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Next Hallyu in Musicals?

Japanese Tourists Flock to Musical Theaters By Chung Ah-young Staff Reporter The Japanese yen's surge against the Korean won is driving a welcome resurgence in Japanese spending here, helping the Korean tourism industry. The strong yen not only contributes to local tourism but also the musical industry, as tourists choose local musical performances as part of their tours to Korea. Foreign audiences, especially Japanese visitors, have already attended non-verbal performances here. But it's a new phenomenon for Japanese viewers to see musicals in the native tongue. It seems to be part of the hallyu effect, in which various Korean heartthrobs who have appeared in television dramas airing in Japan are taking to the stage. Yamada Akiko, 42, has seen ``My Scary Girl,'' starring Shin Sung-rok, three times. ``I'm a big fan of Shin Sung-rok. I've seen his musicals many times,'' she told The Korea Times. Yamada said the first time she saw Shin was in his TV drama ``Hyena'' in Japan. ``He's the most handsome man I've seen. I heard that he is a musical star and I tried to

Mar 27, 2009

Take a Bite of the Big Apple

Culinary Exploration of New York City By Lee Hyo-won Korea Times Correspondent NEW YORK ― The Big Apple continues to symbolize the great American melting pot, and a culinary adventure to savor all of New York City's dizzying food culture is not only ambitious but almost impossible in a limited amount of time, especially since chic restaurants and eateries seem to mushroom here continuously. There are countless ``it'' bars and brunch places that have international audiences smacking their chops while watching ``Sex and the City.'' In this urban jungle there is, without fail, a hotdog or pretzel stand in every corner. Then there's Little Italy, dotted with pizzerias; Chinatown, teeming with dimsum places; and Koreatown, lined with round-the-clock ``galbijip.'' Still, there's nothing like cuisine that embodies the soul of a culture and a people, and one can only attempt to take a big bite of the Big Apple. The following is a very modest ― and very subjective ― list of some low- to mid-budget meals the city has to offer. But what is certain is that this reporter finds hersel

Mar 27, 2009

Luxurious Korean Beef Dishes at Hanok

By Lee Hyo-won Staff Reporter The typical ``gogijip,'' or Korean barbeque restaurant, is a large, open, loud and smoky hall lined with long tables, where big groups of families or corporate workers sit on the ``maru'' (floor) and enjoy charcoal grilled meat with rice, side dishes and various stews and noodles. Hanok, in Cheongdam-dong, is a refined and elegant spin-off of the average Joe's gogijip. Here, down to earth Korean dishes are upgraded ― in both price and quality. The owner used to run the fashionable Italian restaurant Il Mare, and Hanok, in tune with the upscale neighborhood, features a chic, simple decor with sleek, modern furniture and traditional lattice windows ― most appropriate for a place with a name homonymous with the Korean word for traditional house. Along with regular tables and chairs, it features an elevated maru where diners can be seated, shoes off. Unlike most family restaurants, this place features a concaved space beneath the tables for the legs, allowing comfortable seating for skirted women and those unused to sitting in the traditional s

Mar 27, 2009

KoreaToday The Memories of Pimatgol Disappearing

By Kwon Mee-yoo Staff Reporter Pimatgol, a long, narrow alleyway flanked by hundreds of cozy eateries in Jongno-gu, in downtown Seoul, is disappearing, along with memories and tradition, giving way to the city's redevelopment plan. ``I visited here often when I worked near Gwanghwamun. I had dates with my boyfriend, who is my husband now, at Yeolchajip,'' said Kim Jung-eun, 33. Now pregnant, she visited the place again before the memories vanish due to the urban renewal. ``It is somewhat sad that the place is going to be demolished. It will never taste the same.'' The name ``Pimatgol'' comes from avoiding horses of high officials. ``Pi'' means to avoid, ``ma'' means horse and ``gol'' means alley in Chinese characters. During the Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910), Jongno was the capital's main street and Pimatgol was a back street. Ordinary people had to kneel on the street if they met dignitaries on Jongno until they left. To prevent the cumbersome manners, citizens preferred the small alleys behind Jongno and bars and restaurants for them sprung up there. With a history of mor

Mar 26, 2009

KoreaToday Temple Stay: Come, Stay and Discover

By Han Sang-hee Staff Reporter Delving into the world of another culture is always a thrilling encounter, especially when people can feel, taste, smell and see it as it is. When the government was looking for adequate lodging facilities for foreigners during the 2002 World Cup Games, head monks of several temples scattered across the country thought it was a good idea to lend a hand, introducing the concept ``Temple Stay'' for the first time here in Korea. ``It still seems a bit foreign because it's an English term. But that is basically how it started. The lodging problem was an important issue back then, and everyone put their heads together to come up with a way to not only offer visitors a place to eat and sleep, but also a place where they could learn Korean culture. So, the temples opened up,'' Ven. Jong Hun, the director of the Cultural Corps of Korean Buddhism of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism, told The Korea Times during an interview at Jogye temple. The division was launched back in 2002 when the need for lodging was on the rise, and it has since becom

Mar 26, 2009

KoreaToday Symposium to Discuss Hansik Globalization

By Kim Hyun-cheol Staff Reporter Holding various international events is one effective measure to promote Korean cuisine, food experts say, and signs are already visible in an attempt to raise its recognition overseas. In a public hearing last month, the Ministry of Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries said it will carry out a series of activities to help Korean food enter the global stage, including the development of images and a character for the promotion campaign. April will see another event in the form of an international symposium under the theme of the globalization of Korean cuisine. Hosted by the ministry and the Presidential Council for Future and Vision, the symposium will be held April 7 at Seoul's Lotte Hotel, the Korea Agro-Fisheries Trade Corporation said. Some 300 participants, including food and farm minister Chang Tae-pyong, will discuss the current global food trend and how to make Korean cuisine more appealing to people outside the country. The academic seminar will start with remarks from Kwak Seung-jun, the presidential council chairman,

Mar 26, 2009

KoreaToday Hickey’s Recommendation : Bulgogi

Bulgogi is an unfailing choice for anyone who has little knowledge of Korean food, according to Hickey. ``It's different, and more healthy than many other meat dishes in the Western world. So it makes a good start to learn about Korean cuisine,'' he said. ``To me, bibimbap is a bit too safe. Personally I like kimchi fried rice very much but it could be a challenge to those who are not used to spicy food.'' Ingredients 300 grams of beef sirloin, 200 grams of onion, 100 grams of lettuce (Seasoning sauce) 2 tablespoons of soy sauce, 1 tablespoon of sugar, half tablespoon of honey, 1 tablespoon of minced green onion, 1 tablespoon of minced garlic, half tablespoon of sesame salt, 0.2 tablespoon of ground black pepper, 50 grams of pear juice or 100 grams of pear, 1 tablespoon of sesame oil Preparation 1. Soak blood from beef with cotton cloth, remove fat and tendons and cut into 5-centimeter wide strips, 4 centimeters long and 0.3 centimeters thick along the opposite direction of the meat texture. (Photo 1) 2. Skin onion and wash, dice at intervals of 0.5-centimeters.

Mar 26, 2009

KoreaToday Chef Exchange Is Key to Globalization of Food

By Kim Hyun-cheol Staff Reporter Korea ― absorbed in promoting its cuisine to the world in an attempt to get it better recognized across the world ― needs to send more Korean chefs to demonstrate ``hansik'' cooking, said a U.S. professor at a renowned culinary school. ``It will be good for the promotion of Korean food to organize more conferences and invite chefs, culinary educators, restaurateurs and food magazine editors from (around) the world,'' Shirley Cheng, a professor of culinary arts at the Culinary Institute of America, told The Korea Times in an e-mail interview. ``Korea also needs to send more chefs overseas, and open training classes in foreign countries.'' Cheng remembers clearly the day she tried Korean dishes for the first time in New York 20 years ago. In a Korean restaurant in Flushing, New York City, with her family, the cuisine expert ordered barbeque beef (bulbogi), seafood scallion pancake (haemul pajeon) and bibimbap (rice mixed with vegetables and chili sauce). ``Bulgogi was fun to cook ourselves and tasted wonderful too,'' the Chinese-born p

Mar 26, 2009

KoreaToday More Promotion Needed to Make Hansik Trendy

By Kim Hyun-cheol Staff Reporter Korean food, or hansik, has great potential to stand out as a new trend in global culinary culture, but it will take more committed efforts to raise its still sub-par recognition. That's the thinking of Ciaran Hickey, head chef at the W Hotel Seoul, has on the food of the country he currently resides in. For all its virtues, Korean food needs an overhaul to get strangers over its unfamiliarity for it to be better appreciated outside the country, the chef said. The Irish national, who has 65 chefs working under him at one of the most stylish hotels in the city, came to Korea in 2007. ``Korean cuisine may have recognition in America but not yet in Europe. The first meal I had here was hanjeongsik, a Korean table d'hote with various dishes altogether on the table, and it was very confusing,'' Hickey said. ``I lived in the United States for years, and heard about Korean barbecues and kimchi but not much else. I didn't know where to start, how to eat them,'' Hickey said. Surprisingly, his first encounter with Korean dishes was not that ple

Mar 26, 2009

KoreaToday How to Make Royal Court Topokki?

By Kim Sue-young Staff Reporter Royal court topokki, or ``gungjung topokki'' in Korean, spiced with soy sauce, is considered the origin of the current red, hot one. It does not require red pepper paste, so its sweet, salty taste is seductive enough to appeal Westerners. Organizers of the Seoul Topokki Festival 2009 offer tips on how to make the topokki. 1. Parboil 250 grams of rice cake with a pinch of salt. 2. Wash the rice cake with cold water and mix with sesame oil. 3. Soak two pieces of dried pyogo mushroom in water, squeeze, and slice into long, thin strips. 4. Spice the mushroom and 50 grams of beef with four tablespoons of soy sauce, one tablespoon of sugar, two tablespoon of alcohol, one tablespoon of sesame oil and a pinch of black pepper. 5. Oil a pan and stir-fry a sliced quarter onion, beef, mushrooms, rice cake and 30 grams of sliced carrot in that order. 6. According to individual taste, add more salt or chopped garlic. 7. Serve garnished with sliced fried egg when hot. Secret Recipe of Classic Topokki

Mar 26, 2009
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