"kung fu" news and stories

After 100 years of tea bags filled with a decreasing quality of leaf, tea makers are seeing an upsurge in sales when they decide to upgrade the quality of their product. Premium teas were once sold only loose-leaf, but even small producers are bagging their wares - and with great success. Lipton, one of the largest tea producers, is putting long-leaf teas into a new line of bags, too.

Apparently, knowing how to make an espresso, or to do latte art, is now worthy of an "artisanal" tag, though they baristas aren't always the ones roasting the beans themselves and the label is usually about the production process, not the packaging.

Ferran Adria likes to "do new things with old concepts" and, after starting almost by accident at the age of 21, he has made El Bulli one of the most renowned restaurants in the world and has cemented his reputation as a master of food, magic and science.

Kung fu tea is tea that strives for perfection and requires the brewer (and server) to have an exceptional knowledge of brewing times, the quantity and type of leaf and temperatures. But it also requires someone who really knows tea to appreciate it.

Frank Bruni dines at Trestle on Tenth and gives it one star.

Mark Bittman, the minimalist, grills some chicken.

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After hearing from all our readers who love Big Night,  Mystic Pizza, and  Who Is  Killing the Great Chefs of Europe?, it's time a little flavor from Hong Kong.

Equal parts Iron Chef and Enter the Dragon, The God of Cookery (the movie's real -- i.e. Cantonese -- title is Sik San) is about a top-dog chef who is revealed as nothing more than a sham by one of his rivals.

Taking a page right out of Rocky III, the God of Cookery -- played by famous Hong Kong actor Stephen Chow -- trains harder than ever and tries to make his comeback in a culinary battle royale.

Comedy, cooking, and kung fu -- what more do you need?