North Korean leader Kim Jong Un may allow a "Western hamburger franchise" into the country as a show of goodwill to the United States, according to an intelligence report described by US officials to NBC.PHOTO: AFP

WASHINGTON (WASHINGTON POST) - It is little more than a footnote in the back-and-forth over the planned North Korea summit - but the rumour of a McDonald's in Pyongyang is juicier than a three-patty Big Mac.

Lunchtime in Taipei’s Ximending district is a test of wills and patience as tourists and locals jostle at restaurants and street stalls to choose between steamed and fried dumplings, flat and thin noodles, stuffed pancakes, grills and desserts.

It’s no secret that there has been a global shift towards healthy snacking. Just walk through the aisle of your local supermarket’s snack section and you’ll begin to see chips that are ‘made from all natural ingredients’, ‘no GMOs’ and ‘no preservatives, additives or artificial colouring’. These are just some of the claims slapped across in near billboard fashion on the labels of these snack foods.

MELBOURNE: The durian's strong odour may put some people off, but Peter Denison of the Foreigner Brewing Company smelled another possibility: Using the fruit as an ingredient in beer.

With its unique mix of cultures, languages and religions, Kuala Lumpur often gets described by locals as a ‘big melting pot’, where different traditions are openly celebrated.

The melting pot is also often more literal than metaphorical in Malaysia’s biggest city and capital. “Food is always the quickest way to get acquainted with a culture, and what food in Malaysia tells us is that an ethnic mix of Chinese, Indian and Malay can work, really well,” said Jeff Ramsey, a Michelin star chef from Babe restaurant based in Kuala Lumpur. But the food here takes on its very own distinct flavour that can’t be found anywhere else. “For example, when eating a large spread of Chinese food here, you won't taste much that you can find in China, if at all,” he said.