"travel" news and stories

You thought today was going to filled with yummy, delicate posts about sweet treats and flowers, didn't you?

Think again.

Trifter.com has oh-so helpfully provided us with eight of the "most disgusting delicacies" - although we prefer to think of them not as disgusting, per se, but as ...daring. Different. Deconstructed.

Some of the more colorful examples? In Morocco, you can indulge in oil made from goat excrement. The goats climb the trees in search of food, and the resulting oil is though to have medicinal purposes. Or you could hop over to Italy and try some Casu Frazigu. Sound exotic? It's made when a fly lays its eggs on cheese, and maggots hatch and crawl throughout the cheese. So, essentially, it's rotten maggot cheese.

But that's just kids' stuff compared to what awaits you in Southeast Asia: balut, a fertilized duck egg, comes complete with a partially formed duck fetus inside - at no extra charge! Just season with salt and pepper, and dig in.

And for dessert, engage your senses with Sumatran coffee beans [ed. note - pictured]. Not adventurous enough for you? Well, they come fresh out of the digestive track of a civet, a small, cat-like creature. The civet eats the beans, and when they are excreted, they are scrubbed clean and brewed.

Happy Valentine's Day!

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Some people eat while they're traveling. Others, including myself, travel to eat. Either way, the two activities -- travel and food -- are connected, so we're giving a little weekend linklove to our favorite travel site, Gadling:

• If you happen to be traveling through LeRoy, New York, you most definitely want to make a stop at the Jell-O Museum, erected in the city of the jiggly stuff's origin.
• We mentioned some off-the-wall summer food festivals earlier this month, but no one can dispute Gilroy's Garlic Festival.
• Wine from a granola bar? Not exactly. The company that makes Clif Bars is branching out with a line of wines.
• Speaking of wine, what is the best place to enjoy a glass of wine, and which wine?

• I haven't had a great breakfast in a while. I usually just grab a granola bar. But here are some recipes for breakfast foods, including Corn Bacon Muffins, Sausage, Egg & Cheese Turnovers, and Plum and Pecan Pancakes.
• What's in Marge Simpson's fridge?
• Some desserts to cool you down this summer: Almond Joy Mousse Cake, Frozen Caramel Hot Chocolate, and Lemon Meringue Ice Cream Sandwiches.
• Don't forget your dogs this summer. They want to cool down too.
• This month's taste test? Pickles.
• A new way to make chicken enchiladas.
• Here's a wine pairing tool to use when trying to figure out what goes with what.
• More recipes: Green Tea Champagne, Chicken Provencale, Orange Cookies with Strawberry Ice Cream, and Lillet Slushes.

Oh my, Conde Nast Traveler has put together their annual Hot List, and because I am such a list-y girl, I was all over it. They have lists for the Hottest Hotels, Nightlife, and Spas, and of course the one that I care about the most, the Hottest Tables Around the World. If you're curious, take a peek, and for those if us in Los Angeles, the restaurants that made the list are: Katsu-ya, Social Hollywood, Hatfield's, Cut, West at the Hotel Angeleno, Mandrake, and Boulevard 3.

Clearly, the criteria for "hot" isn't necessarily the quality of the food (Katsu-ya? West at the Hotel Angeleno?), but the places are definitely hot scenes.

Even if you're a serious griller, you probably don't pack up your large, home barbecue when you want to travel somewhere. The massive size of the bbq and the inconvenience of such a move just isn't worth the hassle. Alternatives usually include using the grill that is built in to the park/picnic grounds or wherever you are going or using a small, portable grill that might be adequate for hot dogs, but not much else.

Grilling fans can rest easy now, however, because Hammacher Schlemmer just added a Full-Sized Travel Grill to their spring lineup. The fully portable grill folds up to the size of a roller suitcase that tucks easily into cars for transport but can be unfolded to a height of 34" when you're ready to grill. IT weighs 69-lbs. The propane grill has a patented regulator system that ensures an even flow of gas under all conditions for even cooking, and the tank holds enough for 1 1/2 hour of cooking. The grilling surface is 345" sq. and can fit up to 12 steaks at a time.

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