Matador Network's Blog, page 855

Mushroom farm in Paris parking lot

One business in Paris is hinging its success on one unique aspect of biology: Not everything needs sunlight to thrive. The French startup Cycloponics is taking advantage of the 600 hectares of unused parking areas underneath the city by converting some of them into underground farms focused on cultivating organic mushrooms, micro shoots, and endives. After successfully pitching local authorities on their plan to operate underground growing spaces, the company is now producing food for local distribution in what it calls “zero carbon delivery for a greener city.”

As households in the densely populated French capital own fewer cars than they did in the past, the city found itself with an abundance of parking spaces that sat unused. Many were a result of underground car parks built to accommodate flat-dwellers in the 1970s when the city mandated two parking spots per flat, according to a report in the BBC. Cycloponics first converted an unused basement-level car park in Paris’s 18th Arrondissement into an organic urban organic farm, “La Caverne,” in 2017.

Growing mushrooms underground in Paris is nothing new. It started in the early 1800s and stopped at the end of the 19th century with the development of the Paris metro. The last underground mushroom farm in Paris closed over 50 years ago.

Since the creation of “La Caverne,” the company has leased part of its space to local NGOs working to feed the community with locally produced foods, CEO Jean-Noel Gertz told BBC. “We host one NGO who gives 4,000 meals a day to hospital workers,” Gertz said in the report. “We have another company that delivers 500-1,000 packs of vegetables to people in Paris every day. We have logistics and cold rooms, so we have everything start-ups need to feed people.”

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‘The Last Dance' documentary

When I started watching The Last Dance, the majority of my basketball knowledge revolved around seeing Space Jam in theaters when I was six. I’d see Larry Bird or Patrick Ewing pop on screen and turn to my partner and incredulously ask, “Wasn’t that guy in Space Jam?”

Sure, I had watched the Warriors and Cavaliers face off a few times — enjoyed it even — and I had followed the controversy around LeBron James’ departure from Cleveland with fascination. But the 1998 Chicago Bulls? Never heard of ‘em. The Last Dance was my first deep dive into one of the most explosive and defining moments of the ‘90s, which I had simply missed out on. But by the end of the series, I was a different person. I emerged from the fiery crucible of ‘90s basketball as a sports fan.

But this is not a story about me, oh god no. This is a story about Michael Jordan, and don’t you forget it. This is about the man who, as the documentary points out, is single-handedly responsible for making the NBA the all-powerful arbiter of popular culture — each game a celebrity-spotting extravaganza and a political stage in addition to a cash cow. The Last Dance will explain this all, make you rethink what you think you know about sports, and teach you a surprising thing or two about the people who seem to never lose.

The documentary follows two timelines: The Chicago Bulls’ 1997-98 season, during which the team was vying for its sixth NBA championship title. Most Americans with an inkling of sports history know how that story ends, but if you’re one of the few who isn’t clued in, might I suggest powering down your mobile devices to avoid spoilers or any surreptitious Wikipedia searches and watching under a cloak of suspense? Going into the documentary clueless turns The Last Dance into a thriller.

The rest of the series follows the most dramatic and legendary moments in the preceding years, most of which revolve around the man himself: Jordan’s many, and ongoing, rivalries. His predilection for gambling and golfing. His retirement from basketball in 1993, during which he briefly enjoyed a short stint as a professional baseball player (this, too, I knew about because of Space Jam), and his just as abrupt return to the Bulls in 1995.

The documentary throws a bone to a couple of other key figures: His second in command Scottie Pippin, we learn, has a petty streak. Noted eccentric Dennis Rodman liked to abscond to Las Vegas to blow off steam in the middle of the season. These snapshots are part of what makes the documentary so enjoyable.

Imagine meeting Dennis Rodman — of the dyed hair and married-himself-on-Fifth Avenue-in-a-horse-drawn-carriage fame — for the first time. It is an electric shock to find out that being really, really good at sports is just one facet of these, as it turns out, extremely loveable superstars. And turning the spotlight on Jordan’s teammates is made all the more necessary by the fact that Jordan himself is a problematic hero, to put it lightly.

If you’re expecting a benevolent god to appear on screen, an advocate for good sportsman-like ideals like humility and camaraderie, you must not know Michael. Jordan is more like a wrathful, vengeful god of the Old Testament, laughing at one-time rivals like Isiah Thomas and Gary Payton from behind an iPad the producers occasionally give Jordan to watch other retired players’ segments — guys who dared to challenge him and ended up losing to the Bulls in the end.

As Alissa Wilkinson points out in Vox, Jordan recounts “frequent stories about slights and perceived slights by various players that became ‘personal’ for him,” which include a stray comment after a game or a supposed snub at a restaurant that Jordan claims he used as fuel to win on the court. But it just makes him look like an egomaniacal bully. He hardly tries to deny it: Jordan admits, and his former teammates corroborate, that during practice he trash-talked and harassed the Bulls to motivate them to play better. Jordan is, undoubtedly, the villain of his own documentary.

Okay, so this is not making Jordan look good, and it’s reasonable to ask, why, if you don’t already love basketball, you’d watch someone bully his coworkers into submission for 10 hours straight. For people who don’t want sports, The Last Dance might be a thriller — but it’s one without a clear protagonist. Yet I would argue that it’s worth watching because it will challenge every notion that you have about sports.

Here is a person who scarred some of his colleagues for life because he wanted to win. That’s it. It’s that simple. Jordan’s life philosophy is that he wanted to win and he would do anything — destroy and humiliate anyone — to do it. He has no regrets. Because he did win.

“When people see this, they’re going to say ‘Well, he wasn’t really a nice guy, he may have been a tyrant,’” Jordan says at the end of episode seven. “Well that’s you, because you never won anything.”

It’s easy to dislike Jordan for being so insensitive, but is he wrong? He arguably knows better than anyone what it takes to win, and that’s how, in the end, he will earn your love, or least your admiration.

For people who don’t follow sports or never played them for anything other than fun, this is a story that will make you uncomfortable. It will make you question your own values and what you stand for. You will look back on the sports movies you loved as a kid (like Space Jam!), which all seemed to value camaraderie and friendship and fair play, and feel a chill go down your spine because maybe all those movies were wrong. You might find your beliefs challenged by Michael Jordan’s philosophy on winning. You might say to yourself, “Winning isn’t everything.” And you might hear Jordan’s voice echoing back to you, “That’s because you’ve never won anything.”

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Best art and culture in Perth

Located on the banks of the Swan River, Perth is the capital city of what is, geographically, Australia’s largest state: Western Australia. With a population of about two million, Perth enjoys a Mediterranean climate with hot summers and mild, wet winters. It’s culturally diverse any time of year, with a mix of both modern and indigenous art alongside galleries and museums to rival Sydney and Melbourne, and its west coast remoteness means the city is far less touristy than the cities on Australia’s eastern seaboard. Perth saw 5.7 million arrivals between July 2018 and June 2019 compared to the 16.1 million visits to Sydney in the same period. If you do make the trip here, these are the cultural attractions to see.

Getting to Perth

Photo: Iryna Makukha/Shutterstock

Perth is quite isolated from the rest of Australia and is actually closer to Asia than it is to Sydney. Australia’s major domestic airlines — Qantas, Virgin, and Jetstar — all regularly fly from the capital cities on the east coast. It’s about a four-hour flight east to west and about 3.5 hours west to east due to the pilots taking advantage of the jet stream that flows over Australia. Western Australia is in the same timezone as Tokyo and Hong Kong (GMT+8), so you gain three hours when flying from Melbourne or Sydney. International airlines also fly daily into the Perth Airport from all over the globe. The average flight time from the west coast of the US is about 20 hours, and from Hong Kong, it takes about seven hours.

Perth has become a hub for historical and cultural art

Photo: Photobank/Shutterstock

Perth CBD, as the city’s urban core is known to locals, vibrates with a variety of cultural attractions, but the Art Trails around the city are the real draw for visitors. Over 200 public artworks are on display across the CBD, each giving a small insight into the history of Perth and its identity. The trail starts right in the heart of downtown along the edge of the Swan River at Elizabeth Quay with sculptures and public artworks. Some are permanent murals, such as “Night Forest” on Yok, while others are a bit more nomadic, like the giant inflatable golden monkey that climbed its way up a downtown highrise in 2018. Among the most impressive paintings is “Kid Koala Playing God & Kangaroo,” a massive, kaleidoscopic koala on the side of the Forrest Place car park. Download the map and plan out your excursion over a beer at the Island Brew House. Allow at least an hour to explore the art walk.

Photo: ingehogenbijl/Shutterstock

Any visit to Western Australia should also include indigenous art. The colors and patterns of aboriginal art are breathtaking and, in many cases, depict stories from the “Dreamtime.” Aboriginals believe everything was created during this period — rivers, mountains, and all lifeforms on Earth — by mysterious and supernatural spirits, and much of this is reflected in their art and drawings. Make an appointment to visit the Artitja Fine Art gallery at South Fremantle to experience this belief through large paintings. Creative Native offers aboriginal works for sale. To quell your wanderlust before you arrive, take an online tour before your trip with the web-only Aboriginart gallery.

The city’s arts and culture scene culminates in the annual Perth Festival during the Southern Hemisphere’s summer, which runs from December to February. Happening in February, and running for over 65 years, this event is the oldest arts festival in the Southern Hemisphere. It has grown to be the premier curated multi-arts festival in Australia with a reputation for commissioning a diverse collection of significant new works, both aboriginal and not, along with performance art for spectators.

Gallery hop in Northbridge

Photo: EQRoy/Shutterstock

Northbridge is well known for its mix of entertainment and the arts, and it’s only a five-minute walk from the city center. Here, you’ll find the Perth Cultural Centre, home to the Art Gallery of Western Australia, Blue Room Theatre, State Theatre of Western Australia, and Perth Institute of Contemporary Art. Cruise the galleries, and if there’s a performance happening while you’re in town, you won’t regret catching it — shows range from theater productions to dance and musical performances.

Make sure to also see The Nostalgia Box, Australia’s first interactive video game console museum (we can’t imagine a video game museum that isn’t interactive being entertaining in the least). Afterward, take a stroll down William Street and browse the quirky stores run by young fashion designers.

Learn about the area’s port history in Fremantle

Photo: bmphotographer/Shutterstock

Fremantle, or Freo to locals, is a port town about 30 minutes south of downtown Perth. This is the hub for the area’s rich maritime history, renowned for its mix of art and music. Fremantle Markets, the area’s cultural hub, dates back to 1897. The markets and vendors are located in and around historic old port buildings, abounding with buskers and over 150 stalls and traders. The atmosphere is terrific and provides an excellent opportunity to find unique gifts, even if only for yourself. If in town on a Saturday in summer, try South Beach Sunset Market for really great food and atmosphere on the lawns just behind the beach. Freo is a comfortable place to get around on foot, by bike, or via the free Fremantle CAT bus. There is also the Fremantle Tram Tour or a variety of guided tours. The visitors center can help you with bookings and information, and you can also hire a bike from them.

Hit the Avon Valley for wildflowers, ballooning, and a night away

Photo: Sahil Malhotra/Shutterstock

June through September is Western Australia’s wildflower season. The state is covered with vivid displays of everlastings, morning irises, starflower, and more, woven together into a web of colors so astounding that you could be forgiven for thinking you’d stepped into the Dutch countryside. Within the city, view wildflowers at Kings Park, a massive botanic garden. For something a little different, drive an hour northeast of Perth to Toodyay (pronounced too-jay). It’s famous for its displays of wildflowers beside the Avon River but is worth a trip even outside the wildflower season. Stop at the visitors center, where staff know precisely where each of the different wildflowers are in bloom and will send you in the right direction.

Aside from Toodyay, the entire Avon Valley has a lot to offer those looking for a day in the country, only an hour’s drive from Perth. Local towns provide heaps of events at different times of the year — antique fairs, farmers’ markets, and flower shows are the top draws, with most happening in summer and the shoulder weeks on either side of it. To spice up the trip a little, the area is well known for its hot-air ballooning and skydiving. The valley is also a great place to spend a few days relaxing in artsy homestay-style lodging. Accommodations in a traditional Aussie country pub range from $30 to $190 while farm stays fall between $150 and $300. The area’s tourism bureau serves as a central portal for lodging listings and reservations, acting as a sort of “local’s Airbnb” for these small, family-run properties.

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Bike demand during COVID-19

The ability to calm a frenzied mind is among the many powers of the bicycle. Lock yourself in a tiny urban apartment for two months under quarantine, and this is merely amplified. So much of normalcy has been cast aside during the coronavirus pandemic, but the bicycle is having a long-overdue moment rivaled only by Zoom and the sourdough starter.

Cities around the world are repurposing now-empty streets as bike lanes, and their cabin-fever-induced residents are taking to them in hordes, desperate for fresh air and exercise. Some commuters are also paranoid about public transit in these times, opting instead for two-wheeled transportation.

The results are overwhelmingly positive, but they’ve led to a massive shortage of bicycles for sale across the United States. Market research firm N.P.D. Group reported that bike sales were double what they were during this time a year ago, leaving both bike shops and manufacturers with limited — if any — supply coming into May.

Add to this the fact that pandemic-induced labor shortages in China have set many bicycle manufacturers months behind on production schedules. An errand that, two months ago, required little more than a jaunt to the neighborhood bike shop has turned into a desperate run to big box stores in hopes of landing a Huffy.

Should you wish to join the bicycle masses, or should you need to replace that worn-out cruiser that’s been parked in your garage for years, all hope is not lost, however. Check out these spots for your best chance to score a new bike right now.

Used gear stores

Photo: Aiden James/Shutterstock

Think back to that burned-out cruiser mentioned above. It’s not the type of bike everyone wants and is likely to be among the gear purged during a reorganization of the garage. That can work to your favor, as secondhand gear shops aren’t dependent on shipments arriving from overseas. While supplies are tighter than normal, used gear shops have the benefit of receiving both individual and group donations of athletic gear as well as buybacks.

Play It Again Sports in Westchester, Ohio, reported having numerous kids bikes on hand but a limited supply of adult bikes, and noted that those that do come in are sold quickly. The store encourages people to come by, particularly if shopping for a bike for their kids. Liberty Bell Bicycles in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, which sells both new and used bikes, reported having about 25 bikes on the shelves at the moment and said it expects a shipment of new bikes to arrive in June.

Craigslist

Craigslist is likely to be the most dependable option. A quick search on the Seattle, Washington, Craigslist page for “bicycles for sale” returned over 1,000 results, surprisingly welcome for an urban area with a strong bike culture. The same search for Portland, Oregon — a city even better known for its bike culture — returned nearly 900 results.

Another encouraging thing about Craigslist is that, being a user-updated site, refreshing the page an hour later could provide options that weren’t there before. And despite the importance of supporting local businesses during the pandemic, you do what you have to do when it comes to providing bikes for your family.

Direct online retailers

Photo: ChiccoDodiFC/Shutterstock

Buying a bike online means you can’t ride it right away and will likely involve some assembling when it arrives. But a bike next week is better than no bike at all. Bikes Direct is a leading online retailer of both big-name and budget bicycles, and while the site could certainly use a revamped design and a new search bar, the diversity in bikes available is strong. It has road and mountain, commuter and gravel. New bikes start anywhere from a few hundred dollars and run up to what you’d pay for a slightly used car. ProBikeKit is your best option for road-specific bikes, as well as equipment and tricks of the bike maintenance trade.

Local bike shops

Photo: Dee Browning/Shutterstock

Your local bike shop is the most likely to be facing a shortage of supply right now. And, due to the fact that the next major shipment of affordably priced new bikes isn’t expected to arrive in the US until mid-June, you may be out of luck for a while (unless a $6,000 bike is within your price range). But it’s worth a shot, if only because there’s nowhere better to invest your dollar to ensure it benefits the local biking community. It may have an option that simply didn’t fit the last person that came through the door, or it may be expecting a few bikes to arrive any day now — though they’ll likely fly out the door just fast as they came in. A cold six-pack can go a long way in securing your spot in line.

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The best attractions in Kuala Lumpur

With more than 100 stations, Kuala Lumpur has the second most extensive metro system in Southeast Asia. The international airport has two dedicated lines that connect to KL Sentral, which is the largest train station in the region. The KTM Komuter and airport lines run on strict timetables while the LRT, MRT, and Monorail services run every five to 10 minutes, depending on the time of day. Operations generally start at 6:00 AM and end before midnight. While the system has come a long way since its inception in 1995, you still have to do a bit of research to decide which rail pass is right for you. The city’s transit department offers a comprehensive breakdown of the different Rapid KL packages available. The good news is that the system is hyper-efficient and very affordable, and there is no need for a car during a trip to the city.

Here are 10 major Kuala Lumpur attractions, which you can easily access via the metro.

1. National Museum of Malaysia

Photo: Iryna Rasko/Shutterstock

If you don’t know much about Malaysian culture and history, the National Museum of Malaysia is an ideal place to start. With four exhibits spread out between two floors, the museum traces local history back to prehistoric times and up to the present. Objects of interest include a replica of a 500,000-year-old Java Man skull, as well as a Bronze Age drum from the Malaysian beach town of Batu Buruk. There’s also a small keris (Indonesian dagger) collection and some coins dating back to the 15th century. The upstairs galleries focus on modern history, including the lesser-known records of the Malayan Communist Party. Artifacts in this area also include paper notes and other items on display from the Japanese occupation period during World War II. There are free guided tours in six different languages, but if you speak English or Malay, you don’t need to plan your visit around a tour as the signage is easy to navigate.

There’s an underground walkway to the museum from KL Sentral. If you’re using the MRT green line, the museum has its own stop.

Nearest Station: Muzium Negara

2. Central Market

Photo: TK Kurikawa/Shutterstock

With more than 350 mostly small cafes and shops spread out between two floors, Pasar Seni, or Central Market, is KL’s oldest market. It’s been cleaned up nicely since it was a wet market, and today, you’ll see a lot of tourists here as it’s an ideal place to visit during your first few days in the city. On the ground floor, there are separate sections representing Malaysia’s three main ethnic groups: Malay Street, Little India, and Straits China. In these sections, you’ll find mostly arts and crafts stemming from each, like the ancient Southeast Asian art forms of batik and kaftan. If you want to eat inside the market, go to the second floor where there’s a food court and some full-service restaurants. East of the building, there’s a bustling outdoor market where you can find an impressive variety of food stalls with quirky names like Mr. Lassi, Pasta Box, and Satay City.

Nearest station: Pasar Seni

3. Dataran Merdeka

Photo: Leonid Andronov/Shutterstock

Also known as Independence Square, this is where the first flag of Malaya was raised to symbolize independence from Great Britain in 1957. For a better understanding of how Kuala Lumpur grew from a tin-mining village to one of Southeast Asia’s megacities, check out the Kuala Lumpur City Gallery on the south end of the square. Here, you’ll find replicas of KL’s iconic buildings. It’s about $2.29 to enter, but they give you a voucher for half of that, which you can spend in the quirky museum shop and cafe. Use it to try one of the artfully crafted durian cakes, which you’ll see on display behind the counter.

Like Chinatown, the Dataran Merdeka area undergoes a transformation after dark. Masjid Jamek (one of the oldest Mosques in KL) lights up, as does the area along the Gombak and Klang Rivers. Both locals and tourists unwind around the River of Life walking trail into the early hours of the morning. It’s easily one of the most romantic spots in KL. Guided tours are available, but there are enough information boards to make a guide unnecessary unless you are one of the more hardcore history buffs.

Nearest Station: Masjid Jamek

4. Petronas Towers

Photo: Krunja/Shutterstock

The Petronas Towers may not be the world’s tallest buildings anymore, but they are still the highest twin towers by nearly 100 meters. The nearest metro station is named after the 1.5-million-square-foot shopping center at the feet of the towers. In addition to 300 stores, KLCC also hosts an art gallery, science center, underwater aquarium, and the Petronas Philharmonic Hall. For about $18, you can visit the observation decks. One is on the 86th floor, and the other is the world’s highest two-story sky bridge, which connects the two towers. While the observation decks of KL’s most recognizable landmark can be a bucket list item for many, you can also watch the sunset over the towers from one of the nearby rooftop lounges. The Traders Hotel is located on the other side of KLCC Park, and from the 33rd-floor Sky Bar, you can sit poolside and watch the sunset over the park and the towers. You’ll need to book a table in advance.

Nearest station: KLCC

5. Kampung Baru

Photo: Gwoeii/Shutterstock

KL still houses remnants of the old tin-mining village if you know where to look. Kampung Baru (meaning “new village”) is the best-maintained traditional Malay village in what is now a city of nearly two million. Here, north of the trendy Bukit Bintang neighborhood, you’ll find the streets lined with wooden homes built on stilts, small cafes, and street food vendors under the shade of coconut and banana trees. To fully experience the village, you should visit once during the day and again on a Saturday night. The Kampung Baru night market dates back to 1899 and is open Saturday nights into early Sunday morning. No matter when you visit, Kampung Baru is an ideal street food spot from morning until night. The restaurant, Nasi Lemak Wanjo, is a popular stop for both tourists and locals. Here, you pay a dollar for the rice dish nasi lemak, which many consider Malaysia’s national dish.

Nearest station: Kampung Baru

6. Chinatown

Photo: gracethang2/Shutterstock

Shaped like an imperfect diamond, KL’s Chinatown sprawls out from the eastern shore of the Klang River and changes character throughout the day. This is the kind of area you can visit for breakfast, lunch, and dinner and get a different vibe each time. It is also home to the oldest Hindu and Taoist temples in KL. There’s the famous Petaling Street Market, where buyers haggle with vendors over everything from handbags and clothing to arts and crafts, as well as electronics of questionable authenticity. But the real attractions here are the local food and drink vendors, many of whom specialize in a handful of items handed down from previous generations.

Although the area is easily walkable, you should have a game plan before exploring. Talk to a local before visiting, lest you end up missing the hole-in-the-wall type places that you are likely to plan a future trip around. In KL’s Chinatown, the best places are not the most aesthetically pleasing from the outside. Note that the more reputable vendors often close when they sell out as opposed to at a set time.

There are different kopitiams (traditional coffee shops) that you can check out in the area. Ho Kow is among the most popular, in part because it sells a traditional Hainanese breakfast of Kaya toast, toasted bread with kaya coconut jam, and boiled eggs. You can find some of the best dishes in Chinatown for under $3 in one of the many inconspicuous looking food courts like Lai Foong (for beef noodle or clam soup) and Tang City (for wonton or dry noodles in black sauce). If you’re looking for something a bit more post-2000-Brooklyn, check out Da Bao or one of the other cafes on the stretch of Petaling Street between Sultan and Balai Polis.

Nearest station: Pasar Seni

7. KL Forest Eco Park

Photo: ArtRomanov/Shutterstock

Known locally as Taman Eko Rimba, KL Forest Eco Park is a rainforest situated in the heart of an urban jungle. There are 10 different trails, most of which are lined with strategically placed seating areas. The trails vary in terms of terrain and width. Some are more like paved sidewalks while others look to be barely maintained. The park is large enough for you to experience some solitude with nature but small enough that you may run into some of the same people if you do more than a few of the trails. Wear comfortable shoes and try to get there early as the heat gets more intense as the day goes on. You’ll need water — if you don’t have a water bottle, you can buy one at the main entrance.

The entrance is off of Jalan P Ramlee, so you’ll have to head east on Sultan Ismael after you exit Bukit Nanas station. From there, turn right onto Ramlee, and the entrance will be on your right. You have to walk past KL Tower and the Upside Down House to get to the park’s main (and only) entrance, all located on a hilltop. There’s a shuttle available on Jalan Puncak, at the bottom of the hill. It costs about $9 to enter, cash only.

Nearest station: Bukit Nanas

8. Bazaar Baru Chow Kit

Photo: shaifulzamri/Shutterstock

Bazaar Baru Chow Kit is the polar opposite of the climate-controlled, well-organized Central Market. Known for its narrow lanes and pungent scents, this is KL beyond the megamalls, skyscrapers, and endless Starbucks locations. The market is divided into two sections, so if you have a weak stomach, skip the fish and meat (wet) section and head to the fruit and vegetable (dry) market. As you stroll the narrow lanes, voices will become indistinguishable as you bump elbows with (mostly) locals negotiating prices with their favorite vendors. To truly experience the market, you need to walk around the fish and meat sections and hear the seemingly endless sounds of butcher knives chopping up ayam (chicken) and ikan (fish). Unless you plan to avoid the meat and fish sections, don’t wear nice shoes. The market is closed Sundays.

Nearest station: Chow Kit

9. Little India

Photo: gracethang2/Shutterstock

This shoe-shaped Indian enclave is home to Christain churches, Buddhist and Hindu temples, and dozens of shops and restaurants. The street Jalan Tun Sambanthan is lined with small, family-run textile shops, grocery stores, jewelry shops, video stores, and cafes. The road is separated from the sidewalk by colorful arches, which hover over concrete flower beds, with Little India Brickfields inscribed in them. Of all the streets in Little India, Sambanthan represents the greatest assault on the senses. The smell of fresh fruits and vegetables mixes with exhaust fumes to the soundtrack of honking horns and Indian music blaring out of the different shops.

If you’re looking to get off the main road, head to Moneys Corner, which is in a well-hidden alleyway between Sambanthan and Vivekananda. This is a no-frills Indian-Malay version of the food courts that are omnipresent in Chinatown. If you haven’t eaten from a banana leaf or tried the national dish of nasi kandar, this is an ideal place to try both with the locals. If you’re exiting from the KL Sentral Monorail station, just walk south on Sambanthan.

Nearest station: Bangsar

10. Batu Caves

Photo: Foto-up/Shutterstock

Named after a nearby village, this 400-million-year-old limestone hill is home to one of the most popular Hindu shrines outside of India. Get here early, especially if you want to climb the 272 rainbow-colored steps, which lead up to the main Hindu temple. Because of the crowds and intense heat, it’s best to visit before 10:00 AM or after 7:00 PM. While most visitors day trip here from KL, there are enough activities to make it worth spending at least one night. There are more than 160 rock-climbing routes in the area, and you can also catch daily Indian cultural shows. If you don’t mind crowds, try to plan your visit to coincide with the annual Thaipusam festival when Hindus from around the world descend on the complex.

While there’s no cost to walk around and snap Instagram photos, there are fees involved if you want to fully experience Batu Caves. You have to pay just over $1 to enter the art gallery or museum caves, the latter of which depicts the story of the Hindu deity Rama through artfully detailed sculptures. These caves are worth the entrance fee, just for the fact that limestone absorbs heat, resulting in a more constant temperature.

The streets to the east of the train station are lined with vendors selling local fruits like durian and jackfruit, as well as local arts and crafts. You’ll see plenty of visitors drinking fresh coconut juice to stay hydrated. Just be careful of the monkeys, which tend to congregate around food stalls.

From KL Sentral, a one-way ticket on the commuter rail costs less than a dollar. The ride takes 40 minutes, and unlike the other metro lines, commuter trains run on strict schedules, which are on display at all stations. Trains to and from Batu Caves leave roughly every 30 minutes.

Nearest station: Batu Caves

Practical tips for using the KL Metro:

Service starts around 6:00 AM and ends around midnight.
KL Komuter trains (including the airport lines) are not included with most day passes.
Some lines have women-only cars.
Service is more frequent during rush hour.
Make sure you know which exit to take as crossing many streets in KL can be a challenge.

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COVID-19 lockdowns lower emissions

There aren’t many positive ways to spin the coronavirus crisis, but there’s no denying that it has been good for the environment. A historic reduction in travel, with people around the world staying at home, global carbon dioxide emissions have declined at unprecedented rates.

According to an international study of global carbon emissions, published in the Nature Climate Change journal, global daily emissions between January and April 2020 have declined by 17 percent compared to the same time period in 2019. Daily emissions could decline a further 4.4 to 8 percent by the end of the year. This would be the largest annual decrease in carbon emissions since World War II.

The reduction in carbon emissions was primarily due to fewer people driving and flying during the stay-at-home orders and travel restrictions. Since the reduction in emissions is directly tied to the pandemic, it’s unclear how long the lower levels will last.

Rob Jackson, professor in Stanford University’s earth science systems department and study co-author, told CNN, “I can’t celebrate a drop in emissions driven by unemployment and forced behavior. We’ve reduced emissions for the wrong reasons.”

While lower emissions are always good news for the environment, a global health crisis isn’t the way to make positive change happen. When life returns to normal, however, Jackson is optimistic that behaviors learned during the pandemic will transfer to our new everyday life.

“The blue skies people have seen as we’ve parked our cars,” said Jackson, “have shown people what we could have every day by driving clean vehicles or walking and biking.”

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Most popular types of German sausage

Here in America, if we don’t have an opinion on where to go to dinner or what color shirt to buy, we say, “It’s all the same to me.” If a German guy doesn’t care what the office wants to order for lunch, he might say something like Das ist mir wurst, which translates literally to, “This means sausage to me,” but really means something closer to, “It doesn’t matter to me.”

The sausage talk doesn’t end there. In Germany, in fact, a great many idioms are based around the sausage. “Everything has one end, only the sausage has two” references the fact that all good things come to an end. “Throw the sausage after the bacon” reminds Germans that sacrifice might result in a triumph down the line. In Germany, sausage is the basis of more than a diet: It influences language and culture, too.

The German love affair with this hearty meal should not come as a surprise: Sausages, alongside heaping helpings of kale and potatoes and a side of tangy sauerkraut, sustained farmers. Cured, dried, and smoked sausages could be carried over long journeys by both hunters and soldiers. Sausage is nourishing, and it can last through the winter when all other food stores are low. What’s not to love!

German sausage falls into a few different categories: brühwurst (cooked sausages that are scalded, roasted, or baked), kochwurst (steamed or boiled sausage that can be served hot or cold), and grützwurst (sausages that contain groats, or cereal grains). Today, sausages figure into all facets of German life: Some are beloved street foods, others are served at breakfast topped with a fried egg, and still others are dipped in mustard and eaten with beer. There are likely 1,500 varieties of German sausage. Here are 27 you need to know about.

1. Bierwurst

This dark red, garlic-heavy variety of brühwurst is seasoned with black peppercorns, paprika, and mustard seeds to give it a pungent, spicy flavor. Bierwurst is made from ground pork and beef but contains no actual beer. Instead, slices of this Bavarian sausage are commonly accompanied by a glass of beer. It’s also sometimes used as a sandwich filling.

2. Bockwurst

This smoked German sausage is made from pork and veal and is lightly seasoned with salt, white pepper, and paprika. A sprinkle of chives or parsley is sometimes added for a dash of color and extra aromatic flavor. Bockwurst originated in Bavaria, likely in the mid-1500s, where it was first consumed with bockbier, a type of German lager. Another urban legend claims that it was invented much later, in 1889 by a restaurant owner from Berlin named Robert Scholtz, for a party commemorating the end of the school year at Humboldt University.

3. Bratwurst

Photo: Christin Klose/Shutterstock

There are many different varieties of bratwurst, but in general, this German sausage is fresh (rather than cured or smoked) and made from either ground beef, veal, or pork. It probably originated in Bavaria or Thuringia in the early 1300s. In modern Germany, bratwurst is pan-fried or roasted. It can be served on a bun, with mustard, alongside sauerkraut, potato salad, or rye bread. It’s a popular dish at pubs and can be found at street food stalls around the country.

4. Bregenwurst

A product of the Schleswig-Holstein and Saxony-Anhalt regions of Germany, bregenwurst is sometimes also known as cabbage sausage. The main ingredient in bregenwurst, aside from pork or pork belly, is pig or cattle brain, though most modern versions rarely contain brain anymore due to concerns over mad cow disease. Traditionally, bregenwurst is served with, or cooked in, a hearty helping of kale.

5. Cervelat

Also a favorite sausage of the Swiss, cervelat is seasoned with pungent mustard and garlic. In Germany, it’s made from pork, beef, and bacon. Cervelat is smoked and cured, which means that these hearty sausages can be eaten cold, straight from the refrigerator. Cervelat can also be grilled and the ends sliced open to create an almost open flower look at the end of the sausage.

6. Currywurst

Photo: Christin Klose/Shutterstock

This fast-food snack popular in Berlin is a fried pork sausage topped with curry powder and spiced ketchup, and it’s sometimes sliced and served with fries. A German housewife named Herta Heuwer invented currywurst in postwar Berlin when she traded spirits for ketchup with a British soldier. Though it’s considered an inexpensive street food, currywurst has an egalitarian appeal in Berlin, beloved by just about everyone.

7. Fleischwurst

This mildly smoked sausage comes from France, but it’s a popular snack in Germany and is better known as bologna in the United States. Fleischwurst is sometimes spiced with cardamom, ginger, nutmeg, or coriander, and is served in a horseshoe-shaped ring.

8. Frankfurter rindswurst

In 1894, a butcher named Karl Gref conceived this type of beef frankfurter to serve the growing Jewish population of Frankfurt, which couldn’t eat pork sausage. His shop, Gref-Voelsing, is still open and serving frankfurter rindswurst on a small bun with mustard. A law passed in 1929 in Germany decreed that only sausages in Frankfurt may legally use the term frankfurter.

9. Frankfurter Würstchen

These long, thin sausages also hail from Frankfurt. Frankfurter würstchen are smoked and must be made entirely from pork. Frankfurter würstchen are boiled for several minutes in order to keep the casing intact and are then served with bread and mustard or alongside potato salad.

10. Gelbwurst

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First prepared in the Black Forest region of Bavaria, gelbwurst is nearly white in color and is encased in a pale yellow rind (traditionally pig’s intestine dyed with saffron). This sausage is typically served as lunch meat, and its mild flavor makes it popular among children. The original version, first introduced in 1905, contained pig’s brains, though that is rarely the case anymore.

11. Jagdwurst

Nicknamed “hunting sausage” because it’s easy to eat on the go, jagdwurst is cut into thin rounds like lunchmeat. It’s sometimes considered the German bologna, similar to fleischwurst. Seasoned with just a touch of garlic, jagdwurst is mild in flavor and has a marbled texture when sliced.

12. Kohlwurst

This fermented sausage is another variety often cooked with kale or cabbage. Kohlwurst is made primarily from pork fat and pork lung, seasoned with allspice and mustard seeds, and smoked for as long as two weeks.

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13. Knackwurst

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This sausage hails from the Holstein region, in northern Germany. Knackwurst is lightly smoked and seasoned mostly with garlic. Knack can be translated to snap or crackle, which refers to the way it becomes crispy once grilled. Knackwurst is an especially plump and juicy sausage and is often served with sauerkraut.

14. Knipp

This variety of grützwurst, a German sausage from the Bremen region that’s mixed with grains, is made by combining pork head, belly, rind, and liver with oats, which is seasoned with allspice and pepper then smoked. Knipp can be served in slices with boiled potatoes or fried with butter and spread on toast for breakfast. Knipp is probably the inspiration for goetta, the sausage grain patties served at breakfast that are a beloved dish in Cincinnati.

15. Landjaeger

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Popular throughout southern Germany, Switzerland, and Austria, this smoked and dried sausage is a popular snack for hikers and other outdoor enthusiasts because it’s easy to slip inside your pocket and pack to munch on throughout the day. Jäger means hunter in German, alluding to its popularity among outdoorsmen and soldiers who needed sustenance during long journeys.

16. Leberkäse

Leberkäse is similar to meatloaf. It’s a block of ground corned beef, pork, and bacon that’s baked in a bread tin and served in thick slices, and it’s often served topped with a fried egg. The crunchy brown crust on the outside is considered the most delicious part of leberkäse. One story says that it was invented in Bavaria in 1776, but it remains unsubstantiated.

17. Liverwurst

Liverwurst is eaten all over Europe, but in Germany, this soft sausage, made from calf or pig liver, is typically spread on toast and paired with pickles, as its consistency is similar to that of a pate. Onions or bacon can also be added to the recipe depending on the region. For instance, Thuringian liverwurst contains braised onions and ground pepper, and 51 percent of the ingredients must come from Thuringia, according to EU regulations.

18. Mettwurst

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Mettwurst is a smoked and cured sausage. The texture of mettwurst can vary: Sometimes it’s smoked for long enough that casing produces a satisfying “snap” when you bite into it, but there are also varieties of mettwurst that are soft and spreadable, like liverwurst. The flavor of mettwurst tends to be stronger than most mild German sausages, usually imparted by garlic, pepper, and the addition of a liquor like rum.

19. Nürnberger rostbratwurst

These finger size pork sausages hail from the Bavarian city of Nuremberg, as the name suggests. Nürnberger rostbratwurst might have first appeared in German cuisine in the early 1300s, but by the 16th century, demand for the sausage had dropped. Butchers devised a clever scheme: Make the sausages smaller and thinner so they would be cheaper to produce. But some legends also suggested that their diminutive size arose from the fact that they were passed through keyholes by innkeepers to hungry customers locked out after curfew or snuck through the walls in prisons to hungry inmates. Nürnberger rostbratwurst are grilled or pan-fried and often served in a roll of three to 12 with a side of potato salad or sauerkraut.

20. Pinkelwurst

Traditionally served with kale or potatoes, the pork filling in this sausage is paired with oats and onions. Pinkelwurst is considered a variety of grützwurst — sausages with groats (cereal grains). Pinkelwurst is especially popular in northwest Germany.

21. Rotwurst

Rotwurst is just one variety of German blutwurst, or blood sausage, and is made with pork blood, liver, speck (pickled pork belly, similar to bacon), and groats (cereal grains). The mixture is seasoned with cinnamon, cloves, and thyme, then cured with salt. In Thuringia, rotwurst is known as the “queen of blood sausage.”

22. Saumagen

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Meaning “sow’s stomach,” this dish comes from the Paltz region of Germany and is similar to Scottish haggis. The casing for saumagen is pig’s stomach, which is stuffed with a mash of pork meat, carrots, onions, and potatoes seasoned with pepper, thyme, and garlic among other spices. The origins of the dish are disputed, but some stories suggested it was invented in the 18th century as a way to reuse leftovers.

23. Stippgrütze

Similar to knipp, stippgrütze consists of barley mixed with offall, such as heart, kidney, or liver. The high fight content of stippgrütze has two plus sides: It can be preserved to be eaten throughout the winter, and it can be fried without adding any additional oil or fat to the pan. Stippgrütze is taken out of its casing and cooked and served with sides like a potato hash or mashed potatoes with bread and a side of gherkins.

24. Sülze

Sülze is technically a head-cheese cold cut made primarily from the meat from the head of a calf or pig that’s set in jelly. In Germany, head cheese has a tangy flavor because pickled vegetables or vinegar are sometimes added to the jelly alongside the meat. Sülze is molded into the shape of a loaf and served in slices. Other varieties are made with beef tongue or blood sausage.

25. Teewurst

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Similar to mettwurst, this sausage is meant to be spread on crackers and is served as a snack, often alongside tea as the name suggests. Teewurst is seasoned with white pepper, ginger, paprika, and cardamom, and rum, brandy, or cream are sometimes added as well. The meat spread likely first emerged in the Baltic region of Rügenwalde, which is modern-day Poland, in the 18th century.

26. Thüringer rostbratwurst

The Weimar State Archives cataloged the first official recipe for these sausages all the way back in 1613. Thüringer rostbratwurst is long and thin and is among the spiciest of the German sausages — seasonings typically include coriander, caraway seeds, and garlic. The traditional preparation is roasting or grilling over charcoal. These sausages have been bestowed with protected geographical indication (PGI) status, meaning that, similar to Thüringian liverwurst, 51 percent of ingredients to make the sausage must be from the region to be called true Thüringer rostbratwurst.

27. Weisswurst

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These white sausages are a specialty from Bavaria. Made from veal and pork, weisswurst are seasoned with a fresh assortment of herbs and vegetables including onions, parsley, and lemon zest, as well as earthy herbs like ginger and nutmeg. According to one legend, an innkeeper invented the sausage in 1857 when he used pork chasings rather than those of sheep for his sausages, which he boiled instead of grilling. Today, weisswurst don’t contain any preservatives, so they are typically eaten as a morning snack, before the meat goes bad.

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Link between climate change, storms

Climate change’s facilitating extreme weather events is no new revelation, but new research confirms that human-caused global warming is making hurricanes more powerful.

A study by researchers at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the University of Wisconsin at Madison found that the chance of major tropical storms, which includes hurricanes and typhoons, is going up each year. Published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the study estimates that the chance of a tropical cyclone becoming a Category 3 storm or greater is increasing by eight percent each decade.

James Kossin, lead author of the study, told The Washington Post, “We’ve just increased our confidence of our understanding of the link between hurricane intensity and climate change. We have high confidence that there is a human fingerprint on these changes.”

Using a 39-year data set, researchers found that storms are becoming stronger and wetter, and hurricanes are growing more severe in their intensity.

According to Kossin, “We have a significantly building body of evidence that these storms have already changed in very substantial ways, and all of them are dangerous.”

Researchers are specifically keeping an eye on the tropical Atlantic, which has seen an uptick in early-season storms. Likely due to warmer-than-normal ocean temperatures, more potent storms have been brewing in the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean.

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Honor system in Mizo culture

India is often thought to be the destination of choice for intrepid travelers, but few venture away from the now well-trodden paths that lead to Goa, Varanasi, Agra, Jaipur, New Delhi, and Mumbai. Northeast India is well away from most travelers’ itineraries. Hidden from the world’s eye in between Bhutan, Bangladesh, China, and Myanmar, the region seems detached from the rest of the nation — even on the map. The forest-clad state of Mizoram that borders both Myanmar and Bangladesh, for example, is not well known, but it has a valuable lesson to offer those who take a chance and visit. Inside the deep jungles of Mizoram, just two to three hours from the state capital Aizawl, the local Mizo community practices a unique tradition: nghah lou dawr or shops without shopkeepers.

These unmanned shops are humble makeshift structures built from bamboo. They dot the hairpin roads guarded by sheer peaks in the interiors of Mizoram, and while plain and seemingly unremarkable, they are beautiful illustrations of the unique and rich culture of the Mizo people.

Mizo society

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The Mizo community is a tight, close-knit one. Social biases and discrimination make little or no appearance in the day-to-day life in this society, unlike in the rest of India where wealth, class, caste, or gender decide a person’s worth or their status.

Lalbiakzuali Colney is an assistant professor at Pachhunga University College in Aizawl. Professor Colney says that Mizos are known for their honest, sincere, and humble behavior. “In our society, we are taught moral values right from our childhood. At a young age, we start to learn the religious values and social values our forefathers cherished,” says Colney, who was born in Sialsuk, 40 miles from Aizawl.

While everywhere in the world children are taught moral values of some sort, Colney believes that the Mizo system is unique. The Mizo community names it tlawmngaihna. This cherished virtue refers to the spirit of altruism. “When I was young, my parents taught me to be honest, help others even at my expense, be supportive and humble,” says Colney. “Every child grows up with these values,” she says. The spirit of tlawmngaihna functions as the base of the Mizo society in all aspects. Trust and honesty are further backed by Christian values. In Mizoram, 87 percent of the population is Christian.

A grassroots model of commerce

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The practice of tlawmngaihna is apparent in Mizoram’s shops without shopkeepers.

Every morning, shop owners who are also farmers bring their harvest including leafy greens, carrots, cabbage, onions, and freshly picked fruits such as watermelons, pineapples, lime, lemons, and papayas to display them on rickety wooden racks and makeshift bamboo counters.

Some stalls have packets of chips for passing travelers who need something to munch on. Other items include pickles in glass jars and bottled fruit juice. Occasionally, when farmers have had the time to head to the nearby rivers, there is dried fish.

Farmers use small name boards to display the price of each time. Sometimes they write the price in charcoal on each item. A wooden box or a plastic jar is placed on the table before they head to their farmlands for the daily cultivation work.

Farmers have to work in their fields and cannot afford to sit inside the shops during the day. But that’s never an issue in Mizoram. “They do not need to attend their shops because of the trust and integrity in the Mizo community,” says Rema Varte, who serves at the Fire Department in Aizawl.

Customers buy what they need and leave money in the pay box. When they need change, they help themselves from the same container. At the end of the day, owners come back and collect their earnings and the remaining items. “I have seen the practice for years, and we’ve never heard of any complaints of goods or money being stolen,” says Varte, who was born in the village of Chhiahtlang 50 miles from Aizawl. Shops run by themselves as trust is reciprocated.

While this tradition shares some similarities with the honor system practiced in the Western world, sincerity and integrity are much more internalized in the Mizo way of life. It also gives farmers the chance to sell their goods directly without having to go through intermediaries and lose money in the process.

Traveling to Mizoram

Photo: Google Maps

For those who plan to travel to India, the Northeast region will provide a memorable adventure. The airport near Aizawl in Mizoram has flights from Indian cities such as Kolkata and Guwahati. Alternatively, taxis and buses are available from Guwahati to Aizawl.

Aizawl is a hilly capital with charming streets, law-abiding traffic, and pedestrian-friendly bylanes. There aren’t many places to stay in Mizoram, but Zobawm Homestay is run by a lovely Mizo family where you can also try your hand at Mizo cuisine.

Local hikers frequent Reiek, a mountain peak located close to Aizawl. For a glimpse of the slow village life in the interiors, expanding views of carpeted hills covered in mist, and rain-fed cascades, visit Sialsuk, Hmuifang, and Thenzawl.

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Priest squirting holy water

Religious services are problematic in multiple ways when it comes to social distancing, especially when it comes to the more interactive elements of a service. Receiving the host at Catholic mass is quite a challenge when you’re not supposed to come within six feet of another human being — no less being fed a cracker by that human being. Dipping your hands into a stagnant bowl of holy water at the door to bless yourself is another issue. Father Tim Pelc of Michigan is getting creative to remedy the latter problem, administering holy water to parishioners via water gun. And by “administering,” I mean squirting parishioners in the face with it as they drive by in their cars.

Photo: St. Ambrose Parish/Facebook

When photos of the inventive new practice were originally posted by St. Ambrose Parish on Facebook, Pelc received more attention than he was expecting.

He told BuzzFeed News, “The original idea was to do something for the kids of the parish. They were about ready to have an Easter unlike any of their past, so I thought, ‘What can we still do that would observe all the protocols of social distancing?’”

Clad in both a pastor’s robes and PPE equipment, Pelc stood outside his church and doused drive-thru churchgoers with holy water from a safe distance.

Photo: St. Ambrose Parish/Facebook

“The sun was out,” he said. “We had a nice turnout. It was a way of continuing an ancient custom, and people seemed to enjoy it.”

The church isn’t exactly famous for welcoming new, playful ideas with open arms, but reception to Pelc’s unconventional methods has been overwhelmingly warm. Christine Busque, who manages St. Ambrose Parish’s Facebook page, said, “People wanted to have a bright side to the things that are happening in the world right now. They saw that, and I think they saw that he cared about his parishioners enough to want to keep his traditions alive but work [within] the CDC guidelines of being safe.”

Pelc didn’t intend to become an internet celebrity but believes his creative method could fuel optimism around the global health crisis.

“When Jesus dies,” he said, “he doesn’t just lay around doing nothing. He goes down to hell and kicks the doors in. He really wrestles with evil. We all want to believe that the devil is not the most powerful force on the earth and neither is COVID-19.”

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