"global" news and stories

Every year, Forbes picks the most expensive restaurants in the world, pinpointing the upper limit on what people are willing to spend for a meal. Their 2006 list is complied with data that the Zagat survey provides and is based on the cost, per person, of one entree, one alcoholic beverage and a tip. Presumably, the entree prices and drink prices are an average amount and, of course, the inclusion of a tip shows the US-bias in the way that the list is set up, since in many places tipping standards would not be set up the same way, if at all. It does not seem to include any restaurants where prix fixe or tasting menus are the standard.

Topping the list, for the second year in a row, is Tokyo's Aragawa at $368 per person for a Kobe beef steak (they basically only have one entree). Alain Ducasse au Plaza Athénée, in Paris, took second place at $231 per person. The rest of the list included: Gordon Ramsay, London ($183); Acquarello, Munich ($125); Sushi Kaji, Toronto ($109); Queue de Cheval Steak House , Montreal ($85); El Amparo, Madrid ($70); Whampoa Club, Shanghai ($63) and Boeucc, Milan ($62)

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Food bloggers love food to the point where they have made a hobby out of not just finding, cooking and eating it, but out of sharing it with the world. Melissa, at The Traveler's Lunchbox, came up with a brilliant way that food bloggers could share their recommendations on the very best of what and where to eat in the world with the The Foodblogger's Guide to the Globe. The Guide is a meme in which every participating food blogger chooses their top five things to eat before you die. The original post has a shorthand list of all the suggestions, with links to their full descriptions on individual blogs.

The only problem is, of course, that there are so many food bloggers that you might never be able to try them all - or if you decide to start, you could find yourself jet-setting around the globe in search of food.

Not that there's anything wrong with that.

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The idea of eating cereal with cold milk for breakfast, a staple of the Western daily diet, is not a popular concept in China and other parts of Asia, but cereal company Kellogg's wants to change that. The food giant controls 40% of the global cereal market, but only 2% of its sales come from Asia. With a goal in mind of doubling their revenue in the area by 2009 or 2010, the company is buying up local cereal companies and trying to tailor new products, including hot cereals and cereal bars, to the local palates.

While buying locally producing companies can certainly boost sales in the area, will Kellogg's really be able to convert such a huge population to being cereal eaters? It doesn't seem likely, but given that the company has set a generous deadline, they might just be able to pull it off - even if they have to target the already-present "Western" population in residence.

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... no one would be hungry. Or, there would be two pieces of bread at opposite sides of the planet and, due to the fact that the majority of the Earth is inedible, you would just end up with an interesting experiment. The earth sandwich project was conceived by zefrank on an episode of The Show. Spurred into action by the thought of doing something never done before, viewers around the world set out to plant slices of bread in their neighborhoods and, using the opposite tool, hopefully have someone finish the 'wich.

I don't think it's been done yet and since a fair amount of the surface of the planet is Ocean, it may be difficult to complete some of the existing half-sandwiches. Perhaps a boat would help.

[via Gadling]

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You can't get a better recommendation than from a professional chef; not when it comes to the all important tools of the trade.

I have been researching (ok, trying to make up my mind) on which set of knives to invest in. At the moment I am struggling with some cheap and cheerful knives that must be 15 or so years old. I would show you a picture but would be embarrassed. Any way I saw a post on The Wannabe TV Chef blog last night where he recommended a range of knives from a producer I have never heard of - Kin.

So move over Global, Henkels, and Sabatier it would seem Kin are the knives to go for.

Available in the UK from UKToolShop (who ship to the USA) with the top of the range, pictured, starting at £110 a knife (about US$182). Ouch. There are cheaper knives in the range but just look at them! Gorgeous!

"The Kin Suminagashi is a double bevel, hand finished top of the range knife, manufactured in damask steel. The folds in the metal create the magnificent blade detail. Made in true Samurai fashion."

Want one. More than one.