Welcome to the bank where financial advice is free – it’s a food bank

With its elegant late Victorian red brick terraced houses and a fleet of Range Rovers, Porsches and BMWs parked outside, Studdridge Street is the epitome of leafy west London affluence. A house in this road sold for more than £3.6m four months ago, which makes it one of the priciest streets in the borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. This is the heart of well-heeled Sloane Ranger territory, and a stone's throw away is the Hurlingham Club, one of Britain's most exclusive private members' clubs famous for its croquet lawns and glitzy balls.

So, all in all, it's probably not the sort of place you would expect to find a food bank. Yet here we are at ChristChurch Fulham on Studdridge Street, Parsons Green, and the food bank that sets up its stall in a room here every Tuesday morning and Friday afternoon seems to be doing brisk business (though this is apparently nothing compared with how busy it was before Christmas).

However, while there are certainly plenty of takers for the tinned food and dried goods being handed out by volunteers – plus a hot drink, slice of cake and a chat for those who want it – arguably the person most rushed off his feet is the chap sitting behind a desk in a screened-off corner of the room. This is Kiril Moskovchuk, a Citizens Advice adviser who is specifically funded by the local council to provide financial help and debt advice to users of this food bank.

As the morning goes on a steady stream of people enter Moskovchuk's "office" for a chat. It might be about the fact their benefit payments have been delayed or stopped altogether, or whether they're claiming the correct benefits. Or it may be a problem with their housing or, if it is a debt issue, how they can negotiate with their creditors.

One of those seeking help is Paul, 61, who has been coming here for several months for help with a complex set of problems relating to his housing and the local social services department. He shares a council flat with his disabled ex-partner and two children, one of whom is also registered disabled.

Everyone's here for the same reason – we've all got money problems. It helps to speak to someone in that mindset

Jennifer Vallance

Paul says it has been "fantastic" to be able to speak to someone at the food bank about his problems, and adds that while there are still a few hurdles ahead of him his situation is "a million times better than it was before". He says: "Looking at what [Moskovchuk] has to do, they could do with having about four people here – and he could do with a secretary."

Another food bank client full of praise for the financial help service is mother-of-four Jennifer Vallance, 34, who had a challenging Christmas because she's had to wait several weeks for her first payment under the new universal credit regime (see below). "It's good to have someone professional that can help – the ladies here only know so much [about money and finance]."

Related: Food banks have become a lifeline for many, but where is the way out? | Patrick Butler

She says that seeking help about an issue such as benefits can sometimes involve a lot of queueing and waiting. "Here you can come in and you're made to feel at ease and relaxed. Everyone's here for the same reason – we've all got money problems. It helps to be able to speak to someone in that mindset and environment."

Bolting money advice on to an emergency food provision service might seem like an odd concept, but it's an approach that is helping to turn lives around. The Hammersmith and Fulham food bank is one of eight that took part in a pilot scheme last year to test the idea of allowing those who are going hungry to connect with free financial and debt advice "at the point of crisis".

The pilot was launched by the Trussell Trust, a Christian charity that operates 420 food banks around the UK, and was predominantly funded by a £100,000 donation from Martin Lewis, the personal finance journalist who set up the MoneySavingExpert website (see below).

We call it 'money help'. In some places it won't be financial advice – it will be budgeting skills.

David McAuley, Trussell Trust

The eight food banks partnered with debt and money management charities on the scheme, which has been judged a big success.

After seeing the pilot results Lewis decided to donate a further £500,000, which will allow the Trussell Trust to roll out the financial advice programme to 40 food banks across the UK. The hope is that all of them will be up and running by July, and that 4,000 food bank users will receive some form of financial help and support via the scheme this year, rising to 7,500 in 2017.

David McAuley, chief executive of the Trussell Trust, says the pilot provided vital help to some of its most vulnerable clients. "People struggling with housing payments, redundancy or illness while on a low income were helped by advisers to have the confidence to tackle their finances and turn their lives around."

At one of the food banks, after two months 90% of the clients receiving advice had either resolved their issues or were close to doing so.

As well as helping with problems relating to benefit payments and housing, the advisers assisted people with managing their money and dealing with their debts. In the future a variety of types of assistance will be offered. McAuley says: "We're calling it 'money help'. In some places it won't be financial advice – it will be budgeting skills." That might mean showing people how to use switching websites, as some of those in financial difficulty are on particularly poor-value energy and mobile phone tariffs.

In 2014-15 the Trussell Trust gave away enough food to feed more than a million people

One of the benefits of this way of providing financial help is that it means those in the greatest need are able to see someone instantly and at the same location each time, instead of having to travel and then perhaps wait weeks for a face-to-face appointment. People see the service as part of the food bank and are more open to disclosing all the information the adviser will need.

The ultimate idea is that by dealing with underlying financial issues you will reduce the number of people needing an emergency food handout. And the latest statistics are fairly shocking: in 2014-15 Trussell Trust food banks distributed enough food to feed 1,084,604 people (including 397,997 children) for three days, though some of these clients will have received more than one handout during the 12-month period.

Back at the Studdridge Street food bank, Kiril says the three main topics that people talk to him about are benefits, debt and housing. He has been here twice a week since June 2015 – he also does a weekly session at St Simon's church in Shepherds Bush when the food bank is there on Thursday afternoons – and in some respects is almost a victim of the scheme's success – he admits he "could do with some help", while Daphine Aikens, the manager of the food bank, says: "We are seeking funding for a second person because Kiril's so busy. We desperately need another person – a debt specialist."

The idea is that by dealing with underlying financial issues you will reduce the number of people needing a food handout

The constant flow of people coming in and out of this dingy but welcoming room testifies to the fact that this is a much needed and well used resource, but there is something undeniably odd about having a food bank slap bang in the middle of a "millionaire's row". I can't help wondering what the neighbours must think. Instead I ask one of those who has come here for help about the fact that this appears to be a very wealthy area. "It is – you kind of feel you've got to put your head down when you walk out of here," she says quietly. Like many of the clients she has travelled from one of the less affluent parts of the borough.

Of course, London is a place where extreme wealth is often cheek by jowl with extreme poverty. In terms of its housing market Hammersmith and Fulham is one of London's more expensive boroughs: the average property price here is nudging £800,000, according to the most recent Land Registry data. And while this neighbourhood is replete with pricey delis, trendy boutiques and organic coffee shops, deprivation levels in Hammersmith and Fulham are officially "higher than average", with almost 7,600 children living in poverty, according to a Public Health England document published in June 2015. But it's not just kids: in 2015 this borough was officially ranked the 17th most deprived district in England (out of 300-plus) when it comes to income deprivation among older people.

Paul is in no doubt about the value that this financial assistance service offers: "It's definitely a help – one million per cent. It's like you're running around inside this tin can trying to find the door. Kiril's the chap who opens the door and tells you which way to go."

Forced into debt by universal credit delays Jennifer Vallance says all her benefits were stopped as of 19 December

A report published in November warned that flaws in the universal credit benefit system that is being rolled out are leaving vulnerable people in debt and dependent on food banks. Jennifer Vallance could have been a case study, as that is exactly what has happened to her.

The 34-year-old, who lives with her partner and four children in a two-bedroom flat, has been a regular visitor to the Hammersmith and Fulham food bank over the past few weeks after the switch to universal credit left them high and dry financially. As well as food she has received clothes, hot water bottles and hand warmers. "I've had to borrow from people in the past few weeks. I also had to put my mobile phone into a Cash Converters-type shop." Christmas, she says, was tough: "Thank God for the pound shops and Primark!"

Universal credit rolls six benefits and tax credits (including housing benefit, the child and working tax credit, and income-based jobseeker's allowance) into one monthly payment. Vallance appears to be a victim of what the November report, issued by a group of Citizens Advice offices, said was a built-in delay which requires claimants to wait 42 days or more before receiving a payment.

"When you apply for universal credit they stop everything. I made the claim on 7 December and as of 19 December everything was stopped," Vallance says, who spoke to Guardian Money 48 hours before her first payment was due.

Christmas was tough. Thank God for the pound shops and Primark!

Vallance lives about two miles from the food bank. She worked for a time as a chef at the Victoria and Albert Museum, and also at other locations including a restaurant in Shepherd's Bush, and is a certified barista. However, she says she has been "forced out of work". "My partner isn't well enough to work," she adds. Asked to describe her current financial circumstances, she replies: "Below poverty."

Vallance says that on one of her earlier visits to the food bank she was advised to see the in-house Citizens Advice adviser.

"He was brilliant, he was really helpful – though in my case I was already getting the help that he could offer." She firmly supports the idea of having someone in the food bank who can assist with financial, debt and benefit problems: "You definitely need someone here. It would be good to have a woman [as well] – if I brought my mum here I'm not sure whether she would talk to a man."

Vallance says she is taking things one day at a time. "If the past couple of weeks have shown me anything, it's to not think ahead because it can all come crashing down."

The man helping to fund the scheme Martin Lewis has donated £600,000 to the food bank scheme

He has donated millions to charity since selling his MoneySavingExpert website to Moneysupermarket.com in 2012. But Martin Lewis says that in some ways the donation he is "most unhappy" about is the £600,000 he has given to food bank charity the Trussell Trust.

Related: Food bank opens for young people hit by benefit sanctions

"It is of course a disgrace in our society that so many people have to go to food banks. But it's an even bigger disgrace if they have to go twice," says Lewis, who originally gave the charity £100,000 to fund a pilot scheme to test the idea of providing financial help to food bank clients, and has donated a further £500,000 to finance a wider rollout. "We shouldn't have food banks in our society – or not to the extent we do. You have to question where the divide between the third sector and the state should be."

The scheme is aimed at addressing some of the underlying causes of food poverty by helping people manage their finances and household budgets, avoid payday lenders and structure their debt in order to prevent their situation from getting worse and to help them break out of this crisis.

Lewis says those who go to food banks are already open to asking for help, "which means they're open to help on other things". The theory is that if debt experts are able to intervene and help get people's financial lives back on track, this will cut the number of return visits. On average, people come to a Trussell Trust food bank 1.7 times a year; the charity is trying to reduce that to 1.3 or 1.2.

Money affects every element of your life. It doesn't make you happy, but money problems certainly make you sad

Martin Lewis

"Money affects every element of your life," says Lewis. "It doesn't make you happy, but money problems certainly make you sad and cause stress."

He, of course, made a great deal of money when he sold his website in June 2012 for £60m in cash and shares. Last October he received a further £19.2m that had been dependent on targets being met. At the time of the sale Lewis announced a £10m charity fund, with £1m immediately going to Citizens Advice. But last November he revealed that while individual charities and the fund had so far received £11m, there was "a lot more left" as a chunk of the original donation was in Moneysupermarket shares, which shot up.

So how would he feel about being described as a philanthropist? "That's not something you ever call yourself – it's something other people call you. I wouldn't make the claim myself."

And his next big project? Setting up a "mental health and debt policy institute" that would be charged with coming up with innovative solutions for the prevention (rather than cure) of mental health issues causing debt problems, and vice versa.

Food for thought – facts and figures

• Food banks typically provide a minimum of three days' supply of tinned and dried foods that have been donated by the local community.

• What's in a food parcel? Typically it includes cereal, soup, pasta, rice, pasta sauce, beans, tinned meat, tinned vegetables, tea/coffee, sugar and biscuits, says the Trussell Trust, the charity that operates the UK's biggest food bank network. So no fresh fruit and veg, and some people might be concerned about the amount of added sugar and salt. However, some food banks are able to provide fresh food.

To accept food banks as part of the solution … is to ignore the reasons why people are hungry

Fabian Commission on Food and Poverty

• If you are organising a collection for your local food bank, check first to see which items it wants. For example, the Hammersmith and Fulham food bank has put a call-out for items including long-life juice, long-life milk and tinned rice pudding, but currently has a "plentiful supply" of baked beans, tinned tomatoes and tea bags.

• Some food banks distribute other items such as toilet rolls and hot water bottles. Many are becoming more like community hubs, providing emergency food and support. Often they offer hot drinks or meals, plus the opportunity to have a chat with a volunteer. The Trussell Trust has trained some of its food banks to run basic cookery, nutrition and budget management courses. And last October, work and pensions secretary Iain Duncan Smith announced that as part of a trial, job advisers were being posted in a food bank and were giving advice on claiming benefits and finding work.

• The three main reasons people are referred to food banks are said to be 1) benefit delays, 2) low income, and 3) benefit changes.

• Everyone who comes to a food bank is referred by a frontline professional or agency, says the trust. "Care professionals such as doctors, health visitors, schools and social workers identify people in crisis and issue them with a food bank voucher. This entitles them to receive a food bank parcel."

• Last October, a report from the Fabian Commission on Food and Poverty recommended that rather than expand the role of food banks, government policy should be directed at phasing them out by 2020. It said charitable food provision was only able to address the need for food during a crisis, not the origins of that crisis, adding: "Those working in food banks are responding to a need from hungry people. But to accept food banks as part of the solution … is to ignore the reasons why people are hungry. The aim should be a reduction in acute household food insecurity to the extent that food banks cease to exist. It should be possible to do this by 2020."

Between 35% and 45% of people coming to food banks report that the reason … is to do with changes to the benefit system

Justin Welby

• Alternatively, could the UK go the way of America when it comes to food bank take-up? In the US, the Feeding America organisation is a nationwide network of 200 food banks and 60,000 "food pantries" (the local distribution arms) and meal programmes which provides food and help to more than 46 million people each year, including 12 million children and seven million older people. Feeding America provides more than 3bn meals to families facing hunger each year. Meanwhile, more than 850,000 Canadians use a food bank each month, according to Food Banks Canada.

• A Conservative minister, Lord Prior of Brampton, came under fire last November when he said in parliament that it was "a paradox that we have this issue with food banks at a time when obesity is one of the biggest threats to the future. It is a strange situation around the world when we have both a problem of obesity and an issue of nutrition". In reply, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, appeared to criticise the minister's claims, saying: "Our experience in the Church of England, which is involved in the vast majority of food banks across the country, is that between 35% and 45% of people coming to get support from food banks report that the reason for running out of food is to do with changes to the benefit system and sanctions."

Source: Welcome to the bank where financial advice is free – it's a food bank

9 food trucks in Delhi that will give you hunger pangs!

From Asian to American and Continental, food trucks in the capital offer all kinds of cuisines Sneha Shetty | Last Updated: January 29, 2016

Delhi is a city that thrives on food from all corners of the world. If there is one thing in which Delhi wins over Mumbai, it's the number of options the city has to offer to your palate. That being said, Delhi is also the first city in the country to have caught on the food truck trend! The array of options to pick from will only leave you spoilt for choice. The city is home to some of the most lip-smacking and mouth-watering delicacies and these food trucks bring them straight to you!

So, here is our list of the 9 food trucks in Delhi that are worth the chase.

ALSO SEE: 13 stunning photographs of Delhi like you've never seen before!

1. The Food Label (TFL)

Photograph courtesy: TFL Facebook

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TFL is one of the newer food trucks in Delhi. It has a limited menu but everything on it is worth trying. Since the food truck is not too much on the move, they tend to get sold out pretty soon.

Cuisine: Indian, Chinese and Italian

What to try: Pav Bhaji, Pasta and Aloo Tikki Burger

Where: At Eldeco Utopia, Silver City Crossing, Sector 93, Noida

Contact: +91 9599500370, +91 9599500371

Timings: 6 pm to 9 pm

Approximate cost for two: Rs 300

2. Dosa Inc.

Photograph courtesy: Dosa Inc/Facebook

Dosa Inc is probably one of the very few restaurants in Delhi that have been able to crack the secret to perfect south Indian preparations. This food truck is always on the go and you'll quite literally have to chase them to their next destination, but, it's definitely worth it.

Cuisine: South Indian

What to try: Idli- Chutney, Vada- Sambar, Mysore Masala Dosa

Where: Okhla Phase 3, New Delhi (keeps changing, call to confirm)

Contact: +91 9211188877, +91 9212188877

Timings: 9 am to 7 pm

Approximate cost for two: Rs 200

ALSO SEE: 9 lesser known facts about the Rashtrapati Bhavan that will leave you amazed!

3. Drifter's Cafe

Photograph courtesy: Drifter's Cafe/Facebook

For everybody who loves Asian all the way from Chinese, Japanese, Malaysian to Indonesian food, this food truck is calling out to you!

Cuisine: Pan Asian

What to try: Dim Sums,Thai Fish Raw Mango

Where: Usually around Sector 29, Gurgaon

Contact: 011 33107666, +91 9930604885

Timings: 12 pm to 3 pm, 6.30 pm to 11 pm

Approximate cost for two: Rs 450

4. EGGjactly

Photograph courtesy: EGGjactly/Facebook

Eggjactly is credited to be the first food truck to be introduced not only in Delhi, but in all of India. Specializing in egg based dishes, this food truck is the quintessential American Fast Food Truck that you must try getting your hands on!

Cuisine: American Fast Food

What to try:  We hear the tacos are to die for

Where:  Sector 29, Gurgaon

Contact: +91 9811807878

Timings: 4 pm to 11 pm

Approximate cost for two: Rs 400

5. Flavour Hub

Photograph courtesy: Favours Hub/Facebook

This food truck is known for the value for money quality and quantity they offer. With a deadly combination of an extensive menu and a quick serving crew, the Flavour Hub is indeed a hub for foodies!

Cuisine: American fast Food

What to try: Pancakes, waffles, sandwiches

Where:  Leisure Valley Road, Sector 29, Gurgaon

Contact:  +91 9990001607

Timings: 4 pm to 11 pm

Approximate cost for two: Rs 450

ALSO SEE: Paranthe Wali Gali in Delhi – The path that leads you to parantha paradise!

6. Furgurpop

Photograph courtesy: Furgurpop/Facebook

This food truck is meant for all those who need their quota of something cold, no matter what time of the year it is. Most ice creams and popsicles made by them are free of artificial preservatives and color.

Cuisine: Desserts

What to try: Green Apple Mint Tea, Oreo Cookies and Cream, Tiramisu

Where: Sector 57, Gurgaon

Contact: +91 8171719777

Approximate cost for two: Rs 300

7. Oh Buoy

Photograph courtesy: Oh Buoy/Facebook

When it comes to continental food, the Oh Buoy Truck has got quite some of the cuisines right and definitely offers some of the best food in the same price range.

Cuisine: Continental

What to try: Wraps, risotto, mocktails are worth it,

Where: Near DLF Building, Sector 62, Noida

Contact: +91 9654000909

Timings: 12 pm to 3 PM, 6 PM to 11 PM

Approximate cost for two: Rs 650

8. The Lalit Food Truck Company

Photograph courtesy: TLTC/Facebook

The Lalit Food Truck Company is indeed one of the most well maintained, high on quality and hygiene trucks in the city.

Cuisine: Mexican Fast Food

What to try: Falafel and Mean Vegetarian Burger

Where: Connaught Place, New Delhi

Contact: +91 9599700327

Timings: 10 am to 6 pm

Approximate cost for two: Rs 400

9. What The Truck

Photograph courtesy: What The Truck/Facebook

This food truck has a specialty in making American Fast Food with just the right amount of Indian to it. They occasionally have some Indian street food options and though the main menu doesn't change too often, there will usually be some surprises for you to indulge in.

Cuisine: American Fast Food

What to try: Chilli Doggy Dog and the wraps

Where: Sector 29, Gurgaon

Contact: +91 9810337934

Timings: 12 pm to 3 pm, 6 pm to 11 pm

Approximate cost for two: Rs 300

First Published: January 29, 2016
Source: 9 food trucks in Delhi that will give you hunger pangs!

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Source: Tips to travel on a budget

Is Punjab Grill the only restaurant that promises authentic Punjabi food?

IANS | Last Updated: January 28, 2016

Punjab is India's top destination for mouth-watering gastronomic indulgence. A culinary abundance of flavours for vegetarians and non-vegetarians alike makes it one huge foodie capital. The kaleidoscope of aroma, tastes and spices covers everything from butter chicken to attewala chicken and the very famous sarson ka saag with makki ki roti – these are reason enough to visit Punjab!

Punjab Grill has now brought these very delicacies to the national capital at three outlets that bring out the best of the state's cuisine – a taste of which was afforded to food writers from Delhi with a trip to rural Punjab.

The journey to Sohian and Bagrian villages in the heartland of Punjab lent a deeper insight into the culture and the roots from where the Punjab Grill takes its inspiration of presenting the real Punjabi food.

Punjab Grill has three outlets in Delhi and totally eight across India. The cuisine offered here is some of the best food the state has to offer.

The setting was Sohian Heritage, styled in Anglo-Indian architecture and nestled in a 70-acre sylvan and picturesque estate.

The lunch that comprised our first meal at the property was cooked in clay ovens and tandoors in the traditional style of the region.

To start with, a dish that everybody liked the most was kunna meat. It was brown in colour with earthy flavours and a beautiful aroma. It was cooked for hours in a clay pot that had been buried underground. The round clay pot is called kunna in Punjabi and the mutton turned out earthy in its flavour because of the pot and slow cooking process, so as to provide an ethnic taste.

Another delicious dish was meethi roti, served as a dessert with lots of desi ghee on it, which impressed with the taste and presentation. The secret ingredients were fennel seeds and big black cardamom.

"This style of cooking requires great expertise on the part of the chefs, since the meat is not accompanied by any sauce or gravy, but is only pre-marinated and cooked before serving," Punjab Grill's head corporate chef Gurpreet Singh told IANS.

The team did an amazing job, it went to Punjab a month earlier and learnt the exact recipes of rural Punjab. But sadly, these dishes would not be available at the city outlets.

"The base kitchen was set up in the Sohiya kothi only. I got to learn many new recipes from Punjab like Sarson ka Saag, and its important key rule is to cook it overnight and on slow heat," the chef said with an engaging smile.

The day ended with the authentic dinner, but the dish that made everybody crazy was lachcha palak paneer – a well-known north Indian curry made of blended spinach and delicate paneer. Cream gave it a rich smooth composition.

After a morning tractor-ride in nippy and foggy weather to the farms to get the real feel of the fields of Punjab, lunch was a laid-back affair in the field and under the sky – an unexpected set-up in chilly weather.

To uncover the world of authentic, mouth-watering Punjabi food, we had countless tasty dishes for lunch. Amidst them, the one that elicited a big smile and amazed everybody at the same time was Kotkapure da attewala kukkad – served directly from the flour shield in which it was cooked.

The chicken was finger licking with true Punjabi flavours and dry fruits in it. When asked about the recipe, the chef said the chicken is marinated and dressed with specially-made spices, tightly wrapped in muslin with a thick covering of kneaded flour and roasted in a slow-fire oven and the chicken is served steaming hot.

The day ended with soothing qawwalis sung by Irshaad Rehmad at Bagaria Fort, situated on the Malerkotla-Nabha Road. It was a lovely evening with delectable food that was luscious, palatable and finger-licking yummy.

All the meals that I had on this trip were pure Punjabi fare – starting from the first serving, the hot milk locally known as tauri da dhudh to the last serving, aam papad and a very well known sweet: dhoda barfi from Kotkapura.

First Published: January 28, 2016
Source: Is Punjab Grill the only restaurant that promises authentic Punjabi food?

A World Of New Food Options

Note: This is the first of two stories on kosher travel.

Whenever she travels, Rhoda Farbowitz of Staten Island always packs a fallback kosher "meal" — a pack of tuna, cheese, challah rolls. "You just never know," said Farbowitz. "You always have to carry something in your pocketbook."

I agree, and never leave home without a cheese sandwich. Emergency rations aside, however, eating kosher away from home no longer requires the time-honored suitcase full of tuna. That was the grateful consensus from Jewish Week readers, who responded to my kosher travel query with a wealth of tips and advice.

"Here's my philosophy," wrote B. Lamdanit, an Upper West Sider who has maintained halachic standards and a full belly while roughing the African bush: Kosher travel anywhere "can be done if you want it badly enough — and if you're willing to go without the exact foods and customs that you have at home." Indeed, if there was one dominant theme in reader responses, it was this: Traveling while kosher is best accomplished when cuisine is not the focus.

That leaves room for pleasant surprises, though, since kosher dining options have proliferated around the globe on a scale unimaginable just a few decades ago. Rabbi Moshe Elefant, who oversees the Kashruth Department at the Orthodox Union, confirmed the globalization of halachically correct fare and credited two major factors — the expansion of Chabad to far-flung corners of the world, and mass outsourcing of food processing to foreign factories.

"The food market is no different than the garment market," said Rabbi Elefant. Today, he explained, most U.S.-sold clothes are manufactured overseas; the same thing goes for crackers and hot sauce and fish sticks, which is why the OU dispatches a team of 600 rabbinic field representatives to certify plants in 80-plus countries, including China and India.

Thirty years ago, such places "weren't even on our radar," said Rabbi Elefant. "But the world has changed; it's become a village. Nearly half the new facilities we certify today are outside the U.S." The ripple effect has been that "every supermarket in the world, and I use the word very literally, has OU food," added the rabbi.

That's great news for hungry travelers, who once had to subsist on local fruits and salads — a lethargy-inducing experience that Rabbi Elefant, who likes a good steak, recalls well. Nowadays, he advised, look for canned goods and popular brands like Heinz, Hershey, Pringles and Ritz crackers.

Other kosher staples, especially for those headed off the beaten path: cereal, peanut butter, granola bars, oatmeal packets, and instant noodles. Matzah — durable, versatile and symbolic — is a universal favorite. And everyone I spoke to mentioned the new lightweight tuna pouches and Coca-Cola (which, at least for JW readers, may well be the great American contribution to world cuisine).

In big cities, travelers rely on Chabad as a one-stop Jewish resource. Chabad centers maintain websites with up-to-date local kosher information, welcome visitors for Shabbat dinner and help arrange elevator-free, walking-distance accommodations. Simply Googling "Jewish community" together with a destination name is often helpful; many prominent synagogues abroad have kosher restaurants, and some of those (especially in Asia) qualify as cultural and culinary highlights.

Many readers praised the ease of dining on major cruise lines. Get to know your maître d' and chef, they advised, and these obliging folks will prepare double-wrapped kosher meals, store Shabbat items in a refrigerator (and reheat on request), or invite guests to inspect the hechshers on kitchen items. They'll also provide plastic silverware and paper plates and handle electricity issues on Shabbat.

Tipping up front is essential, readers emphasized — and well worth the investment. Cruise staff "are taught to honor all requests, no more how odd they seem," wrote Batsheva Winnig of Manhattan, who has a bowl and pitcher delivered for ritual hand-washing, no questions asked, alongside sealed kosher meals.

At one such Shabbat on board, "I heard the people at the next table commenting that it looked like a Passover seder," recalled Winnig, who added that another Jewish couple ventured over to greet them. Hers was a story common among readers — many of whom, while observing Shabbat somewhere conspicuously out of place, have attracted the attention of fellow Jews.

Cruise ships may be easy, but hotels in the Caribbean or overseas can be challenging, travelers reported. For difficult destinations — or just to ensure a hot Shabbat dinner — many families pack frozen meals to reheat on a Foreman grill or portable griddle-crockpot. Farbowitz recommended the insulated bags from California Club, which can keep a chicken dinner frozen solid for at least 29 hours. (That's the amount of time the dinners her lost luggage once traveled before reaching her — still rock-hard.)

Such measures are largely unnecessary in 2016, Rabbi Elefant assured me. "People don't actually have to pack cans of tuna fish anymore," he said. "But they still do. My wife," he added with an affectionate sigh. "Her attitude is, 'How can you go on a trip without having food with you?' And mine is, 'Why would you pack extra?'"

"So when we go together, we pack food. And when I go by myself, I don't." 

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Source: A World Of New Food Options

Bitten: A Food Conversation

Co-Founders of Bitten: Emily Schildt and Naz Riahi (left to right) Photo Credit: Leah Pelligrini

The first Bitten Conference, created by marketing hipsters, Naz Riahi and Emily Schildt, took place in New York City last year at Scholastic Magazine headquarters and was a slam-dunk. More than 300 strangers came for a full day of 20-minute presentations showcasing the future of food told by the people who are making it happen. Think TedTalk meets StoryCorps. Dynamic speakers from diverse corners came to share their triumphs -- from rooftop aquaculture, to non-profit partnerships bringing safe water to developing nations, to futuristic ways to grow meat from the guru of 3D bio-printing, to a farmer in Australia solving the world's hunger problem with the cultivation of chia seeds, to the founder of the League of Kitchens (not a bad approach for world peace), to the founders of Smorgasburg and Brooklyn Flea. The organizers' strategy, and it was a brilliant one, was to introduce the audience to people they were not familiar with and, in the end, "curated" a stellar cast of (most ly young) innovators. I enjoyed every minute of the jam-packed program and filled my own notebook with new ideas and data-driven daydreams.

This year's conference, to be held on Friday, February 12, has thankfully moved to a larger space that is filling up fast. No wonder. More than a food event, Bitten's "conversation" begins with technology and trends (macro and micro), geared to entrepreneurs and sidepreneurs from various industries - from fashion to manufacturing, from agriculture to travel. In one short year, they have attracted hundreds of folks beyond just the food space.

This year's line-up is as impressive as last year's. Maybe more so. "Although California is often considered the epicenter of disruption," according to Naz, Bitten wants to highlight the energy and conductivity of New York's food world, but has also invited a few speakers from elsewhere. There's Claus Meyer, co-founder of the renowned restaurant Noma who will speak about a non-profit bakery he is spearheading in Brownsville, New York; the editors of two new glossy food magazines; Adam Eskin, founder and CEO of Dig Inn "farm-to-counter" restaurants; Andrea Lipps of the Cooper Hewitt Museum, talking about the historical impact of design; Kim Huskey, the food services manager at Google; Niki Russ Federman, 4th generation owner of the Lower East Side's beloved Russ & Daughters; Mitchell Davis, the Executive VP of the Beard Foundation who helped mastermind the Milan Food Expo; and Michael Whiteman, the "dean of restaurant consultants" who will speed-dial 20 trends in 20 minutes.

Naz's and Emily's own story fits right in with the food-as-pop-culture zeitgeist: moxie, entrepreneurship, and risk. They met on Instagram (they liked each other's feed). Naz was living in LA and on a trip to New York, invited Emily to lunch. When Naz came up with the idea to launch a food-centric platform, she asked Emily (who worked for a fast-growing food startup) to work with her instead. Bingo, Bitten was born. As a result of the conference, Naz and Emily have established a marketing firm to help companies redefine or strengthen their brand's potential.

Bitten wants attendees to feel inspired by the beauty, creativity, and innovation in the "food space" and to take a break from the routine and grind of everyday life. "The audience should feel like they have a right to engage in the conversation, to have an opinion, and to stake out their own space in it." Nine hours, 20+ speakers, breakfast, lunch, and all the inspiration you can eat. For more information and tickets: www.thisisbitten.com.

Rozanne Gold is a four-time James Beard award-winning chef and author of Eat Fresh Food: Awesome Recipes for Teen Chefs, Healthy 1-2-3 and Radically Simple: Brilliant Flavors with Breathtaking Ease.

Food, New York City, News, Michael Whiteman, Mitchell Davis, Niki Russ Federman, Claus Meyer, Adam Eskin, Andrea Lipps, Kim Huskey, Emily Schildt, Naz Riahi, Bitten Conference

This Blogger's Books and Other Items from...

Source: Bitten: A Food Conversation

Why Food Tastes Different On An Airplane, How To Satisfy Your Taste Buds

Image via Shutterstock

Have you ever noticed that food tastes different on an airplane?

Travel + Leisure explains the reason behind this, and highlights the types of food to ask for, in order to satisfy your taste buds.

An airplane cabin can be drier than some deserts.

Your scent starts to deteriorate the moment you board a plane, and you will notice that your taste and smell will start to change. In this case, sweet and salty food now becomes bland, as your taste only detects about 30 percent of these tastes.

Liquid expand and contract as the environment changes.

Likewise for alcohol, it will taste differently as your body becomes dehydrated in mid-flight. The same wine can taste more acidic than it normal would at ground level. Have a glass at the earlier part of the flight journey, when your body is less dehydrated.

Head over here to find out more.

[via Travel + Living, image via Shutterstock]

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Source: Why Food Tastes Different On An Airplane, How To Satisfy Your Taste Buds

Culinary Tourism and Transit Meet at Penn Station’s New Celeb-Chef Food Court

Marrying celebrity comfort food and iconic transportation hubs is a hot trend driving New York food tourism.

— Greg Oates

New York's food hall boom isn't slowing down one bit.

Anthony Bourdain is planning a 150,000-square-foot Asian night market at Pier 57, and just last Monday, "The Pennsy," named after the Pennsylvania Railroad's old nickname, swung open its double glass doors atop Manhattan's Penn Station.

Though it doesn't feel like a destination in the same way that Gotham West Market did when it opened in far west Hell's Kitchen, the 8,000 square-foot, street-level space in the old Border's location is certainly exciting news for commuters in the area who've run out of lunch options.

The Pennsy is airy and industrial-looking, and includes a row of five restaurants and a soon-to-open bar. When the liquor license comes through, you'll be able to dawdle with a few cans of beer or a giant glass of wine to help ease the general malaise associated with actually being above Penn Station.

If we're calling it what it is, The Pennsy is a hub for expensive fast food — sandwiches, soups, grain bowls — anointed by celebrity chefs who you're unlikely to actually see on site.

At Marc Forgione's Lobster Press, the star is a hot, pressed lobster sandwich ($17). The dish is essentially a streamlined, somewhat portable version of a crowd pleasing appetizer Forgione serves at his eponymous restaurant in Tribeca — a fine pile of lobster tail, knuckle, and claw meat in a buttery, Sriracha-spiked broth. Reconfigured for the lunch crowd, it's become a slender, less garlic-forward sandwich of about 4 oz. of lobster meat. There's a side of hot, spicy broth for dipping bites as you go. If you want cheese, and it'll be recommended that you get cheese, it's $18. Don't do it, though! The cheese makes the lobster meat practically invisible, kind of defeating the purpose.

If it's grilled cheese you want, there's a honey-drizzled version at Mario by Mary, the result of Mario Batali co-branding with the caterer Mary Giuliani. The sandwiches are good, though the ratios of filling to bread can be a little off in some cases, like with the delicious, intensely flavored spicy tuna sandwich (sandwiches here are $9-13), which seemed a bit suffocated by the big pillows of Italian bread. A white bean and escarole soup was rich and well-seasoned, though slightly sticky in texture.

The beloved, but now defunct vegan food truck The Cinnamon Snailhas a full-time shop slinging robust seitan burgers ($11) that sell out very quickly and tempeh sandwiches on spelt bread ($10). There are doughnuts and cinnamon buns, too, all big enough to share.

All the restaurants will pack up their food to go for less-sad desk lunches or pickups on your way home after work (the Pennsy is open until 11 p.m. except for on Sunday, when it closes at 8 p.m.). The Little Beet seems particularly well-suited for weekday lunching. Franklin Becker's gluten-free, vegetable-focused (but not vegetarian) chain crowns bowls of brown rice or quinoa with lentils, cheese, and vegetables ($13) and serves fat, wholesome brown rice and nori wraps with salmon or chicken ($10), which I saw people attempting to consume one-handed in the communal seating area, while also answering emails on their phone. This ended badly.

Pat LaFrieda, the New Jersey-based butcher to the stars, opened the largest space among the restaurants, with a store of pre-packaged snacks and meat. Place your order at the register in the front, then walk through to pay and pick up a simple steak sandwich or a roast beef with pickled onions ($12). On a recent visit, seven cooks were squashed behind the line, pressing meatball sandwiches, but it moved a little slowly — things are still warming at the Pennsy.

The food hall is just a sub-category in the cheffy fast food genre. A few days ago, David Chang, who's quickly building a fried chicken sandwich empire with Fuku, opened a new location just next door in Madison Square Garden. The Pennsy will soon open a large event space upstairs, and though it's hard to imagine it right now, pre-blizzard, there will be outdoor seating on the 33rd Street side in the spring.

The Pennsy is at 2 Pennsylvania Plaza.

Tejal Rao is the New York food critic for Bloomberg. Follow her on Twitter (@tejalrao) and Instagram (@tejalra), or contact her at trao9@bloomberg.net.

To contact the author of this story: Tejal Rao in New York at trao9@bloomberg.net. To contact the editor responsible for this story: Justin Ocean at jocean1@bloomberg.net

This article was written by TEJAL RAO from Bloomberg and was legally licensed through the NewsCred publisher network.

Source: Culinary Tourism and Transit Meet at Penn Station's New Celeb-Chef Food Court

Travel poll: Buy food on the plane or bring a meal aboard?

This week's Travel Poll follows you to your plane seat in coach to ask about your eating habits.

When you fly, are you satisfied to pop for $8 or $10 for the airline meal?

Maybe you prefer to pick up something from the airport food court, prompting covetous glances from your seatmate who settled for the cheese plate.

Or do you pack a sandwich from home, trusting that a security screener won't confiscate your lunch?

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Source: Travel poll: Buy food on the plane or bring a meal aboard?

First world-wide food & beverage tourism award competition announced

PORTLAND, OR - Food and beverage are a crucial part of the traveler experience, and travelers are always seeking the next greatest food and beverage businesses, destinations and experiences.

One hundred percent of visitors to a destination must eat and drink. They can return home with memories of a chain hamburger and coffee, or they can return with memories of fantastic local food and drink experiences. They just need help identifying and even recognizing those experiences.

The 2016 FoodTrekking Awards is the world's first global competition for recognition of excellence in food and beverage experiences for travelers.

CATEGORIES

Categories in this year's competition include:1. Best food or beverage destination2. Best winery experience3. Best beer experience4. Best food or beverage tour operator5. Best foodservice experience for travelers

JUDGES

Reviewing the applications is an international panel of expert judges:

• Steven Shomler, Journalist, Author, Radio Host (Portland, Oregon, USA)

• Gabriela Ibarra, destination marketer formerly with Visit Mexico (Guadalajara, Mexico)

• Livio Colapinto, Owner, Zest Food Tours (Italy)

• Benjamin Brown, Journalist and cruise industry expert (Las Vegas/Los Angeles, USA)

• Stephan Berrouet Durand, Chef, founder of Haitian Culinary Alliance, author (Haiti/New York City)

BENEFITS

There will be one grand prize, a second, and third prize for each category (15 winners total this year). In addition to a physical prize, winners will receive tremendous global recognition for an entire year, and will be announced in the World Food Travel Association's newsletter (24,000 readers), its Founder's Blog, and on social media groups (13,000 followers), as well as in a dedicated press release to our curated in-house media list.

Source: First world-wide food & beverage tourism award competition announced

Beyond Restaurants: Ways To Savor A Local Food Scene

People buy vegetables and fruits from a street vendor in Caracas, January 20, 2016. (Photo : REUTERS / Marco Bello)

On your next travel, consider sampling the products at a farmer's market, taking a food trip drove by a professional culinary expert or even welcoming yourself over for a dinner at a resident's home. Here are ways on how to savor your local food scene.

Eat in a local's home

It's the holy grail of foodie travel getting a welcome to eat a home-cooked meal with a local crew. Also, it's a considerable measure and less demanding than it used to be.

Some websites can offer you some help with organising this type of experience. At EatWith.com, you can scan listings from hosts offering experiences like homemade tapas and paella in Valencia, Spain, or a Brazilian family menu in Rio de Janeiro. EatwithaLocal.com is a comparative service that offers both home-cooked meals and meet-ups at food festivals and different events.

Visit a grocery store

If you need to eat what local people eat, you need to shop where local people shop and that is the market. In some parts of the world, it won't look excessively unique from the spacious markets you're used to at home; in others, you might find yourself wandering a few dusty dry goods aisles in the shop on the corner. In any case, you'll get a smart thought of what types of food are the staples of the local diet.

Take a cooking class

Don't simply eat the local food but rather figure out how to cook it! The truly dedicated can take a week long culinary vacation while dabblers can sharpen their craft in an a few hour workshop. TheInternationalKitchen.com is a good source for both types of experiences offering single-day classes in Italy, France and Spain as well as longer vacations in nearly a dozen countries.

Browse a local market

Colorful and sometimes chaotic, a farmer's market is a perfect spot to discover homegrown food products, from fresh fruit and vegetables to artisanal goods like honey or cheese. As you wander the stalls, you can visit with sellers and get a couple of goodies for a picnic lunch. Markets are likewise fabulous spots for amateur photographers that they are couple of shots more luscious than a vibrant pile of ripe berries or exotic vegetables.

Source: Beyond Restaurants: Ways To Savor A Local Food Scene

Travel tips: 10 things travellers get wrong

Travel: you're doing it wrong. Maybe not all of it, but you're definitely doing at least a few things wrong.

Travel: you're doing it wrong. Maybe not all of it, but you're definitely doing at least a few things wrong. Travel might be a very personal pursuit, an activity as subjective as any you could hope to find, but that doesn't mean you're not messing it up.

There are still mistakes to be made – errors every traveller, including me, has committed plenty of times. These are the sins travellers are most often guilty of.

Approaching other countries with an Australian sensibility

There's nothing worse than when you hear an Australian saying something along the lines of, "oh, I don't tip in the USA because it's a stupid system and that's not what we do in Australia". I mean, yeah, tipping in the US is a stupid system. But it's someone else's system, and when you travel to their country you have to play by their rules. Same goes with foreign bureaucracy, or the state of a country's roads, or the way its people drive, or the things they eat… Anything, really. Other countries are different to Australia. You should expect that. In fact you should celebrate it.

See also: The ten mistakes you're making tipping overseas

Moving too fast

There's an understandable temptation when you travel to attempt to cram in as much as possible, to see all of the sights and do all of the things and drink all of the beers until you're completely worn out and have to go home and can't even remember where half of your holiday happened. Slow down. Get to know one or two places really well instead of taking a tiny snapshot of 10. There's time to see the rest of the world on the next trip.

See also: Why travellers need to stop cramming everything in

Not taking risks

You don't have to take big risks. You don't have to bungy-jump or heli-ski or hang out with one of the Corbys. Taking a risk when you travel can be as small as riding the subway in a city you're not familiar with, or trying food you hadn't heard of before. Great travel experiences are all about getting outside your comfort zone. If you're just doing the same things as you would at home, then you might as well have stayed there.

Thinking you need a long stay

There's a common perception that you can't go to South America unless you have about six months up your sleeve. Or that you can't go to the US for anything less than a month, or even somewhere like China without a good few weeks to spend. The thing is though, if you can afford the flights, even a short stay is easily worth the hassle of getting there. Spend a week in Buenos Aires, or take a short trip to Beijing, or drive the Californian coast in a fortnight. You won't regret it.

See also: Why South America is closer than you think

Locking everything in in advance

I take a nerdy pleasure in researching holidays, in finding out all the best places to go, all the restaurants I want to eat at, the pubs I want to drink at, the attractions I want to see and the things I want to do. The problem comes when you over-plan and start locking in your entire holiday in advance, not leaving any room for those fortuitous moments that will inevitably come along and change your entire trip. It's good to have a few things booked in. But leave time to just discover.

Not saving enough money

Everyone does this. You jot down all of your travel costs, your insurance, all of your accommodation, the amount you'll spend on food each day, the amount you'll spend on drinking, and on the general business of being a tourist. Then you chuck a bit more on there for good luck, total it up, and you've got the amount of money you'll need for your trip. Except, you're not even close. I don't know how it happens, but if you take a realistic budget and double it, you'll only just be getting close to the amount you'll spend.

Doing what you think you have to do

I'd call this "travel by guidebook" – the trap a lot of people fall into of reading a guide for a certain destination and taking its recommendations as orders. It says you should see the art gallery, so you go to the art gallery. It says you should check out a castle, so you go to the castle. Even if you're not into art galleries, or castles. The trick to good travelling is to just do and see the things you're actually interested in – not the things other people expect you to enjoy.

See also: Hell is other tourists - the secret to avoiding them

Not taking out insurance

There are still plenty of travellers who leave home without insurance. It might seem like an unnecessary cost, but it could also save you hundreds of thousands of dollars. And it really doesn't cost that much.

See also: Don't be an idiot - the mistakes travellers keep making

Eating Western food

I've travelled with people who insist on trying to eat all of the same food they get back at home, despite the fact they might be in a country where their risk of getting sick from a dodgy attempt at a ham sandwich is far greater than if they were chowing down on noodle soup. Eating local will not only help you stay healthy, but it's a huge part of the travel experience. Even wandering through a local supermarket is an experience.

See also: The new reason why we are travelling

Not bothering with the local language

English speakers tend to be fairly lazy with language, mostly because we're in the enviable position of already being able to speak everyone's second tongue. So there's no need to bother with any others, right? Technically that's true, but you get so much more out of travel when you take the time to learn some of the local language. Even the barest scraps – hello, goodbye, please, thank you – will get you places you never expected.

What mistakes do you think travellers make? Post your comments below.

Email: b.groundwater@fairfaxmedia.com.au

Instagram: instagram.com/bengroundwater

​See also: Ten countries you haven't visited - but should

See also: The one thing that will make you a better traveller

The story Travel tips: 10 things travellers get wrong first appeared on The Sydney Morning Herald.

Source: Travel tips: 10 things travellers get wrong

Food Blogger Feature: Mark Wiens

A chef at Bangkok's Blue Elephant restaurant, which also conducts traditional Thai cooking classes, shows a creation featuring a giant shrimp September 6, 2002. (Photo : REUTERS/Sukree Suplang)

Mark Wiens is a food and travel blogger who is well known for his unmatched passion for street food. He writes about his food and travel adventures on Migrationology, about food in Thailand in Eating Thai Food, and uploads videos about the food that he enjoyed during his travels on his YouTube channel. These websites are rich resources for people to find good places to eat while travelling in a certain country. He is also very descriptive when it comes to describing the food as he eats them.

Wiens is a half-Chinese born in the Phoenix, Arizona, moved to Congo and Kenya, and is currently living in Bangkok. He attended preschool in Albertville, France, and participated in a study abroad program in Tena, Ecuador.

He used to have a passion for cooking until he discovered that there are many people, especially in Asia, who cook better than he can. He owes his cooking skills from his grandfather who was a Chinese chef. Despite the fact that he eats quite a lot, he makes it a point to eat oatmeal for breakfast 6 out of 7 days a week. He considers himself to be an expert when it comes to fruits. His favorite snack is peanuts, and he prefers his coffee black and unsweetened.

He likes to travel and does not like staying in one spot for too long. He usually wears flip flops or sandals and only feels to wear shoes when necessary. When travelling, he'd rather spend more money on food than lodging. He does not like to live in a place with cold weather. He believes that a person's reason to travel should be food, and there is no better way to connect to a country's culture and people but by eating the food they have to offer. 

Source: Food Blogger Feature: Mark Wiens

This video of street food in Pondicherry will make you drool

Dilip Merala | Last Updated: January 16, 2016

There are many reasons why one must visit India but perhaps the biggest of them all is the food here. While it is a lot safer to try out different cuisines at posh restaurants, it isn't nearly as much fun as trying out the food on the streets of India. If you are careful and pick the right stalls which meet the basic hygiene requirements, you are in for a treat. Most street food joints in India offer lip-smacking meals which are often more delicious than what you will eat at high-end restaurants.

One place to witness this is Pondicherry. From noodles to idlis and dosas, you will find all kinds of delicacies on the streets of Pondicherry. In this amazing 4-minute video by Jenn Brewer, you will take a tour of the streets of Pondicherry and the south Indian street food served at the food joints. If this doesn't make you drool, we don't know what will!

First Published: January 16, 2016
Source: This video of street food in Pondicherry will make you drool

Oh, the Places We Tell You to Go: Inside the Travel Section’s Special Issue

Photo Coral Bay in St. John. Credit John Burcham for The New York Times

Temples of Malta. Pine forests in Dalat, Vietnam. How about a speck of volcanic rock in the South Atlantic? Itching to get out of town? Every January, The Times Travel section publishes a "Places to Go" Issue.

The selection for 2016 includes Sri Lanka, Hangzhou, China, ... and Providence, R. I.? How did the 52 destinations on this year's list make the cut, and what did the editors consider as they assembled it? Monica Drake, Travel Editor, and Dan Saltzstein, assistant editor on the Travel desk, explain.

Q. Mexico City. Number 1 destination. Why?

A. Dan Saltzstein: The No. 1 choice has to hit a sweet spot: It has to be a major enough destination to make sense as our top selection, but it can't be too obvious. Mexico City is one of the biggest cities in the world, but we suspe ct many Americans are intimidated by it. The truth is that it's an incredibly dynamic place that hits all the major urban travel buttons — food, culture, etc. — and a character that's entirely its own.

Monica Drake: I also took an informal poll of our international correspondents, and many of them — even the ones who don't cover Latin America — suggested Mexico City. This, and the opinions of our regular travel contributors, convinced us.

Q. What's the criteria for inclusion on the list? You wrote "We aim for a selection of places that we expect to be particularly compelling in the coming year." Particularly compelling? What does that mean?

A. Ms. Drake: It means that if you're even thinking about going to any of these places, you should go this year. And we make a pretty compelling case for each of the spots we suggest.

Q. What kind of traveler do you have in mind when you create a destination list that includes Sri Lanka, Hangzhou, China, and St. Louis? (Another way of saying this: Who is this list for?)

A. Mr. Saltzstein: Everyone! We aim for a diversity of geography, themes, cost and scale. Hopefully, all readers can find something in the list to entice them.

Ms. Drake: Anybody who's a traveler rather than a tourist will find somewhere to go on this list.

Q. Providence, R.I.? Are you kidding?

A. Ms. Drake: No. Look, there are little gems right under our noses that we often miss. Providence has got a nice food scene and a wonderful beachy escape a short ways away. Why wouldn't we include it?

Q. What's wrong with Paris? Rome? Istanbul?

A. Mr. Saltzstein: Nothing, of course — and most major cities have made previous lists (Paris and Rome included). But if the list was entirely made up of the usual suspects, that wouldn't be much fun, would it?

Ms. Drake: I should add that the list was published between the attacks in Paris and Istanbul. Though we pay attention to the climate that visitors will encounter, the attacks were not the deciding factors in their exclusion.

Q. This year's list comes complete with spectacular drone footage. What else is new this year?

A. Ms. Drake: We're also aiming to get folks engaged in the list throughout the year. So we created this hashtag, #52places, on Instagram that will allow you to post photos for consideration to put on this page that we curate. We'll also be releasing remixes of the list geared toward certain types of travelers throughout the year. And we'll be introducing add itional visual features within the list too. We want this feature to be something that you can return to when you're planning your travel throughout the year.

Q. What kind reader suggestions did you get? And were there lots of these?

A. Mr. Saltzstein: Thousands! [Over 6,500 on Instagram alone, at last check.] We've featured about 25 so far on our Readers' Choice page, and plan to continue adding to that throughout the year. Suggestions have spanned the globe, from Malaysia to Utah to Morocco.

Q. Terrorism or the fear of a terror attack plays an obvious role in the destinations travelers select. Was this a factor as you put the list together?

A. Ms. Drake: Of course. We do not suggest places that we think are absolutely unsafe for travelers. These include active war zones, places that have been struck by a crippling natural disaster or epidemic and areas where tourists will encounter hostility and/or danger. However, it is worth remembering that every trip involves a level of risk, and it's up to each traveler to figure out what they're comfortable with. While you shouldn't entirely throw caution to the wind, we assume plenty of risk in our everyday lives. A no-risk vacation is impossible.

Q. What's the one destination readers complain most about NOT finding on the list?

A. Ms. Drake: Our readers must be feeling very polite this year. The most common response on our social account was to tag a friend and say, "Let's go!" I should note that we invited folks who had already been to these places to contribute to our Facebook posts like this one on Mexico City, so maybe they were too busy commenting there to complain about what's missing.

Q. If you were at the airport now and could get on a plane headed anywhere in the world, where would you go?

A. Ms. Drake: Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Also Bordeaux because, well, wine!

Mr. Saltzstein: From the list? Probably Tamil Nadu and its stunning temples. Or maybe Guadeloupe — those crystalline waters look really inviting. Or maybe Mexico City to sample some street food. Or …

Q. Do you hear from readers who use the list as a travel guide and actually visit all or a lot of the 52 places on your list.

A. Ms. Drake: I have never heard of that happening, but if any of our readers do decide to visit all of these places in a year, they should let us know.

Source: Oh, the Places We Tell You to Go: Inside the Travel Section's Special Issue

IRCTC ties up with TravelKhana.com for providing food

NEW DELHI: Expanding the e-catering base, Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) has tied up with TravelKhana.com for providing food to passengers at rail premises.

TravelKhana.Com services will soon be available on IRCTC's e-catering website as the necessary arrangements have been firmed up for this, said a senior IRCTC official involved with e-catering.

TravelKhana is a dedicated service provider for the passengers on the move.

There are about 70 vendors till now who have tied up with IRCTC to supply food at stations and non-pantry trains across the country.

TravelKhana CEO Pushpinder Singh said, "It is indeed an honour for us to be working with Railways through IRCTC as the partner of choice on their site. The arrangement will allow the passengers to be able to avail the service of their choice, rather than be limited and constrained by the licensed food suppliers."

Travelkhana will start its services at the New Delhi and Nizammudin rail way stations on the E-catering system and has expressed its interest in starting its services on a total of 17 stations in the first phase.

Currently e-catering is available in about 1500 non-pantry trains and 45 stations. About 700 meals are being booked in a day through IRCTC e-catering site.

As per the procedure, a passenger orders through the website, mobile app or over the phone, and select the food of his choice from those listed restaurants.

Under the arrangement, Travelkhana's listing will be available for travellers using the IRCTC's e-catering website.

Both IRCTC and TravelKhana are working on integrating the service platforms so that the revenue sharing arrangement works as a part of the recent policy announced by the Railways.

Source: IRCTC ties up with TravelKhana.com for providing food

Where to Travel for Food in 2016

Photograph by Peter Jordan, Alamy

Sicily is historically a culinary crossroads. Greeks brought olives and grapes, Arabs added sugarcane and spices, and the Spanish threw in tomatoes and chocolate. Thanks to beloved volcano Mount Etna, the island's fertile soils have regularly produced a bounty of olives, pistachios, and fruits, while the surrounding seas are brimming with seafood.

The island is also a new frontier for Italian wines. Innovative young winemakers are taking advantage of Sicily's reasonable property costs and rediscovering many of the island's indigenous grape varietals like Nero d'Avola, Cattarratto, Nerello Mascalese, and Grillo.

What to Eat: Family-operated Pasticceria Palazzolo has operated in Palermo since 1920. It's renowned for Sicilian specialty cassata, a sponge cake with layers of sheep's milk ricotta, almond paste, and white icing topped with candied fruit. Also try Sicily's many deep-fried delicacies—a legacy of Arab influence—like arancini, meat-filled rice balls, at I Cuochini in Palermo and crunchy cuttlefish, shrimp, and squid at La Tavernetta da Piero on the island of Ortigia in Syracuse.

What to Drink: Sip fragrant Marsala wine, which is traditionally served as an aperitif, in the city where it's produced. Local bar La Sirena Ubriaca serves sweet, dry, and every variation in between alongside snacks like bruschetta topped with pistachio pesto, mulberry jam, or bottarga pâté made with cured fish roe.

Edible Souvenir: The west coast of Sicily is home to some of Europe's oldest salt marshes. Trapani sea salt is unwashed, untreated, and hand processed using traditional salt pans and is said to retain a distinct flavor. Buy a bag of it at gourmet shop Bazar del Miele in the city of Trapani.

Food Experience: Visit one of Sicily's up-and-coming winemakers. Stemmari in Sambuca offers guided tours in English Monday through Friday. The winery also offers guided tastings of their wines, like the native Sicilian Grillo or a rich Nero d'Avola. Schedule in advance by e-mail.

Cultural Tip: Sicilians take pranzo, the main midday meal, quite seriously. Stores often close from 1 p.m. until 4 p.m. so employees can return home to eat.

Fun Fact: According to legend, the famous Sicilian dish of pasta con le sarde (bucatini pasta with sardines, fennel, pine nuts, and raisins) was first assembled in 827 when Admiral Euphemius of Messina returned from Tunisia.

Staff Tip: Whether you travel to Sicily by plane or boat—your two options—among the first things you'll see when you arrive are vineyard-covered slopes and fields of fruit and olive trees: Wine and fresh produce are central to Sicilian life. In fact, Sicily now ranks as one of Italy's top wine producers. Typical foods to try: Chicken Marsala at a restaurant in the town of Marsala; pasta with sea urchin; caponata, made with local eggplant and pine nuts; pasta with Trapanese pesto (basil mixed with Sicilian almonds); and hand-crafted chocolate from the southern town of Modica. To drink, it's wine and more wine. Indigenous grape varietals to look for include Nero d'Avola, Zibibbo, Malvasia, Grecanico, Grillo, and Nerello. Keep an eye out for local labels such as Spadafora, Donnafugata, Planeta, Graci, and Occhipinti. —Jayne Wise, senior editor, National Geographic Traveler

Source: Where to Travel for Food in 2016

50 Countries and Counting: A Naturalista's Travel Adventures, On the Road, in the U.S. and Canada

Who makes a decision to pursue a doctoral degree at Columbia University, Teachers College, as a young married woman with a two year old toddler and another baby on the way? That would be me. The next question must be "what were you thinking? " Well, I guess I was thinking that I was superwoman and I could do it all and quickly learned that I am not. It was so challenging that in actuality if you ask me how I did it, I would have to say it is all a blur. I relied a great deal on the support of my loving husband and my mother. He was my rock and she was an angel mother/babysitter/food preparer, goddess. If you have people that believe in you, you can do anything! My babies were wonderful. I already had our daughter, who was two at the time, and our son was born, just before my first semester was to begin. I put a time frame on this endeavor, telling everyone that I would complete my doctorate in two years and I did. I had taken a break for two years, after complet ing my Master's Degree at Yale University, and felt that I handled that pretty well, worked a bit after and being a wife and a mother came naturally so why not mix it up? And so I dived in, head first, of course, dragging my body along for the ride.

Little did I know that one day, in class, when one of my Professor's announced that he had received funding from AAA for the development of a survey that would require a doctoral student to travel to ten locations: eight states in the U.S. and two provinces in Canada, I would end up doing that too. He explained that all expenses would be paid and data used from the study would lead to completion of a doctoral dissertation. "Is anyone interested?" he asked. I raised my hand so quickly and so high that I knew it had to be involuntary. My br ain said yes and directed my body to follow suit and I was the only person in the room that responded. "Ok," the Professor responded. See me in my office after class so we can discuss your participation. Then he proceeded with the lecture. I sat there thinking, but my babies, husband, travel, suitcases, breastfeeding, life! What have I committed to? I was screaming with excitement and fear on the inside, while appearing outwardly calm.

We met, I became a Research Assistant and also learned that this role would pay for a good chunk of my tuition and I would get a stipend. It would also facilitate my plan of finishing in two years. Yes! The travel would be done over a period of six months and my husband and mother agreed to pitch in to help with the babies as always, stepping it up even more. I would work harder than ever, to get this done. I literally lived out of a suitcase at that time. I traveled to Providence, RI, Omaha, Nebraska, San Francisco and Los Angeles, CA, Pittsburgh, PA, Miami, FL, Grand Rapids, MI and Alberquerque, NM in the US and Edmonton Alberta and Hamilton Ontario in Canada.

I was met by a AAA representative in each city. My only requirement for each trip was that upon my arrival, I would be taken on a tour to include the inner city of each location upon landing. I required the inner city because I wanted to see the people and the living conditions, as although I had taken on this project, at the core of my interest was culture and health disparities--the gap between the health status of Black and White people in America and the role that socioeconomic status plays in that scenario. I am writing a book about the latter now and others on cultural competency (http://blogs.jblearning.com/health/2012/10/04/special-author-event-dr-patti-rose-at-books-books-in-coral-gables-fl/) as the gap still remains a problem. The survey from my research for the travel proposed by my Professor would ultimately be used to assess the d rinking and driving attitudes of Young Drivers. My Professor, Dr. James Malfetti, Sr. became my mentor and guide throughout this process, which I knew was a blessing. He was truly brilliant, professional and heightened my learning experience with his wisdom. Although he is no longer with us, I am so glad that I had the opportunity to thank him for helping me to accomplish my goal of acquiring my doctorate and graduating in two years so I could get back to my family.

My husband joined me on the California portion of the experience as two of the locations were Los Angeles and San Francisco.

We had a blast, as I visited high schools, in between fun to conduct my research. I enjoyed every state that I visited and realized the vastness, beauty, similarities and differences of every location. Some of the highlights were Alberquerque, New Mexico where I was very intrigued by the presence of Native American people and developed my love for turquoise jewelry, handcrafted and intertwined with silver and other traditional, native American art pieces. I loved San Francisco, although it was colder than I thought it would be, and I realized that I don't like sour dough bread but love dungeness crabs. I was shocked by the contrast in Los Angeles as I collected data from students at a high school in a high socioeconomic status neighborhood where there were lamborghinis and bey ond in the parking lot and a school in Compton where I collected data from students in a trailer, which was their classroom. That is just not right, I thought and that resonated with me deeply. I found Nebraska interesting because I was shocked when I saw Black people there. I don't why but I hadn't envisioned that until I remembered that Malcolm X was born there and then I appreciated it more.

I could go on and on with each place but the gist is that since that journey, I have traveled throughout most of the U.S. with only 16 states left to visit. I plan to do that, if time permits, as there is quite a lot that is worthy to see in the United States.

Outside of the above experience, as examples, I have enjoyed the beauty of the ocean in Hawaii, with my family on a couple of occasions, the quaintness of Martha's Vineyard and Miami, which was so wonderful that it ultimately became our home.

Then there was Chicago and Bismarck North Dakota. Both have their attributes but what I remember most is the frigid cold. Bismarck was so cold that I can't actually explain how I felt about it but I did enjoy visiting a tribal college there, later in my life, as a Professor. I also have had the opportunity to meet with tribal leaders at a conference in Nashville, Tenessee. There is a fantastic pancake spot in Nashville called the Pancak e Pantry (http://www.thepancakepantry.com/) that I highly recommend. Speaking of food, New Orleans is one of my favorite places for amazing food. I can't do it justice here because it requires an entire post but if you have not had a shrimp po'boy, gumbo, jimbalya, shrimp etouffe and beignets in New Orleans, you MUST! The food in Baton Rouge is also amazing, as I recently learned, when I visited Louisiana State University to give a Keynote address at their veterinary school (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/patti-r-rose/why-veterinary-medicine-t_b_8211558.html).

As mentioned above, on my dissertation journey, I returned to Canada, where I had visited as a teenager (http://naturaliscoolenough.blogspot.com/2016/01/50-countries-and-counting-naturalistas.html). This time, I went to Hamilton, Ontario and Edmunton, Alberta. Both were beautiful, clean and interesting. Oddly enough, what stuck out to me in Edmunton, beyond the beautiful scenery and the friendly people, was the West Edmonton Mall (http://www.wem.ca/play/attractions-at-wem/world-waterpark) that the AAA host took me to see as part of my tour upon arrival. I am not big on malls but this one was huge and had an enormous wave pool in the center of it. I had never seen anything like it before, anywhere, so I was intrigued while simultaneously baffled as to why it existed.

Although I travel throughout the world, and will share my journeys with you in places such as Africa, Asia and Europe, in upcoming posts, it is a joy to share some my fun adventures in the United States. The lesson that I've learned, that led me to these journeys, is that those moments to go beyond your immediate circumstances are sometimes just within your reach. All you have to do is raise your hand high (go for it!), even when no one else does, when the opportunity arises.

Below are some travel tips for the U.S. and Canada that I hope will be useful to you:

1. Pay attention to the weather/season before your journey.For example, if you do not like the freezing cold, do not go to Chicago (in Illinois) or Bismarke, North Dakota in the dead of winter. Your system may be shocked. To the contrary, remember, it is usually blistering hot in August in Miami, Florida. Choose your temperature preferences wisely.

2. Make a list of friends and family that you may have throughout the U.S.Traveling throughout the U.S. is a wonderful opportunity to connect with family and friends who may not live near you. If you're lucky, their homes may turn out to be a nice places to stay, the opportunity for a home cooked meal or two and tours of cities. This can be very cost effective and fun and you can do the same for others when they are in town. In short, whether visiting friends or traveling as a lone tourist/with your family/friends, eat, eat, eat. Food often tells you what's up in a state/city.

3. Check out national parks. Although not mentioned in this piece, I had the opportunity t o visit beautiful national parks with my family in the U.S., namely Grand Teton and Yellowstone. They offered some of the most beautiful natural sites that you can imagine. You don't want to miss this aspect of the U.S. http://www.nationalparks.org/explore-parks

4. Buy from local people while traveling.When traveling outside of the country, there is a tendency to buy crafts made by local people to bring home and display. However, as you travel throughout the United States, try to find items that are traditional and made here, by the local people in the cities where people have been for many generations. You can find amazing crafts and beyond to cherish your memories of travel outside of your home state/city.

5. Drive or take the train as much as possible throughout your U.S. Travels.Driving through Napa Valley, from Nevada to Arizona and from Maui and almost making it to Hana were three examples of wonderful experiences that I have had with my husband and ch ildren. I also love taking the train and we did so many times to go to Orlando from NYC, with our children, to take them to Disney world (which I love by the way), when they were little. There's something magical about the train in my eyes and depending on where you go, the scenery can be wonderful. Although it's no longer cheaper to travel by train than the plane in the U.S., for the most part, it forces you to slow down, rest and take it all in.

My next installation of 50 countries and counting, a naturalistas journey, will take us across the Atlantic Ocean to Europe, followed by Africa and then Asia. Let's go!

Source: 50 Countries and Counting: A Naturalista's Travel Adventures, On the Road, in the U.S. and Canada