Last night a friend suggested lunch and movie on my day off. She wanted to see The Hundred Foot Journey I’d never heard of it. Much to her surprise I’d not seen the trailers. Actually we’ve not watched TV for a week reading on the porch in the evening instead. I agreed to the movie and we hooked up for lunch where we had the week before.
Thus I went into the movie without an idea what it was about. I was ready for a story and boy did I get one. It’s a food unites hearts type of story. An Indian family loses their matriarch and restaurant when it is set fire during riots after an election. The patriarch takes them to Europe to found a restaurant there. After some wandering they wind up in France buying a place 100 ft across a small road from a 1-star Michelin French restaurant where Papa in all his wisdom opens their restaurant.
This is a feel good movie from Disney. It’s family affair stuff. But you know what, it works. There is a dark night of the soul, but don’t worry it’s not too dark. There is romance but don’t worry it’s not too syrupy. There is comedy but not just for the sake of going for the laugh. But most of all there is hope and faith that in the end all will turn out as it should. Being Disney of course it does.
Along the way to the inevitable happy ending we are treated to a feast for the eyes. The cinematography is breath taking from the colorful streets of India’s spice markets to the breathtaking vistas of Southern France to the I can almost taste it shots of food the eyes feast at every turn. I could smell the delicious spiciness of Indian cuisine and taste the subtle blends of the French sauces. I felt the heat and heady scents of the market as we jostled to buy fresh sea urchins in India and felt the soul healing energy as Papa looked down into the town that would be their new home, the pristine visage of an old village that blended with the slopes of the alps.
Yes it is at it’s heart about the journeys we all take. The journeys inside to find ourselves and answer our callings. The journeys we take on the outside to find a place of our own. The journey where 100 foot wide road separates them but they start out a world apart. Then how in time and shared experiences they could be a world apart but nothing could come between them. Two cultures who find common ground and mutual respect in the love of food. Because as the movie states more than once, “Food is memories.” Sometimes flavors need to blend to make new dishes and new memories for all to treasure.
If you need a soothing boost… If you want a story that’s comforting over joke filled action of next Summer Blockbuster – then this journey is for you. Take it – you’ll enjoy it. But don’t go on an empty stomach!
I think my reaction to the new of Robin William’s death is the same of most of my generation. The manically funny man we met as an alien on Happy Day, loved as transvestite Nanny, caring doctor, entertaining war radio host, our generation’s Fisher King is gone. We are stunned to have such a stalwart companion that made us laugh gone.
Many are asking how could he? Depression that’s how. But he had everything! And still battled depression. If he only knew who loved love, had felt this outpouring that’s happening! It might not have mattered – that’s depression.
As someone who has battled depression on some level for many years I felt for him and his family. I’ve never been suicidal. Thank goodness I can say that. Many with depression cannot. However I can see falling that far down the rabbit hole. I had something in me that didn’t, though bent and at time feeling broken never gave way.
You see depression isn’t sadness it’s an aching void. It’s deep pain of nothingness except the ache to feel again. You want to know happiness, you know you should feel it but eh – nothing. Tears come but truly they are hollow wanting a good reason for someone like you with all the benefits you have to feel this way. A reason. Finally, you either reach out to all those hands reaching in to help and begin to find the way out or you fall deeper.
It’s not a one time process. Think of learning to walk – you didn’t walk until you ready no matter how much your family wanted you to. They could hold you up on your feet and drag you along but if you weren’t ready as soon as they let go DOWN you went. When the child is ready to try one help up doesn’t put them on their feet running. There are many starts, falls, stops and goes again. Same with people under treatment for depression. Also just as a devastating injury can cause a person to learn to walk again – a devastating injury (psychological or physical) can send someone with depression back to that spiral.
Robin couldn’t reach out again, learn to walk yet again, stand ever again. The soul gets tired, woefully tired in depression. I understand that. I ache for him and wish someone, anyone could have handed him just what he needed to reach out one more time. But would he have taken it? seen it? known it for what it was?
As for me I’ve learned some self care. That I need this and that. I’ve learned to evaluate myself and not be too proud to allow people who want to help me – help me. I’ve learned it’s better to admit I what I need than fall down again. I’ve learned with these skills and medication when needed I don’t have to soul tiredly empty. I have learned to see the hands reaching out to help and grasp them. Sure sometimes I forget, get a case of do-it-myselfs but then I get over it because somewhere in me a voice always whispers ‘this too shall pass, nothing lasts for ever joy or void.’ Then I know I want to see what’s next.
I think artistic people stand with one foot on confidence boarding on arrogance to think we have a story to tell that others want to hear, or that he could make people laugh and forget their troubles for a moment, or create a painting that makes people think, or make a photo that changes how someone sees the world. That’s what an artist believes deep in the root of their being. But the other foot is stands on the darkest self-doubt there is one that questions if they not only have value as an artist but as a person. Move both feet to either one and you’re in trouble. Move both feet to either one and art suffers. Creative people explore both often simultaneously because that is what the world is made of, light and dark, joy and sadness, black and white – and everything between each of those opposites. It knowing that others help us keep the right balance there on those two poles. It is knowing that life happens right there between those poles.
My heart aches that Robin lost his balance. The world dims a moment when the bright ones pass. But we need not look to the void to see or wonder about Robin – his gifts are in the light, the smile, the laughs, and those stupid rainbow suspenders I wore in 8th grade. Shazbot! Robin we will miss you but dearly hope you found what you need on the other side of this life. Thanks for all the joy you gave millions, we just wish you could have taken a smile from us in return.
So the best place I’ve watched a movie this year was on deck of a cruise ship at sea in the Caribbean.
I swear some day will come I’ll move back into my blog. **pats dust covers on the furniture** So that’s another photo I made up there – back on the cruise. Not only have I not blogged – I’ve not made photos much since then. (frowns at that).
So this is a quick I’m still alive post that needed a theme…. Taking cue from a friend and putting my spin on it here’s my thoughts on the major Emmy nominations. You will see how behind I am on TV stuff too! LOL!
I was just thinking about “what is a good basic education?” I mean beyond mastery of reading, writing, and arithmetic? (We won’t go into how poorly or well that is. Topic for another post.) I do think another very important part especially for those of us who are products of the Western world is a grounding in the classics – not just lit, but art, history, and architecture. I think a good basic education means you can recognize world renowned buildings – like Parliament, Kremlin, Machu Picchu, Great Wall, Sydney Opera house, Parthenon, White House, Hatshepsut’s Mortuary Temple at Deir el Bahari, the Pantheon, etc. Not only should be able to name them but tell why they are significant be it historical or architecturally or socially.
Which brings me to my morning coffee thoughts. I was surfing Pinterest as I do. (I have to limit it to my morning coffee time and breaks). There I saw a photo pinned under architecture as “the Forgotten Temple of Lysistrata“. Which I thought odd on several levels – the obvious one “Hey that’s the Pantheon’s dome, arches, and oculus” which led to the morning pondering. The more obscure one is Lysistrata is an ancient play about the battle of sexes, so why would there be a temple to a comedy? Now I don’t expect everyone to know that. But know the Pantheon on sight – yep I guess I expected that to be part of a basic historic education.
You see the Pantheon was the first understanding that arches in a series made a dome that would not need support in the center offering a large open interior space. Even my bumpkin small high school education taught me that. It was something that was modified and used later in the Medieval Period to make wall of glass and cross shape of cathedrals in the form of the flying buttress. Again I accredit my tiny country high school for the knowledge.
Next I quizzed Mike who has been to the Pantheon and doesn’t have as strong classical education as I got. “Would you recognize the interior of the Pantheon if you saw it photoshopped into another picture?” His answer “No, but I’d recognize the ugly outside of it.” SIGH my expectations are dashed. I’ll give him that it isn’t pretty on the outside the interior is the impressive and the knowledge gained in the use and modifications of arches. Heck, we aren’t really sure what it was built to do.
As my morning coffee grew cold I considered what I thought was a good basic education – a working understanding of how another language different from your own native tongue is structured, a grounding the the history of your predominate culture and introduction to other major cultures of the world (including art, architecture, mathematics etc), strong general science basics (biology, physics to include astronomy, chemistry), mastery of the basic grammar of your language, understanding of major literary works in that language (having read a few completely and introduced to others and their significance), basic economics (personal accounting, intro to various business systems), music at least two years on one instrument (including discussion of the math and physics of sound and how that is captured in written sheet music), physical education (including explanation of what exercise does what muscles to relate back to biology class), Geography (relating to history and general science as well as current political boundaries).
Okay maybe my expectation is a bit much but wouldn’t it be grand if we all got that as a foundation to start building our dreams…
So it’s not like I’ve got enough to do… I mean work is about to get swamped. I’m flowing on a novel. I’ve got jewelry projects out the wazoo. Genealogy is only adding more people as I type this. Summer is coming and that’s photography time for me… BUT I needed one more thing to keep up with. Yes, apparently I did.
I know the internet can be a big help or a big time waster. I do my best to keep up with Google+, Twitter, Flickr, favorite blogs, and writing here regularly. So I’ve avoided Pintrest like the plague. Not because I thought it was bad or any thing (like the evil Facebook) but just because I didn’t want another thing to keep up with.
Then it happened. I had all these visual references for this story I’m writing. I was wanting a place to keep them so I could access them from any computer/device where I was writing. That’s when a friend who shall not be named or blamed suggested using Pintrest for this. “But I don’t want them to be publicly seen as I’m working.” That was my comeback but quickly they disarmed me “Oh but then you could make a secret board. Then to access it from say your phone, netbook, desktop or any where just sign in.”
So I did. It’s great but then I thought well I should have a public board… I made one to keep all my Wolverine links to images, scans, fan art, previews, etc. So if one hobby has it why not the other – thus the bead board was born. But wait! I like books too! and coffee, and writing, and so on, and so on…. until it became THIS!
Now part of my unwinding to go to bed is pinning stuff… At least hop over there (link in the THIS above) and look around. If you are Pinterest let me know and I’d love to follow you. Now to make sure I don’t waste too much time there…
Except there’s this great Logan over at Comic Art fans… I’ll just pin that… .
So if Aaron’s done it Mike can’t be out done. That’s the rivalry between father and son. Back some time ago, Aaron went to Buffalo Wild Wings and took the hot wings challenge. He beat it and got his picture on the wall just after completing it – a smiling sweaty snotty saucy mess but victorious. Since then, Mike has wanted to go to the same place (the one here in Kenosha) and beat it to at least tie Aaron.
Well Saturday, February 16, 2013 was the day! We went to lunch there before grocery shopping. He decided it was time. The challenge is 12 wings in 6 minutes, one napkin, no drink, have to remove the meat with your mouth not your fingers. Here’s the photo post of the challenge.
He starts out well with a full basket of 12 Blazin’ Hot Wings
What I found most impressive is he wore a white shirt AND KEPT IT CLEAN!
Even his face was fairly clean…
They POURED on the sauce a lot more heavily than they do the normal order. Mike said it wasn’t that spicy (this from a man who eats habaneros raw) but the temperature hot got him more.
Here’s his victory!
Afterward he started turning pink as the spicy heat hit him. That stuff builds ya know…
What did he get for his victory? A great new T-Shirt
There are traditions in areas of the country that don’t translate nationally. Just like there are words that are regional – a knit cap can be a toboggan, toque (my favorite word for it), bob hat, sock cap, tossle, cora cap, stocking hat, or beanie all depending on where you are in the US. I’ve enjoyed adopting various traditions of areas we have lived.
One that I was raised with was the tradition of black-eyed peas and hogs jowl for New Year’s Day meal. The tradition goes – if you keep count of how many black-eyed peas you eat that day each will turn into an extra dollar in your pocket the following year. Sadly, I could never keep count. Don’t freak out about hog jowl it’s just like a thick cut bacon. Honestly when I’ve needed a substitute living where that’s not a tradition I’ve gotten thick cut bacon and couldn’t tell the difference. So if you want you can do that.
Mike had no traditional New Year’s Day food. Only tradition he had was to mock the other tradition my family had – watching the Rose Parade. Since I’ve married him, I’ve never watched a parade on TV in peace. Still I could make the traditional dinner for New Year;s Day and we’d toast the year in with champagne back when we stayed up to midnight.
Then we moved to Charleston and the traditional New Year’s Day meal was expanded. There it was Hoppin’ John you ate. That’s black eyed peas, rice, and salted pork. Debb over at Sunshine Factor posted a great recipe for the traditional meal. This was a more flavorful way to do the tradition than just beans and bacon. So I adopted Hoppin’ John and tweaked it to be a bit healthier – used lean cuts of ham or turkey ham, upped the veggies and enjoyed getting the fiber of the peas.
Actually we’ve had Hoppin’ John every year since. We’ve introduced people to the tradition complete with the challenge of counting peas for dollars in the new year. I have to say even the skeptics walked away Hoppin’ John lovers. It’s a tasty dish, that just fills you up and has almost a comfort food effect. I think we might have started a new tradition in a few homes along our moves since Charleston.
Now Hoppin’ John is a beloved dish in the Low Country (Charleston area of South Carolina) much like She-Crab Soup and 7-Bean soup. It’s a warm meal and Charleston summers are very hot and humid (It’s said you shower in April and dry off in December). So making the beloved dish in the hot summer doesn’t suit. However, when we lived there the morning newspaper in Charleston (then they had two) solved the problem by posting a Hoppin’ John Salad recipe for the summer months -a cool tasty dish based on the beloved recipe. I make it every summer and we enjoy the heck out of it. It’s become a tradition at our house for cook outs in the summer months. Since Debb shared the basic Hoppin John I’ll share the salad…
HOPPIN’ JOHN SALAD
2 cans (14.5 oz each ) reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 cup uncooked long grain rice
1 can (15 to 16 oz) black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed
1 cup diced red and/or yellow bell pepper
1 cup thinly sliced celery
3/4 cup thinly sliced scallions
1/2 cup herb or Italian vinaigrette salad dressing
In a medium saucepan, bring broth and 1/4 cup of water to a boil. Stir in the rice. Cover pan, reduce heat to medium-low and cook until rice is tender and all broth is absorbed, about 20 minutes.
In a very large mixing bowl combine black eyed peas, bell pepper, celery, and scallions. Add warm rice and vinaigrette. Stir gently to combine. Chill for 12 hours to allow for marination. Serve.
Yields 6 main dish servings or 10 side dish servings.
Now you’ve got two recipes for a New Year’s Tradition be you in a cold climate or a hot one. Let me tell you that Hoppin’ John has many variations – each home puts their own spin on the dish. The main core of it is a flavorful black eyed pea and rice dish usually with pork, but in some homes it’s not. I’d suggest taking the basic recipe to follow for the first time then add what you think would make it better for your family. True Southern Cooking isn’t about following recipes but instead about cooking flavorful dishes that vary from cook to cook. If you’ve ever been to a covered dish dinner south of the Mason Dixon you know what I’m talking about. There maybe four green beans there and each one is different and delicious. So customize! It’s expected. The recipe is only a starting guideline not an absolute this isn’t chemistry!
Now the question is how did it get its name? Honestly no one knows. The origin of the dish is American but there are strong African, French, and Caribbean roots to it. At least that’s what the food historians tell me and from tasting variations with pineapple and tomatoes in them I’d agree. Some forms definitely have a strong Creole flare. The tradition is the first man to hawk the dish in the streets of Charleston was a Freeman called Hoppin’ John due to his peg leg. Another tradition is that to share a meal the African family would tell you to Hop In and John is just the John Doe fill in for a name. Finally the last one I’ve heard is that children would hop around the table in anticipation of the tradition and to get the luck from it as it was served.
Ahh the luck – I’ve shared my family’s tradition of counting the beans. Another variation is to serve it with greens (Collard, mustard, turnip doesn’t matter) and the more you eat of greens with the beans the more greenback and coins you’ll get in the new year. Still another tradition that’s more toward Louisiana than South Carolina is placing a shiny dime in the dish. Whoever gets the dime in their serving gets the best luck in the New Year. No matter if you count beans, eat greens, hide a dime, or just eat Hoppin’ John it’s said to bring good luck for the year. So I figure what’s the harm the new year can use all the luck it can get and I love seasoned beans and rice!
Ours this year will be vegetarian but served with greens, cornbread, and thick cut bacon. Pictures will be posted at Flickr, G+ and thus feed to Twitter and Facebook. So keep an eye out for our good luck!
Ahh this mug hits at the core of the truth, I need my coffee. Good thing caffeine is an acceptable addiction.
I love my morning coffee. It’s my joy and comfort. I don’t pollute or dilute it with anything. The darker and richer the better! Ahh, nothing smells better than coffee. I love it. From good old Folgers to the expensive favorite of Jamaican Blue – I adore my coffee.
When I first started building a home of my own I thought I had to have matching coffee cups. Since then I’ve given way to MUGS. They keep the precious fluid hotter longer. I also have given way to mugs that express or remind me of things. Matching is boring. Matching is bland. Matching is so June Cleaver. I want expression and the morning nectar of the gods. So my morning mugs have become a collection of favorites. All give me a bit of cheer in the morning. Here are a few of my favorite mugs.
This mug is from the Chicago’s Untouchables Tour It’s a great historic bus tour of the gangster history in Chicago. Years ago Aaron and I took the tour with my BFF Patricia and her family. When I use this mug I think of history and happy memories two things I always enjoy.I’ve had this travel mug for years. It’s the style and weight I like. Also the map on it is a reproduction of a map showing the first coffee trade routes to Europe. History and functionality – great combo in a coffee mug.My favorite season if Fall. I love the color and the crispiness. I bought three matching fall mugs one year after going to Dubuque to have a girls weekend away. I sent the other ones to my dear friends. I filled the mugs with candy and wrote a note telling each of them what dear friends they are and how much I treasure our visits. Now when I use my mug I smile with warm memories of friends and good times know they have one too.This one is history, crafting and friends. I have taken many classes at the local Kenosha Museum. From pottery to fused glass, from ancient Egypt to local history, from writing (the start of my writers group) to silversmithing. I have taken many classes with friends or alone. All are good times and excellent things to remember over a steamy cup of joe in the morning.This mug came from Aaron’s orthodontist. Dr. Crawford straightened Aaron’s teeth beautifully. Every time I use this mug I think of my son’s beautiful smile. It’s a warm proud Mom feeling even before I get my first sip of coffee in the morning.
One of the Summer things I look forward to is fresh Gazpacho made from Mike’s garden. So far this year we’ve made and consumed gallons of the stuff. It is WONDERFUL! So here’s the basis of it. I never cook by a recipe (much to my mother-in-law’s chagrin) I tend to cook by feel, taste, available ingredients, and health requirements. So this is the source of my inspiration when making Gazpacho but the results always vary a bit depending on how many tomatoes, peppers, onion, etc. are coming in from the garden.
Gazpacho
1 ½ pounds tomatoes peeled and diced
1 medium white onion chopped
1 medium cucumber peeled seeded chopped
1 cup green bell pepper seeded chopped
2 cups tomato juice
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
1/8 cup lime juice
2 large cloves of garlic peeled and finely minced
Seeded chopped jalapeno to taste
½ teaspoon of Nature’s Seasoning (or ¼ teaspoon each of salt and black pepper)
Combine all ingredients in large bowl refrigerate for several hours before serving. Serve each bowl with 1 Tablespoon of fat free sour cream on top.
It’s a team effort to make it. There’s a lot of chopping and peeling and seeding involved. Sometimes when there’s lots of tomatoes I puree tomatoes with salt and pepper to use for the tomato juice part. The nutrition information was estimated by my MasterCook program. I usually don’t use that much olive oil, about half that. I at times I add a bit more lime juice just so the color stays bright and I like the kick it adds. It’s really better if it sits in the fridge over night before eating. Then enjoy! It’s worth the effort!
The Wisconsin Dairy food stand’s paint job made me laugh.
Our day at the fair was more than just gawking at livestock while they gawked at us. There were demonstrations by the Sheriff (tazed a rookie for us!), winners of competitions, midway, food (only got a diet coke but gawked at the offerings), crafts, sales, static displays, and concerts. All the stuff that makes a local county fair – a local county fair.
We decided not to wait around two hours for the mud racing (in South that’s be racin’). I think Mike kinda regretted that but our day in the sun left us pleasantly tired and hungry. We stopped by one of our favorite Mexican restaurants to split our favorite burrito before heading home to watch movies and enjoy the lake breeze blowing through the house. All in all it was a fantastically relaxing day out.
Mary Louise Eklund 