There's more to becoming a beer expert than just drinking a lot.

We've put together a list of four great books that will teach you everything you need to know about beer, from how to taste to how to brew it.

If you already know loads about beer, we recommend gifting one of these books to a friend or loved one.

Bottoms up!

"Tasting Beer: An Insider's Guide to the World's Greatest Drink" by Randy Mosher

There's a difference between drinking beer and drinking beer. This book will teach you the latter.

By reading this book, you'll learn how to identify scents, colors, flavors, and mouth-feel of major beer styles. It covers everything from German ales to Belgian Dubbels to American craft brews.

"Very well written, a fun and informative read!" one reviewer wrote.

Paperback: $9.60

"The Complete Beer Course" by Joshua M. Berstein

This book will take your beer knowledge to the next level.

It's styled as a 12-part series of "classes" that'll help you demystify wheat beers, Belgian-style abbey and Trappist ales, aromatic pale ales and bitter IPAs, and much more.

Hardcover: $15.15

"The World Atlas of Beer: The Essential Guide to the Beers of the World" by Tim Webb

There's more to beer than just American craft brews.

This book will help you discover more than 500 of the greatest beers around the world with sections focusing on major beer brewing countries and regions.

"Visually, it is a beautiful book with numerous excellent photos and fine graphics, a perfect conversation starter for your coffee table or bar top," one reviewer wrote.

Hardcover: $20.58

"How to Brew: Everything You Need to Know to Brew Beer Right the First Time"

For some, it's not enough to drink beer. They want to brew it, too.

This book will guide you to brewing your beer correctly the first time you do it. It's easy to follow and not written too seriously. 

"Great brew book for [a] beginner or seasoned home brewer," one reviewer wrote.

Paperback: $11.27 and Kindle: $9.18

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The New York International Auto Show displays the latest in cutting-edge automotive technology and design. Before the show opens to the public, the press got a sneak peak into the newest fleets from some of the industry's top names. 

Produced by Jason Gaines. Video courtesy of Associated Press.

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You know you're in for a thrill when a related Google search for "Caminito del Rey" suggests "death toll."

Called the world's most dangerous trail, Caminito del Rey is a roughly five-mile walkway that clings to the walls of the El Chorro gorge in southern Spain. It closed in 2000 after a number of people fell to their deaths, and it reopened this month after a reported $5.8 million restoration project.

Reuters photographer Jon Nazca hiked the pathway before it opened to the public. Experience the journey for yourself by scrolling below.

The original path was built between 1901 and 1905 as an access road to two hydroelectric plants.

The locals began taking advantage of the trail on foot, bicycle, and horse. Women crossed to reach shops in the next village, and children used it to get to school. 

In 1921, King Alfonso XIII traversed the path on his way to the opening of a nearby dam. Locals named it "El Caminito del Rey," or the King's Little Pathway.

The boardwalk hangs 100 meters above the water, providing breathtaking views of Spain's natural beauty. The full route takes four to five hours to complete.

Time wore on the walkway, however, leaving it pockmarked and decrepit. In 1999 and 2000, several travelers died attempting to cross.

Local authorities shut it down by destroying the entry points. Anyone caught trespassing received a hefty fine of $6,500.

The ban made the hike only more appealing to daredevils, who would strap on GoPro cameras and upload videos of their jaunts to YouTube. 

The government took note of the walkway's popularity and decided to rebuild it, making the path safer and attracting more tourism dollars to the area.

A reported $5.8 million later, the new wooden and steel walkways hover just feet above the original route in some areas. The project's director and head architect, Luis Machuca, told The Guardian that preserving the thrill of the old path was crucial.

Visitors can purchase admission tickets to El Caminito del Rey online, though it is booked through June. An expected 600 people will cross every day.

"It's not only the view and the surroundings, but the emotion of walking the Caminito del Rey," Machuca says.

SEE ALSO: Photos of the abandoned Olympic Village built for the 1936 games in Nazi Germany will give you chills

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Now that the weather is getting warmer, you're going to have to trim those hedges.

This Black & Decker hedge trimmer comes with a 17" dual action blade for up to 40% less vibration than single action blades.

The pre-hardened, rust-resistant steel blades stay sharp longer than your average hedge trimmer.

This hedge trimmer is lightweight and compact in design, which means you won't get as tired holding it.

"This cuts through bushes like butter!" one reviewer wrote.

Black & Decker TR117 3.2-Amp Hedge Trimmer: $49.99 $33.24[34% off]

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Cadillac unveiled the Cadillac CT6 at the New York International Auto Show. The CT6 is GM's latest entry into the big rear drive luxury sedan category, competing with the BMW 7-Series and the Mercedes S-Class.

Produced by Jason Gaines. Video courtesy of Associated Press.

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Louis Jordan, the sailor who was lost at sea for 66 days, admits that his fishing obsession led him to take risks that ended up capsizing his 1950s-era, single-masted sailboat almost 200 miles off the coast of North Carolina.

Calling himself an "inexperienced sailor" when he set out from a marina in Conway, South Carolina, on January 23, Jordan told NBC's TODAY show on Friday:

"I was planning on catching some big ones ... On the way there, my boat capsized. I was actually sleeping, that's when it happened. The whole boat had turned around and I was flying through the air somersaulting and the ceiling was the floor and the floor was the ceiling and this side was the other side and everything was upside down and backwards."

The storm ended up breaking his collarbone, as well as his boat's mast and onboard communications equipment. 

“My boat got flipped and did a 180 on me while I was sleeping at night, and I was flying through the air and somersaulting and all my junk and all my equipment, all my GPS devices and everything, even my stove dislodged and it was all flying with me, all rolling around,” he told ABC News.

How did he survive? Jordan says he made it through the months on willpower, practicality, and two or three pancakes a day. He also caught fish using his laundry and a net, and drank plenty of rainwater to keep himself hydrated.

Watch Jordan's interview with NBC's TODAY show:

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People don't just eat when they're hungry, and they don't stop when they're full. 

Psychologists have found a not-so-sweet suite of factors that contribute to over-eating. 

Here's a run-down: 

Your personality traits matter.

According to a new Swiss study cited by New York Magazine, your eating habits are unknowingly guided by your personality traits. 

As in: 

• Conscientious people are less likely to eat sugary food.

• Sensitive people are more likely to engage in "emotional eating."

• Extroverted people are more likely to eat out frequently, availing them to larger portions.

If your success as an entrepreneur is largely shaped by your personality, then it's pretty natural that your eating habits will be, too.

People pleasers eat a lot at parties.

There's a name for the kind of person that needs other people to feel comfortable — people pleasers. 

The fancy psychological name for it is sociotropy,defined as "a combination of beliefs, behavioral tendencies and attitudes that lead a person to attend to and depend on others for personal satisfaction."

In other words, sociotropic people are constantly seeking approval from others. 

As a study lead by Case Western Reserve University psychologist Julie Exline found, those who score high on sociotropy tend to over-eat in social situations to make the people around them feel comfortable.

"They don't want to rock the boat or upset the sense of social harmony," Exline said in a statement.

People mirror each other's eating.

One of the weirder findings in social psychology is that people mirror one another's behavior when they're getting along, from body language to tone of voice to eating. A 2011 study of British young women found that they were more likely to eat "congruently," that is, to take a bite within five seconds of the other person taking a bite. In a 1992 study, 153 adults kept eating diaries for a week — and the amount they ate went up 75% when eating in groups. 

So while it may be true that you are what you eat, it might be more accurate to say that you eat like those who you surround yourself with.

SEE ALSO: People are unconsciously sexist about how women should look at work

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La.

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An opulent but deteriorating home owned by CNET founder Halsey Minor has had its price reduced to $12.5 million, Curbed SF reports. 

The home, located in the Presidio Heights neighborhood of San Francisco, was originally listed for $25 million in 2012.

After failing to find a buyer during three years on the market, the home is now being sold as two separate packages — a $12.5 million, 18,000-square-foot main house, and a $3.5 million, 2,618-square-foot guesthouse.

In 2001, Minor's net worth was $180 million. He sold CNET to CBS for $1.8 billion in 2008. By 2013, however, he was filing for bankruptcy, most likely due to his expensive taste in real estate, art, and horses.

In 2014, he founded Bitreserve, an online bitcoin exchange.

The home sits on a massive 20,000-square-foot lot in Presidio Heights.

Originally built in 1904, the home was meant to be a replica of the Petit Trianon in Versailles, France.

The home is a San Francisco landmark and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

It may not feel like it, but it is, in fact, spring.

The official first day of the season was March 20.

New York City offers some great activities during spring. The winter cold has started to wear off, and the summer heat hasn't set in, so it's a great time to take advantage of the outdoors.

With food and drink festivals, art fairs, bike and boat tours, and park visits, there's something for everyone in our guide.

Practice your skills at one of Bryant Park's ping-pong tables, which are open to the public April through September. Paddles and balls are provided free.

For more information, click here >

Sample some of the best treats New York restaurants have to offer at Smorgasburg, which runs every weekend until November.

Click here for locations and vendors >

Picnic in Central Park. If you're too lazy to pack your own food, both Delivery.com and Seamless deliver directly to you at the park.

Order from Delivery.com or Seamless>

The prevalence of video-on-demand is causing box office profits to decrease, especially in North America. One company is giving consumers an incentive to keep going to the multiplex.

MoviePass is a subscription service that, for a $30 to $35 monthly fee, offers unlimited trips to the movie theater. We took it for a test drive and found that the service makes a lot of economic sense for people who venture to the theater frequently enough to cover the subscription cost.

Produced by Graham Flanagan. Camera by Jason Gaines and Will Wei.

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We’ve asked our friends at MR PORTER.COM, the men’s style destination with same-day delivery in Manhattan and London, for some expert style advice. This week’s topic: all things blue.

Royal, azure, Klein, iris, Majorelle, Oxford, sky and French. The number of words used to describe the eye-catching shade of blue that’s currently the toast of the menswear crowd is only limited by the imagination of the people describing it. In truth it doesn’t matter what you call it, it only matters that you’re wearing it. That’s why we’ve put together a guide to the myriad of ways a man can wear royal blue.

Of course, blue, a traditionally masculine colour, has always been central to men’s clothing. However, much of the time navy predominates. Navy blue looks smart because it’s a uniform rather than a variegated colour, and is so dark that it borrows much of the formality we associate with black clothes. In short, though navy is wonderfully adaptable, it’s rather sober – royal blue provides a more vibrant alternative, particularly during the warmer months.

The degree to which you want to embrace royal blue will likely depend on your environment as well as your inclination. For some men a new watch strap will be enough, while others won’t be satisfied until they’re in a royal blue mohair suit. Whether you wish to inject a little personality into your suits, seek an alternative to black for your next pair of tailored trousers or just want a new casual jacket, this season the answer comes in the form of royal blue. Here are six ways to achieve this.

1. Use it as an accent

Whether a man is held back by his milieu (a formal office environment perhaps), or simply doesn’t want to push the sartorial envelope, there are lots of ways in which he can display a mere hint of royal blue. The man in the photograph, who’s dressed in an ensemble that makes us imagine drinking gin and tonic on the deck of an expensive yacht, peps up his classic white chinos and navy blazer with a royal blue striped shirt and an azure-coloured watch strap. The contrast between the vintage-style watch and the lively strap is particularly pleasing, and suggests an irreverent attitude to the serious world of horology. It’s an impression consolidated by the briefest inspection of “man-bling” (a topic we discussed just a few weeks ago), this stuff is best approached with a sense of humour.

What to wear

Freemans Sporting Club shirt, $260

Bremont U2/BL automatic watch, $5,450

2. Soften it up with a pale blue

What a strange place is the internet. Mr Lino Ieluzzi runs a menswear boutique in Milan, which neither makes online sales nor seems to harbour ambitions to become a global brand. And yet he’s a street-style star, his bold taste in tailoring an inspiration to thousands of iGents (that breed of tailoring-obsessed man whose style owes so much to poring over paparazzi photographs of the peacocks at Pitti Uomo every season).

Here, Mr Ieluzzi is wearing a soft-shouldered double-breasted jacket. Granted, he’s almost always wearing a soft-shouldered double-breasted jacket, but this one is remarkable for its vibrant shade – so often seen on the streets of Florence that we’re tempted to call it Pitti blue. The jacket’s colour is intense, but Mr Ieluzzi has managed to soften the visual blow by accessorising with sunglasses in the same shade (which drag the eye upward) and opting for more muted shades of blue in his open-necked shirt and pocket square. Simply jettisoning your tie when wearing a regular navy blazer won’t produce the same results – make sure to pair with complementary light blue tones to avoid being that little bit too dazzling.

What to wear

Oliver Spencer round-frame sunglasses, $335

J. Crew Ludlow striped cotton shirt, $90

3. Show some skin

If Mr Ieluzzi takes a distinctively relaxed approach to tailoring it’s still one that’s visibly rooted in the traditional sartorial codes. A more contemporary way is to eschew the old rules in search of clothes that speak more directly to life in 2015. So it is with this lean-fitting blue suit, which, apart from the fact that the jacket and trousers are made from the same fabric, bears little resemblance to the tailoring of yore. As such it serves as better inspiration for a wedding outfit than it does for an office ensemble. The way the fabric has been easily pushed back up the arm suggests it’s very lightweight, a point reinforced by the wrinkles around the buttoning point. The manner in which it’s worn, with an open-necked shirt, further reduces the formality – it could just as easily be worn over a T-shirt. 

What to wear

Marc by Marc Jacobs slim-fit suit jacket, $450

Marc by Marc Jacobs slim-cut trousers, $280

4. Lighten up a business trip

Even if a man’s dressing at the conservative end of the spectrum there’s still much he can gain by lightening the shade of blue that he wears. As these three gentlemen demonstrate modest changes to the blue hue transform the image a garment projects. If these guys were all dressed in navy blue they might give the impression that they were titans of the boardroom, but with their soft-shouldered jackets, brown shoes and slim trousers they look as if they’re heading off for a glass of chilled Prosecco rather than for a PowerPoint presentation. As such, they provide us with a lesson in how to manage the sometimes-tricky transition from office to off duty, which is as relevant to men from Florence as it is to the world’s financial districts, particularly when travelling for work.

What to wear

Canali navy kai slim-fit blazer, $1,995

Edward Green picadilly suede penny loafers, $1,220

5. Bag yourself a new accessory

A well-judged accessory is a great way to display some panache within the bounds of conservative business dress. Here a wonderful salt-and-pepper tweed suit is worn over a classic pale blue shirt and woollen tie. However, the eye is drawn to the dramatic portfolio crafted from lapis lazuli-coloured leather, which changes the viewer’s perception of the entire outfit. The key to this is the contrast in colour between the suit and the portfolio, and the evident quality of the accessory; any item that you’re using to draw the viewer’s attention needs to stand up to scrutiny. Talking of which, unless we’re much mistaken there’s an eye-catching “Pepsi” bezel Rolex GMT Master watch tucked under the left-hand cuff. The upper half of the bezel is royal blue too. Someone has clearly put some thought into his outfit.

What to wear

Jil Sander leather pouch, $390

Seven-fold Jacquard Tie, $260

6. Keep it simple

Sitting between workwear and tailoring are the sleek clothes of the fashionable man about town. And that’s a perfect description of Mr Simone Marchetti, fashion editor of Italian newspaper La Repubblica. Here he shows us how to leave the house in tailored trousers, a woollen pullover and an overcoat and look both comfortable and sophisticated. It’s an outfit that sounds as if it should be worn while relaxing at the weekend, but Mr Marchetti wears it in a way that would (and no doubt does) ensure entry to the best restaurants, and the most exclusive bars. The success of the outfit is dependent on the way the three shades of blue are distinct, and so contrast rather than clash, and the evident quality of the fabrics. We particularly applaud the unadorned simplicity of the look.

What to wear

Gant Rugger Marled Crüe cotton sweater, $125

Grayers newport slim-fit cotton chinos, $90

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Heading to Disney World? You'll want a MagicBand - Disney's own wearable tech that provides access to just about everything in the park - and your hotel room. You can even tap to pay - which Disney is really hoping you'll do. 

Produced by Matthew Stuart

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Coffee.

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The 2015 US Chess Championship is underway in St. Louis, the capital of chess in America. The fields for both the men's and women's championship are very strong. 

On the men's side, there's a pretty clear sign that the US Chess Championship is regaining its attraction for some of the top players in the world. In big-time chess, the truly elite players travel the world, competing in a series of important tournaments, with the best of the best aiming to shoot for the World Championship, currently held by Magnus Carlsen of Norway.

The national championships are far less significant. In the US, not exactly a chess-mad country, the US Chess Championship is a great tournament, but it hasn't attracted the best US player since 2012, when Hikaru Nakamura notched his third victory. Nakamura has been working since 2013 to more decisively establish himself at the top of the world rankings.

Of late, he's been playing very well. He won a tournament in Gibraltar in January, then another in Zurich, and is now ranked number 3 in the world, behind Carlsen and Fabiano Caruana (an American who now plays for Italy). Going into the US Championship, he was ranked 2798, just two rating points outside the exclusive 2800 club, occupied only by Carlsen and Caruana.

After two rounds in St. Louis, Nakamura has crossed the 2800 barrier. He could go to number 2, passing Caruana, who is rated 2802. 

Nakamura is the favorite, but there's a wrinkle. Also playing the tournament this year is Wesley So, ranked number 8 in the world, with a rating of 2788. So used to play for the Philippines, but he switched to the US recently and won a flashy event – and $100,000 – at the first "Millionaire Chess" competition in Las Vegas last October.

We haven't had two US players in the world top 10 in forever. And if Caruana switches back to the US (it's been discussed), we'd have three! Like Nakamura, So has started in St. Louis with 2 wins.

The rest of the men's field is in the 2500-2600 range, ranking-wise. They're all Grandmasters, but only Nakamura and So are at the Super-GM level. The age range is also quite broad. The defending champ, Gata Kamsky, is in his 40s. But Sam Sevian is only 14. Yes, 14. 

Nakamura lives in St. Louis and is the face of US Chess, which has been on the ascent for several years, due to the financial support of Rex Sinquefield, a wealthy benefactor of the game who has turned St. Louis into an American chess Mecca. Nakamura has played in an elite invitation event there, the Sinquefield Cup, which he hasn't won. But after three US Championship titles, he looked as if he might retire from competing for that trophy.

That was before So came along. With both men in the field, the tournament is much bigger deal than usual. But of course, chess is still chess, and there's no guarantee that Nakamura and So will play for the title. There's also no guarantee that either guy won't lose to a lesser GM. 

So is more of more of a hard-charger on the international chess scene. Nakamura is no wimp, but he's 27 to So's 21. The older player has also been battling against the best in the world for years now, with mixed results. He has yet to qualify for the Candidates Tournament that determines who will play for the World Championship (although plenty of people in chess think that the Candidates unfairly selects a challenger because it overlooks the world rankings), and his record against Carlsen is an abysmal 0-11.

So is the on way up, and Nakamura is enjoying a resurgence. Nakamura still symbolizes Chess in the USA, but he could easily have given the US Championship another pass, although having him in the field does lend tremendous support to the Chess Club & Scholastic Center of St. Louis. Having both Nakamura and So in the tournament makes it almost a sort of Super-GM-lite event. (And given that the event is a round robin, they'll face off before the final round.)

So really has nothing to lose – he's on a roll and, with his new US affiliation, it makes sense to add the title of US Champ to his resume. Nakamura, meanwhile, has all the pressure on him to win the event. It would be tough for him to avoid the event this year, but he could also argue that he needs to keep his focus on competing with the Carlsens and Carauanas of the world, rather than mixing it up in a round-robin with some newly minted, teenage GMs.

Regardless, the US Championship this year should be one to remember, if it comes down the Nakamura and So on the final board. And maybe even if it doesn't.

SEE ALSO: This is what happens when Magnus Carlsen takes on his closest rival in chess

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As a Minnesotan, I'm very proud of my home state. We're attractive, have great food, awesome cities, and we live in one of the healthiest states in the US — with perhaps one of the unhealthiest state fairs.

Some might even say we're the best state.

Plus, Minnesota has raised some very famous people.

From Nobel Prize winners to famous actors, keep reading to see the most famous people who were born and raised in the Land of 10,000 Lakes.

Singer-songwriter Prince 

Born Prince Rogers Nelson in June 1958 in Minneapolis, Prince came from a family of musicians. He grew up writing music (he wrote his first song when he was 7, as the story goes) and attended Minneapolis Central High School, where he started his first band, Grand Central, which played at venues in the Minneapolis area.

Prince created a demo at a Minneapolis studio in 1976 and received a recording contract from a Minneapolis businessman when he was 17. That move garnered him a lot of attention from top record companies like Warner Brothers and was the start of his dazzling career.

He is now one of the most iconic musicians of all time, and still has a home and recording studio in Chanhassen, Minnesota.

Author F. Scott Fitzgerald

Born Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald in Saint Paul in September 1896, he grew up in Minnesota (for the most part he also spent some of his early life in Syracuse, New York) and attended St. Paul Academy before moving to the Newman School in New Jersey and eventually to Princeton.

After dropping out of Princeton, serving in the army, and being rejected by publishers, Fitzgerald quit his advertising job in New York City and moved back to Saint Paul to finish his first novel, “This Side of Paradise.”

He is now known as one of the greatest writers of the 20th century. His novels — especially “The Great Gatsby” — remain classics. Read more about F. Scott Fitzgerald’s life here.

Actor Josh Hartnett

Joshua Hartnett was born in July 1978 in Saint Paul. He graduated from South High School, in Minneapolis, before leaving to attend SUNY Purchase in New York and later to pursue acting in California.

He moved back to Minnesota in 2002 after growing fed up with Hollywood. In addition to taking on more indie projects, he became involved with Minnesota politics, joining Barack Obama in his Minnesota campaign in 2012.

Hartnett is most famous for his roles in “Black Hawk Down,” “The Virgin Suicides,” and “Pearl Harbor.” He is starring in the TV series “Penny Dreadful.” His Saint Paul home is on the market. 

Actress and singer Judy Garland

Judy Garland was born Frances Ethel Gumm in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, in June 1922. Her Vaudevillian parents had her working in show business straightaway — she started out, at 2 years old, as a member of the performing group the Gumm Sisters with her two older sisters.

The family moved to California for the girls to study acting. Garland's talent garnered attention from top studios, and she signed a deal with MGM at 13.

Garland was married five times and had three children, including daughter Liza Minelli. She was plagued by drug and health problems throughout her career, but is remembered for her early roles in “The Wizard of Oz” and “Meet Me in St. Louis.” You can read more about Garland’s life here.

'Peanuts' cartoonist Charles Shulz

Influential cartoonist Charles Monroe Shulz created the comic strip “Peanuts.”  

Born in Minneapolis in November 1922, he grew up in Saint Paul, where he was one of the youngest in his class at Central High School.

After graduating, Shulz entered the army and served in WWII before returning to Saint Paul and selling his first cartoon to the Saturday Evening Post. His career took off from there.

At its height, "Peanuts" was published in over 2,600 papers in 75 countries and in 21 languages. You can read more about Charles Shulz and his incredible career here.

Singer-songwriter Bob Dylan

Born Robert Allen Zimmerman in May 1941 in Duluth, the man who later became known as Bob Dylan grew up in Minnesota. Dylan and his family lived in Duluth until he was 6, and then they moved to Hibbing, Minnesota, to live among a small Jewish community on Mesabi Range. He attended Hibbing High School and formed a few bands before graduating and moving to Minneapolis.

Dylan enrolled at the University of Minnesota, but became invested in folk music and began performing full time at venues in Dinkytown, a neighborhood in Minneapolis. He dropped out of college after his first year and began calling himself Bob Dylan.

He moved to New York and the rest is history. Dylan remains most famous for his early songs, including “Blowin’ In The Wind” and “The Times They Are A-Changin,’” which were a part of the '60s protest movement. Dylan continues to perform, tour, and write new music, and he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Obama in 2012.

Actor Seann William Scott

Born in Cottage Grove in October 1976, Seann William Scott grew up the youngest of seven kids. He graduated from Park High School in Cottage Grove in 1995 and moved to Los Angeles shortly after to work in Hollywood after becoming inspired while working at the local movie theater and seeing all the movies he wanted free.

He is most famous for his role as Steve Stifler in the "American Pie" series, but has also starred in“All My Children, “Role Models,” “The Dukes of Hazard,” and has done voice work for the “Ice Age” series.

Novelist and playwright Sinclair Lewis

Sinclair Lewis was born in February 1885 in Sauk Centre, Minnesota. He spent his early childhood mostly reading since he found it hard to make friends and meet girls. He even tried to run away from home when he was 13, according to biographer Mark Schorer.

He left Minnesota when he was 17 to spend a year at Oberlin Academy (a preparatory school for Oberlin College) before moving on to Yale University and the East Coast.

Sinclair Lewis is considered one of the most acclaimed American novelists, famous for being the first US writer to receive the Nobel Prize for literature for his book “Dodsworth.” He wrote many books, plays, and short stories during his lifetime, including “Main Street” and “Babbitt.” You can read more about him in “Sinclair Lewis: An American Life.”

Former professional wrestler, actor, and governor of Minnesota Jesse Ventura

Jesse Ventura was born James George Janos in July 1951 in Minneapolis, where he was raised. After graduating from Roosevelt High School in 1969, he enlisted in the US Navy and was a part of the Underwater Demolition Team (which eventually became a part of the SEALs).

After his career in the Navy and a stint with a biker gang, he attended North Hennepin Community College and began weightlifting and wrestling. He created the stage name Jesse "The Body" Ventura and was a charismatic "heel" throughout the '70s and '80s.

After his career in wrestling and in Hollywood, Ventura turned his attention to politics. He ran for mayor of Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, in 1990, and got the job. In 1998, he ran for governor of Minnesota as a nominee for the Reform Party and narrowly won, defeating the major party candidates and serving until 2003.

Ventura made national headlines recently for successfully suing the estate of “American Sniper” author Chris Kyle for defamation. The now deceased Kyle described beating up a former Navy SEAL in his book for saying that American soldiers deserved to lose a few men during the Iraq war — in later interviews, he claimed the SEAL was Ventura, which Ventura denied. You can read more about the lawsuit here.

Author and radio personality Garrison Keillor

Gary Edward “Garrison” Keillor was born in Anoka, Minnesota, to a family of six children. He attended Anoka High School and went on to study at the University of Minnesota, where he earned his bachelor of arts in English in 1966.

While at the U of M, Keillor worked at a student-operated radio station and went on to establish a professional radio career. His most famous radio program was “A Prairie Home Companion,” a variety show recorded in front of a live audience on Minnesota Public Radio.

Keillor still hosts radio programs — including the latest reboot of “A Prairie Home Companion,” despite continuously threatening to retire— and writes frequently for newspapers and online publications. He also opened a bookstore that on Snelling Avenue, across from Macalester College, in Saint Paul. 

Keillor still lives in Minnesota with his third wife and their daughter.

SEE ALSO: 29 Reasons Why The Minnesota State Fair Is The Best State Fair In America

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A professional chef has revealed why she loves eating at McDonald's.

The chef, Chaitali Waychal, responded to a Quora thread that asked, "Why do people love eating at McDonald's?"

"I am a trained chef and a self-confessed food snob," Waychal writes. "Despite my education in one of the finest cooking schools in Paris and training in classical Michelin starred restaurants, I couldn't be happier chowing down a Big Mac meal with large fries."

Waychal revealed the four main reasons she thought people ate at McDonald's.

1. Comfort. "A Big Mac or an order of chicken nuggets will taste similar in almost every McDonald's in the world," Waychal says. "It's a lot more comforting to choose something familiar than try something scary and foreign."

2. Hours. McDonald's is open late — and sometimes even 24 hours. Waychal says this is especially important in Europe, where cafes and restaurants shut down on the weekends.

3. Taste. McDonald's core menu items of cold soda, hot burgers, and salty fries "cleverly cater to the basic stimulants of salt, fat, and sugar," Waychal writes. "Once you start eating it, you become addicted to the heady combination."

4. Service. McDonald's extensive training results in good service. "It may not always be friendly, but it's always rapid and efficient," Waychal says.

When reached by Business Insider, Waychal stressed that she ate McDonald's only on occasion and that she did not recommend it as part of a regular diet.

SEE ALSO: Chain restaurant workers reveal the items they refuse to eat

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Sleep more.

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Kinder Surprise Eggs are extremely popular around the world, but illegal to sell in the US due to small toy parts which the FDA says could be a choking hazard.

The candy is manufactured by Italian company Ferrero. Originally intended for children, it's also popular with adult collectors and has the form of a chocolate egg containing a small toy, often requiring assembly.

We got a case and unwrapped each one to see what fun surprises were inside!

Produced by Joe Avella

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Back in 1974, the US Forest Service took it upon themselves to create an incredibly detailed chart documenting the proper way to mix a variety of cocktails.

And why not?

This is delightful:

It's full of wonderful details, and as a former bartender, I have to say that I'm a fan of most of the "self appointed barmasters" recipes — though I prefer an older version of the Old Fashioned without the maraschino cherry and orange slice.

Look at these details:

Everything carefully laid out. if you can't read it, here's a zoom in of the legend they've used to indicate all the different directions and ingredients:

And approved by quite the cast of characters:

Cheers.

[H/T Kottke and Food and Wine]

SEE ALSO: This map shows all the mythical monsters that haunt the US

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