Foodies of the World, Unite!

National Geographic has come out with a list of the top ten cities in the world that you must hit up for the food, if nothing else!

Here are the top ten food cities in the world (along with the food the city is most well-known for):

10.  Ensenada, Mexico - Fish Tacos from Ensenada Market

9. Edam, Netherlands - Most popular cheese in the world

8. Bologna, Italy - Pasta Bolognese (obviously)

7. Osaka, Japan - Takoyaki (balls of grilled octopus batter)

6. Cincinnati, Ohio - Chili

5. Lyon, France - Lyonnaise potatoes

4. Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam - Bahn Mi (French baguette sandwiches)

3. Buffalo, NY - Chicken Wings

2. Chennai, India - Indian equivalent to wings (was there some bias toward wings on the panel?)

1. Louisville, Kentucky - Hot Brown (Open-faced Turkey with cream sauce on Texas Toast)

Are you as hungry as I am, yet??

I'm biased toward Buffalo, but if you ask me if you should get the original Anchor Bar wings on your short trip, I'll tell you that Duff's Wings are number one (people's choice) every time.  This makes me want to try #2, Indian wings!

I love chili, but I'm not a fan of the chili/pasta combo out of Cinci...I think it's a texture clash for me.  Tastes fine, just weirds me out!

They have a chain in NYC called "Bahn Mi."  I've heard it's excellent but the ingredients didn't appeal to me so much...plus I'm sure it's not as good as the real thing in the heart of Vietnam!

The rest will be new to me...I'm especially interested in that 'Hot Brown' (if that city is number one in the world then it's most famous dish HAS to be killer) and Fish Tacos...YUMMMM.

How many have you been to?  Were they worth the trip?

Get Hyped, Your City Is Awesome!

Small city, Rochester, NY beat out every other city in the nation to win the title of "Most Hyped" leading up to the Superbowl...and their (Buffalo Bills) home team isn't even in it.  What makes Rochester so hyped?

It's a small city but there is a lot of good stuff going on.  Rochester, and it's larger neighbor, Buffalo, are cities in New York State that are often overlooked or brushed aside in the shadow of their world-renowned distant cousin to the southeast.  That doesn't stop their residents from getting hyped every game, every season, every year for their sports teams to win out.  It seems that it's not just for the home team that Rochester gets hyped, though.  They may not win the Superbowl this year, but they won the Superbowl Halftime Show...and that's a pretty good consolation prize for fans of a team that didn't make the playoffs.

Still hatin' on lil' old Rochester?  Appreciate your hometown.  There is beauty in every place and everyone if you'll only take the time to get hyped about it!  This Pepsi video of their free-ganza in the winning city is sure to give you a glimpse at how great a city can be when it gets pumped for something bigger than itself.

Thank you, Pepsi, for putting Rochester and its fans in the spotlight 

(it probably didn't hurt that the Bills colors match your logo...)

P.S. Go Bills!