Oktoberfest in the West Bank

by Kelly Amabile on

This past weekend over 5,000 visitors and beer lovers celebrated Oktoberfest in an unlikely place — the small town
of Taybeh in the West Bank. The Taybeh Brewery is a first for Palestinians, and as this
NPR Marketplace piece
reports, Christian owner Nadim Khoury has high hopes that beer can continue to flow in this traditionally dry region to
help the economy flourish.

Khoury started the brewery back in 1994, and has had marked periods of success and trouble building his business
over the past ten plus years. He recently signed an agreement with a small German firm to brew his beer, and has also
found an importer who is helping sell the beer in parts of Europe.
Khoury is developing a non-alcoholic brew too, so that Muslims can enjoy beer in the bank as well. I’m assuming this
means there will be a second annual Oktoberfest in Taybeh, which may be bigger and better than the last.

Italian Culinary Tours and Classes

by Kelly Amabile on

In honor of the
Italian explorer being recognized today, let’s celebrate
the rich traditions of Italian culture — food and drink! (It’s almost lunchtime…)

The folks at Italian Cooking and Living
offer up a host of culinary and travel items that spread the spirit of Italy. Besides their two
magazines, the company runs the Italian
Culinary Institute, food and wine clubs, cooking classes and culinary tours. Their
Italian Table Tours host gourmet vacations
throughout Italy. There are several tours scheduled for Fall 2005 to
Tuscany and
Emilia Romagna and
trips to Apulia, Bologna and Lake Orta are already posted for 2006. They’re pricey escapes, but probably highly
delectable and worth the splurge if it’s what your craving.

If you can’t get away, then experience Italia closer to home. Watch clips from their
TV show or visit New York for a class — last month
the group reopened their Italian Culinary Center,
offering a long list of food, wine and language
classes. Or join one of their clubs, like
cheese or olive oil, and receive a monthly taste of Italy by mail. Their website offers tons more: a recipe archive,
tips on how to cut and prepare food, explanations of regional cuisines and a rather extensive glossary of Italian
cooking terms. Mangia!

Mini Meat

by Erik Olsen on

Well, you thought there was already a blog about everything right?
What about a blog dedicated to small and bite-sized things? You have to
admit that when you’re traveling, it’s awfully nice to have a complete toiletry set.
Toothpaste,
deodorant,
cleansing wipes…here they are. And what about
carrying along your own Grey Poupon or ketchup for
that noodle meal in some little village in China?

Well, whatever your mini-fancy, this site probably has it. Sure, you can go to McDonald’s and pocket pilfer some
ketchup packets. Or drop by the Yoshinoya for your Kikoman fix, but at this site you can do all your mini-shopping in
one fell swoop.  And as I said, they also have a blog, so you can
follow the daily travails of someone working in the world of mini-foods.

Props to Panera

by Kelly Amabile on

I’m sitting in a Panera Bread in Chevy Chase, MD right now,
getting some work done. I’ve visited several Paneras in multiple states over the past few months when I really needed
to get connected to the Internet ASAP. I don’t see a reason to pay for it at a Starbucks when it’s free at Panera,
which has almost 700 restaurants with free wireless access. They will always get my business over a place that makes
you pay for it. (They have a bigger menu selection too!)

I often try to find local coffee shops, cafes or libraries that offer free wifi, but when in doubt or a huge rush,
I’ve always had luck finding a Panera relatively close by where I can quickly get working on what I need to do. It
would be cool to see more chain restaurants take a hint and join the fee wifi club.

A friend and I will be heading into Washington DC a bit later today, so I did some research on other free wifi spots
downtown. Dupont Circle went wireless early this summer — folks
get free access at any outdoor area surrounding the circle. Initiatives are also underway to create several free wifi
spots at the National Mall. Some are already in service — check out Open
Park to learn more.

Algerian Sweets: Semolina with Honey

by Adrienne Wilson on

Mysterra Magazine has an awesome selection of recipes from places like Algeria, Martinique, Brittany, India and Texas to name a few. Tonight I’m choosing to focus on the Algerian recipes. I’m in the mood for something sweet and there is something about honey I can’t resist. Honey used to be a taste my taste-buds couldn’t tolerate one ounce, but these days I’m all for it! The recipe found here looks pretty easy to prepare and may require a special trip to the grocery store if you don’t have any semolina, honey, butter or cinnamon on hand. Mysterra’s Semolina with Honey recipe sounds so easy that I’ll go ahead and tell it to you now.

Step one involves browning the semolina with the butter and adding honey. Next, you’ll want to stir over low heat until the paste is compact. Once step one and two are successfully completed, pour the ingredients into a small bowl and decorate with cinnamon powder. Pretty easy, eh? If you’re really up for a challenge try preparing the full Algerian lunch menu they have. Recipes for the Chickpea Soup and Chicken with eggs au gratin can be found above the dessert which some save for last, but is nice to have first. Only sometimes.

(Note: I couldn’t find a picture of the exact semolina recipe found at Mysterra and that pictured is a Semolina cake which is slightly harder to prepare. The recipe for the cake can be found by clicking, here.)

Enjoy!