G and I have been watching episodes of Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations. In this show he travels worldwide and hits off the beaten track restaurants and markets; in L.A. he eschews the Hollywood stars for ethnic fare in little Thailand, in Northern Ireland he shares pints with two tour guides-- one Protestant and one Catholic-- with the idea that good food and drink will unite all. We recently watched an episode set in Miami (no South Beach, but instead a visit to a Haitian shaman and a tour of various immigrant neighborhoods) where he spent one evening frog hunting in a nearby swampy area. The frogs he and his guide caught were taken to a nearby shack and skinned and the legs fried. This guy will eat anything!
G has been inspired by Bourdain's bold gastronomy and has recently prepared items new to me. One day on my way home he called and said, "you're going to have part of a chicken you've never had before." The beak? The feet? I was a little nervous. He prepared chicken livers, saying, "they were the most inexpensive item in the meat section at the grocery store- we could have them all the time!". Uh huh. I categorize chicken livers in the same category as brussels sprouts-- something enjoyed by an older generation who lived through the Depression. I did try them and was not completely disgusted-- they had a dense, chalky and rich taste which I felt couldn't be good for me in great quantities. They aren't something I'd crave, but if I had to eat them again, I would.
The following week G roasted a chicken-- somewhat of his specialty-- and instead of throwing out the giblets, declared he would find a recipe to use them. I said I only knew about giblet gravy and didn't know anyone who actually cooked even that (again, see Depression Era folks). In the end, they sat in the fridge a few days while he was compiling his research and he decided they weren't worth it, so threw them out.
Last week we tried a small Brazilian restaurant in Cambridge. As I was perusing the menu, I saw the appetizer of friend frog legs and jokingly pointed it out to G. He said we should try it and I demurred. Then the owner of the restaurant himself came to our table to take our order. G asked about the frog legs ("How fresh are they? Where do they come from?" "As fresh as can be and they come from perhaps Costa Rica.") and then said while he would be willing to try them, his girlfriend did not. Shamed in front of the owner, I told G just to go ahead and get them. When they arrived, fried golden like chicken, I tried not to think of what they actually were. G encouraged me by telling me that Anthony Bourdain would be proud. I bit in like a chicken wing and, voila! What did they taste like? Actually, not unlike chicken!
Thursday, March 22, 2007
Monday, March 12, 2007
Jane Fonda: Resurrected
Exercise videos go through phases of popularity. Jane Fonda popularized aerobics in the 1980s, supermodels created their own workouts in the early 90s, and Tae Bo was a craze in the early 2000s. These videos are easy to laugh at-- uncomfortable looking leotards, perfect hair and makeup, and a perfectly sculpted group of demonstrators.
I had thought these videos were created exclusively for the suburban mom...until my sister took our mom's stash (and a pair of my old leg warmers) to her very urban abode. Then,at home on vacation recently, she relayed stories about her workouts and the pilates class she was taking. "The instructor really makes us work our abs" and "We do a lot of lengthening and strengthening in pilates" were a few exlamations she made while we cooked dinner one night. My mom asked if she had joined a gym.
Liz: "No..."
Mom: "Then who's 'we'?"
Liz: "Uh..the instructor and the class on the pilates dvd I have rented from Netflix."
While my sister's revelation was initially funny, I realized that she is in much better shape than me and that maybe she was on to something. I perused through the workout dvd selection on Netflix and saw a plethora of workout options: boot camp, ab attack, cardio salsa, strip tease (?!), belly dancing-- whoa, belly dancing?
I rented the belly dancing and invited some friends over and kicked G out for the evening. Veena and Neena are beautiful and the steps started off quite simply. As the Voice told us we were working the cardio and asked if we could feel the burn, we snickered. This was cake. And then we started to break a sweat. The steps increased faster and harder! How do Veena and Neena keep their upper bodies still while shimmy-ing? After 30 minutes I didn't feel like I'd run a marathon, but I did get my heart rate up.
Last week was my turn to lead the girlscout meeting. I decided to have the girls work on the Fun and Fit badge and thought how better to exemplify creative exercise than to have them attempt the belly dancing? The girls loved it and followed along quite well. We all laughed and the girls noted that holding their arms was hard, and that their abs were sore. We had to shut down the dvd before it was over due to time although none of the girls wanted to stop. And then one of the girls said, "Maybe I should do some of my mom's workout videos!" Ah yes, the Jane Fonda workout endures and is passed on to a new generation!
I had thought these videos were created exclusively for the suburban mom...until my sister took our mom's stash (and a pair of my old leg warmers) to her very urban abode. Then,at home on vacation recently, she relayed stories about her workouts and the pilates class she was taking. "The instructor really makes us work our abs" and "We do a lot of lengthening and strengthening in pilates" were a few exlamations she made while we cooked dinner one night. My mom asked if she had joined a gym.
Liz: "No..."
Mom: "Then who's 'we'?"
Liz: "Uh..the instructor and the class on the pilates dvd I have rented from Netflix."
While my sister's revelation was initially funny, I realized that she is in much better shape than me and that maybe she was on to something. I perused through the workout dvd selection on Netflix and saw a plethora of workout options: boot camp, ab attack, cardio salsa, strip tease (?!), belly dancing-- whoa, belly dancing?
I rented the belly dancing and invited some friends over and kicked G out for the evening. Veena and Neena are beautiful and the steps started off quite simply. As the Voice told us we were working the cardio and asked if we could feel the burn, we snickered. This was cake. And then we started to break a sweat. The steps increased faster and harder! How do Veena and Neena keep their upper bodies still while shimmy-ing? After 30 minutes I didn't feel like I'd run a marathon, but I did get my heart rate up.
Last week was my turn to lead the girlscout meeting. I decided to have the girls work on the Fun and Fit badge and thought how better to exemplify creative exercise than to have them attempt the belly dancing? The girls loved it and followed along quite well. We all laughed and the girls noted that holding their arms was hard, and that their abs were sore. We had to shut down the dvd before it was over due to time although none of the girls wanted to stop. And then one of the girls said, "Maybe I should do some of my mom's workout videos!" Ah yes, the Jane Fonda workout endures and is passed on to a new generation!
Monday, March 05, 2007
Luck, Fate, and Destiny (AKA: A dead black cat, LOST, and Battlestar Galactica)
It has been quite awhile since I last posted on Zandrea, but I am back and full of questions for our blog readers and the universe. I am not sure if the “universe” reads blogs, but for the sake of this entry lets pretend that the universe is personified and sitting at her/his laptop with a cup of coffee and a mind eager for reading about my inner most thoughts.
This morning as I was walking to work I tripped on a stick which somehow jumped into the air and landed on its end and I as my motion continued the stick jabbed into my left calf muscle which made me scream (because it hurt) and then right next to me I saw a dead black cat which had been crushed by a car. I was dealing with the stick induced leg pain when I saw the gross dead animal but as I progressed down the street I forgot the pain and thought of the cat. I know that a black cat crossing your path is bad luck, but what about “stumbling” upon a dead black cat? It felt ominous and I am pretty sure that something bad will happen now. But what? I will keep you posted.
As I was thinking about luck, I thought about two of my favorite television programs: LOST and Battlestar Galactica. Both shows deal with luck, fate, and destiny. Last night on Battlestar Galactica, Starbuck came face-to-face with her destiny. She did not want to, she did not choose to be special, she just wants to fly vipers and think dreamy thoughts about Lee Adama, but she has a destiny that must be acknowledged. So, it appears that she was blown to bits, BUT clearly she is not dead, I mean she is kind of the star of the show. So, the question is: how is she not dead? And who was “channeling” Leoben? Clearly she is a cylon and in a future episode will emerge gasping from one of those cylon mucus baths. Any BG fans out in the Zandrea audience? I would love to hear what others think. I have been waiting all season for another of the “5” remaining cylons to manifest and I think it is happening. (Though I was hoping it would be Madame President…)
I do not even know where to begin with LOST. Yeah, I still have the same questions I had a year ago; What is the Dharma Initiative? How did Locke end up in a wheelchair? Who is Alvar Hanso? What do they feed Vincent? Who are the Others? Where the hell are they? Last week’s episode offered a strong dose of comic relief (thank you Hurley and Sawyer) but still was full of questions about luck, fate, and destiny. Was Hurley cursed? Do we make our own luck? Do we have pre-ordained destinies? No clear answers, but that’s cool. LOST seems to frustrate many viewers, but not me. Fans tune in each week looking for answers yet end up with more questions. But for me, the show is about escapism. What is more liberating than imagining being on a creepy deserted island with seemingly mystical powers and village of Others who steal children and blackmail you into performing complex spinal surgery? Oh, and the polar bears. What are polar bears doing on a Pacific island? Any LOST fans reading this blog? If so, please send along your theories about the island. I believe they are playing a game and are not really on an island but rather are “lost” in space (Battlestar Galactica style) and have no way home and our “losties” are plugged into an elaborate virtual reality game where they choose characters (doctor, convict, junkie, crazy French lady, etc.); location (uncharted island); and goal (two teams compete to see who can survive) and I think the show we are watching is the “competition” of the two groups (Others versus 815 survivors). I think they are just passing time while they are lost in space. I like to imagine that the last episode will be Jack alone on the island (the final survivor) where he starts to hear his name being called out in the distance, over and over again until he wakes up out of the game and is patted on the back by Sawyer who congratulates him for playing a great game. The final scene would be the lost group planning their next game. I realize there are many “holes” in this theory. Not sure how the flashbacks fit (maybe they are character backstories the players get) or which team Rousseau would be on, but it is a theory in development.
Oh well.
Zandrea readers: please send along your luck, fate, and destiny stories/questions as well as any commentary on my favorite TV shows.
This morning as I was walking to work I tripped on a stick which somehow jumped into the air and landed on its end and I as my motion continued the stick jabbed into my left calf muscle which made me scream (because it hurt) and then right next to me I saw a dead black cat which had been crushed by a car. I was dealing with the stick induced leg pain when I saw the gross dead animal but as I progressed down the street I forgot the pain and thought of the cat. I know that a black cat crossing your path is bad luck, but what about “stumbling” upon a dead black cat? It felt ominous and I am pretty sure that something bad will happen now. But what? I will keep you posted.
As I was thinking about luck, I thought about two of my favorite television programs: LOST and Battlestar Galactica. Both shows deal with luck, fate, and destiny. Last night on Battlestar Galactica, Starbuck came face-to-face with her destiny. She did not want to, she did not choose to be special, she just wants to fly vipers and think dreamy thoughts about Lee Adama, but she has a destiny that must be acknowledged. So, it appears that she was blown to bits, BUT clearly she is not dead, I mean she is kind of the star of the show. So, the question is: how is she not dead? And who was “channeling” Leoben? Clearly she is a cylon and in a future episode will emerge gasping from one of those cylon mucus baths. Any BG fans out in the Zandrea audience? I would love to hear what others think. I have been waiting all season for another of the “5” remaining cylons to manifest and I think it is happening. (Though I was hoping it would be Madame President…)
I do not even know where to begin with LOST. Yeah, I still have the same questions I had a year ago; What is the Dharma Initiative? How did Locke end up in a wheelchair? Who is Alvar Hanso? What do they feed Vincent? Who are the Others? Where the hell are they? Last week’s episode offered a strong dose of comic relief (thank you Hurley and Sawyer) but still was full of questions about luck, fate, and destiny. Was Hurley cursed? Do we make our own luck? Do we have pre-ordained destinies? No clear answers, but that’s cool. LOST seems to frustrate many viewers, but not me. Fans tune in each week looking for answers yet end up with more questions. But for me, the show is about escapism. What is more liberating than imagining being on a creepy deserted island with seemingly mystical powers and village of Others who steal children and blackmail you into performing complex spinal surgery? Oh, and the polar bears. What are polar bears doing on a Pacific island? Any LOST fans reading this blog? If so, please send along your theories about the island. I believe they are playing a game and are not really on an island but rather are “lost” in space (Battlestar Galactica style) and have no way home and our “losties” are plugged into an elaborate virtual reality game where they choose characters (doctor, convict, junkie, crazy French lady, etc.); location (uncharted island); and goal (two teams compete to see who can survive) and I think the show we are watching is the “competition” of the two groups (Others versus 815 survivors). I think they are just passing time while they are lost in space. I like to imagine that the last episode will be Jack alone on the island (the final survivor) where he starts to hear his name being called out in the distance, over and over again until he wakes up out of the game and is patted on the back by Sawyer who congratulates him for playing a great game. The final scene would be the lost group planning their next game. I realize there are many “holes” in this theory. Not sure how the flashbacks fit (maybe they are character backstories the players get) or which team Rousseau would be on, but it is a theory in development.
Oh well.
Zandrea readers: please send along your luck, fate, and destiny stories/questions as well as any commentary on my favorite TV shows.
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