Jaunted

Fast Food Travel / St Patrick's Day Travel / Ireland Travel / McDonalds / → All Tags

How Irish are McDonald's Shamrock Shakes, Anyway?

Ah, the Shamrock Shake. This limited-time-only cup of swirly mint goodness is McDonald's small way of paying ode to St. Patrick's Day, but is it Irish at all?

The ingredients, pulled straight from the McDonald's official site, are listed as: vanilla reduced fat ice cream, Shamrock Shake syrup, whipped cream, maraschino cherry. Those last two are purely part of McD's serving suggestion, which we skip to save, like, 200 unnecessary calories.

Although no one official inventor of ice cream can be named, most articles on the history of ice cream agree that its origins can be traced to BC times, when it likely headed from China to Europe and found first popularity in France and Italy as "milk ice." The name only became "iced cream" when the first ice cream parlour opened in America, in New York City, in 1776. From here on, modern ice cream as we know it becomes a wholly American development, since the processes (commercial production, refrigeration, advanced recipes) were Yankee inventions.

As for mint syrup, its most popular use outside of coffee and medicine would be as an ingredient of a mint julep (in place of fresh mint). Mint juleps originated in the American south in the 1700s, right around the time ice cream was coming into its own, so their eventual cooperation in the Shamrock Shake was seemingly meant to be.

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In-Flight Meals / Food Travel / JAL / Japan Airlines / Airline News / Airline Food / Fast Food Travel / → All Tags

In-flight Fast Food: Japan Airlines Adds a 'Teriyaki Egg Burger' to the Menu

It seems like just the other day we were talking about Colonel Sanders and his finger lickin' good adventure at 35,000-feet. As a quick reminder, the fast food giant KFC sent some of their famous fried chicken up into the friendly skies, as they partnered with Japan Airlines to add a little fried fun into their in-flight menu. Now it looks like the carrier is reaching out into the fast food community once again, as they’re looking to serve up some mile high burgers.

This isn’t the first time, either; it's actually the third time Japan Airlines is collaborating with MOS Burger. It’s just the latest installment in the carrier’s Air Series in-flight meal service, and now all you need is to smuggle on a side of fries.

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Fast Food Travel / Starbucks / Airport Food / Airport Dining / IAD / Airports / Airport News / Wine Travel / → All Tags

The Wine-Friendly 'Starbucks Evenings' Concept Opens at the Airport

Not too long ago we heard about one of those special new Starbucks heading over to LAX—the kind of Sbux with the wine. While it will be a little bit more time before that sucker opens to the traveling public, in the interim we can take a flight over to Washington-Dulles International Airport because they just cut the ribbon on the very first airport location of Starbucks Evenings.

HMSHost—they’re the ones behind many of your favorite and not-so-favorite airport restaurants—partnered up with Starbucks for this spot at the airport. It’s kind of just like any other airport Starbucks in that they’ll still serve up lattes and frappuccinos, but there's a twist.

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Fast Food Travel / Miami Travel / Dessert Travel / Food Trucks / Art Basel Miami Beach 2012 / Art Basel / Food Travel / Chocolate Travel / → All Tags

OMG. Deep Fried Oreos, Yo.

OH MAH GAWD you guys. So we like food trucks, that much is plain, but we love dessert food trucks even more. Something about decadence on the go seems like the answer to all of life's problems. After spending last week in Miami, we can pinpoint that even further to the awesomeness that are deep-fried Oreos.

The yummy is made by taking regular ol' Oreos, dunking them in batter and popping in a deep fryer. Dust with powdered sugar and serve. Occasionally the food truck (called 80s Sensation) is parked in Wynwood at NW 2nd Ave and NW 23rd Street and they specialize in such junk food indulgences. To be fair, we didn't know they were '80s-themed or what was going on; we just saw the sign "deep-fried Oreos" from across the parking lot and made a bee-line for it.

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In-Flight Meals / Food Travel / JAL / Japan Airlines / Airline News / Airline Food / Fast Food Travel / → All Tags

Colonel Sanders Joins the Mile High Club with Fried Chicken on Japan Airlines

Last year we saw Japan Airlines develop a taste for junk food, offering Mos Burger on select long-haul flights from Japan. Now the airline will be getting into the festive holiday mood with some KFC meal boxes for US routes, including Dreamliner flights.

Passengers flying from Tokyo-Narita in economy and premium economy will have the option for some original recipe fried chicken on the second service. The specially designed meal box will feature a drumstick, breast filet, coleslaw and lettuce leaves. The folks of KFC have even created an exclusive flatbread for the Air Kentucky Fried Chicken menu.

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Foreign Grocery Friday / Singapore Travel / Food Travel / Fast Food Travel / → All Tags

Foreign Grocery Friday: The Craze Hottis of Singapore

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!

This series is typically devoted to fantastic foods we have sampled in far-off lands that we find in grocery stores and even restaurants. This time we found our latest interesting fare at a Singapore 7-11 and, while we do know this is not an authentic eatery, it still sells some snacks that the locals love. Craze Hottis being one of those snacks.

On display in the shop window, like a beacon guiding ships into port, the Craze Hottis machine is illuminated like a popcorn machine and immediately caught our eye. Outfitted with paper bucket and a self-serve scoop, we had to dig in. Opening up the door to a warm cave of crunchy goodness, we filled our container and waited in line to pay and high tail it out.

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Fast Food Travel / McDonalds / McDonalds-Around-The-World / Australia Travel / Food Travel / → All Tags

Australia's McDonalds Just Started Serving Up Lamb Burgers

The temperature is on the rise in Australia and summer is just around the corner. That could only mean one thing. Barbeques! The quintessential Aussie thing to do is grab your mates, some raw meat, a few beers (or more) and head to the beach for a bbq. Well, McDonalds down under are getting in on the tradition with the introduction of a lamb burger. And, of course, it is 100% Aussie lamb.

It can't get more Aussie than this (without it being kangaroo meat). A delicious ground lamb seasoned with rosemary, garlic and onion grilled up and served with all of the Aussie accoutrements.

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Party Travel / Florida Travel / Fast Food Travel / → All Tags

Uh Oh. Florida's Newest Club Scene Isn't So New After All

If you're visiting Disney World this fall, don't think you're resigned to only hanging out at Mouse-approved establishments. Several Applebee's locations in Florida are launching "Club Applebee's," turning their family-friendly restaurants into adults-only clubs after hours.

On Wednesdays, those locations will have Ladies' Nights, with specials including $4 margaritas, $6 sangria pitchers, and a $12 half portion Oriental Chicken salad with two glasses of wine. That sound you just heard was a bunch of ladies going WOOOOOO!

Participating locations include Bradenton, North Sarasota, Ocala, and Daytona. There's also one club in St. Petersburg, should anybody want to hit it up while in town for the Republican National Convention.

[Photo: Applebee's]

Fast Food Travel / McDonalds / McDonalds-Around-the-World / Food Travel / Philippines Travel / Tourism / → All Tags

McDonald's Now Bringing 'Chicken McDo' to Philippines' Tropical Paradise

We've surveyed McDonald's in quite a few places over the years, and the local menu items—from Prosperity Burgers in China to wine in South America to German Sausage in Japan—are always at least interesting. There is a breed of self-important traveler who will sneer at tourists who walk into a McDonald's, but as travel writer Leif Pettersen recently reminded his readers, sometimes you just need a burger.

There's also something to be said for the idea that you can walk into a McDonald's almost anywhere on the planet and get at least a minimal level of consistent, tasty, safe food. We wouldn't do it more than once or twice a trip, but it's actually kind of a huge logistical achievement. And by this time next year, you'll be able to indulge in that achievement in 50 new restaurants across the Philippines, including the tropical island destinations on the islands of Boracay and Palawan.

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Fast Food Travel / Krispy Kreme / North Carolina Travel / Food Travel / Events / → All Tags

Krispy Kreme Kicks Off Their 75th Year in Best Way Possible with Free Donuts

One of the south's most iconic fattening foods, the Krispy Kreme donut, turns the big 75 this year. To celebrate, the city of Winston-Salem, NC is throwing a massive party. It makes sense since this is the birthplace of the sticky, melty, oh so yummy donuts.

This Friday night is when the free-and-open-to-the-public shindig goes down in downtown with live music, food stalls and trucks, and (obviously) glazed goodies. If you can't make it, no worries. The Krispy Kreme Cruiser, a tour bus full of tasty snacks, is traveling the country and delivering donuts to the masses. You can follow the bus online to see if it's stopping where you live.

[Photo: jcapaldi]

Airport Food / Air New Zealand / SYD / Australia Travel / Food Travel / Airline Lounges / Fast Food Travel / → All Tags

Guess the Airport Lounge with a Self-Serve Hot Dog Cart

We've heard it all before: It's great to travel, but it's even greater to come home. And while we find half of this true, it is nice to get a little slice of home while exploring abroad.

On a recent international trip, we swaggered into the international business class of a partner airline we were flying and one very bright thing caught our eye. It was an authentic hot dog cart...the ones we would see in the zoo or parks back home.

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Food Festivals / Music Festivals / Festival Travel / Fast Food Travel / Chicago Travel / Denver Travel / → All Tags

Chipotle Goes Beyond Burritos to Host Festivals in Chicago and Denver

After the success of last year's Cultivate Festival, Chipotle Mexican Grill is curating two more festivals this year.

The first Cultivate Food, Ideas & Music Festival will be held September 15 in Lincoln Park in Chicago followed by a second event on October 6 in Denver's City Park.

Both festivals will be completely free and include cooking demonstrations from celebrity chefs like Richard Blais, Amanda Freitag and Zak Pelacci, live music from acts including G. Love & Special Sauce and Allen Stone, an Artisans’ Tent with goods from local artists, a Tasting Tent with local beer and wine, and much more.

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