World's Best Places to Visit

What do you think about when you hear the words “Mexican food”? I am sure you get delicious mental pictures of tacos, tortas and tamales. Oh, and let’s not forget about a huge burrito stuffed with carne asada, rice, beans, guacamole, sour cream and salsa. Whatever your idea of Mexican food is, I am sure you get a mouth watering feeling when you think about it. But, let’s put this entire Mexican food thing into a different perspective. Mexico covers an area of two million square miles (760,000 square kilometers).  It has a population of over 125 million people, including numerous indigenous groups. My point: it is very difficult to say “I know Mexican food very well” when we are talking about a country so big and varied.  We foreigners (and to be fair, some natives too) have only explored the tip of the iceberg in terms of what this country can offer in terms of food. I think that is why I love Mexico so much. Since I do not live that far from the border between California and Ba...

It takes a lot for me to lose my cool. I’ve managed 34-hour bus rides with locals lying in the aisles and smoking cigarettes.  I’ve managed beds full of ants and squat toilets covered with cockroaches.  I’ve managed scams, strep throat, and sleep deprivation. So when I finally lost my cool and freaked out, what was it about? Durian. Durian is a popular fruit in Southeast Asia.  The fruit itself is sweet, but the skin smells horrible – like rotting flesh mixed with Windex .  It’s an unmistakable odor that you will recognize anywhere. But most importantly, durian is banned from hotels and public transportation in several Asian countries .  That’s how you know I’m not freaking out over something inconsequential! My hate affair with this fruit started on my first day of the trip. I was visiting Bangkok’s Wat Phra Kaew, and in a moment of insanity – probably due to the fact that I hadn’t slept a wink the night before – I decided to try a durian popsicle. I took a lick and nearly ...

Every year, The Second Glass puts on a wine tasting event called Wine Riot.  Wine Riot is geared toward young, hip Bostonians who want to learn more about wine — but in a fun atmosphere!  Most of the wines featured are very affordable as well. I love wine, but I don’t know as much about as I wish I did.  This was a perfect way to learn more. This was my first time at the Wine Riot.  My sister, Sarah, has been a few times and works as a volunteer each year, so she showed me the best of the room. There were dozens of vendors from around the world, each with several different wines for us to taste.  We even sampled some delicious wines from Massachusetts!  Who knew that the New Bedford area was such a hot wine region? There were “crash courses” throughout the night as well — Sars and I went to a course on “Roadkill” wines.  They smelled strange but were absolutely delicious — particularly the South African Kanonkop Kadette, easily one o...