Ring in the New Year and bring on the New Year’s Resolutions! But instead of typical, boring, lose weight kind of goals, I’m setting fun and measurable dining resolutions for myself, so that this year will be one of gourmet growth and indulgence.

The biggest weakness of being an avid drinker is that when it comes to pairing wine with food, sometimes I just don’t care. I know the basics—white wine goes with seafood and red wine goes with dark meat—but most of the time I focus solely on getting inebriated. But this year I plan to get educated. The art of wine can really modify a meal, and being a food writer for almost three years has made the wine-learning process a newfound ambition. I am going to check out Pudao Wines, where there are regular wine tasting events and a varying assortment of 20 wines flowing out of the Enomatic wine machines. Another way I plan on successfully accomplishing this resolution is to actually read about wine. And when it comes to the Beijing scene, there is nobody better to learn from than Jim Boyce, a blogger well known for his food and beverage commentary on Beijing Boyce and the Grape Wall of China.

My second resolution for the year is to host my first dinner party. I love to cook but barely find time in between my demanding eating and social schedules. I usually only cook when I’m helping out chef buddies cater events. There are so many elements that go into creating a successful dinner party. The most important component is obviously food, and I want to create an authentic family-style Hakka meal for my dearest friends. Though I haven’t sorted out exact details, I plan on incorporating my family’s favorite dishes, because, of course, it’s what I know best. Cooking a meal for friends is one of the most rewarding things in life, and I plan to share my culinary cultural history for the first of hopefully many more dinners to come.

The final resolution also relates to the dinner party—the last course will be dessert, and I am determined to purchase an oven and bake this year. I plan on buying my oven at an electronic chain like Suning or Da Zhong Electronics. These chains provide reliable equipment for decent prices, and I plan to spend around ¥1,000. Baking is a science and an art, and since I haven’t baked anything since making brownies in college, I think it’s time to expand on my dessert knowledge.

In 2012, I encourage all my readers to embrace their inner foodie, make some fun, achievable dining resolutions, and pledge to please your stomach.