Tasting sized pours
A flight of headlines from wine (and food) news:
What do you eat in South Korea when you’re with the president? Outback Steakhouse apparently. [WaPo] (Outback’s political contributions are coincidentally 96% “red”–thanks Kate).
As he barnstormed through Japan, South Korea and China, with a final stop in Mongolia still to come, Bush visited no museums, tried no restaurants, bought no souvenirs and made no effort to meet ordinary local people. “I live in a bubble,” Bush once said, explaining his anti-tourist tendencies by citing the enormous security and logistical considerations involved in arranging any sightseeing. “That’s just life.”
The Bush spirit trickles down to many of his top advisers, who hardly go out of their way to sample the local offerings either. A number of the most senior White House officials on the trip, perhaps seeking the comforts of their Texas homes, chose to skip the kimchi in South Korea to go to dinner at Outback Steakhouse — twice. (Admittedly, a few unadventurous journalists joined them.)
Bangalore nouveau?!? India’s wine consumption grows to 5 million bottles–one per 200 inhabitants! OK doesn’t seem like much but 30% growth can’t be ignored! (hmm, maybe the Indian market is better to pursue than China?) [Reuters]
Australia: white Burgundy no more [MSN]
Aging wine yes. But aged oak? A 340 y.o. tree from Louis XIV is sold at auction to a barrel maker for €37,700. [Decanter]
Silencing the lamb: Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver slaughters a lamb on television. “Jamie grimaced as he killed the animal, adding: ‘A chef who’s cooked 2,000 sheep should kill at least one, otherwise you’re a fake.’ Then he helped skin it.” PETA kinda doesn’t mind. [Daily Mirror, thanks Kate].
Whose got the tip? Dinner for 12–Michelin inspectors that is. Chef-owner recounts his a recent French invasion at his small restaurant in Greenville, SC. “I had visions of the Alien Spaceship from “War of the Worlds†laying waste to civilization, panicked citizens screaming helplessly, elevated highways crumbling, entire city blocks engulfed in flame. When they were finished dining at our tiny restaurant, there would be nothing left except a smoking hole in the ground.” [eG, thanks Jon]
