The Art of Fung Ming Chip

Art by Fung Ming Chip

The Chinese-born Fung carved these eight original seals out of soapstone and artfully stamped them on traditional xuan paper for the October issue’s cover. Here, he tells us what they mean: “For more than 2,000 years, seals have played a crucial role in East Asian culture. They are not always only literal expressions but often reflect the character of their creators. From left to right, the first two seals simply display my Chinese name, while the third one represents my studio, Four ‘No’ Studio (for no principle, no judgment, no reality, no truth). Some, like the cloud, just depict images I like, and the rabbit and carrot are because I was born in 1951, the Year of the Rabbit. They can also just be sayings. The last seals display two of my personal favorites: ‘Life of ease’ and ‘Right and wrong all life long.’”

For more information on the artist, go to fungmingchip.com.

Insider's Guide to Asian Airlines

The preferred Asian airlines, routes and other tips from some of our frequent fliers.

“Singapore Airlines’ all-business-class, 100-passenger flight from Newark airport to Singapore is the best-kept secret among seasoned travelers to Asia. Not only does its nonstop route shave nearly five hours off 22 hours of travel time, its flatbed seats are extra wide with two large pillows and super-soft linens.” —Deborah Frank, managing editor of Departures

“My all-time favorite route is Virgin Atlantic Airways’ upper class [its version of business class] from New York to London to Shanghai. There’s personal, one-on-one service—a driver can pick you up from your home in a Mercedes-Benz—and on some flights you can choose to sit up in the Snooze Zone on the second level, where you can sleep so peacefully with nobody bothering you. During the layover at Heathrow Airport, you can shower and get manicures and pedicures at the Cowshed Spa in Virgin Atlantic’s Clubhouse.” —Han Feng, designer

“I recommend taking the Airport Express train to and from Hong Kong International Airport. It’s convenient and comfortable and takes just 24 minutes from the city’s center—much faster than by car. You can take the train straight to terminals 1 and 2, and most of the airlines have a baggage check-in counter at the entrance of the station.” —Richard Chang, director of Tira Holdings

“Flying between Europe and Asia in first class on Thai Airways is always a marvelous experience. From the moment you arrive outside the airport, you are assisted every second by the same butler. Check-in is done in an individual salon, and you have a special lane for immigration and customs and then a superb lounge with a complimentary Thai massage. It also has the best onboard service, delivered with the very unique manners, style and kindness of the Thai people.” —Guy Bedarida, creative director of John Hardy

“If you fly out at night from Hong Kong, only one side of the plane gets to see the stunning skyline. It depends on which way the plane is taking off—if toward the east, then passengers on the right side get the good view; if toward the west, you want to be seated on the left side. And the Dragonair flight from Beijing to Hong Kong serves Mediterranean dishes like smoked duck breast with balsamic mustard dressing from Sureño, the flagship restaurant of the Opposite House in Beijing.” —Sheila Donnelly Theroux, publicist

“Cathay Pacific Airways is my favorite because of its caring service and continuous improvement, like the evolution of its seat design. The food is delicious—I especially love the barbecued pork noodles. Its flights are seldom delayed, but if they are, Cathay constantly keeps passengers in the loop via airport announcements and even text messages.” —Rainy Chan, general manager of the Peninsula Hong Kong

Favorite Asia Cruises

Illustration by Jason Lee

Five Asia cruise itineraries that cater to the sailing specialist as well as the tyro.

Starting in Bangkok and ending 25 days later in Beijing, Oceania Cruises’ Imperial Interludes winds its way across the China Sea—both the South and East—to the Yellow Sea. It’s a perfect Pan-Asian tour, with generous two-day stops at Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Hong Kong and Shanghai. Trip starts at $6,000; departs February 28; oceaniacruises.com.

From pagodas to skyscrapers, Crystal Cruises’ 16-day Temples and Dynasties tour, aboard the 1,070-passenger Crystal Serenity, visits ports both large—it starts in Singapore and ends in Hong Kong, with stops in Ho Chi Minh City and Bangkok—and small. A call in Chan May, Vietnam, offers exploration of Hue, the country’s beautiful dynastic capital. Trip starts at $12,060; departs February 26; crystalcruises.com.

Celebrity Cruises plies Southeast Asia’s old trade routes in two late-year itineraries. Aboard the Celebrity Millennium, the 2,034-guest ship that will be dry-docked in early 2012 for a massive renovation, passengers can start in Singapore and head north to Hong Kong or catch the southbound cruise. Both itineraries stop in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi. Trips start at $1,600; depart in December; celebritycruises.com.

From Asia to the antipodes, Regent Seven Seas Cruises offers a 17-night journey starting in Singapore, skimming Bali, then curving across the Timor Sea to Australia’s eastern coast. The voyage—aboard the appropriately named all-suite ship Voyager—ends in Sydney, with equal time devoted to both continents’ destinations. Trip starts at $11,300; departs January 6; rssc.com.

For those who prefer their journeys directed by sports, Azamara Club Cruises offers golf-centric trips that jump from green to green across Asia. But even its non-putting itineraries, like a late-2012 jaunt from Singapore to Hong Kong, offer plenty of time to find fairways in Bangkok (three nights) and Ho Chi Minh City (another three). Trips start at $4,000; departs December 23; azamaraclubcruises.com.

Mrs. Jean-Georges's Kimchi Chronicles

Photo by James T. Murray

This summer Marja Vongerichten launched Kimchi Chronicles, a PBS series of her culinary journeys with her chef husband, Jean-Georges, through Korea’s markets, farms and restaurants. Half Korean and adopted at age 3, Marja has been rediscovering her roots since meeting her birth mother in 1995. With her newfound knowledge, Marja also published The Kimchi Chronicles cookbook (Rodale) in August. Here, she shares her thoughts on Korea.

Q: After spending so much time in Korea, how would you describe it?

A: The people are warm and as curious about you as you are of them. In the U.S., when people think of Korea, they think of the North. Most have no idea that South Korea is the size of Kentucky. Yet out of this small nation, we’ve become a leader in auto and electronics. And our history is filled with amazing stories about kings and queens and famous courtesans.

Q: Korea’s often overlooked as a travel destination. Would you recommend it?

A: It’s one of my favorite places to vacation. Korea is mountainous, so for outdoorsy types, there’s hiking, temple stays and camping, and the beach is never far away. If you like fast-paced, go to Seoul or Busan [in the south]. The language barrier is challenging, but there are lots of translation apps.

Q: What’s a favorite dish of yours?

A: My must-have is the kalchi jorim, braised belt fish in a spicy sauce with daikon.

Q: Has Jean-Georges incorporated Korean food into his menus?

A: He makes a steak with gochujang butter at Perry Street and a kimchi hot dog at Mercer Kitchen. I think I influence his cooking…I just let him think it was all his idea!

The Artist

Courtesy The Weinstein Company

Hollywood has saved its best for last this year. A rich selection of high quality films opens in theaters this Thanksgiving, making postprandial multiplex-hopping this weekend’s can’t miss cultural event. Here are recommendations for movies you must see, once you’ve loosened the belt a notch or two.

In The Artist, French director Michel Hazanavicius dazzled Cannes’s perpetually critical audiences with a story about a silent-movie star who falls in a love with a rising starlet just as his career is eclipsed by the talkies. Remarkably, The Artist is itself a silent film in striking black and white shot on the back lots of old Hollywood studios. However, don’t let that scare you off. Hazanavicius captures all the beauty of silent cinema in this absolute charmer while constructing a movie that feels fun, breezy and modern. It might even leave you yearning to check out some old Chaplin classics after you leave the theater.

The Descendants

Courtesy Merie Wallace / Fox Searchlight

Hollywood has saved its best for last this year. A rich selection of high quality films opens in theaters this Thanksgiving, making postprandial multiplex-hopping this weekend’s can’t miss cultural event. Here are recommendations for movies you must see, once you’ve loosened the belt a notch or two.

It’s been seven years since Sideways, Alexander Payne’s Oscar-winning romp through Santa Ynez’s wine country, and the director returns at the top of his game with The Descendants. George Clooney stars as an aristocratic Hawaiian paterfamilias struggling to connect with two teenage daughters while dealing with the revelation of his coma-bound wife’s infidelity. Touching but not maudlin, playful but not precious, The Descendants is a finely observed gem of beautifully honest storytelling. Clooney’s remarkable performance infuses Payne’s signature mix of wit and drama with a poignant humanity that makes this perhaps his most moving film to date.

The Muppets

Courtesy Walt Disney Pictures

Hollywood has saved its best for last this year. A rich selection of high quality films opens in theaters this Thanksgiving, making postprandial multiplex-hopping this weekend’s can’t miss cultural event. Here are recommendations for movies you must see, once you’ve loosened the belt a notch or two.

Muppets just make everything better. When a nefarious Texas oilman aims to tear down the bankrupt Muppet studios in search of oil, Kermit gathers the gang together for one final telethon to save their legacy. However, does the Muppets’ sincere humor still fly in our cynical world? Simply put, yes. Writer and star Jason Segel brings his genuine adoration for Jim Henson’s legendary creations to a family friendly film that introduces the joys of being green to a whole new generation. That’s not to say there aren’t laughs for the non–Happy Meal set. We’ll just say this: Chris Cooper’s gangster-rap tap dance number.

Hugo

Courtesy Paramount Pictures

Hollywood has saved its best for last this year. A rich selection of high quality films opens in theaters this Thanksgiving, making postprandial multiplex-hopping this weekend’s can’t miss cultural event. Here are recommendations for movies you must see, once you’ve loosened the belt a notch or two.

You might be wary of all the subpar 3-D movies out there, but when Martin Scorsese decides to experiment with anything cinematic, you’re guaranteed to get a one-of-a-kind spectacle. Who else would think to combine 3-D, a lush costume period piece, the birth of cinema, Ben Kingsley and Sacha Baron Cohen? The enthusiastic buzz in the blogosphere and on the festival circuit seems to indicate that Scorsese has crafted the first truly must-see 3-D movie since Avatar. This one just might be worth the surcharge and funny glasses.

Thanksgiving Movies to Steam on Netflix

Courtesy Warner Brothers Pictures

Hollywood has saved its best for last this year. A rich selection of high quality films opens in theaters this Thanksgiving, making postprandial multiplex-hopping this weekend’s can’t miss cultural event. Here are recommendations for movies you must see, once you’ve loosened the belt a notch or two.

Should a turkey coma leave you couch-ridden, you can recreate the feel of our recommendations through the miracle of Netflix instant streaming. Interested in The Artist? Check out Chaplin’s classic The Gold Rush, to which Hazanavicius pays loving homage. For Alexander Payne fans, there’s About Schmidt, which nabbed Jack Nicholson a Best Actor Oscar nomination. Netflix also has Jim Henson’s remarkable HBO series The Storyteller, in which whimsically designed Muppets reenact beguiling European folktales. And if you need a Scorsese period piece fix, order The Age of Innocence, his adaptation of Edith Wharton’s classic novel featuring a dashing, young Daniel Day-Lewis. If all else fails, dial up Christmas Vacation on AppleTV.

The Hawksworth at Vancouver’s Rosewood Hotel Georgia

Courtesy Hotel Georgia’s Hawksworth Restaurant.

What’s old is new again! The Hotel Georgia was the toast of Vancouver, BC, when it opened in 1927, and it held that premier position for decades—attracting the likes of Katharine Hepburn, Elvis Presley and British royals. But after nearly a century of stays and celebrations, the hotel’s worn decor began to belie its storied past. That is, until Rosewood Hotels and Resorts stepped in to give the property a multimillion-dollar renovation and reopened it in July as the Rosewood Hotel Georgia.

Today the property is a study in modern elegance. The grand lobby features several striking Czech crystal chandeliers, among 110 on-site. More than 200 pieces of Canadian art are on view throughout the property, as well as three fine displays of British art—two pieces in the lobby by Patrick Hughes and, notably, a limited-edition Damien Hirst print of Big Love with Diamond Dust. The Canadian pride extends to the spa, where treatments such as the Vancouver Signature Sensation employ products sourced from native ingredients like glacial clay. The guest rooms solve every historic property’s small-space riddle through inspired furniture arrangements, hidden outlets and a dual purpose television/computer flatscreen.

Most remarkable of all is David Hawks¬worth’s eponymous restaurant. The native Vancouverite has designed a menu that’s a la minute and elegant, but not at all fussy. The surprising seasonal options include a Bartlett pear salad with extraordinary imported burrata and an outrageous chestnut and black truffle agnolotti. For his dream venture, Hawksworth recruited a crack team of collaborators. Sommelier Terry Threlfall of London’s Chez Bruce guides guests through an extensive and—encased in glass as it is—attractive cellar. If you’re in the mood to drink Canadian, Threlfall may suggest Riesling from Sterling Vineyards and Poplar Grove to bookend Le Vieux Pin’s Roussanne/Viognier blend or a Foxtrot Vineyards’ Pinot Noir. If you’ve never heard of these winemakers, never fear: The sommelier offers a quick primer in Canadian wine.

In a town that often catches flak for its lackluster nightlife (two words: “hockey bars”), bar manager Brad Stanton’s tasty cocktail menu is a welcome revelation. For the hotel’s signature cocktail, Stanton paged through Ted Saucier’s seminal 1951 book, Bottoms Up, and found a recipe for the Hotel Georgia Cocktail. Apparently Saucier had traveled to Vancouver! The barman adjusted the recipe’s proportions and kept the egg white topper to create a smooth, timeless cocktail served in a coupe Champagne glass. Sipping it, then or now, there’s only one place you could be.

The Hotel Georgia Cocktail
1¾ oz. Plymouth gin
¾ oz. lemon juice
½ oz. orgeat
6 drops orange blossom water
1 egg white
Nutmeg
Beginning with the egg, combine all ingredients (except nutmeg) and shake. Add ice, shake again. Double strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Dust with nutmeg.

801 W. Georgia St., Vancouver, BC; rosewoodhotelgeorgia.com.