JLowdown's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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Places visited in Ocaklı Köyü, Turkey
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Places visited in Kobe, Japan
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Hoppin' John
Gastro Obscura
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Prepared Foods

Hoppin' John

This New Year's luck-bringer has a controversial contemporary taste.
Gastro Obscura
Boston Cooler
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Drinks

Boston Cooler

Detroit's signature soda shake blends Vernors ginger ale with vanilla ice cream.
Gastro Obscura
 Vernors Ginger Soda
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Drinks

Vernors Ginger Soda

The Detroit favorite is one of the oldest sodas in the United States.
Gastro Obscura
Benne Wafers
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Sweets

Benne Wafers

A crispy cookie from South Carolina, first introduced during the slave trade.
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Birch Beer
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Drinks

Birch Beer

This cousin of root beer has a long history and a surprisingly minty taste.
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Cheerwine
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Drinks

Cheerwine

A World War I sugar shortage led an inventor to make a very cherry soda that looks like wine.
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Blenheim Ginger Ale
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Drinks

Blenheim Ginger Ale

The story of South Carolina's sweet-hot soda begins with a chance discovery during the Revolutionary War.
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Pocari Sweat
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Drinks

Pocari Sweat

A pharmaceutical company developed this beverage as drinkable IV solution.
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Maple Creemee
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Sweets

Maple Creemee

Vermont's version of soft serve celebrates their local dairy and maple industries.
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Wagashi
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Sweets

Wagashi

These Japanese sweets demonstrate the ephemeral beauty of the seasons.
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Cynar
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Drinks

Cynar

Artichokes form the backbone of this vegetal liqueur.
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Matcha Chasen
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Matcha Chasen

To make the perfect matcha, start with the perfect whisk.
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Struffoli
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Sweets

Struffoli

These Neapolitan Christmas sweets double as decorations.
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Sfogliatella
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Sweets

Sfogliatella

This layered pastry from Italy's Amalfi Coast may have origins in a 17th-century convent.
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Steam Beer
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Drinks

Steam Beer

The unique style born out of the California Gold Rush blends the crispness of a lager with the flavor of an ale.
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Real Wasabi
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Ingredients & Condiments

Real Wasabi

Most sushi fans have never tried this rare rhizome.
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Grisette
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Drinks

Grisette

Make like a 19th-century Belgian miner and cool off with this refreshing ale.
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Shojin Ryori
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Shojin Ryori

Japan's traditional temple cuisine features meals that are nutritionally and visually balanced.
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Rochester-Style Hot Sauce
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Ingredients & Condiments

Rochester-Style Hot Sauce

This spicy, sloppy meat mixture is thinner than chili, thicker than soup, and perfect atop “garbage.”
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Rauchbier
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Drinks

Rauchbier

Only a few breweries still make smoky beer in this classic German style.
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Bonito Flakes
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Meats & Animal Products

Bonito Flakes

Some fish can dance.
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Okonomiyaki
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Prepared Foods

Okonomiyaki

A wartime rice scarcity made this versatile pancake a Japanese staple.
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Ramune
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Drinks

Ramune

The Japanese soda still comes in a marble-stoppered bottle from the 19th century.
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Fugu
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Meats & Animal Products

Fugu

The toxic pufferfish steals hearts, despite its ability to stop them.
Gastro Obscura