticky.
• While that’s going, make some short-grain white rice. It should be warm and slightly sticky, not dry.
• Take a small handful of rice and press it into a rectangle (using your hands or even the Spam can as a mold).
• Place a slice of glazed Spam on top, then wrap it with a strip of nori to hold everything together.

That’s it.

Eat it warm, maybe make a few extra…because you will want more.

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As a kid, I remember rolling my eyes at some of things that came with the holiday – the deep cleaning, new clothes, and long dinners that lasted forever. Now? I get it.

Chinese New Year, also known as Lunar New Year or Spring Festival, is less about fireworks and more about intention. It marks the beginning of the lunar calendar and centers around renewal, family, and prosperity, and as an adult my perspective changed.

Before the new year arrives, the house gets cleaned top to bottom, very detailed. It is symbolic, you are sweeping away last year’s bad luck to make room for what is coming. Here is the twist, once the new year starts, you do not clean for the first few days. This means sweeping, no throwing things out, or anything like that because you do not want to accidentally “sweep away” your fresh luck.

I’m sure you’ve all seen it before, but red becomes the unofficial uniform. Red symbolizes protection and good fortune, which is why you will see it everywhere. Red lanterns, the famous red envelopes filled with money.…even red underwear if your zodiac year is coming up, and yes, that is a thing.

The red envelopes, or hongbao, changes as you get older too. As a kid, you receive them, however, as an adult, you give them. It becomes less about the money and more about passing blessings forward, to this day older people in my family still give them to me.

Now let’s not forget about the food. Every dish carries meaning. Fish symbolizes abundance because the word for fish sounds like surplus in Chinese. Dumplings resemble gold ingots, representing wealth. Noodles are served long and uncut to symbolize longevity. Even the way you eat becomes intentional. You are not just having dinner, you are inviting prosperity into your life.

There are superstitions that still live in the back of my mind no matter how modern life gets:

• Do not wash your hair on New Year’s Day or you might wash away good fortune.
• Do not argue. 
• Do not say negative words. 
• Avoid the number four because it sounds like the word for death. 

Whether you believe every detail or not, the spirit behind it matters. Protect your peace and guard your energy, you want to start the year aligned.

Now, celebrating looks a little different. Maybe it is hosting friends for a dumpling night, or maybe it is wearing something red under a neutral outfit just for yourself. Maybe it is even just calling your parents and actually listening to the stories instead of rushing off the phone. For me, I take my dad out every year to celebrate it with him. 

As an Asian man in today’s world, I appreciate leaning into it instead of distancing from it, it’s grounding. It is my culture, it is part of my identity, and it is discipline wrapped in tradition that I was taught growing up. It is also honoring ancestors while building your own future. Chinese New Year reminds me that success is not accidental, it is all intentional. When the lanterns glow and the fireworks start, it feels less like a party and more like a promise to myself and the future I will have. 

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Here are five science-backed habits that prioritize sustainability, not suffering:

• Choose Movement You Actually Enjoy – Research shows that enjoyment predicts long-term exercise adherence better than intensity or optimization. If a routine requires restructuring your entire life, it probably won’t last. Consistency beats perfection. Your body adapts to what you repeat.
• Find Healthy Foods You Don’t Hate – Punitive diets fail because they make eating feel like a chore. Studies show protein and fiber improve satiety, and repeated exposure retrains taste preferences. Experiment until healthy food becomes genuinely enjoyable.
• Use Intermittent Fasting as a Simplicity Tool – Intermittent fasting isn’t magic, but research shows it can improve metabolic markers and simplify eating decisions. If it fits your lifestyle, use it. If it adds stress, skip it. Sustainability always wins.
• Train in Small 30-Minute Pockets – Short, repeatable sessions outperform rare marathon workouts. Research shows even brief accumulated movement improves cardiovascular health and longevity. Small pockets, done often, change everything.
• Anchor Motivation With Kindness, Not Punishment – Positive self-identity reinforces lasting habits. Punitive systems feel effective until success turns every slip into self-criticism. Kindness builds consistency.

Your brain is brilliant, but your body runs on years of evolutionary wiring. It evolved before abundant food, before ultra-processed hyper-satiating snacks, before screens, and convenience. The modern world is not designed for optimal health, so we must plan wisely, patiently, and kindly. Everyone’s path is different. Progress isn’t punishment, it’s practice.

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