My dinner with My Dinner With Andre

It would be fun to make a "Giant Movie Night" joke about Andre the Giant here, but we didn't invite anyone over or declare it an official "Giant Movie Night" before sitting down to eat dinner and watch My Dinner with Andre.



Dan did, however, make excellent chicken enchiladas, using a Rick Bayless recipe.  The adobo rub was a little salty, but avocado slices helped cut that to a manageable degree.

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Giant Movie Night: Cairo Station Rations

GMN Week nine
Film: Cairo Station (1958).
Snack: All bought in Cairo, Egypt, on our recent vacation: Choco Wafer (coconut cream and chocolate wafer made by National Food Company Americana CAKE of Saudi Arabia); Hazelnut Cream KitKat (made in Albania, as far as I could tell from the packaging); and Miaow Miaow 108 Chicken Crackers (Keropok Perisa Ayam), made in Malaysia and containing "vegetarian chicken powder"
Guests: Dan.
Outcome: A story of unions and union-busting, foreign chocolate candy bars being superior to U.S. chocolate candy bars, love, rage, fiery women, train travel, and lameness.  It was a passion-filled evening!

Also, Miaow Miaow Chicken Crackers are probably not meant to be cat food, but the packaging is confusing.  They look and taste a little styrofoam-y.

And -- the director's mini film on Cairo in the 90s that is included with the Cairo Station DVD is worth watching.



Several Egyptian snack purchases remain. I'll be eating more soon.

Special Report: Galco's Old World Grocery and Rose Petal Soda

So, a while back, I saw this lovely documentary.  I fell hard for the store, its proprietor, and its stock.

I promptly sent the link to my friend Matthew, who is in film school in LA.  Not only did I think he'd get a kick out of the short film, I was hoping he might be able to visit the store someday and allow me to live through him by reporting back.

After a little time passed, he did indeed fulfill this wish of mine.  In fact, Matt eventually sent me the following photos and message:

We went location scouting for my first cycle film (we make three the first year) at a succulent nursery and I realized we were pretty close to Galco's. I sheepishly suggested we go and my crew didn't scoff at the suggestion and they ended up loving it!

Later still, there were two more emails from Matt, one with more photos. They said, simply:

OMG! did that you tube video mention his candy selection ? ! !

and

I'm conducting a informal taste test right now!

Let's gape at the candy selection through Matt's eyes.

 

Wow.

I had also shared the original documentary with a few other people.  To my delight, my coworker Paul bought several bottles of the rose petal soda and had them shipped to our office in New York.  He even gave a bottle to me.  How kind of him to share!

Once uncapped, the beverage was light and refreshing -- not too floral, by any means.  It smelled more like roses than it tasted, but the flavor was swell.  Here it is, moments before I drank (and savored) it:

I love a beverage story with a happy ending!  I only wish I could have been to the store myself.  Galco's is certainly on my list of LA landmarks to visit on a future trip.

p.s. Matt also responded to the above video with the following clip.  I offer it to you as a bonus, though it has little to do with the rest of my tale.

[p.s. I'm posting this non-poetic post on a Poetry Tuesday because I'm pretty behind in blogging, due to my vacation.  I hope you'll forgive me.]

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Giant Movie Night Breaks the Aboriginal Curse!

GMN Week eight
Film: The Last Wave (Criterion).
Snack: Anzac biscuits (made by Carolyn), Tim Tams (slammed or un-slammed).
Guests: Carolyn, Moss, Hero, Dan.
Outcome: Tomorrow is Australia Day, but it's already tomorrow in Australia. We thought we'd celebrate with another Giant Movie Night. Like an Australian Angel Heart from 1977, The Last Wave left me befuddled and haunted. Also, it turns out that Anzac biscuits are quite good -- flaky and buttery and sweet. I assumed they'd be dry and hard, and am thrilled to have been wrong.



Carolyn also brought along a dictionary of Australian slang, which is how I know what "a packet of poo tickets" means. Do you?

Happy Australia Day, everyone!

Cookie Count: 480

[film: Meet Me In St. Louis]

An Unnecessary Adventure

[I know today should be Poetry Tuesday, but this is an emergency post!]

When the laundry man came to pick up this week's load, the batch of cookies in the oven (Cocoa Snowflakes) had 5 minutes left to bake. I checked the timer and paused the DVD of Miracle on 34th Street.

Moving quickly downstairs with our bag of dirty clothes, I closed the apartment door behind me (so the cat wouldn't get out). In my hurry, I had not taken anything with me -- no keys, no wallet, no phone. And when I heard the door click shut, I thought, "Oh. I hope the apartment door's not locked. That would be bad."

It was. Locked. And bad.

Dan was scheduled to be at soccer for another 1-2 hours. The cookies had 3 minutes left to bake. The downstairs neighbor was in the shower (I could hear it running) and didn't have keys or share a window. I could get on the fire escape from the downstairs apartment, if I waited for the shower to end (and allowed a decent interval for the shower-er to get dressed), but I was 90% sure our windows were all locked. I keep them that way so no one can get into our apartment from the fire escape.

These thoughts zooming through my head, I gave the laundry man the laundry and double-checked my apartment door. Still locked. Friends who hold on to a spare set of keys for us live nearby, but I had no shoes. I thought about shouting after the laundry man and asking him for a ride to the spare key holders' home. All options seemed terribly embarrassing.

I had to do it.

I pulled out my messy "baking" ponytail (I hadn't showered yet) hoping the hair might fall in such a way that it would hide my identity), unlocked the building's front door from the inside (in case I had to come back with no keys, as I didn't even know if our friends would be in), and ran 4 blocks barefoot to their house, feeling -- and probably looking -- like a crazy person (uncombed hair, no shoes or socks, dirty glasses, etc.). I rang the doorbell forcefully -- twice. I was hoping someone would be home, but not irretrievably asleep.

After that second ring, the door was opened. Rescued, I breathlessly, briefly explained my situation. I was promptly loaned sneakers and given my spare keys, at which point I ran/walked home, breathing hard, stopping only to explain to my next-door neighbor what had happened (apparently, I frightened his wife when I ran by on my trip out, unshod and shouting something about my apartment).

With the spare keys, I re-entered my home. The apartment smelled like cocoa and orange. The oven timer was blinking 00:00. The cat (and Miracle on 34th Street) waited patiently.

My feet are cold. My lungs hurt. My eyes are watering. My dear friends were rudely awakened. But the cookies may still be edible. They're cooling now.

And that is what matters.

Mo' GuS, MoMA!

While watching No Age play at MoMA after a Spike Jonze skate video retrospective and panel, I found I wasn't that interested in drinking the mini Colt 45s (Colt 22 1/2s?) being served. So what did I have?





Wait. It's pretty dark in there. Can you, just this once, use your flash?





Apparently, GuS ("Grown-up Soda;" not the greatest name) Dry Cranberry Lime makes a good mixer, but I liked it straight up. I had two.


Other observations from the evening:

1. Not everyone knows how to facilitate a panel discussion.
2. Nor does every skateboarder knows how to speak directly into a microphone and thereby ensure he (or she, though there were no female skaters in any of the videos or on the panel) will be heard by an audience.
3. Catherine Keener and Spike Jonze are friends. I remember when he was in Sassy. Did she have the first issue of Dirt? I did.
4. No Age likes their music really loud and their lyrics unintelligible. I thought one of the songs might have been titled, "Viva La Screaming!," as that is what the chorus's refrain sounded like they were yelling (over and over and over), but I figure I'm wrong about that.
5. What, no nibbles, MoMA? Let me know if you need a snack curator.

Blade Runner made Funner.

(Replicant's Rocky Road Rice Pris-y Treats at the movies)



(That's chocolate, Nutella, salted and toasted almonds, mini marshmallows, and rice cereal. Yes.)


GMN Week seven
Film: Blade Runner ("Final Cut" version)
Snack: Double Deckard Cheese Melts, Replicant's Rocky Road Rice Pris-y Treats, wine, flourless chocolate tart, something like tiramisu (?).
Guests: Dan, Molly, David.
Outcome: This is one of my favorite movies, and we finally own it on DVD (and Blu-Ray, to boot). Molly and David brought a well-chosen wine and desserts from Il Passatore. The movie was a little gorier than I remembered, but I didn't miss the voice-over.



If you'd like to make the cheese melts, which were amazing, follow this recipe. I used shallot salt instead of onion salt, and added a little red onion and hot mustard to the cheese mixture. We also topped them with parsley before baking.

Giant Movie Night -- Bowie Bars Fwends!

GMN Week five
Film: Labrynth, starring David Bowie, Jennifer Connelly, and a fake baby.
Snack: Bowie Bars, carrots and hummus, taro chips.
Guests: Dan, Dave Johnny, Kevin D.
Outcome: This was a great Giant Movie -- nutty and sweet and soft like the Bowie Bars, as well as silly and dated in a pleasing way. Why didn't I notice how tight Bowie's pants are when I first watched this as a child? It's awful hard to miss.


Bowie Bars
Adapted from Ruth Wakefield's Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars, a recipe found in The King Arthur Flour Cookie Companion: The Essential Cookie Cookbook

2/3 c. (5.3 oz) unsalted butter, melted
2 1/4 c. brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3 large eggs
2 c. whole wheat flour
3/4 c. bread flour
1/2 tsp. salt
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 c. chocolate chips
1 c. peanut butter chips
1 c. chopped pecans

Stir together (I used my KitchenAid mixer) the melted butter and brown sugar until combined and smooth. Add vanilla and stir to combine. Set aside. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk the flour, salt, and baking powder. Set dry ingredients aside.

To the wet ingredients, add the eggs one at a time, stirring after each addition until incorporated. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, while stirring. Add baking chips and nuts. Stir to incorporate.

Press this dough into a greased 9 x 13 inch pan.

Bake the bars roughly 30-35 minutes at 350 F, until set and golden brown. Cool before cutting into squares. The center of the bars will be set and baked through, but squishy and not dry. You can also use all-purpose flour in this recipe (as called for in the original). Bowie wouldn't use all-purpose, though. I'm pretty sure. He might also throw in some glitter, which I wouldn't recommend.

Giant Movie Night: Hot Stuff!

Meet Cholula and Jackie!

GMN Week four
Film: Ian loaned me Jackie Brown, which I hadn't seen before.
Snack: Mexican! Chips and stuff, hot sauce, salsa.
Guests: Dan.
Outcome: The movie was giant; the guests were few (one). I think the story and acting were stronger than the director (no fan of Tarantino, I), but it was a good flick.

Giant Movie Night: Thrills and Chills

Last week's film was a comedy, so I felt we needed something different this time around. We cranked up the fans and settled down with some chilled treats and a chilling flick.

GMN Week three
Film: Shallow Grave, one of my most-watched movies. I've probably seen it 6 or 7 times and it does not disappoint.
Snack: Vegan cranberry pomegranate gelatin, chocolate peanut butter pudding pie, frozen grapes, prosecco.
Guests: Dan, Rachel, Hero.
Outcome: The film's from 1994 and hardly seems dated at all. The pie recipe's my mom's, and it never gets old.

Giant Movie Night Strikes Again

GMN Week two
Film: from some of the people who brought you "The State," it's Wet Hot American Summer.
Snack: stuffed hot American jalapenos (see this post), Red Hot Blues tortilla chips and salsa, Ciao Bella gelato (chocolate jalapeño or chocolate mint).
Guests: Dan, Carolyn, Rachel, Moss, Hero.
Outcome: Funny movie, good friends, amazing jalapeño gelato? What could be better? I got the lighting wrong and didn't get a good screen shot (the picture below manages to look like porn, not that I know what porn looks like), but the movie was definitely giant. Don't you worry about that.

A very good idea

This week, I held my inaugural Giant Movie Night, in which I watch movies projected on the wall while eating food. If someone wants to stop by, that's cool. Y'know. Whatever.

GMN Week one
Film: Woody Allen's Love and Death
Snack: Green Tomato Mincemeat Pie (with green tomatoes from my CSA share)
Guests: Dan
Outcome: Awesome!

Dan rode 100 miles and all I got was this awesome candy.

I was invited to make the Montauk 100-mile bike ride, too, but graciously declined in favor of a weekend of not riding my bike 100 miles.





However, Dan did bring a trio of chocolate goodies (two of which were imported from the UK) back from the tip of Long Island. Then he shared them with me. I tried all three in the movie theater this evening, where I was watching The Hangover. In case you're curious, my favorite parts of the movie (which could have been a lot better OR a lot worse) were

1. Zach Galifianakis (genius)
2. Ed Helms (funny)
3. Bradley Cooper (adorable)
4. That I hadn't had a Rolo in a long time (chewy)
5. The discovery that Nestle Munchies are like more complex Rolos (crispy)
6. Trying to guess which flavor of Revels were coming out of the bag next (orange, coffee, malteser, raisin, or chocolate)

More of all six, please!!

Snickerpuss

And why not eat an Snickers Ice Cream bar while watching the movie Tapeheads (in which John Cusack does a remarkable David Arquette impression several years before anyone had heard of David Arquette)? It's a holiday weekend! Live a little.



I think this is a candy bar that is better in ice-creamed format than in its original (though harder to eat in the shower).

The Host with the Most...snacks.

The South Korean film The Host lost me a bit about two-thirds of the way through its two hour run time, in part because of how relentlessly it continued to beat up on every character. At one point I decided that there just couldn't possibly be a happy ending. Too many things had gone wrong for the pendulum to ever swing back. I don't need a Hollywood Ending every time, you know, but I would have felt better tonight if director Bong Joon-Ho had gone just a titch more Hollywood.

I also couldn't tell if the moments that seemed absurd to me in certain scenes (for example, a sort of yelling, sobbing, fumbling wrestling match of grief that went on for a while in a communal mourning site) were meant to be funny or if I was just being culturally insensitive. Is this a goofy horror film, or a horror film that doesn't always translate well?

I'm willing to overlook a lot of this, and even if I watched the credits roll with some disappointment, I'm not sorry to have rented The Host. It was curious in a way that I felt made it ultimately worth my time, the effects were intriguing, and it contained some nice shots and acting. And I was thoroughly charmed by the "I'm sorry" special feature on the DVD in which Bong Joon-Ho apologized to (among others) cast members whose lines had been cut, set designers whose signs hadn't been seen clearly, and bikers who had been inconvenienced by the shooting schedule.

Still, what actually kept me watching for those two hours, as people continued dying and dropping from high places and getting their heads drilled into, was my newfound dream of living in a snack stand.



Me too, kid. Me too. It looks awesome, first of all:



And, second of all, it's a great resource for refueling during crisis/monster attack:



Everyone should have a snack bar in the family or get themselves into a family with a snack bar. This is a dream worth running away from a mutated-because-of-an-evil-American-forcing-a-local-to-dump-dangerous-medical-waste-against-all-reason amphibious fish-beast for.



Finally, on a related note, this is a movie that should be watched while eating instant noodles.