The 4th 2nd Annual Grilled Cheese Invitational Tomorrow!!!

by Willy Volk on

The 4th 2nd Annual Grilled Cheese Invitational takes place in LA tomorrow! Although the location will not be announced ’til the morn, we do know the doors open at 7 pm, and the cheese flows promptly at 8. Wanna participate? Sorry, registration is closed, but you can still come out, eat, and vote. Also, the organizers are looking for some extra hands to run the merch booth, set up/tear down, and help judge the 3 different sammich categories:

  1. The Missionary Position (Standard bread, butter, and cheese);
  2. The Kama Sutra (Exotic or standard bread, butter, and cheese plus additional ingredients); and,
  3. The Honey Pot (Exotic or standard bread, butter, and cheese, but a sandwich that is sweet in general, or would best be served as dessert).

Um…whatever. In case you haven’t been able to figure it out yet, this ain’t no ord’n’ry cooking competition:


Click To Play

Contestants will be judged on Presentation, Taste, and something called Wessonality. For details about the various sammich categories, the difference between standard and exotic butter, or tips on how to win a trophy, you should check the website.

[Via the I’m-always-having-more-fun-than-you guys at Laughing Squid]

BeerMapping, Mapping Beer for the Thirsty

by Willy Volk on

Need help planning a pub crawl? Want some assistance finding a beer store for your upcoming spring break destination? Grab your bottle opener and head to the Beer Mapping Project.

Mashing together Google maps and several beer-lovers websites, the beermapping project aims to plot beer bars, brew pubs, breweries, beer stores, and homebrew stores on an easy-to-read map. This way, the next time you’re at one of those boring conventions, far from home, you can easily learn where the nearest beer bars are (or, alternatively, where the greatest concentration of beer bars in the city is), call a cab, and head on over. It’s easier than saying “gulp.”

Currently, not all cities in North America are represented, though entering your city in the Location Lookup may still return results. Since my town isn’t represented, I searched the listings for Atlanta, since I grew up there. Though there are a lot of locations mapped in Atlanta, I was disappointed to see my favorite bar in Atlanta — Euclid Avenue Yacht Club — mysteriously missing. Rest easy, beer drinkers: I sent in a tip.

[Via Mapperz]

Get Free Pancakes on Pancake Day

by Justin Glow on

Today is Shrove Tuesday, or the day after Collop Monday, or the day before Ash Wednesday and the start of Lent, or Fat Tuesday, or Mardi Gras, or whatever you want to call it. The important part is that it’s also Pancake Day, and IHOP is offering one free short stack of pancakes until 10:00 PM local time. Why is today Pancake Day?

According to Wikipidia, “the reason that pancakes are associated with the day preceding Lent is that the 40 days of Lent form a period of liturgical fasting, during which only the plainest foodstuffs can be eaten. Therefore, rich ingredients such as eggs, milk, sugar and flour are disposed of immediately prior to the commencement of the fast. Pancakes were therefore the perfect way of using up these perishable goods, besides providing a minor celebratory feast prior to the fast itself.”

Who cares? It’s Pancake Day! Now go and claim your free short stack.

Coffee Tourism

by Neil Woodburn on

When most people think of going somewhere for coffee, they think of going down the street to their local Starbucks.

True coffee aficionados, however, might want to consider a journey to the source itself. Coffee, like wine, has a long, storied history which is spread across the globe and whose taste and style varies greatly from region to region. And, like wine, one can also tour the coffee “vineyards” and roasting houses where the magic occurs.

The Independent recently published the most thorough article I’ve ever come across detailing coffee-related tourism. It begins with a trip to Ethiopia, where coffee is thought to have originated, and then meanders across the globe to Yemen, Indonesia, Tanzania, Brazil, North Queensland, Mauritius, Seattle (of course) and numerous other places, like Jamaica, where I had no idea legendary coffee beans grow.

If you’re a true fan of the caffeine bean, check out this great article. Writer Rhiannon Batten has really done her homework and will point you in so many different, delicious directions your head will be spinning.

The Year of the Pig is Here

by Jamie Rhein on

Chinese New Year is here so the Year of the Pig has arrived. The pig, also referred to as a boar, is the last animal of the 12 year lunar cycle. There is a folk tale that explains the order the animals appear in the Chinese zodiac. If you’ve ever read a placemat at many Chinese restaurants you already know that each animal has distinct personality characteristics and the animal sign you are born under influences the life you will have.

Wherever there is a large Chinese population, you can bet you’ll find a celebration. Some places like in Singapore and Taiwan have celebrations over a 15 day period. This is a major time for folks to head out on vacation. I know, I used to live in both countries. We headed out ourselves along with everyone else scrambling for plane tickets. If you’re traveling to any of these places, be prepared that some businesses may not be open, at least not if they are run by a Chinese person. This is the time for visiting family and relaxation.

Here are some things to look for to help you celebrate.

  • Hung Bao (Ang Pow)– Red envelopes mean prosperity, long life and good fortune. Usually adults put money in the envelopes and pass them out to children.
  • Firecrackers – Their loud bang scares away evil spirits and bad luck and also brings spring rain for crops.
  • Lion Dance– The dancers wear a stylized lion’s head mask and mimic the movements of a lion. (It’s actually more involved than that). The lion scares away evil spirits and brings happiness and good fortune.
  • Live flowers stand for rebirth and growth.
  • Oranges and tangerines stand for “abundant happiness.”

A traditional Chinese New Year food to look for is zong zi which is glutinous rice wrapped up in leaves and steamed. Some have peanuts, egg and meat inside and can be found at many Asian grocery stores. I even can get them in Columbus, Ohio.

Here are links to various Chinese New Year celebrations around the world.

The photo is of a card designed by Chia-yi Fan for a New Year card design contest in Taiwan.