Food Republic2013-05-22T08:50:05-04:00Food Republichttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/author/index.php?author=food-republicCopyright 2008, HuffingtonPost.com, Inc.HuffingtonPost Blogger Feed for Food RepublicGood old fashioned elbow grease.Why Do People Love Eating Dangerous Foods?tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2013:/theblog//3.31483582013-04-24T14:20:02-04:002013-04-24T14:20:09-04:00Food Republichttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/food-republic/by George Embiricos
Physical and emotional discomfort. Hospitalization. Asphyxiation that can lead to death. No, we're not talking about the symptoms of some mysterious foodborne illness here, but rather the potential consequences of voluntarily eating some common, and often popular, foods. With these possible side effects widely documented, what is it exactly that causes people to not only include these foods in their diets but to go out of their ways to find them? Let's take a look at some of the most dangerous foods thrill-seekers can't stay away from.
A spoonful of cinnamon
Does a spoonful of cinnamon a day keep the doctor away? Not exactly. In fact, you will probably need a doctor on call. A recent article in The Atlantic details how a medical journal looked into the "cinnamon challenge," which essentially involves a person trying to swallow a spoonful of dry cinnamon. The aftermath almost always includes coughing, vomiting and can even lead to collapsed lungs. Yet Pediatrics reports that there are currently some 51,000 videos on YouTube of individuals attempting the challenge. What gives? In this case, we hypothesize that the majority of people actually believe that the challenge is attainable, stemming from a familiarity with the spice, or are simply looking to impress family and friends.
Hot chilies
The Wall Street Journal wrote last month about the ongoing race to grow the world's hottest pepper. The article focuses on the public's increasing awareness of items such as the habanero and chipotle peppers (one is now a Doritos flavor and the other a fast-food chain, the Journal points out). The piece delves into the competitive nature of consuming ridiculously hot peppers, mentioning recent individuals dethroning each other by eating items measuring 1.464 million Scoville Units (that's the "standard measure of heat"). To give you an idea of just what we're talking about here, that's over 225 times as hot as your standard jalapeño. Now, there are even restaurants serving dishes that include waiver forms, and some diners end up in hospitals after challenging their spice tolerance. Why? Publicity stunts, fame, livin' on the edge.
Fugu (puffer fish)
Widely recognized as the world's most dangerous food, blowfish is often referenced in popular culture (hey there, Charlie's Angels). Each year, there are approximately 35 to 65 victims hospitalized from eating fugu in Japan -- where it has long been considered a delicacy -- with a 6.8 percent fatality rate. The poison, tetrododoxin, is found in the skin, skeleton, ovaries, intestines and liver of the fish, and chefs hoping to serve the dish must go through years of rigorous training just to gain certification allowing them to prepare it. Articles note, however, that some people prefer to eat the fish with juuuuuust a little bit of toxin in it to experience a tingling sensation. We're not even sure where to begin on this one, frankly. The ultimate bragging rights? A strong death wish? Yeah, we give up.
Ever attempt the cinnamon challenge? Fan of scorching hot chilies? Planning to travel to Japan to nosh on some puffer fish? Let us know in the comments.]]>6 Restaurant Certifications to Help You to Healthier Eatingtag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2013:/theblog//3.28194972013-03-07T11:46:51-05:002013-05-07T05:12:01-04:00Food Republichttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/food-republic/We've asked Clean Plates founder Jared Koch to help sort out the different restaurant health certifications out there, and he's written back with six of the best that his email and restaurant guide uses.
At Clean Plates, the email newsletter and restaurant review guide whose mission is to take the grunt work out of eating healthier, we have a fairly intensive process of vetting restaurants before deciding whether they've earned a spot in our guides or a coveted Clean Plates Seal of Approval. Restaurants are vetted for nutritious, organic, local and sustainable ingredients, as well as taste, with options for all types of eaters from carnivores to vegans.
As part of the process, we incorporate data from several certification bodies to inform our ratings system; each one brings something to the table that we're looking for. Here are the certifications, and what each one actually certifies:
A Slow Food Snail denotes local and sustainable ingredients, but doesn't account for overall nutrition. So with this certification alone, you could find chicken that's free-range and local but still deep-fried.
Certified Green restaurants must have a full-scale recycling program, be Styrofoam-free and tally up points for things like consuming less energy and being water-efficient. Though points are also given for sustainable food, the emphasis is primarily on environmental impact unrelated to actual food sourcing.
Animal Welfare Approved (AWA) thoroughly ensures that the dairy, meat and/or eggs at a restaurant came from animals that lived happy lives; they must be pastured, free-range and raised on family farms. However, one major part of the meal -- produce -- is not approved under this certification.
SPE, or Sanitas Per Escam, Latin for "health through food," is focused on the nutritional content and sourcing of ingredients. SPE consultants revamp chefs' dishes to become healthier and lower-calorie without losing flavor. Unfortunately, there are very few SPE Certified restaurants (only three in New York City, for instance). This system also advocates minimizing butter and cream, so some well-known chefs who cook with these ingredients have been resistant to spring for this particular certification.
The Gluten-Free check mark means that the restaurant's management has worked with a consultant to safely produce gluten-free food. That means no contamination can occur. While this is assuring for people with Celiac disease, with only this certification, a gluten-free pizza could still have hormone-laden meat on top.
The American Heart Association heads up this effort, which gives a seal to individual dishes with fewer than 700 calories and reduced saturated fats, trans fats, sodium and cholesterol. Still, neither food sourcing nor quality are measured. Subway restaurants were the first to serve these "heart-healthy meals."
Try out these healthy meals for dinner tonight from Food Republic:
For more on personal health, click here. ]]>12 Mandatory Medicines For Adventure Travelerstag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2013:/theblog//3.24325402013-01-11T07:00:00-05:002013-03-13T05:12:01-04:00Food Republichttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/food-republic/We asked a medical professional, Dr. Jason Ough M.D., for the medicine kit essentials for traveling to more, um, turbulent parts of the world.
This is not going to be a list of street drugs. This is intended to be more of a rough guide for building your own travel medicine cabinet. A few things go without saying but we'll say them anyway. Bring all current medications you're taking for any medical conditions you may have. Research your location thoroughly (the CDC and WHO websites are great places to start) and learn which vaccines are recommended. Go see your doctor, tell them about your planned trip and make sure all your vaccines are up to date. Obtain whatever prescription antibiotics are recommended, especially for traveler's diarrhea if it's common in the region you'll be visiting.
The rest of this list can generally be assembled from your local Walgreen's. And if some of these meds are unfamiliar to you, please run them by your doctor. Disclaimer: nothing in this article is a substitute for real, face-to-face medical advice!
1. Ibuprofen Obvious pain-relieving properties. Late-night bingeing on cheap local moonshine? Your head will thank you. I'd personally recommend ibuprofen over acetaminophen in most cases, since there is always a concern of liver toxicity with too much Tylenol + alcohol. Any twisted ankles or other bumps or scrapes would benefit from a dose or two as well.
2. Benadryl It's an antihistamine, a mild med that can soothe most allergic symptoms...and it also makes you sleepy. That's right. Take a couple of these before bedtime and you'll be out like a light. And no weird Ambien hangover, either. True story: my friend took an Ambien on a transoceanic flight, woke up, and realized that he left his bags at the airport. Not a good look.
3. Pseudoephedrine/Phenylephrine (Sudafed) Both drugs are marketed under the Sudafed brand (phenylephrine has a PE affixed to the end). Both meds are great for clearing sinus passages. Also has the benefit of not causing drowsiness, like many other allergy-type medications.
4. Hydrocortisone cream Prevents itching, helps with bug bites. Always good to have with you.
5. Neosporin ointment Any topical ointment is going to be a godsend when you get that inevitable cut or scrape and you're traveling in less than ideal surroundings. Helps with wound healing and keeps them nice and clean.
So that's the first aid kit. Now, on to the good stuff. You know what I'm talking about.
6. Loperamide (Imodium) Anti-diarrheal. Slows that sh*t down when Montezuma's revenge is raging down in the bowels of your... bowels.
7. Magnesium hydroxide (Milk of Magnesia) Laxative and antacid. Speeds that sh*t up when you've been living off of street meats and haven't had a salad in a week.
8. Famotidine (Pepcid) or ranitidine (Zantac) Great at preventing heartburn. Take one before you take on that ghost chili curry. Helps prevent the ring of fire the next morning, if you what I mean (and I know you do).
9. Tums/Rolaids Great for helping curb the heartburn when you forget to take a Pepcid before going H.A.M. on the ghost chili curry. How's that ring of fire feel?
10. Dimenhydrinate (Dramamine) Used for preventing motion sickness. Way better than those silly bands that you wear on your wrist. Actually, take one of these while wearing those bands next time you're knocking around inside a rickshaw crossing streets in congested Hanoi, and you just might not vomit on your sandals.
11. Pepto-Bismol This is a good med to chug on a daily basis if you're in an area that may expose you to an increased risk of contracting that ever-feared nuisance, traveler's diarrhea (aka Montezuma's revenge, the Aztec two-step, the Pharaoh's revenge, mummy's tummy, Delhi belly, etc.) It's not without its side effects and medication interactions, though, so double-check with your doc if you're planning to use increased dosing.
12. Oral rehydration salts When you get that inevitable bout of the trots, you're going to want to make sure you stay hydrated above all. Being dehydrated with the runs in a foreign land can only be a most miserable feeling. Use these little packets of salt and electrolytes and sugars mixed in with a nice, clean, pure bottle of water to keep your system tanked and keep yourself from having a headache, or worse - passing out.
Other helpful things to bring along with you: vitamins, Airborne, Purell or other hand sanitizers, probiotics. Happy trails!
Read more about Fantasy Travel Week from Food Republic:
-- Jason Ough]]>Around The World In 8 Doughnutstag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.20117762012-10-31T08:00:00-04:002012-12-31T05:12:01-05:00Food Republichttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/food-republic/
Behold, the power of the doughnut.
From Malaysia to Montego Bay, global expressions of deep-fried dough transcend trends, defy political borders and provide an oddly insightful look at local history and culture.
This guide to the world's top fritters will keep you well apace the circle of life. Pack your bags (and maybe throw in some workout gear?). We're heading around the world in eight doughnuts.
1. Chile: Berlines
In the mid-19th Century, waves of German immigrants arrived on South American shores. To Chile, the Teutonic invasion brought small, round morsels of fried dough, henceforth called berlines. Chilean chef Camila Moreno, who heads up the kitchen at New York's Puro Chile, also makes berlines to order at her Santiago pastry shop, Santa Clara. Request yours with manjar, the Chilean term for dulce de leche, and prepare yourself for the sweet life.
2. Japan: Curry Bread
A snack so popular it makes regular anime appearances and even has its own superhero, Kare pan man (Curry Bread Man), this savory okazu is made by deep-frying sweet, panko-encrusted dough with a small scoop of Japanese curry inside. Joel Rubuchon sells a Michelin-starred curry bread at his eponymous Tokyo atelier, but the savory snack is available at convenience stores throughout the city.
3. Jamaica: Festival
A cross between a savory cruller and a Southern hushpuppy, festival is a long, thin Jamaican doughnut typically served alongside bold island fare like jerk chicken, fish or pork that's been encrusted with local scotch bonnets. Popular jerk stand Scotchies has locations in Montego Bay and Ocho Rios, where festival provides antidotal relief to the spicy main for brave locals and heat-seeking travelers alike.
4. Italy: Bombolone
From Venetian Carnivale fritters to Rome's carciofi alla Giudia, Italy knows fried food. Bomboloni, doughy masterpieces coated in sugar and filled with cream, are a Tuscan treat that, like their American counterparts, can be served as a dessert, snack or indefensibly unhealthy breakfast. At Florence's Cucciolo Bar & Pasticceria, freshly baked bomboloni appear continuously throughout the day like so many pilgrims to the Church of San Marco. Go in peace.
5. Hawaii: Malasada
Originally a Portuguese Lenten confection, these round fritters first came to the Pacific in the late 1800s with Azorean sugar plantation workers. Malasadas have since been embraced throughout the islands, where they are given the tropical treatment with chunky fruit fillings made from local taro, pineapple, mango or passion fruit. Honolulu bakery Leonard's has been family-run since 1952, and today also operates roving malasadamobiles throughout Oahu, and a second storefront in Tokyo.
6. India (and Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka): Jalebi
A spiral-shaped enigma coated in simple syrup, jalebi's uncertain origins can be traced back to 16th Century Persian traders, and/or 13th Century Mesopotamia. Today, the chewy, addictive sweet is served at food stalls and chat shops across South Asia. Local favorite Old and Famous Jalebi Wala, in Delhi's Chandni Chowk neighborhood, has upheld the promise of its name since 1884.
7. Los Angeles: Vegan Doughnuts
Downtown Los Angeles, where locals shoot wheatgrass like whisky, is home to one of the world's most innovative doughnuts. The most successful New York export since Scarlett Johannsen, the vegan-baked goods at LA's two BabyCakes locations are predictably popular with health-conscious locals. Shockingly, they're also delicious. Babycakes' baked-not-fried, salted caramel doughnut oozes sweet, gooey goodness with every soy-, gluten- and guilt-free bite.
8. Malaysia: Kuih Keria
While most kuih, or Malay tea snacks, are steamed, these round sweets provide the full doughnut experience. Pureed sweet potatoes are rolled into dough with white or tapioca flour, deep-fried and coated with crystalized sugar. Hawker stalls throughout Malaysia sell the handheld sweet, but head to KL's "eat street" Jalan Alor to sample kuih keria alongside hundreds of other snacks. Choose wisely, friends.
Check out these global guides from Food Republic: The World's Best Airport Restaurants The World's 8 Wildest Food Markets The 8 Best Airlines For Drinking The World's Best [Free!] Hotel Mini-Bars]]>The World's 6 Scariest Restaurantstag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.20016642012-10-22T13:34:55-04:002012-12-22T05:12:01-05:00Food Republichttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/food-republic/following the path of Andrew Zimmern -- has become surprisingly mainstream. While most Americans are not snacking on fried Cambodian tarantulas, they are increasingly aware of such daredevil dining habits.
Consider Dans Le Noir. Already an institution of terror in Paris, Barcelona and St. Petersburg, the dining-in-total-darkness restaurant recently debuted a branch in Manhattan's Times Square, giving New Yorkers the chance to stumble through three mysterious courses alongside 70 unseen strangers in a pitch-black space.
Our guide takes you into the Midtown madness and beyond. Those with a strong constitution and solid game face might consider booking a table at a haunted Southern mansion, in an Italian prison or 150 feet above city traffic. With Halloween coming up next week, what better time to take a look at the world's scariest restaurants?
The Rodney Dangerfield of spirits, rum, is rarely given its fair due. In the post-Hemingway world of serious drinkers, it's either maligned as super saccharine, or pigeonholed as a beachside one-trick-pony.
But a rum renaissance is upon us. An increasingly curious cocktail culture is embracing the diversity of the spirit, which ranges from light and dry to dark and rich. Like mezcal and sotol before it, rum's rediscovery is in turn leading to better availability in the U.S.
From Brooklyn's Clover Club to the Caribbean, the best bartenders and mixologists are crafting rum into cocktails and lists that are conspicuously Captain-free. It's time to rewrite your rum diary. That's why we've compiled 10 things you might not know about rum, plus recommendations for some of the world's best under-the-radar bottles and killer cocktails.
While channel surfing the other night I came across a news report about alleged deleterious effects of alcohol consumption. It seems a recent article in Scientific American Mind suggests that hitting the sauce does not kill brain cells, but can damage them - particularly in the cerebellum.
Granted, I was six beers in at the time, but booze-addled or not, I can recognize a specious claim when I hear one. So I decided to investigate. While I'm pretty sure I studied the brain in high school biology class, for the life of me couldn't recall anything about the cerebellum. After Googling it I discovered it's the part of the brain that controls memory and learning retention. Shut up, Google!
Anyway, where was I? Oh yeah. While channel surfing the other night I came across a news report about alleged deleterious effects of alcohol consumption...wait, man, this beer glass is empty again.
As you can imagine, such damning charges levied against the substance that is the very foundation of both my livelihood and dating life made me depressed. Coincidentally, the TV news report also cited that as a byproduct of booze consumption. The report concluded with an ominous warning about several other medical conditions related to drinking, including dementia, psychosis and Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome, which sounds like something dreamed up by the dude that made Human Centipede.
The TV report required immediate action. I had to do something about it right away. So I changed the channel.
Two Broke Girls was on CBS. Now, expecting NFL games and 60 Minutes, I watch CBS about as often as the Pope watches YouPorn - which is to say once every couple of weeks or so. Not to disparage anyone who enjoys CBS's regular primetime programming, it's just that I personally find their lineup to be a bit out of touch with my tastes. Most likely because I'm no longer living in a managed-care facility.
It took all of three minutes to thoroughly convince me that no amount of alcohol could induce more brain damage than an episode of Two Broke Girls. As proof, I offer the following:
Now, enjoy a pitcher of martinis.
Now, tell me honestly, which one made you feel more stupid?
Two Broke Girls is followed by a program called Mike & Molly that has been scientifically proven to have the same effect on the brain as chugging an entire bottle of Jägermeister, smashing the empty bottle over your head, and then using one of the thick shards of broken glass to lobotomize yourself. If you can still tie your shoes after that, congratulations, you get to be a writer on Mike & Molly.
CBS is also home to Two and a Half Men, which has the distinction of being both the highest rated sitcom on television and proof positive that our species is descended from apes. This show is so mind-numbingly moronic that when given a choice between a humiliating public flameout and phoning it in on Men for upwards of $2 million an episode, Charlie Sheen chose the flameout. And not one person in America blamed him.
Not that CBS is the worst offender, mind you. Remember ABC's Work It? What's that? You don't. Well, then, you must have blinked last fall...but trust me, in terms of potential harmful effects on the human body, it was the television programming equivalent of Nicholas Cage in Leaving Las Vegas.
Now I'm no neurosurgeon, but there's no way you can convince me that downing a 12-pack of Natural Light every day for an entire year could possibly wreak any more cognitive damage than an MTV Jersey Shore marathon.
Don't believe me? Let's ask Snooki then...
She fucking, like, saves animals. Like, that's what she does. Ah, but what about all the teenagers out there who are strung out on your show, Snooki? Who will save them? You? The Situation? Jersey Shore may not actually be murdering young minds, but at the very least it's encouraging impressionable brain cells to commit mass suicide.
In short, I submit to you, Scientific American Mind (if that even is your real name) that the genuine hazard here is not booze, but TV. If we, as a nation didn't drink so much television, we'd all have more time to watch liquor. Or maybe I have that backwards. Quality over quantity!
That was my point. Jeez. I need another beer.
And can someone remind my secretary to remind me not to write these things when Here Comes Honey Boo Boo is on? There's only such much grey matter to go around.
Never go to a museum hungry. The crowds, the lines, the weird buttons they make you clip onto your shirt will be all the more frustrating when you're in desperate need of a snack. It's hard to appreciate Cezanne's "use of light" when you can't stop thinking about how great a ripe pear would taste right now.
But at some of the world's most memorable museums, food is actually the focus. From the new gelato museum opening in Emilia Romagna this September to a 25-year-old Korean kimchi academy, there are entire institutions dedicated to locals' singular gastronomic obsessions.
These are strange, curious places. They are also entirely necessary stops for the voracious world traveler. Visiting a German temple to sausage or a Japanese instant ramen museum gives you both a pretty notable Facebook status update -- as well as incredible insight to local culture and history. Here are the world's eight strangest food museums.
]]>Heineken Cube: Would You Drink Beer From A Square Bottle?tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.18226512012-08-22T15:29:22-04:002012-10-22T05:12:07-04:00Food Republichttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/food-republic/the notions of how our favorite beverages come packaged are changing. But while wine almost inevitably ends up in a glass before reaching your lips, how would you feel about drinking your beer from a bottle that more closely resembles a single-serving milk carton in its shape and size?
Still in its concept phase (meaning, it's not happening yet -- but the idea's out there), Heineken's Cube concept provides a square bottle that's more efficient and economical for stacking, packing and traveling with bottles of suds, both from distributor to store, as well as in your home fridge. The concept, created by the French industrial designer Petit Romain, actually recalls an earlier rectangular-shaped Heineken bottle developed by the Dutch brand in 1963, which was intended to be recycled and used in construction. When you think about how far ahead of its time that was, Romain's square offering seems entirely sensible - late-coming, even.
Would you scrap your longneck beer in favor of a cube-shaped bottle?
Ideal for stacking, storage and transportation, the Cube concept would do away with bottles clinking together and wasted space between the necks.
Got beer? The milk-like carton for your beer-drinking pleasure.
More beer related stories from Food Republic: Our 5 Favorite Recipes With Beer These Jeans Are Made From Recycled Beer Bottles 5 Session Beers To Drink By The Sixer All Summer Long 5 Bay Area Spots For Better Beer Drinking]]>Restaurant To Host Duck Fetus Eating Competitiontag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.17755142012-08-14T11:27:57-04:002012-10-14T05:12:02-04:00Food Republichttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/food-republic/posted a video detailing everything you need to know about the mysterious foodstuff known as the fertilized egg. In short, it's the middle ground between a chicken and an egg -- a delicacy in many parts of the world including China, Vietnam and the Philippines.
"If you're lucky, you might find some feathers," said Chef Miguel Trinidad of New York City Filipino restaurant and pop-up stand Maharlika to the Brooklyn Paper. My personal experience with the eggs -- served warm and often chased with a cold beer or some kind of grain alcohol -- was more yolky than crunchy. People have been known to down a dozen in one sitting. I was not one of those people, but it was pretty okay.
As a bit of a stunt promotion, Trinidad and owner Nicole Ponseca are hosting an eating contest to find the individual who can down the most eggs, also called balut, in a one-minute period. As of this report, only two people have signed up for the August 23rd competition.
But there's still time!
If you live in the Tri-state area and have an interest in earning minor Internet celebrity status, you should contact Ponzeca via Twitter (@MaharlikaNYC) or call the number listed below. We will make sure to post photos of the competition as part of our exhaustive dedication to the balut beat.
Maharlika at the Dekalb Market
138 Willoughby St.
Brooklyn, NY
212-529-9262 dekalbmarket.com
More weird foods on Food Republic: Weird Or Good: Sea Urchin Weird Or Good: Escargot You Wouldn't Eat Bugs, Would You? Is Eating Seal Meat OK?]]>8 Superheroes You Wouldn't Want To Eat Withtag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.16874822012-07-25T08:36:32-04:002012-09-24T05:12:25-04:00Food Republichttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/food-republic/The Avengers recently raking in over $600 million, it's pretty clear that we're in the middle of an enormous superhero renaissance. When I was a kid, I used to read She-Hulk comics. I know, I know, I would laugh at me, too. But I think it was better for me as a 9-year-old boy to be ogling a huge green woman instead of muscle-bound men in tights.
I wouldn't say I had a crush on She-Hulk (that's Jennifer Walters to you), but I wouldn't kick her out of bed. Actually, I couldn't. She would crush me. Outside of her, though, I don't think I'd want to spend much time with superheroes or their human alter-egos. In fact, I think they'd be terrible to take out for a meal. Here's my list of the worst superheroes to take to a restaurant on a date:
Check out these columns and recipes on Food Republic:
]]>10 Made-Up Food And Drink-Related Holidays We'd Like To Seetag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.16348162012-07-04T10:37:41-04:002012-09-03T05:12:07-04:00Food Republichttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/food-republic/National Sausage Pizza Appreciation Day. There's also International Pickle Week. There's even World Vegan Day (for all the vegans who live outside the US). Who makes up this crap? Well, me for one. All due respect to the food historians who synced up the birthday of the dude who invented peanut butter and blocked off January 24th to honor it, I've come up with 10 food holidays I'd love to celebrate (especially #3). Any takers? We've been known to throw good parties at Food Republic.
1. The Olson Twins' Favorite Foods Day
Enjoy a modest spread of espresso, gum and what appears to be straight powdered sugar. I mean look at all the energy they have.
2. 4/21
The day you find there is no food in your house whatsoever. Where did it go? Why do you taste pickles and chocolate? WHERE IS ALL THE FLOUR?
3. The Feast of San Lorenzo
Lawrence of Rome, better known as San Lorenzo, met a seasonally appropriate end for squirreling away the Last Supper's holy chalice. For this, he was grilled on grates over a fire where he allegedly joked that they should cook him enough to eat. Celebrate this savage tale of someone who got what was coming to him by firing up the barbie and throwing on the biggest slab of ribs you can find.
4. World Picky Eaters' Day
Honor those with selective eating disorders by avoiding any and all reasons to consume flavorful food today.
5. F*ck Food Allergies Day
Pack yourself a cooler or picnic basket and park yourself in the emergency room. Today's the day you eat that wedge of cheese/shrimp cocktail ring/sourdough boule/peanut butter cup and survive.
6. Pull Your Own Noodles Day
You can tell where we're going with this.
7. National Manischewitz Day If you thought you hated the sweet stuff before, just wait til you try the brand-new Manischizzurp Bramble: 2 parts Manischewitz, which tastes like cough syrup, mixed with 1 part actual cough syrup, shaken with Kool-Aid bitters, served in a hi-ball filled with crushed Xanax.
8. Sandwiches of Your Childhood Day
Whether it was peanut butter and tuna fish, SPAM and grape jelly or Chef Boyardee canned ravioli stuffed into a hollowed-out baguette (all of which I've heard from people), bring back your crazy childhood sandwich of lunches past and enjoy it today. Or don't, depending on whether your palate has developed.
9. Fast Food Prank Day
Hit every local fast food joint in your neighborhood and give them hell. This should inspire you.
10. Vodka Watermelon Appreciation Day
This day celebrates the glorious coming together of watermelon and vodka. Drill a sizable hole in a watermelon, fill gradually with vodka and dispense, as is tradition.
Photo by Flickr user: JeffreyW]]>8 Kinds Of Food Poisoning To Know (And Avoid)tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.16338982012-07-03T08:22:05-04:002012-09-02T05:12:16-04:00Food Republichttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/food-republic/talk of grilling outdoors, picnics in parks, road trips and other reasons for food to be served in less-than-sterile conditions, we'd be remiss not to at least briefly mention food poisoning. If you've ever had it, and you probably have once in your life, your skin just crawled. Sorry.
Below are our eight favorite causes of gastrointestinal upset, tingling in the extremities and other symptoms of food gone terribly, terribly wrong -- and how to avoid them. Spoiler alert: A lot of it has to do with the basic washing and refrigerating of stuff.
]]>Montreal: Our 5 Favorite Wine Barstag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.15904452012-06-26T10:20:35-04:002012-08-26T05:12:05-04:00Food Republichttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/food-republic/oenophilic friends for a wine bar crawl. The rather civilized evening took us to a handful of different bars à vin, each one ideal for a certain type of wine lover. We sipped on unusual by-the-glass options, polished off whole bottles, and dined on shareable plates. Didn't you know? Montreal is kind of a wine lover's paradise.
Related: 11 Things To Eat In Montreal Right Now »
1. For the happy-hour drinker: Buvette Chez Simone
In Montreal, happy hour is called cinq-à-sept, as in: 5-7 p.m., the magic after-work tippling hour. Come cinq, this modern casual watering hole starts to fill up, from the outside in. The sunny terrace, overlooking a busy Mile End avenue at the foot of Mount Royal, is especially popular in the warmer months. Despite a laid-back attitude, a true aficionado is sure to find something to swoon over on the brief chalkboard-scrawled list. (Recently spotted: Chablis from Alice et Olivier de Moor; Francis Blanchet Pouilly-Fumé.) Snack on bites like calamari, local cheeses, or a whole roasted chicken that you can pick apart with your drinking companions like the ravenous little wine bar crawlers you are. 4869 Avenue du Parc, Mile End, 514-750-6577
2. For trainspotting wine lover: Pullman
The whimsical split-level space is designed to recall the luxury train cars made popular by the likes of George Pullman, for which the bar is named. Sip on themed flights of three -- rosé, say, or Beaujolais -- beneath an oversized chandelier of inverted wine glasses. The bar also specializes in sweet offerings like ice cider (think: ice wine, but made from apples), and has a whole section of the wine list dedicated to vins de voile, which like dry sherry are wines vinified in a barrel under a film of yeast known as the "voile." The menu includes inventive bites like bison mini-burgers and port-steeped grilled cheese. All aboard, indeed. 3424 Avenue du Parc, 514-288-7779
Related: Seven Deadly Wine Glasses »
3. For the design-savvy oenophile: Pop!
Step into a mid-century modern room that could be the backdrop to a scene from Mad Men. Sleek Danish-style teak tables and bar manage to feel warm and cozy, especially on Thursdays when a live pianist entertains. The menu is shorter than what you get in the attached restaurant, called Laloux, but will keep you sated as you sip. There are crispy orbs of arancini, creamy hummus with fluffy pita, strangely topped pizzas, and raw oysters to pair with a wine list heavy on the organic, biodynamic and natural options. A suggestively named Gamay, called Point G (translation: G-spot), from the Loire went wonderfully with the platter of charcuterie. 250 Avenue des Pins Est, Plateau, 514-287-1648
4. For the natural wine geek: Les Trois Petits Bouchons
A number of wine bars in Montreal stock traditional, naturally made wines; this place prides itself on it. The eclectic list includes such cultish producers as Olivier Lemasson from Touraine, Domaine Gramenon from Côte du Rhone, Marcel Lapierre from Beaujolais and Roagna from Piedmont. The space feels cavernous, with its stone walls and subterranean setting, reminiscent of an Old World wine cellar. And yet, the atmosphere can get rather celebratory for a serious wine bar. After a couple of bottles, our waiter sent over a round of shots. Sure, it was a pretty eau de vie -- an Audrey et Christian Binner Vieux Marc de Riesling Kaefferkopf from Alsace, to be precise. But it was a round of shots all the same. 4669 rue St-Denis, Plateau, 514-285-4444
Related: Can Bordeaux Go Biodymanic? »
5. For the late-night gourmand: Le Comptoir
There aren't many places in the world where you can get a fresh lobster-topped onion tart or pork chop with sea urchin foam at 11 at night. In this brightly lit, cheerful space, with a blond wood bar and chalkboard menu, you can get these and pair them with a beautiful bottle of wine. Another list specializing in organic and natural wines, Le Comptoir also acts as a late-night gourmet deli. You can order locally produced, humanely raised, nose-to-tail pork charcuterie to go, including headcheese, guanciale and pancetta. All this pork might make you extra thirsty, of course. A short selection of magnums will surely quench you before you head back out into the Montreal nuit . 4807 Boulevard Saint-Laurent, Plateau, 514-844-8467
More about travel on Food Republic 8 Restaurant Tourist Traps Worth The Trip Top 10: Gastropubs In London Mexico City: Where To Sip Mezcal Now]]>The 7 Most Influential Cocktails Of All Timetag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.15874362012-06-19T08:44:07-04:002012-08-19T05:12:08-04:00Food Republichttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/food-republic/based on the classics. But whether or not a single drink has been the most influential is almost impossible to say. There is a lot to consider when determining which drinks influenced the cocktail lists of today.
First you have to look at all of the popular drink families like the sours, Old Fashioneds and so on. If you take just the sour family alone, then a margarita would fit the bill -- as would the daiquiri, white lady or sidecar. They're all really important well-known drinks. But we're not taking this family-by-family. That would be easy. Below are the seven most influential cocktails inspiring today's drinks. Period.
Out of the seven classics below, there is not one that I feel has been distinctly more influential than another. That said, there are a number of drinks that I have come across in the last ten years that perfectly embody the spirit of the classics but have that contemporary edge like The Bramble by Dick Bradsell, The Gin Mule, The Old Cuban by Audrey Saunders, The Elder Fashioned by Phil Ward, The Gin Blossom by Julie Reiner and The Penicillin by Sammy Ross to name a few.
Here are two recipes for you to test out that I believe will stand the test of time:
The Gin Blossom Recipe
By Julie Reiner of The Flatiron Lounge in New York City
Ingredients
1 ½ oz Plymouth Gin
¾ oz Apricot Eau de Vie
¾ oz Martini Bianco Vermouth
2 dashes Orange Bitters
Directions
Stir ingredients with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail coup. Garnish with a lemon twist.
The Penicillin Recipe
By Sammy Ross of Milk & Honey in New York City
Ingredients
2 oz Chivas 12 year Old
¾ oz Fresh Lemon Juice
¾ oz Honey-Ginger Syrup*
¼ oz Laphroaig 10 year Old Single Malt
Directions
Shake ingredients with ice and strain over fresh ice into a highball glass. Garnish with a piece of candied ginger.
* For the honey ginger syrup, stir fresh pieces of ginger into a combination of water and honey, about half and half and heat to infuse ginger flavor. Chill and filter ginger pieces.
