Yummiest First Class meals

by Neil Woodburn on

I just knew it would make me upset, but nonetheless, I couldn’t resist checking out a USA Today article entitled, Best First Class Meals.

And, as I suspected, I’m going to glare at the soggy $7 coach sandwich with even more disdain the next time I fly. That’s because those jerks up in First Class are basking in culinary Nirvana–at least on Gulf Air and Cathay Pacific. These two airlines snagged the top spots in an annual survey of the world’s best First Class meals.

And how did they earn such accolades? Try private chefs, caviar, Dom Perignon, made-to-order eggs, multi-course meals, specialties such as “honey glazed quail on a sweet potato cake,” and “Arabic spiced veal ragout,” and meals served on bone china.

If you really want to torture yourself, check out the accompanying Forbes slide show. It’s guaranteed to make your mouth water and possibly cause you to storm First Class in a daring food raid armed only with a stale baguette and a gnawing hunger.

The City of Brotherly Love shines.

by Grant Martin on

I think Philadelphia has been getting a bad rep. Sure, it leads big cities in murder rate and robbery is at a five year high, but is that really a big deal? I lived in Baltimore for a little while on the Johns Hopkins Campus and it was the best summer of my life. In Philly the streets are narrow and intimate and the Georgian and Federal architecture looms over you like parents watching a child wander the city blocks. Bars line the streets in Center City and after a hard night drinking you can still get a solid Whiz Cheese Steak at Jim’s to burn off your hangover.

With the crime rate so high in the city, the police department has their hands full keeping order; straight off a conversation on the virtues of JDate, my friend Brandon and I were leaving an apartment last Saturday with a couple of pockets-full of Yuengling. He cracked one open as we were leaving and I asked:

“Can’t you get an open intox here for that?”

He looked at me and shrugged, shaking his head politely.

“The police here have other things to do”.

Sweet. It’s just like being in Vegas. So next time your college roomate or your high school prom date asks you to stop by Philly for a visit, give it a good thought. The people, history, food and culture that abound in Philadelphia won’t let you down.

The challenges of foreign language menus: Or, how one restaurant in Moscow got away with serving dog to its customers

by Neil Woodburn on

Have you ever sat in a foreign restaurant with a poorly translated English menu and wondered why it looks so much shorter than the non-translated menu. Are there more dishes for the locals? Are the prices cheaper? Man, I’m always curious what I’m missing whenever this happens to me abroad!

Well, now I’m a lot more concerned after learning that a Chinese restaurant in Moscow has been shut down for serving dog meat. Sure, the Chinese language menu clearly stated that it was dog–a delicacy in parts of Asia–however, the same dish on the menu translated into local Russian stated that the meat was lamb.

To make things worse, the owners of the restaurant were procuring their dog meat from the large amount of strays wandering around Moscow. In fact, according to a Moscow Times interview with the local police spokesman, the only reason the owners were caught was because someone “reported seeing a truck pull up to the restaurant and restaurant employees unloading bags in which something was moving and whining.”

So, let that be a lesson to you; learn to read foreign language menus or at least avoid those restaurants in which the food is still whining when it arrives through the back door.

International festivals: Celebrate the love

by Jamie Rhein on

This weekend has one of the best events in Columbus, I think. If it’s not the best, it’s pretty darned good. The Columbus International Festival pulls together people from all over the world in two days of food, dance, music performances, displays, and a parade of nations. The groups that come aren’t just local, but from various parts of the world. Sure, it’s one way to see just how diverse Columbus is, but it also captures the richness of the people who call the U.S. home. The people who go are as diverse as the people who are vendors and performers. (This Flickr shot by a. feng is of an African dancer at the Columbus festival. I love the colors.)

My best time to go is right before it closes on Sunday. Prices are slashed so if you have a feasting spirit, you can take away truckloads of food if you want. My problem is deciding if I want to head to Denmark for a dose of frikadeller of to load up on Indian and Greek fare.

Columbus isn’t the only city to throw an international festival in November. I found three others.

Zombie Walk: Organizing events and activities for your inner zombie

by Neil Woodburn on


If you’re a serious zombie-wannabe, Halloween is strictly for amateurs.

The other 364 days of the year provide far better opportunity to surprise people and perhaps even get the jump on them–an important factor for slow moving zombies in search of fresh brains to eat.

But, as we all know, a lone zombie dragging his anemic limbs across the pavement is not the smartest thing to do; they are far easier to beat, burn, or shoot when meandering solo. It has now been documented that the real power of zombies increases exponentially when fellow zombies are at hand–and that’s why they travel and feed in small groups (i.e. a gaggle of zombies).

With this thought in mind, a group of like minded evil dead have formed the rapidly growing Zombie Walk group. This fine organization provides support–both logistically and mentally–for zombies in search of fresh brains. Rather than venturing out on your own, Zombie Walks organizes, well…, zombie walks. Like minded individuals gather together, slather on their pasty white make-up and bloodstained clothes, and then go for a leisurely stroll through some unsuspecting, white-picket-fence neighborhood. Check out the photo gallery here of a recent Zombie Walk in Richmond; it’s hilarious (the photo above is from this collection).

But don’t worry if you are nowhere near Richmond and are interested in taking a stroll with your fellow undead. Zombism is international in scope and Zombie Walk chapters can now be found throughout the States, Canada, and even in parts of Europe. Just check out their website for upcoming walks and join the parade.