The World’s Best Places to Catch a Buzz

by Willy Volk on

Recently, we mentioned some of the best places to grab a beer in Eastern Europe. If you were hoping for drinking tips with a more global appeal (both in terms of alcohol and destination), then you want to check out this list, which overflows with 13 of the world’s best places to catch a buzz.

In addition to telling you what’s bubbling about each of the destinations, the list runs down some of the local spots for sleeping it off. In short, travelers who love tippling will rejoice. Some of the pointers are somewhat sobering (Bourbon in Kentucky; Sake in Japan; Scotch in Scotland), but the majority of the destinations will make you drunk… with delight:

  • Port in Portugal
  • Rum in Barbados
  • Tequila in Jalisco, Mexico
  • Cognac in Cognac, France
  • Valtellina in Valtellina, Italy
  • Cachaça in Minas Gerais, Brazil
  • Pastis in Provence, France
  • Trappist ales in Flanders, Belgium
  • Meritage in Paso Robles, California
  • Microbrewed beer in New Glarus, Wisconsin

I’d like to point out that Stellenbosch’s Wine Route is pretty divine, too, though it didn’t make the list.

Evidently, we love drinking here at Gadling, because we have a number of related posts for you to drink in:

Website Ranks Airline Meals

by Neil Woodburn on

Most people don’t like eating them, and yet an entire website is dedicated to photographing and reviewing them.

Yep, we’re talking about airline meals. I’ve personally never had a problem with the food served on an airline, but quite frankly I can’t remember the last time I’ve been served an actual meal with all the cutbacks these days.

Nonetheless, AirlineMeals.net has carved out their little niche in the travel world with an extensive exposé of airline food. And nothing else.

The site asks readers to send in shots of their in-flight culinary experiences and every seven days a Meal of the Week is awarded. Currently, Singapore Airlines has been honored the most amount of times. Amusingly, none of the accompanying photos bear resemblance to anything I’ve ever eaten on an airline. This is because the winning entrees tend to be those served in First Class by airlines like Emirates (photo above).

AirlineMeals.net also has a section where one can browse meals by airlines. It is rather amusing to click on some of the budget airlines, like Southwest where people enjoy taking photos of a bag of peanuts and a Coke. Yum yum!

Squishy Bowls for Backpacking

by Neil Woodburn on

One of the more bulky items to stuff into a backpack is a cup or bowl. Sure, they usually aren’t too heavy, but they don’t squish down into a compactable shape–a very important consideration when backpacking.

Solving this problem was the inspiration behind Squishy Bowls. As you can tell by the name, these bowls can squish down into any shape for packing, yet spring back to their original form when you get to camp. They are so flexible, in fact, they can be turned inside out to help with cleaning (i.e. licking them clean).

Made of “food grade silicon,” Squishy Bowls come in a variety of colors and are temperature resistant to 400 degrees. The bowl and cup combination featured above costs $14.95.

Lost Hand Grenade Found in Potatoes

by Iva Skoch on

Just when you think it’s safe to buy fresh groceries, what with the recent spinach scare, and Adkins craze, and all…

A 74-year-old Italian woman brought home a sack of potatoes from the market recently, and was surprised to find a not-so-tasty surprise lurking there: a WWII-era hand grenade. The woman found the grenade while she was washing her purchase, alerted authorities, the bomb squad was able to detonate the grenade harmlessly, and no one was injured.

While one might think this would give a black eye to the fine cuisine of Italy, apparently, the potatoes came from a field in France. And the grenade was of the type used by U.S. soldiers during the war (which, interestingly, often resembled pineapples), making it truly an international culinary incident.

The Wavebox

by Willy Volk on

Well, it looks like glamping may be inching to the mainstream. Just check out the the WaveBox, a rugged, portable lunchbox that’s also a microwave. Running on 3 power options — AC, DC direct clip to a car battery, or DC connection to a cigarette lighter — the Wavebox allows glampers to heat up their popcorn, French toast, Hot Pockets, or whatever, without the hassle of that old messy, annoying thing, the campfire.

Featuring 3 quick-cook preset buttons for one-touch heating and electronic controls with LED display, the $199 Wavebox even boasts an integrated CoolWave soft-side cooler, which fits inside the WaveBox to keep food and beverages cool during transport. If all of this is just blowing your mind, check out WaveBOXMan’s geeky but thorough product vide-overview.

Love it? So does everyone else. The Wavebox is on backorder until May 1. Contact the makers to get on the waiting list.

[Via Get Outdoors]