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 Eat, Drink -- and Watch Movies(and don’t forget to ski) Vail thrills with its understated yet upscale chicness, its gorgeous back bowls that flow like a sea of snow, and its Bavarian spirit. But this April, two festivals -- held on the same weekend for the first time ever -- give us two more reasons to head for the hills. -- Becca Hensley TASTE OF VAIL Join guest chefs from 35 restaurants and sommeliers from more than 50 wineries for an elegantly paced feeding frenzy. Foodies participating in Taste of Vail can flock to any of a plethora of events hosted by cuisine luminaries such as Tony Aiazzi of Aureole in New York, Joseph Manzare of San Francisco’s Zuppa, and homeboy Curtis Lincoln of the legendary Brown Palace in Denver. Highlights include: The Kickoff Touted as the “coming of the lamb,” the fourth annual Lamb Cook-off invites Vail Valley chefs to step up to the grill with their lamb creations. You can taste their creative interpretations, which will be complemented by wines selected by winery owners from around the world. The Picnic Get thee to Eagle’s Nest atop Vail Mountain to watch chefs compete in a picnic-off that takes place in a hand-built snow arena. That’s right -- this daylong event pits chef against chef in order to determine the finest picnic fare. Don’t miss the igloo martini bar. The Finale This Big Daddy spread, hosted by the Vail Marriott Mountain Resort & Spa, features samples from all the restaurants and wineries participating in the fest. Stick around after dinner and dance away all those calories to the tunes of the Harry Baxter Band.  Taste of Vail
April 2 through 5
Four-day pass: $420
(includes 14 events)
www.tasteofvail.com
VAIL FILM FESTIVAL After enjoying sustenance of the edible kind, go for some intellectual stimulation of the film-reel sort. This festival provides a forum for independent filmmakers of every mode to present their latest productions of shorts, student films, features, sports, and more. (Expect 75 screenings in four days.) Also scheduled are classes, brunches, live music, winter-film-themed activities, and panel discussions. Among those honored last year: Harold Ramis, who received the 2007 Gold Summit Award for Contribution to Film, and Hayden Panettiere, for Breakthrough Actor of the Year. Past Film Premieres and Winners Rent (and watch) these movies before going to this year’s fest -- after all, you want people to think you’re in the loop, right? My Date with Drew (2004 Best Documentary, stars Brian Herzlinger and Drew Barrymore) Before Sunset (2004, stars Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy) House of D (2004, stars David Duchovny, Téa Leoni, and Robin Williams) The Wendell Baker Story (2005 Best Feature, stars Andrew Wilson and Owen Wilson) Two Tickets to Paradise (2007 Audience Choice Award, stars D.B. Sweeney, John McGinley, and Paul Hipp) Knocked Up (2007, stars Katherine Heigl and Seth Rogen) New This Year: (RED) Vision Short Film Category Bono (front man of U2) and Bobby Shriver are continuing their quest to save Africa through their (RED) organization. As such, they’ve partnered with the Vail Film Festival and created a category for which filmmakers are asked to explore the core values of (RED) through a three-to-10- minute film that uses one of these two (RED) themes: “We are the people we’ve been waiting for” and “Be a good-looking Samaritan.” The films are also supposed to be optimistic, smart, irreverent, and authentic -- not elitist, violent, overtly political, and angry. Guess that means Michael Moore is out. A Nice Touch: Activities are scheduled for the late afternoon and the evening, so you’ll be able to take advantage of the deeply discounted ski tickets available and enjoy the snow during the day. Vail Film
Festival
April 3 through 6
Tickets: $50 to $1,000
www.vailfilmfestival.org
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ENJOY A GLASS -- OR 8
 Adam’s Ale (Definition: water)
Move over wine, because water’s bubbling up the beverage ladder with an equal amount of epicurean snobbery. -- Kristine Hansen
Michael Mascha’s book Fine Waters: A Connoisseur’s Guide to the World’s Most Distinctive Bottled Waters (Quirk Books) provides as much detail (minerality, hardness, food pairings) as you’d find on the label of a Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. Mascha has even developed a four-level rating system, from Still to Bold. “Water is not just a commodity. It should be treated as a product with natural terroir,” Mascha says. Case in point: the Restaurant at the Setai in Miami Beach recently introduced a water-pairing menu. “If you want to be a top-end hotel or restaurant, you also have to pay attention to the water, giving more options than still or sparkling.” Other offerings could include rainwater (Tasmania is one great source for this), springwater (free-flowing water), artesian water (which flows from underground to the surface under natural pressure, without having to be pumped), and glacier iceberg water. There are about 3,000 brands of water from all over the world on the market, and in 2007 the industry was a $10 billion business, up from $5 billion in 2000. To branch out from the usual, sip heavier mineral waters -- those with up to 3,000 milligrams of mineral per liter -- as they more accurately express the terroir. Or, try these suggestions from Mascha. Antipodes (springwater, New Zealand) This water spends 50 years under pressure in an aquifer that’s 500 to 1,000 feet underground, and it surfaces with a low mineral content and a neutral taste. The modern bottle is modeled after New Zealand sherry and beer bottles. Light bubbles ensure that this water pairs well with all kinds of food. People who usually don’t like sparkling water will want to give this one, which has a soft effervescence, a try. $3. www.antipodes.co.nz Lauquen (artesian water, Patagonia) Lauquen begins as ice and rain in the Andes, bearing low mineral content and a neutral pH. But after traveling up 1,500 feet from the aquifer under its own pressure, the water surfaces at 39 degrees Fahrenheit and with unique mineral content. $3. www.lauquenwater.com  Aquadeco (springwater, Canada)
The aquifer supplying Aquadeco was created during the last ice age (about 18,000 years ago). The art deco bottle is made in Slovenia by a company that has produced fine glass for more than 600 years. $8. www.aquadecowater.com Cape Grim (rainwater, Tasmania) This is a soft, very neutral-tasting water. Air pollution is nearly nonexistent in northwest Tasmania’s Cape Grim, and clean air means unpolluted rain, which falls on the cold, remote, rocky site of the Cape Grim Water Company for about 185 days per year. This water pairs well with subtle flavors; try it with sushi and sashimi. $12. www.capegrim.com.au Iskilde (springwater, Denmark) Iskilde means “cold spring” in Danish. The spring was discovered in 2001 in the Danish Lake Highlands’ Mosso Reservation area. The classic Scandinavian bottle design is elegant and functional. The water’s nice minerality works well with food and red wine. $3. www.iskilde.dk
The Life Aquatic
“Water: H20=Life,” at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City through May 26, explores issues such as the need for clean, plentiful water; water shortages; restoring ecosystems; New York City stewards of water (from Savoy co-owner Peter Hoffman to a homeowner collecting water in a rain barrel); and how animals and plants rely on water. $22 Also occuring this May is the first annual Premium Water Summit, which will convene in Barcelona and feature various panel discussions as well as a water-tasting event. The mission on tap? A plan to create a premium water society. Face Value » Celebrity endorsements can help sell any product, including water. Last year, Jennifer Aniston emerged as the face for Glacéau Smartwater. Leonardo DiCaprio’s short film Water Planet took a look at water shortages and pressed for better conservation. And Sarah Jessica Parker hosted a UNICEF event that urged for increasing worldwide standards for tap water. How to Serve It » Unlike wine, water does not need air -- but it still demands an ideal glass for sipping. Pour it into a straight-sided, narrow glass. This is especially crucial with a sparkling water, so as to enjoy the bubbles. Mascha, who is developing a line of glasses exclusively for drinking water, suggests Bottega del Vino’s hand-blown crystal water glass ($40).
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DON’T BE PREDICTABLE
The Way We’re Wired Dan
Ariely, PhD, the Alfred P. Sloan professor of behavioral economics at
MIT, spends plenty of time studying what makes people tick. If you
really want to know why you can’t save money or stick to that diet, or
why you bought the wrong car (or married the wrong person), check out
his new book Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions (HarperCollins, $26). -- Chris Tucker  What’s the most important difference between traditional economics and behavioral economics? Conventional
economics assumes that we are all rational. It assumes that every time
we face a choice, we consider all the available options, perform a
cost-benefit analysis, and follow the best possible path of action.
Behavioral economics says that we act irrationally again and again
because that’s how our brains are wired. So, we make mistakes and work
against our own interests.
That seems a bit depressing. Yes,
but only by truly understanding our irrationality can we think about
how to fix it. That’s the great hope of behavioral economics. You write that we are “pawns in a game whose forces we largely fail to comprehend.” What are some of those forces? We’re
all like Jekyll and Hyde, and we all underpredict the effect of emotion
and passion. Think of road rage, or couples who fight and say awful
things. When we’re in the cold state, we don’t understand the hot
state. If you think about it from an evolutionary perspective, emotions
were designed to eliminate thinking. You’re in the jungle. You see a
tiger. You don’t want to stand there thinking, Should I run? You want emotion to take over and execute a plan of action. Many
of your experiments (see “Testing the Theory,” below) reveal how cues
from the environment affect our decisions. What lessons do you draw
from that? We should alter our environment to improve our
behavior, rather than relying on just “being reasonable.” Consider
reckless teen drivers, for instance. Cars could be designed so that the
parents get a phone call if the teen drives fast or wild. Or, we could
have a self-control credit card that limits purchases on clothing or
eating out. You would design penalties for exceeding the limits. Maybe
your spouse or a neighbor would be notified, or a donation would be
sent to some designated group. Testing the Theory To demonstrate the tricks our minds play on us, Ariely conducted a few fascinating experiments. Behold the results. To demonstrate the power of suggestion and price, Ariely
and his colleagues set up a fake testing facility. They asked different
groups to undergo a series of electric shocks. The groups then took a
pain reliever called Veladone-RX and got the shocks again. Some
participants were told the pills cost $2.50 each. Others were told they
cost just 10 cents each. Result: Almost all the subjects reported pain
relief from the pills that cost $2.50. Only half of those taking the
10-cent pills felt better. The kicker: The pills were vitamin C
tablets. To show how marketers manipulate us with the “free” option, Ariely
offered people the choice of a high-quality Lindt chocolate truffle for
15 cents or a plain-Jane Hershey’s Kiss for one cent. At that price, 73
percent chose the truffle and 27 percent went for the Kiss. But when
the price was dropped to 14 cents per truffle and the Kisses were
marked as free, 69 percent of the subjects took the Kiss instead of the
truffle -- even though the price gap between the two candies was still
the same, 14 cents. As Ariely notes, the temptation of getting
something for free can overwhelm logic. To measure how expectations shape our perceptions, hundreds
of students did a taste test of two unidentified beers, one of which
contained several drops of balsamic vinegar. The majority of the
students who were not told about the secret ingredient said the
vinegar-tainted beer tasted best. Students who were told in advance
about the vinegar wrinkled their noses and picked the other beer.
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LISTEN UP
Buying Power
Music
and movie aficionados can unearth a treasure trove of exotic products
on foreign shores. The trick, though, is to be aware of what you’re
getting -- and to make sure it’s the best deal possible. So, all you
culture mavens who love scouring entertainment bins worldwide, here’s
what you need to know. -- Bryan Reesman
 CDs are universal: You
can buy a CD anywhere in the world and play it at home, and doing your
homework can help you avoid paying more than you should for certain
releases. New CDs in Europe average €15 to €17, which equals
approximately $21 to $25. Japanese CDs are more expensive. Before you
leave for your trip, or if possible at your hotel, check out websites
like Amazon, CD Universe, Deep Discount, and CMdistro.com (for fans of
heavy metal) to see if they have better deals on the titles you want.
That said, if you’re looking for country-specific acts like Rosenstolz
in Germany, the B’z in Japan, or Grégory Lemarchal in France, you’re
more likely to get a better deal in their homeland (at least in
European countries) rather than buying imports online, which can cost
between $25 and $40. Plus, older catalog titles overseas will also
probably cost less.
DVDs are not universal: There
are six regions for DVDs around the world, mainly to combat piracy. So,
unless you own an all-region player (which retail for as little as $80)
or know how to hack your DVD player to convert it to all-region, be
careful if a DVD is not listed as Region 0 (all players) or Region 1
(United States). Your PC, on the other hand, should be able to play
discs from any country, assuming it plays DVDs at all. It’s a general
rule of thumb that if a country sells domestic titles in its original
language, you probably won’t easily find them at home. Granted, many
Spanishlanguage titles have recently made their way to the States, as
have foreign-film winners and candidates for the Oscars, but there is a
world of viewing in other countries that’s not available here. Once
again, a quick online search can help you determine availability.
Vinyl lives on: Yes,
LPs are alive and well, and you can find them everywhere. The chance to
track down overseas releases with different covers, track order, and
even different songs makes it fun to hunt for vinyl. But remember,
records are much heavier and more fragile to pack, so either choose
judiciously or, if money is no object, think about sending some home
with an international shipper (e.g., FedEx, UPS). It won’t be cheap,
but it will be worth it when your precious vinyls arrive in one piece.
Primo condition? A
word of warning when purchasing music and movies overseas -- many of
the containers will be open, whether the product is new or used. Only
the packaging is in the bins, and the discs are stored behind the
counter (this almost always applies to music). Ask to inspect any
unwrapped CDs and DVDs before purchasing them so you can be sure they
are not scratched. If you have a laptop or a portable CD player, it
might also be good to test the discs once you buy them, just to make
sure they aren’t defective. Better to know now than to wait until
you’re home and can’t do anything about it.
Dig the Bins of these Entertainment EmporiumsA&B Sound (Alberta and British Columbia, Canada): Small chain with reasonable prices and a good catalog, particularly for Canadian albums you can’t get in the States. www.absound.ca Cover Schallplatten (Berlin, Germany): If
you’re looking for CDs, live DVDs, calendars, T-shirts, and 30,000-plus
45s (old-school singles), then you must discover Cover. Kurfürstendamm
11, 011-49-30-88-550130 El Corte Inglés (Spain): This department store has a surprisingly diverse catalog with some good sale prices. www.elcorteingles.es
Fopp (England): A British mini-chain, Fopp
has a great selection -- from Black Sabbath to Tangerine Dream -- of
budget-priced CDs (many at $10) that are cheaper than in the States. www.fopp.com Free Record Shop (Belgium, Netherlands, and Norway): A pretty good mix of music and movies at
| standard prices. Lots of homeland releases as well. (But no, it’s not really free.) www.freerecordshop.com Media Markt (Belgium, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Spain, and Sweden): This massive chain offers a good selection of mainstream fare. www.mediamarkt.de Music & Video Exchange (England): Looking
for CDs, vinyl, DVDs, and VHS? Dive into the eclectic bins at any of
this store’s locations, with numerous spots in London, including six offshoots in Notting Hill that deal in specific genres. www.mveshops.co.uk Tsutaya (Japan): The store has more than 1,000 locations, so you’re bound to find one. Yeah, it’s a megachain, but they’re superconvenient. www.tsutaya.co.jp/index.zhtml World of Music (Germany): Kind
of like the German version of Tower, they are stocked full of music,
movies, and magazines. New CDs can be pricey, but their back catalog is
good. www.wom.de
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