Away from the streets of K-town, a new Korean joint has emerged in the heart of Hell’s Kitchen. B-Bap, short for bibimbap, is a play on the traditional dish, which consists of rice mixed with veggies and beef in a hot stone bowl tossed in a red chili pepper paste.
It seems that the folks at B-Bap are riding the healthy & chic “fast food” wave, having created a decor that is reminiscent of Pinkberry. The joint offers a variety of different choices – spicy chicken for the adventurous, tofu for the health-conscious, and beef for those looking for the more traditional dish.
At B-Bap, you can choose which veggies you want in your bowl, which saves the hassle of picking out the sprouts that you hate after everything’s been mixed together. The idea of deconstructing the bibimbap is also interesting, as you can pick and choose and see which ingredients make up your very own rice bowl.
Some of the trendier options include green tea rice, which is a favorite at B-Bap. The green tea taste is very subdued, but it takes away some of the grease and adds a lightness to the dish. There are also formidable alternatives to the traditional red chili pepper — tangy soy, teriyaki, and creamy onion (a bit of a heavier choice).
Who was the first Korean male to star in a leading role in a Hollywood film? That would be RAIN, the Korean pop star known was the Justin Timberlake of Asia. We knew he was going to be big back in 2006 when he was voted #1 to the TIME 100 poll, beating out everyone else in the world that was thrown on the ballot. Fast forward three years later and we found RAIN kicking his way into Ninja Assassin, produced by the guys who brought the Matrix Trilogy. What RAIN represents is the future of entertainment because the economics dictate such. With the advent of digital undermining the traditional Hollywood business model, Hollywood has to seek out new ways to expand their reach and better monetize their products. Asia is the new frontier, but RAIN wasn’t necessarily the first guy to build that bridge to several billion people across the Pacific for Hollywood. There was of course Jackie Chan, Jet Li and others who found themselves as the first set of Asians in co-leading roles of big budget films. It’s obvious that Hollywood is trying to identify someone who has a huge following and leveraging their fame to expand their overall reach. What RAIN has done is open the possibilities for other Koreans to venture into Hollywood and perhaps someday, well be cheering on our version of Slumdog Millionaire. Someday we’ll look back and say that guys like John Cho and RAIN were the ones who put Koreans on the Hollywood radar, and that’s why RAIN is #3 on our top ten list of most influential Korean(-Americans) for 2009.
It was trying to be funny and it was a worthy attempt. Rex Lee (of Entourage fame) stars as Kim Jong-Il in a short film called “The Adoption Agency,” on Will Ferrell’s “Funny or Die” website. You be the judge. I think Danny Cho’s skit as Kim Jong-Il as an eHarmony candidate is a bit funnier.
Looks like the Wonder Girls are spending their Christmas in New York. They seemed to be in a festive mood, lighting up the Christmas Tree at the JYP headquarters in New York City.
It’s rather odd that newspapers are writing about the superficiality of life when it’s the week of Christmas. The Chosun Ilbo surveyed nearly a 1,000 people about what would make up their perfect spouse. We already know, according to the New York Times, that Koreans like tall people. Well, what makes the perfect spouse for a South Korean male or female? Hmmmm?
So what do the single ladies want? According to Beyonce, you “shoulda put a ring on it.” But for the single ladies in Korea, it’s someone who ”earns over W30 million a year, has assets of W100 million to W150 million and a four-year university degree, works as a civil servant or for a public corporation, and is 175 cm to 180 cm tall (US$1=W1,184).” Dang! What if he just wants to put a ring on it? Let’s get back to Beyonce because she keeps it real.
Don’t treat me to the things of this world
I’m not that kind of girl
Your love is what I prefer, what I deserve
Is a man that makes me, then takes me
And delivers me to a destiny, to infinity and beyond
Pull me into your arms
Say I’m the one you WANT
Most men and women considered a difference of three or four years as the ideal age gap for a couple. Some 42percent of men preferred women who are three to four years younger than them, and 35.8 percent of women preferred men who are three to four years older. However, the older respondents were, the larger age gap men wanted, while women preferred a smaller gap.
Personality was cited as the most important factor when considering a potential spouse by both men (30.4%) and women (29.1%). But in second place the genders held different opinions, with 20.5 percent of men choosing appearance, and 23.1 percent of women saying financial status.
“If you are picky about choosing a spouse, the man or woman you want will also likely be picky about their partner,” said Duo CEO Kim Hye-jung. “My advice is to be flexible and wise in setting criteria for an ideal spouse.”
I just want to find someone who can dances and moves like Beyonce. Is that to much to ask?
Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the house, not a creature was stirring, except some drunken uncles, kids hopped up on cookies and egg nog, and cousins napping by the fire. So this isn’t exactly the portrait of Christmas eve for many households, but it does illustrate a point. Christmas is probably the loneliest time of year for many people. Christmas makes us pause and think about Christ if you’re a Christian, but for those who don’t follow Christianity yet celebrate Christmas, it’s a time of gift giving. In the midst of the celebrations and gift giving, think about how rich you really are. I’m not talking about the size of your wallet or your bank account. You see, no man is poor who has friends. But a man is truly rich when they pour out their lives to others. As we close out 2009, we have an exhortation for you in 2010. Sure we enjoy covering the lives of people who are pursuing and achieving their dreams, but we want to tell the stories of those Korean-Americans who have poured out their lives to others. Maybe we’ll never meet and tell your story, but if you pour our your life to the person next to you and to those around you, how much richer will you be in 2010?
If you happen to be celebrating Christmas in Las Vegas, then you may want to drop by Caesar’s Palace on the Las Vegas strip to see Korean pop sensation RAIN. He’ll be performing two nights on Christmas Eve and on Christmas Day. It’s his first concert in the United States in three years. He’s bringing his RAINISM tour so watch out!
From our friends at SeoulEats.com, a photoblog of Junju, the big southern heart of Korea.
4 old and new friends (www.hoyacooks.com).
1 who calls Junju (Namwon) home.
36 hours of glorious food!
Part 1. Hanok Village and coffee houses a old and new.
Hanok (한옥) The traditional homes of Korea.
We stayed at the Hanok Village (한옥마을) in Junju.
It’s a village made for tourist, but that also makes it very well kept and gorgeous to photograph.
Mehju (매주), dried soybeans to make soy sauce and soybean paste.
View from the room in the morning, stunning.
Roof shingles used as pathway decoration.
Spoon used as lock, amazing!
Traditional tea house, Rhu gal dah won (루갈다원)
The owner handmade these lamp shades from Hanji (한지), handmade Korean paper.
Shang hwa cha (쌍화차)
Shang hwa cha (쌍화차) and Pine leaf tea (솔잎차)
A cafe with a gallery in the Hanok Village.
A new coffee house in the central shopping district, with hand drip coffee and in-house roasting.
Korean hospitals lead the world in terms of survival of cancer patients. The Ministry for Health, Welfare and Family Affairs on Monday said the nation’s five-year cancer survival rate has increased to 57.1 percent in 2003-2007 from 44 percent in 1996-2000. The rate describes how many patients are still alive five years after they are diagnosed.
The five-year survival rates for stomach, uterine cervical and liver cancers, the three cancers Koreans are most prone to, are 61.2 percent, 80.5 percent, and 21.7 percent, better than those of the U.S. (25.7 percent, 70.6 percent, and 13.1 percent) or Canada and similar to Japan’s 62.1 percent, 71.5 percent, and 23.1 percent.
Survival rates for colon and breast cancer are 68.7 percent and 89.5 percent, similar to or higher than those of the U.S. (65.2 percent and 89.1 percent) or Japan (65.2 percent and 85.5 percent).
Survival for lung cancer is 16.7 percent, higher than the U.S.’ 5.5 percent but lower than Japan’s 25.6 percent. The rate for prostate cancer is high at 82.4 percent but far lower than the U.S.’ 99.7 percent.
The average rate for all cancers is at 57.1 percent, higher than Japan’s 54.3 percent but lower than the U.S.’ 66.1 percent. The high average rate in the U.S. is attributable to the fact that the country has a higher proportion of prostate or breast cancer, where post-surgery recovery is faster than for others, experts said.
Park So-hee, a senior official in charge of cancer registration at the National Cancer Center, said the rate is higher the earlier cancer is discovered. Korea has high survival rates because an increasing number of hospitals diagnose patients at an early stage of cancer and doctors have improved their techniques, she added.
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