Yep. A new feature here on our show is favorite foods. Today I'm going to talk about smoked foods. Yeah. I'm killing time for 5 minutes until I take the kids to a birthday party. And we went to the market yesterday.
1. Have you ever been sitting around the campfire and thought, "that smells so good I wish I could eat it." Now you can. Russian double-smoked sausage is the closest thing you can get to chewing on a burning cedar log. Minus the heat, of course.
2. My brother-in-law's smoked trout. Vaughn sent me a bottle in September and it was awesome. I forced myself and the kids to only eat tiny bits at a time, like candy, so it would last longer. Apparently he just uses plain old brown sugar to sweeten it during the smoking process, but it tastes better than any maple or honey smoked meat from the store. Also, trout is a strong tasting fish, but not as strong as salmon, so all of the flavors blend a bit more.
3. Cold-smoked mackerel. I just picked this up at the market yesterday and haven't actually tried it yet, but it comes whole and intact, so it actually looks like a meal.
edit: Just tried it. Very good. Extra-smoky. If you like fish on the oily side it is excellent, your enjoyment will drop from there depending on your tastes.
4. Smoked brie -- 'nuff said. (Brie is cold-smoked, too.)
5. Montreal-style smoked-meat. Interestingly, I've never had really great smoked meat in Montreal. I'm sure it's there, but I'm always going after other tastes when I'm there. I've only had it once and it seemd fine, but not dramatic.
6. Prosciutto. Love the taste, better than Montreal-style but I find the stringy fat impossible to chew. Too much work for the taste.
7. Edit 2: How could I forget smoked mussels and oysters? I guess it's because I tend to think of them as being in the pickle family more than the smoked-food family. Must be the oil that they are packaged in. One of my favorite snack foods, made even better by the fact that the kids like it too.
So there's my Sunday morning diversion.
Cheers
Sunday, November 26, 2006
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
Breakfast at TIffany's
I was watching Dragon earlier this evening. It's not entirely unpleasant, but don't rush out to rent it unless you are already a Bruce Lee fan. What hooked my mind was the scene where he and his future wife are watching Breakfast at Tiffany's and as code for her love for him/cultural awakening she suggests that they leave half-way through. Whether or not this actually happened in Bruce Lee's life, it does highlight one of the low points in depictions of Asians in the cinema. Not only is the Chinese neighbour in Breakfast at Tiffany's only there for comic relief he's played by... Mickey Rooney. Yep, complete with over-sized dental prosthesis.
But you know, otherwise, I liked the movie and loved the book. So I was thinking that this is a movie that really deserves to be remade. The Chinese comic relief isn't necessary except when you are trying to turn a low-key social study into a romantic comedy. I'd rather see the relationship between these friends develop than yet another love-affair blossom. And really, they aren't even close friends -- she doesn't tell him about... Oh, you haven't seen it? Okay...
There are a lot of movies that have benefited from going back to the source material and starting over. (cf. Jude the Obscure/Jude, or West Side Story/Romeo and Julliet) Not that it would have to be slavishly bound to the book, but a remake doesn't need to hide the fact that in Breakfast at Tiffany's "Fred"/Truman is gay. So the love story is out. Er, so to speak.
So I was trying to think about who I would cast as Holly Golightly and "Fred" Varjak -- Yes, the quotation marks are in the credits. And as mainstreamish as it sounds, I think that Scarlett Johansson would be perfect as Miss Golighly. Audrey Hepburn was great and all (even a milquetoast version of Ingrid Bergman is a classic) but no one ever really bought her story of being from Texas -- she was just too comfortable in the smart set. When her... Oh yeah. Would you just go out and rent it already! But Scarlet Johansson is probably able to pull off all three aspects of the character: socialite, bohemian and yokel. The yokel part has to be just under the surface, though, so you don't notice it until just the right time.
The tougher part is casting "Fred". He has to be gay, as in the book, but not Truman Capote. That would be an interesting movie on its own merits. Probably a better documentary, though. Capote chose a more neutral character for his body-double. But the actor has to be able to communicate his own sense of lost youth and his envy of youthfulness while at the same time realizing more and more concretely that he doesn't want to be young again. Sort of like Bill Murray in "Lost in Translation".
Waitaminute.
Okay, Bill's too old for the part but it does sort of fit. Yeah, the character isn't gay either, but he's unavailable through being married and being a lot older than Scarlet Johansson. That does create the right distance though. He isn't after sex, he's after vibrance and that needs to be clear. It takes two social taboos to roughly equal one pheremonal inevitability, but details aside I can really understand Lost in Translation as a variation on the theme of Breakfast at Tiffany's.
I would still set my remake in the 1950s, though. The past is much better at suggesting timelessness than Japan is. Er, again, maybe not.
I should quit while I'm ahead.
Cheers
PS As great as he is, Johnny Depp should never, ever play "Fred". Chime in with any suggestions if you have 'em.
Anyone... C'mon, someone's got to have seen it.
But you know, otherwise, I liked the movie and loved the book. So I was thinking that this is a movie that really deserves to be remade. The Chinese comic relief isn't necessary except when you are trying to turn a low-key social study into a romantic comedy. I'd rather see the relationship between these friends develop than yet another love-affair blossom. And really, they aren't even close friends -- she doesn't tell him about... Oh, you haven't seen it? Okay...
There are a lot of movies that have benefited from going back to the source material and starting over. (cf. Jude the Obscure/Jude, or West Side Story/Romeo and Julliet) Not that it would have to be slavishly bound to the book, but a remake doesn't need to hide the fact that in Breakfast at Tiffany's "Fred"/Truman is gay. So the love story is out. Er, so to speak.
So I was trying to think about who I would cast as Holly Golightly and "Fred" Varjak -- Yes, the quotation marks are in the credits. And as mainstreamish as it sounds, I think that Scarlett Johansson would be perfect as Miss Golighly. Audrey Hepburn was great and all (even a milquetoast version of Ingrid Bergman is a classic) but no one ever really bought her story of being from Texas -- she was just too comfortable in the smart set. When her... Oh yeah. Would you just go out and rent it already! But Scarlet Johansson is probably able to pull off all three aspects of the character: socialite, bohemian and yokel. The yokel part has to be just under the surface, though, so you don't notice it until just the right time.
The tougher part is casting "Fred". He has to be gay, as in the book, but not Truman Capote. That would be an interesting movie on its own merits. Probably a better documentary, though. Capote chose a more neutral character for his body-double. But the actor has to be able to communicate his own sense of lost youth and his envy of youthfulness while at the same time realizing more and more concretely that he doesn't want to be young again. Sort of like Bill Murray in "Lost in Translation".
Waitaminute.
Okay, Bill's too old for the part but it does sort of fit. Yeah, the character isn't gay either, but he's unavailable through being married and being a lot older than Scarlet Johansson. That does create the right distance though. He isn't after sex, he's after vibrance and that needs to be clear. It takes two social taboos to roughly equal one pheremonal inevitability, but details aside I can really understand Lost in Translation as a variation on the theme of Breakfast at Tiffany's.
I would still set my remake in the 1950s, though. The past is much better at suggesting timelessness than Japan is. Er, again, maybe not.
I should quit while I'm ahead.
Cheers
PS As great as he is, Johnny Depp should never, ever play "Fred". Chime in with any suggestions if you have 'em.
Anyone... C'mon, someone's got to have seen it.
Sunday, November 19, 2006
Friday, November 17, 2006
Twisted Video of the Week
Okay, so all of you hipsters are probably way ahead of me on this one...
But this is the funniest thing I've seen in a long time. Moby is a genius and paired with Debbie Harry. There's nothing wrong with that.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbQNgOKzZh8
Cheers
But this is the funniest thing I've seen in a long time. Moby is a genius and paired with Debbie Harry. There's nothing wrong with that.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbQNgOKzZh8
Cheers
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
The Ethics of Dancing
So, is it wrong to encourage your kids to appreciate the talent of a young man who has turned out to be a creepy middle-aged man, even if the talent and creepiness are not directly related?
Earlier this evening when listening to some music with the kids a Jackson 5 song tipped the random shuffle and we were dancing around the kitchen. Little Michael Jackson was around Connor's age when this particular song was a hit and it seemed innocent enough. I mentioned to them that the singer was also known as a great dancer and they wanted to see for themselves. Now, little Michael Jackson could hoof it best of 'em but it was "Thriller" era MJ that really cemented his reputation in all respects -- at least in all of the ways worth remembering.
In 1983, when I was 15, I didn't see his performance at the Motown 25th anniversary concert when it aired on TV. But within days I saw it through the magic of betamax -- my friends Phillip and Alan were gushing about it and showed me the clip ASAP. As an aging hipster wannabe, I hate to admit that I was entranced for awhile as anyone by Jackson's unique and charismatic style. That performance of Billie Jean was the beginning of Michael-mania. In the annals of popular music it is probably in the same ball-park as the Beatles first American tour and Elvis Presley's first Sun Studios sessions -- watershed moments that both defined the course of popular music for a generation of teens (i.e. a 5 year era), and the bathos of that course's decay.
The Beatles demise was not as sad or twisted as that of the King or MJ, but it was still a product of the fact that they deserved the feral adulation of millions at the beginning. At least that was my opinion. I wanted to know what two kids (aged 8 and 5) who know nothing about Michael Jackson, then or now, thought of that performance. After all, I lived through the backlash as well and was a Jackson hater (even before the unsubstantiated but probably too-close-to-the-truth accusations began to circulate) for many years before I managed to start appreciate his early work with the Jackson 5. I've spent a lot of years considering him to be a media-darling, not a talented entertainer. So I looked that performance up on YouTube and played it for them.
Mika couldn't stop moving to the music and they both watched silently, but intently through the entire performance -- until he broke into that moonwalk. Then they gasped and fluttered in the joy of witnessing a miracle of art. They made me replay it and needed reassurance that it was not special effects, just talent. In short, I know that this is just anecdotal evidence and my fingers are burning as I type this but, I think that Michael Jackson just might be timeless.
But don't worry, that doesn't mean that you have to start liking him any more than you like Elvis or the Beatles. I'm just lobbying for grudging respect for the talent that opened the door to the creepiness that was to follow.
Yeah, slow news day.
Cheers
Check it out here if you haven't clicked above.
PS Mika's both fashion conscious and observant. Half-way through the clip she asked in entranced bafflement, "Why's he only wearing one glove?"
Earlier this evening when listening to some music with the kids a Jackson 5 song tipped the random shuffle and we were dancing around the kitchen. Little Michael Jackson was around Connor's age when this particular song was a hit and it seemed innocent enough. I mentioned to them that the singer was also known as a great dancer and they wanted to see for themselves. Now, little Michael Jackson could hoof it best of 'em but it was "Thriller" era MJ that really cemented his reputation in all respects -- at least in all of the ways worth remembering.
In 1983, when I was 15, I didn't see his performance at the Motown 25th anniversary concert when it aired on TV. But within days I saw it through the magic of betamax -- my friends Phillip and Alan were gushing about it and showed me the clip ASAP. As an aging hipster wannabe, I hate to admit that I was entranced for awhile as anyone by Jackson's unique and charismatic style. That performance of Billie Jean was the beginning of Michael-mania. In the annals of popular music it is probably in the same ball-park as the Beatles first American tour and Elvis Presley's first Sun Studios sessions -- watershed moments that both defined the course of popular music for a generation of teens (i.e. a 5 year era), and the bathos of that course's decay.
The Beatles demise was not as sad or twisted as that of the King or MJ, but it was still a product of the fact that they deserved the feral adulation of millions at the beginning. At least that was my opinion. I wanted to know what two kids (aged 8 and 5) who know nothing about Michael Jackson, then or now, thought of that performance. After all, I lived through the backlash as well and was a Jackson hater (even before the unsubstantiated but probably too-close-to-the-truth accusations began to circulate) for many years before I managed to start appreciate his early work with the Jackson 5. I've spent a lot of years considering him to be a media-darling, not a talented entertainer. So I looked that performance up on YouTube and played it for them.
Mika couldn't stop moving to the music and they both watched silently, but intently through the entire performance -- until he broke into that moonwalk. Then they gasped and fluttered in the joy of witnessing a miracle of art. They made me replay it and needed reassurance that it was not special effects, just talent. In short, I know that this is just anecdotal evidence and my fingers are burning as I type this but, I think that Michael Jackson just might be timeless.
But don't worry, that doesn't mean that you have to start liking him any more than you like Elvis or the Beatles. I'm just lobbying for grudging respect for the talent that opened the door to the creepiness that was to follow.
Yeah, slow news day.
Cheers
Check it out here if you haven't clicked above.
PS Mika's both fashion conscious and observant. Half-way through the clip she asked in entranced bafflement, "Why's he only wearing one glove?"
Monday, November 06, 2006
Hockey on the Web
I just found this!! It's a godsend for Hockey fans without TV access, or access to Canadian TV at least. The "current" games are uploaded two or three days after the original broadcast, so if there's a game you have in mind you have to avoid reading the box-scores for a few days. But there are no commercials and you can pause it whenever you want.
As an added bonus there are some classic games that you can watch. The '79 Conference final between Montreal and Boston is a great one. I intend to watch the '89 Stanley Cup final between Montreal and Calgary sometime soon. They also have the '93 game seven between Toronto and L.A., but I remember that one too clearly still. And the wrong side won. Then again, Cate's a Boston fan so she probably disagrees with my assessment of the '79 Montreal/Boston game.
Anyway, I had something for Cate and the gals a few posts ago. This one is for Cate and the lads.
Hockey on the Web
Cheers
As an added bonus there are some classic games that you can watch. The '79 Conference final between Montreal and Boston is a great one. I intend to watch the '89 Stanley Cup final between Montreal and Calgary sometime soon. They also have the '93 game seven between Toronto and L.A., but I remember that one too clearly still. And the wrong side won. Then again, Cate's a Boston fan so she probably disagrees with my assessment of the '79 Montreal/Boston game.
Anyway, I had something for Cate and the gals a few posts ago. This one is for Cate and the lads.
Hockey on the Web
Cheers
Quick catch-up
I wish I had more detailed updates. Things are good. Halloween was fun. Mika was half crazed with desire for candy and rocketed between houses. Connor had fun, but would have gladly gone home after 20 minutes or an hour. He wasn't grumpy or sour at all, just not all that into it.
I had a job interview at Halifax Public Library last week. It was for an Head Cataloguer position, which is exactly what I want. I think that the interview part went well, grueling but well. It was close to 2 1/2 hours. Then I sort of lost it on the test. It was another two hours, and I could have kept going for another half an hour or an hour but I had to go pick up the kids from school. All told it was 4 1/2 hours from 10:00 to 2:30 with no lunch. So I'm usually pretty good at cataloguing, but by the time I got to the test I wasn't at my best so who knows what the results were like.
I'll keep my fingers crossed. At least I'm getting interviews. I have another one tomorrow at the NS Legislative Library. It's a reference position, but it should be an interesting collection.
I had a job interview at Halifax Public Library last week. It was for an Head Cataloguer position, which is exactly what I want. I think that the interview part went well, grueling but well. It was close to 2 1/2 hours. Then I sort of lost it on the test. It was another two hours, and I could have kept going for another half an hour or an hour but I had to go pick up the kids from school. All told it was 4 1/2 hours from 10:00 to 2:30 with no lunch. So I'm usually pretty good at cataloguing, but by the time I got to the test I wasn't at my best so who knows what the results were like.
I'll keep my fingers crossed. At least I'm getting interviews. I have another one tomorrow at the NS Legislative Library. It's a reference position, but it should be an interesting collection.
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