One of my ongoing New Year’s resolutions is to judiciously edit and delete the unnecessary photos from the 30,000+ photos I took last year (no, I’m not kidding; my Asianness and growing compulsion for photography as a hobby makes me dangerously shutter-happy).

In the process, I unearthed this little gem, a local sea bass steamed in scallion, ginger and soy sauce at a restaurant inside the Takashimaya Department Store in Taipei.  We ate there over the summer when we stopped for a night during our epic move back to the U.S.  It’s one of my aunt’s favorites, known for its deliciously light, interesting takes on Chinese classics.  Even though sea bass steamed in a soy/ginger/scallion sauce is kind of like the peanut butter and jelly of Chinese seafood dishes, this one had braised local olives as a garnish.  I couldn’t believe the brininess of the olives didn’t heighten the saltiness already present in the dish, and the olives were just so gosh-darn tasty.