Espresso and crushed beans add kick to coffee pudding

Choose the right path -- so says the sermon, convocation and nature guide. But if a trailhead offers only one route, and you’ve hiked it every autumn forever, you’re good to go.Underfoot, your path is springy with pine needles. Overhead, it’s shady and cool. Ahead it promises water crashing a narrow canyon and a boulder, wide and flat as a piazza, perfect for a picnic.You walk. You talk. You find your rock, scrabble up and are met not with waterfall, but with flat field, and, in the distance, ab

FoodSept. 30, 2016

Beliefs aside, Noah’s Ark in Kentucky is something to see

I’d been on Noah’s Ark all of 20 minutes when the question that hung over every step was finally put to me: “Do you believe?”It came from a man with a thin beard named Travis, who wore a Captain America T-shirt and had an excitable look in his eye. He was touring the new, five-story Ark Encounter with his wife and daughters after driving three hours from central Indiana.We stood on the ark’s second floor, in front of a display about the Garden of Eden, and Travis had just explained to one of his

TravelSept. 30, 2016

[Around the Hotels] Roundup of hotel events and news

Indian food fest at Millennium Seoul Hilton Millennium Seoul Hilton is offering a special Indian food festival buffet through Oct. 9 at the hotel’s restaurant, Cafe 395.Sponsored by the Indian Embassy in Seoul and the Indian Cultural Center in Busan, the event is a part of Sarang - Festival of India in Korea. The promotion offers authentic Indian cuisine -- best known for its diversity of flavors and spices -- prepared by guest chef Vikram Udaygiri. Starting at 91,000 won per person, the buffet

TravelSept. 30, 2016

[Box Office] Latest movie releases

Asura: The City of Madness(Korea)Opened Sept. 28Crime, noir. Directed by Kim Sung-suIn desperate need of money, corrupt cop Han Do-kyung (Jung Woo-sung) agrees to cover up the illegal dealings of avaricious Mayor Park Sung-bae (Hwang Jung-min), consorting with low-lives and sinking deeper into the criminal world.Bridget Jones’ Baby(US)Opened Sept. 28Romantic comedy. Directed by Sharon MaguireThe clumsy, lovable Bridget Jones (Renee Zellweger) has returned, now over 40 and single once again. Brid

FilmSept. 30, 2016

Mary J. Blige explains why she sang to Clinton during talk

NEW YORK (AP) -- Mary J. Blige said she decided to sing Bruce Springsteen's “American Skin (41 Shots)” to Hillary Clinton during her recent interview because she was trying to get the Democratic presidential nominee to feel and understand the widening frustration among blacks in America over police brutality and similar topics.A pair of clips teasing Blige’s interview with Clinton was roundly mocked Tuesday, including a brief video of Blige singing to Clinton, leaving some confused. But on Wedne

PerformanceSept. 30, 2016

[Highlights] Arts and entertainment calendar

Exhibitions“Gathering Clouds”: Kukje Gallery is holding a solo exhibition of renowned artist Anish Kapoor until Oct. 30. The exhibition presents sculptures that are results of his exploration of materials and abstraction. On display are twisted rectangle stainless steel blocks with polished surfaces, and sculptural voids in fiberglass and steel at the K1 and K3 exhibition spaces. For more information, visit www.kukjegallery.com.“Traces of Life and Death”: Arario Gallery is holding a solo exhibit

PerformanceSept. 30, 2016

[Album Review] Jake Shimabukuro takes roaming ukulele to Nashville

Jake Shimabukuro“Nashville Sessions”(JS Records)Jake Shimabukuro draws sounds both traditional and innovative from his ukulele on “Nashville Sessions,” an adventurous, dazzling album.Using the instrument from his native Hawaii to explore a variety of styles in the company of drummer Evan Hutchings and bassist Nolan Verner, Shimabukuro broadens his sonic palette on 11 original compositions stretching from jazz fusion to rock and beyond.The 39-year-old virtuoso sticks to the instrument’s natural v

PerformanceSept. 30, 2016

[Album Review] Beyonce tour programmer Kwiz brilliantly explores blackness

Kwiz“The Black Light Chronicles”(Rhythm Lab Music)It seems odd to describe the discussion of the black experience in America a “hot topic” -- after all, the examination of the African-American experience has been explored for hundreds of years in some fashion, even before black people were considered Americans and were just considered property.But with all the focus on the Black Lives Matter movement, the killings of black men at the hands of police, political rhetoric and the waning days of the

PerformanceSept. 30, 2016

[Album Review] Grateful Dead’s Bob Weir delivers earthy solo effort

Bob Weir“Blue Mountain”(Columbia/Legacy and ROAR)The Grateful Dead’s Bob Weir, showing more than a little touch of grey at age 68, delivers a heartfelt and earthy solo record with “Blue Mountain.”It’s Weir’s first solo effort in a decade and the first of entirely original material in 30 years.Weir, who sang with the Dead that he may be going to hell in a bucket but at least he’s enjoying the ride, strikes a more reflective pose on “Blue Mountain.” It’s a deeply personal collection of cowboy song

PerformanceSept. 30, 2016

‘The Lovers and the Despot’ reveals story of Kim Jong-il’s private, kidnapped filmmakers

Lives there a film fan anywhere who doesn’t wish his or her country made better films, who couldn’t sympathize with Kim Jong-il when he’s heard to say, “There’s nothing new to our films. We don’t have any films that get into film festivals. People here are so close-minded?"Kim Jong-il was no everyday film fan, however. Oh, no. He was the absolute ruler of North Korea, and though you’d think he’d have more important matters to attend to, he not only did something about his complaint, he did it in

FilmSept. 30, 2016

Small fish caught in ‘The Net’ of big ideologies

Controversial director Kim Ki-duk has veered away from the provocative in his latest psychological drama “The Net,” which centers on a North Korean fisherman who accidentally drifts into South Korean waters. Verbose, calculated and bordering on didactic, the film, which premiered at the Venice International Film Festival last month, might be described as the prolific and brazen director’s most wholesome, public-friendly work to date. While relatively low on shock factor, coming from Kim, it does

FilmSept. 29, 2016

[Herald Interview] Making glitz without glamour

Director Tyler Rubenfeld traveled from New York City to Seoul to present his debut feature film in competition at a recent film festival. Noteworthy was that he made the trip to compete in the “No Budget” category -- the 64-minute film’s budget came to just $4,000. “No-budget filmmaking is just a series of burned bridges,” Rubenfeld said after the screening of his psychological drama “Wake Me When I Leave” at the Korea International Expat Film Festival, held in Seoul from Sept. 9-11. The second

FilmSept. 29, 2016

Big Bang to release new album

Global K-pop icon Big Bang is gearing up for a new album.　“Big Bang’s new release will be unveiled shortly,” member Seungri announced on his live-broadcasting channel “Hello Seungri” on Naver V Live + on Wednesday. “I can’t disclose the specific details of the schedule, but we plan on sharing a very good new track with everyone.”　The group’s management agency YG Entertainment also confirmed the news Thursday.　“Despite their hectic schedules, Big Bang members have been preparing for a new album,”

PerformanceSept. 29, 2016

Se7en gearing up for return

Singer Se7en has finally revealed details about his return to the spotlight. 　“Se7en will be releasing a new album ‘I am Se7en’ on Oct. 14,” according to the singer’s management agency Eleven9 Entertainment on Thursday morning. This is the singer’s first album in over four years, since the release of his mini album “Se7en New Mini Album” in 2012. 　Written and produced in part by the artist himself, the album will boast a wide array of genres, including dance and funk. 　 Most recently, the 31-yea

PerformanceSept. 29, 2016

France's last ivory carvers faced with extinction

ROUEN, France (AFP) - Annick Colette-Fremond is the fifth generation of her family to practise the art of ivory carving -- and she may be the last of her line, due to new rules in France.She is one of just a handful of French ivory carvers left, plying a trade that conservationists say spurs the slaughter of elephants and rhinos. Colette-Fremond and her fellow craftspeople work with ivory imported before a ban over four decades ago, but say their future will be doomed when a new decree takes eff

CultureSept. 29, 2016

Indian community holds 10th Ganesh Festival

The following was contributed by Chinar Pathak, a postdoctoral researcher at Seoul National University and one of the organizers of the Ganesh Festival. -- Ed.The Indian community in Korea on Sept. 11 celebrated Ganesh Chaturthi, the anniversary of the birth of Lord Ganesha, the god of intelligence, knowledge, wisdom and prosperity in Hinduism. The festival, held at Seoul National University, attracted its most participants ever this year, the 10th year running that it has been held here. In add

Expat LivingSept. 28, 2016