Britain has never been a country famed for its #multilingual nature and this week the point was driven home with a rather worrying report from the British Council. The #Languages for the Future report draws attention to Britain’s lack of prowess in speaking what it regards as the 10 most “important” foreign languages, defined as those vital to the #United Kingdom over the coming 20 years on #educational, #economic, #political and #cultural grounds. They are: #Spanish, #Arabic

One curious effect of #globalisation is that we can #travel to a lot of different places and order the same fast-food. Famous #global franchises strive to offer the same basic #menus (even with the same names!) all over the #world, along with some 'fast-food interpretations' of local dishes to appeal to their neighbouring customers or the 'adventurous' tourist that wishes to try new things while abroad. My opinion about these franchises has truly evolved over time... When the

Declared a #UNESCO #World #Heritage Site in 1991, the Danube is the only river in the #world that passes through a whopping 10 #countries, terminating in #Romania where it enters the #Black Sea. A large part of the Danube’s #touristic #activities are located in the #Romanian #city of #Tulcea, where the #Delta lies. From Tulcea, it is possible to arrive at an important whirlpool called #Cu barca prin padure (‘boat in the woods’) in the depth of a #willow #forest. The site is s

I believe that the business of #gastronomy is about looking for inexpensive ingredients in order to produce luxury meals. Vietnamese Pho (soup) has become a #fashionable dish in London eateries - not just in #Vietnamese restaurants. In #Westfield for example, one bowl costs you over five pounds; a high cost indeed when you consider that I often cook enough Pho for the whole family for under a fiver! #Recipe books usually tell you to make the stock from ox tail, but in #London

#London is famous for its fine dining #social scene. It’s also home of the laborious #environment to which the workforce is sadly subjected. Fatigue, lack of nutrients, and most of all stress from the authoritarian rule lead to daily calamities in the very restaurants and bars we frequent and love. While we gallantly style ourselves in glamour, while we peruse the streets lined with boozers and bars, to the greeting by the host of our chosen #hotspot and finally to the moment

Very recently I attended my first ever skiing trip with a group of friends, one of whom was a complete novice like me while the other seven were practically born with skis attached. Now for those of you who are toying with the idea of skiing based upon rose tinted images of effortless weaving down gentle slopes that end with a pub every mile, fair warning; words like ‘gentle’, ‘effortless’ and ‘slope’ are not typical #skiing vernacular. For one thing, a snow covered piste ma