Culture
Shared traditions, belief systems and values among a social group
What the Heck Do I Do With Juniper Berries?
Botanically speaking, they are female seed cones. But culinarily, the dark violet orbs look and taste enough like berries to deserve the name
December 28, 2011 |
By Lisa Bramen
Yes, Virginia, There Is a Pooping Log, and Other World Christmas Traditions
Santa can't do it all. Many places have their own traditions about who—or what—is responsible for bringing Christmas candies and toys
December 24, 2011 |
By Lisa Bramen
Santa’s Trusty Robot Reindeer
A special visit from the Ghost of Christmas Retro-Future
December 23, 2011 |
By Matt Novak
Q and A with Cake Wrecks Blogger Jen Yates
"I'm not out to vilify bakers; I'm just trying to find a little funny in unexpected places"
December 23, 2011 |
By Jesse Rhodes
Seven Islands to Visit in 2012
Pitcairn Island is populated by 50 people, has a handful of hostels, a general store and a café and, frankly, could really use a few visitors
December 22, 2011 |
By Alastair Bland
The Wonderful English Pudding
Pour flaming brandy over the hot pudding. The blue flames dance and sparkle around the traditional sprig of holly stuck into the top of the pudding
December 22, 2011 |
By Guest Blogger
How to Eat Like a King for Christmas
Using antique technology and vintage cookbooks, food historian Ivan Day recreates such Tudor and Victorian specialties as puddings and roast goose
December 22, 2011 |
By Elaine Glusac
Why Did Jewish Communities Take to Chinese Food?
The historical and sociological reasons why the Jewish community and Chinese restaurants pair so well on Christmas
December 21, 2011 |
By Jesse Rhodes
Christmas Shopping Around the World
There are valuable discoveries, but at a German Christmas market all I could find was Third World junk that only looks good if you drink a lot of gluhwein
December 21, 2011 |
By Susan Spano
Mistletoe: The Evolution of a Christmas Tradition
Why does this parasitic plant remind us of romance?
December 21, 2011 |
By Rob Dunn
Faux Pas: Mortifying Missteps of the Innocent Abroad
It was only weeks later that I learned what a klutz I'd been. It's a miracle I wasn't thrown to the bears
December 20, 2011 |
By Alastair Bland
The Fanciful, Chocolate-Filled World of 2012
In 1912, the French chocolate company Lombart printed a series of six collectible cards envisioning daily life one hundred years in the future.
December 19, 2011 |
By Matt Novak
Can a Picky Eater Change Her Ways?
Most expand their culinary horizons as they get older, but a few people hold fast to limited diets of safe, familiar things like chicken nuggets and macaroni and cheese
December 16, 2011 |
By Lisa Bramen
Holiday Gift Ideas for the Adventure Traveler
A chess set, soccer ball, bear spray and other items, even dog food, make the list of gifts to give your favorite hardened traveler
December 16, 2011 |
By Alastair Bland
Giant Automatic Highway Builders of the Future
Arthur Radebaugh's vision of a road-creating machine may not have been a figment of just his imagination- a Disney-produced television program had a similar idea
December 16, 2011 |
By Matt Novak
Last Minute Food-Themed Gift Ideas
Food, jewelry, toys and books for those hard-to-shop-for people on your gift list
December 15, 2011 |
By Jesse Rhodes
The Gestational Diabetes Diet: Taking Carbs from a Pregnant Lady
The last thing a pasta-loving pregnant lady with a sweet tooth wants to hear is that she should cut out carbs
December 14, 2011 |
By Lisa Bramen
Have Kids, Will Travel
"It just felt like what we would do. We were travelers. It was in our blood, and the idea that we would ever stop traveling just because we had kids never sat well with us"
December 14, 2011 |
By Alastair Bland
Raise a Glass to Cocktail Science
Harvard scientists examine the science behind mixology and may help you build a better cocktail
December 13, 2011 |
By Jesse Rhodes
Boxing Robots of the 1930s
Jack Dempsey boasted he could tear apart a robot opponent "bolt by bolt and scatter its brain wheels and cogs all over the canvas"
December 13, 2011 |
By Matt Novak
