Many nations have a favourite sandwich – see the Polish sandwich, above, at Le Bristol, Warsaw. In Paris, the forever-missed Lionel Poilâne, global king of rough sourdough, in 1992 persuaded Alain Ducasse and other French culinary luminaries to design fillings for a bi-centenary commemoration of the death of the Earl of Sandwich. In the USA, pastrami on rye is a national treasure: Anthony Bourdain thought some of the best were from Pastrami Queen on Manhattan’s Upper East Side: that place now offers a do-it-yourself, within the US mainland – Pastrami Queen Sandwich Kit, $89 per person, www.goldbelly.com – another addict raves, ‘The pastrami is evenly marbled with fat, well-brined, and has a stronger pepper flavor, which results in a meat so tender you can nudge it apart with the tap of your finger. Details matter, too: The seeded rye is always soft, the mustard not too sharp, and the pickles snappy and crisp.’
**
How well, or more well, will pounds of pastrami make you? West Palm Beach-based International Healthcare Research Center IHRC’s 2020-2021 Medical Tourism Index MTI ranks as top medical tourism destinations: Canada, Singapore, Japan, Spain, United Kingdom, Dubai, Costa Rica, Israel, Abu Dhabi, and India (these are assessed by criteria as Destination Attractiveness, and Quality of Care. The MTI is a unique survey tool for healthcare destinations looking for the industry equivalent of performance review, says Renée-Marie Stephano, one of the developers of the Index.
**
How many passports does a Girlahead need? London-based www.henleyglobal.com has, since 1997, been helping people latch on to another nation. Led by two Swiss lawyers, Chairman Christian Kälin and CEO Juerg Steffen, Henley & Partners apparently sees growing interest in countries that have impressed with their handling of Covid-19. Perhaps New Zealand’s luxury hotels should be preparing for extra business while those passport seekers sort out their own ongoing batch. Henley & Partners has also been thought to have worked, in the past, with the governments of Antigua and Barbuda, Austria, Australia, Cyprus, Greece, Grenada, Malta, Montenegro, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, and Thailand.