CNN Travel Now

Whet Your Appetite with the Tastes of Global Cuisine

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CAROLYN O'NEIL, HOST: Whet your appetite to travel now with the tastes of global cuisine. We'll visit London restaurants proving you can get a great meal in Great Britain. Then we see what's up with cooking down under from throwing a few shrimp on the barbie to elegant restaurants serving braised kangaroo.

Then it's off to Japan for a lesson in drinking sake. Also, sample international cuisines in Orlando, Florida, where Disney's Epcot Restaurants have been updated with more authentic world flavors. A reason to travel, adventures in good eating.

A visit here usually includes a trip across the Tower Bridge to the Tower of London right across the River Thames from here.

Hello, I'm Carolyn O'Neil. Welcome to CNN's TRAVEL NOW and London, England, where our sampling of world cuisines begins today.

You know, this is a city with a lot of fascinating history to share. When it comes to the history of its food, however, London has suffered kind of a bad rap in the past. Deliciously, times have changed.

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O'NEIL: (voice-over): With its characteristic double decker buses, bustling streets and miles of monumental architecture, London has always been an exciting world city. But then there was the food.

CLAUDIA RODEN, COOKBOOK AUTHOR: Well, I came here a long time ago and the food was absolutely disgusting, horrible.

O'NEIL: But that was then and this is now, regarded as a London restaurant renaissance.

UNIDENTIFIED DINER: Well, actually there some of the best food I think you're going to find the world right now happening in London, which is a big change from probably 20 years ago.

JEREMY LEE (ph): It's show time darlings. Fasten your seat belts. We have a bumpy lunch.

O'NEIL: Bumpy because it's so busy at the Blue Print Cafe, overlooking the River Thames but not overlooking the culinary treasures of Great Britain such as these chanterelle mushrooms. LEE: These are from Scotland.

O'NEIL: Chef Jeremy Lee is serious about promoting the best of Britain from the roasted cod to braised lamb with potatoes expertly mashed.

LEE: They are pretty perfect, actually, it must be said.

O'NEIL: From tiny game birds to whole suckling pigs, the British tradition of roasted meat is what you'll find at St. John.

UNIDENTIFIED DINER: Wild duck, have you had that before? Today's your day.

O'NEIL: Chef Fergus Henderson (ph) serves eager palates flocks of pheasants, pigeon and partridge. It's a place to experience an adventure in eating.

UNIDENTIFIED DINER: I feel sorry for people who don't. I mean, I think experimenting is a way of finding out what you like and also what you don't like.

O'NEIL: I certainly found something I didn't like, roasted woodcock beaks.

(on camera): Now, who said that British food is not appetizing? Come on.

(voice-over): More London food discoveries await at the elegant, chandeliers and all, food halls of Fortnum & Mason. The gilded grocery is a feast for the senses, including an amazing assortment of cheeses, all kinds of teas and over 50 honeys, even honey in the comb.

MARTIN GUTHRIE, FORTNUM & MASON: This is just as it comes out of the hive and so the wax. And some people, you know, don't know how to eat it. But you just cut it in little pieces like the size of a candy or something.

O'NEIL: Martin Guthrie, clad in Fortnum Mason's formal wear, shares the store's British history.

GUTHRIE: It was started in 1707 by two footmen from Buckingham Palace. They started selling candles on the corner outside our store and we have been trading on this site since.

O'NEIL: Londoners, including the royal family, shop here, along with a steady flow of international visitors looking for gourmet gifts on the go.

(on camera): One thing to remember, though, no matter how enthusiastic you are about foods discovered during your travels, there are often customs regulations that restrict what you can take home with you. For instance, if I wanted to buy some delicious cheeses at this shop in London, hard cheeses such as Stilton are allowed in the U.S. but soft cheeses are not. (voice-over): Smoked salmon is okay but meats of any kind are U.S. Custom's no-nos. And if you live in Australia, you can't bring home any honey. So whether it's a taste of Britain or anywhere else, check the rules on edible souvenirs.

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O'NEIL: Stay with us, just ahead on CNN TRAVEL NOW we take our taste buds to Australia, where enthusiasm for Aussie cuisine livens up life down under. And later visit a French cafe, a German beer hall and an English pub all within walking distance -- why Disney's Epcot Center strives to serve authentic international tastes.

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UNIDENTIFIED TOURIST: You can see the entire world of Disney. How can you beat that?

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O'NEIL: The menus in contemporary restaurants today, whether you're in England or New England, really are a reflection of the global exchange of ideas and, in this case, flavors. Our next savory stop is Australia where Stephanie Oswald and I discovered that the food is an exciting mix of world cuisines.

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O'NEIL: (voice-over): Our taste tour down under begins in Adelaide, a vibrant city on the coast in South Australia. When your order's up at the Red Ochre Grill you're in for a unique taste of Australia. Crisp fried baby baramundi (ph) is fresh from South Australian waters and kangaroo is served with a sauce made from kwandong (ph), tiny wild fruit also called the desert peach. A visitor from Germany didn't hesitate to order kangaroo.

UNIDENTIFIED TOURIST: And it looks very good, very tasty.

O'NEIL: Far from endangered, kangaroos are culled from the wild to help control overpopulation.

ANDREW FIELKE, RED OCHRE GRILL: There's millions of them out there and it is a very healthy meat, very high in iron and protein and...

O'NEIL: (on camera): What does it taste like?

FIELKE: It's a little like slightly stronger beef. It's a light, I'd say a light to medium game meat.

O'NEIL (voice-over): Chef Andrew Fielke's enthusiasm for Australia's native foods is especially evident when he cooks with plants gathered from the wild. Super tart blood limes and herbs such as pepper leaf and lemon myrtle leaf, used in aboriginal cooking for centuries, had almost been forgotten.

FIELKE: And completely overlooked. When the settlers came here and called us Australia, many of them died, you know, lying next to edible foods.

O'NEIL: Now bush tomatoes, flavor soups and Fielke even markets a kwandong conserve.

(on camera): So all these wonderful things that literally from the wilderness and now you've tamed them?

FIELKE: Yeah.

O'NEIL (voice-over): Because of its creative chefs and proximity to South Australia's wine country, Adelaide is becoming known as a great place to eat, especially along Rundle Street (ph) with its lively cafes and wine bars. Another plus, the cultural mix on menus. At the Grange Restaurant in the Adelaide Hilton, chef Cheong Liew from Malaysia often serves dishes inspired by three or four different countries.

CHEONG LIEW, THE GRANGE, ADELAIDE HILTON: Some very well traveled people would really recognize what I'm doing and some of them would say, what is this, you know?

O'NEIL: But Chef Liew doesn't have to go far for his groceries. The bustling Adelaide central market, open since 1869, showcases bounties from the land and the sea.

(on camera): Oh, aren't those beautiful.

(voice-over): Unique to Australia, blue swimmer crabs and on Cheong Liew's shopping list this day, yabbies (ph), described as fresh water lobster.

(on camera): And even if you're just visiting and don't really need to take a pound of fresh fish back to your hotel room, a wander through the central market in Adelaide is a lot more than a tour of local produce.

(voice-over): This is the place to feel like a local. You can taste your way through the 250 booths, wind down with a massage or meet the shop keepers. Tony Marino's Italian sausages are award winning.

(on camera): Ladies and gentlemen, the national sausage king of Australia right here with me.

(voice-over): The food and the fun continue in Adelaide at the Tasting Australia culinary festival to be held again in 2001. Local specialties feed the crowds. How about some oyster soup?

UNIDENTIFIED CHEF: Absolutely wonderful taste. What more can we say? Absolutely fantastic.

O'NEIL: Or maybe some Tasmanian salmon or an emu sausage? It's a seriously big event but the Australian sense of humor is evident everywhere. How do you like this centerpiece? It all culminates in a contest of grills. Chef Andrew Fielke's team won their barbecue battle. But most memorable to all, a new interpretation of Australian prawns on the barbie.

And as our taste tour of Australia continues, we join Stephanie Oswald in the continent red center.

STEPHANIE OSWALD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A day in Australia's outback may satisfy the soul but satisfying the stomach comes down to an outside barbecue in do it yourself style. Barbecuing is one of the country's most popular forms of cooking.

UNIDENTIFIED AUSTRALIAN: Well, it's just, it's bred into us. It's a part of us.

ANDREW NORMAN, EXECUTIVE CHEF, OUTBACK PIONEER HOTEL: Barbecue is just, it's a very easy way of cooking. It's very quick. It's no fuss. It's easy to clean up after yourself and it's very social.

OSWALD: Here at Ayer's Rock Resort they dish out the meat and you do the rest. Everything from kangaroo kebabs to emu sausages.

UNIDENTIFIED COOK: Now he's burning his. Mine's cooked perfectly.

OSWALD: Even if your gourmet could use a little guidance, do it yourself barbecue attracts a host of international visitors especially those who say barbecuing back home is no picnic.

UNIDENTIFIED TOURIST: Not in England. It's raining all the time.

OSWALD: If grilled kangaroo doesn't titillate the taste buds there's fancier fare to be had. This is one of the most famous dining attractions in Alice Springs, located about 300 miles northeast of Ayer's Rock. The Overlanders Steak House is best known for its eclectic menu.

WAYNE KRAFT, OWNER, OVERLANDERS STEAKHOUSE: What we're famous for is the design to provide visitors to central Australia and give Australia the opportunity to trust some of their more exotic meats.

OSWALD (on camera): Even if you're a vegetarian like I am it's still fun to watch everyone else enjoy the Australian specialties. After all, where else can you find a menu that boasts kangaroo, crocodile and camel?

MARK SCHRADER, HEAD CHEF, OVERLANDERS STEAKHOUSE: Camel, it's very, very much like lamb. It has a tendency to taste like lamb. It's a very lean meat.

KRAFT: It's just got the lowest cholesterol and fat levels so it's a healthy meat.

OSWALD: Camel is not only one of the most healthful meats but also one of the heartiest. This camel's leg, affectionately called Jurassic lamb steak, feeds up to 80 people, making it a feast fit for a royal army or an army of tourists who want to put an edible twist on the saying been there, done that.

Stephanie Oswald, CNN Alice Springs, Australia.

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O'NEIL: And stay with us, coming up next, join our taste tour around the world all in one location. We'll sample German bratwurst, English ales and escargot of France, all in one day without a passport.

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UNIDENTIFIED TOURIST: I had French fries.

KAELIN THOMAS-SAMUEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This week's geography quiz is the last in a series that could win you a vacation. Today we ask, when did the islands of the Bahamas gain its independence from Britain? Stay tuned for the answer. Now, details on how you could become a winner.

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O'NEIL: Welcome back to CNN TRAVEL NOW in the cozy corner of an Irish pub called Fedo (ph) in Atlanta. Back in the states now a simple pub lunch of fish and chips brings back memories of Great Britain. And, you know, trying the traditional foods of a nation or a region is one of the reasons that many people travel. It's certainly one of the reasons that the world showcase at Disney's Epcot Center in Orlando puts a big priority on serving authentic cuisines.

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O'NEIL (voice-over): It was Walt Disney's vision of improved living through technology and cultural understanding that led to the 1982 creation of Epcot in Orlando, Florida with its Future World and World Showcase pavilions. The park has been updated to keep pace with what's new, but the real push came in preparation for millennium celebrations which continued daily through January 1st, 2001.

(on camera): And sprucing up for the new millennium includes menu makeovers at Epcot's World Showcase, not to feature futuristic foods but rather to capture the authentic flavors of international cuisine served round the world. Here at Chef de France the new decor and the dishes transport guests to lively restaurants of Paris.

(voice-over): There's escargot, onion soup, classic steak frittes (ph) and regional specialties such as pastas from the south of France and hearty cassoule (ph) from the north.

(on camera): And what did you have for lunch?

UNIDENTIFIED DINER: Oh, we tried snails for the appetizers and I had orange roughy for the main meal. O'NEIL: And how were the snails today?

UNIDENTIFIED DINER: They were good.

UNIDENTIFIED DINER: You know, actually it's wonderful because you do get a little bit of things that you don't know that you've never had before.

JEROME BOCUSE, CHEFS DE FRANCE: And not only by doing a different, by more authentic foods, more regional but also by trading all the ambiance. As you can see the decor, the people and the atmosphere is very French.

O'NEIL: Some guests pretend they're actually in France.

UNIDENTIFIED DINER: Bonjour. Savais? Comment allez-vous?

O'NEIL: Germany's Oktoberfest has added more traditional fare, too.

KRISTINE WEISSMAN, OKTOBERFEST: What I enjoy a lot is bringing basically the authentic German foods back here to the United States.

O'NEIL: And a new addition, Tangerine Cafe in the beautiful Moroccan pavilion, serves North African meals. It's all part of Epcot's discovery experience.

GEORGE KALOGRIDIS, VICE PRESIDENT, EPCOT: So, sometimes it comes in in the form of a little discovery like snails and sometimes it comes in a big discovery about understanding how broadbanding technology is going to change our lives. But the most important thing is that as the guests leave here they feel like they learned or discovered something about this world that they didn't know before.

O'NEIL (on camera): So what other lands do you want to eat in while you're here.

UNIDENTIFIED DINER: I think I'm going to go China.

UNIDENTIFIED DINER: I want to go to Italy.

O'NEIL (voice-over): But rather than country hopping some folks choose to spend their time discovering one place. Certainly it's all about fantasy. But if a trip to Paris isn't a reality enjoying cafe au lait and pastries along the miniature boulevards of Epcot's France can provide a taste of world travel.

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O'NEIL: Next, a visit to the home of sake. We'll show you why so many people are developing a taste for this Japanese tradition.

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(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) ANNOUNCER: If you are interested in having a taste of London, visit Fortnum & Mason online for a likely at a variety of London edibles.

For information on dining spots in south Australia, including food and wine tours, log onto food-fun-wine.

And visit Austria's Alice Springs Web page for a dining guide to some of the eclectic restaurants of that region.

If you want to know more about dining around the world in Epcot, go to disney.com for a description of each restaurant in the World Showcase.

To find out more about types of sake, sake events and how to buy sake online, log onto sakeworld.com.

For all of this information and more visit our Web site at cnn.com/travelnow.

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O'NEIL: Whether it's a trip to Ireland, Italy or Japan, of course there's nothing better than going to the source to learn about traditional food and drink.

Kaelin Thomas-Samuel got a lesson in sake when she visited Japan.

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THOMAS-SAMUEL (voice-over): Japan has given the world technology, fashion, sushi and wines made with rice called sake. It's a drink gaining popularity in the United States.

JIM CARPENT, SIDNEY FRANK IMPORTING COMPANY, INC.: I've seen it grow on an average of 10 to 12 percent a year. What we've really seen is an advent from drinking warm sake to drinking cold sake now.

THOMAS-SAMUEL: At Nickiemoto's in Atlanta, the demand for sake is especially high on dollar sushi night.

UNIDENTIFIED DINER: I like it better than drinking wine or beer.

UNIDENTIFIED DINER: I like the hot sauce.

UNIDENTIFIED DINER: I've never tried it cold. I like the hot better. It just feels so much better on your throat.

THOMAS-SAMUEL (on camera): Though the most popular sake at sushi bars is served warm, premium sake is served chilled. We got a course in the different types of sake on a recent trip to Tokyo.

(voice-over): The Japanese capital is where American sake expert John Gauntner was inspired to write "The Sake Handbook."

JOHN GAUNTNER, AUTHOR, THE SAKE HANDBOOK: You can say there's a lot of run of the mill average sake that's mass produced and not so expensive and can be good. And then there's the higher class of premium sake that probably has about oh, half a dozen classes of sake within that. This is a relatively good sake from Hokaido (ph) and this particular sake is very dry.

THOMAS-SAMUEL (on camera): It's a little strong but I can taste a little fruitiness to it.

GAUNTNER: This is a sake called Mihime (ph). It's from Nagano Prifashi (ph), where the Olympics were. It's probably quite expensive.

THOMAS-SAMUEL (voice-over): For some, sake takes a little getting used to.

UNIDENTIFIED DINER: It's a strange taste. It does kind of taste like warm hair spray. It is acquired but it's, I've always liked it.

BYRON BURROUGHS, BEVERAGE MANAGER, NICKIEMOTO'S: Initially the taste can be a little bit strong if you're not used to it.

THOMAS-SAMUEL: Serious sake lovers are learning that it can be consumed even without Japanese food. And here's a tip, according to Japanese tradition, someone else should always pour your first glass of sake to bring you good luck.

Kaelin Thomas-Samuel, CNN.

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O'NEIL: We hope that you've enjoyed our global taste tour today. I'm Carolyn O'Neil. That's CNN TRAVEL NOW.

On the next CNN TRAVEL NOW, La Dolce Vita, join us as we begin a three part series on the good life in Italy. We go under the Tuscan sun with author Frances May.

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FRANCES MAY: It was a crazy thing to do.

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O'NEIL: Embrace the Italian lifestyle with traditional wines at the Chianti region and delicious authentic meals.

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MAY: This is very simple, fresh vegetables from our vegetable garden.

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O'NEIL: And we'll take it a step further by showing you how to rent your Italian villa. That's next week at 11:00 a.m. Eastern on CNN TRAVEL NOW. TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com