Yukgaejang (spicy beef soup with vegetables)

Yukgaejang (spicy beef soup with vegetables) (Korean Bapsang)Yukgaejang is a hearty, spicy beef soup that’s highly popular in Korea. Made with shredded beef, lots of scallions and other vegetables such as gosari (fernbrake or fiddleheads), bean sprouts and mushrooms, it is a substantial soup that has great depth of flavor. You won’t need anything other than a bowl of rice for a completely satisfying meal on a cold winter day. Beef brisket is the best cut for this soup. It’s a flavorful, tough cu

FoodJan. 9, 2015

From bits to bites, Seattle techies embrace restaurant world

Standing in front of his enormous, custom-made meat smoker, Jack Timmons is a happy man. He’s a lanky guy who speaks with a gentle Dallas drawl; his family back in Texas, he says, is the kind that always offers a person a drink or a sandwich when they walk in. He loves parties, and he’s throwing one five days a week at his roadhouse on Airport Way. It’s called Jack’s BBQ.Timmons worked at Microsoft for 12 1/2 years ― in IT, in operations, in marketing and in business development. After leaving i

FoodJan. 9, 2015

‘Deja-Boo’ is my musical color: Jonghyun

Jonghyun, a member of the K-pop band SHINee, said the song “Deja-Boo” best captures his musical style and color. “I personally like this song a lot, and that is the reason behind selecting it as one of the two title songs of the album,” the singer told the media before a live showcase on Thursday at the SMTOWN Coex Atrium in Samseong-dong, southern Seoul. “That is also why I decided to prerelease it.” The singer wrote lyrics to every song on his first solo EP, “BASE,” which consists of seven tra

PerformanceJan. 9, 2015

Bobby Kim probed over sexual harassment on flight

Bobby Kim (Yonhap)R&B singer Bobby Kim was investigated by the FBI for allegedly causing a disturbance and sexually harassing a flight attendant on an international flight, local media outlets reported Friday. The 41-year-old, who seemed intoxicated, started shouting at the crew five hours after the Korean Air flight left Incheon for San Francisco at 4:40 p.m. on Wednesday, reports said. Creating a ruckus, the U.S. citizen forcibly cuddled the flight attendant, touched her arms and verbally abus

Jan. 9, 2015

Bill Cosby jokes about rape allegations

Bill CosbyLONDON, Ontario (AP) ― Bill Cosby jokingly warned a woman in the audience during a show in Canada Thursday night to be careful drinking around him.Cosby made the remark at his second performance in a row after a string of cancellations that followed sexual assault allegations from more than 15 women. Some of the women accused Cosby of drugging them by slipping something in their drinks before he assaulted them.A woman who got up from one of the front rows and walked past the stage was

TelevisionJan. 9, 2015

[Weekender] Era of collaboration

Art meets music and technology becomes fashion as creative minds across ever-broadening fields join hands in search of new inspirations and innovative solutions.Although crossover projects have been commonplace in the global art and music scene for some time now, collaborations today seem to know no limits, churning out pair-ups that were never imagined before. In this overarching global trend, Korea is no exception. A scene from changgeuk “Medea” (NCCK)A scene from “Gongmudoha” (National Gugak

CultureJan. 9, 2015

Four stars to watch in 2015

With his squealing fans and devilish good looks, Kim Soo-hyun was the hottest star in Korea’s entertainment scene in 2014. As he mulls a comeback after last year’s insanely popular TV series “My Love from the Star,” the actor lands on top of The Korea Herald’s list of stars to watch in 2015. In the K-pop scene, the formidable popularity of EXO, the brainchild of K-pop mogul and SM Entertainment chairman Lee Soo-man, is expected to grow, earning the boys another spot on the list. Based on a surve

Jan. 8, 2015

Reeves relates to grief of ‘John Wick’

Hollywood actor Keanu Reeves, best known for his lead role in “The Matrix” trilogy, arrived in Seoul on Wednesday to promote the Korean release of action flick “John Wick.” He plays the titular character of John, a retired assassin who returns to a dangerous underworld after a Russian thug murders his puppy, a posthumous gift from his wife, who died of cancer. “I related to his grief,” Reeves said at a press conference in Seoul on Thursday. The answer came after a moment of hesitation when a rep

FilmJan. 8, 2015

An unflinching account of war in Afghanistan

If the trend holds, there soon will be a shelf of books explaining why the U.S.-led war in Afghanistan was a misadventure or worse.Into that crowded field comes Graeme Smith’s “The Dogs Are Eating Them Now: Our War in Afghanistan.” But even among tomes of pessimism and clear-eyed hindsight, Smith’s book seems destined to be a standout: a compelling, self-revealing account of a reporter coming to grips with a big story and his own feelings of shock and disappointment.Smith, a Canadian, is an anom

BooksJan. 8, 2015

James Abel delivers a winner with ‘White Plague’

White PlagueBy James Abel (Berkley)James Abel’s new thriller, “White Plague,” combines elements from “The Hunt for Red October” and the cutting-edge science from the best of Michael Crichton to send chills down the reader’s spine. Marine doctor Joe Rush is sent into action when times are desperate. Besides being a top-ranked physician, he can also lead a team into potentially hostile and lethal situations involving bioweapons. He’s earned the nickname “Killer Joe,” thanks to an earlier, still cl

BooksJan. 8, 2015

New novel explores Van Gogh’s silent period

The Season of MigrationBy Nellie Hermann (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)When Vincent van Gogh steps off the train in the coal-mining region of Belgium known as the Borinage, his artist’s eye is immediately captivated by his surroundings.Van Gogh has not come to paint the region but to save souls. Before he was an artist, he was a minister, sent to bring comfort to the poor, hungry and desperate families who slaved in mines to warm the rest of Europe. His experiences destroyed his faith and led to th

BooksJan. 8, 2015

Phil Hogan delivers clever psychological thriller

A Pleasure and a CallingBy Phil Hogan (Picador)William Heming is the proverbial quiet man, nondescript, keeping to himself, mastering “the skill of being likable, but not memorable.” Yet Heming seethes with self-righteous contempt for others and a propensity for vengeance and violence that erupts when he feels threatened, or just irritated.His employees and clients believe the seemingly unobtrusive Heming leads a boring life, but nothing could be further from the truth in Phil Hogan’s fascinatin

BooksJan. 8, 2015

Bookbinding businesses keep the pages turning, for now

The symptoms were grim: advanced age, crumbling physical condition, broken spine. The operation would last several hours and require meticulous care. But recovery was likely, and the procedure would cost only $100.The patient was a 90-year-old family Bible in need of major restoration.“I always tell people that I compare book restoration with face-lifts,” said Bruce Kavin, one of three siblings who run Kater-Crafts Bookbinders. “Generally speaking, the less you do, the better.”The Pico Rivera co

BooksJan. 8, 2015

Fishing guide plunges into evildoings in thriller

River of No ReturnBy David Riley Bertsch (Scribner)Vivid scenery and a likable protagonist mark the second book in a series by David Riley Bertsch. In “River of No Return,” Wyoming fishing guide Jake Trent, a former Department of Justice operative with a violent past that has left him emotionally scarred, must deal with a vixen who tries to lure him back to Washington, with the kidnapping of his friend’s girlfriend and with a nefarious population-control plot.The cast of characters also includes

BooksJan. 8, 2015

‘Deja-BOO’ is my musical color: Jonghyun

Jonghyun, a member of the K-pop band SHINee, said “Deja-BOO” best captures his musical style and color.  Jonghyun of SHINee sings during a showcase for his first solo EP, “BASE,” on Thursday at the SMTOWN Coex Atrium in Samseong-dong, southern Seoul. (Yonhap)　“I personally like this song a lot, and that is the reason behind selecting it as one of the two title songs of the album,” the singer told the press before a live showcase on Thursday at the SMTOWN Coex Atrium in Samseong-dong, southern Se

PerformanceJan. 8, 2015