Food and Wine's Go List

by Erik Olsen on

For some people the purpose of travel is all about food.
Honestly, I know several couples, friends of ours, who think only with their stomachs when they plan their trips.
Understanding the world through your palate, is what makes life worth living. Well, I can’t say that I agree with them
totally, but yes, there is something to be said for sitting in an outdoor cafe in Madrid, enjoying a plate of freshly
made tapas and sipping a deep, red, almost bloody wine.

So how about it? How many traveling foodies do we
have out there? Raise your hands. OK, on, two, three…lots of you. Well, I’ve got a surprise for you. Turns out that
you don’t have to do a great deal of research for your next trip. Why? Because the good folks at Food and Wine have done it for you. Yes, F&W turns to its 50 or so
correspondents in cities around the world and came up with a list of 376 best restaurants to help you decide where to
satisfy your gustatory needs. Called the "Go List" the site
here could be a nice thing to bookmark if you’ve got a summer trip ocming up and don’t yet know where to stay or what
you’ll eat. 

Soup Nazi Franchises

by Neil Woodburn on

The most obligatory stop in New York City for fans of the TV show Seinfeld is undoubtedly a visit to the Soup Nazi—the infamous rude purveyor of soups who was thrust reluctantly into fame when parodied in a 1995 episode.

Al Yeganeh, the real-life Soup Nazi, hates his moniker as much as he hates the line of Seinfeld-loving tourists who flock daily to his New York store and who he claims have “ruined his life.”

The tourists, however, can stop visiting New York, because now Yeganeh will come to them. According to Time Magazine, the chef—whose soups are so legendary that customers meekly endure the abuse he doles out just to slurp some of his steaming creations—has decided to move into the franchise business. Operating as The Original SoupMan, Yeganeh expects to open 1,000 locations across America in the next couple of years—all of which are prohibited from using any type of marketing that incorporates the term “Soup Nazi.”

Red Corner: Georgian Wine Fraud

by Neil Woodburn on

During Soviet times, Georgian wines were the most outstanding wines available in the USSR. Stalin, who was Georgian himself, loved these wines. Last summer, when I traveled through the region, I grew to love them as well.

So why do so many bottles taste so very bad these days, especially in Russia? The answer is not due to inferior grapes or winemaking, but the result of counterfeiters. Nefarious bottlers are hijacking the popularity of Georgian brands with not only cheaper wine from places like Bulgaria, but sometimes, not even wine itself but colored dyes and a touch of fermentation.

According to an article in The New York Times, officials estimate that 80% of Georgian wine sold in Russia is counterfeit-the majority of which is actually produced in Russia and affixed with fake Georgian labels. You can just imagine what such a practice is doing to the Georgian brand. But, it looks like it’s not going to matter anyway. Just last month, the Russian government outlawed the import of Georgian wines, citing high pesticide levels-although most suspect the Russians did so for political reasons that had nothing to do with the wine itself.

Nonetheless, if you can get your hands on a legitimate bottle, give it a try. The winemakers in Georgia will be very happy you did. And so will you.

Guava Magazine: The Girl's Guide to Travel

by Adrienne Wilson on

Boys look away now. This travel installment is
for the ladies only, but if you choose to stay then don’t say I didn’t try to warn you. Then again you may learn a few
things or two about your female counterpart and travel companion so stick around.

Guava Magazine is what I’m getting to and while I’m not sure how long this
periodical has been in circulation – It’s the full on girl’s guide to travel. Women, think about the times you woke up
the day before or morning of your big camping/hiking trip to discover the Fairy Godmother of PMS decided to bless you
with her presence. You’ve got cramps so bad they’d put even the toughest boot camp drill sergeant to shame, but you’re
still ready to spend a day in mother nature’s kinder environments. Carpe diem, right? Well, Guava does a fine job of highlighting three hikes in the Maryland area and
lists them by mood which isperfect for those that tends to have swings. How sweet. But let’s not linger on things we
already dread, they’ve got several other articles worth reading.

Check out their 5 reasons for going on your big road trip alone
(worry about getting a flat later) and just because the ticket to Paris didn’t cost you a small fortune doesn’t mean
shopping should. Look into their best-thrift Paris guide. For the most part I’d say Guava has something for every
woman.

Super Seville

by Neil Woodburn on

When I
made the decision to live abroad a number of years ago, I narrowed my choices down to Prague and Seville. 
Although Prague eventually won out, I still look fondly upon Seville and what might have been.

A recent article in The
Guardian (UK) has so perfectly encapsulated this amazing city that it has made me rethink my Prague decision and
wonder if perhaps I had made the wrong choice. 

Journalist Robert Elms’ evocative piece begins by briefly describing Seville as “a city of toreros and
flamencos, dark-eyed beauties and white-washed alleys, unforgiving blue skies, never-ending late nights; parades,
fiestas, siestas and blood.”  Wow. 

Elms stokes the flames even higher as he waxes on about Seville’s labyrinthine alleys, ornate palaces,
bullrings, tapas, Serrano ham, sherry, flamenco and more.  Wow again.  This is truly a wonderfully written
essay that provides an inspiring glimpse into an old Spanish town that has a way of grabbing hold of your heart and not
letting go.  Trust me.  I know this for a fact.