Jun

The Art of Travel: Paris Gardens

by Meredith Mullins on June 24, 2019

The art of the Paris rose garden
© Meredith Mullins

Taking Time to Smell the Roses

Julia Child. Arthur Rimbaud. Queen Elizabeth. Barbra Streisand. Elvis. Desdemona. Guy Savoy.

What do these characters have in common? Are they a guest list for an interesting other worldly dinner party?

Hot Chocolate. Salsa. Tequila Sunrise. Sugar and Spice. Cherry Parfait.

Are these all something we have had a craving for? Probably.

Love and Peace. Moondance. Stairway to Heaven. Best Friends Forever. Happy Harmony. Salvation. Compassion. Remember Me.

Poetry for the soul? No doubt.

Meredith Mullins 6 Comments

Art of Travel/France (Paris)

Mar

On the Road Again: The Art of Travel

by Meredith Mullins on March 25, 2019

Center of the Nation sign, a roadside sign that invites the art of travel. (Image © DMT.)

In search of America
© DMT

Discovering America: Roadside Signs and Attractions

What keeps you going isn’t some fine destination but just the road you’re on, and the fact that you know how to drive.
—Barbara Kingsolver

There are hundreds of quotes about the art of travel (and the art of living), especially words that suggest that the journey matters as much as the destination . . . often more.

This philosophy is right on target when exploring one of the cornerstones of American life—the road trip.

Four million miles of highways can tell a good story—the roadside signs and attractions offer a realistic glimpse into the fabric of America.

South Dakota state road sign, showing the power of road signs for the art of travel. (Image © DMT.)

Welcome to South Dakota.
© DMT

From the Burma Shave ads of the 50s and 60s that stretched their storyline into six sequential signs to the roadside signs and attractions of today, we are given a window to the character of the people and places along the highway.

All we have to do is look.

Oh I see. What a great way to discover America.

Horse sign, an unusual roadside sign encouraging the art of travel. (Image © DMT.)

Americana at its best
© DMT

In the Beginning . . .

WE’RE WIDELY READ
AND OFTEN QUOTED
BUT IT’S SHAVES
NOT SIGNS
FOR WHICH WE’RE NOTED
Burma-Shave

When you ask what roadside signs are lodged in memory, most people who were in a car in the 50s and 60s will smile as they recall the Burma Shave signs.

The company was known for its innovative roadside advertising. Each of the six signs posted at intervals along the road had one line of verse. The grand finale was BURMA-SHAVE—the brushless shaving cream of the time.

The poems were often quoted; and travelers, it was said, could never read just one of the signs. The fun was putting the poem all together.

WE DON’T
KNOW HOW
TO SPLIT AN ATOM
BUT AS TO WHISKERS
LET US AT ‘EM
Burma-Shave

THE CROWD
YOU SEE
AROUND THAT STORE
ARE BURMA SHAVERS
BUYING MORE
Burma-Shave

DON’T LOSE
YOUR HEAD
TO GAIN A MINUTE
YOU NEED YOUR HEAD
YOUR BRAINS ARE IN IT
Burma-Shave

The signs worked well for the company, growing its brand significantly and, in many instances, increasing attention on highway safety. Sadly, the last of these signs disappeared from the roadside in 1966.

Hell Is Real! roadside sign encouraging the art of travel. (Image © iStock/tacojim.)

Not quite Burma Shave, but eye catching just the same
© iStock/tacojim

We All Need a Little Humor in Our Lives

Several creative characters on today’s highways have continued the inventive roadside spirit of keeping drivers amused, informed, and awake.

Vince Rozmiarek of the Indian Hills Community Center in Colorado posts a few pearls of wisdom each week on the community center’s sign.

DOGS
CAN’T OPERATE
MRI SCANNERS
BUT CATSCAN

PUNS ABOUT
COMMUNISM AREN’T
FUNNY UNLESS
EVERYONE
GETS THEM

TURNING VEGAN
WOULD BE A
BIG
MISSED STEAK

MY MOOD RING
IS MISSING
AND I DON’T
KNOW HOW I FEEL
ABOUT THAT

PROCRASTINATORS
ANONYMOUS
MEETING
POSTPONED
INDEFINITELY

Indian Hills Community Center roadside sign, encouraging the art of travel. (Image courtesy of Indian Hills Community Center.)

Indian Hills Community Center’s Creative Genius
Photo Courtesy of Indian Hills Community Center

The El Arroyo Restaurant in Austin, Texas shows the same genius in their changing billboard.

Six out of seven dwarves aren’t Happy.
Anything I say before coffee cannot be used against me.
Dear Math. Grow up and solve your own problems.
Treat your mom to a margarita. You’re probably the reason she drinks.

And, one in an attempt at highway safety:

If you’re reading this sign, you’re not watching the road.

Guided by Roadside Signs

Roadside signs provide more than just a smile for highway travelers. They also tempt those on the road to the food and sights of the region.

Who could resist love, peace, and chicken grease?

Love, Peace, andChicken Grease roadside sign, encouraging the art of travel. (Image © Lauren Gezurian-Amlani.)

Or pork with an attitude?

Pork with an attitude roadside sign in Memphis, encouraging the art of travel. (Image © Lauren Gezurian-Amlani.)

Or 24-hour coffee?

24-hour coffee roadsign, encouraging the art of travel. (Image © iStock/anna42f.)

Or Bar and BBQ at the Redneck Riviera?

Redneck Riviera roadside sign, encouraging the art of travel. (Image © Lauren Gezurian-Amlani.)

Along with the temptation of local culinary treasures comes the need to break up long drives with roadside attractions—from the historic to the bizarre.

Every state has “roadside attraction pride,” from the world’s largest this and that to art installations to historic monuments to seductive entertainment conglomerates.

A roadside sign with a burger and apple pie, encouraging the art of travel. (Image © DMT.)

Living the heartland of America: hot dogs and apple pie
© DMT

We can travel to Montgomery, Alabama, for the world’s largest brick; to North Pole, Alaska, for the world’s largest Santa Claus; to Cawker City, Kansas, for the world’s largest ball of twine; to Scarborough, Maine, for the world’s largest chocolate moose; and to Cottonwood, Idaho, for the world’s largest beagle, which also happens to be the Dog Bark Park Inn, a dog-friendly hotel.

The Dog Bark Park Inn in Cottonwood, Idaho, a roadside sign and roadside attraction, encouraging the art of travel. (Image courtesy of Dog Bark Park Inn.)

The Dog Bark Park Inn in Idaho
Photo courtesy of Dog Bark Park Inn

In addition to the plethora of “world’s largest” things, we can also find the artistic and bizarre.

Don’t miss Salvation Mountain in Niland, California; Cadillac Ranch in Amarillo, Texas; the Ventriloquist Museum in Fort Mitchell, Kentucky; the Jello-O Museum in Le Roy, New York; an alien-themed brothel in Amargosa Valley, Nevada; Bubblegum Alley in San Luis Obisbo, California; or the world’s largest collection of the world’s smallest versions of the world’s largest things in Lucas, Kansas.

Salvation Mountain, California, one of the roadside signs and roadside attractions that encourage the art of travel. (Image © iStock/Steven Kriemadis.)

Salvation Mountain . . . Stay on Path
© iStock/Steven Kriemadis

We might be surprised with the number of Stonehenge replicas across our great nation, including Foamhenge in Natural Bridge, Virginia; Carhenge in Alliance, Nebraska; and Bamahenge in, you guessed it, Alabama (Elberta).

The Enchanted Highway in North Dakota, one of the road signs and roadside attractions that encourages the art of travel. (Image © DMT.)

The Enchanted Highway in North Dakota
© DMT

Some of America’s roadside attraction legends are still going strong.

The Enchanted Highway in North Dakota features a series of innovative scrap metal sculptures at intervals along a 32-mile stretch of highway.

The Mitchell Corn Palace in South Dakota takes pride in its more than 127-year history as the only corn palace in the U.S.—replacing the corn-mural walls every year with 13 different colors of corn.

And the single spot in the U.S. where four states meet still attracts thousands of visitors each year, all trying to strike a precarious balance between Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, and Colorado (can you really be in more than one place at the same time?).

At Four Corners, a roadside sign and roadside attraction in four western states, encouraging the art of travel. (Image © Frank Mullins.)

Straddling four states at Four Corners
© Frank Mullins

Aside from the legends and the bizarre, there are subtle things we drive past that make us smile or give us a ping of nostalgia, as if we are perhaps seeing the last vestige of a particular America.

Lemonade stand, one of the roadside signs and roadside attractions, encouraging the art of travel. (Image © DMT.)

The roadside signs and attractions will no doubt be different the next time we travel that road. Some other country may soon boast the world’s largest ball of twine or the largest chocolate moose.

Acme Feed and skyscraper, a roadside sign of change, seen with the art of travel. (Image © Lauren Gezurian-Amlani.)

Change is a constant.
© Lauren Gezurian-Amlani

As with any good journey, change is a constant. The art of travel is to enjoy the journey.

Welcome to California road sign, encouraging the art of travel. (Image © iStock/Mirolslav1.)

Enjoy the journey.
© iStock/Miroslav1

Comment on this post below, or inspire insight with your own OIC Moment here.

Author’s Note: I dedicate this post to my parents (and all parents who venture on family road trips with kids). My parents’ patience and bravery in orchestrating numerous road trips resulted in my having seen many of the things that I mention in this article. The Corn Palace and Four Corners are still vivid memories years and years later, and the world’s biggest ball of twine still makes cameo appearances in my dreams.

Meredith Mullins 4 Comments

Art of Travel/USA

Mar

The Daring of the Green

by Joyce McGreevy on March 11, 2019

A man adjusting a dining room chandelier in Glendalough suggests that Ireland’s culinary renaissance has dispelled stereotypes about Irish cuisine. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

From Glendalough (above) to Galway, cooks have cast Irish cuisine in a whole new light.

Irish Cuisine Turns the Tables on Culinary Stereotypes

St. Patrick’s Day is coming and you know what that means. It’s time for the Annual Feast of Culinary Stereotypes!

Once a year, sales of green food-dye soar in the U.S., evidenced by neon green bagels, chartreuse cupcakes, and acid-lime donuts. Meanwhile, Corned Beef and Cabbage (which originated in the U.S., not Ireland) will be dutifully served at Irish-themed parties.

Don’t get me started about green beer and “shamrock” milkshakes. No wonder many people believe “Irish cuisine” is a contradiction in terms.

Forty Shades of Cuisine

But feast on this: To dine at one Michelin-starred or Bib Gourmand restaurant per day in Ireland, you’d need a 40-day vacation. You’d travel from County Down in the North, along the Irish coast from Dublin to Cork to Galway, and across Ireland’s well-fed middle from Limerick to Kilkenny.

A woman gesturing toward a seafood platter in Howth shows that Ireland’s culinary renaissance has dispelled stereotypes about Irish cuisine. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

That’s just for starters. Because you needn’t carry loads of “green” to feast on great Irish cooking.

Oh, I see: Today’s Ireland is studded with culinary gems. From storied estates and castles to gastro-pubs, food trucks, and farmer’s markets, Ireland’s culinary renaissance offers something for every palate and budget.

A vegetable garden in Inish Beg Estate, Cork, Ireland evokes the way Ireland’s culinary renaissance has dispelled stereotypes about Irish cuisine. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

Recipe for a Culinary Renaissance

Only a few decades ago, critics had their knives out, suggesting there was nothing so bad on Irish menus that Irish cookery couldn’t make it worse. The Ireland of today is a trend-setter, thanks to a whole new recipe:

Start with an island smaller than Indiana but bountiful in seafood, freshwater fish, and forage-able plants.
Add economic prosperity and strong support for organic farming.
Fire up keen interest in new ways of using traditional Irish ingredients.
Stir in meticulous technique and bold experimentation.
Season with cross-cultural inspiration.
Serve in as many creative ways and settings as possible.

Poached eggs from Glebe Gardens, Co. Cork, suggest how Ireland’s culinary renaissance has dispelled stereotypes about Irish cuisine. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

What’s on the Menu?

This year, ditch the green food-dye and treat yourself to a feast of today’s Irish flavors. Here’s a Travel Menu with options for home cooks:

A man cooking at home in Galway, Ireland evokes the way Ireland’s culinary renaissance has dispelled stereotypes about Irish cuisine. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

Starters: In Ireland, where appetizers are called “starters,” the best starter is a food tour. No matter which part of Ireland you visit, there’s a food trail worth following.

Or go straight to Chapter One (18-19 Parnell Square, Dublin). Michelin’s review says: “Good old-fashioned Irish hospitality meets with modern Irish cooking in this stylish restaurant beneath the Writers Museum…Boldly flavored dishes showcase produce from local artisan producers.”

Home cook’s starter: Vodka-Cured Salmon with Avocado Cream, Pickled Vegetables, and Horseradish Mayonnaise (The New Irish Table: Recipes from Ireland’s Top Chefs, edited by Leslie Conron Carola; Charlesbridge Publishing, Inc., 2017)

Gourmet Grocery: Fallon & Byrne, Dublin, “offering the season’s good stuff from land and sea.”

A plate of smoked salmon and brown bread in Galway, Ireland evokes the way Ireland’s culinary renaissance has dispelled stereotypes about Irish cuisine. (Image © Carolyn McGreevy)

Main course: Want the whole Irish enchildada? (Yes, Ireland’s reinvented enchiladas, too!) Take classes at Ballymaloe Cookery School, set on 300 acres of organic farmland in County Cork. Or head to Michelin-starred Loam in Galway for dishes like Lamb Shoulder, Turnip, and Damson fruit.

Home cook’s main course: Discover Allen’s marvelous take on traditional Shepherd’s Pie, made with roast duck and parsnips. Or savor Allen’s Wild Garlic & Potato Soup.

Gourmet Grocery: English Market, Cork City’s outstanding 18th century covered market.

Supper at The Piemaker, Galway, showcases Ireland's culinary renaissance. (Image © Carolyn McGreevy)

Dessert: Feast your eyes on the Dingle Peninsula in County Kerry, then thrill your taste buds with Murphy’s Ice Cream. Founded in Dingle, Murphy’s also chills in Galway and Dublin. Flavors range from Rainwater Sorbets and Caramelized Brown Bread to Honey Lavender and Candied Chili Pepper.

A dessert at Kai Cafe in Galway, Ireland evokes the way Ireland’s culinary renaissance has dispelled stereotypes about Irish cuisine. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

Home cook’s dessert: Bake a “dark and majestic” Guinness cake (from Clodagh’s Irish Kitchen: A Fresh Take on Traditional Flavors, by Clodagh McKenna, Kyle Books, 2015).

Gourmet Grocery: McCambridge‘s, Galway, pleasing palates since 1934.

A baker and cake at Burren Cafe, Co. Clare show how Ireland’s culinary renaissance has dispelled stereotypes about Irish cuisine. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

Irish Cuisine Made Easy

Most U.S. grocers stock Irish soda bread, Kerrygold butter, Dublin cheddar, Irish tea, and other Celtic fare. Add easy-peasy Roast Root Vegetables, with or without chicken or Limerick ham. Then settle in to watch Dare to Be Wild (Netflix), easily the most gorgeous Irish movie you’ll ever see.

A display of plates at a restaurant in Dublin, Ireland evokes the way Ireland’s culinary renaissance has dispelled stereotypes about Irish cuisine. (Image © Carolyn McGreevy)

You’ll be glad you skipped the culinary stereotypes and sampled today’s Irish cuisine.

Comment on the post below, or inspire insight with your own OIC Moment here.

Joyce McGreevy 1 Comment

Art of Travel/Ireland/Stereotypes/The World's Chefs

World Views:

Topics

Category Archives: Art of Travel