open mind, empty stomach
travel, food, and fun
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Author: open mind, empty stomach
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On April 16, the Center for Food Safety opened up shop in Honolulu with the goal of passing a law requiring GMO labeling. The last couple years have seen a healthy conversation on GMO labeling, especially here in Hawaii. The issue has been a lightning rod, polarizing the community and gaining national attention. It’s a…
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Food trucks have taken off nationally over the last few years, but Portland is truly in a league of its own. Options range from your run of the mill Korean, Mexican and Thai to the more exotic Iraqi, Georgian (the republic, not the state), Mauritian, and Transylvanian. Due to time constraints, I was only able…
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Despite what this blog may lead you to believe, I have a day job. Since getting back to Hawaii in January, I have been working a normal M-F (usually) 8-5ish gig – followed by a 5 a.m. wakeup each Saturday to help with a venture at our most popular farmers’ market. I did the same…
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I had been away during Hawaii Food & Wine for the past couple years and was looking forward to being able to join in on the fun this year. Food & Wine brings some of the top chefs from across the country to Oahu for a week of fun. Due to work, I wasn’t able…
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Most of the time I visit places it’s not with a particular goal in mind, but occasionally I go somewhere seeking a specific experience. When I first went to Southeast Asia, I sought out an epic elephant trek through the jungle and found what I was looking for in Mondulkiri. For Rajasthan it was a…
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Having just 5 weeks in India, I opted to visit fewer places and spend more time in each rather than burn travel time trying to see as much of the subcontinent as possible. The area I wanted to spend the most time in was the “Land of Kings” Rajasthan. Coming from Varanasi, logistics made it…
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Aside from humans, tigers are my favorite land animals, and I was hoping to see one in the wild while in India. Ranthambhore National Park is supposed to provide one of the best opportunities to do just that and I made the day trip from Jaipur to try to catch a glimpse. Ranthambhore is an…
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It was my first time smelling human flesh as it burned. Sorry, I always wanted to start a post that way. It really was, though, and I was surprised people were allowed to walk within 10 feet or so from the bodies as they are burned around the clock, in the place Indians go to die.…
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“Hello, are you cold?” As I opened my eyes, I found myself shivering on a bench in the front room of a yoga studio that was attached to the guesthouse I planned on staying. The door was open when I arrived in the middle of the night and no one was there, so I kind…
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It’s hard to think of India without the Taj Mahal coming to mind. Like most visitors, I made sure to visit this Wonder of the World while on the subcontinent. Agra, the city that is home to the Taj Mahal, was not like Siem Reap, the affordable oasis of awesomeness that hosts visitors coming to…
open mind, empty stomach 