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By Lauren Girardin
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Tue, January 26, 2010 |
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As our storytelling heads into China and its cuisine that often challenges the Western imagination of what is edible versus what is best left for grinding into hotdogs, I can’t help but think about cultural food norms.
We encountered plenty of food in China that took bravery and a bit of mental trickery to eat, but we didn’t have to travel to a foreign country to get weirded out by food. There’s plenty to be had at home in San Francisco.
(Keep reading on www.ephemerratic.com for questionable edibles you can get in San Francisco)
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By Lauren Girardin
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Thurs, January 7, 2010 |
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 Fantastic frog figurine from the Hong Kong Museum of Art | Photo by Lauren Girardin
The Ratings Explained:
- YEH – Like a hot, fresh baked egg tart. YEHs are as good as you can get, especially for your backpacker buck, although sometimes a YEH is only relative to the other worse options in town.
- MEH – Like lukewarm pork fat (lukewarm or not, it's still pork). An intense level of indifference best describes a MEH experience. Got time to kill? Hong Kong dollars to burn? Checked your email? Sure, fine, do it. Whatever.
- NAH – Like cold, leftover chicken feet. NAHs are worth avoiding at all costs. Likely to cause aggravation, frustration, or a need for Cipro.
Read on for the YEH-MEH-NAHs, our travel tips of where to (and not to) eat, drink, sleep, and visit in Hong Kong.
(Email and RSS readers, visit www.ephemerratic.com to read the travel tips from Hong Kong)
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By Lauren Girardin
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Sun, January 3, 2010 |
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 All night shopping in Hong Kong | Photo by Lauren Girardin
The social melee in Hong Kong’s Mong Kok neighborhood induces our first bout of culture shock on this trip. Most of the past three months we’ve traveled slowly overland through swaths of mellow and, relative to Hong Kong, underpopulated Southeast Asia. Here, we face a wall of people every way we turn.
(Email and RSS readers, visit www.ephemerratic.com to read the rest of the story about Hong Kong)
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By Lauren Girardin
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Thurs, December 10, 2009 |
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What would you do if $22,000 suddenly appeared in your life? Would you spend it on stuff? Gamble it away in the stock market? (C'mon, don't you ever learn?) Or, would you, like Christina Ammon, invest it in people? People who have been carried away by generosity to make a difference in this world?
Better yet, if you're getting engaged, would you spend $22,000 on a beautiful diamond ring and, in so doing, help Christina help others?
Todd and I first heard about Christina's With This Ring Project when she commissioned Todd to make a drawing for the project's website. Travel writer Jeff Greenwald (who some of our friends will know has a fierce talent for limbo) is the catalyst in this story, weaving a connection from Christina to Todd in that magical way he has.
When Christina inherited her grandmother's diamond engagement ring, it didn't take her long to decide to auction it off and do something meaningful with the proceeds.
Christina will divide the auction money between people and organizations she has met during her far-flung travels of this world. She'll give it away to those who are making a difference in exchange for little more than the warm fuzzy feeling that comes from doing good. Recipients include Quilts for Kids Nepal, Himalayan Raptor Rescue, 100 Friends, The Sarswati Foundation, and more.
If you're in the mood for marriage, then Christina has the diamond engagement ring for you. It's quite a rock: 3.21 carats set in platinum. The auction runs from January 1st through February 7th, just in time for Valentine's Day. All you have to do is bid.
>> Read more at www.withthisringproject.org or on the project's blog
>> Follow the With This Ring Project on Twitter and on Facebook
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By Lauren Girardin
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Sun, November 22, 2009 |
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 Playing with my twitching food
We skip willy-nilly through the time-space continuum over on Matador Network, who just published my new travel story about eating live animals in South Korea. Here's a taste:
My chopsticks finally aim towards the last untried morsels, a substance that can be generously described as resembling chunks of slug. Its glossy, soft flesh is a mottled mix of khaki green, deep brown, mustard yellow, and blue-gray, combined to make a surface both artful and repulsive.
If I saw this beast in my kitchen at home, I’d wonder how it had oozed its way inside from the backyard. But, I’m determined to try anything once, especially if it’s already on the table in front of me. With a deep breath and a deeper sigh, I pick up one of the smaller chunks—
And it moves.
Thanks to the dozen complete strangers that have commented on the post. The comments are worth reading too. I'd love to read your comment on Matador.
>> Read the rest of the story on MatadorAbroad.com
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By Lauren Girardin
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Thurs, November 19, 2009 |
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 Wat Arun from a commuter boat | Photo by Lauren Girardin
Though Todd and I actually had two nights in Bangkok before we were kicked out of Thailand, I still felt justified in singing Murray Heads' song, One Night In Bangkok to comfort myself. When you're booted from a country, sometimes a sing-along is all you have.
(Email and RSS readers, visit www.ephemerratic.com to keep reading about getting kicked out of Thailand)
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