The Philly Pretzel: Ultimate Airport Snack

As you know, I travel a lot. Much has been said about finding great food at your destination, but what about when you are in transit? Airport food has a bad rap (expensive junk food), but every now and then there is a shining star at airports that is worthy of seeking out.

One of my favorite airport treats are available in Philadelphia. I'm not talking about a greasy cheese steak, but rather one of their iconic soft pretzels.

Prior to visiting Philadelphia, I had never heard about these pretzels, but upon exploring a few of the cities food carts I quickly fell in love with these lunchtime staples.

What makes them special? First of all, they are fresh. These aren't pretzels that have been manufactured months before in a factory hundreds of miles away, frozen and then reheated. These are made the day that they are consumed, and the taste is reflected in the freshness.

The second thing that makes these unique is the fact that they aren't the traditional pretzel shape, but rather a squared off figure eight. While this was most likely done for production efficiency, the shape is much more conducive to eating it on the run.

Fortunately for travelers who have frequent connections through PHL, these soft pretzels are readily available in carts within the airport terminal. With such accessibility, I find them hard to resist on even a tight layover. What's harder yet is resisting buying a half dozen to take home with me. At about $1 each, you'll be hard pressed to find a better value for a snack at an airport.

While I can't eat 6 of these before they go stale, they do freeze relatively well. They will loose a little something in the freezing and reheating process, but when I can't get them fresh, a frozen pretzel will do in a pinch.

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Vending Machine Roundup #4

The months have gone by and I keep traveling. Being such, I keep running into new and interesting vending machines. This group contains some specialized machines that don't try to do everything, but rather just try to do one thing very well.

The MooBella machine is quite interesting. I found this one at the Logan Airport in Boston, MA. I've featured ice cream machines before, but this one is different as it makes the ice cream while you wait. All of the needed ingredients are handy in the machine. You select your base flavor and your mix in and the machine goes to work, freezing and churning the ice-cream while you wait. You can't get much more freshly made than this.

I didn't try this machine as I found it at 6AM. I hope to be going through Logan at a more reasonable hour soon so that I can give this ice cream a try.

Large vending machines that carry a variety of snacks are often branded by one of the major brands such as Coca Cola or M&M. This makes it difficult for smaller brands to take advantage of the visibility of vending machines. The solution- specialized machines like this one. All Pringles, all the time. Found in a Comfort Inn in Waterloo, Ontario

With vending machines branching out to sell expensive things, it was nice to see this new variant of the classic gum ball machine. Found in a Holiday Inn in Minot, ND.

Here's a machine that I haven't seen before. Found in a brewpub in Waterloo, Ontario, it's just a nice looking design for a bathroom.

Behold the future of vending machines. Currently residing in the gift shop at the World of Coca Cola in Atlanta, GA, this is the most advanced vending machine I've seen for a long time. Like most new technologies it was broken by the time I got to see it.

The front of the machine features a large screen which displays commercials on the top and bottom while the center of the screen is supposed to be an interactive menu. This wasn't working. The only thing active in the center section was a tab instructing me to insert money.

This looks like it could be the future of drink vending machines, but until they get the bugs worked out you probably won't see one of machines any time soon. I did try to get a video of this machine for you, but I was not granted permission to do so. A few pictures aren't a problem, but a video was forbidden, go figure.

That's it for this vending machine roundup. Until next time, keep your quarters and crisp one dollar bills handy because you never know what you might find.

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My Long Awaited Experience With Poutine

You may not be familiar with poutine, and until recently neither was I. I first heard of poutine from my wife. She described poutine, a regional dish originating in Quebec, as french fries with cheese curds covered in gravy. I had been to Quebec prior to learning of this dish, but I had completely missed poutine. I have to admit that I was a little irritated that I missed out on trying such a healthy regional delicacy. From that point on poutine was on my list of "must try" foods.

I waited for my travels to take me back to Quebec, but time went by and I began to wonder if I would ever taste poutine. I had all but forgotten about this culinary aspiration when I made my way to Sudbury, Ontario. Since Sudbury is not Quebec I didn't have poutine on the mind. What I didn't know was that while poutine originated in Quebec it has spread to much of Canada. It wasn't until I came across a chip wagon that I learned of this fact.

I spotted my first chip wagon, a food truck specializing in all things deep fried, from across a busy street. It was white with the offerings contained within plastered on the side. These offerings included chips (fries), pogos and poutine. I was excited by the sudden and unexpected availability of poutine, but I was confused by the term pogo.

Sadly this chip wagon was closed when I walked by, but I decided to make some inquiries the following day. Upon discussing the topic with the group with which I was working, they informed me that a pogo was actually a corn dog and that we could surely go out for poutine if I was interested. The only catch was that the weather had to be nice because chip wagons only have outdoor seating. Two days of rain followed.

On the last day of my visit, the sun was shining and I was ready for my poutine. At lunchtime we drove to one of the more reputable chip wagons in town. It turns out that not all poutine is created equal. Since cheese curds are expensive, some chip wagons substitute a mild grated cheddar to reduce costs. If this was going to be my first poutine, my hosts wanted me to have the real thing.

As we approached our destination, the Poutine Xpress chip wagon shone a glistening silver which acted as a beacon to all those looking to clog their arteries. At once I could tell that this was a special place.

While placing my order, I mentioned that I was from the States and that this would be my first poutine. The register worker smiled and the person that I believe to be the owner of Poutine Xpress, Edgar, came over. I told him that I was also a travel blogger and he invited me into the wagon to take pictures of my poutine being made. I instantly accepted the invitation and got the grand tour.

The wagon was tight on space, but it was also clean and efficient. Everything needed to make poutine was was close at hand with fries frying on one side of the wagon while hot gravy was cooking away in a large pot on the other. When the fries were up, Edgar filled a styrofoam container with hot fries and then some gravy followed by cheese curds before being topped with more hot gravy.

The gravy is key here. It needs to be hot enough to melt the curds and it must be the correct kind of gravy. When asked what kind of gravy was used, Edgar gave me a strange look and informed me that it was poutine gravy. Upon inspecting a large bucket of gravy mix, I found that it was indeed labeled "Poutine Gravy". This gravy mix is also available at grocery stores in small packets so that you can make poutine at home.

What exactly poutine gravy should be is widely discussed and depending on who you ask, it can be chicken gravy, beef gravy or a mixture of the two. I don't really like the idea of the gravy coming from a mix, but if it goes well with curds and fries then I'm reluctantly OK with it.

Getting to see my poutine as it was being constructed within the bowels of Poutine Xpress made the experience of my first poutine somehow more complete. Too often are we just consumers in the world; consuming one thing and then the next while we don't take time to appreciate the work that went into creating them. Watching my food being cooked and assembled may have made it taste better as I had seen where it was made and met the person who made it.

Outside on the picnic table I dug my faithful spork into the heart clogging concoction, and as I took my first bite a smile crossed my face. I've often been disappointed with food that I had looked forward to trying for such a long time, but there was no such disappointment with poutine, there was only pleasure.

The crispness of the fries melded perfectly with the creaminess of the curds and the richness of the gravy. Heat coming up from the fries and down from the gravy caused the curds to melt so that I wasn't consuming fries, gravy and curds. I was enjoying a wonderful marriage of all three where I couldn't tell, or didn't care, where one ended and the next began.

For me, having poutine for the first time was one of those wonderful experiences that makes travel worth some of the pain. There are some things that you have to travel to in order to experience them, and that's what makes the world wonderful.

With fries made from scratch and cheese curds that were made just the day before, it is easy to see why Poutine Xpress is a local favorite. I will forgive them for using a gravy mix, but if I ever find poutine with real gravy I'l definitely give it a try.
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Regional Cookie Highlight: The Oreo

Photographs by Nicole Holt

I know what you are thinking- how can Oreos be regional? I was thinking the same thing when I stumbled upon this story a couple of months ago. I now know more about the differences between Canadian and American Oreos than I ever thought possible.

Prior to leaving for a trip to Sudbury, ON, I asked my contact there if I could bring her anything from the States. I was surprised when she replied that the only thing that she wanted was a box of Oreos. She explained that while they are available in Canada the Oreos there are different than the ones in the States and that her partner prefers the US made Oreos.

Her partner was raised in Bermuda where, amongst other things, the Oreos come from the United States. When she moved to Canada, she was surprised and disheartened to find that her beloved cookie had been transformed into something that, while having the outward appearances, was not the cookie with which she had grown up.

I have to admit that I was suspicious of the claims that there was a noticeable difference, but since I am fond of cookies of all sorts I decided that I had to get to the bottom of this Oreo mystery. After delivering the promised cookies, I headed to a local grocer store to purchase some Canadian made Oreos. My initial inspection of the package revealed that the Oreos were made by a company named Christie and not by Nabisco.

I returned to the United States with an unopened package of Canadian Oreos, and I did a side by side comparison with a fresh package of US Oreos. While the package colors and basic cookie concept were basically the same, there were indeed some significant differences between the two cookies. The following information was obtained by inspecting the packaging, measuring and making careful observations.

US Oreos are darker than Canadian Oreos.
US Oreos are slightly over 1 3/4 inches in diameter, and Canadian Oreos are slightly under 1 3/4 inches in diameter.
The frosting (AKA: white stuff) in US Oreos is softer in comparison to the Canadian frosting.
A US Oreo weighs approximately 11.6 grams, and a Canadian Oreo weighs approximately 12.2 grams.
There are 3 Oreos to a suggested serving in the US while there are 2 Oreos to a suggested serving in Canada.
US Oreos contain corn syrup while the Canadian Oreos do not.

The serving differences are interesting, and they probably say more about the differences in eating culture between the two countries than anything else. It's interesting to note that while US Oreos are bigger in diameter, they weigh less. I didn't measure height, but the comparative heights are probably similar. The difference here likely comes into play with the filling. I noticed that the Canadian white stuff was denser; this is most likely because of the absence of corn syrup which can lighten and soften a frosting

With a well known product like the Oreo, why are there such big differences in the offerings of two neighboring countries? Companies often adjust their formulas to take advantage of locally available ingredients and to appeal to regional tastes. With all of the energy that goes into building a successful brand, companies are loath to throw away all of that brand recognition, which is especially true for a product as recognizable and iconic as the Oreo.

Another famous example of a company regionally changing the formula of a product can be found in Coca-Cola. In the United States, this soda is sweetened with corn syrup while in Mexico it is sweetened with cane sugar. I much prefer the Mexican product, but it is only sporadically available in the United States, so I hoard what I can find. My wife and I do the same thing with Mallomars which are only available seasonally.

So, which Oreo is better? That's a fine question, but it's one that is impossible to answer because it is a matter of personal taste. In a very unscientific taste test, I found that people have a strong preference for the cookie with which they grew up. Generally speaking, Canadians prefer the Christie cookie while Americans prefer the Nabisco cookie.

My experience investigating the regional differences in Oreos has showed me that if you keep your eyes open, you might just find something unexpected in a product that you thought you thought you knew all of your life.

If you have any other examples of products in which the formula changes from region to region, please let me know in the comments section below.

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Becoming a "Temporary Regular"

When I travel, I'm usually at a given location for no more that 5 days. Aside from work, one of my primary occupations is trying to find something decent to eat. This situation does not afford me much time, nor margin of error in choosing a place to dine. I've used various techniques to try to narrow down my options, but the results that I have had, as you can imagine, are hit and miss.

If I should happen to find an establishment that is excellent, I become fiercely loyal and take as many of my remaining meals there as is practical. Unfortunately, it isn't often that I get to become a "temporary regular" even though I'd like nothing better. It's basically a numbers problem with the numbers stacked against me. There are so many mediocre restaurants out there that the odds of me finding one on the first couple of days of a trip is pretty slim.

Today I'd like to tell you about my recent stint as a temporary regular in Akron, Ohio. On my second to last day in town, the group I was with went to The Lockview. The place was full and the service was on the slow side, but something told me this was a special place. Maybe it was the multitude of grilled cheese sandwiches on the menu, or maybe it was the chalkboard menu above the bar featuring around 145 different beers. OK, it was mostly the variety of beers that did it for me, but at any rate, I knew that I'd be back.

That night I returned and took a seat at the bar. There, I met Webber, the bartender, who told me all kinds of interesting tidbits about The Lockview. For instance, the service can be a bit slow at lunch time because they make a lot of grilled cheese sandwiches with one grill that measures only three feet wide.

Since The Lockview is, at it's heart, a bar, I shall start there. The list of beers is impressive, they even have 8 different beers (three on tap) from Rogue Breweries way out in Oregon. It is true that the majority of the beer that The Lockview offers is in bottles, but this does not deter from the beer drinking experience as the beer cooler glows with a wonderful radiance that only large quantities of bottled beer can produce.

While it isn't on the menu, you can still order a Bud Light if you really want one. The thinking behind this is that The Lockview is a friendly place and they don't want to turn someone away just because they happen to favor this ubiquitous beer. I did witness one patron order a Bud Light while I was there and while he didn't receive any grief from the staff, he did get gently heckled by some of the other patrons.

The expected array of spirits are available at the Lockview, but most people come here for the beer. One thing should be perfectly clear- The Lockview is not a sports bar! They only have 2 TVs (one bigscreen and one small one) and unless there's a local game on or a special request, they are tuned to the Food Network. I have to say that it was refreshing to go someplace where I didn't have to see 3 different sporting events concurrently in any direction that I looked.

On my second night at The Lockview, Webber greeted by name and with a firm handshake. That the effort was made to learn my name even though it was clear that I couldn't become a regular was very touching. The rest of the staff including server Brandi and cook Pete were equally warm and inviting. I even got to go back into the kitchen to see just how cramped things were back there.
The food here is understandably greasy for a menu that revolves around grilled cheese sandwiches and anything that can easily be deep fried. Thankfully, there are some lighter options, like salads, to balance out the greasy indulgences, like deep fried pepperoni.

It is places like The Lockview that keep me exploring my destinations for interesting food while I travel. For that I am eternally thankful to Webber, Pete, Brandi and everyone else at The Lockview.

The next time you find someplace excellent while traveling, don't let the lure of something better prevent you from becoming a temporary regular because while you might do better, you are more likely to do much worse.

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Regional Cookie Highlight: Mallomars

Photograph by Nicole Holt

Marshmallow, Graham Cracker and chocolate is no doubt a popular combination. It can be found next to campfires in Smores, in the South in Moon Pies and for a brief window of time in the North East it can be found in one of the most perfect combinations of these three ingredients ever created. I am, of course, referring to Mallomars.

For many reading this, you may have never heard of Mallomars, and if you have then it may likely have been in a fleeting scene in When Harry Met Sally in which Billy Crystal proclaims that Mallomars are, "the greatest cookie of all time."

So what exactly is a Mallomar? It's a round Graham Cracker topped with marshmallow and coated in dark chocolate. This may sound unexciting, but two elements set this cookie apart: high quality and limited availability.

You may have seen generic versions of Mallomars on your grocer's shelves, but the quality of these imitators are nowhere near what you will find in Mallomars. I picked up a bag of generic Mallomar-like cookies in preparation for this article and found them to fall short on all accounts.

The Graham cracker should be crisp, the marshmallow pleasant with out being cloyingly sweet and the chocolate dark, delicious and of high quality.

Due to the fact that real chocolate is being used and that good quality chocolate is prone to melting, Mallomars are only available in the Fall and Winter.

That these prized cookies are only rarely available, my wife and I have taken to stockpiling them in the hope that they will last until Mallomar season rolls around again. This year it's already April and we are down to our last box; we'll need to plan better next year.

In addition to temporal scarcity, Mallomars are also limited geographically with over 70% of them being sold in the metropolitan New York area. If you live outside of this area, you may have trouble finding Mallomars, but they are well worth the effort that it takes to track them down.

Every now and then a shipment has been known to make its way to the West Coast, but these are rare. I'm guessing that it's market testing, but I've never seen this coupled with advertisements so the efforts are doomed to failure. I'd love too see this cookie to be more widely distributed so if it sounds like the Mallomar is for you and you see them, please pick up a box. I'm sure you'll be back for more.


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Herwig's Austrian Bistro: A Shrine to Bacon

When I think about all of the places that I've visited, only one place triggers a Pavlovian response. Mention of State College, PA has that effect on me, and this is in large part due to Herwig's Austrian Bistro.

My fondness for bacon is not a secret. Regular readers of Graham's Travel Blog will recall that I have gone on at length about Norwegian Club Sandwiches and that one of my few travel regrets involves not purchasing a tube of bacon as discussed in Sweden: Food in Tubes, Fika and Assault.

Given my affinity for bacon, it should be no surprise that one of my favorite places in the world is basically a shrine to bacon.

Aside from the bacon, there are two things that really set Herwig's apart from all other restaurants: the food and the employees. Both of these elements come together at Herwig's in a way that keeps me coming back whenever I'm in town.

I've been to Herwig's several times, and I try to order something different on each trip. So far, everything that I've sampled from the brautwurst to the schnitzel to the Tyrolean Gröstl (potato hash with assorted meats), has been delicious. The menu, which is written out on a large blackboard, changes daily so that the freshest ingredients can be used. The staff prepares just enough of each dish that they think they can sell in a day, so they do run out of popular dishes. Those who arrive early are rewarded with the best selection.

Bacon is an important flavoring agent at Herwig's, and it finds its way into many of the dishes. In fact their motto is "Herwig's Austrian Bistro, where bacon is an herb."

Meals at Herwig's are typically large, and cleaning your plate is highly recommended as the cost of a to-go box is high. Smaller portions are available, and it's not a bad idea so that you can save room for one of their amazing desserts. The dessert selection changes regularly and can include such temptations as chocolate bacon cheesecake, chocolate dipped bacon and even maple brittle/bacon ice cream. Bacon-free desserts are also available.
For the record, eating the chocolate dipped bacon (with hazelnuts) or chocolate bacon cheesecake can be life changing experiences, but I'll pass on the bacon ice cream next time. The food is enough of a reason for a visit, but the people really make Herwig's shine.

At its core, Herwig's is a family affair that consists of wife Gundi at the cash register, son Bernd in the back making desserts and giving customers a hard time and, of course, Herwig himself.

If you ask for a smaller portion when placing your order, don't be surprised if Gundi asks you for your AARP card. This humor is the type that you can expect from all of the staff, and it tickles me to no end.

Bernd often entertains guests with puppet shows, well meaning health tips and the dispensation of to-go boxes...for a price. When a guest fails to finish their meal and declares the desire to take their food home, a game ensues as follows:

1. Bernd's eyes light up.
2. Bernd fetches a styrofoam box and a large wooden paddle.
3. Bernd balances the box on the paddle and tosses it to the customer.
4. If the customer can catch the box before Bernd hits them with the paddle, they can keep the box and take their leftover food home.

I've only seen this game take place once, but I'm guessing that the customer would get to keep the box even if they get hit. This may sound slightly barbaric, but it is all in good fun. Some say that Bernd is a bit of a jerk, but I don't see it that way. Of course, I nearly always clean my plate, but he did make me wear the chicken hat of shame once.

At last, we come to the ever charming Herwig. When he's not preparing food in the kitchen, he wanders about the tables delighting diners with stories about how he's been searching for the best winter tomatoes or telling the story of the pig that turned his daughter into a vegetarian. It should be noted that Herwig remembers that this particular pig tasted delicious.

The food and the people make Herwig's a resturaunt that I've recommended often and one to which I will continue to return. The only problem is that Herwig's is so darn hard to get to. If you ever have a layover in State College, you need to get a better travel agent. I understand that franchising opportunities exist, but even with the same food, Herwig's wouldn't be Herwig's without Herwig, Gundi and Bernd.

Of course, if a Herwig's opens in the Boston area then you can be sure that I'll be one of their first customers. If your travels take you anywhere near State College, PA, and you're a fan of bacon, then you owe it to yourself to visit Herwig's Austrian Bistro.

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No Coffee At Starbucks

It was 5:30 am at the Boston-Logan International Airport and Starbucks was out of coffee. OK, that's not strictly true because they were making espresso, but the drip coffee machine was out of order.

I had just made my way through the security line, and, with coffee and a blueberry scone on my mind, I got right into another line outside of Starbucks. I did find it mildly odd that the line had only a few people in it, but being that I had yet to completely wake up, I didn't see this as significant. I also failed to connect this with the unusually large number of coffee cups from McDonald's in circulation that morning. Taken together, I should have known that something was amiss, but I just had enough mental energy to focus on getting coffee that morning; nothing else seemed to register.

I placed my coffee mug on the counter and the following conversation ensued:
Me: I'd like a decaf coffee please.
Barista: We're all out of coffee.
M: Uh, you're Starbucks. What do you mean you're all out of coffee?
B: The machine is broken.
M: Uh, OK.

At this point, I scratched my head and wondered off to seek other breakfast options. The only other option open at the time was McDonald's, which explained all of the McDonald's coffee cups that I had noticed. Unfortunately, I don't like their coffee. There was an au bon pain nearby, but it was still in the process of opening.

I left the area and returned just as au bon pain was opening. The coffee that I bought there was smoother and much more pleasant than the typically over-roasted Starbucks coffee.

This poses the obvious question - why was Starbucks my first choice? In a word, habit. Since Starbucks is just about everywhere, I frequent them more often than I care to admit, and I can't recall the last time that I had au bon pain coffee.

The next time that I have a choice, you can be sure that I'll pick au bon pain for my morning brew (and morning pastry). To top it off, the coffee even costs less at au bon pain. For a 12 ounce cup, you pay $2.05 at Starbucks versus $1.70 at au bon pain. If you can handle the coffee at McDonald's then the cost of a cup of coffee goes down to $1.39.

In sending me away that morning, Starbucks sent me to find something better and has effectively lost some of my business. If I was the only one that to whom that happened that morning, I think that Starbucks would be fine. The fact remains that many people were forced to find other coffee that morning, and I'm sure I'm not the only one whose eyes were opened in more ways than one by coffee that day.

I can only assume that the sending customers away when they are out of drip coffee reflects Starbucks Corporate Policy, and this disappoints me. I have been to several independent coffee shops and encountered this sort of situation, and it always results in the offer of an Americano, usually at the same price as a brewed coffee.

Had Starbucks done the same, they would have kept me as a customer even if it cost them an extra few cents to do so. This was clearly an opportunity for Starbucks to build some goodwill and expose their customers to a drink that they might not have otherwise tried.

I'd like this story to remind Starbucks that no company is big enough to be able to treat their customers like they don't matter. If this type of behavior continues, their customers will just find something better (and cheaper) around the corner.

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My Apple Martini Recipe Featured at Big Red Kitchen

Greetings loyal readers of Graham's Travel Blog! Today I have something a little different to share with you. In addition to traveling, I also like to spend time in the kitchen cooking, baking and mixing drinks.

Today my recipe for my Apple Martini was featured at the blog of one of my friends that I met through blogging. She runs Big Red Kitchen, is always quick with cooking related advice and has been a great supporter of this blog.

Please take some time to read Graham's Best Apple Martini at Big Red Kitchen. As an added bonus, this blog entry features my first foray into the world of video with video instructions on how to actually mix the drink.

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The Wonder of the Norwegian Club Sandwich

Photographs by Nicole Holt

The origin of Norwegian cuisine was once described to me as being designed around making the cheapest foods available last through a harsh winter. How else could one explain a countries food that includes Lutefisk? This special dish is salted white fish that has been preserved with lye. Lye is a highly caustic chemical which, amongst other things, is used in soap making. I'm convinced that Lutefisk was invented through a housewife's failed attempt at murder.

Given that many of the dishes in Norway were unfamiliar to me, you can understand my surprise and relief when I went into a cafe and saw a club sandwich on the menu. After a long and tiring flight, seeing that simple sandwich on a menu in a new country was like randomly meeting an old friend in a strange town.

For the uninitiated, the club sandwich is a constructed with 3 slices of bread where the middle slice of bread separates two distinct layers of hearty filling. Usually the bottom layer is thinly sliced turkey, while the top layer is bacon, lettuce and tomato. This club sandwich is usually cut into quarters and held in place with toothpicks.

I've been eating club sandwiches for many years so I didn't hesitate in ordering one in order to see how the people of Norway had made this sandwich their own.

When my sandwich arrived, I was surprised to find that, while there were three slices of bread, the bottom layer was not turkey, but rather a beautifully grilled chicken breast. My "Norwegian Club" was delicious and I decided that I should further explore the local influences on this sandwich.

All in all, I ate three club sandwiches in Norway which ranged in both the number of bread slices and overall quality. My favorite was eaten in a cafe attached to a small art gallery which was located just a short walk from my hotel. While this particular sandwich only had two slices of bread, the bread was thick and had been brushed with butter and grilled before being formed into a sandwich. The chicken breast was perfectly cooked and the bacon was a site to behold on it's own. Thick cut bacon cut in one inch pieces was piled impossibly high with another slice of golden toast perched upon it.

The sandwich was surely a sight, and I regret not having my camera with my to take a picture of it. Picking up this sandwich was impossible, so I resorted to a knife and fork. Washed down with 7-up in a glass bottle, this was by far the best club sandwich that I have ever had.

It's funny how often I think about that sandwich, all others which include bacon are instantly compared to that Norwegian marvel and they invariably fall short. If you ever find yourself scratching your head in a cafe in Norway, do yourself a favor and try the club, you're not likely to be disappointed.
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Black Licorice: One Traveler's Quest for Sweets

Photographs by Nicole Holt

When it comes to licorice lovers, there are decidedly two camps. There are those that love the nostalgic flavor of the black variety, and there are those that love the sweeter flavor of the red
variety. I am decidedly in the camp of black licorice lovers.

It's not that I have anything against red licorice, but, most of the time, I prefer the soothing anise flavor of black licorice.

I didn't always favor black licorice, but I wasn't really exposed to it until about 10 years ago. In general, black licorice isn't widely consumed in the United States, so the samples that I had early on were often stale due to the fact that they did not sell quickly.

While I slowly went about my path of black licorice exploration, there was a huge variety of which I was simply ignorant. International travel eventually broadened my licorice horizons.

The black licorice produced overseas can contain more variety than a slight sweetness and a mild anise flavor. That licorice could be more savory than sweet was a revelation to me.

My introduction to savory licorice came in the form of a salted licorice fish called Salt Sild. A coworker brought some back with him from a trip to Finland. I examined one of the small black fish; it was caked in fine white salt which were caked in salt.. It tasted impossibly salty and was not at all like candy with which I was familiar. Beyond the salt, a strong aftertaste remained. The flavor was not entirely unlike molasses but not quite the same. It was disgusting.

A few months later, I noticed an open package of Salt Sild on my coworker's desk and decided to try another. This time I wasn't disgusted by the flavor. This time I was prepared, and I was able to appreciate it for what it was. The complexity of the licorice struck me: a savory, salty and slightly sweet candy. It was amazing.

From that point on, I have kept an eye out for interesting black licorice on my travels. Scandinavia proved to be the epicenter of my licorice discoveries since many varieties of licorice are available there. These range is from sweet to quite salty. Some are hard, while others
are soft. Some leave a pleasantly bitter anise flavor behind when eaten, while others leave behind a mild honey flavor. Some licorice varieties even have a waxy feeling to them.

While salt is a common addition to licorice, menthol is also a favorite in Europe. Mentholated licorice can vary from pleasant, like a cough drop, to cough inducingly powerful.

While in Sweden, I found little boxes of Salta Katten, and I couldn't resist the little salted licorice cats. I brought the small yellow boxes home and forgot about them until my wife and I went to
the movies. I pulled out a box of the tiny black cats and popped a few into my mouth. Soon I realized that something wasn't quite right; my mouth was going slightly numb. There is something in Salta Katten that causes oral numbness.

The experience with the mouth numbing salted cats was slightly disturbing, but it was a nice reminder that there is such a great variety of licorice that I have yet to explore. It's just too bad that our options for finding licorice within the United States are limited...

I had thought that all hope for finding excellent licorice in the United States was lost when I visited Reading Terminal Market in Philadelphia, PA, earlier this year. In this market there is a shop called Chocolate By Mueller. While chocolate is their namesake, licorice is another one of their passions. They stock well over 30 types of fresh imported and domestic licorice, and the proprietors are very knowledgeable about all of them.

At Chocolate By Mueller, I purchased the freshest licorice wheels I have ever tasted. After speaking with the proprietor, I discovered that their location gains some of the credit for the freshness that they are able to provide. Reading Terminal Market attracts tourists from all over the world, including those parts of the world that love licorice. For those that have been denied access to decent licorice on their travels, the licorice selection at Chocolate By Mueller is like an oasis in the dessert.

My only problem is that I don't live in Philadelphia, but all is not lost because they ship. If you ever find yourself in Philadelphia near Reading Terminal Market, I highly recommend stopping by for some salted licorice. For those that don't find themselves near Philadelphia, you may find a variety of licorice brands at Whole Foods, Cost Plus World Market, candy shops and stores that import European goods.

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Desktop Archaeology: The Power of a Receipt

It's not often that I'm home long enough to clean my office, but occasionally certain forces come into alignment just long enough for me to make some progress on the project. When I do clean my desk, I often unearth pieces of paper about which I had long forgotten. I like to think of rooting around through forgotten ephemera as desktop archaeology.

Recently, I was going through a neglected pile, and I found a stash of receipts. It is my habit to clear out receipts on a semi-regular basis, but somehow these had eluded my attention for the better part of two months. As I looked down upon one particular receipt, a smile crossed my face as I vividly remembered the purchase.

I wasn't planning on purchasing any food while waiting for a connection at the Washington Dulles airport. However, a Five Guys burger restaurant with 50 pound sacks of potatoes stacked in the dining area caught my eye.

Any establishment that is willing to cut their fries from fresh potatoes is worth trying, so I got in line and purchased a small order of fries.

When my order was called, I received a paper sack containing a small drink cup overflowing with fries. As far as I can tell, the cup is merely a formality since they fill the cup and most of the bag with fries. Embracing the spirit of informal dining, I dumped the contents of the cup into the sack along with a packet of salt and two packets of pepper. After a liberal shake in the bag, the fries were seasoned to my liking, and I took them to a nearby table. The fries were by far the best that I've had at an airport.

I hadn't thought about the fries until I unearthed the receipt, which is notable because they made quite an impression at the time. Several hours after finding this receipt, I left for a trip to Nashville, TN.

As fate would have it, if you believe in such a thing as fate, I stumbled upon another Five Guys restaurant that very day. I figured that any establishment that puts such effort into their french fries must surely put similar care into the rest of their offerings; I was determined to put this theory to the test. Two days later, I got my chance, and I wasn't disappointed.

Burgers at Five Guys come with an unlimited number of toppings, which include grilled onions, mushrooms, hot peppers and a variety of condiments. The burgers are as well executed as the fries.

The lesson here is that something as simple as a little slip of paper can remind you about something wonderful, so you might as well clean your desk every now and then. Had I not found that receipt on that particular day, I probably wouldn't have enjoyed a most satisfying lunch at Five Guys.

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Regional Cookie Highlight: Almond Macaroons

Photographs by Nicole Holt

Traveling to a new place exposes you to many things that are familiar, yet slightly different and therefore exotic. I've written about my love of exploring grocery stores for this reason, but today I'd like to take a more focused look at the exotic familiar.

Cookies are something with which most of us become familiar during childhood. Usually a sweet after meal snack or a between meal snack, the cookie, at least for me, instantly brings nostalgic comfort.

When I started to travel extensively, I noticed that the varieties of cookies that were familiar to me in my childhood aren't always available. Variations of the chocolate chip cookie are widespread, but snickerdoodles are often rare or even unheard of. What I did find was a wide variety of cookies that I'd never seen or even heard of before. Wonderful cookies with names like pfefferneusse, Jaffa Cakes, black and whites and Tim Tams.

Shortly after moving to the Boston area, my wife and I stopped in at Darwin's, a coffee shop in Cambridge, MA, to get some coffee and the dessert case caught our eyes. In particular, there was flat cookie half covered in chocolate labeled as an almond macaroon. Up to this point we had both only known macaroons as a rounded coconut based cookie that generally wasn't flat.

Purchasing this single cookie on a whim exposed us to the world of almond macaroons, which has kept us on the lookout for new examples to tempt our taste buds ever since.

On a recent Saturday morning, we rode our bikes through Somerville and Cambridge, MA, to collect a few examples. We only made it to two bakeries before the heat persuaded us to pursue cooler activities, but many bakeries in the Boston area make this specialty.

Our first stop was Lyndell's, an old bakery with reasonable prices and a wonderful habit of using copious amounts of their not-too-sweet butter cream. Stepping into Lyndell's is like visiting a bakery that your grandparents frequented while growing up. There's a good reason for this feeling as Lyndell's has been here since 1887.

Lyndell's is the home of the almond disk ($1.25 each or $14 for a dozen), a soft cake based cookie with a crunchy base that has a very distinct almond flavor. On top of this cookie, a generous portion of lightly vanilla flavored butter cream is held together by a thin layer of dark chocolate.

The almond disks are roughly shaped as they are made by hand, and they are clearly not one of the mass produced cookies that have become all too familiar. As corny as it may sound, they look as if they are made with love.

The sweetness of the cookie is balanced nicely by the large amount of butter cream atop it. Eating one is a decadent experience, yet the cookie is not dense. The Lyndell's almond disk must be kept refrigerated, which makes it a bit difficult to transport long distances or in hot weather, but its well worth the effort to track down when you are in the area.

The original Lyndell's that we visited in Somerville is at 720 Broadway but they also have a location in the tourist friendly North End of Boston at 227 Hanover Street.

Hi-Rise Bread Company bakes a very different type of almond macaroon ($1.00) that is just as delicious, just in a different way.

This is a chocolate-less cookie with a crunchy exterior, moist interior and a slight dusting of powdered sugar on top. With an assertive almond flavor, Hi-Rise's almond macaroon is simply a pleasure. The single almond atop each cookie is a nice touch, never allowing you to forget what kind of cookie you have before you.

The macaroon's dry texture makes it a natural accompaniment to an iced coffee in the summer or a hot coffee in the colder months. Both of these drink options are available onsite, though we haven't yet tried their coffee. A sign out front did boast of their cold brewed iced coffee, and I take this as a good omen.

We visited the Hi-Rise near tourist friendly Brattle Square and Harvard Square in Cambridge at 56 Brattle Street, but there is also another Cambridge location at 208 Concord Avenue.

Our quest for the best almond macaroon is far from over, but with Lyndell's and Hi-Rise, the bar has been set quite high. If you know of any bakeries in the Boston area that are producing excellent almond macaroons, please let me know. The next time you are in the Boston area, be sure to try an almond disk or almond macaroon.

I'll continue to keep an eye out for interesting cookies wherever I go. If your area has a local specialty cookie please let me know in the comments section below as I never know where my travels will take me next.

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Vending Machine Roundup #2

It's everyone's favorite time, vending machine roundup time. Once again, my travels have put me in contact with some interesting vending machines that I thought I'd share with everyone. If you are new to Graham's Travel Blog, you may want to read Vending Machine Love and Russian Vending Machine Roundup for a little context.

First up we have a vending machine that dispenses microwave popcorn, and it even has a built in microwave. I found this machine immediately upon checking into a motel in Wisconsin. My vending machine radar seems to be improving and I caught sight of this one out of the corner of my eye. I knew that I had to use it as I'd never seen a machine quite like it.

The popcorn was nice, hot and eerily delicious despite the fact that I wasn't even in the mood for popcorn. When I see a machine like this, I can't resist.

On the other hand, here we have a pair of machines that I have no problem resisting. The machine on the left sells iPods, PSPs and the related accessories while the machine on the right sells the popular language learning software Rosetta Stone. Neither of these machines take coins or dispense food so they don't really draw me in. They fall well within the realm of luxury goods vending machines, accepting only plastic and vending things that shouldn't be impulse buy items. On the upper left section of each machine you can see the video screen that attmpts to lure in the casual passer by.

While I'll often seen people stopping and looking at these machines, I've never seen someone actually purchase something out of one of them. Perhaps, if you really needed a nice present for someone or if your headphones snap, then I might picture someone using an iPod machine, but I don't think these machines get a lot of use.

Slightly more practical is a vending machine that sells cut flowers. I first saw one of these in Las Vegas, which makes perfect sense within the context of Las Vegas. I can easily a guy spending the night at a strip club and then needing a handy appology gift.

The pictured machine however, was found in Raliegh, NC. It offers a variety of cut flowers within the $10-$20 range.

In addition to the machines above, I also found a good one at the local Costco. Since the last time I visited, they installed a coffee/hot drink machine. It was a little chilly that day, so I had to give it a try. I wasn't disappointed when the prerequisite poker coffee cup popped out, and I was pleasantly surprised at the high quality of the hot chocolate that was dispensed into said cup. In case you were wondering, my hand was a pair of queens.

Well, that's about it for this vending machine roundup. I look forward to photographing the next interesting vending machine that I come across (and posting about it). I will be moving to Boston, MA quite soon, does anyone know of any Boston area vending machines that I should seek out? Have you seen any interesting machines lately?

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