Bottled water or tap water?

Debate rages on which is betterORLANDO, Florida ― The next time you go to the vending machine for a bottle of water (costing 6 cents an ounce) or, instead, sip from the drinking fountain (free), you will be taking part in another debate that touches on the fate of humankind.Because the next time you grab a bottle from a case in the fridge (costing a penny an ounce) or fill a glass from the tap (a

April 25, 2011

Cheese state of mind

Shops dish out blue cheese scrambles, 11 kinds of cream cheese and moreAt La Fromagerie, the egg scramble sandwich is above and beyond. Never mind the pillowed hunks of house-made bread it comes cradled in. It is the bits of melted blue cheese the diner stumbles upon with each fluffy bite that makes the experience worth repeating. Run by two sisters who love cheese, the new shop specializes in cui

April 22, 2011

[Herald Interview] Korean cuisine at a crossroads

Rejection of new interpretations of traditional dishes hamper hansik globalizationThe following is the first in a series of articles on the contemporizing of Korean culture -- Ed. KwangJuYo CEO Cho Tae-kwon holds a special soju drinking vessel that prevents the drinker from overfilling the cup. (Park Hyun-koo/The Korea Herald)With societies becoming more affluent, food is no longer just about fill

April 19, 2011

‘Bourbon Women’: Whiskey isn’t just a man’s drink

LOUISVILLE, Kentucky (AP) ― Marketing executive Peggy Noe Stevens sticks to basics when savoring Kentucky bourbon ― no splash of water, just ice, stacked.For the uninitiated, that’s one ice cube at a time, followed by equal shots of bourbon. Then she lets the whiskey settle before sipping.Stevens, a former whiskey industry executive, is a bourbon aficionado and founder of a new group called Bourbo

April 15, 2011

Retro Desserts

Carrot cake and banana bread for the sentimental sweet-fiendCertain desserts hearken back to the hearth. One bite stirs up childhood memories, like the cream cheese frosting over a slab of carrot cake, or that moist, dense crumb off a freshly-baked wedge of banana bread that mom packed for school. “I went for what I ate often,” Holly Sorim Yang, owner of The Cheesecake, explained why she put carro

April 15, 2011

Packing a stylish picnic

Chic boxed fare for the parkIn a perfect world, picnic-goers would wake up early in the morning to pack hampers full of freshly baked homemade goods. Come weekend, the overworked and exhausted may groan when faced with such a daunting feat yet still want a tasty spread for the great outdoors. Enter the grab-and-go feast as dreamed up by catering veterans who have mastered the art of the packed mea

April 8, 2011

Tteokbokki most popular street food among foreigners

Tteokbokki was the most popular food sold on the streets among foreigners living in Korea, survey showed.　In a survey conducted by Kyung Hee University Institute of International Education, Tteokbokki (rice cakes in hot sauce) was the No. 1 street food foreigners liked to eat (31.1 percent) followed by dak-kkochi (skewered chicken grilled with spicy sauce) with 29 percent and sundae (pig’s intesti

April 8, 2011

This just in at the farmers’ market: fresh spring greens and baby vegetables

Despite the lingering chill, things are looking fresh and green at area farmers markets.Little by little, baby greens, hearty spinach and kale ― locally grown in hoop houses or greenhouses ― are showing up.You can buy just about any produce year-round, but something changes when spring finally arrives. Cooks crave these delicate green harbingers because they require so little fuss. They’re simple

April 6, 2011

Spring on a plate

Edible blossoms enliven and brighten up mealsFlowers serve as emblems of spring’s arrival, a sign that plants are stirring, birds are warbling and bees buzzing. Though often used to create decorative bouquets, blossoms at the dinner table are not restricted to the vase. Technicolor petals add a burst of color to a bowl of salad, a frosted cake or even a cheesy slab of pizza. The Korean tradition o

April 3, 2011

Around the hotels

IP Boutique HotelThe hotel’s Café Amiga offers various new menus prepared with strawberries through May 31. The menus include flower and sprout bibimbap, strawberry juice, strawberries with cream and strawberry banana juice. Prices range from 9,000 won to 15,000 won. Other course menus and buffet bars for breakfast, lunch, and dinner are available at 18,000 won, 22,000 won and 29,000 won, respecti

April 1, 2011

Flavorful raw milk cheese

People who love raw milk cheeses and those who make them say what sets the cheeses apart is the distinctive flavors and the way they can change from season to season.Whether the taste is tangy, sweet, grassy or creamy, aficionados say, it’s almost always memorable.The flavor develops through a required 60-day aging process designed to kill harmful bacteria. Now, that process faces possible reregul

April 1, 2011

Around the hotels

W Seoul-WalkerhillThe hotel offers the “W Hot Spring” package until May 31. The package includes a one night stay in a Wonderful room, breakfast for two, and two tickets to either sauna facility, Hot Spring or Water Zone. The package is priced at 295,000 won, excluding service fees and VAT. Package users can use indoor swimming pool Wet and fitness club Sweat for free and get a 10 percent discount

March 25, 2011

Cream puffs galore

Beloved sweet comes in different shapes and sizesWith spring just around the corner, dessert lovers might be experiencing a new set of cravings for classic chou a la creme. Gobs of cool cream or custard oozing out of airy choux pastry shells lose out to molten chocolate fondue and souffles in the winter but hit the mark on a warm, sunny day. In Britain, they are generally called profiteroles, in A

March 25, 2011

How bacon sizzled and people got sweet on cupcakes

NEW YORK, New York (AP) ―Bacon. It’s everywhere. U.S. fast food chain Wendy’s features it in the “Baconator” and Paula Deen crumbles it into quiche. Ditto for those deluxe cupcakes top-heavy with frosting. Is there a bakery or supermarket that doesn’t sell them?Bacon and cupcakes ― like sliders, bubble tea, popsicles, food trucks and chipotle ― have caught on from coast to coast.But how?Food fads

March 23, 2011

‘Masitda’ for Mamasita Mex bar, grill

Mexican restaurant fires up casual lunch menuFrom outside, Mexican bar and restaurant Mamasita looks like a posh, high-end establishment, located near the wealthy Cheongdam-dong shopping district in southern Seoul.The two-story building, tucked behind Bennigans at the Hakdong Intersection, has a spacious outdoor garden and a parking lot.Breaking with the stereotype that bistros in Cheongdam-dong a

March 21, 2011

Recession-racked shoppers still splash on buying organics

RALEIGH, N.C. ― For the past three years, American consumers have been on a shopping diet. They cut nonessentials from their shopping lists. They’ve made do. They’ve thought twice before buying.And yet, they’ve continued to open their wallets for natural and organic products.Many shoppers say that natural and organic items remain on their shopping lists because they’re concerned about their health

March 21, 2011