With the new onslaught of baggage check fees upon us, many people are looking to creative ways to package special items into their carry on. My friend Bruce tried to bring back a cooler full of lobster on one transcon trip a few years back. That ended up tipping over and leaking water all over the guy in front of him.

Something similar happened on Irish carrier Ryanair earlier this month. A passenger trying to transport frozen mushrooms stowed a package in the overhead compartment, but briefly after takeoff the package melted and sauce dripped all over an adjacent passenger.

In this case, however, this passenger had an allergy to the sauce and started to have an adverse reaction. Complaining of problems in his mucous membranes, the passenger became ill and the crew decided to divert into Frankfurt to offload the passenger and send him to the hospital.

Take heed, transporters of food, a little bit of vacuum sealing always helps to keep your food fresh, protected and in its place.

I'm going to really try to not be too snide here, but occasionally one stumbles onto a "travel story" and must let out a little sigh, given all the other possible subjects in the world that might have made a worthy 1000-word feature story.

Forbes Traveler brings us its latest survey of the best restaurants in America to go for...cheese.

I am trying here, dear Gadling readers.

First off, the article by its very existence implies that Americans' knowledge of the cheese world pretty much stops with Kraft Singles. But there is a more sinister implication to such a piece: Is cheese becoming the next arena for the snob?

I make allowances for oenophiles, who can be truly insufferable, simply because I like drinking good wine too much, and if you have one or two in you regular stable of friends you are far more likely to get hooked up with some good stuff free.

Beer fanatics and connoisseurs of other spirits (whiskey, tequila, sake) can be tolerated (same reason as above).

My best friend is somewhat of a "foodie," or so the term goes these days, and yet his exacting standards on many cuisines and restaurants somehow does not allow the overall joy of eating a meal together to seep from the table.

I'm not so willing to accept cheese aficionados into the fold, though.

To be sure, the world of cheese is as varied as that of any specific spirit, with distinct origins, scents and tastes to consider. I even like the cheese plate (or cheese course) that caps off a lot of European meals, though it was hard for me to get used to consuming so much dairy after the real task at hand.

My objection to such a piece is that I feel another snob trend is very much afoot, and I'm not sure there's room for it. (A secondary objection might just rest in the fact that I can't imagine pitching to an editor such an article along the lines of, Hey! Where can you go for the best cheese in America?!)

Cheese snobbery is probably already among us, I realize that. And it will be harder to deal with. After all, the chief antidote for dealing with a drink snob is to, well, drink more. I'm thinking of a Kingsley Amis line right now that says something along the lines that a booze bore begins to make sense after the third round.

So, you can dull your senses in this case.

But what happens when the person across from you has his nose dancing across a piece of smoky Auvergne gaperon? Or English Caerphilly?

Soon, he (or, to be fair, she) will start telling you that the next time you're in Louisville, you must sample Kenny's Kentucky Blue cheese at the venerable Seelbach Hotel. Or that the scrumptious Virginia cheese plate at the Inn at Little Washington is to die for.

What will take the edge off this? Fondue? Hey, it's got schnapps...

Postscript: I didn't pull the above reference of Auvergne gaperon out of my own knowledge of cheese. It's highlighted in the ridiculous Forbes story about cheese I reference, as presented at La Panetière in Rye, N.Y.

The piece says that this noble cheese goes particularly well with "the 1914 Château Latour brought up from the award-winning cellar." If you want more evidence that such silly features are out of touch with most travelers, consider that the wine mentioned goes for, oh, about $3,000.

However, if you're willing to bring me in on that bottle, then I'll listen to you talk about cheese all night long.

If you are looking for an all night party, head for the Twin Cities next weekend.

Seriously. It's the RNC, but even if you are affiliated with another political party, be it of the mainstream or fringe variety, it might be worth the trip.

In a bid to bring more convention dollars into the area, St. Paul's city council decided to allow bars to stay open until 4 a.m. That's two hours past the usual last call. The catch: the bars would have to pay a hefty fee to the city.

But, because there haven't been many owners willing to pay, Saint Paul is consider lowering or even waving the fee.

Yes, you're right. That means there will be plenty of places where you can play drinking games with Wolf Blitzer and hit on Mrs. McCain until 4 in the morning.

But the scene in MSP isn't really about politics. It's about more important things like patios, nice weather and beer.

The Twin Cities are full of beer lovers and therefore, a good brew is never far away. Sure, the hard bitten political journalists might stay with the usual low-ball of scotch, but there are plenty of spots with local microbrews and Belgian beers with easily mispronounced names on tap.

And, because it's early fall, the weather is neither hot and mosquito-infested nor freezing. Drinking on the patio is a favored local pastime at places like The Happy Gnome (pictured). Hopefully, convention-goers won't be taking over places like this. Maybe, just maybe, they'll simply be joining in the fun.

When I read Meg's article about the largest burger in the world, I remembered seeing a photo last year of another burger that somehow got stuck in my head. May I present, the "Krispy Kreme Bacon Cheeseburger".

I'm not afraid of trying something really unhealthy and I grew up in the village where the deep fried Mars bar was invented, but this just seems too much, even for me.

Sadly, you won't be able to savor the delicate aroma of deep fried glazed yeast rings covered with bacon, cheese and meat, as they are only served at the staff restaurant of Google headquarters in Mountain View, California.

So, if you found this on the menu, would you go for it, or is this the kind of food you'd only consider at 3AM after a night of heavy drinking?

More Gadling burger articles:





(Krispy Kreme burger image source, Flickr user ccaviness)

Gwyneth Paltrow, celebrity chef Mario Batali, food book author and New York Times food columnist Mark Bittman, and Spanish actress Claudia Bassols (who *gasp*doesn't have a Wikipedia page!) will star in a show called "Spain...On The Road Again", documenting their travels across Spain.

I like all these celebrities but would watch it just for Paltrow, who by the way sounds like she speaks fluent Spanish. The show is food-centric so they really couldn't have chosen a better country to start than Spain.

I'm a bit disappointed with the name of the show though: 1) Extremely uncreative ("On The Road" are probably the 3 most commonly used words in travel, and, being a food/travel show, you'd think there would be some reference to that in the title, 2) Why the "again"?

Anyway, what's in a name, eh? It's a 13 part series that was shot in 2 months across the country. You can watch a sneak preview of the show here.

Sometimes I wish I was an actor just so I could have my own travel show when I felt like it. No, vlogging is not the same. Sigh.

Location: It's about time, Mr. Bourdain. Tony makes a culinary pilgrimage to one of Europe's, and arguably the world's, most famous culinary destinations of the moment: Spain. It is a country that is thoroughly grounded in the cuisine of tradition yet remarkably forward-thinking in its gastronomic outlook.

Episode Rating: Four and a half bloody meat cleavers (out of five). I'm sorry, perhaps I'm biased, but it's hard to characterize an episode that features such fascinating, delicious, forward-thinking food as anything but awesome. If you've seen any episodes of Bourdain's previous show, A Cook's Tour, then you'll know why this works so well. It's enjoyable without trying too hard.

Summary: Spain is a country with a cooking style that is thoroughly traditional - we are talking after all about an area of culture that dates all the way back to the ancient Romans, Greeks and beyond. Yet recent years have seen the rise of a very different and highly original brand of cuisine that defies easy convention. Famous chefs like Ferran Adria have pushed what was once one of Europe's best-kept culinary secrets into the pantheon of global "foodie hotspots." in much the same way that people have long romanticized France or Italy, Spain is now arguably just as well-known for its local and delcious food culture. Tony comes to Spain expecting to be wowed and rediscovers a country that does not disappoint.

Next week, an estimated 70,000 out-of-towners are expected to descend on Denver, Colorado for the 2008 Democratic National Convention.

Thousands of political activists will arrive hungry for change and hungry for dinner. And what better appetizer than the official food of American politics: freedom fries. (But they're still called French Fries everywhere outside of the Capitol building.)

Denver Westword has just announced its 2008 Best Of Denver awards, including the category for Best French Fries in the city. The winner is Encore Restaurant located at 2550 E. Colfax Avenue. Encore's eclectic menu features mid- to high-end American fare, including the townspeople's favorite fries: "perfectly cooked, heavily salted shoestrings that are unbelievably addictive - particularly hit with a drizzle of spicy mustard that's just one step (heat-wise) below that stuff you get in Chinese restaurants and about ten times more delicious than a squirt of French's could ever be," according to Westword.

For more dining favorites in Denver, view the entire list of Best Of winners here, or check out the DNC's dining guide here.

L.A. might be a sprawling and frustrating city, but one thing is for sure: when in the City of Angels, you will always be within walking distance of a fast food joint.

These bastions of greasy cuisine have spread at such an alarming rate that, last year, some people were considering stopping fast food expansion by denying licenses to would-be restaurants.

Well, the unthinkable has come to pass. Recently, L.A.'s city council decided to put a stop to the growing fast food restaurant industry in South Los Angeles by not allowing new restaurants to open.

The council cited health concerns as the reason for their decision. They hope that the temporary ban will lead to more healthy eating options. These are currently lacking in many of the South's poorer neighborhoods.

However, the numerous fast food shacks already in operation will remain open. So the law will stop the spread of fast food eateries, but it is not a quick fix.

Some people are quick to criticize the decision, saying that the city should not try to control people's dining choices. Others say that the moratorium might also stop the expansion of restaurants that are branded fast food even though they don't even have a deep fat fryer. Apparently, the council's decision will affect storefront taco stands as well.

Don't expect the debate to stop anytime soon.

Have you ever heard of Clearfield, Pennsylvania? Neither have I. But it's not much of a detour off Interstate 80, right in the center of the state, and the little town has a pretty amusing claim to fame.

Denny's Beer Barrel Pub in Clearfield is the home of the world's largest hamburgers. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, here is where you'll find the "largest hamburger commercially available," and if you can finish it, you'll have a place in the record books, too.

Owner Denny Liegey has been challenging customers with his behemoth burgers since the early 1990's. The pub challenges begin with a 2-pound burger, which seems tiny compared to 3, 6, and 15-pound versions. Those who finish their burgers (one challenger per burger, or two for the 15-pound "belly buster," and there's a time limit, of course) get their name and picture in the restaurant's hall of fame, as well as a t-shirt, certificate of completion, and a discount on their bill.

According to Denny, only one person has ever conquered the "Ye Olde 96er," which is 6 pounds of beef and 9 pounds altogether. This challenger was just "a little, skinny college girl from Princeton!"

The largest burger ever cooked at Denny's was the 123-pound monster pictured above. Read more about how Denny makes his giant burgers here.

So, do you think you could eat the world's largest burger? Perhaps a better question is why would you want to try?

The big burgers require several hours of preparation time, so if you're going to take on the challenge, call ahead. Good luck!

Yesterday afternoon I was on a WiFi quest with no luck, so here's the
Take FIVE a day later.

While I was on my WiFi quest with no luck, Gadling welcomed a new blogger. Meg Massie has an interesting way to get around the world. Her husband is a professional bridge player. Meg travels for other reasons too. Bridge is just one of them.

Along with the welcome addition of Meg, there have been a mix of culture related posts from entertainment to food, plus, there is a new feature thread called Gadling Covers the Olympics.

From the humor angle: If you missed Jerry's post on Stephen Colbert's tour of the Cantons of America, here it is. Along with poking fun at Canton, Ohio (on the list of the top five cities that are dying in the United States), Colbert also pokes fun at other towns called Canton.

• From the gastronomic angle:Jefferey lamented the absence of his beloved döner, Turkish kebabs from Concierge.com's list of the world's best street foods
• From the cinematical angle: Josh pointed out the popularity of Indian musical movies in Africa and wonders how much Bollywood will take over Hollywood's place here.
• From the musical angle: Aaron pointed us in the direction of Asian music that has gained a following
• And, from a capturing an aspect of culture yourself angle: Scott posted on great price on a Fuji camera.