Travel: A Day in New York

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/artsandliving/travel/features/2008/newyork/

How Often Does the Average American Eat Out

I since one statistic that says the average American eats 80 restaurant meals a year.  [I do not know what counts as a "restaurant."]

Zagat's says that the average American eats out 3.1 times per week.

Any others?

Words of the Day

Haggly: in the mood to bargain

Assify: to make someone look ridiculous

On Dark, Leafy Greens

There's a Wide World of Spinach Stand-Ins
http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-1375912.html (WPost; 10/4/06)

Drinking Alcohol With a Meal Can Prevent Food Poisoning?

"Alcohol with a meal can lower the risk of food poisoning."

The Claim: Drinking Alcohol With a Meal Prevents Food Poisoning
by Anahad O'Connor
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/15/health/15real.html

Blind Dining

"Opaque's Dining in the Dark is precisely what the name implies.  A three-course meal served in a pitch-black room with an added twist - the entire wait staff is blind or vision-impaired.  There are no candles or runway lights, not even an illuminated emergency exit - just 25 or 30 fearless foodies engaged in an experiment of the palate and psyche...Blame it on Jorge Spielmann, a blind minister who in 1999 opened his 60-seat Blindekuh (Blind Cow) restaurant in an abondoned Zurich church.  The idea caught on, with spinoffs appearing in Berling, Brussels, paris and London."

Dining Here Brings a Whole New Meaning to the Blind Date
by Arnie Cooper
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB113641656074537960.html

On Prix Fixe Dining

"Contrary to what some diners might think, going for the prix fixe isn't always a bargain.  Indeed, these menus can cost 20% or more than ordering a la carte."

The Prix Fixe Is In
by Mike Spector
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB116017187522585348-search.html

Gastronauts

"[They] are members of a billowing fraternity in the Americna tourism industry: vacationers who plan their travels primarily - often solely - around food and wine.  They are, to coin a term, 'gastronauts.'"

Gastronauts, Shooting for the )Michelin) Stars
by Bryan Miller
http://travel.nytimes.com/2005/01/02/travel/02gastro.html

Mussels Heaven: Ile De Re

"It's local mussels that show up when villages here host big pulbic dinners - the equivalent of pancake breakfasts - in the twon square, like the 'Fete Moules Frites' held in La Couarde-sur-Mer during the Bastile Day holidy weekend."

A Passion for Mussels
by Julia Moskin
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/23/dining/23france.html

The French, Food, and Trade

"France's passion for food culture and its policy of coddling farmers lies at the heart of a current deadlock in the World Trade Organization's global trade talks."

French Resistance to Trade Accord Has Cultural Roots
by Scott Miller
http://www.truthabouttrade.org/news/latest-news/7499-french-resistance-to-trade-accord-has-cultural-roots

Pablo Neruda's Ode to Conger Chowder

http://www.soupsong.com/z81200.html

Michelin Stars Translate Into Dollars

"Receiving a Michelin star increases prices in a Parisian restaurant by 20 percent, controlling for measures of quality, decor and location."

In the Language of Gastronomy, Those Michelin Stars Translate as Dollar Signs
by Tyler Cowen
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/13/business/worldbusiness/13scene.html

and

French Chefs Try To Turn Tables On Star System
by Molly Moore
http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-106287.html

Caring for Bananas

"In the summer heat, bananas tend to ripen faster than you can eat them.  Slow things down by separating bunches and storing bananas apart from one another, preferably not in a bowl.  As they age, bananas, like many fruits and vegetables, emit a gas called ethylene that accelerates ripening."

http://www.eagletribune.com/lifestyle/x1876255139/Kitchen-Tip-Keep-bananas-ripe/print

Is Choclate an Aphrodisiac?

"Research suggests that chocolate's aphrodisiac properties, if any, are limited."

The Claim: Chocolate is an Aphrodisiac
by Anahad O'connor
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/18/health/18real.html

Sushi Restaurant Tips

*Just a few suppliers stock most of the sushi restaurants in any given city.
*Spicy tuna rolls are often a way to disguise less-than-top quality.
*Most restaurants do not receive fresh fish on the weekend, so it is certain to be less fresh than on other days.  In some places, Monday is even worse.
*Unpopular restaurants may not have enough turnover to have fresh fish.

The Raw Truth
by G. Bruce Knecht
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB114324388013407970.html

We're Eating More, and Enjoying it Less

"Why?  In a word: guilt...two-thirds of women report they're dieting.  One-third of men say they want to lose weight.  They're forever checking their conscience before digging into that ice cream sundae."

We're Eating More, and Enjoying It Less
by Candy Sagon
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/18/AR2006041800378.html

How Much Do Chefs Make?

How Much Do Chefs Really Make?
by Judith Weinraub
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/18/AR2006041800376.html

Funa Zushi

"A primitive kind of sushi sitll made today is some ruarl areas of Japan, where it is called funa-zushi, 'crucian carp-sushi'.  One of the most venerable surving artisan producears of funa-zushi is a small company called Nakajima Shichirobei Shoten, in Katata, in Shiga Prefecture."

http://www.tokyofoundation.org/en/topics/japanese-traditional-foods/vol.-13-funa-zushi

Cool Maps: Mark Newman

From University of Michigan physicist Mark Newman...
http://www.worldmapper.org/textindex/text_index.html

5 Things To Make USing a Ramen Noodles Seasoning Packet

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/31/AR2006083101561.html

The Best Chocolate on the Planet

Sweet Charity
by S.s. Fair
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C04E3D9103EF930A35751C1A9609C8B63

Seven Easy Steps to a Better Barbecue

http://www.toolwizard.com/7stepstobetterbbq.htm

On Rare Tuna

Rare Tuna
by Todd Kliman
http://www.washingtonian.com/articles/restaurants/3870.html

Men/Women & Cheating

"A study set to be published in Psychological Science found that the higher men - or women - rose in a business hierarchy, the more likely they were to consider or commit adultery.  With power comes both opportunity and confidence, the authors argue, and with confidence comes a sense of sexual entitlement."

Men Behaving Badly: What is it About Power That Makes Men Crazy?
by Nancy Gibbs
http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2072527,00.html

Ever Human Who Ever Lived

"How many people have every walked on the planet?  That's what American demographer Carl Haub wanted to find out when, in 1975, he heard someone say that 75 percent of the people who'd ever been born were alive at that time...Using 50,000 B.C. as his starting point, Haub applied crude birthrates - the number of annual births per thousand people - to each population set, then added them.  His estimate?  In 1975, 103 billion people had lived, but only 4 percent of them were alive at that time.  Applied to 2011, says Haub, those numbers are 108 billion, and 6.4 percent."

From National Geographic; June 2011
http://hanovergraphics.tumblr.com/

The 10 Most Common Passwords

1. 123456
2. password
3. 12345678
4. 1234
5. (a vulgar password)
6. 12345
7. dragon
8. qwerty
9. 696969
10. mustang

Coverage For When the Vacation is Scrubbed

Coverage for When the Vacation is Scrubbed
by Scott McCartney
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704281504576331252643248680.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

The Rulemaking Process in the US

Good summary of the often misunderstood and underreported part of the US government...
http://www.ombwatch.org/files/regs/rcenter/backgroundpdfs/I.-V..pdf

Video: Understanding Highway Signs

http://whoknew.news.yahoo.com/?nc&vid=25223790

Restaurants Cherry-Pick Parties by Size

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-05/bc-rcp050911.php

Ogling Women's Breasts Good For Your Health?

http://www.snopes.com/humor/iftrue/breasts.asp

On Key Lime Pie

Real-Deal Key Lime Pie
by Steve Garbarino
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703864204576313632201708692.html

Rent vs. Buy Calculator

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/business/buy-rent-calculator.html

Eating Food With Your Opposite Hand

Q: I've heard that food tastes a little different when eaten with the hadn opposte the one usually used.  My friends and I tried this, and it's true.  Why?

A: Taste receptors are arrayed symmetrically, with certain areas sensitive to sweet and salty flavors while others are tuned to sour and bitter flavors.  When you use your favored hand to place food inside your mouth - especially with a utensil such as a fork or spoon - you do it the same way again and again.  But if you use your other hand, the food arrives from an unfamiliar angel and traverses a somewhat different path of taste buds.  The change is unimportant but noticeable.

Kodiak Crab Festival

http://www.kodiak.org/things-to-do/island-celebrations/crab-festival.html

Cynar

Cynar is a bitter, 33-proof liqueur that is distilled from artichokes.

It's Made With WHAT?
by Jason Wilson
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/03/AR2007040300444.html

Criticizing Chinese Food

The Center for Science in the Public Interest gives tips on how to eat healthier at Chinese restaurants...

Chinese Restaurant Food Draws Criticism
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2007-03-21-1675943176_x.htm

Eating Local Honey Cures Allergies?

"There’s no evidence that local honey relieves allergy symptoms. "

Eating Local Honey Cures Allergies
by Anahad O'Connor
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/10/health/10really.html?_r=1&nl=health&emc=healthupdateemb3

Corporate Travel & Health

I wonder if the same is true with travel for pleasure...

A Heavy Load of Corporate Travel Could Take a Toll on Employees' Health
by Linda Searing
http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health/corporate-travel-could-take-a-toll-on-employees-health/2011/05/04/AFXTAedG_story.html

The California Caviar Rush

The Great California Caviar Rush
by Stinson Carter
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703655404576292990600552436.html

On Island Biogeography & Finding Osama bin Laden

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2011/05/04/135989551/did-geographers-predict-where-bin-laden-would-be-close-but-not-exactly

Auctioning Dates

http://www.whatsyourprice.com/

20 Creative Bookshelves

http://www.buzzfeed.com/melismashable/20-insanely-creative-bookshelves

Stock Loss Tax Deductions - Know the Rules

http://www.bankrate.com/finance/money-guides/capital-losses-can-help-cut-your-tax-bill-1.aspx

Hairy Crabs Vending Machine

From Twin Lakes Crab Co.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1326157/Live-crab-vending-machines-commuters-China.html

Earth Without Humans

Q: If human life were to vanish from Earth, leaving only animals and plants, how long would it take for the environment to return to a pristine state?

A: ...The planet would forget about us in maybe 50,000 years...

http://mobile.parade.com/askmarilyn/2011/05/Sundays-Column-05-01-11.html

Toilet Restaurant

Modern Toilet Restaurant in Taiwan...

http://www.moderntoilet.com.tw/en/about.asp

Necker Island

The cost of Richard Branson's private island April 1 - December 31, 2011 is currently from $54,500 per night (for up to 28 guests), for a total of $1,946 per person per night.  It is $56,000/night starting January 1, 2012 ($2,000 per person per night).

http://www.neckerisland.virgin.com/en/necker_island/how_to_book/exclusive_use

Peter Island is another exclusive (and very expensive) private island nearbye...
http://www.peterisland.com/