The Korea Herald

Hawaii International Film Festival opens next week

TravelOct 5, 2012

The 32nd Hawaii International Film Festival will be held from Oct. 11-21 in Honolulu. The film festival will present about 140 top films around the world including two Korean movies, “All About My Wife” and “Two Weddings and a Funeral.” Established in 1981, the event aims to be a festival of record for emerging films from Asia and the Pacific. “The Hawaii International Film Festival is growing as an international movie festival. I look forward to this year’s festival, which will present a variet
Norway becoming popular travel destination for Koreans

TravelOct 5, 2012

The number of nights Koreans stay in Norway jumped by 40 percent in July compared to the previous year and showed a 30 percent increase from January to July, according to the Norway Tourism Board. The board held an annual workshop on Tuesday in Seoul to promote Norway tourism to Korean travel agents. More than 15 Norwegian hospitality, leisure and transportation companies and airlines and 60 Korean travel agents attended the workshop that held presentations and business consultations. More organ
Hotels.com Welcome Rewards celebrates 1st anniversary in Korea

TravelOct 5, 2012

The online hotel booking site Hotels.com celebrates the 1st anniversary of the launch of its Welcome Rewards program in Korea, which offers one free night’s accommodation for every ten nights stayed. It gives Hotels.com customers a chance to redeem their free night’s accommodation across more than 65,000 hotels globally, with no blackout periods imposed. “Korean travelers love loyalty programs and we are proud of Welcome Rewards as it is simple and easy to use as well as more generous than many
Resorts show guests grounds with Segway tours

TravelOct 5, 2012

NEW YORK (AP) ― Some couples celebrate their anniversary with a horse-drawn carriage ride. Others rent a romantic cabin in the woods. A few even jet off to Las Vegas and renew their vows in front of Elvis.Lori Kelly and her husband Gene recently marked their second anniversary by touring the woods of the Omni Bedford Springs Resort & Spa on a Segway.“It was absolutely fantastic. It is really the ultimately unique experience especially for people my age,” said Kelly, 59. Her husband is 64. “It gi
When in Japan, see dugongs, eat dugong cookies

TravelOct 5, 2012

TOKYO (AP) ― Americans may seem obsessed with animals, with daycare for dogs and TV therapists for cats, not to mention the hours we spend looking at photos of cute critters on the Internet. But it’s generally the conventionally adorable ones that get our attention. On a recent trip to Japan I found ample evidence of our two countries’ mutual adoration of pets and pandas. But it was a pleasure to immerse myself in a culture that shares my appreciation for more unusual creatures as well. Here are
Singaporean delicacies at Grand Hyatt Seoul

Food&BeverageOct 5, 2012

The hotel’s restaurant “The Terrace” invites guests to enjoy Singaporean delicacies by three chefs from Grand Hyatt Singapore from Oct. 11-24. Guests can experience the flavorful Singaporean cuisine of Low Hui Heng, Mahahtyir Bin Ya and Rajesh Kumar. Dishes include Pulut Hitam, a spicy, sweet dish made of black rice and coconuts; Beef Rendang, a Malaysian short-rib stew; Popiah, a spring roll consisting of vegetables and seafood wrapped in a wheat pancake; and Tandoori Oven Chicken, an Indian di
Authentic Chinese cuisine at the Shilla Seoul

Food&BeverageOct 5, 2012

The hotel’s Chinese restaurant Palsun has invited the staff of Shanghai’s most famous contemporary restaurant, Whampoa Club, to present their finest cuisine from Oct. 18-20. Whampoa Club, located in The Bund, Shanghai, is praised by many critics for premium cuisine that is both diverse and modern. The restaurant’s executive chef Alan Zhou, along with five chefs, a tea sommelier and a hall manager, will visit Korea for the first time, and re-create the taste and environment of Whampoa Club at the
Balinese delicacies at Banyan Tree Club & Spa Seoul

Food&BeverageOct 5, 2012

The hotel presents traditional Balinese and Indonesian dishes at its restaurant “Granum Dining Lounge” from Oct. 5-12. With guest chef Sariati from Banyan Tree Ungasan’s Artawan restaurant, diners can enjoy fine delicacies such as Bebec Betutu, smoked duck wrapped in a banana leaf along with 25 spices; Gado, vegetable salad with peanut sauce; Mie Goreng, Indonesian fried noodle; and Sate Lilit, chopped chicken baked with coconut juice, shrimp paste and kaffir lime. “Balinese Trio Custard,” a tra
Wine dinner at JW Marriott Hotel Seoul

TravelOct 5, 2012

The hotel’s authentic grill restaurant JW Grill presents dinner courses paired with Robert Mondavi, known as “the White House wine,” until Oct. 31. The six courses, cooked mainly with Korean ingredients, include tuna tartare, carrot soup, olive-flavored salmon garnished with lentils, roasted duck breast with fig salad, slow-cooked beef ribs with seasonal vegetables, and a choice of seven finest Robert Mondavi wines. Jeff Mosher, a visiting Michelin Star chef will provide guests with the best din
Fruit dessert promotion at InterContinental Seoul COEX

Food&BeverageOct 5, 2012

The Lobby Lounge at the hotel presents the third season of its “Fruit Dessert Buffet,” a chance for guests to savor the season’s fresh fruits available every Friday, Saturday and Sunday from Sept. 7-Nov. 18. With a menu carefully selected by its ptissiers and guest feedback from the previous two seasons, the Lobby Lounge brings visitors the finest desserts. Fruit-flavored macaroons beneath a decadent chocolate fountain, and a soft persimmon panna cotta and banana crme brle are also available. In
Guldubu jjigae (tofu stew with oysters)

Food&BeverageOct 5, 2012

Guldubu jjigae is a clear stew made of oysters, tofu and salted anchovy juice. Among seafood, the oyster contains the highest amount of nutrients and plenty of protein, so Koreans refer to them as “milk from the sea.” Oysters have been widely enjoyed in Korea since the country is surrounded by sea on three sides. Ingredients● 100g oysters, 1 cup water, 1 tsp salt ● 1/3 tofu cake ● 20g small green onion, 1/2 red pepper, 1 tsp minced garlic ● 3 1/2 cups water, 1 tbsp salted shrimp juice, 1/2 tsp s
New York reaches the stars in new Michelin guide

Food&BeverageOct 5, 2012

NEW YORK (AFP) ― With 66 of its restaurants winning stars in Michelin’s 2013 guide, New York was again confirmed Tuesday as one of the best places in the world to dine ― and the unrivaled master of diversity.Seven restaurants won the guide’s highest three star-rating, unchanged from last year, earning the description of “exceptional cuisine, worth a special journey.”Another seven got two stars, or “excellent cuisine, worth a detour,” including for the first time the newly-opened, 18-seat Atera ―
Tofu central

Food&BeverageOct 5, 2012

Korean restaurant makes house-made tofu focus of modern menuAt Dudukansang ― a restaurant located in Gyeonggi Province near Pangyo that opened a year-and-a-half ago ― tofu and other soybean-based dishes are the focus of an inventive and health-oriented menu. Owner-chef Lee Song-mo parlays expertise built up in the realm of Western cuisine to give snowy, creamy, house-made bean curd a pleasant and unexpected “oomph,” draping cubes of it over a spicy, tomato-infused mussel soup and using it to mak
Spanish prince visits Panama canal expansion work

PeopleOct 5, 2012

PANAMA CITY (AFP) ― Spain’s Crown Prince Felipe de Borbon on Thursday visited major construction projects in economically-booming Panama on a trip to highlight Spanish investment in the region.The heir to the Spanish crown and his wife Letizia, Princess of Asturias, visited work on the Panama Canal and viewed construction of the subway system in the Panamanian capital, the first underground in Central America.Panama “is currently the star destination for Spanish investment,” Spanish ambassador J
Lady Gaga passes 30m Twitter followers

PeopleOct 5, 2012

LOS ANGELES (AFP) ― Pop diva Lady Gaga has set a social media record by becoming the first person with more than 30 million followers on Twitter.As of Thursday afternoon, she had 30,030,949 followers on the micro-blogging website, and is adding them at the rate of 30,000 a day, according to the Starcount.com website that monitors celebrity use of social media.The 26-year-old ― real name Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta ― also passed the four million mark on Google+ earlier this week, and is in