Jaunted - Tag: Fast Food Travel

Going to The Great Wall of China and Resisting the Urge to Get a Subway Footlong

juliana — 2012-02-09T18:03:30-05:00

There may no longer be a Starbucks at The Forbidden City in China but there is a Subway sandwich shop at The Great Wall. Seriously.

You can find the footlong mecca at the entrance to the impressive 2.5-kilometer stretch of the Great Wall in Mutianyu. From here you can walk in, out and around several of the 22 watchtowers that were built during the early Ming dynasty.

Some of the steps are steep and tiny and, as to be expected, you need to watch where you're going.There are no handrails and very few informational signs. It's just you, the wall and silence (well, when the other tourists aren't chattering that is. We managed to grab a quick little video on our iPhone of the Mutianyu section. Enjoy!

McDonald's Contribution to Chinese New Year: The 'Prosperity Burger'

JetSetCD — 2012-01-26T11:58:11-05:00

Singapore may be like 22 hours of travel away from the US, but that doesn't mean they haven't got 24-hour McDonalds here and there. One we passed today—just off the Esplanade near the Fullerton Bay Hotel—was sporting some flashy banners for limited-time-only eats. Curious, we got closer. Holy shnickeys, they're trying to make a buck off of Chinese New Year with the introduction of four special items: Beef Prosperity Burger, Chicken Prosperity Burger, Twister fries and a Prosperity McFizz.

According to the banners, these babies are only around until January 31. According to the internet, this isn't the first McDs has been cooking "Prosperity Burgers." And just exactly how prosperous are these sammies? Well, the patties are dipped in black pepper sauce, topped with onions and finished with a sesame seed bun. Sounds okay, but none of those ingredients were in the traditional Prosperity Salad. The only thing we can tell is that the twister fries can resemble 8, an auspicious number.

Taos: Foreign Grocery Friday: The Fried Ice Cream of Taos, New Mexico

juliab — 2012-01-06T15:30:17-05:00

Fried ice cream was something we’d never considered until two weeks ago. In fact, it wasn’t something we were even aware of existing, what with being British. And then we were in the supercheap-but-superfabulous Guadalajara Grill in Taos, New Mexico, when we saw this huge thing looking like a deep fried brain, saying Fried Ice Cream $5.50. And we had to have it.

It didn’t look as brainy as it did in the display case, when it came. It was still huge, though – in a sweet taco shell, covered with a layer of cream, chocolate sauce and a cherry which we promptly scraped off. It looked a bit more brain-lumpy underneath.

Seoul: Foreign Grocery Friday: The French Fry-Encrusted Corn Dogs of Seoul, South Korea

JetSetCD — 2011-12-09T12:10:14-05:00

When we travel, one of our favorite things to do is to pop into a local grocery store and check out the food products and candies we'd never find anywhere else. So we're trying out this new feature, Foreign Grocery Friday, where each week we'll feature some of our (and your) favorite overseas treats. Got a recommendation? Let us know!

American amusement parks and state fairs could learn a thing or two from the way South Korea has mastered hot dogs. They're available in every way, including spiral cut, wrapped in bacon, stewed in a curryish chili paste, and nearly tempura-ed with vegetables. Even some rice cakes, like Ddeokbooki, imitate hot dogs. Still, our personal favorite remains the infamous french fry-coated corn dog.

These deep-fried snacks usually figure into visitor's breathless descriptions of Seoul, a little like this: "The palaces! The shopping! And the ice cream cones...they were this tall. And and and the corn dogs were covered in french fries!!"

Liberia: Mindblowing: Costa Rica's Burger Kings Have a Queso Fundido Whopper

JetSetCD — 2011-12-08T13:23:45-05:00

We probably don't need to tell you that Costa Rica has a crazy long list of things going for it. Among them: surf spots, hot springs, eco tourism, canyoneering/ziplining, beaches, and now even a new $40 million airport. But what we bet you didn't expect us to say is that Costa Rica also hits home on the fast food front, as evidenced by our discovery of the Burger King Queso Fundido Whopper.

Drive through the town of Liberia, CR and, at the single stoplight, you'll hit upon a few options: McDonald's, Papa John's, Subway...and a brand new Burger King with this banner out front.

Sadly we didn't stop to try it (hindsight is always 20/20), because we figured we were surrounded with enough better, more local food options than Burger King. But then...when will ever get to try a Whopper that features a deep-fried patty of melty cheese? Guess we'll just have to go back.

Disclosure: We zipped down to Costa Rica as guests of JetBlue and the Costa Rica Tourism Board, but rest assured that all opinions and all photos are completely our own.

[Photo: Jaunted]

Foreign Grocery Friday: The Vegemite-Flavor Potato Chips of Australia

jetflyboy — 2011-12-02T11:46:10-05:00

If you have ever been lucky enough to visit the "Lucky Country," you know how Aussies love their Vegemite. We have talked about it before, but allow us to explain it again: Vegemite is a yeast extract spread fortified with vitamins and designed to put on toast for breakfast. Now, however, the salty deliciousness isn't limited to breakfast.

Every year, Smith's potato chips asks customers to create four new limited edition flavors , and this year Australia voted for Happy Little Vegemite. It only makes sense to extend Vegemite's salty and sweet goodness to chips, but yes—the Smith's flavor will stay limited to Aussie shores.

West Sussex: KFC Won't Even Let John Travolta Book a Private Table

cmb — 2011-10-20T14:53:49-05:00

Apparently even A-Listers can have trouble getting good service at fast food restaurants.

Despite the fact that there were a number of 4-star London restaurants, like The Ledbury, Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester, and Hix just an hour away, John Travolta decided KFC was the way to go while visiting West Sussex last weekend.

Travolta was in the area to attend an annual Scientology event in East Grinstead Friday when one of his reps called a local KFC and asked if they could book a table for the star and his guests.