No Wrong Turns: San Francisco’s Japantown

by Kelsey Mulyk on

Winding down the coast led us to San Francisco, which is one of my favorite cities in the world. It has a great vibe and extremely friendly people. The freeway was crazy but we managed to cross the Golden Gate Bridge into the city. The first night we decided to stay in a nice hotel, as it was my birthday (so we thought, but it was actually the following day, I guess we really lost track of time). I chose Hotel Kabuki, a Japanese-style hotel, for my so-called birthday treat. Tom and I lived in Japan for a year and I often miss the oddities that I discovered while living there.

The hotel is located in Japantown. Japantown in San Francisco is one of the oldest settlements of its kind in the US. It was apparently much larger at one point but after the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, Japanese-Americans were put into camps by the US government leaving the neighborhood vacant and open to others looking for a place to settle. Though many Japanese returned to the area it was never to be the same. The area has recovered well and offers a vibrant little community teaming with sushi restaurants, shops, izakayas, and all those cute characters like Hello Kitty.

Hotel Kabuki was nice though not very Japanese. The décor was an eclectic mish-mash of Asian cultures with a few Japanese traditions thrown in the mix. But the king-size bed and fancy sheets won us over in the end.

Oddly enough we ended up eating Chinese food that night, even though sushi was the plan. It was one of those nights where Tom and I performed the “I dunno where do you want to eat?” game for about half an hour before the hunger pangs were no longer bearable. Then San Wong’s popped up before our eyes and Chinese food suddenly sounded better than anything we had ever heard of. Trying to hide the growls escaping from our stomachs, we ordered seven or so dishes. I expected them to be the comparable to those at home but this assumption was way off. We could have fed my entire family, including my 17 year-old brother who eats anything that moves, with our meal. It was so embarrassing because we barely put a dent in our dinner. We both hate to waste food and did not want to insult the restaurant staff. To make matters worse I ordered noodles with plum sauce, which turned out to be noodles with blackish sauce, and a very…shall we say, distinct taste. I tried a little and Tom did too but it was not at all what we expected. So we did what anyone else in our position would do, we exploited Tom’s accent. He politely explained he was from New Zealand and did not know that dishes were so huge in America and apologized. The servers giggled and told us not to worry. Whew! If you are strapped for cash in San Francisco this is the place to eat. The best deal on the menu according to Tom….a gigantic bowl of steamed rice for a dollar.

“No Wrong Turns” chronicles Kelsey and her husband’s road trip — in real time — from Canada to the southern tip of South America in their trusty red VW Golf named Marlin.

Love from London: The best pub in Britain

by Iva Skoch on

As you well know, the Brits take their pubs very seriously, so nobody should be surprised that they actually vote for the best pub in the country every year. The judges say the competition “analyzes all the criteria that makes a good pub – including the quality of the beer, atmosphere, décor, customer service, clientele mix and value for money.”

According to the Times Online, the The Old Spot Inn in Dursley, Gloucestershire, a 100-year-old inn has won the 2008 Pub of the Year award from the Campaign for Real Ale, “despite having no juke box, pool table, fruit machine or theme.” Fruit machine or theme, I love that.

You can actually watch the video to get a feel for the atmosphere here, but I’ll tell you – when it comes to pub crawling, virtual reality doesn’t really come close to the real thing. We’ll have to wait for some sort of “Third Life” before we can actually enjoy a virtual beer.

Towns where John McCain might feel young

by Aaron Hotfelder on

Does eating well help you live longer? Well, duh. But does religious faith? How about inbreeding? The answers may surprise you.

The residents of three towns spanning a great distance– Okinawa, Japan; Ovodda, Sardinia; and Loma Linda, California– seem to have discovered the secrets to living long lives. These towns are host to the longest-living populations in the world, but each has its own explanation for the distinction.

In Okinawa, diet is the key. Residents of this Japanese island eat more tofu and soya than anyone in the world, as well as following the practice of hari hachi bu, which means to stop eating when one is about 80% full. Scientists believe that their exceptional diet causes residents to continue producing a hormone called DHEA more than normal, which slows down the aging process. About 900 of the one million people living in Okinawa are at least 100 years old, which is about four times the amount in the US.

Residents of Ovodda, Sardinia, live long lives as well, but for a more surprising reason. In Ovodda, marriage within the same few families is more common than elsewhere, and one professor believes this, in addition to their Mediterranean diet, might have something to do with their long lives: “From a genetic point of view when this happens there’s a higher probability of having genetic diseases, but also of having positive results like centenarians.” That seems to be because the 1,400 residents of Ovodda seem to share (more than most places) specific genes that are associated with longevity.

Finally, the town of Loma Linda, California, composed of a heavy population of Seventh Day Adventists, can credit its residents’ longevity to a balanced diet and, maybe, religion. Seventh Day Adventists live about five to ten years longer than the general U.S. population, thanks in part to their religion’s discouragement of drinking, smoking, eating meat, and basically anything fun. Still, the BBC article notes, “[N]ot all members do [abstain] and even they live significantly longer than average. ‘It does certainly raise the question if there’s something about spiritual life that also has an impact on longer life,’ says Dr Gary Fraser, who is researching the community.”

The doctor adds: “[T]here’s been one interesting fact that’s been known now for 20 or 30 years and that is that people that go to church regularly – whatever faith they have – live longer and there’s no question about that.”

Then again, when asked what her longevity could be attributed to, the chef Julia Child once remarked, “Red meat and gin.” I’ll drink to that.

More here.

Slice’s Top Ten Crazy Asian Pizza Crusts

by Justin Glow on

I don’t care what anyone says, I’ll still occasionally pop into a McDonald’s or Pizza Hut when I’m traveling, if only to check out the menu and see the bizarre takes on traditionally American foods. And sometimes I’ll even eat a meal there — the horror! In Hungary I saw the McBuri, in India the Maharaja Mac. A Burger King in Austria had the (delicious) Angry Whopper!

The pizza blog (!) Slice has a round-up of the “Top Ten Crazy Asian Pizza Crusts” that make the U.S.’s stuffed-crusts look tame. How does a “Shrimp and Mayo Roll Crust” sound, or the “Abalone Sauce Cheesy Lava Stuffed Crust Pizza”? Mmmm.

My favorite, however, is the “Rich Gold; Sweet Potato Mousse-Filled Crust” pictured above. Nothing says “authentic pizza” like potato mousse.

E-Menu: A side of computer with your meal sir?

by Anna Brones on

Ever had to wait too long for a waiter or waitress come to take your order? Did they have a surly demeanor? Ever had your meal arrive at the table only to realize that it wasn’t what you ordered? That may all change with new technology that is allowing diners to order their food directly from their table via a touch-screen computer system.

Companies developing “e-Menu” technology argue that not only does the system cut costs, but it in fact helps to boost sales. When a customer sits down in front of a computer screen and browses through delicious looking pictures of food, he may in fact order more. Who wouldn’t click on the golden creme brulée or the fresh looking sushi? It’s called impulse ordering ladies and gentleman. On top of it all, the touch screens can be accessed in different languages, allowing you to avoid the confusion that comes with language barriers. E-Menus have become so popular that restaurants in Europe, Japan, the United States and Israel are all testing out the new technology.

Although the tech-savvy might easily fall in love with the new ordering systems, traditionalists have their concerns. Computers can’t add the personal touch. If you’re a regular they won’t know your name and if you’re a visitor they won’t let you have a breath of the local culture via personal interactions. I once had a friend who tried to order a coffee — un cafe monsieur — in France and the waiter came back with a croque monsieur. It might not have been what he wanted, but it certainly made for a good story; you can be sure that it wouldn’t have happened with a computer screen.

Read more about e-Menus here.