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This particular trip to New England was not intended to be about finding strange food stories, but it ended up that way.
Starting in New Haven, CT, we discovered four things:
- Louis' Lunch, established 1895, claims to be the first restaurant to serve hamburgers, and the oldest hamburger restaurant in the US.
- People in New Haven like to have their hamburgers steamed, rather than grilled.
- There's a lot of pizza restaurants in New Haven.
- People in New Haven like weird things on their pizzas, like Mashed Potato (see above picture if you don't believe me).
In Simsbury, CT, we visited the Heublein tower:
The tower was built by Gilbert Heublein after promising his fiancé Louise Gundlach that one day he would build her a castle on their favorite hiking spot, Talcott Mountain. It is the site of the first home elevator in Connecticut.
Anyway, the tower was interesting but Heublein himself was even more interesting. He made his money in food and beverage. He established himself in the late 1800s/early 1900s by distributing foreign brands such as A-1 sauce (from England) and Smirnoff Vodka (from Russia). Through the years, the company owned hotels, and also bought other household brands such as Grey Poupon and Kentucky Fried Chicken. By 1982 the company was worth $1.4B and was sold to R J Reynolds. The parts of the original Heublein can now be found in Kraft, Pepsico, and Grand Metropolitan.
Finally (for this trip), in Newport, RI, we visited the oldest tavern in the US. The tavern distinction refers to the fact that it had accomodation and food and drink:
The original building dates back to 1673, about the same age as the Shipwrights in Sunderland, better known as Swannies:
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Seems a bit harsh on Durians, not being allowed in shops (and, it turns out, public transport). Why, you may ask, is there such hatred against Durians? Here we are in Singapore to find out:
Singapore is a city state with a population of just over 5.6 million, so 1 million more than Harris County, Texas. It was colonised by the British in 1819. The first Governor was Stamford Raffles. Raffles is remembered by many place names in Singapore, the most famous of which is probably the Raffles Hotel, which has been around since 1887. Although closed for renovations during this visit (due to reopen August 2019), the Long Bar, home of the Singapore Sling, was open (although this was relocated from its original place in the hotel to the top floor of a shop building). If you've never had a Singapore Sling, bring plenty of money - it costs $28, but at least the nuts are free:
People say things are expensive in Singapore, and some things (cars, houses) are. However you can get decent food at reasonable prices. In fact the best place to go are the food courts, although choose carefully as there are some interesting options:
For dessert, how about an ice-cream sandwich? In North East England, an ice-cream sandwich is ice-cream between two wafers. In Singapore, they take the sandwich bit literally, and put a slab of ice-cream between bread:
Anyway, what about Durian? Well at one of the food courts I finally bought some. Durian is a fruit, which is popular throughout Asia (it is often called the "King of Fruits"). Inside a spiky outer shell you find these weird-looking things:
According to Wikipedia, "The smell evokes reactions from deep appreciation to intense disgust, and has been described variously as rotten onions, turpentine, and raw sewage". In my case, there was very little initial aroma, and the initial taste was quite sweet. However the aftertaste was definitely of the raw sewage variety and lasted a very long time.
I think it's only fair to ban them!
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Just when you think that $25-$50k per year for 4 years (or more!) to get a degree is quite an outlay, someone suggests you get a class ring. Presumably the considerable expense of the ring is a constant reminder of the considerable expense of the education.
The idea of a class ring originated from US military graduates at West Point, starting back in 1835. Their tradition was (and still is) to wear the ring with the Class Crest closest to the heart prior to graduation (signifying a given cadet's bond to their class) and with the Academy Crest closest to the heart after graduation (signifying the bond with the Adcademy as a whole). The Complete Book of Etiquette by Amy Vanderbilt gives similar guidance for college students: For as long as the wearer is in school, the insignia should face the wearer to remind him/her of the goal of graduation. Upon graduation, the class ring gains the status of a "badge of honor" similar to a diploma, with the effect that graduation entitles the wearer to display the insignia facing outward so that it faces other viewers. For University of Texas, an engraving of the UT main building tower faces either towards or away from the student. Traditionally, West Point graduates wore their ring on their left hand wedding ring finger (because of the vena amoris, the vein that carries blood from the fourth digit of the left hand straight to the heart). However these days the right hand ring finger is used, because of the clash of class ring and wedding ring.
Just add another $1,500 to the college bill!
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If you're in the East Village neighborhood of Manhattan and fancy a beer, I recommend McSorley's Old Ale House. McSorley's claims to have been established back in 1854 and the interior doesn't seem to have changed much since then.
Some words of warning:
1. There are only two types of beer - light and dark (a pale ale of sorts and a porter, both brewed on premise). Don't be asking for fancy stuff, and definitely don't ask for Bud!
2. It's cash-only
3. If you aren't drinking, you're leaving!
4. Make sure you leave a decent tip, otherwise be prepared for a rant from the waiter!
Look out for odd memorabilia while you're there, such as Houdini's handcuffs, fixed here to the bar:
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"The World Will Take Care of Houston's Fame" is the inscription on Sam Houston's tombstone. He was such a pivotal character in American (and Texas) history that it's hard to imagine him being forgotten. Among his achievements were:
- Defeating Mexican General Antonio López de Santa Anna at San Jacinto to secure Texan independence (1836)
- Serving as the 1st and 3rd president of the Republic of Texas (1836-38 and 1841-44)
- One of the first two individuals to represent Texas in the United States Senate (1845)
- Served as seventh governor of Texas (1859)
He was removed as governer in 1861 after Texas joined the Confederacy, which he opposed. After being removed, Houston relocated to Huntsville, north of the city of Houston (which President Houston had made the capital of Texas, a location which was changed by Anson Jones, the fourth President of Texas, in favor of Austin in 1845). He bought a house called Steamboat. Steamboat was built by Huntsville resident Rufus Bailey, as a wedding gift for his son, but the couple refused to live in it because of its unusual architecture (and hence the name steamboat):
Sam Houston died July 26, 1863 in Steamboat. His last words were "Texas - Margaret - Texas" (his second wife was Margaret Lea Houston).
For someone so historically significant, his final resting place is underwhelming. His grave can be found in the Oakwood cemetary, near Steamboat:
Although the grave site may be small, the statue nearby (visible from the I45 freeway) is much more appropriate to his greatness:
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The first recorded instance of celebrating Mardi Gras in Louisiana (March 2, 1699) was as part of an observance of Catholic practice. The people celebrating then might be a little surprised at how the annual Mardi Gras celebration goes in New Orleans. Having said that a 1730 account of the festitivities notes music and dance, masking and costuming, including cross-dressing. So not too far from the 2018 version.
For two weeks, leading up to Shrove Tuesday, New Orleans steps up its game from crazy party town to even-crazier party town. While folk in the UK celebrate Shrove Tuesday with pancakes that are eaten with sugar and lemon, like this:
everyone in New Orleans is enjoying beignets from Café du Monde:
Café du Monde is a New Orleans institution, and is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, except for Christmas Day and days when "the occasional hurricane passes too close to New Orleans" (It did close when Katrina hit in 2005). No visit to New Orleans is complete without at least one late night or early morning trip there.
Feeling like you need to sit down and let the world revolve around you? Try the Carousel Piano Bar & Lounge inside the Hotel Monteleone on Royal Street in the French Quarter:
The bar rotates at a rate of one revolution every 15 minutes, but lines are long to get a seat. If you want to recreate the effect of a spinning room, have a French Absinthe or two (French-style is with cold water poured over a sugar cube) at the Pirate Alley Cafe:
Absinthe was banned in the early 1900s in the USA and most of the rest of the world. It was believed to be a dangerously addictive psychoactive drug and hallucinogen (The chemical compound thujone believed to be dangerous is present in the spirit in only trace amounts). Thankfully, common sense has prevailed and it is no longer banned, although it is unclear if that would matter in New Orleans. Many laws are not applicable: for example, drinking out of open containers is illegal almost everywhere in the USA, but is legal in New Orleans.
If you are looking for a way to determine when you've had enough absinthe, you can always check if you want to use the mobile kiss booth:
