- Instant noodles are only for first-class passengers now. Korean Air will no longer serve ramen in its economy class on long flights beginning Aug. 15, due to a high risk of burn accidents during instances of turbulence, which the company said increased twofold between Q1 2024 and Q1 2019. It will still be available in prestige and first-class cabins, where, according to the airline, the burn risk from hot water splashing around is lower, since those passengers aren’t crammed together like clowns in a car.
- In Germany, weekslong spa retreats are just what the doctor ordered for some lucky but burned-out parents. The unique medical treatment — a four-week, all-inclusive parent-child retreat, often by the sea or in the mountains — is offered at 150+ clinics throughout the country and typically covered by insurance. Doctors prescribe them to people who display symptoms like irritability, constant exhaustion, and insomnia. Germans are entitled to them once every four years, though, unsurprisingly, waitlists are long.
- If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em? Boston is embracing its rat problem with its first official Rat Walk. Dozens participated in last week’s walk to explore the city’s rattiest neighborhood, Allston, which residents have dubbed “rat city.” The inaugural event, organized by Rat City Art Festival and led by the festival’s “director of rat education,” aimed to highlight the local rat problem and educate residents about their rodent neighbors, who they’ve apparently accepted aren’t moving any time soon. Meanwhile: NYC, which is taking a different approach with its own rat problem, is embracing the rats of the sky: A 16-foot-tall pigeon sculpture will soon grace the city’s High Line Plinth.
- Chess: It’s all fun and games until your opponent tries to poison you. Amina Abakarova, a Russian chess player who was caught on camera smearing a mercury-laced substance on her opponent’s chess pieces at a recent tournament, is being investigated for attempted poisoning. She faces criminal charges if found guilty and a potential lifetime ban by the Russian Chess Federation, to which we say: only “potential”?? Despite initially falling ill, her opponent is thankfully OK.
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Weird Week
