Latest news with #Buddhist
Eater
9 minutes ago
- Entertainment
- Eater
A Korean Vegetarian Cafe From One of Ann Arbor's Most Celebrated Chefs Arrives in Kerrytown
is an award-winning writer and journalist who covers the local food scene from her home base in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Chef Ji Hye Kim always visits her favorite Buddhist temple when she's back in Korea — but not just for the spiritual experience. She discovered the temple's kitchen also serves up top-notch vegetarian food. 'I was blown away by how delicious it can be,' she says. Back at her flagship restaurant, Miss Kim — consistently recognized as one of Ann Arbor's best — some patterns emerged: vegetable dishes were among the most popular on the menu, and vegetarian-themed dinners sold out fast. And on a personal level, Kim started eating less meat for health reasons. Ji Hye Kim has been on the James Beard Awards committee's long list five times for her work at Miss Kim. Gerard + Belevender Kim tells Eater that all of these experiences inspired Little Kim, a fast-casual restaurant with an all-vegetarian menu, opening on Thursday, July 31. The 24-seat restaurant with counter ordering is next door to Miss Kim in the Kerrytown courtyard, in a spot formerly occupied by Eat. Little Kim's menu prices are lower than her full-service restaurant, but Kim wants to make something very clear about her latest concept: 'We're not going to have [plant-based] Impossible Meat or fake chicken nuggets.' Instead, featured proteins include tofu, tempeh, kidney beans, chickpeas, and eggs. For the make-your-own bowl, diners choose their protein and pair it with a base of jasmine rice, greens, or french fries. From there, they can add fresh and house-pickled vegetables — like tangles of pickled red onion, carrot salad, or refreshing bites of smashed cucumber — and finish off their bowls with toppings such as sambal hot sauce, garlic vinaigrette, toasted seaweed, or fresh herbs. The menu draws inspiration from Korea, Japan, China, and India, but tastes of Ann Arbor also come through in the partnerships with local businesses. A fried tofu sandwich with red cabbage, cucumbers, and seaweed mayo is served on crusty Zingerman's Bakehouse bread. Kim also partners with her Kerrytown neighbor Tracklements, known for its smoked fish, to create smoked tofu, and with the Brinery for smoked tempeh. Little Kim also has a mini-mart with grab-and-go items, including bean salad, seasonal kimchi, and homemade marinades and sauces — a sweet and spicy gochjung-based 'marinara' can be tossed into freshly cooked noodles at home. A build-your-own bowl. Gerard + Belevender Kimbap is one of the daily offerings at Little Kim. Gerard + Belevender While the restaurant doesn't yet have a liquor license (Kim hopes to extend Miss Kim's to the new space), the drink menu features homemade sodas made with fruit juices, sweet vinegars, and bitters, alongside iced tea, cold brew, and Vietnamese coffee. If all that sounds bold and original, consider the source: Kim has been recognized as a James Beard Award semifinalist five times and was named one of Food & Wine's Best New Chefs of 2021. In August, she'll appear alongside other award-winning chefs at the inaugural Traverse City Food & Wine event. Kim calls the Beard recognition a 'great honor' and credits it to Miss Kim's consistency. 'But on a community level, it's a recognition of smaller towns and smaller markets,' she says, and especially meaningful from a foundation historically focused on restaurants in New York, San Francisco, and other big cities. With Little Kim, chef Ji Hye Kim is leaning into her vegetarian cooking. Gerard + Belevender A fried tofu rice bowl. Gerard + Belevender Kim's origins are as humble as the small Midwest city she calls home. She trained not in culinary school but in the kitchens of local restaurants such as Zingerman's Delicatessen and Zingerman's Roadhouse (another top-ranked A2 restaurant). Her greatest culinary inspiration? Her mom, a talented home cook who made batches of kimchi every fall with seasonal vegetables, dumplings for New Year's, and rice cakes for harvest festivals. Her personal favorite was seaweed soup. 'It's known as birthday soup, because every Korean child gets it on their birthday. So American kids get cake; Korean kids get seaweed soup.' Jjajangbap, or black bean sauce with rice. Gerard + Belevender She's especially excited about the local Michigan produce that shines at Little Kim. Cucumbers, green beans, and radishes are in now, but things really get going in August as tomatoes, corn, and other late-summer crops hit their peak. It seems appropriate, then, that Little Kim is just steps away from the Ann Arbor Farmers Market, whose stalls are now overflowing with produce and people every Saturday. The cozy restaurant is a simple yet welcoming space with leafy plants and traditional Korean earthenware. 'I like clean white spaces filled with green things,' Kim says, adding that she decorates her own home in a similar motif. Little Kim is located in a courtyard-facing space in Kerrytown. Gerard + Belevender The restaurant is counter service-only, with takeout and delivery available. Gerard + Belevender Ji Hye Kim favors a minimalist aesthetic accented by plants. Gerard + Belevender Customers eating onsite will order at the counter, and staff will bring food to their tables. Online ordering through Grubhub and Uber Eats is coming soon. However you enjoy it, Little Kim offers a special kind of vegetarian experience in Ann Arbor: deeply flavorful, refreshingly unfussy, and rooted in both tradition and community. Little Kim is located at 407 N. 5th Avenue in Ann Arbor; opening Thursday, July 31; hours are 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday; takeout and delivery via the restaurant website, Snackpass, UberEats, and Grubhub.
The Sun
2 hours ago
- The Sun
Thai soldier killed before ceasefire mourned by grieving family
BURIRAM: Theerayuth Krajangthong, a 22-year-old Thai soldier, was among the last casualties before a ceasefire took effect between Thailand and Cambodia. His grieving family held funeral rites on Wednesday, just days after he died in a shrapnel blast near the border. Private First Class Theerayuth was killed late Monday in Sisaket province, hours after the truce was agreed but before it officially began. His body lay in a silver coffin draped with Thailand's flag as Buddhist monks chanted prayers. 'He was brave—brave until the very last moment of his life,' said his sister, Hormchan Krajangthong, her voice trembling. 'He gave his blood and body for our king and country.' The five-day conflict over ancient border temples claimed at least 43 lives and displaced over 300,000 people. Though the ceasefire has mostly held, sporadic skirmishes continue. Theerayuth had joined the military just last year as an ammunition bearer. His father, Kimdaeng Krajangthong, said, 'He wanted to be a soldier since he was little. I'm both proud and heartbroken.' Before deployment, his mother gave him a piece of her sarong as a protective charm. His last words to his family were, 'Don't worry about me. I'm safe.' The family only learned of his death after the fighting stopped. 'Everyone at the evacuation centre was in shock,' Hormchan said. As monks chanted, his father clasped his hands and prayed, 'May he get to be our son again in another life.' - AFP
News18
2 hours ago
- Politics
- News18
What Are Piprahwa Relics, Scared Remains Buddha That UK Finally Returned To India?
The sacred Piprahwa relics of Lord Buddha, excavated 127 years ago, have returned to India from the UK, and are now enshrined in Uttar Pradesh and Delhi A deeply symbolic chapter of India's cultural revival unfolded this week as the sacred Piprahwa relics of Lord Buddha were brought back from the UK, 127 years after they were first excavated and taken abroad. Once at risk of being sold to the highest bidder, the priceless artefacts are now enshrined in the Piprahwa Buddha Temple in Uttar Pradesh and safeguarded in the National Museum in Delhi. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, sharing the moment on social media, posted a photo of the relics with the message, 'A joyous day for our cultural heritage! It would make every Indian proud that the sacred Piprahwa relics of Bhagwan Buddha have come home after 127 long years." The relics, believed to include bone fragments of Lord Buddha himself, had narrowly escaped an international auction just weeks ago. According to officials, the remains were set to be sold by Sotheby's through Chris Pepe, a descendant of British engineer William Pepe who led the original excavation in 1898. That excavation, conducted in Piprahwa, unearthed a massive stone casket from an ancient stupa believed to have been built by the Shakya clan, the family of Siddhartha Gautama, after the Buddha's cremation. Inside the casket were sacred bone relics, crystal and soapstone urns, and thousands of precious stones: over 1,800 pearls, rubies, sapphires, topaz, and thin golden sheets. While most of the treasures were sent to the Indian Museum in Kolkata under the Indian Treasure Trove Act of 1878, some remained in William Pepe's private collection with the British government's permission. These heirlooms remained in the family for over a century until Chris Pepe prepared to auction them in 2024. The Centre, upon learning of the planned sale, acted swiftly. On May 5, the Ministry of Culture issued a legal notice, calling the auction a violation of Indian laws and international agreements, including those under the United Nations. The notice stated that 'these relics are an invaluable religious and cultural heritage of India and the global Buddhist community. Trading them is illegal and immoral". Widespread criticism from Buddhist organisations followed, and international pressure mounted. Sotheby's, the auction house, eventually backed out, stating that their intention had been preservation, not sale. Union Minister of Culture Gajendra Shekhawat was present in Piprahwa for the reinstallation of the relics. The return was coordinated diplomatically and quietly, with the gems, valued at more than Rs 100 crore, now divided between the National Museum in Delhi and the Buddha temple at the original excavation site. view comments First Published: Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Time of India
2 hours ago
- Climate
- Time of India
Kinner Kailash Yatra suspended due to adverse weather
Shimla: The Kinnaur district administration on Wednesday once again suspended the Kinner Kailash Yatra due to adverse weather conditions and unsafe state of the trail. The yatra will resume once weather conditions improve and the route is deemed safe by the authorities concerned, stated the district administration. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Pilgrims have been requested to stay updated through official channels and follow all safety advisories, the administration added. The yatra was earlier closed for July 21 and 22 due to inclement weather. It resumed on July 23, but has now been suspended once again. The Kinner Kailash Yatra usually starts on July 15 and ends on Aug 30. Each day, 350 pilgrims are allowed to undertake the pilgrimage. Only individuals between 16 and 60 years of age are allowed to undertake the yatra, but as an exception, pilgrims between 60 and 70 years of age are allowed if they get a medical certificate from the primary health centre at Tangling in Kalpa tehsil of Kinnaur district. The pilgrimage starts from Kalpa in Kinnaur district and ends at the 6,050-metre high peak of Kinner Kailash, considered the winter abode of Lord Shiva. The pilgrimage is considered sacred by both Hindus and Buddhist. Registration is compulsory to participate in the yatra. MSID:: 122998183 413 |
Int'l Business Times
3 hours ago
- Politics
- Int'l Business Times
Thai Family Mourns Soldier Son Killed Just Before Truce
The clock was pointing towards peace when Private First Class Theerayuth Krajangthong was cut down on the Thai frontier -- among the last casualties before a midnight ceasefire with Cambodia. His funeral rites began Wednesday as Buddhist monks blessed his body with sacred chants, his remains in a shimmering silver coffin draped with Thailand's ensign and flanked by his neatly folded uniform. "He was brave -- brave until the very last moment of his life," said his sister, 26-year-old Hormchan Krajangthong, her voice breaking with emotion. "He gave his blood and body for our king and country," she told AFP in the village of Nong Yang Pong Sadao, just 27 kilometres (17 miles) from the border with Cambodia. Five days of clashes over ancient temples on the frontier killed at least 43 people on both sides, sending more than 300,000 fleeing as the countries battled with jets, artillery and ground troops. A truce deal took effect at midnight Monday and has broadly held despite scattered skirmishes. But it was not soon enough to save 22-year-old Theerayuth. He was killed by a shrapnel blast in Sisaket province late Monday -- after the truce was agreed, but before it began -- in one of the final artillery exchanges of the conflict. Theerayuth joined the Thai military just last year and was assigned the role of ammunition bearer. "He wanted to be a soldier since he was little," said his 60-year-old father, Kimdaeng Krajangthong, his eyes red and glassy. "I'm both proud and heartbroken." When shelling began, his family fled their Buriram province home for an evacuation centre, but Theerayuth was called up to the front. As he boarded the military truck bound for the border, his mother Tin Krajangthong, 61, gave him a patch of her sarong to tuck in his uniform pocket -- a talisman to shield him from harm. His regular calls from the front line reassured them. Even when they stopped on Friday night amid increasing strikes, his family did not worry -- assuming his silence was a safety precaution. "The last time we spoke, my brother told me and our parents, 'Don't worry about me. I'm safe'," his sister Hormchan said. The blow of grief only came after the guns fell silent. On Tuesday morning, Hormchan received a call from an unknown number -- her brother's commanding officer. "He said my brother was gone," she told AFP. "I couldn't believe it." "Everyone at the evacuation centre was in shock." Now Theerayuth's mother stands beside his coffin -- gently knocking it in a Thai custom meant to call back a departed spirit one last time, or let a soul know loved ones are still near. Thailand and Cambodia will spend the coming days tallying losses from the fighting -- the deadliest to engulf their border in years. After two more days of funeral ceremonies, Theerayuth's body will be cremated according to Buddhist tradition, his family's own personal loss sealed. As the monks began their chants on Wednesday, his father clasped his hands. "I pray my son goes to heaven," he said. "And if there's another life, may he get to be our son again." Five days of clashes over ancient temples on the frontier killed at least 43 people on both sides, sending more than 300,000 fleeing AFP Theerayuth joined the Thai military just last year and was assigned the role of ammunition bearer AFP A truce deal took effect at midnight Monday and has broadly held despite scattered skirmishes AFP Thailand and Cambodia will spend the coming days tallying losses from the fighting -- the deadliest to engulf their border in years AFP
