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If you are buying online, check your truffle seller is providing you with fresh product. What you should be looking for, how much to prepare per person plus a straightforward dish to enjoy right away. Berlin (dpa) – More and more people are acquiring a taste for truffles. But how should they be used and how much do you need? "If you're using real truffles, allow about 10 grams per person," says Nikolai Wojtko from the Ahrtrüffel association, a truffle group based in western Germany. He says they are usually sold already cleaned and ready to use. But if you still want to peel your truffles, don't throw away the skins. "You can soak them in olive oil for a few days to make aromatic truffle oil," he says. Keep meals using truffles as simple as possible to avoid losing the flavour. Wojtko likes to eat his truffles on toast with butter. But ask Ralf Bos, chef and owner of a delicatessen delivery service, and he opts for risotto with white truffles. "A truffle slicer is useful for this – the thinner your slices, the more taste buds are stimulated on the tongue." Plus he has another tip for risotto: "Leave out the white wine and use cream instead" – this brings out the flavour even better. The two crucial questions to ask your truffle dealer If you can only order your truffles online, one question you may be asking yourself is how do you know if a dealer is selling you good quality truffles? "Call them! When you talk to a dealer, you can quickly tell whether they know what they're talking about and love the product," says Bos, who recommends asking two simple questions, firstly, when does fresh produce arrive and secondly, how does the dealer determine that the produce is good? What should you hope to hear? "A specific answer, such as 'fresh truffles arrive on Tuesdays and Fridays,' is not only correct but also helpful," says Bos. For the second question, it is important that the answer mentions criteria such as checking the goods for soft spots, mould or damage. What you do not want to hear is, "We only order when we receive an order." This means that the retailer sends out everything they receive. "That's not good at all," says Bos. Because then you always have to factor in two times two days for safety. Ultimately, you always end up with old goods, he says. If you want to make a dish using truffles, food blogger Julia Uehren suggests you simply grate a truffle very finely over tagliatelle. Ingredients for 4 servings of tagliatelle with truffles 1 onion 1 tbsp butter 250 g whipping cream Salt Pepper 750 g tagliatelle (fresh) 40 g white truffles Parmesan cheese (as desired) Preparation Peel and finely dice the onion. Melt about 1 tbsp butter in a large pan over a low heat and sauté the diced onion until soft. Stir in the cream and season the sauce with salt and pepper. Cook the fresh tagliatelle al dente according to the instructions on the packet. Drain the pasta and then stir into the cream sauce. Arrange the tagliatelle on plates and shave the truffle fresh and wafer-thin over the pasta. Grate a little Parmesan over the dish to taste. The following information is not intended for publication dpa/tmn ueh xxde arw

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Before Day of the Dead, more and more people are honouring departed dogs and cats in a new tradition. Families welcome the spirits of their deceased pets with altar candles, offerings of favorite treats and cherished mementos such as old toys and worn collars. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (tca/dpa) – The spirits of the pets come first, treading home on soft, shadowy paws, making their way by the light of altar candles and guided by the eternal tie of love. They’re welcomed with offerings of favorite treats and fresh water, and by the careful placement of old toys and worn collars that have become cherished mementos. It’s a new tradition connected to the Day of the Dead, the ancient Mexican holiday where people honor and celebrate the lives of family members at a time when the wall between worlds melts. Now, in Philadelphia and elsewhere, people have begun to recognize not just human relatives but those with wings and whiskers, the departed dogs, cats, birds, and other animals that enriched their lives. And who, like family, continue to be mourned and missed. The souls of pets are said to return on Oct. 27 , a few days before the Dia de Muertos on Nov. 1 and 2. “The day,” said Gerardo Coronado Benitez , manager of the Association of Mexican Business Owners of Philadelphia , “is not about death, but about celebrating and remembering people, keeping memories alive. Of course many people want to keep alive the memories of their pets.” He’s helping organize a big Day of the Dead eventat the Italian Market on Nov. 2 , where people will be able to place photos of relatives and pets on a community ofrenda ― a decorated altar ― at 9th Street and Washington Avenue . Others haveset up altars in their homes . These ofrendas may be adorned with traditional marigolds, with candy skulls, paper skeletons, and photographs. But they may also feature a snatch of fur or a whisker left behind. Genesis Pimentel-Howard created an ofrenda for her cat, Mobi, on a bedroom shelf of the West Philadelphia home she shares with her husband, Yaphet Howard . It’s hard for her to talk about Mobi, who died suddenly in May at only 4 years old. He was, she said, an adorable menace. Mobi loved to poke at and play with the couple’s other cat, Sannin, though Sannin didn’t always appreciate the attention. Mobi sometimes stole food from the trash. And he managed to push over and break Pimentel-Howard’s flat-screen TV. Still, she said, he followed her everywhere, even into the bathroom. She couldn’t use the bathroom without him trailing her inside. “A sweet momma’s boy,” she said. “Always next to me.” On the ofrenda, Pimentel-Howard placed her grandmother’s pearls. And photos of her family dogs, Ella and Red, and her hamster, Shia LaBeouf . She added a shadow box that holds Mobi’s collar and an impression of his paw. “I’ll stay up as late as a can to welcome him,” she said. “I like to think he’ll be around.” The roots of the Day of the Dead go back 3,000 years, to Aztec and Mayan traditions. It’s celebrated not only in Mexico but also in wider Latin America andin communities across the United States . Dogs have always played an important role. The ancients considered them sacred, guides that led souls through the afterlife. They revered the Mexican Hairless Dog, the Xoloitzcuintle, or Xolo for short. It’sa Xolo dog, Dante, that guides Miguel to meet his ancestors inCoco, the popular animated Disney movie. And it’s a song from the movie,Remember Me , that’s become the soundtrack for countless social-media posts about departed pets. In Philadelphia , theItalian Market festival welcomes all who wish to take part to South 9th Street between Federal and Christian Streets from 11 am to 5 pm. The Fleisher Art Memorial in South Philadelphia alsowill hold a big Day of the Dead celebration . Everyone is invited to help with final preparations for the ofrenda from 2 pm to 9 pm on October 31 , and to come to the Day of the Dead event the next day. “The animals, that’s family too,” said María De Los Angeles Hernández Del Prado, the artist who led the creation of the Fleisher’s large, three-part ofrenda, which includes a section devoted to pets. “They’re the same as us, they just don’t talk the same language.” Pimentel-Howard knew after Mobi died that she would find a way to honor him, along with the other animals she has loved. “You don’t know what it’s like to lose an animal,” she said, “until you’ve lost one.” The following information is not intended for publication dpa tca arw

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)

Before Day of the Dead, more and more people are honouring departed dogs and cats in a new tradition. Families welcome the spirits of their deceased pets with altar candles, offerings of favorite treats and cherished mementos such as old toys and worn collars. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (tca/dpa) – The spirits of the pets come first, treading home on soft, shadowy paws, making their way by the light of altar candles and guided by the eternal tie of love. They’re welcomed with offerings of favorite treats and fresh water, and by the careful placement of old toys and worn collars that have become cherished mementos. It’s a new tradition connected to the Day of the Dead, the ancient Mexican holiday where people honor and celebrate the lives of family members at a time when the wall between worlds melts. Now, in Philadelphia and elsewhere, people have begun to recognize not just human relatives but those with wings and whiskers, the departed dogs, cats, birds, and other animals that enriched their lives. And who, like family, continue to be mourned and missed. The souls of pets are said to return on Oct. 27 , a few days before the Dia de Muertos on Nov. 1 and 2. “The day,” said Gerardo Coronado Benitez , manager of the Association of Mexican Business Owners of Philadelphia , “is not about death, but about celebrating and remembering people, keeping memories alive. Of course many people want to keep alive the memories of their pets.” He’s helping organize a big Day of the Dead eventat the Italian Market on Nov. 2 , where people will be able to place photos of relatives and pets on a community ofrenda ― a decorated altar ― at 9th Street and Washington Avenue . Others haveset up altars in their homes . These ofrendas may be adorned with traditional marigolds, with candy skulls, paper skeletons, and photographs. But they may also feature a snatch of fur or a whisker left behind. Genesis Pimentel-Howard created an ofrenda for her cat, Mobi, on a bedroom shelf of the West Philadelphia home she shares with her husband, Yaphet Howard . It’s hard for her to talk about Mobi, who died suddenly in May at only 4 years old. He was, she said, an adorable menace. Mobi loved to poke at and play with the couple’s other cat, Sannin, though Sannin didn’t always appreciate the attention. Mobi sometimes stole food from the trash. And he managed to push over and break Pimentel-Howard’s flat-screen TV. Still, she said, he followed her everywhere, even into the bathroom. She couldn’t use the bathroom without him trailing her inside. “A sweet momma’s boy,” she said. “Always next to me.” On the ofrenda, Pimentel-Howard placed her grandmother’s pearls. And photos of her family dogs, Ella and Red, and her hamster, Shia LaBeouf . She added a shadow box that holds Mobi’s collar and an impression of his paw. “I’ll stay up as late as a can to welcome him,” she said. “I like to think he’ll be around.” The roots of the Day of the Dead go back 3,000 years, to Aztec and Mayan traditions. It’s celebrated not only in Mexico but also in wider Latin America andin communities across the United States . Dogs have always played an important role. The ancients considered them sacred, guides that led souls through the afterlife. They revered the Mexican Hairless Dog, the Xoloitzcuintle, or Xolo for short. It’sa Xolo dog, Dante, that guides Miguel to meet his ancestors inCoco, the popular animated Disney movie. And it’s a song from the movie,Remember Me , that’s become the soundtrack for countless social-media posts about departed pets. In Philadelphia , theItalian Market festival welcomes all who wish to take part to South 9th Street between Federal and Christian Streets from 11 am to 5 pm. The Fleisher Art Memorial in South Philadelphia alsowill hold a big Day of the Dead celebration . Everyone is invited to help with final preparations for the ofrenda from 2 pm to 9 pm on October 31 , and to come to the Day of the Dead event the next day. “The animals, that’s family too,” said María De Los Angeles Hernández Del Prado, the artist who led the creation of the Fleisher’s large, three-part ofrenda, which includes a section devoted to pets. “They’re the same as us, they just don’t talk the same language.” Pimentel-Howard knew after Mobi died that she would find a way to honor him, along with the other animals she has loved. “You don’t know what it’s like to lose an animal,” she said, “until you’ve lost one.” The following information is not intended for publication dpa tca arw

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)

Los Angeles (tca/dpa) – Netflix is looking to capitalize on the popularity of its animated movie "KPop Demon Hunters " — and continue its foray into the retail space. Netflix on Tuesday announced a licensing deal with toy makers Mattel Inc. and Hasbro Inc. to make dolls, action figures, plushies, youth electronics and other items based on "KPop Demon Hunters," a movie about a trio of powerful singers and demon hunters who protect the world from dangerous demons. "KPop Demon Hunters" has been a worldwide hit since its release in June, becoming Netflix 's most-watched film with more than 325 million views in its first 91 days on the streaming service. The licensing deals come as Netflix has been aggressivelypartnering with brands to expand the fandom of its shows and movies. Next month, Netflix will open the first of several planned physical locations called Netflix House where it will host experiences based on its programs and sell food and merchandise. " KPop Demon Hunters unleashed a global fan frenzy," said Marian Lee , Netflix 's chief marketing officer, in a statement. " Netflix , Mattel and Hasbro joining forces on this first-of-its-kind collaboration means fans can finally get their hands on the best dolls, games, and merchandise they've been not-so-subtly demanding on every social platform known to humanity." Under the partnership, Hasbro and Mattel will both become global co-master toy licensee to "KPop Demon Hunters." Netflix has had other partnerships with other toy makers, including Squishmallows for shows like sci-fi series "Stranger Things" and Lego sets based on pirates tale "One Piece." The Los Gatos, Calif. , company has also launched in-person experiences such asballs based on the Regency era romance series "Bridgerton." " KPop Demon Hunters is a powerful pop culture phenomenon with global resonance—one that aligns seamlessly with our portfolio of iconic brands and our commitment to innovation," said Tim Kilpin , Hasbro's president of toy, licensing, and entertainment, in a statement. The following information is not intended for publication dpa tca arw

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Following in the slipstream of K-pop superstars, K-beauty has become a massive global business. A further secret behind the South Korean cosmetics boom is the unlikely alliance of big manufacturers and small entrepreneurs creating a stream of products and the "skinfluencers" who help them lock in consumers. Seoul (tca/dpa) – Jo Min-Su was working toward a computer science doctorate at one of South Korea's best universities when he stumbled on his calling: building a better lip gloss. The 30-year-old sat near his booth at Seoul Beauty Week, pulled out a stick of his brand — named Blup — and gave his upper lip a dewy pink glow-up. "Nobody trusts a founder who doesn't use his own product," he said, smacking his lips. Jo is one of the tens of thousands of entrepreneurs looking to strike it rich on the seemingly insatiable global demand for beauty products from South Korea. Following in the slipstream of the superstars of K-pop, K-beauty has become a massive global business. Los Angeles fans of South Korean imports flocked to KCON LA 2025 at the L.A. Convention Center this year. At the music and cultural festival, they saw top K-pop idols andlined up for K-beauty at skin-care booths . The three-day convention — which had more than 350 booths and attracted more than 100,000 people from around L.A. and the country — was sponsored by South Korean health and beauty giant Olive Young, which plans to open its first US outlet in L.A. early next year. The secret of K-beauty's success has been the unlikely alliance of big manufacturers and small entrepreneurs to develop and supply a steady stream of new products to consumers and the "skinfluencers" who help them lock in on the latest lotions. Popular for offering unique and affordable products — like sunscreens that don't leave white smears while doubling as moisturizers — South Korean cosmetics have dominated some social media feeds in recent years. Whether it is Kim Kardashian on Instagram or deals from Walmart or Target, consumers who care about cosmetics are getting constant updates on the ever-changing trends. That online buzz has catapulted South Korea's cosmetics exports to more than $10 billion. Last year, it dethroned France — home of beauty royalty brands such as L'Oréal and L'Occitane — as the biggest exporter of cosmetics to the US. Unlike South Korea's other marquee exports like semiconductors and automobiles, beauty product exports are largely backed by smaller companies. Two-thirds of last year's cosmetics exports came from small and medium-sized firms like Blup, according to the Korea International Trade Assn. What has emerged is the hope that anyone, with the right product and a little bit of luck, can make a fortune in K-beauty. Since 2013, the number of registered cosmetics sellers in the country has increased sevenfold, to over 27,000 last year. The K-beauty trend took off in Los Angeles and across the country during COVID-19 when people were locked at home, online, thinking about self-care and exploring alternatives to well-known brands, said Sarah Chung Park, the founder and chief executive of Landing International, an L.A.-based company that connects K-beauty brands to American retailers. "Because of COVID, TikTok really boomed, and I think that was a way for people to discover K-beauty brands and then those brands went on Amazon and converted that virality to sales," she said. "Pretty much every Korean brand has capitalized on that." Behind most of the budding brands is a handful of manufacturers such as Colmar and Cosmax. The cosmetics manufacturers behind many of the latest brands are largely invisible to ordinary beauty consumers. Unlike other global players like L'Oreal or Estée Lauder, Cosmax has never sold directly under its own name, specializing almost entirely in research and original design manufacturing, or ODM. Cosmax was founded in 1992 and has grown into the largest cosmetics ODM in the world, supplying 4,500 brands from its factories in South Korea, China, the US and Southeast Asia. And at a time when some of the most well-known beauty brands are in decline or stuck in single-digit growth due to consumer fatigue, Cosmax reported a record $1.7 billion in revenue last year — a 22% increase from 2023. The company is a primary reason why South Korean beauty startups have been able to take off so quickly, flooding global markets at a pace that competitors in other countries struggle to match. Cosmax accounted for around 26% of all of South Korea's cosmetics exports last year. It has a unique ability to develop and launch new products rapidly while still making money supplying even the smallest brands, said Lee Kyung-soo, the company's 79-year-old chairman and founder. "From the point a brand comes to us with an idea, we can supply them in as little as three to six months," he said. "In other markets, that can be anywhere between a year to three years. They just can't compete with South Korea when it comes to speed." Few clients are too small for Lee, who has made sure that Cosmax will fill custom orders as small as 3,000 units. The company supplies companies with billions of dollars a year in revenue, and also Blup, a three-person lip gloss startup. Kang Seung-hyun, the senior managing director of Cosmax's research unit, estimates that the company releases around 8,000 new products annually. By the end of any given year, each of the company's 1,100 cosmetic scientists will have worked on the development of 80 to 100 cosmetic products, allowing Cosmax and its domestic peers to, as Kang puts it, "carpet-bomb the global market with novel products." The list of Korean beauty trends that have been adopted as staples around the world is long: BB creams, ampoules, face masks and pimple patches. Having big manufacturers like Cosmax do the heavy lifting allows many with little experience in cosmetics to join the K-beauty free-for-all. Among the beauty newbies: a scandal-ridden politician's daughter, a seafood retailer and a stationery-maker. "Anyone can do it. The barrier to entry isn't high at all," said Lee Sun-young, the founder of fruit-based cosmetics startup Kikiglow. "And the market is all about indie brands right now." As little as $20,000 in starting capital will get beauty entrepreneurs their first batch of product from a reputable cosmetics manufacturer in a matter of months. E-commerce platforms like TikTok Shop allow them to sell to global consumers directly. The only things they need are a concept, a set of thumbs and a knack for social media. Inside the convention hall, Kikiglow's booth was swarmed by influencers wielding camera sticks as they lined up for free samples. Giving product away to as many influencers as possible, hoping it will go viral, is an essential part of this game. "The people will stop coming once the samples run out," she said. To be sure, the fierce competition from the constant churn of new hot products and more affordable options from China and elsewhere makes it harder to stand out, succeed and retain customers. Meanwhile, the different tariffs coming out of the White House are making some cosmetic imports more expensive and less competitive in the U.S. "In the past, consumers would stick with a brand for 10 years or so and become extremely loyal," said B.J. Lee, who runs Cosmax's business in the US and is a son of the founder. "But with K-beauty, the ups and downs are extreme. New brands are coming out all the time, and people are constantly chasing the next exciting thing." Last year, according to US government data, over 8,800 cosmetic brands went out of business. Against such headwinds, Blup's selling point is that it can get the colors of lip glosses just right, using artificial intelligence to analyze consumer preferences and skin tones. The company is on track to record around $100,000 in sales by the end of the year and has plans to expand in Japan, Jo said. "I'm still not satisfied with where we are," he said. "There ar…

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Movember, a movement that takes place in November, is to raise funds and awareness for men's health issues, from cancer to mental health issues. Participants traditionally grow a moustache for the month to spark conversations and raise money. If you’re seeking inspiration, here are the famous people to look to. London (PA Media/dpa) – Once written off as a relic of the 1970s, the moustache is staging a confident return, fuelled by a new generation of style-savvy men reclaiming the upper lip. From Jacob Elordi to Timothée Chalamet, celebrities are starting to sport this contentious facial hair more and more on the red carpet. But getting a moustache right is easier said than done. It requires patience, care and – perhaps most importantly – confidence. As November rolls in, so too does Movember, when upper lips across the nation are conscripted into service for men’s health. So if you’re looking for inspiration, here are eight of the best moustaches throughout history. 1. Albert Einstein Perhaps the most famous moustache in science, Albert Einstein’s facial hair was a chevron-style moustache: full, bushy, covering the upper lip and extending past the corners of the mouth. Born in 1879 in Ulm, Germany, Einstein was a physicist who transformed our concept of space, time and energy with his theories on relativity. Despite his reputation as an absent-minded genius, his moustache remained reliably present in almost all his famous portraits. Some accounts say that by the 1930s he actually trimmed it less, letting it grow more freely than earlier in life, forming the wild and wiry tash we now associate with the scientist. 2. Clark Gable Gable’s moustache is a textbook example of the pencil moustache – thin, neat and sharply defined. The style leaves a narrow line above the lip, often with a clean gap to the nose. American actor Gable (1901–1960), the ultimate leading man of old Hollywood, first grew a moustache in 1930 for a stage role (where a fake one was too unreliable) but afterwards decided to keep evolving it for his film persona. Gable’s moustache felt like the finishing touch to his suave and rakish countenance – carefully groomed, never overpowering the face, but giving a strong line of character. 3. Freddie Mercury The moustache most associated with 1980s rock – and with Freddie Mercury’s legendary stage persona – was a thick, classic, full moustache, often described as part of the ‘pornstache’ family (i.e. bold and statement-making). Born in 1946, real name Farrokh Bulsara, Mercury fronted Queen with flamboyance and flair. His moustache became almost as iconic as his vocals. In the 1980s and early 1990s, it punctuated his stage presence: strong, dark and striking. Because he often paired it with stubble or light beard growth, the moustache dominated – a sign of his enduring confidence and swagger. 4. Lionel Richie Lionel Richie is perhaps less commonly lauded for facial hair, but in the 1980s and early 1990s he sported a full moustache, thick but well-groomed, with neat borders. Born in 1949, Richie rose to fame with the Commodores and then as a solo artist. His moustache offered a smooth contrast to his silky voice – a bit of edge around the sides of his soulful expression. While less theatrical than Mercury’s, it was nevertheless a strong facial signature in his time. 5. Tom Selleck Tom Selleck’s moustache is iconic – large, thick, expressive and often called the definitive ‘Magnum’ moustache. Many regard it as one of the most recognisable in showbiz. Selleck, born in 1945, became a household name via the popular TV drama Magnum, P.I. in the 1980s. His moustache is not delicate or subtle – it’s bold, full and synonymous with Selleck’s look. It sits squarely as part of his face, balancing out his bold facial features. Selleck managed to revive a trend of bushier, masculine moustaches throughout his time on the show. 6. Hulk Hogan Hulk Hogan’s moustache is textbook horseshoe moustache territory: the full moustache plus vertical extensions down the sides of the mouth, giving an upside-down U- or horseshoe shape. Born Terry Bollea in 1953, Hulk Hogan became a wrestling and pop-culture icon in the 1980s and 1990s. His moustache, coupled with a shaved head and his trademark handlebar-style blondness, became inseparable from his persona. The horseshoe style is certainly an aggressive statement – perfect for a performer whose presence is all about physicality and projection. 7. Timothée Chalamet Chalamet’s moustache is a little more subtle than Hogan’s. His sparse upper-lip growth is otherwise known as the shadow moustache: delicate, almost timid but deliberate in style. Born in 1995, actor Timothée Chalamet is often cast in introspective, sensitive roles. His decision to adopt a light moustache in certain appearances (like when channelling Bob Dylan in A Complete Unknown) feels like an artistic gesture as opposed to a mandatory masculine accessory. 8. Jacob Elordi The newest addition to the moustachioed hall of fame, Jacob Elordi has helped usher the tash into Gen Z trending territory. The Australian actor – best known for Euphoria and his turn as Elvis Presley in Priscilla (2023) – has been spotted sporting a sleek, minimalist moustache that feels more Riviera than retro throwback. His style nods to the pencil moustaches of Hollywood’s golden age, yet his laid-back styling and slightly scruffy hair gives it a thoroughly modern twist. Elordi’s upper lip has become something of a cultural talking point, proving that a well-timed moustache can still send social media (and barbers) into overdrive. The following information is not intended for publication dpa pa arw

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