Civil War driving tour in North Carolina: A trip on the Blue-Gray Scenic Byway

by Jamie Rhein on

A month ago, I wrote about a Civil War driving tour in Tennessee. Here’s another one I found out about in an engaging article by Jodi Helmer in the November/December issue of AAA’s Home and Away magazine.

Helmer followed North Carolina’s Blue-Gray Scenic Byway on a quest to find historic sites connected to the Civil War. The journey was a hunt and ask venture that wound through small towns and tobacco fields. As she found out, even a nondescript field where a battle took place has significance. Such was the case when she went into the Harper House, the now museum, but once farmhouse that was turned into a hospital during the war in order to treat soldiers who were wounded.

Other points of interest along the way were the Cliffs of Neuse State Park, the remnants of CSS Neuse–a ship used by the Confederate Navy, and small towns like Dudley, Seven Springs and Deep Run.

People in these towns pointed Helmer in the direction of terrific barbecue. She suggests Wilber’s Barbecue in Goldsboro.

Reading Helmer’s article reminded me of the importance of pulling off the road once in awhile to read those brown historic markers and asking the locals, “Where would you eat and what’s worth seeing here?”

For more information about the Blue-Gray Scenic Byway, click here. One thing to keep in mind, many places are closed on Sundays. Here is a down-loadable brochure of the Civil War Trail another tour option.

Turducken: Where Does It Come From?

by Brenda Yun on

The unnatural trio of turkey, duck, and chicken might initially make your stomach curl, but the supposed supernatural taste of the turducken might just appease the staunchest of food critics. This chicken in a duck in a turkey has become a nationwide phenomenon in the past decade – so much so that NFL commentator John Madden awards a turducken to the winning team of the Thanksgiving Day game (usually the Detroit Lions versus the Dallas Cowboys). Just this year, though, Madden announced he would be returning to the traditional turkey for Thanksgivings henceforth.

The unlikely combination of birds actually makes for a nice blend of dark and white, dry and juicy meats. Preparing and cooking the perfect turducken takes at least ten hours. Start by deboning all the birds and preparing a cornbread and sausage stuffing. Basically, the turkey is laid flat and spread with a layer of stuffing. The duck is placed on top of the turkey (add another layer of stuffing), and the chicken (with leftover stuffing inside) is placed on top of the duck. Carefully wrap the turkey as you normally would and cook as usual. The advantage of turducken is that everything is edible, and you don’t have to work around the bones. Just dig in and enjoy the mixture of tastes.

So, when did the turducken come to be? And where does it come from? Turducken is strictly American fare, as nowhere else in the world would someone even think to combine these three distinctly tasting birds into one Thanksgiving feast. This tri-bird can be traced back to the Deep South – likely somewhere in Louisiana – some time in the early to mid 1980’s. Despite not being able to deep fry it as you would chicken, duck, or turkey separately, the turducken seems to come from a Cajun tradition. Some people credit Cajun-creole fusion chef Paul Prudhomme with creating the dish as part of the Duvall Days Festival in Duvall, Washington in 1983. However, Calvin Trillin in the November 2005 issue of National Geographic magazine traces the turducken’s origins to Maurice, Louisiana, where “Hebert’s Specialty Meats” has been commercially producing turduckens since 1985. The company still prepares around 5,000 turduckens per week during the holiday season.

Tofurkey-loving vegetarians might just be appalled at the pounds of meat that make up the turducken, but families across the nation are still cheering for this great new holiday staple.

Photo of the Day (11-26-08)

by Jamie Rhein on

I have a postcard of a cartoon that says something like this, “Erma, unsure of what to bring to the potluck, brought a loaf of bread.” All the other cartoon people in the postcard picture were sporting a loaf of bread as well.

In the case of this photo that was taken by jrodmanjr in the Ferry Building in San Francisco, I’m mostly reminded of abundance. I’m also drawn to the repetition and the crispness of the bread, and the fact that tomorrow it’s Thanksgiving.

If you are celebrating Thanksgiving tomorrow, may there be delicious bread and loved ones at your table.

If you have any shots of abundance, share them with us at Gadling’s Flickr photo pool where they might be chosen as a Photo of the Day.

Chicago airport food FAIL – and what’s safe to eat

by Annie Scott on

If you or your loved ones are traveling for the holidays and those travels take you through either of Chicago’s airports, you need to read this.

If you thought airport food was gross before, you ain’t seen nothin’ yet. At Midway airport in Chicago, an investigator recently found toxic black mold in the ice being served, and there was rat hair in a sandwich at O’Hare.

The big offenders:
Lalo’s – repeatedly stores their meat at unsafe temperatures, and the drinking water may be tainted.
Luigi Stefani’s – where they found the black mold, as well as unsafe sandwiches. Luigi Stefani’s failed health inspections in 2005 and 2006.
Reggio’s Pizza Express – failed three inspections since 2007 for various violations including the coolers not working.
The Doghouse – meat and cheese at unsafe temperatures.
Chili’s – failed four inspections in the last three years and is suspected of giving multiple travelers E. coli.
Manchu Wok – two failures since 2006.
Wolfgang Puck – two cooks with open sores on their hands.

Even Gate Gourmet, who makes the airplane food, has repeatedly failed inspections due to insects, rodents, and unsafe temperatures. There’s a lot of hot meat in Chicago.

Basically? If you have to eat something on the plane or at the airport, choose prepackaged items that could not be made toxic by being stored at an unsafe temperature, and stick to bottled water.

Be careful, because getting sick could ruin your trip.

[via cbs2chicago]

Five things you didn’t know about Chile

by Aaron Hotfelder on

Having recently returned from a fantastic trip to Chile, I feel compelled to spread the good news about this long, thin pencil of a country. I’ve already sung the praises of its Torres del Paine National Park– now here are five more reasons to make Chile your next travel destination.

1. The Atacama Desert, the driest spot in the world. There are some spots in this desert where precipitation has literally never been recorded. But despite its stark, lunar landscapes (see photo), northern Chile’s Atacama Desert is actually one of the most-visited tourist destinations in the country.

San Pedro de Atacama, its largest and most popular city, is surrounded by gorgeous mountains, active volcanoes, and a massive salt flat. Also within a short drive are crystal-clear lakes, ancient fortresses, a geyser, and the archaelogical site of Tulor. Many restaurants have only outdoor seating– no need to worry about the rain– and your meals will often be eaten near a campfire– hey, the desert can get chilly at nights.

2. Penguins! Who said penguins only live in Antarctica or at the zoo? These well-dressed birds can be found in southern Chile’s Seno Otway Penguin Colony, where visitors will see them lounging on the beach and commuting to and from their nearby nests. The surrounding view would make it worth the price of admission by itself.

3. Punta Arenas. As traveler (and former Gadling interview) Tyler Cowen notes, “Chile is one of the world’s best countries for lovely small towns.” And Punta Arenas is without a doubt one of the nicest.

Located in the heart of Patagonia, Punta Arenas features hundreds of brightly colored homes and shops (including a North Face), as well as fantastic restaurants and a cool cemetery. (Can cemeteries be cool? If they can, this one is.) And hold on to your hat– literally– if you visit Punta Arenas. This is one of the windiest places on earth, with windspeeds regularly hitting 50 to 75 miles per hour. An experience unlike any other.

4. Easter Island. If you’ve got an extra US$800 laying around for a flight from Santiago to Easter Island, by all means check it out. (And if you’ve got US$800 more, I’d even go with you.) Famous for its moai statutes which were created by the Rapanui, this remote Polynesian island also offers a nice museum and adventure activities like scuba diving, snorkeling, horseback riding, and surfing. (Seriously, take me with you.)

5. Outstanding food and drink. Chile’s seafood is fresh, affordable, and top-notch, including its famous sea bass, abalone, salmon, crab, and lobster. You haven’t been to Patagonia until you’ve tried the lamb, or cordero, which is so good that several friends and I actually chanted COR!-DER!-O! on the way to a lamb fest at one of Punta Arenas’ finest restaurants, Puerto Viejo. Our driver thought we were insane, but that was how we felt.

And if you haven’t jumped on the Chilean wine bandwagon yet, I’m telling you, get on the wagon (or off it, as the case may be.) Chile’s vineyards produce a first-class sauvignon blanc and the Carmenère will make you want to be a better person.

For more on Chile, see my post on Patagonia’s Torres del Paine National Park.