Self-Heating Dinners

by Neil Woodburn on

Eating a hot meal while camping can sometimes be a huge hassle–especially if you are backpacking and have to trek in fuel and camping stoves.

My friends and I eat pretty well when we backpack, but the hassles of cooking–and the cleanup–can sometimes ruin an otherwise enjoyable evening. And if it happens to be raining, forget it! Cooking in a tent is a very bad idea.

I’m always on the lookout for tasty, quick, and easy food ideas for backpacking and was therefore somewhat pleased to hear about Quick Cuisine. These package meals come with a nifty button that automatically heats up the meal in ten minutes when pressed. And they don’t need to be refrigerated.

I’m not sure what type of mini-nuclear device powers up these meals, but I’m rather impressed with the concept. The big question, however, is does it taste good? I’ll find out soon enough. Quick Cuisine is currently only for sale in Europe but will hit the American market in the next month or so. Available flavors will include Beef Stew, Chili con Carne, Ravioli with Tomato Sauce, and Paella.

That’s four nights of meals, folks!

Crab Feast in Sequim

by Erik Olsen on

Forget turkey. Honestly, if I could indulge in the succulent flesh of any animal I choose for Thanksgiving, I’d likely choose the lobster or the crab. Just thinking about my recent trip to Maine and hanging on the beach eating lobster makes my mouth water.

Well the SF Chronicle puts out a piece on crabbing for Dungeness out of Pillar Point Harbor in Half Moon Bay. The writer then heads to one of my favorite little towns: Sequim, Washington, which lies about 60 miles north of Seattle and is on the way to Vancouver. It’s a dandy little tour that features a solid description of the town, but keeps its eyes focused on the main event: the tasty red crustacean.

GADLING’S TAKE FIVE: Week of November 5

by Adrienne Wilson on

It’s weekly recap time. Grab a P&J sandwich, chill out, read and relax.

5. Finally! A Cool Looking Sleep Mask:
Personally, sleeping masks cramp my style and bug the heck out of my eyes. However, I know there are many who enjoy keeping unwanted light from their lids as they rest and for you I direct you back to this potential travel gear or stocking stuffer you might wish to get for yourself or someone you know.

4. Moscow: Now Open 24 Hours:
Those who dislike the idea of city shops closing at early hours and lack of nightlife in big areas can leap with joy to learn that Moscow is changing things up these days. No more retreating to your hotel room at 9 PM for drinks. They are bending the curfew it seems so you can stay out late.

3. Forget Flying for Cheap: Have Them Pay You to Fly:
Get paid to fly? Is this too good to be true? Maybe. Maybe not. You decide.

2. Spider Pepper:
Sadly this isn’t a recipe for making black pepper from tarantula, but it does provide some interesting info on how spiders and peppers defend themselves in sort of the same way.

1. The Real Borat?:
Borat, Borat, Borat… It seems this Borat stuff is all I’m hearing about and I still haven’t gotten in theaters to see the flick. In any case there are mixed emotions about the comedian, especially from Mahir Cagri who seems to be completely sure that he was the inspiration for Borat. He had been doing similar comedy acts in Turkey before Sascha Baron Cohen came along. Who knows?

Bistro Cassis Restaurant

by Adrienne Wilson on

It is going to sound real sad when I make this confession, but I don’t think I’ve ever eaten at a French restaurant up until now. Gasp! I know. Surely I’ve had French fries, French breads, and oh, French toast and crepes, but nothing real fancy if you catch my drift. Can’t quite explain why I’d never tried more of it before, but I’ll make a guess in that I was probably too busy eating Thai, Indian or other super spicy cuisines. However, that is not the point right now. The point is I ate fancy French food at Bistro Cassis out in Long Island, NY and dug it!

My companion for the evening had her mind wrapped around eating steak tartar and as fond of red meat as I may be, I left her to eat the whole serving on her own. She did share the escargot, which was absolutely delish! It was my first time sampling the edible snail and I’ll be taste-testing this item more often in future French dining destinations. While it’s slipped my mind what she ended up eating for the main course, I remember very well what I devoured: Black fish (which is actually a white fish) with an assortment of vegetables. The vegetables included pieces of sunflower stem if I’m not mistaken. In summary the food was scrumptious and I would certainly visit again.

In regards to the atmosphere, the restaurant is medium in size and fairly intimate. The only thing that bothered both me and my companion was the first server, who just seemed a bit over-the-top in telling us the specials for the evening. He came off a bit creepy, but nice otherwise.

Bistro Cassis is located at 55 B Wall Street, Huntington, NY 11748. Ph. 631.421.4122.

Overweight China Threatens Globe

by Neil Woodburn on

Remember the old schoolyard theory that if all 1.3 billion people in China jumped at the same time, the world would be thrown off its axis when they landed?

I was concerned about this as a child, but now thanks to a recent news report, I’m even more concerned.

According to the Xinhua News Agency, 60 million Chinese are overweight. You know what this means! The accumulated mass of excess corpulence might be enough to finally get the job done.

A last second World Cup victory for China or perhaps a Gold Medal in the upcoming Winter Olympics might be the impetus for the entire country to spontaneously jump up in celebration. The resulting jolt of so many overweight Chinese would not only throw the planet off its axis, but would also push it out of orbit and send it hurtling towards the sun.

The cause of China’s recent world-threatening blubber explosion can be attributed to the recently diagnosed “Little Emperor Syndrome.” The LES, according to scholars, is the phenomenon by which China’s One-Child Policy has created a nation of spoiled children, each one of which is fawned over by six adults (two parents and four grandparents). The result is little Baby Mao spending far too much time at the Beijing Kentucky Fried Chicken as well-intentioned relatives dote over their prized, number-one son, plying him full of finger-lickin’ fast food.

Ack! For want of a deep-fried chicken wing and a child’s love, our poor planet is destined for a fiery death.