News — ThingsToDo

The first bite fills my mouth with unexpected stars. Yes, sometimes dishes surprise me. On paper, the recipes or descriptions may seem puzzling or humdrum, the combination of ingredients failing to sing to my food-loving imagination. But I am always eager to try new concoctions when cooking with talented chefs. Their gifts open my palate to new tastes and textures. Three addictive dishes come to mind; each a scrumptious revelation taught to me by a Southern California chef. Concoctions such as an avocado-centric raita that is so flavorful its delicious teamed with everything from chicken to chips to salad. A...

For Dylan Jones, the paradox of the New Romantic music scene is that this British blend of new sounds and styles became a worldwide phenomenon thanks in large part to American television. “The New Romantics were made by America because of MTV,” says Jones, author of the new oral history “Sweet Dreams: From Club Culture to Style Culture, the Story of the New Romantics.” For those too young to experience it, the scene was one that combined synthpop music with outrageous fashion and makeup. “Without MTV, this pop music would not have traveled around the world with the same speed...