Food + Booze

Rowdy Kiwi Expats Spark Complaints to High Commission

NZ flag ©michaeljohnbutton The behavior of participants in the 13th annual Waitangi Day pub crawl in London, England has sparked a complaint to the New Zealand High Commission. Waitangi Day is a New Zealand public holiday held each year on the 6th of Febuary to commemorate the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi, New Zealand’s [...]

World’s Oldest Cheese For Sale In China

After 15 years, it really is time to cut the cheese ©funkyuk Claimed to be the world’s oldest edible cheese, an importer in Hong Kong is hoping to sell a 15-year old, extra mature Bitto, an Italian alpine cheese. Ivona Grgan, the importer in possession of the Bitto, believes the Chinese love good food, particularly “relics”. [...]

Run the 2012 NYC Beerathon

Beers in the Sun ©adactio So it might not be as famous as the ING New York City Marathon, but the athletes that compete in the annual New York City Beerathon are just as determined. For those who prefer a beer-run to an ordinary run, the NYC Beerathon offers a 26 bar course with 26 [...]

Ancient Popcorn Found in Peru

Fresh corn © jstr91 Ancient corncobs and husks were discovered recently at the Paredones and Huaca Prieta archaeological sites on Peru’s northern coast. Dolores Piperno, curator of New World archaeology at the National Museum of Natural History, believes the corncobs show evidence of the many ways the Peruvians cooked the corn, including popped, as the snack [...]

5 Simple Ways to Beat Your Travel Budget

Chris Cook outlines five simple ways to whip your travel budget into shape.

Cow Brains Seized By Egyptian Officials

Luxor Airport ©s_w_ellis Four hundred and twenty pounds of frozen cow brains were confiscated at Cairo International Airport on Friday. The brains were transported in freezer boxes on a flight from Khartoum, Sudan. The three Sudanese travelers transporting the brains had planned to sell them to Egyptian restaurants, authorities said. This was the fourth time [...]

High Demand of European Truffles Spawns Black Market, Criminal Activity

European Black Truffles © trufflehunter.co.uk European truffle farmers (or “trufflers”) in Italy and France, are seeing their harvests reduced due to climate change. With a scarce supply of truffles, and marked up prices, the demand has spawned a black market in Europe, along with organized crime. Truffles are being stolen from restaurant pantries and truffle farms, [...]

Indiana’s 46 Superbowl-Worthy Sandwiches

Shapiro’s Indianapolis, IN ©surlygirl In anticipation of the influx of visitors during the Super Bowl, Indiana’s tourism agency is highlighting 46 regionally popular sandwiches to be featured in a limited-edition guide and to duke it out for the title of the the state’s favorite sandwich. The Indiana Super 46 Sandwich Guide identifies each sandwich, restaurant, [...]

$736K Tuna Sold at Tokyo Fish Market

Bluefin tuna© New York Times A new record was set last week at the first auction of the year at the Tsukiji fish market in Tokyo. The prized piece of fish was a 593 pound bluefin tuna, sold for $736,000. The winning bid went to the president of a noted chain of Tokyo-based sushi restaurants. [...]

Historic French Monks’ Brew a Hit at Trendy Bars

Chartreuse ©ephoz A mysterious green liquor is making a comeback in New York’s hippest bars and elsewhere in the United States. Chartreuse, a french liquor made by monks, is enjoying renewed popularity due in part to a growing “mixology” scene in the US, where ultra-competitive bartenders are constantly in search of new signature cocktail recipes. [...]

Scotch Whisky, Now in an Aluminum Can

Nightcap ©Ella’s Dad High brow booze in a low brow can? Why not. Scottish Spirits Imports Inc. will soon be putting prized liquor into a humble aluminum can. Ken Rubenfeld, vice president of operations for Scottish Spirits Imports told The Huffington Post that they hope their can of scotch will stand out in its unique [...]

Gangster ‘Americana’ Served up in Milan Restaurant

Joe Cipolla restaurant, Milan, Italy ©New York Times In a trendy neighborhood of Milan, the most unlikely theme is a big hit with the locals—a restaurant named after an Italian-American gangster. Joe Cipolla, the restaurant’s namesake, was a St. Louis mobman that loved cooking. The Milan restaurant honors Cipolla’s Midwestern roots with a traditional staple—steak. [...]

Opena Case: How About a Beer with Your iPhone?

If you haven’t yet heard of the new Opena Case, you will. It’s popping up in online gear shops everywhere with a simple purpose: protect your iPhone in a standard hardshell case designed with a built-in, slide-out bottle opener. We’ll call this, without a doubt, the Best iPhone Case of 2011. Couple it with a [...]

Swedish Dish a Bigger Hit Outside of the Old Country

Swedish holiday feast, featuring lutefisk © smithsonianmag.com It will most likely send shivers down your spine, but the traditional Swedish dish, lutefisk (lye-soaked cod, drenched in butter), is more popular in the United States than in Scandinavia. Far more lutefisk is consumed in the United States, much of it in church and lodge basements. In [...]

New, Classier Wendy’s Coming to Japan

Wendy’s Japan ©liddybits Would you like fries with that foie gras burger? After leaving the Japanese market two years ago, American fast food chain Wendy’s is looking to make a strong comeback in Japan. To stand out from competitor McDonalds, and local chains Lotteria and Mos Burger, Wendy’s is counting on a new premium menu [...]

Cooking With Grandma, a New Culinary Trend

Marketing in Motion ©D’Arcy Norman Well-heeled travelers in search of gourmet food are steering away from traditional 4-star luxury restaurants and instead seeking out more authentic culinary “experiences.” These new “experiences” are being offered by a variety of locals from Italian aristocrats to ordinary grandmothers in Mauritius, who are opening up their homes to amateur [...]

A Salad With a Side of Sex Appeal in Korea

The all-male staff at Mies Container© cnngo.com It may be thousands of miles away, but for women wanting to turn the tables on the “delightfully tacky yet unrefined” Hooters chain, there is an answer to their prayers in Seoul. The general “theme” of Mies Container is a construction site, with the all-male wait staff dressing [...]

Christmas Food Traditions Around the World

Christmas brunch© Reverses’ Tired of the same offerings at your Christmas table? Read on for some international fare that can spice up your holiday, and give you a bit of history. Before you hang a candy cane on a Christmas tree branch or add it to a cup of hot chocolate, consider this—the candy [...]

Coffee Chains Spike Drinks to Spike Sales in China

Starbucks ©dunhilaryu Starbucks is the first thing that comes to mind when you think of coffee giants taking over China (and the world for that matter…) The company has been very vocal about its plans to triple its current number of stores in China to 1,500 by 2015. But another company, Pacific Coffee is challenging [...]

Freeloading at the Complimentary Breakfast Buffet

Breakfast Buffet ©Tong Tara Resturant If you thought you were being a savvy budget traveler by loading up at your hotel’s complimentary breakfast buffet, next time take a good look around you. Some of the people around you have taken savings to a superstar level–they are enjoying a free breakfast at a hotel they aren’t [...]

Chocolate Lovers Festival in London

Chocolates ©Anjum. Sweet tooth’s unite! London’s Southbank Center Square will be playing host this weekend (From Dec. 9 to 11) to the The Chocolate Festival a celebration of all things chocolate. The festival, which is mostly free, will have 30 stalls selling and sampling chocolate, and visitors can also chat with British chocolatiers like William [...]

Traditional Holiday Beverages From Around the World

Starbucks Holiday Cups ©Glenn Waters In the USA we have eggnog and hot chocolate (and the ubiquitous Starbuck “red” cups), but around the world the beverages that inevitably get spiked for the holiday season are incredibly varied. Over on Gadling, they have compiled a list of international Christmasey beverages. In Europe—north, south, east and west,–they [...]

11 Extreme Thanksgiving Turkey Variations

Turkey ©thebittenword.com Most Americans are just now waking up out of their tryptophan-induced post-thanksgiving slumbers, but for the extreme thanksgiving aficionados, Black Friday is day one in the countdown to next year’s epic turkey creation. For a little inspiration, HuffPost has compiled 11 crazy, weird and downright bizarre riffs on the classic turkey roast. Included [...]

Anthony Bourdain’s New Series, The Layover, Debuts

Anthony Bourdain in The Azores Celebrity chef and fermented-shark-eater Anthony Bourdain returns to the Travel Channel with a new TV series, “The Layover” Mondays at 9 p.m. ET. The 55-year-old once again tours the world in search of the perfect meal. In the first episode, he visits Singapore for 30 hours, devouring wonton noodles, Hainanese [...]

Taste Australia’s Wackiest Beers

Australian Beers © Terrazzo If you thought Australian beer was limited to Foster’s you were mistaken. Australia began producing beer in 1796, and since that time the beer industry has grown enormously but the tradition of novelty lagers is still strong. From space beer, million-year-old beer, pink stuff, strong stuff and stone and wood beer, [...]

Beaujolais Nouveau Day: France’s Secret National Holiday

On a brisk fall day so many years ago I’m embarrassed to say, a friend of mine invited me to lunch at Café des Artistes, a hoity-toity restaurant on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. We’d been to the restaurant before, which is why we were a bit surprised when the waiter asked if we wanted a [...]

Regional Dishes of Great Britain

British cuisine does not enjoy the lofty reputation that nearby countries such as Italy and France can take for granted. The main reason for this is that food supplies were rationed in the aftermath of the Second World War, and this informed many of the food preparation techniques and ingredient choices long after rationing had [...]

Why Beer Lovers Should Get Out of London and Go to Guildford

Travel writer and beer enthusiast Andrea Kirkby uncovers the secrets of a surprisingly unknown “beer lover’s paradise” within striking distance of London …

Top 5 Tasty Mexican Dishes

Mexican food holds a special place in my heart and I have many fond memories of Mexican themed meals shared with friends. With Mexican restaurants to be found all over the world, anyone can experience the fiery taste of an Enchilada topped with chilli sauce and washed down with a tasty Mexican Mojito (they replace [...]

Around the World in 50 Breakfasts

Two Eggs Sunnyside Up ©@joefoodie Breakfast. It’s the most important meal of the day, but not everyone around the world does it the same way. For example, in the eastern European country of Hungary, a traditional breakfast usually consists of Pogácsa, Throughout the year there are festivals dedicated to it and the recipe changes region [...]

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