The Amazing Race: But Salted Herring and Onions Look Delicious, Matt!

We've all mentioned this in one way or another, but one of the things I love about The Amazing Race is the way we get to travel around the world without having to get off our couches.  Of course, nothing beats the real thing, but watching the show beats reading all those Lonely Planet guides, trying to imagine the actual place, which is what I did when I was in high school.

Of course, when you read those guides, you only find out what's there, not get to do it.  For example, I've read all those Hong Kong pamphlets since I was a kid, but never did I imagine that the weather there is cold and many of the trendy kids there wear leather boots--until I got there myself.  The closest we get there is, of course, watching the race, seeing cultures fly and people buckle badly.