USA

One of the best parts about traveling alone is chatting up bartenders. These guys usually open around seven or eight in the evening, but more often than not, people won’t start showing up for several hours, which leaves plenty of time to stop by for a quiet drink and some good conversation. Bartenders are some of the best repositories for local lore and outlandish rumors around. A few days ago I was in Lawrence, Kansas at a dive bar tucked back behind the town's main drag when I picked up this little gem:

I walk into the place and sit down. The bartender comes out; he’s a young guy, with long dark hair and a huge bushy beard. His has wide eyes and a big, friendly grin. He wears only a T-shirt and old jeans. If he were on the other side of the bar, I would have taken him for someone who got lost on their way to Bonaroo. So we start up a conversation, and I ask him if the town has any bizarre or interesting history. He goes through the stories about the town’s Civil War days, and about the local hotel that may or may not be haunted by the ghosts of Confederate marauders (I’d been there, the only things haunting it were old women with too much makeup). He says this is all the sort of thing you can hear at the tourist information center. I tell him I’m not interested in the regular tourist stuff.

So he leans in close and in a hushed tone tells me about a place a few miles north of town he only called Stout’s. There, he said, was a church built by Mormons back during their exodus west. It had been abandoned for as long as anyone could remember, until some local Satanists (I love the phrase "local Satanists") occupied it in the early 80s and began performing rituals there, including animal sacrifices and a black mass. He said the walls were covered with pentagrams and animal skulls and that the altar itself had been desecrated. I was sold, and took down directions.

    The next morning, I left promptly for the spot the bartender had mentioned. When I got there, I found only a set of train tracks that had fallen into disuse and the burnt foundations of an old house. Confused and disappointed, I walked over to the convenience store across the street, where I asked the attendant if she’d ever heard of a nearby church overrun by Satanists. She looked at me for a moment, somewhat puzzled, and said, “You mean Stout’s? The place the kids broke into and wrote graffiti all over? His son burned that place down years ago to collect on the insurance.” I nodded, paid for my strawberry granola bar (the roadtripper’s comfort food of choice), and then left without another word.

Soon, hordes of athletes and tourists will flock to China for the 2008 Summer Olympics. While they may or may not arrive hungry for victory, they are sure to arrive hungry, and as regards food, they may be in for a surprise.  For a satisfying culinary experience, foreigners should come with minds as open as their mouths, and try their best to eat like locals. A few must-haves include:

Beijing Roast Duck

In China, Beijing roast duck (pronounced bay-jing cow-yah) is famous; it’s even been elevated to the status of a “national food.”  Traditionally, the duck is oven-roasted, and served with thin rice-flour pancakes, scallions, cucumbers and hoisin sauce.  The dish is then eaten in the same style as Mexican fajitas.  The diner wraps a pancake around bits of meat and cucumber and dips the diminutive roll in sauce.  All parts of the bird are used—the head is served on a plate along with the body, and even the carcass is turned to soup that is served as a last course.  Chain restaurants like Quanjude serve Roast Duck at affordable prices, and even KFC in China has its own version of the dish, so there’s no excuse not to try it at least once.

Hole-in-the-Wall Dumplings

You’ll understand when you get there—in Beijing, sketch one-room restaurants (and the delicious dumplings that they sell) are ubiquitous. Here, “hole-in-the-wall” means lacking a door and buzzing with flies. Jiaozi (jow-zuh) have thinner and slipperier exterior wrappings than do Baozi (bow-zuh), which tend to have chewy rice-flour outer parts.  Both types of dumplings are usually steamed—not pan-fried like in the US—are served in brown circular baskets, and can come in a variety of flavors ranging from pork (jew-row) to vegetable (shoe-tie). The sauces that typically accompany dumplings in Bejing are vinegar and a hot (hot!) sauce that should be mixed together for the most zingy flavor.  Order hot salted peanuts (huah-sheng-me) with them and you’ll eat well for under US$1. 

Hot Pot

Technically, Hot Pot is a Mongolian Dish; eating Hot Pot in China is a bit like eating Mexican or Canadian food in the United States.  That’s no reason to avoid it, however; Hot Pot is delicious and (since you boil your own water in a pot in front of you) a pretty safe bet if you’re worried about food poisoning.  Hot Pot is a lot like fondue; you’re served a boiling pot of water and plates of thinly sliced meats, vegetables, and more, and it’s up to you to make a soup that cooks it all.  Hot pot can come plain or spicy—and be warned: spicy tends to pack heat and include tingling or numbing spices.

Scrambled Eggs with Stir-Fried Tomatoes

This is an unadventurous (and yet locally popular) dish that every foreigner should know how to order. The dish is pronounced see-hong-shuh-chow-gee-dan and is exactly what it sounds like. 

Vegetables

In China, ordering vegetables is tricky, because vegetables are the food that is most likely to give you food poisoning.  A good rule of thumb is that raw vegetables are never safe and cooked vegetables always are.  That said, if a vegetable dish looks or tastes funny, it’s probably safest not to eat it.  A few good dishes served at most restaurants are eggplant (chee-ay-zuh) and cabbage (buy-tie).

Closing Words (and Dishes)

In China, dishes are usually served in the following order: cold dishes, vegetable dishes, meat dishes, soup, and last but not least, white rice (to fill you up if you’re still hungry).  Foreigners who want their rice first should make sure to state this clearly.  Saying “First, rice” (Dee-ee-guh, me fan) will usually suffice.

When New Yorkers arrive at Yankee Stadium to support their team for the opening game of the 2009 baseball season, things might get a little confusing. The home of the city’s most beloved franchise (sorry Mets fans), the Yankees, will have moved across the street from its current River Avenue location in the Bronx. A new, $1.3 billion complex bearing the same name as its predecessor will serve as the new grounds for the “Bronx Bombers.” The most seasoned New York fans might experience an even greater sense of nostalgia as they enter the new Yankee Stadium next April: the exterior of the ballpark will replicate that of the old park prior to its renovation in the mid-1970s. Needless to say, as the next era of baseball in New York City begins, the sport’s latest cathedral has a long way to go before it can replace the storied history of the old version in the collective consciousness of its fans. 

The present version of Yankee Stadium has, without question, become one of the most important sports landmarks in the United States since its construction in 1923. Not only has it been home to the most successful baseball franchise in the world (to which it owes its namesake) and its 26 world championships, it for a time played host to the city’s football team, the New York Giants. In fact, what has been called “The Greatest Game Ever Played” in National Football League history took place between the Giants and the Baltimore Colts in Yankee Stadium in 1958. Although the Giants lost this NFL Championship contest, the game is considered by many to have been one of the most thrilling in New York’s history.

In addition, one of the most important boxing matches in American history also took place inside the hallowed ground of Yankee Stadium. Ignoring the combined distraction of Nazi support and Adolf Hitler’s racial prejudices, Joe Louis, an African-American, defeated the German Max Schmeling in 1938. While other famous boxers, including Sugar Ray Robinson and Muhammad Ali also fought here, none of these bouts carried the same kind of cultural importance as did Louis’s victory in the pre-World War II era. 

Indeed, Yankee Stadium’s place in American culture transcends the realm of professional sports. Three different Popes have said mass within its walls, most recently Benedict XVI to a completely sold-out crowd in 2008. The stadium was even home to a memorial service in the days following the September 11^th terrorist attacks.

Still, there is little doubt that the old Yankee stadium will remain most prominently in the hearts and minds of New Yorkers as a shrine to the great American pastime of baseball. When the Yankees took the field in April, 1923, Babe Ruth christened the new stadium by hitting a home-run, an effort that help to beat the rival Boston Red Sox by a score of 4-1. The Yankees would go on to win the World Series that year, and their stadium, which has become affectionately known as “The House that Ruth Built,” has been steeped in lore and tradition ever since.

            The new incarnation of Yankee Stadium will be impressive to say the least. The most expensive stadium ever built in the United States will feature over 1 million sq. ft. of retail space, two full service restaurants, all of the most modern amenities, and seating for 53,000 people. Still, perhaps understandably, public opinion has been mixed. As with any construction project of this caliber, nearby residents and community activists are concerned about the damage the new ballpark could have on the surrounding area. However, the real objection from most fans seems to be in regards to the decision to demolish the current Yankee Stadium. Many believe that its cultural and historical significance as an American icon merits its preservation for future generations to experience its splendor. Regardless of your affinity for professional sports, the opening of the New Yankee Stadium next April will truly be a sight to behold. Who can even begin to imagine what new legends and heroes will emerge from its womb?