Category Archives: Culture

Searching for Luck in Hong Kong

Posted on May 6, 2013 by Benjamin F. Carlson

My feature on luck and gambling in Hong Kong for Esquire. I’m not a lucky rabbit-foot kind of guy. Warnings to jump sidewalk cracks, dodge ladders, and hold my breath while passing graveyards never found purchase here. I earned this … Continue reading →

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Why You Could Have Fallen for Scientology, Too

Posted on May 6, 2013 by Benjamin F. Carlson

My review of a new book on Scientology by Lawrence Wright for Esquire. The question at the heart of Lawrence Wright’s new book, Going Clear, is obvious, yet seldom asked: Why would anyone in their right mind become a Scientologist? … Continue reading →

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Classical Music with Chinese Characteristics

Posted on May 6, 2013 by Benjamin F. Carlson

My first story for WSJ’s Scene Asia. In Europe and North America, classical music concerts are typically a subdued affair, with a half-empty sea of gray heads quietly suppressing coughs and clapping politely at the appropriate moments. In China, things are, … Continue reading →

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China’s France Fetish

Posted on May 6, 2013 by Benjamin F. Carlson

My first freelance story for The New Republic. Au revoir,” said the grocer. “Au revoir,” said the man in chic little canvas shoes. He had a bottle of champagne under one arm, and a bottle of “C’est la vie” chardonnay sauvignon … Continue reading →

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Truffles and Fries

Posted on May 31, 2012 by Benjamin F. Carlson

My first ever video for The Daily! In which I taste-test a Burger King truffle burger. HONG KONG — In America, the words “Burger King” sit pretty much at the opposite end of the culinary spectrum from things like caviar, … Continue reading →

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Foreigners Make It Big on Chinese TV

Posted on May 31, 2012 by Benjamin F. Carlson

              HONG KONG–At first glance, David Hogue seems like an unlikely reality TV star. He isn’t an acid-tongued Brit or a member of a once famous hair band. He has little penchant for drunken … Continue reading →

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Making Ends Meet

Posted on January 1, 2012 by Benjamin F. Carlson

My story on evidence that the Family Radio empire, headed by doomsayer Harold Camping, is selling off commercial properties in what may be a slow collapse. After failing twice to predict the apocalypse in 2011, Harold Camping is still working … Continue reading →

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Doomsday, Part Deux

Posted on October 27, 2011 by Benjamin F. Carlson

Four months later, I checked in with followers of Harold Camping and found that many of them were still waiting for the end of the world to come in October. The second apocalypse of 2011 is nigh. This Friday, stalwart … Continue reading →

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Apocalypse, Now What?

Posted on June 22, 2011 by Benjamin F. Carlson

Another painful-to-report story on the plight of the May 21sters, one month after doomsday (never) came and went.

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Doom or Bust

Posted on June 5, 2011 by Benjamin F. Carlson

The Tuesday before Saturday, May 21st, I rode with “Caravan One” of Family Radio–a group of 10 people who were spending what they believed to be their last days on Earth proclaiming endtimes, and enduring mockery. We went shopping for … Continue reading →

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