With spring looming, major hotels in Seoul are greeting the new season with flavorful Asian cuisine prepared by some of the top chefs from Japan, Hong Kong and India. The Westin Chosun Seoul has invited Japanese chef Hideki Ishikawa, owner-chef of the Michelin three-starred restaurant Ishikawa in Tokyo, who will present his nine-course kaiseki cuisine made with fresh seasonal ingredients on March 20 and 21 at the hotel’s Japanese restaurant Sushi Cho. “The hotel is presenting the new food promot

“The Caucasian Chalk Circle,” a play written by German playwright Bertolt Brecht (1898-1956), will be told through the soul-piercing sounds of “pansori” in an upcoming theatrical production in Seoul. Korean-Japanese playwright and stage director Jung Eui-shin speaks at a news conference at the National Theater of Korea in Seoul on Monday. (National Theater of Korea)A National Changgeuk Company of Korea production, the experimental work will be directed by Korean-Japanese playwright and stage dir

BROWN BLUFF, Antarctica ― Go ahead. Tell people you’re traveling to Antarctica and wait for the responses: “Wait, what? Did you say Antarctica?” “Be sure to get a selfie with a polar bear, OK?” “You’re gonna freeze your (you-know-what) off!” And, perhaps most frequently, “Why?”I did say Antarctica. It was penguins, not polar bears, we would see aplenty. We didn’t freeze our you-know-whats off; it was chilly, but I’ve felt colder skiing in Mammoth.That left only the question of why, and before th

This velvety smooth sweet red bean porridge is a great snack or dessert on a cold winter day. To make the porridge, the beans are cooked down until very soft. Then, the cooks traditionally mash the beans through a strainer to remove the skins to achieve a velvety texture. This process can be grueling, so you can use a shortcut. Puree the beans as fine as possible in a blender. It’s much easier, still results in a very smooth porridge and you don’t waste the nutritious bean skins. This porridge i

Hong Kong cuisine at Sheraton Incheon HotelSheraton Incheon Hotel’s traditional Chinese restaurant YUE is presenting authentic Hong Kong cuisine from March 13 to 22. Two chefs have been invited from Jockey Club, one of the most prestigious social clubs in Hong Kong, for this special promotion. Chef Lap Sun Chan is currently associated with Cook-Po Chun Kitchen and won the silver award in the vegetable category of the 2011 Best of the Best Culinary Awards. Chef Kam Ho Lee is a highly renowned mas

Housemade bread takes spotlight at new southern French-inspired spot

For a healthy post-menopausal life, regular exercise, good nutrition, sufficient sleep and rest, and stress relief is important. Exercises can easily be adapted to one’s likes. Regular exercise helps to maintain weight and improves the heart and lung functions. It also increases stamina for a better life and negates psychological stress, such as anxiety and depression. In addition, it prevents osteoporosis and cardiovascular disease.The right exercise program should include workouts to improve t

A book that chronicles former Korean president Park Chung-hee (1917-1979) and first lady Yuk Young-soo (1925-1974) has been published in Vietnamese.“Human Park Chung-hee, Human Yuk Young-soo,” written by Kim Doo-young, a Cheong Wa Dae secretary during Park’s tenure, was originally published in Korean last year. Park ― the third president of Korea from 1962 until his assassination in 1979 ― is the father of the current president Park Geun-hye. Cho Jae-hyun, the vice president of the Korea-Vietnam

The Seoul International Women’s Association is set to get Caribbean for its annual fund-raising gala.The function to be held at the Conrad Hotel on Saturday, March 7, will feature a silent auction, cocktail reception and a four-course Caribbean sit-down dinner. Included in the silent auction will be a valuable Persian rug, Ikea gift vouchers and an MCM satchel among other items.The funds raised on the night will be split between three different charities that focus on women’s services. The three

A lion unravels into a peeled orange, a frog pops open to reveal an avocado stone at its core and a crouching fox masquerades as a carrot.These are all the visual reworkings of artist Sarah DeRemer, who is showing her work in Ilsan, Gyeonggi Province, this month.DeRemer studied art at university, and worked as a vet technician before coming to Korea two years ago, but didn’t start her surgery on animals until coming to Korea.She had previously painted but was won over by the flexibility and port

The Korean Heritage Preservation Society, Yeol, will be presenting an English-language lecture series this year, delving into Korean art, culture and history. The series will deal with subjects ranging from traditional music to K-pop, the Korean War, North Korean films, folktales and Buddhist sculpture. They will feature distinguished scholars and experts in the relevant fields. The next lecture will be given at 11:30 a.m. on March 9 by Bak Sang-mee, professor of cultural anthropology at Hankuk

Kumho Asiana Group chairman Park Sam-koo has been elected as the chair of Korea Mecenat Association, a nonprofit body that encourages corporate support of the arts. He will replace Park Yong-hyun, former chief of Doosan Group and current chair of the group’s philanthropic body, Doosan Yonkang Foundation, who will go on to serve the mecenat organization as an honorary chairman.  “Corporate patron programs of the arts are a cornerstone of the government’s vision for cultural enrichment and what th