Third of 2008

See

Last week on DVD I watched The Namesake, Mira Nair's follow-up to the sensuous Monsoon Wedding. The film feels deeply personal and continues with Nair's celebration/examination of Indian culture in modern times. The story begins with a young woman in India (played beautifully by actress Tabu) being sent by her family to New York to marry another Indian working on his Ph.D.



As they learn to love each other, they discover their children are growing up in a completely different world - in particular their son, Gogol. Gogol is named by his father, after the author, whose book he was reading when he had a fateful encounter with a stranger on a train. The film traverses through the family years, through conflicts and tensions between American and Indian attitudes and ultimately ends with Gogol as a central character.

It's a terrific little film, both visually and emotionally rich. I find it so moving to see people fight to hold onto family tradition. It's heartbreaking to think of everyone being the same, in a dull and homogenized world. Stories like these speak to the complexities of honoring culture in multi-generational households and the value of staying connected to our origins.

...Moving from past to future, I also had the chance to view the History Channel's special "Life After People."



The show predicts, based on scientific knowledge, what will happen when the human no longer roams the planet. Beginning with just a few weeks after human extinction and moving along all the way to several thousand years after, "Life After People" showcases the decay of modern buildings and bridges (due to the lack of human upkeep to avoid corrosion), the flourishing of plant-life and the new kingdom once again ruled by non-humans. It's an interesting - though sometimes spooky - exploration of what Earth will look like when we all go away.

To learn more, go to the show's web site

Eat

Last Monday I had the day off so I treated myself to lunch at El Quetzal, the very authentic Mexican restaurant on Beacon Avenue. Well, to call it a "restaurant" might be a stretch. It's just a slight store-front without about half a dozen tables. Many dine in, taking advantage of the homemade chips and salsa (which you aren't offered if you do take-out).

This was my second time there, both times I've done take-out. This time I decided to go with the Chile Verde, chunks of pork with chiles in a tangy tomatillo sauce. Served with rice, beans and tortillas. The flavors were just perfect, but I had trouble with the pork so only ate about half. The meat just seemed...too gray to me.



However, on my first trip there I ordered the Carne Asada tacos and was completely satisfied. Aside from the lack of space, another reason to not dine in is the limited beverage menu: no cervezas to wash down all that hot salsa! Apparently the owners don't want to spend the extra money for the license so it's just sodas, making it a great place for lunch (they also serve breakfast all day long).

Drink

This past week after working out, I tried two new (well new to me) energy drinks: Mango-Acai Talking Rain and Lemon-Lime Hi-Ball.

The Mango-Acai Talking Rain is not carbonated, which is not in my favor. The flavors were also a bit too much. It is part of the "Twist Organics" line, not to be confused with the "Twist Naturals" product. Acai seems to be the new pomegranate. It's everywhere, especially in gyms and healthfood arenas. It's loaded with antioxidants and often featured alongside blueberry in energy drinks and smoothies.



The Hi-Ball drink comes in a very fun-shaped bottle so immediately it draws your attention. It comes in original, club soda, lemon-lime, grapefruit, wild berry and orange flavors. I had the lemon-lime, which contains a host of B vitamins, natural caffeine, ginseng, taurine and guarana. Just ten calories. Very refreshing, but definitely gives you a jolt. Not to be had late in the day if you're an insomniac!

Read

I finished up Toni Polancy's book So You Want to Live in Hawaii? yesterday. As a resource, it's extremely valuable and I'm sure I will refer to it many times in the future. I just have two main issues with it. One is that it does skew slightly toward the negative, as some reviewers on amazon suggest. While she does offer several anecdotes from others who have moved to the islands and succeeded, these are set aside as side-bars in a different font and one might even skip over them to continue reading some of the less-than-dreamy statistics or horror stories.



It seems to me that the book's intended audience was the caucasian who might not fit in with the local Hawaiian population. Since most people who dream of moving to the islands after a killer weekend in Waikiki are probably White, I see the validity in that. But reading on and on about "racism" in that context made me feel a little weird. The author does give historical context to explain why Hawaiians might be wary of "haoles" as we are called in Hawaii and maybe I'm just being sensitive after reading so much about Hawaiian history lately.

My second issue is that there is an entire chapter devoted to "Religion," an entire chapter devoted to "Military" and yet the "Romance" chapter only mentions gay relationships/dating in passing and there are no other resources listed out for gay malihini. Hawaii is a bit of a gay mecca so I thought it was disappointing that there wasn't more in the book for the would-be gay Hawaiian residents. I may even write the author a note about it, as a suggestion for future editions of the book.

Remember

The Culinary Communion recently opened its doors on Beacon Avenue, which "teaches cooking and wine classes in the Seattle area in an effort to create a community of food enthusiasts, or “foodies.”


The school is housed in an old house in the heart of North Beacon Hill and offers classes in seafood, sauces, meat curing, as well as regional cooking such as cuisine from Japan, Spain, Mexico and France. In addition, there are classes in baking and tasting/education workshops/series on wine, bourbon and gin! We are lucky to have this center of goodness in our neighborhood.

Worry

As the world mourns the tragic loss of actor Heath Ledger, one radical Christian group has plans to picket Heath's funeral because he played the role of Ennis in Brokeback Mountain (which, by the way, is one of the very best performances in film history, in my opinion).



Hopefully they will not be successful. There really isn't much one can say about any group motivated by that much hate and so devoid of human compassion. I really hope someone stops them from adding pain to the Ledger family.

Second of 2008

See

Now, to share a few material items I've recently acquired...

Last weekend I made a jaunt down to Tukwila (which is actually quite close to Beacon Hill) to use a gift card at Best Buy I received for my birthday. I knew I wanted a new shaver (I replace/upgrade about every two years). I'd been a Norelco man all my life, but the New Year's energy took hold and I decided to go with this instead:



The tiki lamp and hula girl soap dispenser are old hats, but the Braun 360 is my favorite new toy! It comes with a self-cleaning station so between each shave the head goes into a slot which activates a cleaning cartridge. Thus, your skin is less susceptible to blemishes! It's an awesome shaver all around - simply the best shave I've ever had. Sorry Norelco, but I've gone Braun.

Also a birthday present, this Phillips digital picture frame came via my future sister-in-law (an employee at said company).



The blurriness has to do with my digital camera about to blow (hopefully soon I'll be reviewing a new one of those). In real life, the images are crystal clear and there are different settings for how you want to view. You can just load pictures into a USB connector and use either an AC cord or battery to power up the show. We haven't played around with it too much, but have since received yet another one (for Christmas). Excited about this new technology, as I'm extraordinarily sluggish when it comes to organizing old pictures into photo albums.

Eat

No trip to Tukwila would be complete without dining at a chain restaurant so we opted to try out a fairly new Bahama Breeze in the parking lot of Southcenter Mall.



The place is deceptively large and decorated in lots of wicker and Island-inspired touches, with a bent toward Caribbean. We had to wait for our table (popular place at 1pm on a Sunday) so we had a cocktail in the bar. I had a mojito that was very good and Dan had a pina colada which he also found favorable. I was pretty ravished and maybe that had something to do with it, but I really give the food 4 palm trees.

I had the "Breeze Wood-Grilled Chicken Breast Moist and tender with citrus butter sauce, fresh broccoli and cinnamon mashed sweet potatoes." The portions were reasonable, unlike most chain restaurants where your meal makes a suspicious dent in the table. I was satiated, but could have had a bit more and that's supposed to be the perfect way to eat. The sweet potatoes were yum yum!

Also, our server was very sweet and friendly and even walked me to the bathroom rather than just point. Not that I plan on making Tukwila a common destination, but this is a place I'll definitely return to when in the parking lot.

Drink

Last month we had a small get-together with family and our friends who are married with a kid. We wanted to use our punch bowl so went searching for a festive drink. Thanks to Better Homes and Gardens, we found "Crimson Sippers."



Though the color seemed more purple to me than crimson, the beverage was a big hit and easy to make:

Ingredients:
2 pints pomegranate juice
1.5 cups sugar
12 fresh sage leaves, lightly crushed
2 2x1/2-inch strips lemon peel
1 cup lemon juice
1 750 ml. bottle dry (brut) sparkling wine or club soda, chilled

We went with the alcoholic version and boy did these little sippers go down smooth!

Read

Yet another gift I received for Christmas was this book:



It is written by Timothy Gray of Variety fame ("Reel Life" column) and illustrated by J.C. Suares. It's a joyful nugget of Hollywood mockery, something you can easily read cover-to-cover on a bus ride. Some of the slang, or "slanguage" as it's called, is just simply ridiculous. Who calls a Western an "oater?"

And yesterday this book came from amazon:



This is one of those books I put in my wish list, then took out and then decided finally to just buy it. I had put it off simply because I knew its success was in dissuading Mainlanders from packing up and moving to Paradise with visions of a carefree life. I didn't want to lose the daydream of a future life on the Islands on those days when the rain and gloom seemed too much to take.

However, the book isn't all skepticism but rather realism. I think I'm ready to find out what it's really like to live like a local, rather than a tourist (despite convincing myself that somehow renting a house and buying groceries makes me more a kama`aina than a sun-drenched mogul at a 4-star resort in Waikiki). Full review to come!




Remember

For 6 years, I went to Liana Hair Salon on Capitol Hill (12th Ave, right next to CHAC) to get my hair cut. It was always easy to get in on short notice, the prices were reasonable and all the stylists were friendly and adept at cutting a man's hair. Plus, they had punch cards so every 11th cut was free!

It's a great place, but with the myriad choices of hair salons on Beacon Avenue I thought it made sense to at least try one of them out. The business district on Beacon Hill is surely lacking in some areas (no post office, no pizza joints), but there are an alarming number of hair salons -- even hair academies.

After trying to get in at The Chop House and deciding that $45 is too much for my hair, I wandered around and stopped at Lee's Hair Salon.



You enter through a sliding glass door and there are three chairs/stations to the left. To the right is a huge stack of magazines. Lee was not in the front area at first, but a person visiting her informed me that she would be there soon and checked the prices for me. Twelve bucks. I could handle that. Soon after Lee came out, a middle-aged Chinese woman who spoke broken English and had a sneezing problem. She asked me what I wanted and I told her my basic requirements. She went to work with precision and care, though had to stop for a delivery of some sort.

The cut took about twice as long as the ones at Liana, but the results were roughly the same and I spent $2 less. Lee must have a tendency of overheating because periodically she had to stop and open the sliding door for air. She also talked smack about the barber shop next door, but I didn't quite understand the context.

I was pleased. I'll go back. Lee only accepts cash, but I did see a current business license on the wall.

Worry

This month's issue of NW Hawaiian Times has an update on Benny Lagmay, who I wrote about last month. The Duvall "Benny Lagmay Day" was a success, along with the benefit, but he still needs help to reach the $250,000 mark for a new heart.

You can still donate to the Benny Lagmay fund at any US Bank location and some of the Duvall businesses are still donating portions of proceeds to Benny.

Let's hope it all works out for the Lagmay family. The article in NW Hawaiian Times is not on-line yet, but you can pick up an issue of the paper at most businesses in the International District, or the Islander Restaurant or Hawaii General Store.

First of 2008

See

I finally saw Juno last Saturday at the Neptune, and I've been praising it ever since. It's one of those rare times in cinema where the acting, music, editing, writing and directing all coalesce into something perfect. The film clearly has its own unique aesthetic - one might say similar to Wes Anderson, though the beauty is that while the story begins self-consciously - by the end it takes us somewhere truly sweet and genuine. The journey of the central character is mirrored by its tone. I will buy this when it comes out on DVD. I already have the soundtrack downloaded. What people are saying is true: the strength of the writing is what has pushed this movie to the top of the heap. I absolutely adored every minute of it. My face hurt a little bit from smiling, in fact.



...and for something completely different but equally satisfying...just finished up the first season of Dexter. It's the Showtime series about a serial killer who works in forensics and kills other serial killers. The first season is comprised of 12 episodes, and has a nice arc that culminates in a very dizzying finale. It took me until Episode 3 to really get into, but once I was hooked there was no turning back - no making plans even, until I had watched all episodes.

I hear CBS is going to start airing heavily edited versions of the first season in February, in an attempt to buoy ratings in the face of the writer's strike. I would discourage viewing it this way, as I just can't imagine what would be left. It's a show about serial killers!

Also interesting is the Miami it portrays - a much different Miami than Nip/Tuck in its first four seasons. More Cuban, less plastic.



Eat

One of my New Year's resolutions was to make less daily/nightly trips to the grocery store by stocking up better and planning meals in advance. Dan suggested we try Safeway.com and so far so good. Our first order gave us a week's worth of meals and some added bulge to the pantry. Last night was order #2. You place the order the night before and you then select a 2-hour window when you have to be home to sign for the delivery. A very nice man came to our house last week and even placed all the groceries on our dining room table.

The only downfall is that if some items aren't available, you aren't notified until the order comes. You aren't charged for them and you when you make the order you can select "substitutions" or "no substitutions." We only had 3 items that weren't in stock. Delivery fee is $9.95, but only $4.95 if your order is more than $150 or you are willing to give a 4-hour window. First time is free.



Drink

Seeing movies at Pacific Place, or really any trip to Pacific Place usually means stopping for a margarita at Mexico. They have a very extensive menu of my favorite cocktail (Mai Tai runs a close second), but my favorite right now is the Costa Margarita, a slight variation on the original by adding in some orange juice and a float of Grand Marnier Some other options include Hibiscus, Pomegranate and even Coconut. My second favorite is the El Matador, which ends up being more like two drinks since it is served with the shaker.

I think their food is great, too, if a tad expensive. I had their seafood quesadilla last weekend and it hit the spot without giving me that bloated feeling one sometimes gets from a plate of Mexican food.

And, it kind of feels Vegas-y to be drinking in a mall.



Read

I just finished up reading two books.

Chelsea Handler's My Horizontal Life: A Collection of One-Night Stands is not as dirty as it sounds, but just as hilarious as you'd expect from the comedienne with no allegiances. She recycles some of her jokes from story to story, and some of them I recognize her using on her show, but there's still plenty of fresh moments throughout. It's on par with David Sedaris of Augusten Burroughs in that "creative non-fiction" way of making "memoir" funnier through careful embellishments and clever asides.



Exploring Historic Hilo is just that, a pictorial look at the town's past with a sprinkling of reflections from various residents and explorers of the port town. It also comes with a nifty pull-out map that I'm sure will come in handy on my next trip therein June. Much of the pictures were made possible by the Lyman Museum, which I was lucky enough to explore a bit back in October and the that I hope to see on my next trip.



Remember

On New Year's Eve we decided to make coconut shrimp and ahi poke. Instead of fighting the crowds down to Uwajimaya, we found a spot right in our own neighborhood called Mutual Fish. It's a fresh seafood market on Rainier Ave, and clearly a local favorite. You get a number and wait until one of several workers behind the counter yells it out. You then scramble to the front, scream your order as loudly as possible and take your fish to the pay-out counter. It's all incredibly efficient and festive.

In addition to sashimi-grade tuna, one can find sea scallops, octopus, lobsters and a host of other oceanic treasures.

The shrimp and ahi were delectable!



Worry

It's time to take our cat, Caesar, to the vet for a routine check-up. He will be 10 years old this year. We've decided on Rainier Vet Clinic since it's close, reviews are good and they seem to have reasonable prices.

Caesar is a very healthy cat and I sure hope they don't find anything lurking in his little body.