Mark Ronson really impressed me with the way he interpreted and observed noises, and then he galvanized them into a cool song using the sound effects and inflections of athletes in motion... If you get a chance, check out the making-of video directed by the amazingly talented and award winning young director Kim Gehrig - it truly is a visual as well as audible feast. Watching USA athlete David Oliver practicing the 110m hurdles in slow motion was simply poetry... Oh and, Kseniya Vdovina should be a model - WOW!
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An unsolved problem: You have the roll/ that’s a bread roll for those beyond borders with different terminology, a sliver of roast beef (cold meat), some lettuce, cheese, a gherkin, one baby tomato and some spices. So, what I do first is to put on the beef, then the sliced up (both) tomato and gherkin, and then I sprinkle a pinch of sugar (just) over the tomato (to neutralize the acids and entice the flavor. Don’t worry, it’ll be countered by the salt). If you like, you can now add some mustard or whatever sauce tickles your taste buds -Cover it all with the cheese and throw on a dash of garlic ‘n parsley salt. Place the other half of the roll on top, and then nuke it in the microwave for a couple of seconds (taking it out just before the cheese starts to melt). The key to this: is patience… once out of the microwave, you take off the top half of the roll and add the lettuce. You can also add lettuce to the bottom, between the beef the bottom half roll. Now, it is ready. To bring it all together you may want to make a cup of tea to compliment it all. I say tea because it’s currently winter, so that’s what I did. In summer, some juice will suffice. Now: the grub – the food as well as the problem. Halfway through this delicious meal, things start to come apart. As your teeth sink in, after every bite, the content of the sandwich unceremoniously oozes out the backend. This is an old and common problem. As a makeshift answer to this, the industry came up with ‘the wrap’! Of course they didn’t invent this; I believe it’s a derivative of the Mexican Tortilla. Anyway, it’s delish… but it doesn’t solve anything because the wrap is a dish all on its own, and it’s still cheaper to buy, or make a normal sandwich. The question then is; is there a cheap alternative to the sandwich? In SA we have the Gatsby, but that’s just a mega sandwich – messier than a conventional one. Then we also have the Curry bunny, which was developed back in the day by so-called blue collar workers to bypass the need for a dish/bowl/plate. You simply take a hollowed out piece of bread – the corner of the loaf works best, and scoop some food into it, cover that with the bread you carved out, and bingo – a meal. I believe the latter provides the solution. Carve out the roll/bread to make room for the content. Fill it, and you have a neat contained sandwich. Of course you’ll then have to eat the bread insides separate… Many people probably thought of this before, but generally, they just don’t care, because their appetite overrides the will to eat clean. Just ask the Italians, eating is meant to be messy. For those in Britain, thinking and dreaming of having tea with the Queen, there’s the method above, to keep it proper. Anyway, dripping or not, the sandwich was amazing; so much so that I went back for seconds – which I of course had to make. The only snag was that I was out of beef and lettuce. So I improvised and made a “toasted cheese overload”. I took a piece of French loaf (the long thin cylindrical looking bread), cut it in half, buttered it, smeared on some garlic, layered on some cheese, sprinkled some sugar (very little) and salt, and tossed it in the microwave for 25 sec. I let it cool down for a little bit before digging in to the steaming, melting, crispy delight. Anyhoo, Bon appetite! – As an extra note, the more colourful your food is the better. So by that guideline, pizza is the ideal meal. Enjoy the rest of you weekend, Ciao, or Chow! [*** To aunty June on her sixtieth... I just thought I'd share this message which was read to her, as it should be to all women. God Bless ***]
"God's Message To Women When I created the heavens and the earth, I spoke them into being. When I created man, I formed him and breathed life into his nostrils. But you, woman, I fashioned after I breathed the breath of life into man because your nostrils are too delicate. I allowed a deep sleep to come over him so I could patiently and perfectly fashion you. Man was put to sleep so that he could not interfere with the creativity. From one bone I fashioned you. I chose the bone that protects man's life. I chose the rib, which protects his heart and lungs and supports him, as you are meant to do. Around this one bone I shaped you. I modeled you. I created you perfectly and beautifully. Your characteristics are as the rib, strong yet delicate and fragile. You provide protection for the most delicate organ in man, his heart. His heart is the center of his being; his lungs hold the breath of life. The rib cage will allow itself to be broken before it will allow damage to the heart. Support man as the rib cage supports the body. You were not taken from his feet, to be under him, nor were you taken from his head, to be above him. You were taken from his side, to stand beside him and be held close to his side. You are my perfect angel. You are my beautiful little girl. You have grown to be a splendid woman of excellence, and my eyes fill when I see the virtues in your heart. Your eyes - don't change them. Your lips how lovely when they part in prayer. Your nose, so perfect in form, your hands so gentle to touch. I've caressed your face in your deepest sleep; I've held your heart close to mine. Of all that lives and breathes, you are the most like me. Adam walked with me in the cool of the day and yet he was lonely. He could not see me or touch me. He could only feel me. So everything I wanted Adam to share and experience with me, I fashioned in you: my holiness, my strength, my purity, my love, my protection and support. You are special because you are the extension of me. Man represents my image - woman, my emotions. Together, you represent the totality of God. So man - treat woman well. Love her, respect her, for she is fragile. In hurting her, you hurt me. What you do to her, you do to me. In crushing her, you only damage your own heart, the heart of your Father, and the heart of her Father. Woman, support man. In humility, show him the power of emotion I have given you. In gentle quietness show your strength. In love, show him that you are the rib that protects his inner self." Taking Stock; a trailer, a burning house and life in progress.
My sister's friend's house burned down recently. It got me thinking: "If I could save a few things of my own, in such a scenario; what would I save?" You've probably heard this before, but it's good, nay, therapeutic to take stock every now and then and remind ourselves of what's important. When my other sister (I have three) left home for her university digs, she took a moment, looking at all her things loaded up in one car and a trailer (and not the American type trailer, it was the small trunk-on-wheels type prevalent here in SA). She said, while looking on, exhausted from all the packing, "Wow. I can't believe it. This is me. This is everything I own." - Actually it was less than that, because most of the things had been taken from the house anyways, like pots, pans, cutlery, an office chair etc... so besides her textbooks and stationary, her livelihood boiled down to, materially anyways, a few (light) boxes of personal belongings and some suitcases of clothes. It certainly made me think - I was still in High School then - standing beside my Dad, staring naively at the life in progress moment, seeing my older sister off, making us all proud. My other sister's friend, lets call her "Dee", lost everything but the clothes she was wearing - and all because of a faulty wire... So, as I busy myself with some home improvements, counting my blessings, I ponder on what I have, what I leave behind, and where I'm going... -- sorry, I admittedly thought about an ending like "am I LEAVING A LEGACY", but I wigged out on that one, sort of... Hope you're well, God Bless. Just take a moment to take stock of what matters most in your life, I mean REALLY matters, and what your life amounts to, spiritually, materially, whatever... Ciao! |
[Banner illustration by Joel Kanar]
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