Tonanzintla, Mexico -- Here in the lovely Mexican village of Tonanzintla, my friend Elizabeth has a stunning, active volcano almost in her backyard. Corn and alfalfa fields spread out directly behind the house, but the volcano lurks on the horizon, keeping a watchful...

Portland, OR -- When John Doyle of No Fish, Go Fish in Portland, Oregon (SW 5th and Yamhill) takes your order, he's gonna offer you samples. So will Chef Dwayne Sutton of The Gourmet Shack (SW 5th Avenue between Oak and Stark). In fact, if you're lucky, maybe Chef...

Las Vegas, NV -- I read restaurant reviews to get a contact food high. But, why do I ever believe the reviewers? Their taste buds are different from mine. Indeed, few people lust after shrimp cocktail sauce as I do. Beyond this essential cocktail sauce divide,...

Portland, OR -- I spent four hours exploring a city today. First, I hung out with some strippers. Then, I checked out a few automats. You know—the old restaurants with walls of slots that dispense food? You put in a coin and you get a slice of lemon meringue...

Lowell, MA -- I carry a mill inside of me. Yes, it sounds unlikely, but it’s true. Built in the dark, yearning north woods of my childhood, it stands by swiftly moving gray waters and blocks out the sun. In a real mill, there’s noise, dust, heat, pain, speed,...

Las Vegas, NV -- Slap, slap, slap! "What was that?" you say as you perambulate along the Strip. Slap, slap, slap! Surrounded by a sea of fellow tourists, your visibility is reduced to just a few yards. Suddenly the flow of foot traffic is interrupted and you spot...

Going to Miami Beach for two weeks in the summer was a family tradition that always started with Dad packing the luggage into the trunk of the car. We would hand Dad the biggest suitcases and he would line them across the floor of the car’s trunk.