Tasty Destination - Food & Travel

I remember the first time I visited Tel Aviv in the summer. Walking out of the airport feeling like I just stepped into a steam room with my clothes sticking to my body and sweat already dripping down the side of my temples- it was awful. This was not the Middle Eastern chic I was accustomed to. I looked around at the Israelis around me wondering how and why they were wearing jeans in 100+ degree weather. This was the summer of 2006, when I was on my Birthright Israel trip . Since then I’ve learned a few tricks about how to keep my cool when visiting the Middle East in the dead of summer, and want to share a few with you here: 1. I Scream - Satisfy that sweet tooth and keep your cool? Sign me up. Israel is a frozen yogurt lover’s dream- on any given street you’ll find a fresh fruit stand making fro-yo, smoothies or serving up ice cream. If you’re in a rush- grab a Magnum ice cream from a local corner store. The vanilla on vanilla crunch happens to be my fave. Go ahead, indulge. ...

Dandeli is a beautiful small town in the historic and prestigious state of Karnataka in India that is slowly becoming one of the top tourist destinations of the country. What is unique about Dandeli is that not only is it a picturesque town, but it also offers a lot of options for entertainment to the tourists as per their mood and preference – whether you just want to relax & enjoy the beauty of nature, whether you want to do something adventurous, whether you want to want to explore wildlife up close – Dandeli has options for all. The state of Karnataka itself is a solace for the tourists, but Dandeli will surpass your expectations and take you for an adventure of a lifetime. It will offer you unexpected joyous experiences amidst the wilderness in the arms of nature… and without realizing it will be a home away from home for you. The sound of the flowing Kali River adds music to the rich blooming floras and faunal diversity of Dandeli. The people in Dandeli are very helpful a...

Dubai has recently become one of the hottest tourist destinations thanks to the huge sums of money developers put into the city.  Considered by many to be the most progressive vision and the quintessential city of the future, the desert makes an odd—yet intriguing—backdrop for such a place to spring up. So, if you're planning a visit to Dubai, be sure to check out these six tourist destinations that you can't afford to miss—no trip to Dubai would be complete without them! 1. The New Atlantis  Right on the waterfront of Dubai, you can rediscover the lost island of Atlantis—at least the new versions of it.  The Atlantis Resort is right on the Gulf, providing a family-friendly place to get away on one of the three man-made islands.  Take the three-mile trip to the main land on a monorail, enjoying the breathtaking sights of the city, the islands, the desert and the water all at once. When you're on the island of Atlantis, be sure to check out the extraordi...

When my fiancé and I were looking for options on where we would go for our honeymoon, we finally settled on New York. Neither of us had ever been there and we thought it would be exciting. We found out that 'The city that never sleeps' is regarded as one of the most romantic destinations in the world and this is what sealed the decision for us. After our small wedding, we flew to New York for ten days of honeymoon bliss. We went straight to our hotel to freshen up. We found a great site and booked our New York hotel in advance . We had a spring wedding and we knew that New York as we knew that the spring and summer season would prove hard to get a good hotel room. We had planned to do as much as possible and see as much as we could especially since we heard that New York never ever sleeps. However, we were pleasantly surprised that our hotel room was quite quiet and we were able to get the rest we needed. The first day we went to the Empire State building at night and...

China is consistently considered to be one of the most popular honeymoon locations in the world, and with so many destinations and activities that are perfect for loved up couples, it’s not difficult to see why. Ranging from natural beauty and mesmerising history to big cities and luxurious beachfront resorts, there’s something for every couple visiting China to enjoy. For some inspiration, check out these three particularly romantic locations below: 1. Plover Cove, Hong Kong Located in Hong Kong’s New Territories, the Plover Cove area is one of the most unspoilt and least densely populated areas of the country, making it especially popular with couples looking for a quiet and serene romantic getaway. The region, comprising of the Plover Cove Country Park, the Plover Cove Reservoir, and many forested areas and natural pools, offers a variety of activities that appeal to all passions. Some of the most popular activities here include swimming under the cascading waters at Bride’s ...

Are you a food traveler? Do you feature your food excursions on a blog or in a diary? If so, taking photos of your meals and sharing them with your blog readers, friends or family is a great way to show them the foods you have enjoyed during your travels. There are a few things to keep in mind when taking pictures of food. Done the wrong way, the dish can look unappetizing and misleading. Done the right way, the dish can look so good you can taste it! Listed below are a few tips for taking great photos of food: 1. Focus: It is very important to keep every part of the food in focus and to shoot your photo at close range. You want the dish to look as realistic as possible, so if any part of the meal is out of focus, adjust the lighting and camera range until you get a good shot. If you have a digital SLR camera, and you really want to impress; turn off the automatic exposure setting on your camera and use a faster shutter speed (1/60th or 1/200th) coupled with a larger aperture (f/2 or...

I had fun recently making Peanut Butter Millionaire Shortbread , and since my girlfriend Mairi loves peanut butter I was keen to try out something else (any excuse to treat her!). I had the idea of doing a creme brulee, with jam set in the bottom of the ramekin. The result was fantastic! Here's the recipe: Heat about 300g of strawberry or redcurrant jam in a saucepan until it melts. Strain through a fine sieve then pour into the bottom of 6 or 7 ramekins, depending on their size. Place in the fridge to set. Crush some salted peanuts into small crumbs and toast in a frying pan until golden. Set aside. Put 200ml of double cream, 200ml of milk and 120g of peanut butter into a saucepan and bring to the boil, stirring with a whisk to incorporate the peanut butter. Set aside. Place 5 large egg yolks and 50g of caster sugar in a metal

Obsess over the contents of every meal? Is the biggest stressor of your day the decision of where to get dinner? Do your friends roll their eyes at you when you talk about eating? If you answer these questions in the affirmative, then you likely consider yourself a foodie: a person driven by a passion for all things in the culinary arts. Foodies scour their local communities for edible gems found in restaurants and markets often located well off the well beaten path of popular food culture. Ardent foodies venture into the edible unknown, leaving behind “normal” food venues in search of more interesting and fulfilling eats. Most people don’t spend too much time thinking about where or what they’re going to eat. So as the “lone wolves” of dining, foodies often find themselves without friends to share in their culinary explorations. If you find yourself frequently eating at restaurants or sampling new market wares by yourself, I have a suggestion for you to reach out to

I asked my 14 year old niece, Jarmaine, to write a guest post here in my blog. We both agreed that she will write about the movie we watched last night. So here's Jarmaine's story about the movie Hachiko... Hachi: A Dog’s Tale Starring Richard Gere "We have so many choices of what movie to watch that night, but only one film stood out, it's "Hachiko : A Dog’s Tale". The story is about the wonderful, kind and very loyal dog. It’s a remake of true story of japanese dog Hachiko. A college professor Parker Wilson played by Richard Gere, found Hachi, an Akita puppy or should I say Hachi found Parker in the train station. Parker and her wife Cate adopted Hachi. Parker and Hachi became bestfriend. Whenever Parker goes to work, Hachi will always accompany him to the train station and will just leave after Parker safe departure then will go back in the afternoon to wait for his master's arrival. But we all know that life must come to it’s ending, Parker die...