Ah, fall. Time for harvest season, leaf peeping and--for a surprisingly large number of Americans--lacing up the corsets.
For reasons that remain unclear, autumn is prime Renaissance Festival season throughout America, and now through early November, fairgrounds all across the country will be hosting jousting competitions and suffering legions of poorly done old English accents.
But RennFests aren't just for 15th-Century geeks--they're for foodies too. Express Night Out took a trip to the Maryland Renaissance Festival and reports it picks up where summer's state fairs left off:
For tourists to China the experience of Mao's rule is mostly just pages in a school history textbook. But now there's a way to get a pretty authentic taste of life during the Cultural Revolution: eat in a Commune Mess Hall restaurant.
These restaurants are apparently appearing throughout China, and the Guangzhou branch in the south of the country is getting some press attention. The restaurant staff dress in Red Guard uniforms, revolutionary songs form the musical soundtrack to your dining experience and propaganda posters adorn the walls. Fortunately, though, the food comes from more modern perspective.
Communism is still the rule of thumb in China, so the manager of the Guangzhou Commune Mess Hall restaurant has this to say about the capitalist-looking enterprise he's running: "It's socialism with Chinese characteristics." Of course it is.
You don't have to stay at home just because the leaves are changing. Follow along on our Fall Culture Map to discover what's happening this autumn.
Hear ye, hear ye! Gather up thy lances and purchase thy turkey legs for the Texas Renaissance Festival, which began a week and a half ago and continues through Thanksgiving in the town of Plantersville, northwest of Houston.
Maybe Ren Fests are more of a summer thing in temperate regions, but would you really want to wear a corset in 95-degree heat? The festival runs every weekend with fireworks at night, jousts daily and special performances by groups like Sound and Fury--a "Fakespearean" acting troupe--and the bell ensemble Cast in Bronze.
Go back in time for the weekend, then head back to Houston for amazing Mexican food or a turn around the ice-skating rink at the Galleria to jolt you back into the 21st century.
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by BS
