How bad are things in Haiti?

by Aaron Hotfelder on

Haiti is poor; we all know that. But just how bad are things?

Rising food prices have forced some residents of the poorest slums in Port-au-Prince to eat “cookies” made primarily of a dried yellow mud. Traditionally, pregnant women and children have eaten the cookies as an antacid and for calcium, but now some residents have, out of desperation, turned the mud cookies into regular meals.

The consumption of dirt and mud for sustenance actually has a name– geophagy— and it is becoming increasingly common in the slums of Haiti, the least developed country in the Americas.

The cookies are made by mixing edible mud with shortening and salt, then leaving them out in the sun to dry. Surprisingly, the mud is not “dirt” cheap– it costs about $5 for enough to make 100 cookies.

The AP has the scoop on how the cookies taste: “[I]t had a smooth consistency and sucked all the moisture out of the mouth as soon as it touched the tongue. For hours, an unpleasant taste of dirt lingered.”

It just doesn’t get much sadder than this.

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(Thanks goes out to Gadling blogger Kent Wien for snapping the shots above)

Superbowl Sunday in Phoenix with the corporate crowd: How is a jet like a donut?

by Jamie Rhein on

Reading about the lavishness of life for the Superbowl crowd who heads to Phoenix on Superbowl weekend makes me think of jets and donuts.

I’ve tended to pick jobs where free donuts are a treat. With coffee and half and half instead of creamer, it’s a celebration. Throw in pizza for lunch and it’s a holiday. I think perhaps I’ve aimed a bit low. But, don’t get me wrong, I love the jobs I’ve chosen. I just notice the contrasts between donuts and a corporate jet. Donuts are round for one thing–even the part that’s the hole.

For those who work in high flying corporate America a celebration is a different scene entirely. This scene is where the jets come in. According to this New York Times article, as of last Friday, 400 private jets filled with people are scheduled to land in Phoenix for the weekend to take in the excitement of being at the Superbowl. Many of the jets are chartered by companies looking to show their clients (and themselves) a good time. Others are jets owned by the companies. This is 50% more private jet traffic than last year.

Sixty thousand dollars equals 10 hours worth of jet travel, in case that sounds like a good time to you and you may want to rent a big jet yourself. Car rentals look cheap now, don’t they? Throw in a three-night-stay in a hotel and we’re talking serious cash. Three nights at the Ramada in Phoenix over the weekend is $2,382.78–and that’s the least expensive.

For those of us in the donut eating crowd, while we’re eating our glazed version of a good time, chew slowly and think about how long it’s going to take for all the private jets to leave Phoenix. It’s going to take awhile–longer than it takes to eat a donut. Some people may even have to hang out on a runway for awhile. Even money can’t speed up air traffic. How is a jet like a donut? It’s not.

Pizza styles from around the US

by Aaron Hotfelder on

Mmm, pizza. It’s been my favorite food since I was four years old, when it replaced mashed bananas. Mmm, mashed bananas.

Of course, all pizza is not created equal. We all know about New York style– thinner crust and what most people imagine when they think of pizza. But there’s also deep dish Chicago style and, my hometown favorite, thin crust St. Louis style. And that’s not all…

Over at Slice, “America’s Favorite Pizza Weblog,” Adam Kuban takes a look at all the regional styles of pizza that the US has to offer, including some lesser-known variations, like New Haven style, Ohio Valley style, and something called a Trenton Tomato Pie.

Check ’em all out here. Link via Cartophilia.

[Note: Though the above graphic may look delicious, do not attempt to lick your screen. I tried– it tastes like dust and static.]

Photo of the Day 1-27-2008

by Catherine Bodry on


When I lived in France, I made sure to try every single pastry available. I took me most of my stay there to get through them all, but sampling those sweet delicacies was a highlight of my trip. This photo, taken by Annie White in Paris, takes me back to those winter days in France where I would warm myself up with a café creme and pain au chocolat fresh out of the oven.

Do you have any travel photos you think might invoke tasty memories? Upload them to Gadling’s Flickr pool and we’ll consider them for our Photo of the Day feature.

Straight-up Scandinavia: The best culinary reason to visit Sweden in the winter

by Anna Brones on

Swedish winters are known for being incredibly dark and cold (unless the sky is lit up by the northern lights). Except for night owls, when dark hours outweigh daylight hours it is easy for most of us to cross such a destination off our travel lists. On the other hand, January is the start of a much awaited for culinary event, one that is worth a visit even in the lack of daylight: the arrival of the semla.

A semla, or fettisbulle (a “fatty” bun) as they are commonly known, is a wheat-flour bun filled with almond paste and topped with whipped cream and powdered sugar. Historically the pastry was meant to be eaten on Fat Tuesday or Mardi Gras, the last Tuesday before Lent. Being the last day to fulfill your epicurean desires, it is in fact the last moment to stuff yourself, making a pastry topped off with whipped cream ideal. In modern day Sweden however, the semla has gone commercial, and bakeries begin to fill their display windows with them at the beginning of January. They don’t leave until sometime in March, leading to a national, three month frenzy for the much loved baked good.

The semla is more than a mere culinary indulgence for a Swedish sweet tooth; it is tradition. Swedish newspapers fill with articles on which bakery sells the best ones, including reader taste tests, and recipes on how to make them on your own run abound. Even commercial supermarkets stock up on the much awaited treat. Despite the commercialization and extension of the event (you really are only supposed to eat them on Fat Tuesday), some Swedes still stick to tradition and eat the semla just as it should be consumed; in a bowl of warm milk, which soaks into the sweet bread.

Makes me want to take advantage of those Scandinavian Airlines winter fares to Stockholm right now, but since funds are running low, pulling out the recipe and making them myself is going to have to suffice.