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Air India / Airlines / Airline News / In-Flight Dining / Airplane Food / Food Travel / → All Tags

No Naan for You: Air India Ditches Some Free In-Flight Meals

There’s bad news for those who enjoy the in-flight catering aboard Air India flights, and that’s because it’s going away. Just like many of the airlines in the United States, Air India has decided to ditch in-flight meals for some of its passengers on some of its flights. Of course the blame falls squarely on the cost, but at least they still might throw a granola bar or something your way.

As of February 1, short-haul domestic flights received this new revised in-flight menu, and that means no more freebie meals for those in the economy cabin. For flights less than 90 minutes the typical breakfast, lunch, or dinner selections are gone, but in their place the airline is promising “heavy snacks and soft drinks.” Honestly, for less than 90 minutes we’d be happy with some in-flight Naan and a Diet Coke, but still, clearly this is an overall bummer.

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Alaska Airlines / Starbucks / Airlines / Airline News / Coffee Travel / Food Travel / → All Tags

Alaska Airlines Takes Their Seattle Love to the Sky with Starbucks Coffee

A couple years ago United decided to ditch Starbucks as the preferred supplier of their in-flight java, but now Starbucks is coming back with another airline buddy. Alaska Airlines just announced that they’re bringing some improved in-flight coffee to the skies above the nifty fifty.

Starbucks might not be brewed in Alaska, but both Alaska and Starbucks sure enjoy spending time in and around Seattle. The coffee machines were flowing with the new brew as of last week, so if you’re flying anytime soon aboard an Alaska Airlines flight you might just want to wait until 35,000 feet before getting your caffeine fix. Alaska Airlines’ airline partner Horizon Air has been serving Starbucks since like 1990, so it was only a matter of time before both carriers shared the same coffee supplier. So what if it took 20 years.

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Food Travel / Singapore Travel / Foreign Grocery Friday / Brunch / Coffee Travel / → All Tags

Foreign Grocery Friday: The Kaya Toast 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!

It can be tempting while traveling, especially for more than a week or two, to revert back to ordering the comfort foods with which you grew up. This maybe means eggs and bacon for breakfast or something similarly boring. Of course we urge you to overcome the temptation and, instead, take even more to the local menus. In Singapore, this means Kaya Toast for breakfast.

Kaya jam, which can be bought in jars in the grocery store, is a mix of eggs, sugar, coconut milk and pandan leaf. It's spread between two thin, toasted piece of bread and cut to neat rectangles. Adding butter is optional, depending on how decadent you feel.

Yes, it's green, but once you get over that and just bite in, you'll immediately forget the color for the flavor.

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Get Your Noms On at Vancouver's Granville Island Public Market

If the Pacific Northwest foodie-ism of Portlandia has been stoking your appetite for locally-grown and harvested yumminess, put Vancouver's Granville Island Public Market on your to do list, stat.

The formerly industrial, now artsy neighborhood of Granville Island gets a lot of tourist traffic but it also draws locals shopping for anything pulled fresh from the ocean, the ground and the oven, thanks to the Public Market.

Of course, trawling through a market while traveling is one of life's greatest joys, even when you're not able to wrap up a whole salmon and shove it in your carry-on. We're not usually fans of guided tours but when a tour promises to introduce us to some of the best vendors of cheese, tea, bread, sausage and chocolate--and let us sample their wares--we're all over it.

Which is why we love the concept of Edible Canada's Granville Island Market Tour.

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In-Flight Meals / JetBlue / Airlines / Airlines News / Food Travel / → All Tags

JetBlue Updates Their Snack Boxes, But Thankfully Not Prices

Everybody loves snacks—especially since those 2012 resolutions have long faded away—so now's the perfect time to discuss some new in-flight offerings. JetBlue enjoys passing out plenty of free bits and bites, but they also have some more substantial options for sale in the aisles as well. There's new stuff on the horizon, as they just announced that they’re updating and upgrading some of their offerings as part of their Eat Up! Program.

It sounds like the new and improved options hit the skies over the last week or so, and in total there’s four unique boxes. Beef Up, Shape Up, and Cheer Up all remain priced at $5.99, and there’s even a "Mix It Up" option for the kiddos—but they promise that it’s good for everyone. The beef option is more of a protein snack box with stuff like salami, cheese, crackers, and bagel chips. The healthy option will get you stuff like hummus, fruit, nuts, and some pita chips. They’re pitching the Cheer Up option as the perfect side dish to a glass of in-flight wine—and it is—as it’s filled with cheese, fruit, and crackers.

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Foreign Grocery Friday / Australia Travel / Food Travel / Animals / → All Tags

Foreign Grocery Friday: Australia's Kangaroo Meat, for Everything from Burgers to Curries

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 continuing our feature, Foreign Grocery Friday, where each week we'll feature some of our (and your) favorite overseas treats. Got a recommendation? Let us know!

You've seen them in movies such as Australia and Crocodile Dundee, or you've even been lucky enough to have the opportunity to pet and feed them during a trip down under. They's kangaroos, and now the fuzzy marsupials are great for more than just cuteness. They can be for dinner! Yes, you read correctly; kangaroo meat is quite common in Australia and really worth trying if you can get your hands on it.

Just like beef, roo meat comes in many different forms, from ground meat for burgers to filets for a more refined palate. We have even mentioned having a BBQ with kanga bangas, Aussie for kangaroo sausages.

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Airports / MIA / Miami Travel / Airport News / Food Travel / → All Tags

Now You Can Grab a Crab at Miami International Airport

First it was Crocs, now it's crabs. Yep, if we were playing Jeopardy, the answer is: What are last-minute purchases you can make at Miami International Airport?

Crabs is no euphemism either, folks. We're talking stone crabs. Those delicious big claws that you can only get in South Florida between October and May. Only now you don't have to hit up the famous joints like Joe's Stone Crab in South Beach to get your claw on. The opening of The Shoppes at Ocean Drive in Terminal D means you can now grab a crab on the way to your gate.

This sprawling, all-purpose store—essentially a glorified NewsLink outlet—sells claws from George Stone Crab, which also takes online orders and ships its crabs all over the U.S. and Canada.

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In-Flight Meals / Airplane Food / Delta / JetBlue / Southwest / Aeromexico / Midwest Airlines / Frontier / Dessert Travel / Food Travel / Lists / Airlines / → All Tags

Five Favorite Airline In-Flight Snacks and Where to Buy Them

Free airline snacks are far and few between but there are some so good, we don’t want to wait for another flight to taste them again. Luckily, we’ve done some sleuthing and found our favorites in grocery stores and specialty shops around the country. Found your favorite in-flight goodie on the road? Let us know!

· Constant Craving: Biscoff Cookies
Delta Airlines has raised the hackles of many a customer, but you’ll find few willing to complain about the sweet, crunchy, cinnamony goodness of the Biscoff cookie. We were thrilled to find them in our cookie aisle, but even better? The new Biscoff spread made up of 50% of Biscoff cookies. There’s even a new crunchy version with chunks of cookies in it (swoon!). We’ve tossed aside our peanut butter and Nutella with scorn and slathered this goodness on everything from toast to English muffins. Yeah, it’s a problem.

Where to Get ‘Em: The cookies have been spotted in Walgreens, Ralphs, and even Walmart, but the spread can be found in the peanut butter section in stores like Shop Rite, Kroger, Hannaford, Wegmans, and even on Amazon.com.

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Jaunted Reporting Live / Singapore Airlines / Onboard the Singapore Airlines A380 / Food Travel / Business Class Travel / A380 / Airplanes / JFK / New York City / Airports / Airbus / FRA / Frankfurt Travel / Singapore Travel / Photo Gallery / Awesome Stuff / → All Tags

Onboard the Singapore Airlines A380: In-Flight Dining and Drinking

The Jaunted Singapore A380 Series:

One time we actually attempted to cook a recipe straight from the Singapore Airlines cookbook. We're amateurs, but after watching the firsthand preparation of a service previously, we had some confidence. Truth be told, what we accomplished on land in a large kitchen will never equal what's enjoyed by passengers at 37,000 feet.

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Foreign Grocery Friday: The Chinese New Year 'Yusheng' Salad 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 Sunday night is more than just any old Sunday night; it's the Chinese New Year, when the year of the rabbit ends and the year of the dragon begins. The celebrations surrounding the lunar new year are many, and based on tradition. There's the giving of red envelopes containing money, the eating of mandarin oranges and sweets, and the gathering with family. And with almost every other special occasion ever, Chinese New Year mandates the preparation of special dishes to celebrate.

In Hong Kong, Malaysia and Singapore, the new year means eating a special raw fish salad called Yusheng, with ingredients added one by one, and each with its own deeper meaning (salmon for abundance, deep-fried crackers symbolizing gold, etc). Just as important as serving Yusheng for the new year is the act of mixing the salad with a toss called "lo hei." The higher you toss the salad, the greater you'll soar to new heights in the new year.

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Food Travel / Foreign Grocery Friday / Paris Travel / France Travel / → All Tags

Foreign Grocery Friday: The Spaghetti Bolognese Chips of Paris

Mmmm, chips. Mmmmm, spaghetti bolognese. Mmmm, spaghetti bolognese-flavoured chips. What?

Yes, spaghetti bolognese chips are what we found ourselves eating in Paris recently. Mainly out of morbid curiosity—we assumed they’d be inedible. But in fact…

The taste: Well we’re not going to say they were amazing. They weren’t. But hey, it’s very rare that a chip is inedible. We’ve had tomato-flavored chips before and these were similar, just with a kick of herbs, which actually wasn’t bad. Still, we won’t be rushing to buy them on our next trip. No, we’ll go for the cheeseburger or pepperoni pizza one next time. Mmm, cheeseburger chips.

The price: Cheap. Like 2-3 Euros for a full-size bag, to satisfy the snack appetites of several people.

Where to find them: Corner stores around Paris, likely next to the "fromage" flavor. They really aren't all that rare, but it does take a little open-mindedness to go for these over the more recognizable chip varieties.

[Photo: juliab]

Food Travel / Albuquerque Travel / New Mexico Travel / Diners / Route 66 / Road Trips / → All Tags

Get Your Chile Kicks at Albuquerque's Jaunted-Approved Route 66 Malt Shop

Route 66: a thing so glorious that everyone wants a piece of it. Which means that for every amazing piece of memorabilia, stretch of Route 66 or piece of carry on luggage (don’t ask), there is a piece of tat or dirt track that’s beyond terrible. The only exception: food. You can pretty much guarantee that every diner trumpeting its Route 66 connections will be fun to eat in and great for photos, but purveying disgusting food.

Or so we thought till we found ourselves with time to spare in the Nob Hill part of Albuquerque, and asked to be pointed in the direction of somewhere to eat. And were recommended the Route 66 Malt Shop, at 3800 Central Avenue (ie Route 66).

At first glance, it looked like all the others. Bright colors and neon outside, retro stuff and juke box inside. Burgers and milkshakes on the menu. So far, so borrring. Slow service, too—we sat without anyone approaching us for a while (because we were alone?), so since we were in a hurry, we went up to the counter. A superfriendly man, who looked like he was in a rockband 20 years ago, asked us what we wanted.

We asked for something New Mexican. “Do you like blue cheese?” he said. “Because if you do, you need the Bleu Cheese Green Chile Burger.

He was right; it was the best burger we’d had for ages and easily the best burger of 2011. Blue cheese and green chile doesn’t sound like it should work, but omg it does. As for the meat: perfectly seasoned and magnificently juicy. Even the bun was delicious. We told the rockstar so, and he sat down at our table to tell us why.

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