Khamis, 13 Februari 2014

The Malaysian Insider :: Food

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The Malaysian Insider :: Food

Documentary of epic culinary opera debuts at Berlin film festival

Posted: 13 Feb 2014 04:50 PM PST

February 14, 2014

A course of anemones and sea cucumber during 'El Somni'. – AFP/Relaxnews pic, February 14, 2014.A film documenting an epic 12-course operatic meal prepared by the restaurant named the best on the planet made its debut at the Berlinale International Film Festival, where audience members got to sit in on one of the most exclusive and groundbreaking meals in modern gastronomy.

Dubbed "El Somni", the Catalan word for 'dream', the documentary takes viewers through the creative process of the Roca brothers Joan, Josep and Jordi, as they write the makings of a culinary opera involving light shows, original music scores and state-of-the-art graphics.

The Roca brothers' restaurant El Celler de Can Roca in Girona, Spain was named the world's best restaurant for 2013 by influential trade publication Restaurant magazine.

Months of work and collaborations with 40 artists culminated in a one-off dinner in Barcelona last spring, attended by a carefully curated guest list that included Indian actress Freida Pinto and legendary Spanish chef Ferran Adrià.

And to make sure the landmark culinary event is preserved in the canon of gastronomical history, filmmaker Franc Aleu was enlisted to document the project from start to finish.

Snippets of the film, which was singled out as the festival highlight in the Berlinale's Culinary Cinema category this year, are available on YouTube and trace the makings of the opera, from the brainstorming sessions of Joan and Jordi on how to bring the moon into the menu, to post-dinner reflections by Adria and Pinto.

"How does the moon taste?" asks chef Joan to his younger brother and pastry wizard Jordi in the kitchen.

Words like 'strange', 'earthy', 'truffles' and 'minerality' are lobbied about as the two brainstorm the different ways in which the moon can be interpreted into edible art.

Pictures then show an ashen, mottled orb molded with reliefs to replicate the craggy lunar landscape.

Sommelier Josep also pontificates about how wine and the moon are connected. Wine is a testament to the passage of time, he surmises, and though born in light, is transformed into "dark night".

Images of the dinner itself, meanwhile, show projections displayed on the tabletop and surrounding walls that could be described as part National Geographic – close-ups of ants, tropical forests, and bees sucking nectar from flowers – and part sci-fi with fantastical images and graphics that stir the imagination.

About a dozen guests seated at a round table tuck into dishes like charcoal-broiled sea urchin, ceviche, anemones, sea cucumbers and olive oil, as well as a plate of sea plankton and sponge cake.

The result? An experience that folds in all six senses (the sixth being memories and emotions) and involves "opera, electronica, 3D, performing arts, singing, reflexion, painting, films, music", and of course, "cookery". – AFP/Relaxnews, February 14, 2014.

How to celebrate Valentine’s Day on a fast-food budget

Posted: 13 Feb 2014 04:36 PM PST

February 14, 2014

Boston Pizza's heart-shaped pie. – AFP/Relaxnews pic, February 14, 2014.Valentine's Day isn't just a greeting card or chocolate holiday. It's also an occasion for the fast–food industry to capitalise on the very edible holiday by turning their foods into the shape of a heart or offering their restaurants as wedding hall venues for couples on a low – very low – budget.

Among the perennial Valentine's Day participants is Dunkin' Donuts, which releases a heart-shaped donut every year. This year's releases include Cookie Dough, with a cookie dough–flavoured buttercream filling, and the Brownie Batter donut topped with heart sprinkles.

The pizza industry is another Valentine's Day enthusiast.

Now in its 22nd year, Boston Pizza will also offer heart-shaped pizzas on Valentine's Day. In Canada alone, the chain expects to sell 65,000 pizzas.

Meanwhile, restaurants and chains are also offering themselves up as wedding venues for couples on a shoestring-fry budget.

Over at White Castle, home of the mini burger slider that inspired the Hollywood movie "Harold and Kumar go to White Castle" and boasts a cult-like following, 10 couples will exchange vows at restaurants across the US today. The couples were selected from radio contests.

At the New York City landmark Serendipity 3, which has also made a Hollywood appearance in the movie "Serendipity", a couple who fell in love at the restaurant 15 years ago will likewise renew their vows today over a bowl of their signature Frrrozen Hot Chocolate dessert.

Founder Stephen Bruce, a newly ordained minister, will perform the reaffirmation ceremony.

And for those in Southport, North Carolina with no Valentine's Day plans – and no money – a McDonald's restaurant is hosting a candle-lit dinner for two, with table service and musical selections by the Ronald himself. – AFP/Relaxnews, February 14, 2014.

Kredit: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com

The Malaysian Insider :: Sports

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Chelsea’s Mourinho tips Liverpool for title charge

Posted: 13 Feb 2014 02:41 PM PST

February 14, 2014

Chelsea's manager Jose Mourinho gestures during their English Premier League match against Manchester United at Stamford Bridge in London, January 19, 2014. – Reuters pic, February 14, 2014.Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has tipped in-form Liverpool to emerge as serious challengers for the Premier League title this season.

Mourinho's side are currently top of the table, but fourth-placed Liverpool are just four points adrift and the Portuguese coach feels Brendan Rodgers' men have a major advantage given their lack of European involvement.

Chelsea, second-placed Arsenal and third-placed Manchester City have Champions League last 16 ties looming, with all three holding ambitions of a long run in Europe's elite club competition.

That could benefit Liverpool and although they are still outsiders to win the title with most bookmakers, Mourinho claims they have to be taken seriously.

And he insists it is not just mind games to put pressure on a rival who recorded an impressive 5-1 win over Arsenal last weekend.

"When I say we're not the top candidate everyone thinks 'here he is again, with what you like to call the mind games'," Mourinho told Sky Sports News.

"But it's just my feeling. The league is amazing but Liverpool have a big advantage because of the fact they don't play in the Champions League."

Given the unusually wide-open nature of the title race, Mourinho does not expect his team or any of their rivals to have an easy run-in as the pressure mounts.

"Every team needs points for their objective – some for relegation, some for Champions League football and some are trying to be champions," he added.

"It's going to be hard for everybody."

Meanwhile, England manager Roy Hodgson this week made a concerted effort to end any talk of Blues central defender John Terry coming out of international retirement.

Terry's form has been so good this year that former England striker Gary Lineker, among others, called for the Chelsea skipper to come back to the international fold.

But Mourinho does not believe the subject of Terry playing for his country should be under discussion.

"It's a waste of time to keep speaking about the situation," he said.

"Roy Hodgson is the person to kill the discussion or to feed it. End of story.

"I'd never intervene. He's in charge and has everything in his hand. He has made that decision.

"For me as a Chelsea manager I'm happy players play with their national teams – but at the same time I'm happy an important player like him is fully focused on his work at Chelsea." – AFP, February 14, 2014.

Tottenham announce five-year AIA sponsorship

Posted: 13 Feb 2014 02:39 PM PST

February 14, 2014

Tottenham Hotspur have agreed a five-year sponsorship deal with Asian insurance services provider AIA, the Premier League club announced on Thursday.

AIA currently sponsors Tottenham's shirts in cup competitions, but it will become the north London club's principal global partner from the beginning of next season.

Under the terms of the deal, the AIA logo will appear on the front of Spurs's shirts in all competitions until 2019.

"We have enjoyed an excellent relationship with AIA since they became our cup shirt partners at the beginning of this season," said Spurs chairman Daniel Levy.

"Together we share long-term ambitions across Asia – a region where the club has seen significant growth in recent years – and this extended partnership with AIA, one of the leading companies in the Asia-Pacific region and a clear market leader in their industry, will further help to support our objectives and engage with our supporters across the region." – AFP, February 14, 2014.

Kredit: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com

The Malaysian Insider :: Features

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Gen Y keen on finance, banking sector, says talent firm

Posted: 12 Feb 2014 08:26 PM PST

February 13, 2014

Finance and banking is a popular career choice among Generation Y and this will directly benefit the industry in the long run amid globalisation, increase mobility of labour and brain drain.

Financial Sector Talent Enrichment Programme (FSTEP) Head, Lee Khee Joo, said the recent survey by online recruitment firm, Jobstree.com, showed that most employees in Malaysia picked the manufacturing; information & communications technology; financial & banking; construction; and, wholesale & retail industries.

The Generation Y is considered to be anyone who were born in the 1980s and 90s.

"The scenario appears positive for the Malaysian financial services industry," he told Bernama here today.

According to TalentCorp Malaysia, Malaysia's success in transforming itself into an upper middle income nation was the result of consistent and substantial investment in human capital development, Lee said.

"There is no doubt that Malaysia has skilled talent that is world class," he said, adding that, unfortunately due to globalisation and the increased mobility of labour, the country fould itself having to compete for its own talents in the market.

Brain drain also posed a great challenge to the nation's transformation ambitions which TalentCorp reported that 10.5 per cent of skilled Malaysians had migrated in 2010, he said. – Bernama, February 13, 2014.

Pakistan’s child brides married off for ‘honour’

Posted: 12 Feb 2014 07:12 PM PST

February 13, 2014

Offering young girls as brides in compensation to settle disputes persists in many areas of deeply conservative Pakistan. - AFP pic, February 13, 2014.One sunny afternoon as she skipped home from school, Saneeda was accosted by her estranged father, who wanted to marry her to a man she'd never met to settle a debt of "honour". She was five years old.

A few months earlier, Saneeda's father Ali Ahmed had eloped with a girl from another valley. To avoid violent revenge from her family, he promised to give them his daughter and niece Sapna in marriage.

Offering young girls as brides in compensation to settle disputes persists in many areas of deeply conservative Pakistan.

In Saneeda's home district of Swat, in the country's northwest, the practice is known as "swara".

Government data show that it is on the rise in Swat, four years after an army operation ended the Taliban's brutal two-year rule in the scenic valley once known as the "Switzerland of Pakistan".

Nine cases were registered in the area in 2013, up from just one in 2012. Rights groups say the true number is much higher.

Children taunt me

"My father stopped me in the street and told me that he has given me in swara and soon will hand me over to a man who will be my husband," Saneeda, wearing a golden shawl with red and purple embroidery, told AFP, her cheeks reddening in embarrassment.

Her mother dismissed it at first, but the arrangement had been ordered by a jirga, a traditional tribal gathering, and the gravity of the situation soon became clear.

"We initially thought they can't take this girl away but then they increased pressure with every passing day to give her in swara," Fazal Ahad, Saneeda's maternal uncle, told AFP.

Eventually Saneeda's family got a court order protecting her. Police arrested her father and the jirga members who had decided to give her in swara.

A lucky escape, but Saneeda, now aged seven, still faces discrimination and mockery.

"Whenever I go to school, children taunt me and tell me that I have been given in swara and will be married to a man," she said.

Saneeda was unusual in that her family challenged the jirga's ruling. In Pakistan's patriarchal society, where family reputation is paramount, airing the "dirty laundry" in public in this way is very rare.

"There are many other cases of swara, but people in our area don't go to police and court and don't highlight such cases. We don't take matters of our women to the court - the victimised girls have to bear it all," said Ahad.

The authorities do not keep detailed data on swara, but Samar Minallah, an activist who made an acclaimed documentary on the practice, said she had identified at least 132 cases around Pakistan in 2012.

The other girl given by Saneeda's father, 16-year-old Sapna, had to abide by the jirga ruling and settled with the husband they chose for her.

The custom and the code of silence that surrounds it is so strictly followed that AFP was unable to reach her to speak about her experience.

Code of silence

Ahad said the nine Swara cases reported in Swat are just the tip of the iceberg, but victims were becoming increasingly willing to speak out.

"People are slowly getting aware through media that this custom is an evil, so some of them have started reporting," he said.

Forced marriage under swara is against the law, but police say that even when a complaint is brought there is great reluctance among witnesses to give statements.

"In the cases of swara, people don't provide evidence against each other, because they are from the same village and community," Naveed Khan, a senior police official told AFP in Mingora, the district headquarter of Swat.

"In the single swara marriage case in 2012, all 12 accused were set free because there was lack of evidence against them. Nobody speaks up in such cases."

Officers arrested 65 suspects in the nine swara cases in 2013, including Saneeda's father, Khan said, but their fate rests with the courts.

Women's rights groups say the government needs to do more to crack down on swara.

"There are more than 15 cases of Swara, which have been highlighted," Tabassum Adnan Safi, the chair of a local women's campaign group, told AFP.

"We are working to make women aware of the evilness of this custom. Besides these awareness campaigns, we also protest against Swara and raise voice for the protection.

"But getting evidence in such cases is no doubt a big challenge because nobody talks about it."

Minallah says that nothing will change until the police and prosecutors are prepared to challenge the authority of local elders - a difficult task in areas where such traditional power structures are deeply entrenched.

"An awareness has been created against swara, that is why there are more reported cases, but the authorities need to take strict action against jirgas and stop them violating the law," she said.

And there are those, even in the legal community, who defend the practice staunchly.

"It is helpful in removing deadly enmities among scores of tribes, saves dozens of lives and brings peace among families," Syed Kareem Shalman, a practising lawyer in Mingora, told AFP.

"If a family, which gets a bride in Swara mistreats her, faces revenge from the family who give their daughter to resolve the dispute." – AFP, February 13, 2014.

Kredit: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com

The Malaysian Insider :: Showbiz

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US comedy pioneer Sid Caesar dead at 91

Posted: 12 Feb 2014 04:28 PM PST

February 13, 2014

Entertainer Sid Caesar jokes with photographers in this April 11, 2002 file photo. – Reuters pic, February 13, 2014.US comedy pioneer Sid Caesar (pic), best known for live 1950s variety TV programme "Your Show of Shows", has died aged 91, friend and talk show veteran Larry King said yesterday.

The actor, who also hosted "Caesar's Hour", died at his Beverly Hills home after a short illness, the Los Angeles Times reported, citing his biographer Eddy Friedfeld.

His hit shows featured comedy sketches and skits rather than stand-up material, industry daily Variety noted. "Your Show of Shows" writers included Mel Brooks, Woody Allen and Neil Simon.

Calling him a "master of TV comedy", Variety said he was one of the first stars created by television, through his weekly show in the medium's early black-and-white days.

King, the longtime host of a talk show on CNN, called Caesar "a dear friend, a comic genius and an American classic", adding on his Twitter feed: "There will never be another one like him."

After his massive success in the 1950s, Caesar descended into drug and alcohol abuse that kept him out of the limelight for much of the following two decades.

In 1978, he had a big-screen role in blockbuster "Grease" starring John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John, and he recounted his roller-coaster life in his 1982 autobiography "Where Have I Been".

Caesar, who was also a saxophonist and composer, won two Primetime Emmy Awards, for best actor in 1952 and best comedian in 1957 for "Caesar's Hour".

He was also nominated for Emmys nine other times, most recently in 1997 for "Mad About You".

He won the Television Critics Association award for lifetime achievement in comedy in 2001.

Caesar's most recent acting credit was in 2004 direct-to-DVD film "Comic Book: The Movie", although he also had appearances in a number of recent documentaries, including "Broadway: Beyond the Golden Age", in post-production and due out this year. – AFP, February 13, 2014.