November 24, 2022

GASTRO OBSCURA  Thanksgiving’s Mightiest Side Dish  Is stuffing the best dish at Thanksgiving? (We dare you to bring that up to your family this holiday season.) Stuffing itself is a bit hard to define, given that it varies regionally across the United States. In Louisiana, that might mean chunks of andouille sausage; it might mean masa in New Mexico. To bolster our pro-stuffing argument, we recently sat down with food writer for The New York Times, Eric Kim, as he explores stuffing’s past, present, and future. Let the food fights commence.  READ MORE → ROYAL CLOTHES Was This A King’s Death Vest? It was cold in London on the morning of January 30, 1649—the day King Charles I was scheduled to be beheaded on a scaffold. The king reportedly donned an elaborately patterned “sky-coloured satten wastecoat” beneath his black garb—and it might be at the Museum of London Docklands, where for almost a century, that silk waistcoat has been said to reside. It came with a note of authenticity, claiming that the doctor who attended to the king that day had taken possession of it on the scaffold after the monarch’s death. READ MORE → ASHEVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA Biltmore Estate's Secret Passages With 35 bedrooms, 43 bathrooms, 65 fireplaces, and nearly 180,000 square feet, the enormous Biltmore Estate has plenty of places to hide. It was designed with several concealed doors, hidden passageways, and secret rooms, which blend in seamlessly with the decor so that they are not noticeable to the untrained eye. Up your hide and seek game today. READ MORE → ATLAS OBSCURA COURSES Learn How to Read a Landscape In this course with Annie Novak, learn to decode the natural spaces around you—whether you’re looking out your car window while stuck in traffic or hiking along a new trail. We’ll use the fundamentals of soil, plant, and animal ecologies to explore new and familiar landscapes, honing observation skills along the way. ENROLL TODAY → CHILL OUT HERE Wondrous Ice Structures While it’s not the most traditional or enduring building material, when it’s cold enough, ice can be used to make massive buildings, detailed furniture, and massive sculptures. Many ice structures are once-a-year wonders crafted by artists and communities, while others can be enjoyed throughout the year. So grab your warmest jacket and gloves, and take a frigid journey with us through some of our favorite frozen wonderlands. READ MORE → MANHATTAN, NEW YORK Tom's Restaurant Seinfeld fans who want to recreate their favorite scenes in Monk’s coffee shop need only travel to Manhattan’s Upper West Side. It won’t look familiar on the inside, but the blue and red neon wrapping the corner will let them know they’re in the right place. READ MORE → UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES Turkey Tails in Samoa On Thanksgiving, turkeys will adorn close to 90 percent of U.S. dinner tables. However, one part of the bird never makes it to the groaning board, or even to the giblet bag: the tail. But while Americans don’t tend to eat turkey tails—also known as the pope’s nose or sultan’s nose—they’re a national dish in Samoa. How did imported turkey tails become a favorite among Samoa’s working class? READ MORE → STORIES FROM THE ARCHIVES The Internet’s Creepiest Fake Town In 1978, the town of Scarfolk, in northwest England, cut its police budget in half. This drastic measure was followed by a wave of violent crime. To deal with the influx of dead bodies, the remaining police did the obvious thing—they teamed up with the “Keep Britain Tidy” campaign, and encouraged citizens, especially children, to pick up “victim debris” themselves. If this sounds too grotesque to be true, don’t worry—it is! There were never any smiling, appendage-finding kids in Scarfolk, because Scarfolk never existed. But the town’s online presence—created by graphic designer Richard Littler—is meticulously detailed and impressively creepy. READ MORE → CAPE CHARLES, VIRGINIA Kiptopeke's Concrete Fleet The Concrete Fleet, also known as the Kiptopeke Breakwater, consists of several concrete ships lined end to end just west of the former Chesapeake Bay ferry terminal. The crumbling hulks consist of 9 of the 24 concrete ships contracted by the U.S. Maritime Commission during World War II. Since being scuttled in the bay, the rusty bones of these ships have been exposed to half a century of weather creating an incredible show of decay. READ MORE →