The Most Frightening Food Found on Airplanes

There are a lot of inconvenient things about traveling, and food selection is usually at the top of the list. Sure, you can grab a bite before you board, but if you have a long flight, chances are you'll have to purchase something to eat on the plane. 

That's when things get dicey. 

If you're in business or first class, the food might look like this: 

But for the rest of us sitting in coach, the options are often a lot less appetizing. When we peel back that tin foil cover, rubbery meat, soggy bread, and unidentified piles of mush are likely to appear, ruining our appetite and leaving us dreaming of a simple PB&J. 

Just search the hashtag #planefood on Instagram and you'll see see some frightening food photos posted by passengers.

Here are some of the most dreary dishes served on planes.  

Related: Finally: Airplane Food that Won't Make You Gag—No, Really!

Source: The Most Frightening Food Found on Airplanes

Food holidays: The new reason why we're travelling

It's not about seeing the sights any more. There's a new reason many of us are travelling.

Have plate, will escape. Photo: Judy Green

Have plate, will escape. Photo: Judy Green

Have plate, will escape. Photo: Judy Green

╳

exit

Nine restaurant bookings. I was doing a little tallying up in my head while I was at the airport a few months ago, and realised that's how many reservations I'd made for the trip to Europe I was about to embark upon.

It seemed a bit ridiculous, really. It was a month-long adventure, and I figured out I'd made four hotel bookings, one car-hire booking, three sights or museum bookings, and had locked in reservations at no fewer than nine restaurants across Spain, Italy, Belgium and Hong Kong.

These eateries ranged from three-Michelin-star fine-diners to zero-star holes in the wall. They went from refreshingly cheap to stupidly expensive. And they were all, clearly, a high priority. My three-day stop in Barcelona, for example, was set to involve one visit to La Sagrada Familia, and three meals at restaurants owned by people with the surname Adria.

Something has changed here. When did food become the sole reason for travel?

I mean, culinary culture was always there as a side benefit, a tasty little hors d'oeuvre to the main course of the jet-setting experience. You'd book a trip and then think, "Oh, and apparently they have great food there too." But all of a sudden, for plenty of us, that food is the main reason we're going.

Why do we travel? I've jetted off for plenty of reasons. I've travelled for sport. I've travelled for music, I've travelled for beer, I've travelled for festivals… And I've travelled for beer festivals.

But now, I travel for food.

And what a way to travel it is. I travel for pho, for fresh-baked croissants, for empanadas, for tapas, tacos, caramels, carbonara, thalis, rotis, ramen and mee. I travel to eat street food, to eat fancy restaurant food, and to eat everything in between.

I don't think I'm the only one, either. You just have to look at the proliferation of local food tours in cities across the world to realise what a big deal this has become. Local food bloggers are taking groups of visitors to their local restaurants. Big tour companies are including cooking classes on their itineraries.

Entire enterprises have been set up specialising in culinary tourism. There are two- or three-week tours aimed at investigating food culture by companies that have never before given it such focus.

Travellers care a lot about food. In the same way chefs are the new rock stars, food is the new tourist attraction. Restaurants are the new museums. Food trucks are the new art galleries. This is a side to a country's culture that we're only just starting to properly appreciate.

And unlike plenty of traditional tourism experiences, food travel doesn't have to be expensive. Maybe you're going to Vietnam, or Malaysia, or India, where you'll get some of the best food in the country – some of the best food in the world – for a couple of dollars. Maybe you're going to France, or Italy, or Spain, where simple market visits for fresh bread and cheese will still leave you satisfied.

Which, in a way, brings me back to that trip to Europe with nine restaurant bookings, and clearly no reliance on fresh bread and cheese from the market. This is the other way to do your food tourism: a lot of research into the best places to eat, and a lot of booking. It might sound like rigid planning, but like concert tickets or sporting events, if you want to experience the best, you sometimes have to plan ahead. Well ahead.

And so my stopover in Hong Kong involved five meals in 36 hours, including a three-Michelin-star lunch and breakfast in a grungy dim sum war zone where hungry diners ran after food carts and wrenched trays of dumplings from harassed waiters' hands. A night in Brussels was punctuated by mussels, chips, mussels and chips, and waffles. And beer. And chips.

A week in San Sebastian involved nightly pintxos tours, lunch at a cider house, a visit to one of the best restaurants in the world, a lot of Basque sparkling wine, and the purchase of one entire leg of jamon iberico. A carefully researched week in Rome was essentially a daily quest for three things: breakfast, lunch and dinner. It included market visits, restaurant feasts, and far too many negronis.

You could point out all of the things I missed out on on that trip, like going to the top of Victoria Peak in Hong Kong, or seeing the Manneken​ Pis in Brussels, or going to the Picasso Museum in Barcelona or the Roman Forum. And these would be fair points.

But travel has changed. Food is the main course. And there isn't always room for dessert.

b.groundwater@fairfaxmedia.com.au 

See also: The best country in the world for foodSee also: The 15 coolest things in the world right now for foodies

The story Food holidays: The new reason why we're travelling first appeared on The Sydney Morning Herald.

Source: Food holidays: The new reason why we're travelling

Global Halal food and lifestyle sectors to grow 6% by 2020

The global halal food and lifestyle sector is expected to grow by 6 percent by 2020, according to new research.

According to the early findings of the State of the Global Islamic Economy Report 2015/2016, which was commissioned and supported by the Dubai Islamic Economy Development Centre (DIEDC) and in partnership with Thomson Reuters and DinarStandard, found the global Muslim market spent $142 billion on travel in 2014.

This is expected to reach $233 billion by 2020, it forecast. The most popular destination countries for Muslim tourists are Malaysia, Turkey and the UAE. To meet that growth, new channels are being created, such as HalalBooking.com, a travel search and booking website for halal-conscious travellers. The website expects their bookings for their Turkey-based hotels to reach 10 million per hotel by the end this year and in 2016.

Despite the growth in the halal travel sector, also known as "Shariah-compliant", the report found some investors are still reluctant to invest in "Muslim-friendly" hotels, for fear of revenue loss associated with not serving alcohol.

Riyanto Sofyan, CEO of Sofyan Hotels, said offering banqueting offers may entice non-Muslim guest: "The halal tourism industry is not limited to Muslims, but rather extols Islamic values that are universal and inclusive, helping to broaden our market reach and attract a wider customer base, regardless of religion."

The halal food sector is expected to grow by 5.8 percent by 2020, with the demand for ethical treatment of animals alone resulting in a $100 billion organic food market. Although the principle of treating animals is embodied within halal food, educating Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) countries about the Halal sector and its standards and accreditation continues to be a challenge, the report found.

The research also found that while the fashion industry as a whole continues to face financial pressures as a result of global recession, the modest or Islamic fashion sector is expanding. The Islamic fashion sector accounts today for about 11 percent of the global fashion industry, and is expected to grow by 6 percent by 2020. Some of the key challenges facing the sector are the need to adopt a wider perspective when incorporating Islamic values throughout the modest fashion value chain, the lack of unified payment platforms, and variations in customs rules and regulations across countries.

The full report will be presented at the second edition of the Global Islamic Economy Summit (GIES), which will take place on October 5 and 6 at the Madinat Jumeriah in Dubai.

Source: Global Halal food and lifestyle sectors to grow 6% by 2020

Food Becomes the Talk of Speakers' Corner

The city of London would have been so empty without its tourists on Sundays. No Londoner would travel to the city centre for a meal or shopping on weekends. A lot of restaurants would remain shut on Sundays for long time until tourism regained its fluency and more people came to fill the spaces, including Indian holidaymakers who would like to have a traditional meal at least once a day after tiring travel schedules and eating boring sandwiches.

Petina Gappah, a Zimbabwean lady, was at the door this Sunday before we opened for business. Harish kindly let her in and had his usual table talk on tourist locations in London. We come across people from various parts of the world on a daily basis yet never really know what draws them to London other than famous monuments.

Harish had a fascinating chat with this lady about Speakers' Corner at Hyde Park. Petina requested for chicken samosa and fried fish to take with her, as biryani meal box was not available in the weekend. She was on her way to the park to enjoy another experience of Speakers' Corner and kept on narrating her experience of this popular Sunday destination.

People at Speakers' Corner Speakers' Corner is one of my favourite places in London. People can exercise their freedom of speech here and you can experience the tolerance and eccentricity of the British who come to enjoy their act. People show up on both sides of the pathway assigned for a relaxed show where speakers stand on small ladders or stools and talk about any subject of their choice. Spectators could involve in a debate or just enjoy the speaker's point of view. Mostly it's funny and informative to some extent.

Harish, who was at the park, listened to a Christian evangelist preaching  about hell and brimstone. There was a guy from a socialist organisation talking as though the Berlin Wall was still to fall, and a group of students were protesting against child labour. Harish, during his late lunch, overheard a Pakistani gentleman in the middle of a cheering crowd, debating hilariously on food, comparing sparkling flavours of Asian food as opposed to bland taste of the West.

Back at the restaurant, Harish talked more to his customers about Speakers' Corner and the speech on food. Essentially you don't hear many people talk about this fabulous Sunday activity in London. In the past, even local residents made special trips to Hyde Park corner to enjoy it.

Tourism here is a structured business model for making money. People are charged heavily everywhere they visit. So, travellers spend less on meals and sometimes even complain about food prices, while they pay big money at museums, theatre and sight-seeing from hop-on-hop-off buses around London's historical places.

Speakers' Corner, besides being a free entertainment place, showcases the great taste of British culture along with beautiful parks and long walkways around narrow streets like Soho. Harish wants to promote it with our customers so that they can spend more money on fresh food rather than cheap burgers. Harish says, "At the enduring appeal of Hyde Park, I want to have a talk on our food next time!"

The author is a London-based restaurateur who owns the Rasa chain of restaurants

Source: Food Becomes the Talk of Speakers' Corner

6 Food Tours Worth Traveling For

Jordan Johnson / Flickr

It's often been said that the fastest way to truly immerse yourself in another country's culture is through the food -- and with increasing number of culinary tours around the world, this statement is truer than ever. Whether you'd prefer to sample spicy curries from a bustling street cart, embark on a day tour through fruit orchards and wineries or create your own dishes in cooking classes led by chefs, there's a tour, exotic city and food-loving guide for you. Check out this list of some of the world's most creative, lesser-known and downright delicious tours to whet your appetite.

Taste of PeruWhere: Lima, Peru

Beginning in Lima, the Taste of Peru tour immerses you in the art and cultural heritage behind authentic Peruvian cuisine. In additi on to trips to Lima's main market and the city's museums, the tour visits historical Cusco (a 1½-hour flight from Lima) and introduces you to the unique flavors of the city, complete with a trek to the magnificent ruins of Machu Picchu. Once you return to Lima, you'll visit the countryside for lessons in making homemade ceviche and pachamanca, an ancient Peruvian cooking method that uses hot stones to sear meat.

See: 8 Under-the-Radar Foodie Cities

Miami Culinary ToursWhere: Miami

Miami is home to some of the best Latin food in North America, and it's only right that you give yourself the chance to try as many authentic dishes as possible. Explore the city's most vibrant food subcultures, like Little Havana, Little Haiti, South Beach and Coral Gables, with a local guide on Miami Culinary Tours. Each walking tour is about three hours and visits the neighborhood's best restaurants, including well-known eateries and mom & pop-shops. One of the most popular tours hits Little Havana, giving you the chance to try authentic empanadas, scrumptious Cuban sandwiches and Ball & Chain's famous Mojito Criollo along Calle Ocho.

Artisans of LeisureWhere: Vietnam

Vietnam has long been regaled as one of the world's most incredible culinary countries, offering a wide range of dishes like fragrant pho soups to crispy banh mi to spicy bun bo hue. The best way to taste all of what the country has to offer is to join Artisans of Leisure, a private tour company that offers customized tours specifically for foodies that span Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City. Tours begin with visits to Hanoi's famed markets, bustling with locals, exotic fruits and meats. Afterwards, you'll explore picturesque Halong Bay and make your way to Hue and Hoi An. Finally, you'll end your culinary tour in Ho Chi Minh, where a guide will take you to food stalls downtown slinging some of the country's best pho and banh mi (sandwiches).

See: Best Cities for Foodies

Car ibbean Culinary ToursWhere: Jamaica; Dominica; Antigua; St. Lucia; Barbados

Known around the world for their incredible bounty of eclectic dishes (like jerk chicken and curried goat), the Caribbean islands offer a truly unique culinary experience. Caribbean Culinary Tours offers trips to Jamaica, Dominica and many other islands, immersing epicureans in authentic Caribbean cuisine. Trips span seven to 10 days and include cooking seminars with local chefs, guided jaunts to roadside markets and rum tastings at some of the world's best distilleries.

Eat MexicoWhere: Mexico City

There are few cultures in the world more revered for their incredible food heritage than Mexico, whose cuisine ranges from flavorful ceviches to mouth-watering tacos. To taste the most authentic dishes (and avoid the tourist traps) hop on a four-hour tour with Eat Mexico, which offers gastronomic trips around Mexico City. The expert-led journeys include street food and regional taco tastings and tours through beautiful Mexico City markets. Unlike other tours in Mexico City, Eat Mexico's public tours remain small, with a capacity of six people per trip, providing participants with a more intimate experience. The tours include plenty of walking, which helps to aid the digestion of all of those tlacoyos (corn tortillas filled with fava or pinto beans, potatoes and cheese).

See: 5 Tours Made for Walking

Intrepid Travel Where: Macedonia; Slovenia; Montenegro; Spain; Cambodia; Morocco

Known for its off-the-beaten-path adventures around the world, Intrepid Travel is now putting a focus on the rapidly growing world of culinary tours. Tours span multiple continents and hit some of the world's fastest growing food hot spots, like Slovenia, Montenegro and Macedonia (starting in 2016). Tours also feature well-known gourmet meccas, like Northern Spain, Cambodia and Morocco. The food-focused trips, which range from two to 15 days, feature a mix of hands-on cooking less ons, street food crawls and plenty of time to sightsee after you've savored local specialties.

Claire Volkman is a social media journalist with a passion for food and travel. She's spent time in more than 30 countries and hundreds of cities writing, photographing and immersing herself in all things food, wine and culture. You can find her favorite recipes on her blog, The Realistic Nutritionist. Follow her on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Google+ to keep up with her adventures.

Follow U.S. News Travel on Twitter: https://twitter.com/USNewsTravel

Source: 6 Food Tours Worth Traveling For

How Britons who leave bread for birds are changing their migration patterns: Species increasingly travel to the UK rather than Spain because of amount of food available

Leaving food out for birds is changing their migration patterns, study finds

Blackcap species heading to the UK for winter now instead of sunny Spain

Researchers believe feeding the birds is encouraging their flight patterns

Blackcaps were barely recorded in 1950s but have risen rapidly in 60 years 

By Emma Glanfield for MailOnline

Published: 16:19 EST, 24 September 2015 | Updated: 17:05 EST, 24 September 2015

96

View comments

Britons who leave food out in their gardens for birds are helping to change their migration patterns, new research shows.

One species in particular is heading to the UK for the winter instead of sunny Spain due to the increased amount of food available.

Blackcaps, which breed in southern Germany and Austria, are increasingly migrating towards Britain rather than their traditional wintering grounds, the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) said. 

Blackcaps, which breed in southern Germany and Austria, are increasingly migrating towards Britain rather than their traditional wintering grounds in Spain due to food being left out in UK gardens, new research reveals

The findings came in a study conducted over 12 winters and involving more than 14,000 volunteers who put out food and submitted information on birds visiting their g ardens.

Dr Kate Plummer, lead researcher, said: 'This is the first time that we've shown that feeding birds actually influences the distribution of a bird species across a whole country.'

The BTO added in a statement that the authors had found 'strong evidence that blackcap occupancy rates are influenced by both supplementary food and climactic temperature.'

It added that winters in Britain had become 'milder' in recent decades and that the changes in migration patterns had become genetically encoded.

Blackcaps were barely recorded in Britain before the 1950s, but their numbers have increased rapidly in the last 60 years. It coincides with research which suggests that an estimated six in ten Britons leave food out to attract wild birds.

The study found the highest number of Blackcaps were recorded in the south and western regions of Britain, where conditions are milder in the winter.

Recording its findings, the BTO said: 'Over a 12-year period, Blackcaps have become increasingly associated with the provision of supplementary foods in British gardens and the reliability of that provisioning is influencing their distribution at the national scale.

BLACKCAP: SYLVIA ATRICAPILLA

Length: 13cm 

Wingspan: 22cm 

Weight: 21g

Scientific name: Sylvia atricapilla

Breeds: Europe, in particular Asia and southern Germany

Habitat: Forest, open woodland, towns

Diet: Summer: insects, otherwise fruit. Winter: Will visit bird-tables

Fact: Once regarded as a summer visitor, Blackcaps can now be seen all year round, particularly in the south

- British Trust for Ornithology 

'The findings suggest that climate amelioration is also likely to have enabled Blackcaps to expand their wintering range into Britain.

'The increasing association with supplementary food over time suggests that Blackcaps are adapting their feeding habits to exploit human-provisioned foods.

'The study provides new and timely evidence of the role that human activities can play in shaping the evolutionary trajectories of wild bird populations.'

The research comes after an alternative study found that over-feeding birds could cause them more harm than good.

Earlier this year, scientists warned that leaving nut-filled feeders and stale bread in the back garden is more likely to attract foreign invaders which could create a battleground between them and British species.

An 1 8-month study found that feeding birds in towns may be upsetting the delicate balance between native species and larger, more aggressive varieties introduced from overseas.

The study by the University of Auckland in New Zealand looked at the differences in bird numbers between gardens where food was provided and those where it was not.

In households where bread and seeds were put out every day, non-native birds benefited the most, with spotted doves becoming 3.5 times more common within two months.

Blackcaps were barely recorded in Britain before the 1950s, but their numbers have increased rapidly in the last 60 years. In Britain, they are now found most in the south and west regions, where winters are milder

By contrast, the native grey warbler became less abundant, according to the research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sci ences.

The authors concluded: 'The study demonstrates that common feeding practices can encourage higher densities of introduced birds, with potential negative consequences for native birds.'

Non-native species can crowd out smaller native birds, with some species driven out of areas where other habitats, such as woodland and hedgerows, have disappeared.

The researchers said they were not encouraging people to stop feeding birds, but urged them to consider putting out food that specifically attracts native species.

The RSPB's recommendations include peanuts for tits and greenfinches, and dried fruit or grated mild cheese for robins, song thrushes and blackbirds. 

Source: How Britons who leave bread for birds are changing their migration patterns: Species increasingly travel to the UK rather than Spain because of amount of food available

Esquina’s new head chef Carlo Montobbio reveals his favourite Barcelona restaurants and travel shopping habits

SINGAPORE — The tapas wave in Singapore may have started five years ago, but its undiminished popularity is no surprise to the new head chef of Esquina, Carlos Montobbio.

"Tapas are similar to dim sum — small plates for sharing; and there's a big Chinese population in Singapore," shared the Catalan who shot to prominence here with his Asian-inspired tapas at Fairmont Singapore's Anti:dote. "When I first tried dim sum in Barcelona, I thought, 'Hey, Asian tapas!'"

But at Esquina — where he launched a new menu last week — the focus remains very much Spanish with delish dishes such as the grilled octopus (the pulpo is imported from Galicia, no less) and items even inspired by his childhood like the palette cleanser of chocolate ganache with olive oil on toasties.

"In Barcelona, children are exposed to good produce and food early," he explained. "Food is like a religion there — if a place is not as good as before, it will close shop soon."

Sounds like a familiar phenomenon, doesn't it?

Q: What's the biggest difference between cooking at a hotel bar such as Anti:dote and a specialised tapas bar like Esquina?

A: At Esquina, the guests already know about the food. There are many regulars. At a hotel bar, customers go there more for the drinks. They're usually surprised by the food as they have lower expectations about it. I won't say there's a big difference in how I see them — I treat every guest the same.

Q: Esquina is already a familiar name in the food scene; how will you put your stamp on the food?

Source: Esquina's new head chef Carlo Montobbio reveals his favourite Barcelona restaurants and travel shopping habits

Leeds school pupils and teachers hospitalised with food poisoning after trip to Belgium

Ross Parry/SWNS

Pupils from Guiseley School were struck down with food poisoning

About 50 children and staff members from Guiseley School began feeling ill as they approached the port of Zeebrugge on their way home to the UK, according to reports.

The victims were taken to seven hospitals in the area for treatment last night. It remains unclear what caused their illness. 

The remaining members of the group, which included about 80 pupils and eight staff members in total, were taken to nearby hostels by the Red Cross.

Related articles

The stranded group voiced their frustration on social media as they waited to hear when they could return home.

One student apparently on the trip said on Twitter: "Such a scary night in Belgium."

Another posted: "THIS IS HELL £stranded".

Extra members of school staff were flown out to support the group, acting co-headteacher Paul Clayton said, adding he hoped they would be able to travel home on Wednesday.

Related articles

Our first priority is always the safety of our children and we are in close contact with parents and carers

Acting co-headteacher Paul Clayton

In a statement, he said today that those suffering from food poisoning were not thought to be "contagious".

He said: "Our first priority is always the safety of our children and we are in close contact with parents and carers.

"Extra staff from the school have now arrived in Belgium to assist further, and working with the Belgian authorities, we are hopeful that the children will be returning home tomorrow. We will continue to work with public health to keep a close eye on all the children in the upcoming days."

The school posted a message to parents on its website which urged parents to get in touch if they were concerned.

Source: Leeds school pupils and teachers hospitalised with food poisoning after trip to Belgium

Hollywood trip for New Plymouth boy who can't eat too risky for travel insurers

CHARLOTTE CURD/stuff.co.nz

Meet Dayton Preston, who has never been able to eat, and his loving mother.

A young boy's dream trip to the US could be called off due to his high-risk health record. 

Ten-year-old New Plymouth boy Dayton Preston made national headlines in July, when his family went public with the story of how he had never been able to eat food.

Since then the family's Givealittle page had raised a grand total of $18,747 so Dayton and his family could go to Universal Studios in Hollywood to meet his idol Transformer's character Optimus Prime.

Robert Charles/Fairfax NZ

Dayton Preston, the boy who can't eat, is not allowed to travel to Hollywood to meet Optimus Prime because insurance companies won't cover his medical condition while overseas.

However, one week out from the deadline to purchase airplane tickets Dayton's mum Chantelle Luke is facing the possibility her son may not get his wish because they cannot find an insurance company willing to cover his travel. 

"I've already been rejected from five insurance companies because of pre-existing conditions," she said. 

"He's had no hospital admissions since November but they hear his medical history and get scared."

READ MORE:* The boy who can't eat food gets delivered a special Transformers package* The little boy who can't eat still dares to dream big* Boy who can't eat food has enough money to head to Hollywood

Dayton was born with heart defects that required surgeries just two weeks after he was born. During one of his early operations a vocal cord was paralysed and as a result the New Plymouth boy has been fed by a tube his whole life. 

Dayton is particularly prone to pneumonia and chest infections and despite being cleared by his GP to take the trip, insurers claim Dayton was too much of a risk, Luke said. 

Luke, 31, said she would move heaven and earth to make sure Dayton could get his wish, but admitted she was becoming disheartened. 

"It's the first plane we would ever have been on that wasn't going to Starship," she said. 

For his part Dayton had not yet let himself believe he would get to Hollywood anyway, because his experience was something would always crop up with his health that would stop him, Luke said. 

The trip had been two years in the making and Luke was determined to do everything she could to make sure they touched down on American soil, they just needed an insurer to take them on, she said. 

An Insurance Council of New Zealand spokesperson said insurance was a business and every case was looked at individually to determine the risk of taking it on.

Individual insurers had the right to refuse coverage for any case which they deemed too high risk, they said. 

 - Stuff

Source: Hollywood trip for New Plymouth boy who can't eat too risky for travel insurers

Travel Food Services looks to raise up to Rs 230 crore for expansion

MUMBAI: Travel Food Services (TFS), a subsidiary of Mumbai-based K Hospitality Corp, is looking to raise $30-35 million (about Rs 197 crore - Rs 230 crore) through private equity (PE) firms to fund its expansion plans, said a person aware of the development.

TFS, which has presence in the travel retail space, operates restaurants, cafes, food courts and lounges. The company operates food and beverage outlets in Indian airports such as New Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata apart from the Muscat and Salalah International Airport overseas. Recently, the company won the contract to operate food and beverage outlets at Mangalore airport as well.

Last year, the company got into lounge management business and opened lounge operations at Terminal 2 of the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport in Mumbai.

"The company is rapidly expanding its presence in the travel retail space and they are talking to a couple of private investment bankers to scout for PE investors to fund t his expansion," said the person privy to the development, who did not wish to be identified.

TFS manages partner and proprietary brands including Smoke House Bar & Cafe, KFC, Domino's. The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, Cafe Coffee Day and Haagen-Dazs are among the others across the country's airports. It also has partnerships with Gate Gourmet for in-flight catering and with Lagardere Travel Retail for duty free and news and books (through the Relay brand).

In an email response to ET's query on fund raising, Varun Kapur, director of TFS, said, "As part of our strategic growth and expansion process, TFS is in the process of exploring various opportunities to raise funds at an appropriate time in the future."

Early this year, the company also won the contract to develop food courts at Pune and Vishakhapatnam railway stations. With the central government's recent decision to modernize 400 railway stations in the country, TFS is betting big on this sector.

During an earlier interaction with ET, Kapur had said the company has lined up investments worth Rs 200 crore to expand its presence across airports and railways over the next 2-3 years. "We currently get 50% of our business from travel retail and the revenue from this segment has grown 50% year-on-year in the last three years," Kapur had told ET. TFS currently operates over 170 outlets at airports across the country and overseas, catering to over 90 million passengers.

K Hospitality Corp, the parent company of TFS, owns and manages brands like Copper Chimney, Irish House, Bombay Brasserie and Serafina apart from having a presence in banqueting and corporate food service business.

Travel industry experts say that the burgeoning Indian middle class indicates a strong growth potential for the food service brands in the travel retail sector.

Source: Travel Food Services looks to raise up to Rs 230 crore for expansion

Radisson Blu Cebu gets food safety nod

MANILA, Philippines - Radisson Blu Cebu has strengthened its international standards with ISO 22000:2005 Food Safety Management System certification. The hotel is the first city hotel in Cebu and in the country to be certified.

ISO 22000:2005 is required for organizations within the food supply chain, established by the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization and World Health Organization which develops high food quality standards.

The certification covers all the processes in the food chain that impacts the safety of the end product and a comprehensive food safety management system incorporating the elements of Good Manufacturing Practices and Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points. 

"We started this journey 12 months ago. The road was full of surprises, road blocks and major set-backs but it was a very important project as we serve over 500,000 guests a year coming from all over the world," said general manager Nishan Silva. "This certification not only drives the industry standards in Cebu, but it is also a key benchmark for the APEC Summit this year."

As an ISO 22000:2005 certified establishment, Radisson Blu Cebu ensures that the hotel upholds the highest quality and standards in food safety.

For more information, visit www.radissonblu.com/hotel-cebu

Lifestyle Feature - Travel ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1

Source: Radisson Blu Cebu gets food safety nod

Food pilgrimage: Buffalo wings in Buffalo, part 2

Autoplay

Show Thumbnails

Show Captions

Last SlideNext Slide

Duff's wings run hot, so its "medium light," shown here, are the equivalent of most places' medium. The bestseller, they exemplify the perfect Buffalo hot wing.(Photo: Larry Olmsted for USA TODAY)

The scene: With long cold winters, two major universities, sports obsession, and a long history of beer brewing, Buffalo had the perfect preconditions to be the birthplace of the hot chicken wing. As detailed in Part 1 last week, the now globally famous dish was invented in 1964 at the mom and pop owned Anchor Bar in the city's downtown and immediately spawned a local industry.

Pundits largely credit the Buffalo Bills with popularizing the wing. The only team in history to finish second by losing the Super Bowl four years in a row, 1991-1994, they put the dish in front of the nation's largest TV audience year after year, with the prerequisite local vignettes showing restaurants tossing fried wings in hot sauce. This made wings synonymous with sports and a sports bar standard (to their credit, the Bills did win back-to-back titles in 1964 and 1965). This season's finale, Super Bowl 50, will be the 25th anniversary of that first Bills loss, and Americans are expect to consume more than 1.25 billion wings that one Sunday.

USA TODAY

Food pilgrimage: Buffalo wings in Buffalo, part 1

But in Buffalo, hot wings are far more than sports bar food, or even bar food — most residents get their wings delivered from pizzerias. Pizza is hugely popular in Buffalo, and most pizzerias serve the standard assortment of five styles: mild, medium, hot, and extra-hot, plus barbecue, a newcomer closely associated with pizza joints. Then there are the wing emporiums, most famously the Anchor Bar and Duff's, along with favorite local haunts such as Bar Bill, and when you go to specialists, the flavor choices multiply. Wings are also on the menus of non-wing restaurants of every ilk, from local Chinese eateries to pretty much every bar in town.

Finally, there is a whole genre of spin-off dishes based on the flavor of the famed Buffalo hot wing, with or without any chicken. The Anchor Bar offers a pulled pork sandwich "Buffalo-style," Buffalo chicken salad and even spicy hot chicken-wing soup. You can get a Buffalo-style cupcake, topped with a chicken wing, and even Buffalo-style toast for breakfast.

Buffalonians love arguing about wings almost as much as they love eating them, and everyone I spoke to during my visit had obviously given the matter a great deal of thought and was very opinionated on the issue. "You have the famous places that have become known for wings, but to me the best spots are all the little taverns in South Buffalo, mmmm ... " said Harry Zemsky, owner of Hydraulic Hearth, a wood-fired restaurant, nano-brewery and beer garden.  "Chicken wings in Buffalo are like coffee in New York City — you can get it on every corner, but locals are loyal to a particular place in their neighborhood," said Drew Cerza, aka the Wing King. Creator of the city's big annual National Chicken Wing Festival, Cerza is a tireless promoter of the city's famous dish.

Reason to visit: Buffalo hot wings at Duff's, barbecue wings at Bocce Club Pizza, barbecue and creative wings at Bar Bill, Buffalo-style toast at Five Points Bakery.

The food: Ask locals where to get the best wings and you'll get a lot of different answers, but the two most prevalent recommendations I encountered were Duff's, a wing-centric mini-chain specialist that is Anchor Bar's main high-profile rival, and Bar Bill, a neighborhood tavern in the suburb of East Aurora that routinely wins various local newspaper and magazine "Best of Buffalo" awards. The only criticism I was able to elicit of Bar Bill was that it is too far from downtown. Bar Bill, says Cerza, "has the best combination of wings and atmosphere. It's what [Anchor Bar] used to be. You could be sitting at the bar between the CEO of Fisher-Price and the guy who just blacktopped your driveway, all drinking beer and eating wings and chatting." The tavern sits on the quaint main street of picturesque East Aurora, where the famed toy company Fisher-Price (now owned by Mattel) has been based since its founding in 1930.

Cash-only Bar Bill is typically crowded, with a wait, and has a glassed-in street-level porch of sorts, then a few steps up to the main bar and dining room. It features heavy, worn wood tables and chairs with a pub feel, and serves up a laundry list of wing flavors way beyond the big five, including Honey Dijon, Zesty Honey Pepper, Teriyaki, Cajun, Spicy Asian and several others. To further complicate things, Cajun, which is a dry rub with no sauce at all, can also be combined with other flavors for an added dimension. Fortunately plates can be split to try more things.

The two signatures, besides the excellent traditional hot wings, are Honey Butter BBQ and Sicilian. Many locals believe these are the best barbecue wings in town, caramelized into a glaze. They lived up to their lofty billing and are exceptional, with very tasty sauce. The Cajun is reminiscent of Memphis- or Texas-style dry barbecue ribs, just a bit spicy and much less messy. They really showcase the crispiness of properly fried Buffalo wings, and in general, almost all the wings I tried on this trip were a reminder of how poorly some places in the rest of the country do wings that are broiled or roasted in ovens on sheets. Deep fried is clearly the way to go.

The standard for Buffalo wings is medium, with a mix of butter and hot sauce, typically based on the Frank's RedHot brand. The medium wings at Bar Bill are very good, but could use more sauce. The only miss in my opinion was the odd Sicilian, with wings tossed in what tastes like garlicky Italian salad dressing then coated with cheese, interesting but not nearly as flavorful as any of the alternatives. Wing King Cerza mentioned that in Buffalo, wings are often consumed as a main course rather than a starter, and looking around Bar Bill, there were plenty of tables doing just that, such as four guys in suits gathered around an after-work dinner consisting entirely of heaping plates of wings and beer.

Duff's was another neighborhood bar that started serving the city's newfangled snack back in 1969, just five years after it was invented at the Anchor Bar, and became so proficient that the focus was shifted and the joint renamed itself Duff's Famous Wings. Today there are four satellite locations around Buffalo, including Orchard Park, where the Bills play, and Niagara Falls, the city's main tourism draw. There is also a Duff's in Toronto, and a random outpost in Southlake, Texas. The original has a great location smack between the city's two universities on a busy commercial road lined with car dealerships and strip malls, and gets a lot of students and visiting families. From the outside it looks like it should be a 1950s hot dog stand, with some picnic tables out front, white stucco, and windows covered with red awnings. You walk directly in at the bar, then are seated in a sort of industrial-feeling dining room, with rows of simple black tables. Floors are linoleu m, walls have dated wood and brick siding and are covered with old black-and-white photos of Buffalo. Service is efficient but very friendly, they sell a lot of wings, and tables are covered with plenty of napkins and buckets for bone disposal. For a pure wing destination, Duff's was the best I found.

Duff's claim to fame is heat, and the menu (and the back of servers' T-shirts) clearly reads "Warning! Medium IS HOT, Medium Hot IS VERY HOT and Hot is VERY, VERY HOT." There are several other grades including mild, mild medium and medium light, all below medium. Above the hot are the options of adding either suicidal or death sauce. Like the Anchor Bar, Duff's only does traditional hot wings and barbecue, but also offers a spicier Hot BBQ. There are sandwiches and burgers, but looking around, everyone comes for wings — including President Obama, who chose Duff's when he visited Buffalo in 2010.

"Our medium light is the equivalent of medium at other places," said the waitress, so we tried both that and the medium. The medium light was my favorite traditional wing of the trip, hitting the perfect sweet spot of balance between spice and flavor, as well as between saucy and dry. While the Anchor Bar wings were too wet, and the Bar Bill version could use more sauce, these were the Goldilocks wings: just right. The medium were also excellent, and as advertised, appreciably spicier, good for lovers of hotter foods, while heat fanatics can go further up the scale. Every plate is made to order, so it takes a little while, but wings are served hot, very crispy and fresh. Both Duff's and Anchor Bar ship their wings nationwide on regional food delivery sites like FoodyDirect.com and Goldbely.com.

While the hot-wing cupcake was a savory novelty that looked better than it tasted, one notable variant stood out on my visit. Five Points Bakery and Toast Cafe is in the rebounding Five Points neighborhood. After becoming popular for its artisan breads, the owners opened the unique toast cafe, which as the name suggests, serves only toast dishes, with several house specialty variations. The Buffalo-style toast is actually called just "Extra Sharp Cheddar," but that is the name of the bread used, a whole grain loaf studded with sizeable chunks of very sharp cheese. Toast is served with a pitcher of hot sauce and a side of delicious French St. Agur blue cheese. You spread some cheese on the toast, pour on the hot sauce, and you get the flavor of the wing for breakfast, well worth seeking out.

The most venerable and popular pizzeria in town is Bocce Club, locally popular for barbecue wings, which Cerza recommended. The wings are very good, comparable to Bar Bill's barbecue in quality, and Bocce is well worth visiting for its distinctive style of pizza, but for a wing-centric crawl it is more efficient to simply visit one of the specialists.

What regulars say: ""I'm fifth generation here, so Frank's hot sauce is in my blood," said Kevin Gardner, owner of the Five Points Bakery and Toast Cafe.

Pilgrimage-worthy?: Yes, the Buffalo wing is one of America's most beloved and distinctive regional foods, and between the traditional at Duff's and creative variants at Bar Bill, it does not get much better.

Rating: Duff's: OMG!; Bar Bill: Yum!; Five Points: Yum!  (Scale: Blah, OK, Mmmm, Yum!, OMG!)

Price: $-$$ ($ cheap, $$ moderate, $$$ expensive)

Details: Bar Bill Tavern, 185 Main Street, East Aurora, N.Y.; 716-652-7959; barbill.com; Duff's Famous Wings, Original 3651 Sheridan Drive, Amherst, N.Y.; 716-834-6234; duffswings.com; Five Points Bakery & Toast Cafe, 44 Brayton Street, Buffalo, N.Y.; 716-884-8888; fivepointsbakery.com

Larry Olmsted has been writing about food and travel for more than 15 years. An avid eater and cook, he has attended cooking classes in Italy, judged a barbecue contest and once dined with Julia Child. Follow him on Twitter, @TravelFoodGuy, and if there's a unique American eatery you think he should visit, send him an email at travel@usatoday.com. Some of the venues reviewed by this column provided complimentary services.

Read or Share this story: http://usat.ly/1iRqjWM

Source: Food pilgrimage: Buffalo wings in Buffalo, part 2

Airport angst: Bad food, long queues and other things that make airports so frustrating

SINGAPORE — When it comes to travellers and airports, there has always been a love-hate relationship. While our affection for Changi Airport knows no bounds, we can safely agree that there are many frustrating aspects about passing through airport terminals — from bad food to equally bad toilets to long waiting lines and security checks — so much so that airports such as John F Kennedy International in New York have installed technology to help with waiting times and felt the need to see to customers' complaints about food.

> SECURITY CHECKMATE

To say that going through security checks is a perennial headache is an understatement. Last week, for instance, travel industry news platform Skift reported that 43 per cent of American travellers experience "negative emotions" while going through security checks, with the global average of those feeling bad vibes at 36 per cent.

We are not surprised — airports in the United States are notoriously troublesome when it comes to security matters and are generally unwelcoming. Data website Priceonomics recently crunched the results of Skytrax ratings this year to reveal that Miami, Washington Dulles and Newark are among the top 10 worst airports in terms of overall quality. Even US President Barack Obama has chipped in with his two cents: Last year, he ordered a relooking into his country's airports to "improve the experience of international arriving passengers, including expediting the arrival and entry process for international visitors to the United States" for a "positive first impression".

> QUEUE ME NOW!

And what about tedious waiting lines? The queues for checking in and for boarding planes are probably the source of most complaints. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) Global Passenger Survey 2014 revealed how only one per cent of travellers are willing to queue for more than 20 minutes (half consider a five-to-10 minute wait to be acceptable).

Keenly aware that long queues could be the boiling point for travellers, some airports are trying to come up with solutions. New York's John F Kennedy International Airport, for instance, installed network beacons in Terminal 4 last month to track the movement of travellers via their smart phones. These give them a sense of movement patterns and travel times, which, in turn, alerts airport staff to address bottlenecks. This technology, called Blip Systems, is also used in airports in Copenhagen, Toronto and Dubai.

Source: Airport angst: Bad food, long queues and other things that make airports so frustrating

Village Peddler Festival at Lake Metroparks Farmpark adds big food component

For the first time in its 34-year history, the Village Peddler Festival will include cooking classes and a tent full of local food entrepreneurs in its mix of crafters, artisans and down home music. 

The popular Festival opens at 10 a.m. both Sept. 19 and 20 in the meadows and pavilion at Lake Metroparks Farmpark in Kirtland.

"They have me setting up in the pavilion, where tables and chairs will be waiting," said Judi Strauss, who will show off the preparation of a zucchini and tomato pizza at noon and 2 p.m. Sept. 19 and 1 and 3 p.m. Sept. 20. She'll also sell her latest cookbook, "The Charmed Kitchen."

Strauss, who got her start with gardening for the Cuyahoga County Extension Service, segued into food with canning and preserving sessions in the winter. Soon she was teaching cooking classes framed around skills gained at the extension service and at home, where her father was a baker and her mother was a good home cook.

Advertisement

She's taught regular cooking classes for two decades for the city of Mentor in its Wildwood Center kitchen, including a weeklong cooking camp for kids each summer. She also teaches at other venues in the area.

Near where Strauss will work at the Village Peddler will be the Local Culinary Marketplace, organized in a tent with handcrafted foods and specialty products, including Carhop's Burger Sauce and Montana Girl Mustard, both produced by Willowick residents, plus Bom Adult Truffles, Rust Belt Pepper Co., Red Hot Spice, Peanut Butter Mill, Randi's Pantry and Back Attack Snacks.

Gina Giallombardo, co-owner with Annette Restifo of Carhop's Burger Sauce, organized the vendors for the show. Both women live in Willowick and met many of the other food entrepreneurs at the Cleveland Culinary Launch & Kitchen. That enterprise at 2800 Euclid Ave. provides kitchen space and business advice to those seeking to make and sell their food products.

Giallombardo's story is similar to that of the Smileys, Willowick neighbors who created Montana Girl Hot Mustard and are selling it throughout the area. See the News-Herald story about them.

Giallombardo invented the hamburger sauce when she owned the Highlander Tavern in Highland Heights and was seeking something to make her hamburgers stand out from all the others. People constantly tell her it tastes a lot like the sauce on the hamburgers sold at the former Bob's Big Boy, a popular drive-in restaurant dating from the 1960s.

But the women don't make that claim. The label says, "It's the only secret sauce you'll ever need."

The mayonnaise-based sauce is low in both sodium and carbohydrates, is gluten-free and has only wholesome ingredients, they claim.

"I got to know Annette when I had the tavern, and she encouraged me to market the sauce," Giallombardo recalled. 

The women named it Carhop's Burger Sauce, and it was a hit from the beginning.

"It took off like wildfire, and we began selling it at craft shows and got it in some of big box stores like Discount Drug Mart and Marc's. But we were growing too fast," Giallombardo recalled.

"We both decided that doing shows and being out with people was the direction we wanted to take," she said. 

So that's what they do, taking their product to the farmers markets on Friday in Mentor, and Thursday in Painesville and shows such as Village Peddler. Giallombardo's dad, a decorated World War II veteran, lives with her and joins her at shows, and Restifo has kept her full-time medical-assistant job.

Giallombardo especially likes Village Peddler because it attracts those doing early Christmas shopping.

"Our Carhop's Burger Sauce makes a great stocking stuffer," she said.

The festival, which always takes place the third weekend in September, attracts more than 175 juried craftsmen and artisans who travel from all over Ohio, New York, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Michigan. The things they create are crafted in the manner of Americana, traditional, country, contemporary and primitive. Items include folk art, baskets, herbs and flowers, pottery, candles, stone garden barns, soaps, cards, wreaths, quilting, dolls, toys, teddy bears, tole painting, inlaid furniture, stained glass, blown glass, primitives, Shaker brooms, birdhouses, jewelry, angels, beach glass creations, original art, clothing, hats, scarves, purses, santas and snowmen, painted gourds, potpourri, wind chimes and miniatures. Find handcrafted tables, benches, stools and shelves, woven rugs, slate painting photography and fine art. 

Music from guitarist and soloist Bev Newbold will alternate with the Silver String Band as the backdrop both days as scents of good food fill the air. Hungry visitors will find creamed chicken and biscuits, gourmet pizza, smoothies, pulled pork, beef brisket, french fries, roasted corn on the cob and potatoes, homemade pies, ice cream, fresh lemonade, kettle corn, fudge and apple fritters.

Village Peddler Festival 

10 a.m to 6 p.m. Sept. 19; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sept 20.

Lake Metroparks Farmpark, 8800 Euclid Chardon Road (Route 6) in Kirtland.

Admission: adults $7 , seniors $6 and children 2 to 11 $4. Parking and children under 2 are free. Details: www.villagepeddlerfestival.com; 440-503-8414.

Source: Village Peddler Festival at Lake Metroparks Farmpark adds big food component

Wolfgang Ebenbichler Appointed Vice President Guest Experience, Food and Beverage for Princess Cruises

SANTA CLARITA, Calif., Sept. 14, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Wolfgang Ebenbichler has been appointed to the role of vice president, guest experience, food and beverage for Princess Cruises. In this role, he will be responsible for leading a team that connects with guests each day through a wide spectrum of culinary, dining, bar and lounge experiences.

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150914/266320

Ebenbichler brings many years of experience as head of food and beverage operations and as an executive chef at hotels and resorts around the world, including Caesar's Entertainment, the Opryland Resort, and Starwood's Disney World Swan and Dolphin, where he has been responsible for developing a number of new food and beverage concepts.

Most recently he has served as Chief Executive Officer of u4iA Concepts, a hospitality organization that designs concepts and connects resorts and casinos with third-party restaurant and bar operators.

"Wolfgang brings valuable experience and a wealth of knowledge in food and beverage management and operations to Princess Cruises.  We know he will drive a successful team to deliver to our guests memorable culinary experiences," said Rai Caluori, executive vice president of guest experience and product development. "He will play an incredible role leading the development and implementation of many new culinary offerings including the roll-out of our new partnership with Chef Curtis Stone, new developments for Chocolate Journeys with Chocolatier Norman Love and our popular craft beer series, to name a few."

A chef by training, Ebenbichler completed his culinary certification and hospitality management studies in Austria and began his career in the United States with culinary management positions at Ritz Carlton hotels.

Additional information about Princess Cruises is available through a professional travel consultant, by calling 1-800-PRINCESS (1-800-774-6237), or by visiting the company's website at princess.com.

About Princess Cruises: One of the best-known names in cruising, Princess Cruises is a global cruise line and tour company operating a fleet of 18 modern cruise ships renowned for their innovative design and wide array of choices in dining, entertainment and amenities, all provided in an environment of exceptional customer service. A recognized leader in worldwide cruising, Princess carries 1.7 million guests each year to destinations around the globe ranging in length from three to 114 days. The company is part of Carnival Corporation & plc (NYSE/LSE:CCL; NYSE: CUK).

Newsroom:Additional media information is available at princess.com/news.

 

SOURCE Princess Cruises

RELATED LINKShttp://www.princess.com

Source: Wolfgang Ebenbichler Appointed Vice President Guest Experience, Food and Beverage for Princess Cruises

Student uses travel site to learn organic farming methods

Travel is something that appeals to many people, especially students, but sometimes financial limitations can make that difficult.

Helpx.net is a website setup to link together those interested in volunteer work in exchange or housing accommodations and food.

Host sites are typically made up of smaller, organic homesteads and family farms in need of workers for harvesting, planting, etc.

Anna Nickels, an ETSU Sophomore, worked on an organic berry farm in Idaho for a few weeks during the summer by using the Helpx website.

"It's a good way for students looking to cut back on travel expenses, but you still have to worry about getting there in most cases," Nickels said. "You set up a profile and look at host profiles, it has a wide variety of places to go which even include out of the country; it is definitely legitimate, but you still should communicate thoroughly with your host to make sure you are compatible with them.

The site allows people to learn agricultural strategies and practices that they may find valuable in their future endeavors.

For Nickels, the slower pace of life while she was on the farm was refreshing and renewing.

"I woke up with the sun and ate breakfast, then I went to the farm, picked weeds, mulched, picked so many berries, took care of chickens, and learned how to build a fence," Nickels said.

The combination of being able to travel across the country, or even out of the country, and working on what is left of the organic farms and homesteads in the country yields memorable experiences and lessons.

"Like the guy I worked for said... 'You can either build a farm out of poison or out of love,'... I choose love because I believe that what you put into life is what you get out," Nickels said. "This doesn't mean someone has to be a farmer to enjoy producing his or her own food, but an experience like that allowed me to really connect with our basics for living."

Working with agriculture or gardening may not appeal to everyone, but Nickels encourages more people to give it a try before they shut down the idea.

"I think others would find it appealing to pull weeds once they realized how good of therapy it is," she said. "I've taken away so many skills from this...I can grow organic strawberries anywhere now, and  the fact that I know how to build a fence is cool. All of that combined with interacting with new people made for a great learning experience."

Source: Student uses travel site to learn organic farming methods

The best British food festivals and events to tickle your travelling tastebuds

Welcome in Autumn, the season of mists and mellow fruitfulness – and food festivals.

All over Britain there are fab foodie events where you can feast your eyes and feed your face.

At the Melton Mowbray Food Festival (October 3 – 4) you can take a pork pie master class in the Leicestershire market town where it was created, with baker Stephen Hallam. There will also be stalls with artisan cheeses, steamed puddings, locally-brewed ales and even gold-infused bubbly – now that's rich! Admission is £6 but under-16s go free. meltonmowbrayfoodfestival.co.uk

Raymond Blanc, Theo Randall and Yotam Ottolenghi are among the celebrity chefs who'll cook up a storm at the Abergavenny Food Festival (September 18-20). You can try street food from all over the world – German bratwurst, Indian curries, Spanish tapas and Greek souvlaki. Admission from £10, under-16s free. abergavennyfoodfestival.com

Kew Gardens' West Sussex outpost will be hosting its first Bountiful Botanics weekend taking you from potting shed to plate (September 26 and 27). At Wakehurst Place, home to the world's biggest seed bank, you can get advice from experts. Guest speakers lined up include truffle hunter Melissa Waddingham and the English Apple Man John Guest. Young ones can go on bug hunts and foraging tours, while adults can stock up on plants and delicious produce. Talks and tours cost £5 (children go free). kew.org/bountiful

The Great Bath Feast (October1-31) serves up a mouthwatering month-long menu of workshops, cookery demonstrations and appearances from celeb cooks such as Nigella Lawson, Tom Kerridge and John Torode. A Mad Hatter's Masquerade Dinner at Bath Masonic Lodge (adults £85) marks the 150th anniversary of Alice in Wonderland On October 2. At half-term, follow the Healthy Eating Scarecrow Trail created by local school kids. Ticket prices at greatbathfeast.co.uk

Source: The best British food festivals and events to tickle your travelling tastebuds

Video Appears to Show Syrian Refugees Throwing Away Water, Food Distributed By Hungarian Police

A video uploaded to YouTube from earlier this month shows unrest between a train full of Syrian refugees rejecting water and food that is being distributed by the Hungarian police force.

In the video, a number of individuals can be seen throwing bottles of water onto empty train tracks, and rejecting packages of food — though several children readily accept food from authorities without incident.

According to The Liberal, the food was rejected because "the packaging contained a cross" rather than the halal certification mandated for processed foods that are acceptable for consumption by Muslims. "The packaging was also apparently embossed with the badges of the Hungarian police force."

Since their arrival, tensions between Hungarian authorities and the migrants — mostly Syrians fleeing the Islamic State — have been strained, with officials initially refusing to allow refugees to board trains to Austria. Hours later, Hungary agreed to provide buses to help the migrants reach the border to Austria.  From there, refugees hope to gain asylum in Germany and nearby countries.

In a statement, António Guterres, the United Nations' high commissioner for refugees, urged a collaborative effort among European nations to help refugees find new homes. "Europe cannot go on responding to this crisis with a piecemeal or incremental approach, Guterres said. "No country can do it alone, and no country can refuse to do its part."

Source: Video Appears to Show Syrian Refugees Throwing Away Water, Food Distributed By Hungarian Police

10 Things That Prove Your Love For Food Is Bigger Than Anything Else In This World

There is no greater love in this world than the love for food. And it's amazing to see how a good meal can uplift your spirits. While some eat to be happy, some eat in sadness and some eat just for the sake of eating! Whatever the reason, if you're showing these symptoms then you definitely love food more than anything else in this world. 

1. Your Instagram Has More Pictures Of Food Than It Has Of You

Wochit

2. You Wish To Get Food Coupons Or Free Pizzas For A Year As Gifts On Your Birthday

Giphy

3. You Plan Vacation Destinations Based On The Food You Can Get To Eat There 

Living Foodz

4. You Don't Have A Favourite Cuisine Simply Because You Love Everything!

Giphy

5. Your Friends Call You To Take Suggestions On Which Restaurants To Visit

Living Foodz

6. You Start Blabbering When You Have Been Hungry For More Than Ten Minutes

Living Foodz

7. The Only Reason You Attend Weddings Is For Food

Giphy

8. You Do Not Understand The Concept Of Dieting

Mojo

9. You Are The First One To Know About A New Restaurant Opening And You Make It A Point To Be There

Living Foodz

10. You Only Date People Who Love Food As Much As You Do

Living Foodz

If food is your life, here's some delicious news you might be interested in. The Essel Group's just launched a new foodtainment channel. It's called Living Foodz and it's pretty much the most exciting destination for food, travel and lifestyle content on the telly. With shows by Rocky & Mayur, Danny Boome, Vicky Ratnani, Gautam Mehrishi and many more, this will take your food craving to a completely new level. So, bon appetit!     

Source: 10 Things That Prove Your Love For Food Is Bigger Than Anything Else In This World

Exotic, odd sampled on 'Food Paradise'

The quirky food and travel franchise "Food Paradise" is branching out to include worldwide gastronomic destinations not to be missed.

Airing Wednesdays on Travel Channel, "Food Paradise International" brings viewers to the most legendary and undiscovered hot spots to celebrate foods that might not necessarily be associated with those cities.

"'Food Paradise' domestic is really built on a successful franchise in which we thought of the foods that people love and how do you find the variations of it across the country?" executive producer Tina Nguyen explains. "And wherever you go, you'll meet these interesting people who put a twist on it and (have) lots of personality, a lot of robust food and inventiveness. And it just felt like an organic expansion of the franchise to take it internationally. And if you watch 'Food Paradise,' it's a lot of food categories that are relatable, so everything from barbecue to burgers to pizza. The category is very familiar but people have taken these food items to really fun and kind of wacky variations."

Such as in the episode, "Steak Paradise," which visits such unlikely beef destinations as South Africa, Italy and Sydney — the location of a very high-end beef shop.

"It's like the Gucci of steak merchandising," Nguyen explains. "And they showcase the best cuts of beef from around the world whether it's Japan, locally, and it's going into this jewelry shop of beef. So we feature how beef is celebrated, and not just the way it's made but like how it's cultivated and raised. ...

"And then in Italy, there's this one chef who also is an artist, and the way he treats his beef is like the way he makes his sculptures. He's a sculptor as well. And so he runs his Agriturismo, which is both a farm and restaurant and lodge, he creates a sculpture on the ground and he also grows the meat on the location. So this really rich environment where it's art and meat and fire. It's very highbrow and yet very primal."

For sheer wackiness, though, nothing tops the episode airing later this month, "Pizza Paradise," according to Nguyen.

"Pizza is basically a container food. ... It's a blank slate," she says. "And you can fill it or you can top it in different ways.

"The thing is when you look at pizza in Tokyo, (it is) a totally different rendition. It's got a fish-stock base and yams. It's a totally different idea and it's a different food experience but it delivers on the same idea that it's like this contained patty of goodness."

Then, of course, there is the lamb and cheese pizza in London.

"It's run by these two guys who are really tough guys," Nguyen says. "And their pizzas are delicate and exquisite and (have) what they call modern flair. Like, they'd combine the most disparate ingredients and the pizza looks delicate and they're big in flavor ... I mean, London you think of beer and brats or bangers and mash — basic staples — and this is really delicate pizza."

Source: Exotic, odd sampled on 'Food Paradise'

In a New Paris Bistro, Daniel Rose Dishes Out Comfort Food

Photo The dining room at La Bourse et La Vie, chef Daniel Rose's new bistro in Paris. Credit Jesse Morgan Stories from Our Advertisers

The French-trained American chef Daniel Rose recently celebrated his 17th year in France, and today debuts his first new project since the first iteration of Spring, his much-venerated restaurant, shook up the Paris food scene nine years ago. With La Bourse et La Vie, his new 29-seat eatery located between La Bourse, the city's former stock exchange building, and the Palais Royal, Rose applies his experience and skilled precision to the most comforting of French dishes: pot au feu, artichoke salad with foie gras (the first dish Rose ate when he moved to Lyon for cooking school), whole roasted chickens and steak-frites. Consider it an ode to the bistro. "We're doing a lot of the fundamental dishes that we learned about in cooking school but didn't think were very interesting at the time," Rose explains. "The reality is, these are the traditi onal recipes that many people travel to Paris for but which have become harder to find — or at least, hard to find executed with any care."

Photo Oysters Rockefeller. Credit Jesse Morgan

The menu isn't the only element that leans traditional; the bones of the bistro have their own history. First a paper shop when it opened in the 1820s and then a cafe up until Rose took over, the space has retained all its original moldings and is currently being considered for listed status. The interior was both restored and reimagined by Elliott Barnes, the former partner of Andrée Putman, who blended conventional bistro décor — gauzy half-curtains in the windows, a velour entry drape, globe light fixtures designed by Gino Sarfati in 1965, a zinc countertop bar with stained oak skirting, a slate board for daily specials and an open, glass digestif cabinet — with sleek, contemporary lines.

Photo Rose puts the final touches on a dish of artichokes and foie gras. Credit Jesse Morgan

In keeping with the spirit of new, the bistro will be open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. With breakfast, Rose hopes to establish a new coffeehouse tradition, in which the simplicity of the American coffeeshop experience dovetails with the finesse of French pastry. In other words, a selection of updated Viennese pastries, "Frenchified" Jewish coffee cakes (imagine modern babkas), delicious brioche, beignets and streusels prepared by Rose's wife, Marie-Aude, who will oversee pastry and dessert development. Using beans by L'Arbre à Café, a Parisian small-batch roaster that supplies some of the city's best restaurants, the specialty coffee service marks the biggest departure from old-school bistros, where coffee has historically been treated as an add-on to the experience. But this is Daniel Rose we're talking about, after all, and quality is an abiding preoccupation on and off the plate.

And while the location, concept and style may be novel for Rose devotees, the singular brand of hospitality that has become synonymous with Spring is very much present. That, and good old Parisian conviviality. "We want people to have the typical bistro experience — you know, where you may eat too much and drink too much, but you'll laugh a lot and have fun."

Source: In a New Paris Bistro, Daniel Rose Dishes Out Comfort Food

Spring Eats: Where you should travel to for the best spring meals

Cape Town – Spring eating is all about tasting the environment you're in. If you're in the West Coast in spring, for example, you should be able to taste the blooming wildflowers in the dishes you're eating. 

There is no better way to immerse yourself in a destination than through eating. This way, you don't only get to see and taste the place you're at – it literally becomes part of you. 

In the spirit of spring and becoming one with the destination you're at, here are Traveller24's Top picks worth a day trip this spring season. 

1. Waterkloof Restaurant – outside Somerset West

Locally sourced ingredients paired with wines made use the ultimate sustainable practices ensures for a culinary climax at the iconic Waterkloof restaurant. The restaurant sits in a glass box in a rock face overlooking the entire False Bay, which makes the impeccable dishes by French chef Gregory Czarnecki taste even more otherworldly than it already is. 6-course degustation menu (Wednesday – Saturday) R600

2. The Living Room and The Tasting Room at Le Quartier Français – Franschhoek

Using South African ingredients such as mebos, sour figs, buchu and nettles, Executive Chef, Margot Janse, creates small plates featuring dishes such as 'Prawn Popcorn' and 'Grazing Boards', the perfect spring nibbles. Janse has contributed greatly to the 'new' taste of South African fine dining and cuisine, putting our fusion food on a globally competitive scale. The unique eight course, contemporary African inspired surprise Tasting Menu is a must. 8-course tasting menu (Tuesday – Saturday) R850

3. Roots at Forum Homini– Muldersdrift

Like the name suggests, this restaurant inspects the ground roots of SA food and bubbles it up to its purest form. Most of the produce used in Roots is locally sourced from direct surrounds, ensuring superlative standards of freshness and quality. The food is fresh, but always South African inspired. This insures a familiar yet refreshing experience which is perfect for spring. 5-course breakfast (Monday – Friday) R1454-course lunch (Monday –Friday) R2256-course lunch (Sundays and public holidays) R4206-course dinner (Monday – Thursday) R3206-course dinner (Friday and Saturday) R420 

4. Mosaic at Orient - outside Pretoria

Award-winning chef Chantel Dartnall – voted SA's Chef of the Year – has enhanced South Africa's status as a gourmet destination on the international culinary map, thanks to her meticulous approach to modern fine dining and her incorporation of seasonal, local produce in her world-class dishes. Dartnall is known for her delicate dishes - both in visual and taste form. She loves incorporating colourful edible flowers into her dishes, making this one of our top picks for spring. Open for lunch Wednesday to Sunday and dinner Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. 

R625 for Petite Degustation Menu R735 for Discovery Degustation Menu R1185 for Grande Degustation Menu

5. Granita @ Kievits Kroon - outside Pretoria

The gourmet dinner menu at this highly popular Gauteng wine farm is a six course tasting menu which changes seasonally to include the freshest local produce available. Each course has been paired with a select wine from our award-winning wine list. The splendid setting of this farmstyle restaurant makes the food taste even better. 

Set menu with wine pairing (Monday – Sunday) R327 

6. Hartford House– Mooi River, KwaZulu-Natal

The young chef Travis Finch focuses on incorporating the local flavours and produce is his masterpieces. The KZN inspired snacks are a fine dining version local's favourites, like the braaied amadumbi bread served with homemade butter. The Natal taste profile is continued throughout the meals with dishes of Wayfarer trout served with bowls of Drakensberg "mist", or locally grown spring pig and cheeses produced from the Midland's Nguni cows. 

2-course lunch (Monday – Sunday) R1803-course lunch (Monday – Sunday) 250 5-course dinner (Monday – Sunday) R500

 

7. The Greenhouse at The Cellars-Hohenort - in the Groot Constantia Wine Valley

This fresh fine dining institution values an exploration of local ingredients, flavours and African food fables, Greenhouse at The Cellars-Hohenort presents an unforgettable dining experience. The state of the art dining room and the cutting-edge kitchen sets the scene, where produce of the Constantia Valley and the region are presented as culinary creations in an intimate taste space. It's a place where the spirit of the environment can truly be tasted in every bite. 5-course tasting menu (Tuesday – Saturday) R5907-course African Origins set menu (Tuesday – Saturday) R820 

8. Oep ve Koep - along the West Coast in Paternoster

Chef Kobus van der Merwe goes further than only harvesting the local flavours of the environment, he also uses produce from the local people of the West Coast – like auntie Sophie from Dwarskersbos' most incredible preserved green fig. Van der Merwe's food is the perfect balance between comfort and haute cuisine, with a sincere West Coast flair. The menu changes every day, which means the spring menu will be as fresh as the season itself (as Van der Merwe forests and sources 90% of the ingredient himself, from the area).  NOTE opening times:Breakfast: Thursday to Sunday 09:00 to 10:45 (Wednesday to Saturday) and 09:00 to 10:30 (Sundays)Lunch: Wednesday to Sunday. Bookings to be made 24 hours in advance. 12:30 to 14:30 (Wednesday to Saturday) and 12:00 (Sundays)Dinner: Friday and Saturday (for groups of 8 or more) 18:00 till close (booking is essential)

5-course tasting menu R2957-course tasting menu R350

READ: Luxury road tripping up the West Coast

9. Bab el - Klapmuts, between Paarl and Stellenbosch

With the motto, "At Babylonstoren, we prepare your meal long before you arrive," you know you're getting the freshest taste of everything grown in their massive on-site garden on the day it was harvested. Meals are creative though always clear in structure.  The fruits and vegetables they harvest from the garden, for example, are often served with their skins on. 

Average meal cost (Wednesday to Sunday) R250 

READ: 5 Reasons to visit Babylonstoren

Name your favourite spring restaurant in SA. Email info@traveller24.com. You can also join us on our Facebook, Twitter or Instagram accounts.

Source: Spring Eats: Where you should travel to for the best spring meals

Awesome airline travel hacks you can start using today

Air travel can be a stressful endeavor. From long lines and frustrating logistics to uncomfortable seats and disappointing food, even a 3-hour plane trip can be an exasperating experience. And that's all without even factoring in the huge cost of flying in the first place.

DON'T MISS: What professional designers think of Google's new logo

Thankfully, there are ways to make the flying experience much more enjoyable. Not too long ago, TIME compiled a list of 29 awesome travel hacks that might even include a few surprises for seasoned fliers. From start to finish, the list contains a number of gems that are worth highlighting.

One of the more ingenious tips listed is that it's possible to save money on air travel if you pretend you're somewhere else when booking the trip.

Where a ticket is purchased, called its "point of sale," can affect its price thanks to something called "regional pricing." Basically, the price of a ticket will be lower in a country with a lower standard of living or when travel companies are trying to break into a new country, according to travel industry analyst Henry Harteveldt.

Harteveldt says you can find different ticket prices for the same flight on Expedia.com and Expedia.co.jp, the Japanese version, as well as for internal foreign flights on an international carrier's website by changing your "residence" to the airline's home country. The only thing to watch out for is that you'll be seeing prices in local currency, so make sure to do the math and convert them.

Another clever travel tip designed to save you some cash, and one which you might already be aware of, is that sometimes purchasing two one-way tickets can be less expensive than purchasing one roundtrip ticket. While this isn't always the case, it's certainly something to keep in mind when trying to keep the cost of flying within a reasonable budget.

On a related note, you might also want to check out the website Skiplagged. As we've previously covered, the site makes it easy for travelers to unearth secret airline fares and hidden city ticketing options that may not ordinarily be visible or readily apparent on travel websites.

TIME's list also includes nifty packing tip that's worth mentioning. When packing a suitcase, make sure to place your heavier items at the bottom. This should make your bag much easier to roll around as you won't have to worry about a top-heavy bag tipping over or being frustratingly unwieldy to lug around.

Make sure to hit the source link below for the full run down of travel tips. There are a lot of good ones worth checking out.

Older StoryPrevious Newer StoryNext
Source: Awesome airline travel hacks you can start using today

Kathleen Finch: Get Better Ideas With a ‘Pile On’ Meeting

Photo Credit Earl Wilson/The New York Times Stories from Our Advertisers

This interview with Kathleen Finch, chief programming officer of HGTV, Food Network and Travel Channel, was conducted and condensed by Adam Bryant.

Q. What were some early influences for you?

A. I grew up in Manhattan, in Greenwich Village. My parents moved here in the '60s. I had these very bohemian, liberal, artsy parents, and my entire upbringing was a little unusual. I also went to a Quaker school.

Tell me more about your parents.

They made their living in the arts, but they also would buy brownstones and loft spaces and apartments in Manhattan. We would renovate them ourselves and then flip them, and they made a lot of money doing this. From my early teenage years, I could do things like run an industrial floor sander. I used to go to school with flecks of paint in my hair from painting ceilings. It taught me the value of hard work.

Did you have an idea what you wanted to do for a career when you went to college?

I knew I wanted to do something in media. When I was in college, I applied for some internships. I decided as a lark to take an internship at the Dr. Ruth show in New York. The day I walked on set, I thought, This is so cool. After college I worked fo r a while making videos for Apple, but I ended up going to CBS News, which was really my dream at that point.

How did you make that happen?

I went in as a secretary. Quite a few of my friends said, "What?" I said, "Foot in the door." At the time, my boss was the news director. I knew when I met her that she would mentor me, and she did. I ended up being at CBS for 12 years as a producer. I traveled all over the world and had the best time.

How did that experience as a producer help you in your current role as a leader?

I was a 20-som ething producer, and my crews often consisted of grizzled veterans. I really had to prove myself to them because I had to tell them what to do out in the field, and a few of them hated that. There was a little bit of hazing that would go on.

At the time, we had a helicopter at CBS, and it was one of those helicopters that didn't have doors. The pilot didn't like people like me saying, "We've got to get to D.C. in two hours." So as we were leaving Manhattan, he would bank the helicopter on its side. It was horrifying, but I learned pretty quickly that I had to be very tough, never back down, and if I was scared to death, I would never let them see it. You learn to be gracious but tough.

Tell me about your leadership style now.

One of my favorite things to do is to put a team together in an informal way, then figure out who can do what best. Not everybody likes that because I will oftentimes change somebody's responsibilities pretty significantly. But I like people playing to their strengths. Some of my best performers are people who had very different jobs than the ones they're doing now.

What else?

I have a meeting every few months that I call a "pile-on meeting." I bring about 25 people into a room and go over all the different projects that are coming up in the next six months, and the goal is that everybody piles on with their ideas to make those projects as success ful as they can be.

The rule walking into the meeting is you must forget your job title. I don't want the marketing person just talking about marketing. I want everyone talking about what they would do to make this better. It is amazing what comes out of those meetings.

Other leadership lessons?

I love when things don't go right, because it's a good time to talk about taking smart risks. If everything worked all the time, that would mean we're not trying anything crazy, and it's the crazy ideas that end up being the really successful ideas.

So when things don't go right, I'll talk about what we learned from the mistakes. We celebrate our failures just about as strongly as we celebrate our successes because I need to encourage the team to keep coming up with the big ideas.

How do you hire?

I always ask, "What do you watch?" because I just want to see that enthusiasm bubble up. And then I always ask, "If you were me, what would you be worried about?" I'm not really looking for specific answers. I just want everybody I hire to have a very top-of-the-trees approach to our business.

I don't jus t want someone who's looking for a finance job to talk about the financials. I don't want you worrying about your individual departmental goals. I want you worrying about the business. And that's an important distinction because I don't want people competing with each other. I want people thinking about the collective whole.

I also ask them, "If you were me, what would you change?" Because I like to know that I'm hiring people who have the guts to speak up. We've built an environment in which you will not get reprimanded for disagreeing with your boss, so I need to know that people on the team have the courage to let their voices be heard.

What advice do you give to new college grads?

I give two pieces of advice. First, learn how to write. No matter what you're studying in college, be a great writer because it can stymie your career if you're not. And second, get your foot in the door. If you have a dream job or a dream place to work, take any job that will get you in as long as you're reporting or visible to important people.

Then raise your hand. Work hard. Be the person about whom everybody says, "She's next, she's the one who can do it."

Source: Kathleen Finch: Get Better Ideas With a 'Pile On' Meeting