The Associated Press has concluded that the $97 per passport fee that the State Department has been charging is higher than the cost of processing passports.
Over the past year, as the government issued nearly 14 million new passports, it collected at least $111 million more in fees than its stated costs for processing passports, says the AP.
The State Department may have "profited" from the overcharges, using the extra income to pay for other expenses. This profit, or overcharge, may have been at least $14 per passport.
What do you think about passport costs?
EARLIER About 100 readers sound off about whether Americans should need passports to visit Canada.
A Chinese feast for all the senses
One of the things I've noticed as the editor of our Trip Coach column is that regardless of who's traveling or where they're going, the couples and families we send on trips eventually ask the same question: Where should we eat? I get it. Food matters—the way it brings people together, gives us insight into other cultures, reminds us to slow down, or, when it's really good, completely stops us in our tracks. This is never more true than when we travel. If you're like me, your answer to the "how was your trip?" question inevitably comes around to the food: the perfect crêpe with Nutella in France; the käsekrainer (cheese-stuffed sausage) and hot spiced wine that kept you warm during a sub-zero Christmas fair in Vienna; the delicious, stick-to-your-ribs marathon dinners your Hungarian hostess prepared to fatten you up. What we eat, and whom we eat it with, shapes our trip and, ultimately, our impression of the place. I'm thinking about all of this because a of cookbook that hits bookstore shelves on Wednesday, Nov. 8: My China: A Feast for All the Senses, by Kylie Kwong (Viking Studio; recently $37 from Amazon.com). It's gorgeous and full of really amazing-looking recipes, but that is true for a lot of cookbooks. What I love about this one is that it recognizes that food and place are inextricably linked. The author—whom my editor tells me has a great restaurant in Sydney—traveled to ten cities in China and Tibet for her research, and she devotes a good chunk of the book to recounting her journey. Among the recipes for dumplings, rice congee, and soy-braised pork belly, we get her observations about the people, the history, and the culture of China and Tibet. (If Kwong weren't a good writer, this wouldn't work, but she is, so it does.) There are also pages and pages of stunning photographs—of the dishes, of course, but also of people, landscapes, markets, and street scenes. My China is food the way it should be: a really important part of a much bigger picture. Here's one of the recipes I'm dying to try: Rare Beef and King Prawn Salad with Soft-Boiled Eggs [From My China: A Feast for All the Senses, by Kylie Kwong. Slightly re-formatted from the book version.] Marinade »2 garlic cloves, finely chopped »1 inch piece ginger, finely chopped »2 tablespoons brown sugar »1/4 cup shao hsing cooking wine »1 tablespoon light soy sauce »1 teaspoon sesame oil Combine all marinade ingredients in a bowl. Then add: »10 oz. best-quality beef fillet Mix well. Cover, place in refrigerator, and leave to marinate for 1 hour. Remove beef from marinade and sear on a hot grill pan or in a heavy-based frying pan for 4 minutes, then turn over and cook for 2 minutes on the other side. Transfer to a plate, cover loosely with foil, and allow to rest for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, combine all salad and herb leaves in a bowl. »1 handful watercress »1 handful baby spinach »1 handful mint leaves »1 handful cilantro »1 handful Vietnamese mint leaves »2 tablespoons peanut oil »8 uncooked jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined but with tails left intact »2 free-range eggs, soft-boiled and peeled Next, combine all dressing ingredients in another bowl and mix well. Dressing »1 tablespoon brown sugar »2 tablespoons light soy sauce »1 tablespoon brown rice vinegar »1/2 teaspoon sesame oil »1/3 cup best-quality extra virgin olive oil Heat oil in a hot frying pan or wok and sear prawns for 2-3 minutes on each side, or until golden and cooked. Remove and drain on kitchen paper. Toss salad with a third of the dressing and transfer to a serving platter. Cut beef into 1/4-inch slices and arrange over salad, along with prawns. Carefully cut eggs in half and place on top of salad, then drizzle with remaining dressing and serve immediately. Serves 4 as a starter. * Vietnamese mint, also know as laksa leaf, can be found at Asian supermarkets; if it is unavailable, just add a little more cilantro and mint to the salad. MORE FOR FOODIES Simple Paella Recipe from the classic Spanish cookbook 1080 Recipes, newly in English translation this month.. Vietnam: Stealing Buddha's Dinner Eating on tour with the lead singer of Franz Ferdinand Montreal: The favorite restaurants of the bloggers behind "An Endless Banquet."
Best economy-class seats yet?
Cathay Pacific is adding better seats to its airplanes. On Oct. 18, the airline began offering these seats on its daily flights out of San Francisco. [Update 11/6: A Cathay Pacific spokesperson now says that the San Francisco flights will begin to offer these seats in March 2008.] On Nov. 16, it will add the seats to its flights out of New York City to Hong Kong. Last week, I got my first look at 'em. In economy-class, the most important new feature is that the seats no longer recline backward at an angle. Instead, the seats have cushions that slide down and recline into the shell of the seat. This is good news if you're someone who hates it when the passenger in front of you reclines his or her seatback into your space. But the legroom (called "seat pitch") remains the same: 32 inches. Tall passengers may find that Cathay Pacific's seat cushions now slightly move one's legs forward. However, airline spokespeople say this shouldn't be a problem. The seat frame and structure has been designed to max out knee and shin clearance by stripping out the awkward fixtures and fittings that jam up against the kneecaps on many airline seats. Another change: The pocket (or netting) that's used for storing magazines and other items has been moved by designers from underneath the tray table to underneath your seat, lessening the chance that your legs will touch it. Here are some other perks of the economy-class seats: Each seat comes with an eyeglass holder, which is a real boon if you wear specs and have had to store them while sleeping mid-flight. Each seat also comes with a 110-volt standard electric socket. As a standard feature, a coat-hook is also offered. Most important for some travelers, the seatback TV screen is nine-inches, somewhat larger than Cathay Pacific's previous standard for economy class. Each seat also has a three-point belt, which means that it will be much more obvious to flight attendants passing through the aisles whether your seat buckle is fastened. Today, the industry standard is, of course, the two-point belt. If you toss a blanket over top of your two-point belt while you're sleeping, you hide it from the flight attendant, who may have to disturb you to check to see that it is belt buckled during the flight. Not all Cathay Pacific flights have these seats, but they are being rolled out to all flights to-and-from the U.S. by May 2008. THE REAL DEAL This year, Cathay Pacific upgraded its famous All Asia Pass, enabling you to visit roughly two-dozen cities in 21 days. The pass includes travel to 23 cities in Cambodia, Thailand, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, and Vietnam. It costs $1,599. If you sign up for the airline's e-newsletter, you can qualify for a $200 discount for departures on certain days of the week. Additional airport taxes and fees are roughly $54 for the U.S. as well as from $20 to $80 for each foreign destination. The pass must be booked through a travel agent, who will likely charge a fee. EARLIER: Worst new idea in seating? Face-to-face seatbacks.
Windjammer cancellations continue
Windjammer Barefoot Cruises has long been known for a party-hearty philosophy (its first boat was named Hangover). But the company has recently been hit by various financial problems, as covered in a recent Budget Travel feature story. This morning, the Miami Herald reported that Windjammer has officially canceled Legacy's November 3 and November 10 cruises. The company now says it will resume its voyages—which haven't sailed in weeks—on November 17. [via Miami Herald.] EARLIER: Windjammer hits a rough patch. ADVICE What to do if your tour operator goes out of business. Photo by Digitalfilmphoto via Flickr and Creative Commons
