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Diggin’ on the video released by the Discover California Wines folks. It highlights all the incredible wine regions and locales I’ve been able to explore for the past ten years in the business. California is, indeed, magical… Read more: September is California Wine Month: Watch the excellent video Got you excited with that title, huh? A titillatingly interesting wine e-book that you can have always and forever… by your side like a loyal French bulldog puppy. Except that it won’t pee when it gets excited (but you might). This time-consuming endeavor won’t happen without your feedback (and ever-dying promise to purchase when complete) , so let me know your completely anonymous thoughts. I won’t stalk you on Facebook… until it’s published, of course. Read more: Poll: Taylor’s Super Cool Wine e-book Never one to pass up offering a free trip to one of the most beautiful places on the planet — northern California, or “norCal” as the local call it (I’m cool like that, you see) — I stumbled across this sweepstakes for those outside of the state of California (which, for some strange reason, doesn’t allow sweepstakes or allow you to win wine in a contest. Sponsored by the list of wineries which are featured in the promotion – Girard, Cosentino, Rudd and Vine Cliff – it’s a pretty sweet deal. And you don’t have to enter a photo, a video or anything else that would cause you to have to work for it. And who wants that? In a disturbing 20 minute TED talk about the future of food in America, Chef Jamie Oliver attempts to shock us into becoming more curious about the food we eat. Also watch Robyn O’Brien’s TED talk about our food supply. “Obesity costs the U.S. 10 billion dollars a year.” (Jamie Oliver) “Your child will live a life ten years younger than you because of the landscape of food that we’ve built around them.” (Jamie Oliver) Read more: Food EDU: Jamie Oliver’s TED Talk Got grilling skills? Bring ‘em on and you could win $100,000 in the Sutter Home Build a Better Burger contest. California’s bastion of White Zinfandel has been hosting this contest for 21 years, coaxing creative burger recipes out of Americans across the land. Some really robust recipes have emerged over the years, from tuna-based burgers to portobellos and plopped on foccacia to pita. The full burgerbase is housed here if you’re looking for ideas for the contest or what to throw over coals tonight. It’s kinda complicated how to introduce what this interesting (yet, admittedly over dramatic) video is about. They provide examples of the shape and make up of food indicate the organ they help. According to the video, the Chinese have been following this wisdom for thousands of years. Perhaps another way we can learn from the wise people in the east? Read more: Video: How the shape of food provides insight into how they keep us healthy A disturbing talk presented at the innovative TedX program by Robyn O’Brien, an advocate for food safety. Robyn is a former food industry analyst, Fulbright grant recipient, author and mother of four, who brings unique insight into the impact the global food system is having on our health. Once Read more: Video: How safe is our food supply? Food advocate Robyn O’Brien at TedX Part two of the Cook Islands trip. But what else is there to do besides eat and drink, you ask? Well, let talk about transportation. Most people zip about on little scooters that accommodate only one or two people. Right hand-drive cars are available as well if you are more than two or really can’t live without climate control. Either way, you’ll have to get a Cook Islands drivers license. Scooters will also require a short training course if you don’t have a motorcycle certification of some sort. Or if you’re daring, there are a few places that will rent bicycles. On the islands, they are called “push bikes” – some are squeaky, old mountain bikes with terrible brakes (like we had), others have battery-assisted power for when you get tired. Your choice. But, and I emphasize the “but” here, when the sun goes down, the island gets dark, and push bikes don’t have lights. We made it home alive after a leisurely dinner stuck us five or six miles from our hotel after sunset. It’s the only adventure on the island I don’t recommend. Read more: Top travel tips for the Cook Islands and Rarotonga 
Every now and then internet travel sites splash some really intriguing vacation packages up on my screen. And every now and then, like a big game fish, we bite. So when Living Social tossed out a trip for two to Rarotonga, Cook Islands… Sorry, where, you just asked? The Cook Islands are a Polynesian island chain in the South Pacific, kind of like an English-speaking Tahiti, with clear lagoons and beautiful reefs surrounding the island. And Rarotonga, the largest of the islands, is home of the Maitai, a freighter that went down on the reef on Christmas Day, 1916, carrying Model-T cars from San Francisco. So if you like tropical vacations on tiny islands populated by the Maori (who swear they’ve given up cannibalism) then put this rock on your must-see list. But I’ll share some of my insights with you first so you really can have the tropical paradise you’ll be dreaming about. Read more: Top foodie travel tips for the Cook Islands and Rarotonga It’s shorts and flip flops time for quick eats so we have more hours to play. My hubby and I discussed, debated, dissented, and compiled our fave, fast-casual restaurants. These places, where you line up to order, are much more appealing than fast-food options (and cheaper than sit-down cousins). Experts say this hybrid category is on the grow and judging by the parking lots, most patrons agree. Read more: Tampa Bay’s best restaurants with fast-casual food suit our speedy lifestyle |
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