Warning: Those with squeamish stomachs might wish to skip this post. I’m just saying. Throughout my week in Peru, one dish popped out on almost every menu: cuy. I saw it on chalkboard lists on roadside stands in the Andes. I spotted it on fancy menus in Lima hotels. It came to seem like a […]

I’m a bit behind on listening to my podcasts of the always-fascinating CBC Radio One foreign-affairs show “Dispatches,” so I just heard an intriguing report from late March about the class differences in fast food in Pakistan. Western tourists (myself included) are often convinced that one way to get into the “authentic” culture of a […]

Quick, now: Name a use for nutmeg. I’m willing to wager the vast majority of the people reading this post immediately answered, “Eggnog!” And while the spice is indeed a vital topping for the Christmas beverage, it’s used in lots of other things, too, from cookies to sausages. You’ll even find nutmeg and its sister […]

I discovered the St. Kilda Pier Kiosk cafe by accident. I’d strolled up the long pier in the beachfront Melbourne suburb of St. Kilda just to check out the view. And quite a view it is. The fact that I could munch on a decent, inexpensive sandwich while absorbing the scenery was a bonus. To […]

I’m just back from Wales and will put up some longer posts about my trip soon, but in the meantime I had to share my latest pastry addiction with you: Welsh cakes. Yummy-looking, yes? They’re a bit like flattened scones and they are maddeningly addictive. I came to crave one at every tea break during […]

I’ve been in the U.K. for a few days now, and my likes and dislikes are becoming clearer by the minute. My likes are legion and my dislikes are few, and I’m passionate about them all. First, a few of my favourite things. 1. Teakettles I’m a tea drinker, partly because I can’t abide coffee. […]

Heading to London, New York or Chicago soon? Looking for travel tips about the Everglades or Napa? Check out Sutro Media Guides, iPhone and iPod Touch apps that serve as pocket travel guides to destinations in North America and the U.K. While there are a couple of comprehensive guides, billed as “Essential” guides to particular […]

Buenos Aires. Last Friday, I ran part 1 of my e-mail interview with British travel journalist Vicky Baker, who now lives in Buenos Aires. The interview took place back in the fall; it’s only due to my disorganization that it hasn’t appeared here before now! Here’s part 2 of our virtual chat. I was fascinated […]

As promised, here is Part 1 of my e-mail interview with Vicky Baker, a Buenos Aires-based freelancer who blogs at Going local travel (a blog inspired by the “Going Local” series she wrote for The Guardian). Note that Vicky answered these questions way back in October 2009; the delay in posting them is all mine, […]

OK, so it’s a new year, and it’s time for a wee confession: I have been a terribly disorganized and erratic blogger lately. Well, that’s probably not much of a confession to anyone who has been following this blog for any length of time; my posts haven’t been very frequent over the last few months. […]