Tienlon is a San Francisco-based writer covering food, travel, and the environment. She began her career reporting for the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Seattle Times before joining GQ magazine. Since then, her work has appeared in Time Out, Maxim, and Lucky Peach, among other publications. She is also an author of the Lonely Planet Southwest China guide and the forthcoming China guide. Until very recently, she had a pet shrimp named Mittens.