Okra Man, Okryland, Okra by the Bushel and The Okra Strut

by Jamie Rhein on

I love okra. Okra fried, okra in gumbo, and the way it was served when I was in The Gambia, cooked in a tomato-based sauce with fish or chicken, seasoned with cayenne pepper and ladled over rice. In Irmo, South Carolina, folks are so in love with okra they have a festival that pays it tribute. At The Okra Strut the huge inflatable Okra Man is a mascot of sorts. This is the festival where people of all ages see how much okra they can chow down in an okra eating contest in between carnival rides at the Okryland section. The Okra Strut Parade is the state’s largest festival parade.

This is no small carnival either. 50,000 people are expected to show up at this two -day event, September 28-29. Perhaps they are hoping to take a prize home from the Great Okra Giveaway, although the days are also filled with performing groups and appearances by beauty queens.

South Carolina is also the state with the World Grits Festival. There seems to be a fondness for food that either you love or you hate. If you are an okra lover, here are some recipes in case you want to branch out from the usual breaded in cornmeal and fried.

World’s Largest Fondue Planned for New York

by Martha Edwards on

Growing up, fondue was a fixture in my house — a delight for a cheese-loving family and a bit of nostalgia for my dad who spent a large amount of time living near Switzerland. His version of the traditional melting pot involved lots garlic, wine and stinky cheese and man, was it ever good.

And if like me, you can appreciate a good fondue, you might want to head to the New York area next month, when Swiss cheese producer Emmi will try to break the world record for largest fondue. Served from a giant pot, the fondue is expected to feed around 3000 lucky people. Now that‘s a lot of fondue forks. Lucky diners will also be treated to live Swiss-themed entertainment in the form of yodelers and alpine horn players … perhaps even the Ricola dudes?

The last record-setting fondue was served in 1998. It consisted of 732 kg of cheesy deliciousness.

Big Mac Museum Pays Tribute to a Sandwich and a Man

by Jamie Rhein on

Can you say two-all-beef patties-special sauce-lettuce-cheese-pickles-onions-on-a sesame-seed-bun really fast? If not, try Big Mac. This is it’s 40th year anniversary. Already? It’s true. Frankly, I haven’t really given sandwich creators much thought–except for the 4th Earl of Sandwich who is credited with making the first sandwich ever. The guy who created the Big Mac, Jim Delligatti whipped up that special sauce 40 years ago. It was first served in Uniontown, Pennsylvania to customers who paid 45 cents for one.

To commemorate the grand occasion, there’s a new restaurant museum that pays tribute to this burger creation. The Big Mac Museum in North Huntingdon, PA is 40 miles north of Uniontown. If you want to see the world’s largest Big Mac, head here. It’s 14 feet tall and 12 feet wide. There’s also a bronze bust of Delligatti. If you have a hankering to get a bust of yourself in commemoration of your life, creating a sandwich is one option to get one. But, I’d guess the sandwich can’t just be any old thing. It has to grow in stature to be a cultural and economic icon.

If you think you might head here on the way to somewhere else–why not?–here’s a link to Huntingdon’s park and recreation page. There’s a fishing derby next weekend AND a map with nature trails among other things.

Restaurant Menus Available Online for Major American Cities

by Neil Woodburn on

You know the drill. You’re in a strange city, someone gives you a restaurant recommendation, but when you get there, there is nothing on the menu that looks interesting to you.

Well, a new website plans to alleviate that culinary nightmare. MenuPages.com is a database of thousands of menus covering restaurants in New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Boston, Chicago, Washington DC, and South Florida.

The site is organized by regions and cuisines. Simply find the restaurant that’s been recommended and click on the online menu or download the printable PDF file.

The listings are long and impressive–pretty much every restaurant I searched for in Los Angeles popped up. The one disappointment is the rather lackluster review section. Few of the restaurants feature reader reviews. Hopefully this will change in the future as the site catches on.

Is The Local Team Wearing Red?

by Brett Atkinson on

I dabble in a bit of sports writing in New Zealand, so when I’m on the road I try and get along to a local sports event. It’s a great way to get a feel for a place.

Here’s my top five suggestions for on the road sports experiences.

  1. Watching Boca Juniors in the cauldron of Buenos Aire’s La Bombonera soccer stadium
  2. Chowing down on hot dogs at a Yankees vs Red Sox game in the Bronx (and sorry New Yorkers, but the standard of food available was the worst I’ve seen at any sports event in the world)
  3. Discovering the joys of Australian Rules Football at Melbourne’s cavernous Melbourne Cricket Ground.
  4. Feeling every punch and sharp elbow watching Muay Thai (kick boxing) at Lumphini Stadium in Bangkok (with just maybe the best food)
  5. A day at the races (above) in the Sri Lankan hill town of Nuwara Eliya. I never did work out how you could place a bet on the horses, but the chill-laced snacks went great with a local Lion beer.

Click here for my article on the sleepy Sri Lankan town that’s surrounded by tea plantations.

Where else have readers sat in the bleachers drinking beer and cheering on the local team?

Thanks to PhantomMenace on Flickr for the pic.