By Charles Cecil Gum Arabic? No, it’s not a Saudi Arabian chiclet. Technically, it’s an emulsifier, a soluble, tasteless substance that helps ingredients dissolve and remain in solution. It prevents oil from pooling inside a jar of peanut butter, keeps sugar suspended in soft drinks, allows mayonnaise to maintain its consistency and stops cough drops…
By Justin Noah and David DeVoss No structures better captured the spirit of America than airports. When it opened in 1960, Idlewild’s Pan Am Worldport embodied the Space Age with a circular roof that projected outward like a hovering flying saucer. TWA asked Finnish American architect Ero Saarinen to “capture the spirit of flight” and…
By Ben Oleksinski There are some places in the world where political boundaries don’t prevent foreigners from becoming neighbors and people living astride the frontier share experiences and economies with friends from the other side. One such place is the U.S.-Canada border where friends holding different passports share some of the hemisphere’s best fishing and…
By Collin Gwin Summer is normally the time when families across the nation pile into the car and head to amusement parks. The screams of parents, kids and cousins mix with the rumble, roar and whoosh of the rides into one cohesive sound. Giant teacups spin at incredible speeds while cartoon characters stroll the grounds…
Silk vendor at D. Popli & Sons in Mumbai displays high-quality yet reasonably priced silk. Photo by Jacqueline Swartz By Jacqueline Swartz Mumbai, the city formerly known as Bombay, is the marketplace of India — its jewelry, textiles, handicrafts, furniture and leather goods come from all over India and around the world. This is India’s…
Are you ready to travel after months of confinement and looking for a great alternative to the traditional branded, cookie-cutter hotel? Well, you’re in luck. More and more hotels are announcing their presence with their own distinct architecture, personality and design. The availability of lodgings listed below depend on local public health ordinances, so plan now but don’t expect your reservation to be confirmed for at least another month.
By David DeVoss When travel began to plummet in mid February airlines responded in the usual way: they dropped prices. By the last week in February it was possible to fly round-trip from LA to Montreal for $196 on American. Round trips between United hub cities also fell below $200. But then something unusual…
by David DeVoss Sinitic cultures are famed for their hard work. From Shanghai to San Francisco, Singapore to Seattle, Chinese work hard so they can take 10 days off for at Chinese New Year. This week Chinese, Vietnamese and Koreans are celebrate the Year of the Rat, one of the zodiac symbols that define the…
How restaurants control your experience in ways you may not realize By Peter Greenberg Ever wonder why so many fast food chains use red and yellow in their logo? Research shows that color scheme is an intentional stimulant signifying happiness, energy – and hunger. They subtly tell consumers enjoy yourself, but to also get in…
LA’s New Landlords Is Los Angeles the Next Shanghai? By David DeVoss There are more than 225,000 Koreans living in and around Los Angeles and this week they have a new symbol of accomplishment, a glass-sheathed hotel, office and retail tower topped by an enormous, sail-shaped LED screen that nightly beams the Korean Airlines logo…