Red, white and blue tartlet. Photo: Nicisme, Flickr

So it's nearly Independence Day weekend, and we're celebrating, too, by stepping away from the computer, throwing some shrimp on the barbie (or, OK, maybe burgers) and trying to find some local fruit as gorgeous as these snapped by Nicisme on Flickr. We'll be back in full posting mode on Monday.

Meantime, if you're anywhere near a farmers market that has any sort of berries right now, you'd be remiss to skip out on grabbing a few gorgeous berries like those shown above. Blueberries are snappy and sweet, strawberries seductively red and stone-fruit season is just around the corner. We're grateful for the holiday -- and for proximity to nature-made sweet treats like these.

Admit it. At some point in your foodish life, even if for a fleeting moment, you dreamt of opening a restaurant. Or perhaps a cute little cafe. Maybe it was to become a star chef. For us, Slashfoodies, a dream job is in food, right?

Snap out of it. You have bills to pay, screaming kids demanding your attention, and you still have eleven things on your to-do list that you were supposed to do yesterday.

And work in a job as a chef? Please. What you really need is a vacation.

Well, now you can do both. Vocation Vacations is a combination of a dream vacation with your dream job. They've put together lists of "vacations" all over the world that incorporate a few days of "work" in a dream job, and have a whole slew of food-related dream vocation vacations: brew master, baker, star chef. Personally, I'd love to be "restaurant critic" and fly all over the globe, eating in a different delicious restaurant every night.

But that one's not available.

Unless you travel frequently for business, travel season doesn't usually start until late spring, with spring break, or summer, when many people try to get away from it all for a week. The hardest part about being on vacation is eating right, especially because we tend to tell ourselves that it is ok to indulge - a vacation is from your diet, as well as from your job, right? Indulgence is fine, but even on vacation it's not a great idea for every meal. Forbes Traveler offers up some advice on how to travel and stay thin that will come in handy if you want to stay in shape for swimsuit season

Their basic advice to chose lighter salads and sandwiches, especially in airports or other places where they is a lot of fast food and to avoid fried foods, is good for almost any situation. On the plane, avoid the snack packs, which are usually packed with calories and not much in the way of worthwhile munchies. You can always bring your own snacks.

Once you've landed, order sauces on the side and choose from the "light" menu if you is offered, especially when you're eating at the hotel. Save the splurges for when you get to try some of the local cuisine.

We've covered a couple of theme park food stories lately, including one where UK parks were visited by a "secret mum" looking for healthy foods and one where Six Flags decided to offer a protein-packed Halloween option to its guests. Now, Disney is looking to make some food changes at their parks - for the better.

The company announced that they would eliminate trans fats from the food at their theme parks, as well as in any Disney licensed food products, and will be instituting a new set of guidelines for offering healthier food options in general:

• Placing a limit on total calories, resulting in smaller portions
• Limiting fat to a maximum of 30 percent of calories for entrees and side dishes, and 35 percent for snacks.
• Limiting saturated fat to 10 percent of calories for main dishes, side dishes and snacks.
• Limiting sugar to 10 percent of calories for main dishes and side dishes, and 25 percent of calories for snacks.

The new guidelines will be phased in gradually over the course of the next few years, although the trans-fats will be eliminated by 2008. There is no telling what effect any of these changes will have on park favorites, like churros, funnel cake and ice cream cones since their nutritional information is unknown at the moment, but it's possible that you might not be able to get some of these treats after next summer.

If you ever went camping as a child, chances are that you have a vivid memory of the first thing that you cooked or ate, whether it was hot dogs, s'mores or simply marshmallows, it was probably cooked on a stick. After all, was there any reason to go camping if you didn't get to eat food off a stick? You know that no one was out there for the mosquito bites.

Cooking on a Stick: Campfire Recipes for Kids is a book full of camping recipes that children can make on their own. It is aimed at the 7-11 age range and written specifically for kids, unlike some books that are simply about feeding them when you're doing the cooking. The book covers basic fire safety, describing how to build a fire properly (sort of seems like a boy scout/girl scout thing) and how to put it out, before introducing the young cooks to easy recipes with cute, appealing names. In addition to the stick foods (Moose Kebabs and Ranger's Apple Pie), there are foods cooked in pouches (Favorite Beans and Hibernating Bananas), grilled foods and snacks, like GORP.

And, yes, there is a recipe for s'mores, too.

When people are on a holiday, they start to say things like "it's ok, you're on vacation!" and "you should be able to enjoy yourself!" These statements are innocuous in general, but when they're applied to the second piece of chocolate cream pie on your plate during dessert, it can be problematic. People gain weight when they're on vacation and in the weeks leading up to it in a sort of pre-vacation indulgence binge. A hotel in Germany, the Hotel Ostfriesland, has an unusual pricing structure that was motivated by one guest's desire to lose weight. The owner charges by the kilogram.

It all started when a guest complained that she was gaining weight every year and, when she dropped 77 pounds in a year, joked that she should get a discount. And she did. The owner of the hotel has everyone hop on a scale to determine their room rate. Of course, he does have a maximum fee of €39 per night for a single room, which, at his rate of .50 euros per kg, comes out to be about 172 pounds. If a guest weighs less than that, they get a discount. If they refuse to get on the scale at all, there is a €51 (224 pound) double-room charge, though no one has yet refused.

At the moment, the charging structure appears to be working. The hotel owner said that he has had no complaints and that many people enjoy the fact that they can get a discount, sometimes going as far as stripping down (the men, not the women) to try and lower their rate further.

Are your kids already requesting a trip to Disney World for their summer vacation, or maybe you haven't decided where to go for some rest and relaxation this year? There is no reason not to factor food into the equation and if you're looking for something really fun, the Disney Pop Century Resort in Florida may be just the ticket. Not only can you relive just about every trend of your childhood at the brightly colored complex, but the food is just as exciting as the architecture. Retro-chic classic comfort foods, like fried chicken and mashed potatoes are served in a TV tray, and tye-dyed colors swirl through timeless favorites like cheesecake and fluffernutter sandwiches. All the food is served in a casual, food court-style setting, which makes it perfect for families with small children, offering something for everyone.

There are not many people who don’t have a budget when they travel, whether they want to save on travel itself, activities or accommodations. Most often it is the food budget that gets cut, since people tend to assume that they can simply eat cheap fast food rather than dining in “real” restaurants. And this, in large part, is very true. After all, you get a lot of food for a little money at fast food restaurants and you are not required to tip the servers. In addition, you get in and out very quickly, which gives you more time to pursue other activities. But fast food isn’t the only way that you can save money on vacation, and it certainly isn’t the best tasting.

If you are traveling by car, the best way to save some money is by bringing some of your own food. Save space for a small cooler somewhere in the car. You can stock it with water or soft drinks, which you might otherwise purchase at a convenience store or rest stop. You can cover the cost of a few lunches by packing a loaf of bread and jars of peanut butter and jelly, all of which will keep for several days, at least. Making your own lunch will give you extra flexibility with your dinner budget, too.

If you're heading up into the mountains for a ski trip this winter, you are going to need some supplies. Clearly skis, coats and hats are in order, but what about the really important things, like food? Driving up those long, icy mountain roads isn't fun and, unless you have to stop to put chains on your tires, you really want to minimize the time you spend out of your car before you either get to your hotel or out to the ski lodge. A supply of snacks in your glove box is just what you need to get you through those long drives.

• Packaged snacks with a long shelf life, like granola bars or snack bars, are nice to have around. They offer a balance of sweet and healthy, in addition to being satisfying.