One for the Road: Red, White and Drunk All Over

by Kelly Amabile on

Until I spent a month in Spain, red wine was something I generally steered clear of. I stuck to pinot grigio and the occasional chardonnay, even though I often didn’t enjoy them. But extended travel through Spain, and then Italy, and then Slovenia and Croatia too — and I was hooked on both colors of the wine rainbow. I attribute my growing amateur love of wine to the experience of tasting while traveling — besides meeting local folks, there seems no better way to discover a place than through the wine (and food) that defines it.

Natalie McLean’s book details her own wine love affair and how traveling played a part: Red White and Drunk All Over – A Wine-Soaked Journey from Grape to Glass is a wonderful introduction to the world of wine, from a journalist and sommelier who started out simply as a curious fan. She writes with experience, but also with honest passion and an engaging interest in all aspects of the industry that is as addictive as the wines she samples. McLean visits France to uncork Burgundy and celebrate Champagne, lingers in wine shops with global appeal in both New York and San Francisco, works as a sommelier in Canada and explores California’s Sonoma Valley. I gathered countless tips and useful insight from her investigative travels, but what sticks with me most is a renewed appreciation for the role that location plays in wine production. The French word terroir refers to the characteristics of geography that make individual wines so unique — it can be loosely translated as a “sense of place”. As a traveler, I’m drawn to what this word stands for — it entices me to set out on fantastic vineyard voyages of my own.

Is there another wine-soaked journey in Natalie McLean’s future? The only disappointment I had with her book was that McLean’s travels did not include visits to Mediterranean countries, or further afar, to places like South Africa, South America or Australia. I’ll be sure to check in at her impressive wine website, Nat Decants, to see if she’ll be embarking on future journeys. In the meantime, consider kicking back with a bottle of red and this truly enjoyable read — it’s a nice gift for all your wine-lovin’ pals…or to quench your own thirst for global grape goodness.

Air Force One flight attendants: A few good men (and women)

by Jamie Rhein on

When I think of Air Force One flight attendants, I tend to drift towards images from the movie “Air Force One” where Harrison Ford plays the U.S. President. Things did not bode too well for that crew.

In real life, Air Force One attendants don’t find themselves in a battle of wills with terrorists, but juggling a myriad of duties designed to make airplane trips comfortable and welcoming for the important government officials who use the plane to wing around the globe on official government business. Sometimes, this might be the President; sometimes, it’s not. You might be serving up a breakfast, lunch, dinner or snacks to Vice President Dick Cheney or Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, or whoever else is important enough to get a ride.

Today’s Wall Street Journal has an article that gives an in depth look at what happens on board and behind the scenes from a flight attendant’s vantage point.

If you’re a bit Martha Stewartish, it helps. One attendant’s highlight was making sugar cookies shaped like Texas. It’s not that easy. Frankly, I’d try New Mexico or Colorado. Those are more rectangular. These Texas shaped treats were offered to Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and Bush Senior who loved them. I should hope so. The woman who made them screwed up the first batch and made them again at home.

Besides cookie baking, you need to plan meals, shop for the groceries, cook the meals, serve the meals, clean up after the meals, and somewhere in the midst of this, load and unload suitcases. Before you head off the plane at the end of a shift, carpet sweeping is another must-do. Just thinking about that makes me tired. I’d be awful.

So what are the perks? Traveling around the world for one thing. The pay isn’t bad either. $40,000 is the starting salary. This is more than people start out making on commercial flights. The work load sounds a bit easier than what Skybus crews have to do. At least you’re not walking up and down the aisles trying to sell stuff. “Mr. President, can I interest you in a cinnamon bun? How about a Clif bar? A fresh mint?”

If being an attendant is something you’d be interested in, there’s a possibility that the 89th Airlift Wing, (under which Air Force one is part of) is hiring. You might not work on Air Force One, though. There are 16 other luxury planes that also fly dignitaries from here to there. Finding people who fit the profile of what the wing wants is not easy. Keeping your mouth shut about where you’re going and what happens on board is one requirement. One hitch, I think, is that you have to be enlisted in the Air Force. That’s what my understanding is after reading the article. Regardless of whether one wants to do a job like this one, this is a look at one of those professions people often don’t know exist.

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Airline snacks: bad for you?

by Catherine Bodry on

Airline snacks have moved beyond peanuts and pretzels (although there’s no shortage of either on flights), but are they better or worse for us than the salty standards?

Charles Stuart Platkin analyzed nine U.S. airlines’ snacks, and at first glance the results weren’t as depressing as I expected. United Airlines got 4.5 stars out of an available 5 on Platkin’s health scale. The snacks most airlines serve are far better than the free meals of old, he reports, which are “worse than a McDonald’s Big Mac, fries and shake” combined.

Platkins studied an airline’s variety of food, nutritional value, calorie count and the airlines’ willingness to provide nutritional information. What’s crazy is that United Airlines’ top-scoring snack — which is “vegetarian-friendly, trans-fat-free,” and contains granola, organic peach applesauce, cheddar cheese and other items — has 810 calories.

810 calories! In a “healthy” snack. If that’s the good news, I don’t think I can handle the bad news. If you can, read the rest of the article here.

Thanks to Steven Yuen-Pak Liu on Flickr for the photos of his not-so-nutritious American Airline’s snack pack.

Siwa Oasis: site of Alexander the Great and a holiday feast

by Jamie Rhein on

On Thanksgiving Day Heath Cox, his family and a friend headed to the Siwa Oasis for a long weekend and to cook a turkey in a sand dune. He left this detail in the comment feature of a “What did you head this Thanksgiving?” post. Intrigued, I looked up the place. I already knew it is in Egypt since he mentioned this.

If you are going to Egypt, I’d say the Siwa Oasis is one place to put on your must see places list. Sure, take in the pyramids, but don’t stop there. According to Egypt Voyager.com, the oasis is the place Alexander the Great went to in order to meet up with the Oracle at Aghurmi, the site of the Temple of the Oracle of Amun. The Oracle pronounced Alexander a god. This must have given Alexander the umph he needed to continue his conquests. Off he went to take over the Middle East.

There are other oases in the area besides Siwa, but Siwa is the place to find a thriving cultural center. I lit up when I read you can buy baskets that are typical of this area here. I collect baskets. Those of you who are fond of silver jewelry, it looks like this is the place for you.

If you do go here, bring a turkey. According to Heath Cox, drive 10 miles out of Siwa to a sand dune, dig a big hole, put coals in it with a stuffed, foil-covered turkey, add more coals, cover it up and when the steam escapes, the turkey is done. (Okay, I hope that’s when it’s done.) Sounds yummy.

Eleni’s Bakery: Oscar countdown? Almost

by Jamie Rhein on

My dad, who is visiting from the Hudson Valley region of New York, was watching either the Food Channel or the Food Network a little earlier. I heard Johnny Depp’s name mentioned and my ears perked up. There’s a bakery in New York City that put Johnny Depp’s lovely face on a sugar cookie. Not just Johnny Depp either. Anyone who is Oscar worthy might find their faces on one of Eleni’s Bakery cookies. The photo is from the Oscar contenders of 2003. Although, here’s a post from Luxist that assures this Oscar cookie venture is a yearly happening.

I became mesmerized watching how this bakery makes these cookies. Did you know there are sheets of sugar that work like paper? Amazing. In the past, these tins of Oscar cookies have flown off the shelves to the tune of 100 tins a day. Last year, I think these tins cost up to $58 per tin. It’s not cheap to be fashionable and “in.”

I think this Food Channel segment was a repeat since when I looked up Eleni’s Web site I couldn’t find any Oscar cookies, which makes sense since no one has been nominated yet. The holiday movies have just started rolling in and some of the Oscar contenders have just begun to show up at the dollar movie theaters. If you haven’t seen “3:10 to Yuma,” see it. It’s great. I also just saw “American Gangster,” but that’s not what I’m writing about now. Perhaps, though, come to think of it, we’ll see a Russel Crowe, Christian Bale or Denzel Washington cookie show up when the nominations come out.

You can head to Eleni’s for some lovely holiday themed cookies–or if animals are your thing, check out the safari offerings. The butterflies are also gorgeous. Chelsea, where the bakery is located, is a fun place to poke around if you happen to be in Manhattan.