News
Words: Emma Juhasz / Photography: Getty Images Sweet luxury BETTER CHOICES THESE DAYS means that you don’t have to settle for less than the best quality when it comes to chocolate. British supermarket chain Tesco is now selling the luxury chocolate brand Mr Ozinda’s. Over 300 years ago, Spaniard Mr Domenico Ozinda arrived in London, clutching cocoa beans from Central America [...]
Words: Emma Juhasz / Photography: Getty Images
Sweet luxury
BETTER CHOICES THESE DAYS means that you don’t have to settle for less than
the best quality when it comes to chocolate. British supermarket chain Tesco is
now selling the luxury chocolate brand Mr Ozinda’s. Over 300 years ago, Spaniard
Mr Domenico Ozinda arrived in London, clutching cocoa beans from Central
America and set up what is now one of London’s premier chocolatiers next to St
James’ Palace. Alternatively, what better way to get into the Christmas spirit than
by visiting Brussels’ haute couture chocolatier Pierre Marcolini, whose Ruinart
Truffl es, among other varieties, are sure to add a touch of luxury and sparkle
to your day; www.marcolini.be. Or the truly adventurous can feel virtuous in
Damascus, with Ghraoui’s chocolate covered fruit; www.ghraouichocolate.com
Trouble-free travel
IF YOU EVER HAPPEN to find yourself sharing vodka with a local in Moscow, remember the Russian tradition which says that once it has
been opened, the bottle has to be finished.
Knowledge of this little fact and many more
foreign customs could spare your blushes
when abroad. Furthermore, don’t offer yellow
fl owers to your host in Tehran – it’s a sign of
displeasure, and when in Riyadh, never refuse
a cup of tea or coffee, as this is regarded as a
relationship-building gesture.
Author (and spotter of international faux
pas) Mark McCrum recognised these gaps in
our knowledge and his new book Going Dutch
in Beijing (£9.99, Profile Books) will have you
greeting people with three kisses in Brussels and
saying tot ziens (that’s ‘goodbye’ to the rest of
us) in Amsterdam before you know it.
EXPLORER’S QUOTE FROM THE PAST
We reached Jeddah, where the
utter sterility of Arabia, with
its dunes and rocky hills, becomes
apparent. The town, however…
is not unpicturesque. Many
European vessels were at anchor
off the coast: and as we entered the
port, innumerable small fishing boats
darting in all directions, their sails no
longer white, but emerald green from
the intense lustre of the water.”
Captain Sir Richard Francis Burton (1821-1890),
British explorer, who became the second
non-Muslim European ever to make the Hajj, the
pilgrimage to Mecca (near Jeddah).
Last laugh
THEY’RE HAVING A laugh in Kazakhstan,
where stand-up comedy is making a comeback.
The city of Almaty has become the butt of
the most jokes, with the most popular gag of
the moment being: “A drunk Almatian takes a
taxi in Paris and asks the driver to take him to
Samal [a luxury downtown area in Almaty]. The
cabman says he has no idea where it is. The
Kazakh says he’ll pay $5,000, and the driver
immediately specifies: ‘Should I better drive
along Lenin Avenue or Furmanov Street?’
If this hasn’t tickled your sense of humour,
then just you wait for leading prankster Jantik’s
(Zhantemir Baimukhamedov) new movie
Borat’s Brother, which he says is his revenge
on Sacha Baron Cohen’s film Borat.
