French wine: China does Bordeaux

by Anna Brones on

Although climate change might be having a negative affect on wine, France still managed to come out on top for 2007. The land of wine and cheese saw record scores for exports, $13.8 billion to be exact. Where were the big buyers? China.

China purchased a whole $364 million worth of French wines, cognac and other spirits, encouraging us to ask, is China going à la francaise? The country’s growing middle class discovering the delights of wine has made China France’s 11th largest market. And the Chinese aren’t just sitting at home sipping on Bordeaux; many are investing in French vineyards.

A company from Qingdao, an eastern port city famous for its beer, recently paid $3 million for a Bordeaux chateau. This isn’t child’s play; the company outbid a countess from Luxembourg to put its name on the chateau’s Bordeaux bottles. Seems like we will be looking forward to truly globalized vino.

Sound and sight-free dining

by Abha Malpani on

I’m aware of a few Dans le Noir restaurants run by the blind where you dine in pitch darkness, as if you were blind too — there is one in London, France, and Moscow; another company called “Blackout” does the same and has just opened a new one in Tel-Aviv where the staff are not only blind, but deaf as well.

Opened in December 2007, the initiative is part of Na Lagaat, a non-profit organization that initially was only a theater company with blind and deaf actors; the idea grew into the opening of this restaurant staffed by people with such disabilities. It’s a unique idea and encourages employment.

This company, although initially for people with both disabilities, has separate restaurant sections run by those who are blind, and those who are deaf — I can’t imagine how it would work if all were blind and deaf. Or could it?

It is said that service levels at such restaurants are beyond excellent, and since you have to rely solely on your taste and smell senses, apparently you enjoy the food more than normal.

When I first heard of Dark Dining restaurants — where you eat in darkness but the waiters can see with their special goggles, I thought it was pretty neat. But having blind waiters takes things to a new emotional and social level as you take renewed understanding about what it means and how it feels to be blind.

Have any of you been to one of these? How was it?

Smuggle poppy seeds, face jail

by Iva Skoch on

I am sure that life has been better for the unfortunate Swiss person, arrested in United Arab Emirates (UAE) after the airport security people found “three poppy seeds on his clothing after he ate a bread roll at Heathrow airport,” as reported in The Times.

The charity Fair Trials International, which assists people facing trials abroad, issued a warning following a spate of arrests of visitors to Dubai and Abu Dhabi stating that carrying some foodstuffs and common over-the-counter medications could warrant a four-year prison sentence in UAE.

Among the banned substances are foods containing poppy seeds; melatonin, which is taken to ease the effects of jetlag; codeine, a common ingredient in pain relief medication, and any trace of drugs such as cannabis, however small. For a full list of substances banned in the UAE, click here.

Remember, no poppy seed bagels before flying to Dubai. It’s not a Jewish thing. It’s a poppy seed thing.

What strange things have been found on planes?


Click the image to read the bizarre story…

Hotel pays tribute to accordion polka music player

by Jamie Rhein on

A themed hotel does not have to be grand to have heart. In Frankenmuth, Michigan, dubbed “Little Bavaria,” the Marv Herzog Hotel that opened eight months ago, pays tribute to Marv Herzog and his accordion playing life. Herzog, one of Frankenmuth’s most renowned residents happened to be a world traveling bandleader, accordionist and close friend to Bob Drury, owner of the Drury hotel chain. When Herzog died a few years ago, Drury wanted to honor him with a hotel that encapsulates the quality of Herzog’s life. That’s some friend!

The hotel Drury built is European boutique, cozy more than glitzy. As one might imagine, this tribute hotel has memorabilia throughout. Herzog’s accordion and microphone are in the lobby. Each of the 38 rooms has a collage of his belongings that reflect aspects of his life. Ellen Creager who wrote the Detroit Free Press article about the hotel quotes a reviewer on Trip Advisor.com who said he stayed here for a lark but found himself having a great time. Frankenmuth, Michigan has the aura of a Bavarian town so the hotel fits perfectly. There’s even a Bavarian Bier Garten.

Vitamin beer, aka responsible drinking Filipino-style

by Iva Skoch on

You have to hand it to the Filipino inventor Virgilio “Billy” L. Malang for creating an invention that has a widespread appeal. He has created a type of beer, which is Vitamin B complex-fortified and makes a promise to “take some of the guilt out of drinking” by replacing the essential Vitamin B which is lost when excessive amounts of alcohol are consumed. Mind you, this is the same guy who has published a book, called “Sex Every Minute.” I don’t think he’s got a patent on that, though.

Malang says that he believes the invention will be popular because beer is the national weakness of the Philippines. A Kirin Research Institute study ranked the Philippines as the 5th highest beer consumer in Asia, after China, Japan, South Korea and Thailand, with an average of nearly 20 liters (45 pints) of beer per person per year.

It has not been marketed yet, but Vitamin Beer already won a gold medal at the European Union-sponsored Genius-Europe competition at the Budapest Fair Center in Hungary in May 2004 and bagged the Romanian Ministry Education and Research Cup among 1,000 inventions by 540 inventors from 46 countries, Philippine Daily Inquirer reports.

This is interesting because I have lived under the impression that there is a lot of Vitamin B in every beer, that is why beer is supposed to be good for you. Or it could just be something my dad tells my my mom to make her feel better.