Yes that’s right! Both jingkids editors – Mina Yan and myself – were born in the zodiac year of the Rabbit and so we thought we would take this Chinese New Year to let you know a little more about us, from a cultural viewpoint.

Mina Yan was born in Harbin and grew up in Southern California; her husband Billy was born in Beijing and studied in the UK. They have a lively little girl and currently reside in Kaifeng, a city that is built on top of five layers of ancient cities and was once the hub of civilization in China.

I was born and bred in Singapore to parents with Malaysian and Indonesian roots, as well as Chinese ancestry (my grandfather’s home still stands somewhere in a town in Guangzhou!). My husband is American and we have a son who has grown up in Singapore, Dubai, Indonesia, and Beijing.

Q: How Chinese do you consider yourself? 
MY: It’s kind of a weird question and one that used to annoy me. I’m a typical Chinese American and I identify with both cultures. I was raised by a tiger mom who instilled some pretty traditional beliefs in me as a young child. I grew up playing piano, eating Chinese food, and learning to keep my mouth shut when I disagree with my elders – you know, typical Chinese kid stuff for my generation. But at the same time, my beliefs and values are not the same as a typical Chinese local. After moving to China I would hear “She’s American, she doesn’t know” so often during conversation even over the tiniest things like who sits where during dinner to much grander things like how I raise my child.

VT: Growing up in multicultural Singapore, I used to hate being identified as Chinese. I associated being Chinese with being a backwater country bumpkin and tried so hard to ignore that part of my heritage. I embraced all things from overseas, particularly American, English, and Japanese cultures. As I get older now and have my own kid, I ironically find myself saying things like “It’s part of who you are!” when my kid complains about learning Chinese.

Q: Which Chinese traditions do you observe?
MY: My family has never been super strict on Chinese traditions. Overall I know about them, but there isn’t anything that we absolutely HAD to do during any of the Chinese holidays.

VT: Again, I used to dread visiting relatives during CNY when I was young, but now I find myself happy to take the opportunity to find out what these blood relations have been up to and how they are doing! I like the practice of the red packets, but in the original tradition as my dad told me – where the practice used to be reserved for the erudite who would write clever sayings in beautiful calligraphy, this was replaced with money when the greater un-schooled populace started adopting the practice, and sadly this has become the popular standard today.

Q: How Chinese do you consider your kid and how Chinese do you want them to be?
MY: Another question that I find kind of weird… I’d like to consider my daughter a third culture kid since she’s an American Chinese being raised in China. But to be honestly, I would like to focus on getting her as much life experience as possible, regardless of which country they’re from. I was born in China, raised in America, lived in Switzerland and Germany before moving to China. My husband is a Chinese who studied and worked in the UK for many years. Our family is a jumble of our favorite parts of different cultures we’ve picked up along the way and I really prefer that over trying to figure out how Chinese to make my kid.

VT: My kid sadly doesn’t seem to want to embrace his Chinese identity as much as I would like him to, and it would be hypocritical for me not to understand that…

Q: What’s your favorite part of Chinese culture?
MY: My favorite part has got to be spending time with family and remembering history. It feels like every major Chinese holiday has some tradition that involves dinner with the family. Since I didn’t grow up with a large family, I’m making up for it now with my own.

VT: It has got to be the long history behind all the rich mythology, beliefs, and traditions. Sometimes they give me a glimpse into the poetic beauty of the Chinese culture in the past, and sometimes they explain to me the practical hardships the world has been through, but there’s always a story to it.

Q: How are you celebrating CNY?
MY: We’re celebrating this CNY at home with family and friends. I love it when people visit – the more the merrier!

VT: I’m in Singapore with my family and friends and my favorite foods in the world!

Images: Mina Yan & Vivienne Tseng-Rush

KEEP READING: Cars for Rent and Drivers for Hire During CNY 2023

What did you want to be when you grew up?
I wanted to be a nurse just like my mom until about the age of 7 when I realized I couldn’t stand the sight of blood! Then, I opted for the even less realistic career of becoming a famous actress, based on the fact that I loved, and still love, playing dress up. Needless to say, neither career path exactly turned out so well for me. Journalism seemed like the natural third option since I have kept a journal since about age 8 and because my entries were very factually presented, even as a child. I’ve never been much of a creative writer.

Do you have siblings? If so, tell us their name and a fun fact about them?
I have one sister, Monet, who is almost two years older than me. Our mom must have been going through a serious artistic phase or really feeling in touch with her small amount of French ancestry to give us names like Monet Jacqueline and Yvette Rose! When we were kids, Monet was very much the wiser older sister who defended me when necessary, sometimes cooked for me, and always offered her two cents on life. I was the ultimate girly girl who wanted to play My Little Ponies and Barbie while she would make me watch all the “boy” shows like X-Men or Batman and do things like dig in the dirt in our backyard and collect different kinds of bugs. She used to bribe me to play this game she made up called “Leaf Girl” where we would pretend to be archeologists and collect different kinds of leaves and various “samples," which often turned out to be old fruit pits and dead insects. We would then lay everything out and identify it. She ended up majoring in anthropology and archeology so now it all makes sense.

Who was your childhood hero?
I have a theory that I must have been hypnotized by the song “Somewhere over the Rainbow," because I was obsessed with the song when I was little so consequentially my first hero was Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz. Ariel the Little Mermaid was a close second though I was devastated to find out mermaids weren’t real.  Once I got older, my hero was definitely my Mexican-American grandmother. She had two inter-racial marriages in a time where that was not the norm, bought her home in Los Angeles in the 1940s, and worked harder than anyone I’ve ever known. She taught me a lot.

What was your favorite childhood food? Has it changed as an adult?
I loved spaghetti and still love all Italian food! I was a terribly picky eater as a child and wouldn’t touch cheese, eggs, or most vegetables. My grandmother did most of the cooking and would make all dishes separate for me without the cheese; a very strange concept in Mexican cooking.  I wouldn’t go near cheese until the age of about 16, even taking it off my pizza. I think I’m making up for lost time now because now I’m addicted and can’t get enough.

List up to three of your favorite childhood books:

• The Box Car Kids – They were always solving mysteries and having adventures. 
• Sweet Valley Twins and Friends and Sweet Valley High –Jessica Wakefield was my first bad influence and I wanted to be her.  
• Goosebumps – For reasons that elude me now, I thoroughly enjoyed being scared.

Tell us an embarrassing or little-known childhood anecdote about yourself.
I was a pre-school drop out! Pretty ironic, considering my current position as School Editor. I wouldn’t talk to my teacher and hardly to the other kids and had decided singing songs and organized fun wasn’t my thing so one morning, I ran away from class while no one was looking. Apparently it took awhile to find me. Another time I refused to put on my seat belt on the school bus during a field trip. Afterwards my parents and school administration had a meeting determining I wasn’t “emotionally ready” for school and that I shouldn’t come back until kindergarten.

Tell us about your parent’s quirks and how they’ve shaped you.
My parents are of the 60s and 70s US hippie generation and it’s safe to say it rubbed off on their parenting style. Growing up in California, and especially near the beach, where the vibe can be pretty laid back and informal to begin with, my parents took it to the next level. They didn’t really discipline my sister or I, set routines like scheduled bed or meal times, and were generally regarded as the “cool” parents my friends would come to with an issue they couldn’t talk to their own parents about. I associate the scents of patchouli, sage, and incense with my parents and growing up.  Because of my upbringing, I find myself pretty adaptable to new people and changing situations though I can be easily bored by routines and resistant to rules and authoritarian management styles.

How many kids do you want?

One, two tops in case the first one doesn’t like playing alone!

Yvette Ferrari is an American expat from Southern Californian and has been living in Beijing for three years. She loves traveling the beaches of Southeast Asia, attempting to surf, shopping, and has a slight addiction to online news. She taught English in Beijing at a local Chinese pre-school  before pursuing the Beijing magazine scene and eventually becoming School Editor at beijingkids.

What did you want to be when you grew up?
A forensic scientist.

Do you have any siblings? If so, tell us their name(s) and a fun fact about them.
I have an older sister, Trudi. She cannot take alcohol at all, but whenever we go out she thinks she’ll be fine. We went to a house party once, and she fell asleep amongst the pile of coats after just two glasses of wine. We’d only been there for an hour.

Who was your childhood hero?
Margaret Thatcher because of her patriotism, conviction, and passion. She had a brilliant mind and showed that women do not need patronizing by special treatment. She showed that hard work, determination and sheer grit will get you to where you want to be, and above all, the value of individual responsibility.

What was your favorite childhood food? Has it changed as an adult?
My mum’s toad-in-the-hole. Now I love Thai food or a perfectly-cooked steak.

List up to three of your favorite childhood books.

•     Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
•     Black Beauty by Anna Sewell
•     Choose Your Own Adventure books by R.A. Montgomery and Edward Packard, because if you didn’t like the ending you could just go back and choose another one.

Tell us an embarrassing or little-known childhood anecdote about yourself.
My sister and I, along with a couple of other friends, used to put on Mini-Pops (look it up!) shows in our local village hall. People would actually turn up to watch us dress and sing like Cyndi Lauper, Bananarama and Madonna. Today, I’m not even brave enough to do karaoke.

Tell us about your parents’ quirks and how they’ve shaped you.
My mum is very sociable, but a little bit ditzy sometimes. I have those moments too. My dad is a planner and an organiser. My need to have plenty of lists on the go at any one time definitely comes from him.

How many kids do you want?
Two – and I have them already!

beijingkids Shunyi Correspondent Sally Wilson moved to Beijing in 2010 from the UK with her husband and son. Her daughter was born here in 2011 and both her kids keep her happily busy. In her spare time, Sally loves to stroll through Beijing’s hutongs and parks. She is a (most of the time) keen runner and loves reading: books, magazines, news, and celeb websites – anything really. Sally is also a bit of a foodie and loves trying out new restaurants.

A new school year means new beginnings and it’s no different here at beijingkids. Over the summer, we said goodbye to former Managing Editor Kara Chin and Deputy Managing Editor Ellis Friedman (whom many of you also knew as the old School Editor). As we kick off the 2013-2014 academic year with a new team, we figure we should properly introduce ourselves. This is the last installment of the series.

What did you want to be when you grew up?
Not taller than my partner. As an awkwardly tall girl, my female relatives admonished me to “stop growing or you’ll never find a husband.” I did my best to oblige by staying a manageable 5’7 – but still no husband in sight.

Do you have any siblings? If so, tell us their name(s) and a fun fact about them.
My sister Nancie is six and a half years younger than me. My parents picked her Chinese name first: Nanxi or 南西, which contains the characters for “south” and “west.” They wanted to acknowledge our southern Chinese roots while commemorating my sister’s Canadian birth. “Nancie” just happened to sound a lot like her Chinese name, though we still don’t know why they picked such a quirky spelling.

As a child, Nancie was a bit darker than the rest of us. I slowly but surely convinced her that she was adopted from Cambodia. The story percolated in her psyche until she burst into tears at the dinner table one night and piteously wailed: “IT’S ALL A LIE!” Mom gave me a stink eye of such terrifying intensity, it’s a wonder my head didn’t just explode on the spot.

Who was your childhood hero?
I looked for Asian role models when I was little. The closest things I could find were Jackie Chan dubbed in Québécois French, then Pocahontas (who is super cool and has nice hair but is, of course, not Asian).

Eventually I realized that my dad is a pretty good role model. He’s been known to shout “Holy mackerel!” for no apparent reason and karate kick in the general direction of the TV when the Montreal Canadiens score a goal.

What was your favorite childhood food? Has it changed as an adult?
Kraft Dinner mac ‘n’ cheese. My mom was far too health-conscious to allow KD in the house, so I used to bike over to my friend Lisa’s house and scarf down a bowl. Now, I generally try not to eat anything fluorescent unless there’s betting involved.  

List up to three of your favorite childhood books.

• The Little Prince: To this day, foxes, roses, and deserts still stir up intense feelings of nostalgia.
  
• The Sleep Book: In the ultimate bedtime story, Dr. Seuss follows a yawn as it spreads to creatures all over the world and ends with the reader. (I feel a Pavlovian yawn coming on right now.)
  
• The Witches: This book confirmed my suspicion that grownups are not to be trusted.
  

Tell us an embarrassing or little-known childhood anecdote about yourself.
In kindergarten, I blew a Hubba Bubba bubble so big it exploded over my head and got tangled in my hair. When I got home, my dad declared it a hopeless mess and gave me a haircut by putting a noodle bowl over my head and trimming around the edges. The next day, my teacher Alice mistook me for a boy. She asked: "Are you a new student?" I burst into tears.

Tell us about your parents’ quirks and how they’ve shaped you.
Mom’s a rebel, though she would never describe herself as such. She made her own clothes in university, rarely wears makeup or jewelry, and married a younger man – kind of a big deal in ’80s China. However, her worrywart tendencies have doomed me to a lifetime of arriving at airports three hours early and taking different routes home to evade would-be pickpockets/stalkers/intelligence officers.

Two years ago, my dad and I ate out together at a Chinese restaurant in Jianguomen. He brought a rice cooker (with rice in it), several bottles of Yanjing, and a single sweet potato. When the waitress opened her mouth to protest, he said: “We would like a bottle opener, please.” She hesitated, then obliged. That’s the kind of guy my dad is – never rude, but constantly testing the limits of what’s acceptable.

How many kids do you want (if any)?
As many as I can handle.

Sijia (Sisi) Chen is beijingkids’ managing editor and de facto den mother. She wheeled and dealed her way up the masthead after joining the magazine as an intern in September 2011. When she’s not making educated guesses about what people like do with their kids, Sisi enjoys beer, yoga, Heyrobics, making stuff, and looking at hilarious photos from Russian dating sites with her team.

Photo courtesy of Jirui Chen

A new school year means new beginnings and it’s no different here at beijingkids. Over the summer, we said goodbye to former Managing Editor Kara Chin and Deputy Managing Editor Ellis Friedman (whom many of you also knew as the old School Editor). As we kick off the 2013-2014 academic year with a new team, we figure we should properly introduce ourselves. Over the next few weeks, we’ll be spotlighting a different beijingkids staff member each week.

What did you want to be when you grew up?
A teacher.  In the early 1990s, Beijing was way less modernized than today. You had instant access to villages and farms by just stepping over Second Ring Road. My family lived outside Fourth Ring Road, which would have positively shocked the tianzi jiaoxia (天子脚下 or people who live close to the Forbidden City). So, most of the people I knew back then were farmers and teachers (and I didn’t want to be a farmer).

Do you have siblings?
No. Most of Chinese kids of my generation enjoy the privilege of the "one-child policy,” which means all my toys belonged only to me.

Who was your childhood hero?
My grandpa. When I was young and he was visiting from Shandong, he walked with me after dinner along the narrow street in front of our courtyard. Back then, the sky was really clear and the moon was very visible.

As we looked at the shady patches on the moon, my grandpa told me that it was a tree. Underneath the tree, there was a vicious old witch who enjoyed harming people. She would often come down to Earth and kill people just by pointing her finger at them.

My grandpa claimed to have encountered the witch. He was somehow immune to her incantation and managed to kill her with one blink of his eye. After this story, I admired and always listened to him. I did everything he would ask me to do.

What was your favorite childhood food?
Strawberry-flavored popping candy. It just made my childhood! It’s a pity that convention grants more candy to kids.

List up to three of your favorite childhood books.

•  The encyclopedia. It was full of knowledge and colorful pictures, and broadened my world.
• Doraemon. This blue robot cat from the 22nd century had an arsenal of magic tools that he pulled out from the pouch on his belly: the Bamboo-copter, Diminishing Light, Invisibility Poncho, Time Travel Machine, and more.
• Gourd Brothers (hulu wa). I can still hear the theme song in my head. The excitement that I got from reading the books made it seem like I hadn’t seen the TV series a 100 times.

Tell us an embarrassing or little-known childhood anecdote about yourself.
My dad took me to a tiny, remote amusement park and somehow lost me. I was 8. I didn’t panic at all. Quite the opposite – I had a very good day pretending to be part of whichever family was nearest and joined them on rides.

When it started getting dark, I started thinking of all the ways cartoons depict getting out of being lost. I started crying tired tears in front of the man at the entrance. He took me to the police, who drove me home in a fabulous van. I was treated to a fabulous feast that evening.

Tell us about your parents’ quirks and how they’ve shaped you.
My mom speaks perfect Shandong dialect, so perfect that she doesn’t have a clue how to say things in standard Mandarin. So in primary school, I was often mocked for my strong Shandong accent.

How many kids do you want (if any)?
I think one is enough. As I grow older, I find it’s not just about impressing others with the size of your family. There is so much care and responsibility that parents must give to their kids. It’s not easy. For a kid to turn out great, first the parents must be great.

Native Beijinger Morgan Shang is beijingkids’ editorial assistant. An avid learner, he is currently taking English and French classes. When he is not learning how to be sarcastic with beijingkids Staff Writer Oscar Holland, Morgan enjoys snacking and eating out.

Photo courtesy of Morgan Shang

A new school year means new beginnings and it’s no different here at beijingkids. Over the summer, we said goodbye to former Managing Editor Kara Chin and Deputy Managing Editor Ellis Friedman (whom many of you also knew as the old School Editor). As we kick off the 2013-2014 academic year with a new team, we figure we should properly introduce ourselves. Over the next few weeks, we’ll be spotlighting a different beijingkids staff member each week.

What did you want to be when you grew up?
A few years ago I was at a crossroads in my career, wondering what to do next. My mother rang me to offer me back-to-the-future advice from my inner child. She had saved an old copybook of mine which contained the answer to that very question, written by my 8-year-old self.  I heaved a sigh of relief, anticipating pure wisdom and guidance. Unfortunately, fairy princess is not a real job, and I’ve had to settle for School Editor. 

Do you have any siblings? If so, tell us their name(s) and a fun fact about them.
In Catholic Ireland in the 1970s, families attempted to replace headcount lost during the potato famine. Couples competed fiercely to see who could top the leader board in the offspring stakes. My parents churned out six kids, which was a respectable showing. Their real coup was having three boys and three girls in matched pairs. It’s almost like they planned it, but that definitely wasn’t kosher in Ireland back in the day. My parents being quasi-traditionalist, we were named according to the Irish naming convention. (In chronological order, first paternal grandparents’ names, then maternal grandparents’ names, finally parents names.

So deep breath, here comes the list of siblings:

• Molly and Willy, the eldest girl and boy. Like all oldest siblings they are, depressingly, always right and utterly competent. If zombies attack, you want to be in their bunker. Between them they know everything.
• Paddy and Shivvy, the middle boy and girl. By far the coolest teenagers. Boys from two villages away would endlessly cycle past our house hoping to catch a glimpse of my sister. My brother formed a rock band and inspired a generation of farmer’s sons to dress like hobos. 
• Johnny, the youngest boy. My parents kept going until they got one right. We nicknamed him “Golden Boy,” and he fully deserves his status as favorite child and demi-god. 

Who was your childhood hero?
Growing up in a house full to the rafters, just like Greta Garbo, I vanted to be alone. So I idolized orphans: Annie, Oliver, The Little Princess. I envied their freedom and agency. They had their independence – no one combing their hair or curtailing their adventures. I once asked my mother when my birth parents would arrive, and she told me she hadn’t heard back from them yet.

What was your favorite childhood food? Has it changed as an adult?
When I was a kid, if I was having a rough day my mother would make me a bowl of creamy yummy custard. I still believe almost all sweet things can be further improved with a blob of yellow stuff or a spoonful of crème anglaise if you’re a proper grown up. Coincidentally, I’m attending a pot-luck dinner this evening where each guest will bring their favorite food from childhood. I’ll be bringing an apple crumble and a bowl of Bird’s custard.

List up to three of your favorite childhood books:

• Sherlock Holmes – he was constantly rewarded for being a know-it-all.
• Enid Blyton – worth it for the descriptions of Aunt Fanny’s endless high teas alone. They always had lashings of custard to boot.
• The Chronicles of Narnia. I held high hopes for wardrobes for many years.

Tell us an embarrassing or little-known childhood anecdote about yourself.
I began a novel when I was kid which was total dirge. It was set in the 19th Century, and heavy on food descriptions (ashcakes and brambly jelly) and time travel. See if you can work out my influences (Hint; look back at my three favorite books). I abandoned my opus when my older siblings got hold of it and declaimed sections aloud to each other.

Tell us about your parents’ quirks and how they’ve shaped you.
My mother loves a party, every mealtime is an occasion. She’s a generous hostess and really knows how to make people feel special and welcome. Although she’s a good girl she has a jet-black sense of humor. She’s a natural raconteur and I wish I could do impersonations half as well as she does. She really taught us joie de vivre.

Unfortunately, my father passed away when I was 17. He was his own man and larger than life. An entrepreneur, and an enthusiastic sportsman, he loved to hunt, clay pigeon shoot, and train his gun dogs. He held every coaching, mentoring and administrative position at our local football club at one time or another. He golfed obsessively. He taught us courage, perseverance and how to be ourselves.

How many kids do you want?
My other siblings have provided my mother with 11 grandchildren to date and I am off the hook so far. 

Aisling O’Brien is an ex-pat Irishwoman, brought up and educated in Cork, who has made Beijing her home for the past two years. A tech enthusiast, avid traveler and foodie, she joined beijingkids in July 2013 as the School Editor. 

Photo courtesy of Aisling O’Brien

A new school year means new beginnings and it’s no different here at beijingkids. Over the summer, we said goodbye to former Managing Editor Kara Chin and Deputy Managing Editor Ellis Friedman (whom many of you also knew as the old School Editor). As we kick off the 2013-2014 academic year with a new team, we figure we should properly introduce ourselves. Over the next few weeks, we’ll be spotlighting a different beijingkids staff member each week.

What did you want to be when you grew up?
A soldier, scientist, cartoonist, school teacher, musician, lady who sells ice cream … My mum said I came up with different answers almost every time she asked me.

Do you have any siblings? If so, tell us their name(s) and a fun fact about them.
My sister Wenjuan Jiang is seven years older than me. When I was a kid, she liked to grab me to sit for football games and Hollywood movies with her. She thought I liked them, but I was only interested in the cookies.

Who was your childhood hero?
For a very long time, I would say Michael Owen, then the youngest football player in England. Maybe my sister made me read too many football magazines.

What was your favorite childhood food? Has it changed as an adult?
Coca-Cola. Yes, because it gave me bad teeth.

List up to three of your favorite childhood books.

• San Zi Jing 三字经
• Doraemon 机器猫
• A Million Whys 十万个问什么

My grandpa, a school principal, taught me how to read at a very young age. I think the first book we read through together was San Zi Jing, a classic written in the Song Dynasty; it was part of many children’s earliest formal education at home until the latter part of the 19th century.

The text is written in triplets of characters for easy and fun memorization. It was amazing how the 1,145-word book managed to cover so many aspects, from history to geology, literature, science and morality. Besides that, it was just fun to read with Grandpa. My second and third choices were fun to read again and again and I kept them for a long time.

Tell us an embarrassing or little-known childhood anecdote about yourself.
When I started kindergarten, I refused to attend class by myself and most of my family members had the embarrassing experience of sitting next to me throughout entire classes. I cried to my mum that I did not want to sit in the classroom by myself until I turned 4. A few days later, my mum threw a party for me and told me it was my birthday. I kept my promise but later learned that the day wasn’t my birthday.

Tell us about your parents’ quirks and how they’ve shaped you.
When my dad was younger, he loved looking for any opportunity to open up things to study and repair, from cameras, radio, electric fans, and watches. Most of the times he got things fixed up, including many of my childhood toys. I have learned to take good care of things since I moved away from home.

How many kids do you want?
I would like to have two kids, one dog, and two turtles in my family.

Clemence Jiang joined True Run Media in August 2013 as a staff and special projects writer. She splits her time writing for beijingkids, Agenda, the Beijinger, and TRM’s special guides. She has studied and lived in Beijing for eight years and used to be a lifestyle writer for The Global Times. Clemence is also a foodie who is busy cooking, baking and checking out Beijing’s great eats. When she is not busy, she likes to call up her pharmacist sister on the phone to discuss therapeutic food recipes.

Photo courtesy of Clemence Jiang

A new school year means new beginnings and it’s no different here at beijingkids. Over the summer, we said goodbye to former Managing Editor Kara Chin and Deputy Managing Editor Ellis Friedman (whom many of you also knew as the old School Editor). As we kick off the 2013-2014 academic year with a new team, we figure we should properly introduce ourselves. Over the next few weeks, we’ll be spotlighting a different beijingkids staff member each week.

What did you want to be when you grew up?
I wanted to be an ayi. I guess I was very attached to my ayi, whom we call “Yaya” in the Philippines. Yaya Lilia always cooked the food I wanted, combed my hair, straightened up my dolls, played with me, and let me win (very important when you were an only child for seven years). I didn’t realize the amount of dirty work involved in her job.

Do you have any siblings? If so, tell us their name(s) and a fun fact about them.
I have one younger sister named Ina, born seven years after me. Her many other nicknames include – but are not limited to – Ins, Insy-Winsy, Lambertina (because she was our grandfather Lamberto’s sidekick), and Bidi-Bidi.

Who was your childhood hero?
Kermit the Frog. Moody. Pensive. A bit of an outlier. But always smart and snappy.

What was your favorite childhood food? Has it changed as an adult?
I used to love our homemade croquetas as a child. Throughout the years, they would change in size and shape, depending on whether we were having them en famille or as finger food at a potluck. But the recipe always stayed the same: creamy potato and ground meat battered and fried to perfection. I will still go for a good croquetas anywhere I can find it.

My current favorite is at Agua at  Nali Patio. It brings me back to my childhood, and I will go all the way to Sanlitun from Shunyi on low days to have a plateful at lunch all by myself.

List up to three of your favorite childhood books.

• Nancy Drew, because I wanted to be her.
• Paddington Bear, because he was so exotic and I had never been to London, so I liked the idea of a traveling bear. Also, marmalade.
• Any Dr. Seuss book, just because they are brilliant.

Tell us an embarrassing or little-known childhood anecdote about yourself.
Although I don’t actually remember this, I visited my grandfather on the set of a movie he was filming as a 3-year-old. He was shooting on location at a friend’s house. Being the only daughter (at the time) of his only daughter, my grandfather was quite proud of me and snapped several photos during that visit.

Fast forward 20 years. As my husband and I were preparing for our wedding reception at his family’s home, my mom came over and realized that it was the same house my grandfather and I had visited years before. It turns out our family friend had sold her house to my future in-laws. Needless to say, we immediately took photos of me standing at the same spot.

Tell us about your parents’ quirks and how they’ve shaped you.
My parents are artists. Our house was like an open studio. Paintings and sculptures were all over the place. Nude sketching sessions were held at our home almost every Saturday for a whole year. Their friends would come and chat and play games with me in between sketching sessions.

I grew up in a very open environment, where there were no bundy clocks, no office wear, no fixed paychecks. I’m still happy to laze around in pyjamas until 2 in the afternoon once in a while. In fact, I need to tune out from the real world every so often to function well. When I go home to visit my parents, it both comforts and freaks me out that time continues to stand still in their house.

You now have two kids. Was it the number you always imagined?
I knew even before I got married that I was only ever going to handle two children. I did not want to raise a middle child. (When we got a dog, my younger son started to act like the middle child and it drove me nuts). My motto: two parents, two children. That’s enough for me.

Dana Cosio-Mercado has been beijingkids’ Shunyi correspondent since May 2013. Born and raised in Manila, she moved to Beijing in 2011 with her husband, two sons, and Rusty the Dog. Before that, they lived in France, Switzerland, and the Philippines. Dana enjoys writing, photography, theater, visual arts, and trying new foods. In her free time, she can be found exploring the city and driving along the mountain roads of Huairou, Miyun and Pinggu.

Photo courtesy of Dana Cosio-Mercado