WRITING CULTURE 2012: Film, Food & Beyond

     So when it comes to breakfast I understand that it is the most important meal of the day but it is also the most confusing.  I find myself constantly trying to figure out what I should eat.  I can’t remember the last time I had cereal and for me oatmeal seems so old school that when I do have it I feel like I’m 10 years old again, and that’s not a cool feeling.

     On those confusing mornings when I can’t think of anything to eat, I stop thinking and just go with old faithful, the omelette.  Now in my mind, an omelette can have anything you want in it, as long as it fills you up. I like to put spinach in mine because it makes me feel like I’m being healthy and I’m sure my mother would love to know I’m eating vegetables(no I don’t like with my mother, just saying she would find it very adult that I’m getting my greens).

     An omelet is very simple to make, just crack a couple of eggs, stir it in a bowl, heat a pan and throw it in there.  The key is to make sure that your pan has grease or butter in it so that the egg doesn’t stick to it. Now when deciding what to put in an omelet I say go fro what you crave. Now I usually just put mushrooms, onions and cheese and some spinach or kale in it in my omelette.  One day I felt adventurous and made an omelet with brussel sprouts. Yup! you heard right, I put brussel sprouts in my omelet and I must say that it was sooooo good.  Now please don’t just throw a few whole brussel sprouts in there, you have to  mash them up and just put them right in the center of your omelette.  I also add pepperjack cheese for a little kick.

     Well, there you have it.  You are now in receipt of my top secret breakfast before I head out to Baruch and since you now know one of my secrets you have two choices.  The first choice is you can share one of your secrets with me so we can make it fair or you can just hang out with me on this page for a while because I won’t allow you to leave with a secret of mine, the choice is yours…

This looks sooooo good

Sean Creamer is with us in spirit, no he isn’t dead, just didn’t show up the day we took the pic

Gari- Well in the beginning I seemed a lot more spontaneous and didn’t think before did a lot of things. I was very random but now I seem to be more cautious, maybe its because I’m now in a relationship whereas when this class first started I was single like a dollar bill and not looking for change. I seem to be more focused now and when it came to blogging I found myself being intrigued by the whole process because I’ve never blogged before, only read other peoples blogs. I was able to appreciate the art form of blogging for the stressful, beautiful and educational platform it could be. I also developed a profound respect for those that have a blog because I see how demanding it can be to continuously produce fresh thoughts. This class has definitely introduced me to a world I knew nothing about and now that I am aware of it I see I’m going to stay in this world for a while.

Emmy-So here we are, at the end. It’s been a journey, a good one. I am still loving the city but more importantly I have written more, procrastinated less and learned how to put together a better, more well rounded, deeper researched and more professional looking blog. I will miss my group and the rest of you guys. See you round campus. Drops keyboard, exits stage right.

Malynda- “Much has changed since we began.” As a city we became closer, and as a class we learned to continue pursuing our goals even in the wake of disaster. As a writer, I enjoyed learning to write my own ideas, instead of news stories. I learned not only how to create a blog, but also how to market and write using my own voice and perspective.

As you enter Bamiyan Restaurant on the corner of 26th street and 3rd Avenue of the first questions you find yourself asking is “will I try to be traditional and sit on the floor or will sit at a table be familiar”. I sat at the table because I didn’t want tradition to mess up my back. One of the first things I noticed were the Afghan rugs hanging on the walls throughout the restaurant.  There was also traditional Afghan music playing and the soft flutes were accompanied by strumming guitars which truly let you know you were not in an American restaurant.

I chose to sit at a table in lieu of the floor even thought the low tables look tempting I know my back couldn’t take it

As I sat down, I was greeted by the waitress who had a very pleasant disposition. I found out her name was Namia and she was from Nepal. I wanted to start off with an entree and after perusing the menu I decided on the Fesenjan($8.95) which the menu describes as “sweet and sour tender pieces of boneless chicken with walnuts and pomegranate juice”. I was very curious how walnuts and pomegranate juice could be mixed with chicken.  Namia brought out a basket of bread as well as my entrée and I was told that the bread was traditional Afghan bread and you eat the Fesenjan with it.  The Fesenjan tasted remarkable with the Afghan bread and the sweetness of the pomegranate juice went perfect with the lamb. I didn’t taste the walnuts in the Fesenjan but if they say it was in there then I have to take their word for it.

Afghan Bread

The Fesenjan

For the main course I had Lamb Curry with Basmati rice ($16.95). I was a bit apprehensive about ordering the lamb curry because the description in the menu described it as “lamb sautéed with fresh vegetables, lentils, curry and yogurt”. I didn’t know how yogurt and lentils would taste together but my fears were put to rest once I took the first bite. The lamb was was succulent and the curry and yogurt made a magnificent sauce that only complimented the already robust flavor.

Lamb Curry

Basmati Rice

Namia  asked if I wanted dessert but I had no room left in my stuffed belly, I did  however want to try the Coconut cream coffee I saw on the menu. I’m a big fan of coconut and to think that I could have it in a coffee was really exciting to me and for $3.50 it was no more expensive than a cup of coffee from Starbucks. After my first sip I was in coconut heaven and the coffee was sweetened perfectly as if Namia had known me for years and knew just how I liked it.

Coconut Cream Coffee

I had the pleasure of meeting one of the owners,  Sayed Nader Shah and found out he was political science major like myself. He studied Political Science at Columbia University and his brother  Sayed Ahmad Shah who is the other owner of Bamiyan was once a Supreme Court Judge in Afghanistan.  I inquired about a picture in the back of the restaurant where the VIP dining area is and he told me it symbolized an Afghan story about a father that goes to war without knowing that he has a son. The father and son meet years on the battlefield and not knowing he was his father the son kills him with an arrow.

The owner(Sayed Nader Shah) and I looking very tired, guess this is the life of Ploy Sci majors, not enough sleep but great food. I’ll take it.

The Persian Painting that Sayed explained to me

I  think the owner needs to come out more and converse with the customers, he is truly an interesting man.  I felt the restaurant lacked personality and the only thing that screamed “hey, we’re an Afghan restaurant” was the fact the name was Afghan.  Hanging rugs throughout the place and playing middle eastern music doesn’t distinguish this place from the other Middle Eastern restaurants.  The fact it’s partially owned by a former Afghan Supreme Court Judge definitely does.

Picture taken from www.weeklynews.com

The weird thing about Hurricane Sandy is that I have both love and hate for her. I hate her because of the devastation she caused and the countless lives she ruined. People fail to realize that Sandy was also in the Caribbean and affected people In the Dominican Republic and Jamaica. I had a friend who was in Jamaica for business and she was stuck out there in her hotel room the hotel time and didn’t get to conduct any business. Sandy has really done a number on the world as we know it, and to think I did not really believe the forecasters when they said there would be a storm. Hurricane Sandy shut down numerous businesses and cost billions of dollars in property damage not to mention closing local schools. Now many of you are like “what’s the big deal with school being closed” but I want to remind you that if schools are closed those missed days have to be made up and more than likely the semester will have to be extended. A friend of mine whose children are in elementary school told me that the public school systems plan on canceling winter recess so the days can be made up. The only problem is that my friend has already paid for hotel and flight accommodations to take her family to Disney Land. See, there goes Sandy messing things up. I also found out today that in order to make up for the 2 classes I missed that I have to come to class on Sunday, what kind of crap is that?

Even though I have hate for Sandy, she does get a little love from me because she brought families and friends closer together. As a matter of fact she brought strangers together and made them friends. People in this world spend so much time avoiding their neighbors, their friends and families and this storm made us realize that you need these people in your life. Many strangers saved people from burning and flooded buildings, many family members made room in their homes for relatives they hadn’t heard from in months or even years. Hurricane Sandy made people think about something other than material possessions, they thought about their lives. Some people may have even made resolutions to do things different if they survived the storm and I hope that they stick to them.

As far as with me, Hurricane Sandy actually gave me a lot of one on one time with my girlfriend, we had the chance to talk more and enjoy each other’s company. We even built a shelf for our bathroom which was cool. I can’t remember the last time I put something together and everything went well. I even carved a pencil into a wooden piece that was missing from the pieces needed to put the shelf together. I can’t believe I even did that and I will always remember that memory. We also watched movies and played scrabble which is something I haven’t done since the early 90’s. It felt good going back to a simpler time when there wasn’t many distractions and you had to rely on one another for entertainment. I really was challenged by putting that shelf together and playing scrabble made my brain hurt but it was fun. I felt a sense of accomplishment. I’m curious how many families had conversations in one room for the first time in years. How many actually ate dinner together and watched TV together for the first time in years. That describes my love/hate relationship with Hurricane Sandy.

My girlfriend has now created a problem in the household. Now don’t get me wrong, its nothing that we can’t resolve but its a problem that usually happens every few weeks. That problem is my craving for Guyanese food, most notably Guyanese lo mein. First and foremost I had no idea any other culture did lo mein other than the Chinese so that fact alone had me curious to try it. My girlfriend told me it was the best and she was not lying. I went to a restaurant in queens called The Nest, its located on 125th street and 101st avenue. I ordered the 3 meat lo mein which contained chicken, beef and pork. Now with Chinese food I’m assuming bits of chicken, some pork here and there and pieces of beef. With the Guyanese lo mein they actually used chicken wings, seasoned them, cooked them and cut them up and put them in the lo mein. The pork as well, it was like they pulled the meet off a BBQ’d Rib(no, there was no BBQ sauce) and the beef was the same size you would normally find in beef and broccoli at a Chinese restaurant but it was a def a different cut.  It was like the type used in Beef stew but slices thinner. All I can say that it was soooo good and once it touched my lips I was hooked.

I sometimes go on lo meine binge but the sad part is that I have to drive to Queens to get it and since I live in Harlem that is definitely a trek for some food, guess that what addiction does to you.  So, in closing, if you ever want to try something different then you should try Guyanese lo mein because you have nothing to lose but everything to gain(no I did not mean for that to rhyme,lol)

     Directors Rachel Grady and Heidi Ewing have always been known for shining a light on unknown worlds. They were nominated for an academy award for best documentary feature for their film Jesus Campwhich took a candid look at Pentecostal children in America. They also directed a documentary entitled 12^th and Delaware which won a Peadbody award in 2011 and is about Americas raging abortion battle. It’s safe to say that they make their bread and butter by opening people’s eyes. Detropia is definitely an eye opener. This documentary takes place in Detroit which is a city seemingly on the brink of disappearing. In the beginning of the movie an astonishing fact flashes across that lets the viewers know that 10 years ago Detroit had 1.8 million residents and today there are only 725,000. From that point on you want to find out why.

     The film does a good job of explaining how the city relied on the auto industry for its survival and now that the auto industry has abandoned them Detroit is doing its best to survive. I really tried my best to find other documentaries to compare this to but I truly feel that it is one of a kind. I think the closest I can compare it to would be The Corporation directed by Jennifer Abbot and Mark Achbar which looks at the concept of the corporation throughout recent history up until present day. It shows how corporations became so influential to society and how they’re cost cutting doesn’t affect them but the people in the towns where they are based.

     Even though it was a documentary, Detropia was filled with characters I will never forget. From the foul mouthed but artistic Crystall Starr who was a video blogger that recorded old buildings in Detroit that have been abandoned to Tommy Stephens, the very energetic and always inquisitive owner of the Ravens lounge which is a blues club located a few blocks from a GM plant that was closed. A memorable Scene with Mr. Stephens (and believe me it was hard to choose from) would have to be when he and his wife were at an auto show and he demanded to know how the Ford Volt would compete with a Chinese version that cost half the price. The look of shock on his face when the Ford rep had no idea about its competition was priceless. Another character that stands out is the President of the United Autoworkers local 22 George McGregor. I don’t know what stood out more, the fact he still wore a Jerri curl this day and age or the scene where he broke the news to his members on how AMERICAN AXLE threatened to move operations to Mexico unless the autoworkers took severe pay cuts.  To see an actual union meeting in which members had to wrestle with the choice of taking a pay cut and not being able to properly provide for their families or lose their jobs and not be able to provide for their families at all is something that has you thinking “what would I choose?”.

     There is a scene with Mayor Bing who comes up with the idea to move the residents from one side of Detroit that is sparsely populated to another part of Detroit that has a lot more residents. The plan is to turn the vacant land into a large urban farm so that better use could be made of the 47 square miles of unused land. One resident asked “so you want to grow tomatoes in the hood?” This shows that the residents truly did not understand how the plan would benefit them, because a garden did not seem to patch up the hole of despair that they were falling through. During a press conference the Mayor was asked if he would give any tax incentives or money to those that had to move and he simply said “we are broke; we don’t have any money to give anyone”.

     Detropia is a sad look at what can happen throughout America if a city is too dependent on a corporation for its livelihood. In the end a corporation is a business and is concerned with only one thing and that is to make a profit. With so many corporations wielding powerful influence in many U.S cities, it begs the question “Will your city be next?” Towards the end of the film, Tommy Stephens left us with some chilling words “if we don’t stop this epidemic then it will spread and it will be coming to your city real soon”. Those words still haunt me.

     One thing I could have used more of in the film was to explore the beauty that is Detroit so we, the audience can find out why Detroit should be saved and what makes it so special besides the fact it was where millions of cars were made. Other than that Detropia was an excellent documentary and I urge everyone to go see it. I also urge you to write to your local representatives and urge them to go see it and then ask them what do they plan to do to prevent this from happening to your town.

     The film I chose to watch and review is entitled L’Accordeur and I found it to be… oh wait, you don’t speak French and have no idea what I just said right? I’m so sorry, L’accordeur simply means the Piano Tuner.  Now this film is very well executed and for 13 minutes it definitely packs a punch.  I truly did not know what to think when initially selecting this movie. I won’t lie, I was drawn in by the fact the lead character was a blind piano tuner. I mean, come on, if that isn’t an original character I don’t know what it.

     The film is about a visually challenged Piano tuner whom was once a great pianist but after failing to win a coveted piano competition falls into a deep depression and finds comfort in pretending to be blind.  Within the first few minutes of the film he lets us all in on the secret that he isn’t blind and gives us the magical reason that he does it, and it is because… “tips are better, people are nicer and less suspicious” astonishing isn’t it?, its not wonder more of us don’t pretend to be blind to get that same satisfaction. He also exclaimed to “know things about them that no one else does”.  In other words people let their guard down around him because in their minds their thinking “why shouldn’t I get undressed in front of a blind person, he can’t see me” but little do they know he is actually watching(cue creepy music).

     The beginning of the movie gets you comfortable with the character and what he actually does for a living, which is the interesting world of piano tuning(did you catch the sarcasm there).   At about the 8 minute mark you see the main character ringing the bell of an unassuming older woman who seemed very nervous about letting him in but finally relents after finding out he is blind.  Once in the house he see’s  something that truly freaks him out, he see’s a…hey wait a minute, I’m supposed to be giving you a synopsis not a spoiler alert.  Go see it for yourself, its only 13 minutes not to mention FREE and you can’t beat that.

     In relation to other thrillers, I would say that this one really catches you off guard and gets into your head unlike most movies where within the first 20 minutes of the film you’re able to tell exactly what’s going to happen and you have about 2 people in mind that could be the killer.  I enjoyed this movie and found myself  being relaxed by the soothing piano that seemed to always be in the background of every scene.  The main character was very likeable and I truly didn’t despise him for pretending to be a blind person, I actually thought it was pretty cool that he found a way to make his job as a piano tuner more exciting, please don’t tell my mother I said that.  Hmmm, now I need a unit of measure so I can show you just how good it was and since everyone uses apples or stars I need to be original. I got it!!  I’m going to use something that will put everyone in a New York state of mind and nothing says New York like pigeons, yes, Pigeons. So out of 5 Pigeons I give the film 4 and a half Pigeons. The only reason I gave a half is because I’m upset with the director for leaving me in suspense at the end and making my mind go in so many directions as to what happened.  That could be a reason to give them 5 pigeons but for those that know me, I don’t like being left out of secrets.

 Watch the Piano Tuner(click the blue words, I dare ya)

Bryan Lee

I must say that this year is the year I fell in love with Foreign films and I find myself asking “why the heck haven’t I been watching foreign films earlier than this. What makes it so crazy is that I lived in Germany for four years and only watched on Germany film, can’t recall the name but I do remember that it was a scary movie and supposed to be a classic. Try googling “classic scary Germany movie and let me know what you find and I’ll probably remember from the choices. With foreign films I find them to be more compassionate and complex than American films. I feel that American films play it safe and lack creativity and Foreign Films tend to expose a social injustice and allow you the viewer to render your own opinion. Now maybe it’s a cultural thing but a lot of the foreign films aren’t as vulgar the American ones and I’ve maybe watched about 10 of them and maybe saw a sex scene in one of them. Maybe it’s a cultural thing with a lot of them or maybe they want to be able to have everyone watch the movie and not just one specific demographic. One thing I noticed with a lot of foreign films is that they love attacking social injustices.

     One of my favorite foreign films is MY NAME IS KHAN and it is about a Muslim with Asbergers syndrome who has to deal with a lot of prejudice after 9/11 happened. He decides to take a journey to meet Barak Obama to let him know he isn’t a terrorist and what prompts him to make this journey is the fact that his son is beaten to death by kids upset by the tragedy of September 11th. This movie was a love story(they show him falling in love with a woman who doesn’t mind that he has asbergers syndrome), this movie shows tragedy(their son is killed in a hate crime), also shows injustice (while in the airport Khan is searched by Customs agents because someone hears him saying a Muslim prayer while waiting online to go through Airport screening and they think he is a terrorist and contact the authorities. One thing he says while being questioned by the TSA agents is that he is not a terrorist, which is a poignant statement. What he is simply saying is “just because I’m a Muslim doesn’t make me a terrorist”. This movie was heartwarming from beginning to end and quickly became one of my favorite movies of any genres. I truly think that foreign films have better story lines and aren’t one dimensional like a lot of the American movies. Foreign movies seem to touch on every human emotion and you feel fulfilled after you watch them. Now don’t get me wrong, there are crappy movies in foreign cinema just like there are crappy movies in American cinema. I just feel that if there was a contest then creativity award goes to foreign films because their characters you find yourself relating to their characters more or at least feel you know someone who reminds you of one of characters.

     We also have to take into account that a lot of foreign movies have been adapted into American movies; some of the main ones are The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. I’ll tell you this now, the Swedish version of the movie is much better. When I went to Sweden, my friends out there were pretty upset with the American version and felt that it didn’t do the European version or the books it was based on any justice. Movies such as The Grudge and The Ring were adapted from Japanese films of the same name. Believe me; the Japanese version of  The Grudge and The Ring  are definitely much scarier. One night while at home with my girlfriend, she asks if Netflix has the movie SHUTTER starring Joshua Jackson. Now they didn’t have the one starring Johua Jackson but they did have the original Shutter which has done an all Thai cast. Check out the American Version and then the Thai version and leave me a comment to let me know which one was scarier. As we started watching it my girlfriend and I realized there was something about this movie that lead you to believe it was much scarier than the American version and within the first 5 minutes a dead woman popped out of a picture and we both screamed soprano style and that’s when we realized that we would be turning that movie off and watching a comedy for the remainder of the night.

     One thing about American films I don’t like is they want you to believe everything in the world is fine and there is no injustice and if there happens to be injustice then one tough man can solve it and right all wrongs. Foreign films tend to be more realistic, they show the disparities between class, they show that unity can help you get through adversity and they show that anyone can be the hero regardless of skin color or religion. Right now I’m really into Bollywood films, I love how in certain scenes of the movie they will break out into a song and dance routine which is always expertly coordinated. That’s something you only see in Musicals and there aren’t too many musicals in American films. Indian films take the cake because the actors have to know how to dance as well as act, just imagine Denzel Washington having to sing and dance in everyone of his movies.

     One interesting fact is that the first film ever made was Eadweard Muybridge’s Horse in Motion in 1878, and he was an English photographer that immigrated to the United States. Now ask yourself, if the director of the first film immigrated from England could this be classified as a foreign film since he is a foreign director? Hmmmm. I’ll let you think about that one, but while you’re doing this, check out Horse in Motion, its actually better than some movies I’ve seen most notably the new Resident Evil movie which was truly disappointing. Oh and while you’re watching the first film ever made you will notice that the first actor is Black, now how about them apples  🙂

REUTERS/JESSICA RINALDI

      OK, I’m not a professional photographer or anything but I know good pictures when I see them and the ones in the photo slide show were subpar at best. I feel the pictures were supposed to be from the viewpoint of those in attendance at the Democratic National Convention. The New York Times wanted you to see the DNC from their eyes and if that’s the case the DNC looked boring as hell. Now don’t get me wrong, some photos were very powerful but some were poorly taken and made me feel like I was with some of the attendees bored as hell in Charlotte waiting for something fun to happen. I looked through the photos slideshow for each of the days of the DNC and decided to let you know about one Hit which was a memorable photo and one miss which was a memorable photo because it sucked.
DNC Day #1: Hit of the day is picture #23 showing Michelle Obama being greeted by a cheering crowd at the convention. The MISS of the day in that slide show was picture#4 which was a very amateur picture of a reporter’s legs with the caption “A television reporter broadcast from a spot on the convention floor”. The pic really looks like a 2 year old took it, and who knows, maybe one really did.
DNC Day #2: HIT of the day was a very provocative picture, it was picture #3 and let’s just say that there is a shadow that resembles a part of the males anatomy that rhymes with Venus (don’t believe me go check for yourself and post a comment and tell me if I’m right or wrong). The MISS of that slide show is the picture of Nancy Pelosi standing at the podium. Now the reason that it’s a MISS is because you don’t even know its Nancy Pelosi because all you see is her shadow and the bottom of her pants (real nice photography work).
DNC Day #3: The pics were pretty good, but of course there has to be a MISS (no slide show is perfect, except maybe mine but that’s another story). The hit for this one would have to be picture #27 which shows President Obama, the first lady and their two daughters. It’s a very beautiful picture that shows family unity and gives you such a warm tingly feeling. Now the MISS of this slide show is #17 which is a pic of Scarlett Johansson, now you may be asking yourself “how the heck can a pic of Sco-Jo be a MISS, everyone loves Sco-Jo”, well the pic only shows the back of her head and I’m not such a fan of hers that I can tell what the back of her head looks like but I’ll take their word that is was her(some of you Johansson fans could probably recognize her bun from anywhere but not me).
The most flawless slide show would have to be the one that showed BEHIND THESCENES OF THE DNC. Now those pictures were definitely professional and what made them stand out was the fact that they were in black and white which gave it a very historic feel. I truly wish whoever took those pics would have taken the pics of the rest of the DNC instead of letting a group of grade-schoolers run wild with their cameras which is what the majority of the pics in the slide show looked like. All in the all the photo slideshow wasn’t impressive and I expected a lot more from a respectable publication like the New York Times. Guess they need to hire some more interns; hope to see the announcement at the Starr Center in Baruch.

MULTIMEDIA ROUNDUP

Well, I will be honest and say that I did not hear any of the speeches of the DNC. Ok, ok, I’m going to be even more honest and say that I didn’t even watch the convention so this Media round up of all the speeches was perfect for a guy like me that wanted to hear what everyone was talking about.  It allowed me to select sections of the speeches that I wanted to hear so that I could act as if I heard the whole speech and really I just heard the juicy parts.  Out of all the social media the times tried to employ during the convention, this was by far the most useful.  I would like the thank the times for allowing a person that chose to watch Netflix on the night of the DNC the opportunity to act as if he watched every speech.  it made me proud to be an American(Insert salute here).