The Steep Canyon Rangers are worth a road trip

by Meg Massie on

My 200-mile list is a collection of musicians for whose concerts I am willing to travel up to 200 miles (and often farther, really). Traveling for music is a great way to discover small towns, eclectic venues, and meet cool people who share your interests.

I’m not talking about stadium headliners — nothing against these concerts or musicians, but with many of these shows, you might as well be watching on television at home. You’re so much more present when you’re part of a smaller group, which is why I especially love the folk scene, hosted by all the best coffee houses in America. All members of my 200-mile list are folk musicians. Of course, “folk” covers a lot of ground.

Near the top of my list is the Steep Canyon Rangers, a young bluegrass band from North Carolina. Winners of the 2006 International Bluegrass Music Awards’ Emerging Artist of the Year title, the Rangers are up for Album of the Year and Gospel Recorded Performance of the Year at this year’s IBMA’s. Their sound is a solid mix of instrumentals, traditional and original bluegrass, and gospel, with lots of humor and fun thrown in.My favorite part of each Rangers show is a toss-up between their a capella gospel performance of Wade Mainer’s “I Can’t Sit Down” and their fan-favorite Nascar tune “Feelin’ Just a Little Like Dale.” Though I couldn’t care less about Nascar, I love how much fun the band has with this one — especially Nicky Sanders’ creative use of his fiddle to impersonate cars on the raceway and police sirens. In this song and all their others, the band has so much fun on stage, it spills into the audience and you can’t help but enjoy yourself (even if you hate Nascar).

In addition to great music, witty banter is a part of every show, and bass player Charles Humphrey will have you busting a gut. Check the Steep Canyon Rangers’ tour schedule to see if they’ll be coming within 200 miles of your hometown. If you want to say hi, you can find me at the Third Annual Mountain Song Festival, hosted by the Rangers themselves in Brevard, NC.

Below is a video of the Steep Canyon Rangers performing the title track from their latest album, Lovin’ Pretty Women.

“No Reservations” season 4, episode 17: Spain

by Jeremy Kressmann on

Location: It’s about time, Mr. Bourdain. Tony makes a culinary pilgrimage to one of Europe’s, and arguably the world’s, most famous culinary destinations of the moment: Spain. It is a country that is thoroughly grounded in the cuisine of tradition yet remarkably forward-thinking in its gastronomic outlook.

Episode Rating: Four and a half bloody meat cleavers (out of five). I’m sorry, perhaps I’m biased, but it’s hard to characterize an episode that features such fascinating, delicious, forward-thinking food as anything but awesome. If you’ve seen any episodes of Bourdain’s previous show, A Cook’s Tour, then you’ll know why this works so well. It’s enjoyable without trying too hard.

Summary: Spain is a country with a cooking style that is thoroughly traditional – we are talking after all about an area of culture that dates all the way back to the ancient Romans, Greeks and beyond. Yet recent years have seen the rise of a very different and highly original brand of cuisine that defies easy convention. Famous chefs like Ferran Adria have pushed what was once one of Europe’s best-kept culinary secrets into the pantheon of global “foodie hotspots.” in much the same way that people have long romanticized France or Italy, Spain is now arguably just as well-known for its local and delcious food culture. Tony comes to Spain expecting to be wowed and rediscovers a country that does not disappoint.Bourdain kicks off the Spain episode by describing Spain as “the best place in the world to eat,” and for anyone that has ever visited, its hard to argue with him. Particularly observant Spain travelers might have noticed this is a bit of generalization. The regions where Bourdain spends his “Spain” trip – Catalonia and the Basque Country are hardly representative of an entire country – but nevertheless, it would not be unfair to describe this region as among the most fertile and innovative culinary “zones” of anywhere on earth.

Fittingly, Tony begins his Spanish culinary odyssey in Vilassar de Mar, a small coastal town just northeast of Barcelona. Not surprisingly this town on the sea is well known for its seafood. Tony joins his friend for a snack at Ca l’espinaler, one of the region’s most famous tapas bars. The bar serves an assortment of some of the freshest ocean creatures on earth – razor clams, cockles, mussels, and toro-quality tuna. The most surprising perhaps, is that it all comes from cans. Though canned food is regarded as less fresh, Tony points out that seafood if canned at the height of its freshness can actually enhance the food’s flavor. And considering a 6 ounce can of seafood at the bar will set you back 156 euros (!!!) it better be damn good.

Finding himself satisfied with his main course, Bourdain returns to Barcelona to satiate his sweet tooth with some dessert. He meets up with the famous brother of Ferran Adria, Albert, to sample some of his famous dessert creations. Albert is working to “reimagine what is possible with food,” using combinations like flavored sorbet and gelatin to recreate strawberries that are then paired with a light fluffy sponge cake. It is not much of a leap from Albert then to understand Enric Rovira, a food artist who creates uniquely sculptural works crafted entirely out of chocolate. Not content to construct his creations by hand, Rovira makes his sculptures by hand and then sets them out in the sun to melt, resulting in a uniquely organic and artistic edible creation. An edible work of art.

To set a sharp contrast with the sweet chocolate and sponge cake, Tony heads to a field southwest of Barcelona to learn more about onions. In the spring, the nearby residents gather to feast on Calcotadas, a unique local onion that is roasted and grilled and then served with a healthy serving of romesco sauce and some flagons of red wine. It looked disturbingly like eating a blooming onion at Outback Steakhouse, but in a much more appetizing way.

However fun his Spanish eating experiences to date, Bourdain is ready to move on to more “serious” culinary experiences and heads north towards San Sebastian. He meets up with the Arzak family at Bar Haizea, one of the city’s better known tapas spots. Despite its simplicity, Tony finds the meal a revelation. Pickled peppers with anchovies, tortilla espanola, salmon mousse, and stuffed eggs are firmly grounded favorites of Spanish cuisine yet foods that are uniquely complex and surprising with their contrasting flavors and textures.

Tony then heads to the renowned restaurant Mugaritz to dine with head chef Andoni Aduriz. Bourdain is given the choice between two cards for his meal – 150 minutes “submit” and 120 minutes “revel.” Not one to back down, Tony chooses “submit” and is not disappointed. The courses of his meal, stretching from potato baked in an edible clay shell, to charcoal foie gras with sea urchin (blackout good), to beef served over cinders and crispy radishes, are exquisitely prepared yet still manage to be fantastically surprising and somehow still “traditional.” This is a theme that Tony returns to time and again here and it seems especially true of the unique food on offer at Mugaritz.

As if this one life-changing meal was not enough, Bourdain then proceeds to Asador Etxebarri, a restaurant named after the town where it is located that specializes in grilled foods. Despite the essential simpicity of the grilling technique, restaurant owner and chef Victor Arguinzoniz manages to create food that is at once creative, complex and delicious. Foods like beluga caviar and tiny eels are grilled quickly over an open flame, searing in a unique smoky set of flavors. We know Bourdain has a weak spot for grilling – it’s not a surprise he’s so enchanted with this place. He looks like he wants to be adopted by the owner as his next of kin.

Tony returns to San Sebastian for a final meal with his friends the Arzaks. It’s not even worth describing the mind-bending combination of flavors they consume. Instead, it is instead evidence of a larger truth about Spain. For a country with such fantastic local ingredients – produce this ripe, seafood this fresh, meat this flavorful – it’s a wonder the citizens of this diverse country didn’t just stop there. Why mess with a good thing? But an impulse persists in the Spanish psyche – something that pushes them forward, forcing innovation and experimentation, yet never quite
leaving behind the traditions of the past. An inspiring, delicious and simply awesome place to eat.

I was here first: Why don’t people in some countries form neat, orderly lines?

by Aaron Hotfelder on

If you’ve tried to buy a train ticket in a place like Morocco or Indonesia, you know that this seemingly simple task is actually a full-contact sport. Rather than forming an orderly, single-file line, people are forced to scratch, claw, elbow, and gouge their way to the ticket window, in a process that even an Ultimate Fighting champion would describe as unnecessarily painful and violent.

So why does this happen? Why can’t people in certain, usually less-developed countries form neat, single-file lines? Here are a couple possible explanations:

1. There’s no incentive for the first person to stand in line. Though forming an orderly queue might be more efficient for everyone, it’s not beneficial enough to one particular person for him or her to go through the trouble of starting a line. This is a classic example of what economists call a “collective action problem,” in which a group of people are given a choice and, if following their individual self-interests, will choose an action that is suboptimal for the group overall. Merging on the highway is another example: It might be in your interest to cut in line at the last second, but if everyone chooses that same thing, the results will be worse than if everyone simply waited their turn.

2. The absence of orderly lines is not that big of a deal to people in these countries. Though seemingly chaotic and unnecessary to those of us in the “West”, the truth might be that these “mobs” actually work. Their structure– or lack of it– rewards those who want the ticket or item the most, and only displeases those who weren’t industrious (or ruthless) enough to work their way up to the front. This is a form of price discrimination in which those who were willing to “pay” the most, in this case with time and effort, are rewarded, while those who weren’t, aren’t.

Also, even in these sorts of “mobs,” there are a certain number of unwritten rules that people follow that tend to keep them approaching civility: for example, there’s usually no punching, scratching, pinching, or any kind of behavior that causes lasting physical harm. Though if it’s your first time experiencing an Indonesian train-ticket line, it will probably feel like a free-for-all. It isn’t, but almost.

3. These countries generally have less respect for the rule of law. In countries like the US, people tend to follow rules– even pointless ones– because they’ve been raised on the maxim that “following rules is good.” This is part of the reason we stop at red lights in deserted areas at 3 am, even when there’s no police car in sight. This is why we walk back and forth through those red ropes at the bank, like rats chasing a piece of cheese, even when the place is virtually empty.

People in developing countries can often not afford the luxury of pointless rule-following. If they miss a train because the ticket line was too long, that could have serious consequences for them. They might miss work, earn less money, and have to struggle that much harder. There’s a lot more at stake for them, so it’s understandable that people would want to get to the front of the line that much faster.

4. Finally, people do what their parents did. If people are taught that mobbing a ticket booth instead of standing in line is okay (and maybe it is– standing in line is not “objectively better”; I just happen to find it easier), it becomes very hard to transition to something else. It’s all about culture. If I were raised in Morocco, I wouldn’t see anything wrong with the practice, and instead of this article I’d probably have written one called, “Why can’t people in certain countries just crowd around a ticket booth?”

Olympics inspired gift idea. Children’s art is a big hit

by Jamie Rhein on

When Meredith Vieria from the Today Show was given a tour of the Olympic Village, specifically the housing of the Americans, trap shooter bronze medalist Corey Cogdell showed Vieria a painting in her room that was created by a child in China.

A framed picture of a child’s artwork was given to each Olympic athlete as a room decoration. It’s theirs to keep whether they medal or not.

Vieira was quite moved by the gesture of a child-produced gift. I thought about the excitement that the children must have felt when they were making their paintings knowing their creations would be going to athletes from around the world and how they were contributing to their country’s mega, unforgetable, international event.

It can make a heart feel warm and fuzzy for sure.

Seeing the painting reminded me of the items to buy when traveling that offer more meaning than a production piece souvenir. Any work made by a child has been favorably received whenever I have given them as gifts.

I once bought three drawings by children that were sold in a fundraiser art show for a refugee center that houses families in India who were displaced by strife. I have forgotten the specifics of who received the funding, but I I can see the art clearly. I was touched by its hope and sweetness. The show was at the India International Center in New Delhi, a place that hosts high quality events, mostly centered on the arts. This is where I saw the writer Pico Iyer at a symposium of Indian authors who write in English.

Granted, framed paintings are cumbersome. Another option is handmade greeting cards that can be framed once you get home. Often these cards are used to make money for organizations that are searching for dollars.

Keep your eyes open. Thailand, Vietnam and India are wonderful places to look for such items. I still have cards I bought to give away. Even if the cards aren’t made by kids, or go to charity. handmade cards are helping to support someone.

Monopoly’s eagerly awaited ‘World Edition’ to pass go early next month

by Jeffrey White on

Monopoly, the beloved real estate game that’s been played by an estimated 750 million people in 50 languages worldwide, is about to go truly global.

Hasbro, Inc., which owns Monopoly, says “Monopoly Here & Now: The World Edition” will debut early next month.

You might recall Gadling’s Aaron blogging early this year about the company’s online fan survey to find the 22 cities that will be featured in the new game.

Well, the wait is over: The two most expensive properties on the new Monopoly board will be Montreal and Riga, Latvia, which will occupy the blue property group, replacing Boardwalk and Park Place.

Riga? You’re saying. Indeed, Riga.

In the new version it appears that gamers will vie to own whole cities, rather than specific streets. The other 20 cities that will appear on the new board are:

Cape Town, Belgrade, Paris, Jerusalem, Hong Kong, Beijing, London, New York, Sydney, Vancouver, Shanghai, Rome, Toronto, Kiev, Istanbul, Athens, Barcelona, Tokyo, Taipei, Gydnia (Poland).

Wow, that must have been one hell of a Polish campaign to get Gydnia on the board.

Oddly enough, Atlantic City apparently couldn’t muster enough votes.

More than 5.7 million votes were cast for 70 cities worldwide to come up with the final list, according to Reuters.