Local Travel Tip

Visiting Korea, China, Japan, Vietnam, or simply love oriental food? Then you should learn the basics of eating with chopsticks. Follow these simple steps to discover how:

1. Using your right hand, place the first chopstick deep in the crack between your thumb and your index finger.

2. Then lift your index finger and rest this same chopstick on the side of your middle finger. So the first chopstick is in the crack of your thumb and resting on the side of your middle finger.

3. Now squeeze your thumb against this chopstick so that it is held in place. This is the chopstick that will stay stationary for most of the time.

4. Press the tip of your thumb against your index finger. The point at which they touch is where you will hold the second chopstick. The tip of your thumb should hit approximately where your knuckle is on your index finger.

5. Place the second chopstick at this point and line up the bottoms of the chopsticks so that they are even.

6. Using your index finger and the pressure from the tip of your thumb, move this second chopstick so that the tips open and close. This takes a little practice. Once you get the hang of it, try picking up some food. The more you eat- the better you will get!

Do you think you can find culture in a cup? Coffee is grown in more than 50 countries around the world, yet each country has different likes and dislikes when it comes to this common drink. Here are a few examples of coffee around the world:

Hawaii

Hawaii is famous for its Kona coffee.  Kona coffee is one of the most expensive and sought-after coffees in the world.

Mexico

Even though coffee in Mexico primarily comes from small coffee farms rather than large plantations, coffee farmers number over 100,000. Mexico ranks as one of the largest coffee producing countries in the world. A cup of Mexican coffee can offer a wonderful aroma and a depth of flavor, often with a pronounced sharpness that gives it a kick.

Guatemala

In the cup, a Guatemalan is a medium-to-full bodied coffee, often with a depth and complexity of taste that is almost spicy or chocolaty to the tongue.

Brazil

Brazil is unquestionably the biggest coffee producing country in the world. A fine cup of Brazilian is a clear, sweet, medium-bodied, low-acid coffee.

Ethiopia

Coffee legend tells of the discovery of the first coffee trees in Ethiopia. Indeed, it is not hard to believe that coffee may have originated in a land where wild coffee tree forests are still the primary source of harvested coffee.

Yemen

One still is able to find coffee growing in the age-old, century-proven manner. Due to a lack of water in Yemen, Yemeni coffee has an especially distinctive taste that is deep, rich, and entirely unique.

Vietnam

Today, small plantations, located in the southern half of the country, produce mostly robusta coffee.  In the cup, Vietnamese coffee has a light acidity and mild body with a good balance. It is frequently used for blending.

Coffee Cup

As you travel, you can experience many different types of coffee around the world.