Author: Ms. R.

A bowl of fool’s noodles might look unassuming, but its simplicity holds decades of history and cultural significance. Found in noodle shops across Taiwan, this dish consists of thin, chewy noodles tossed with scallions and a lightly seasoned oil-based sauce. Unlike most noodle dishes, it arrives at the table without toppings, and diners adjust the flavor themselves with black vinegar, chili oil, and spicy bean dregs. One of the most well-known spots for Fool’s Noodles is Xiaonanmen Fuzhou Fool’s Noodles,……

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In 1997—at the height of a wave of exposés, lawsuits, and public outrage against the tobacco industry—Puzant Torigian, a Hackensack, New Jersey-based entrepreneur, launched a new brand of cigarettes called Bravo. The factory he opened near the Atlanta International Airport to churn them out at scale attracted ample media attention. But this coverage was more positive than one might have expected. Torigian wasn’t actually involved in the dubious tobacco industry. Bravo cigarettes contained nothing but lettuce, dried and cured……

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Constructed throughout the 1860s, the Megatron is a culvert upon which Sheffield Station—formally known as Midland Station—was built. Allowing an increase in transport to the burgeoning industrial centre, and covering the stinky sewer-filled waters, the culvert was an important architectural work that has long been forgotten. Today, visitors to the train station stand just feet above the Victorian tunnel network, but urban explorers and guided tours can take curious patrons down into the underground. A quick hop down into……

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In Vienna, a clean chimney is considered essential for ringing in the New Year. According to tradition, the chimney sweep is a perennial bringer of good luck and contentment, especially in winter when fireplaces blaze at full force. When a family knew their chimney was clean, domestic peace reigned, and their family could be sure of a safe and warm holiday, heralding a prosperous new year. In Vienna, the importance of having a professional class of chimney sweeps began when……

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Home to several national museums and a major zoo, as well as numerous temples and shrines, Ueno Park is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Tokyo. You’d think it’s been explored by tourists all over, and you couldn’t have been more wrong. The western portion of the park is home to the Shinobazu-no-ike, a lotus-covered natural pond; and at the heart of it is an artificial island built in the mid-17th century to accommodate the Benten-dō temple,……

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This eclectic entertainment complex was started by two like-minded artistic types Tim Vincent-Smith and Matthew Wright, in 2017. Their combined creative endeavors developed the world’s first theatrical amphitheater constructed entirely out of disused piano parts. A year later, their hard work of salvaging musical instruments from landfills  was premiered, to great acclaim, at the city’s botanical gardens. Visitors can try playing the interactive musical sculptures, or enjoy musical performances hosted in a ring of seating made, of course, of dismantled pianos. For……

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Most people visit Volcanoes National Park on the Big Island of Hawaiʻi to see sights related to the park’s volcanoes, including Halemaʻumaʻu Crater at the top of Kilauea and the various lava flows produced by Kilauea in recent decades. Given the destructive capacity of the recent volcanic activity, the park may seem like an unlikely location for an archaeological site, yet one of the most notable collections of petroglyphs within Polynesia can be found downslope from Kilauea’s summit. The site,……

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For most visitors passing by the National Taiwan Museum, the two bronze oxen at the front entrance often go inadvertently unnoticed. Despite a sign that states “No Climbing,” children frequently turn the animals into an impromptu playground. The oxen originally belonged to the Taiwan Grand Shrine, the highest-ranking Shinto shrine in Taiwan during the Japanese colonial period. Located in Yuanshan, the shrine was dismantled after World War II, and the site was later repurposed into what is now the……

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