Going Places - In Brief

NEW & NOTEWORTHY

Rocks of Ages

Instantly recognizable to James Bond fans as the villain’s hideout in 1981’s For Your Eyes Only, this monastery complex in Meteora, Greece, has a new claim to fame: It’s now part of a UNESCO Global Geopark. Reaching heights of nearly 1,000 feet, the sandstone columns that proved an irresistible perch for Byzantine monks were recently deemed by UNESCO to be of “international geological significance,” along with 17 other sites around the world, including a sprawling cave complex in China and the world’s oldest mercury mine in central Spain. In order to qualify for the designation, local stakeholders must demonstrate a commitment to the region’s conservation and sustainable development.

EARTH FRIENDLY

Food to Fuel the Games

Athletes, spectators, volunteers and journalists will eat more than 13 million meals at the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games — and the goal is to make them the greenest of any Games yet. To cut the carbon footprint of its catering in half, Paris 2024 organizers are doubling the amount of plant-based food served (compared to previous Games) and sourcing 80 percent of ingredients from France (this includes free-range eggs from Nantes and cheese from Lyon and Saint-Étienne). While there will be international options, the focus is on French cuisine: Athletes in the Olympic Village can start their days with a fresh baguette from the on-site boulangerie or grab one of chef Amandine Chaignot’s twisted croissants, filled with a poached egg, artichoke cream, truffle and goat cheese, from a food stand dedicated entirely to French fare.

READING LIST

Cookbooks That Take You Places

The SalviSoul Cookbook:

Salvadoran Recipes & the Women Who Preserve Them Writer, recipe developer and food stylist Karla Tatiana Vasquez pays homage to her heritage through a collection of 80 recipes shared by fellow Salvadoran women, including three kinds of pupusa (the stuffed corn tortilla is El Salvador’s national dish).

Koreaworld: A Cookbook

Stroll the streets of Seoul, as well as Koreatowns around the world, with chef Deuki Hong and journalist Matt Rodbard, and pick up recipes like sesame oil pickles, grilled kimchi wedge salad, Taco Bell bibimbap and Dalgona candy — made famous in Netflix’s Squid Game — along the way.

The Levantine Vegetarian: Recipes from the Middle East

There are classics like hummus and falafel, but James Beard Awardwinning author Salma Hage, originally from Lebanon, has a whopping 140 plant-based recipes in her latest cookbook, including fresh creations like sesame halloumi fries and za’atar cucumber noodle salad.

NOW OPEN

Preserving the Birthplace of Pride

Fifty-five years after a police raid of the Stonewall Inn in Manhattan’s Greenwich Village sparked the Stonewall Uprising, a nearly 2,100-square-foot visitor center has opened next door to the historic bar. The Stonewall National Monument Visitor Center preserves the history of Stonewall and shares stories of the LGBTQIA+ community’s fight for equality through tours, lecture series, visual art displays and immersive exhibits, including one curated by journalist and activist Mark Segal, who took part in the riots in 1969.

IN THE AIR

Fine Dining at 35,000 Feet

Pea and carrot ravioli with roasted turnip and nori sauce; black cod with quinoa, sun-dried tomatoes and marinière sauce; lobster with pico de gallo and tea sauce. These are just a few of the 12 Californianmeets-French dishes triple-Michelin-starred chef Dominique Crenn of San Francisco’s Atelier Crenn has created for Air France. Every month through January 2025, the airline is offering two of the Frenchborn chef’s pescatarian and vegetarian dishes in its La Première and Business cabins on flights departing from select U.S. destinations. And the gourmet menu items don’t stop there: Air France has tapped other international chefs to design dishes for departures worldwide, including Singapore’s three-Michelin-starred Julien Royer.

LOCAL LINGO

Itadakimasu

In Japanese culture, it’s important to show gratitude for the food you’re about to eat, where it came from and the hands that prepared it. On your next trip to the Land of the Rising Sun, express your appreciation by saying Itadakimasu before eating, which loosely translates to “I humbly receive.” (Bonus points for uttering Gochisousama deshita upon finishing your meal, which means, “Thanks for the food.”)