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Karen Yuan head shot - Bon Appétit

Karen Yuan

Culture Editor

Karen is the culture editor at Bon Appétit, where she covers lifestyle, entertainment, internet culture, and more. She edits BA's viral food diary series The Receipt, conceives of and oversees editorial projects that celebrate junk food and rethink dinner parties, and writes about chili crisp and Chinese pickles. Previously, she worked as an editor at Fortune, where she won a Society for Advancing Business Editing and Writing (SABEW) Best in Business Award for her coverage of the challenges facing Chinese restaurants in the pandemic. Before that, she was an editor at The Atlantic. Before that, she worked a stint at a tiny dairy farm in Bavaria. She lives in New York, where she graduated from Columbia with a creative writing degree. She sometimes tries to make use of it by writing short stories.

The Best Summer Reads for Food-Loving Bookworms

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Soggy Fries Are Good, Actually

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The 10 Best Food Stories We Read in 2022

We loved these stories about Black seder meals, the legacy of "Jiro Dreams of Sushi," recipes written by A.I., and more.

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This light, easy Chinese dish is my ultimate comfort.

My Minimalist Chili Crisp Is All About the Crisp

The crunchier the chili crisp, the closer to heaven.

I Tried All These Nondairy Milks. Here’s What Tastes Best

It’s me, your soy sommelier.

Dear Pickle People, Zha Cai Should Be Your Favorite Condiment

I eat this fermented mustard stem with noodles, in congee, and straight out of the bag.

Our Favorite Canned Drinks for Every Possible Social Situation

The canned booze aisle is a lot right now. Let us help you pick.

Olympic Athletes Are Food Bloggers Now

Sure, the Olympics are about sports. But on TikTok, they’re about food.

The 2021 Met Gala Is Going Plant-Based—Here’s Why

Yes, people eat at the Met Gala. And for the first time ever, the chef-curated menu will be 100% plant-based.