BBC Knowledge June 2017

5 GREAT-TO-KNOW

FACTS ABOUT

ALCATRAZ,

SAN FRANCISCO, THE USA

• Alcatraz was once known to
  be America’s most notorious
  prison. Over three decades – from
  1934 to 1963 – it held the likes
  of mob boss Al Capone and the
  killer ornithologist, Robert Stroud,
  who was nicknamed the ‘Birdman
  of Alcatraz’.


• No prisoners have been known
  to escape by swimming the mile-
  long stretch of freezing water in
  San Francisco Bay between
  the island and the mainland.
  The most famous of the 14 escape
  attempts staged had Frank Morris
  and the Anglin brothers, John
  and Clarence, fashioning dummy
  heads to place on their pillows
  and climbing out onto the roof

in 1962. All three remain

officially missing.

• Food at Alcatraz was supposedly
  the best in the US prison system
  
  
  • to remove one of the common
    excuses for riots. Prisoners could
    eat all they liked, but could not
    waste. Cutlery was counted
    before and after meals to prevent
    inmates from squirrelling away
    potential weapons.
  
  
  
  


• Closed in 1963 because it was too
  expensive to run, Alcatraz is now
  a protected landmark and one of
  the city’s most-visited attractions.


• Each year, over 2,000 athletes
  swim the bay in the Escape
  from Alcatraz Triathlon.

Banh Mi, Vietnam

cooked pork and sausage,

liver paté, grilled chicken,

canned sardines and fried

eggs, garnished with cucumber

slices, chopped coriander, and

shredded and pickled carrots

and radishes. Vegetarian versions

are made at Buddhist temples

for religious events.

A stuffed sandwich found

in Vietnamese bakeries,

the banh mi makes a hearty

snack or a light meal.

A nod to the days of

French colonisation, the

baguette here is made with

rice flour along with the usual

wheat flour. Fillings include

TRAVEL WITH FOOD

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