A couple months ago, I made baked chicken from Mary Urrutia Randelman's Memories of a Cuban Kitchen.
Even though I messed up the marinade the first time I made it, the chicken still tasted very good. I tried the recipe once more and followed the directions meticulously. The first time the chicken came out more fruity like the Cuban food I've eaten at a food cart or the Pambiche restaurant in NE Portland.
This time the chicken had a lighter tangy flavor and was very brothy. I just wanted to let other cooks know that the flavors can change depending on the orange juice that you buy. The first time I used Odwalla orange juice with pulp, which definitely infused the chicken like with tropical, succulent flavors.
This time I only had access to pulp free Simple Orange, which is also a great brand, but there was more liquid in the dish and less orange flavor.
In conclusion, the flavor you are going for is dependent on pulp or the brand you choose.
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Middle Eastern Movie? 2
The other movie we watched during Middle Eastern day was The Fifth Element. The best adjective to use for this movie is, fun. When the film came out in 1997, it was given mixed reviews but made a considerable amount at the box office. For me in my 20’s now, the film is a great ride and totally awesome! The Fifth Element is a delightful, low investment futuristic action adventure.
Korben Dallas (Bruce Willis) is a cab driver that lives in futuristic America, that looks like a vibrant collision of the Blade Runner and Idiocracy sets. Soon he meets Leeloo (Milla Jovovich), a woman created to be the perfect human by scientists. Together they must find four magic stones that will defend Earth from a destructive attack. A priest (Ian Holm) will help them figure out the location of the stones. Leeloo and Korben will have to go undercover at opera singer Plava Laguna’s concert. However, evil space genius Zorg (Gary Oldman) also wants the stones for himself to create havoc on Earth.
The Fifth Element has only a vague tie to the Middle East, in that this awesome chase scene plays a Middle Eastern song as the futuristic police chase Korben’s taxi. It’s really cool!
This film does connect with Aladdin. Both were made in ‘90’s and both resurfaced if you started college around 2005 to 2008, because we became nostalgic for Disney movies and action films. I have spoken with many of my friends, who went to college in our home state, the Midwest and the East Coast, and each one had experienced resurgence of three film trends: Disney, Boondock Saints (check out my next entry), and The Fifth Element. The last two have attained cult status.
I’m aware that other films have experienced popularity long after they have left theaters and after years have passed. But I want to know the reason that The Fifth Element was chosen. What attributes appeal to us now about this ‘90s movie? Of course, we are affected by choosing the ‘90’s as our glory days but there must be more than that.
My guess would be the advancement of special effects. Upon checking out IMDB for 1997 films, there were a lot of cool special effects being introduced in the film industry. Oscar winning movie Titanic used special cameras to capture real footage of the sunken ship. In The Lost World Jurassic Park, sets were constructed around 9 ton model T Rex’s. Movies always have been given quite a lot of money, but these were new and much more epic demands that were possible during the affluent 1990’s decade.
We were already impressed by new technology with the cell phone and Internet up and running, but in the late ‘90’s it began to really enhance our entertainment experience. The Fifth Element was another way to show off emerging special effects and art direction, especially when they had a colossal budget to work with.
Many of the representations of the future in The Fifth Element are quite silly, such as the hyper sexual clothing for women, the timeless McDonalds, and a simple plot line to save the Earth. As college students, we often did not want to think of the future and could indulge in a hyperbolic representations. Our concentration was the past and present, because no one wants to become an adult.
Korben Dallas (Bruce Willis) is a cab driver that lives in futuristic America, that looks like a vibrant collision of the Blade Runner and Idiocracy sets. Soon he meets Leeloo (Milla Jovovich), a woman created to be the perfect human by scientists. Together they must find four magic stones that will defend Earth from a destructive attack. A priest (Ian Holm) will help them figure out the location of the stones. Leeloo and Korben will have to go undercover at opera singer Plava Laguna’s concert. However, evil space genius Zorg (Gary Oldman) also wants the stones for himself to create havoc on Earth.
The Fifth Element has only a vague tie to the Middle East, in that this awesome chase scene plays a Middle Eastern song as the futuristic police chase Korben’s taxi. It’s really cool!
This film does connect with Aladdin. Both were made in ‘90’s and both resurfaced if you started college around 2005 to 2008, because we became nostalgic for Disney movies and action films. I have spoken with many of my friends, who went to college in our home state, the Midwest and the East Coast, and each one had experienced resurgence of three film trends: Disney, Boondock Saints (check out my next entry), and The Fifth Element. The last two have attained cult status.
I’m aware that other films have experienced popularity long after they have left theaters and after years have passed. But I want to know the reason that The Fifth Element was chosen. What attributes appeal to us now about this ‘90s movie? Of course, we are affected by choosing the ‘90’s as our glory days but there must be more than that.
My guess would be the advancement of special effects. Upon checking out IMDB for 1997 films, there were a lot of cool special effects being introduced in the film industry. Oscar winning movie Titanic used special cameras to capture real footage of the sunken ship. In The Lost World Jurassic Park, sets were constructed around 9 ton model T Rex’s. Movies always have been given quite a lot of money, but these were new and much more epic demands that were possible during the affluent 1990’s decade.
We were already impressed by new technology with the cell phone and Internet up and running, but in the late ‘90’s it began to really enhance our entertainment experience. The Fifth Element was another way to show off emerging special effects and art direction, especially when they had a colossal budget to work with.
Many of the representations of the future in The Fifth Element are quite silly, such as the hyper sexual clothing for women, the timeless McDonalds, and a simple plot line to save the Earth. As college students, we often did not want to think of the future and could indulge in a hyperbolic representations. Our concentration was the past and present, because no one wants to become an adult.
Monday, March 21, 2011
Middle Eastern? Movie 1
To continue the theme of the feast, we watched “Aladdin” made in 1992. In my opinion, this movie is probably one of the last good Disney films, even though I’m not quite sure which culture or country they are trying to portray (possibly general middle east?). So while watching the film, my friend (an east Asian studies major) and I tried to decipher this enigma.
There are two things that I would like to address about "Aladdin." One, the film was an advancement because of the exposure to new cultures and promoted new ideas about the definition of a Disney princess or identities for girls to form at an early age. Two, the oversight was that the films were not made to establish a real culture.
If we want to be really serious about animated films,"Aladdin" was an advancement for culture and gender diversity. People have complained quite often about Disney's lack of race representation, even though I feel we really do not need to read too much into animation choices. If we want to look deeper, why did Disney choose to do Aladdin in 1992? America was embroiled in the Persian Gulf War and the exposure to the Middle East probably started an interest.
Or had they just come to an end of classic story lines from the West? The latter seems more likely to me, since Jasmine was followed by Pocahontas, Mulan and finally Tiana. Slowly, the predominantly Asian and other diverse princesses were introduced as we neared the millennium. America was gaining a more diverse population and Disney needed to account for their various audiences and fresh story material.
Jasmine's role as the first diverse princess and an empowered modern women is a very noticeable trait. She stresses that she is not "a prize to be won" because she wants to fall in love and make choices concerning her own life. During the '90s, girl power was at its height (yes with help of the Spice girls) because we were now allowed to have it all like Murphy Brown or choose between work and the home if so inclined. I grew up with
a stepfather that worked for Nike, and their "Take Your Daughter To Work Day" definitely instilled a very powerful example of treasuring female power and creating your own destiny. Jasmine creates her own destiny by deciding to explore and acquire knowledge about her kingdom. Culturally speaking, Jasmine's strong character
promoted empowerment for groups that realistically did and may not today have a voice; nevertheless, she is portraying positive ways to embrace her freedom.
If we want to be really serious about animated films,"Aladdin" was an advancement for culture and gender diversity. People have complained quite often about Disney's lack of race representation, even though I feel we really do not need to read too much into animation choices. If we want to look deeper, why did Disney choose to do Aladdin in 1992? America was embroiled in the Persian Gulf War and the exposure to the Middle East probably started an interest.
Or had they just come to an end of classic story lines from the West? The latter seems more likely to me, since Jasmine was followed by Pocahontas, Mulan and finally Tiana. Slowly, the predominantly Asian and other diverse princesses were introduced as we neared the millennium. America was gaining a more diverse population and Disney needed to account for their various audiences and fresh story material.
Jasmine's role as the first diverse princess and an empowered modern women is a very noticeable trait. She stresses that she is not "a prize to be won" because she wants to fall in love and make choices concerning her own life. During the '90s, girl power was at its height (yes with help of the Spice girls) because we were now allowed to have it all like Murphy Brown or choose between work and the home if so inclined. I grew up with
a stepfather that worked for Nike, and their "Take Your Daughter To Work Day" definitely instilled a very powerful example of treasuring female power and creating your own destiny. Jasmine creates her own destiny by deciding to explore and acquire knowledge about her kingdom. Culturally speaking, Jasmine's strong character
promoted empowerment for groups that realistically did and may not today have a voice; nevertheless, she is portraying positive ways to embrace her freedom.
Jasmine might have shown us "a whole new world" (I know that pun was painful!) with her actions that gave women more freedom; however, the question remains about the cultural identity she is fostering. I honestly find it quite silly when people get offended by Disney movies, because there seem to be bigger issues to dispute with more controversial movies. The double edged sword is, we can relax and enjoy a kids movie while taking it with a grain of salt, but truthfully, children do take on the roles of the characters they see in films. When I re watch animated films, I recall how many things went over my head as a child. Even when I catch the jokes or reflect on the undertones that the film is portraying, I remind myself that it is a form of entertainment and unrealistic. For example, Tiana is living in an extremely tolerant South in The Princess and the Frog and Jasmine is very forceful for a woman living in the South or Middle East. So should we base a film on a pretty real place to teach children about culture and the people that inhabit that culture? Confusion could occur, especially if as adults we are trying to figure out the accuracy of a story's setting.
While we drank mango mimosas, my friend and I observed the culture that Aladdin was trying to portray. My most recent viewing of Aladdin was in 2008, after I returned from my India trip. There is much evidence indicating that Aladdin may in fact be set in India. They live in Agraba, a definite reference to Agra because Jasmine’s palace looks like the Taj Mahal. The palace has similarities to Mughal architecture since it is made of marble, has an expansive balcony, big fountains and scalloped arcs. Jasmine also keeps birds in an elegant cage, a very common pet during the Mughal era (think Pakeezah). The treatment of animals is similar to Indian culture as well, because Raja and Abu are not restrained or truly tamed; they interact with the people in various environments. The characters in Aladdin are caste conscious, because Jasmine must only marry a prince. Furthermore, when the genie must banish Aladdin upon Jafar’s wishes, he is exiled to stormy, snowy mountains, much like Kashmir, a true area of political conflict.
Though there is lots of evidence pointing to India as the setting, there are still some points to the contrary. Allah is mentioned quite often and Hinduism does not seem present (and religion is very hard to miss in India). The style of dress is the main factor that leads me to believe that this movie takes places somewhere else. Jasmine wears midriff showing tops with harem pants; but at the same time has to cover her head when leaving the palace walls. The other distant women characters are either covered in drab colors in the marketplace or peeking out of the harem balconies showing off their finery. The sultan’s attire is the most enigmatic of them all: it screams middle eastern, yet my friend mentioned that it seemed inspired by Ottoman Empire architecture, with all the blues and golds.
We did not end up at a reasonable conclusion and deemed it “The Muslim part of India.” Perhaps taking the film and characters too seriously might only result in ambiguity. Nevertheless, this film is a very entertaining film and contributes to the culture during this time.
While we drank mango mimosas, my friend and I observed the culture that Aladdin was trying to portray. My most recent viewing of Aladdin was in 2008, after I returned from my India trip. There is much evidence indicating that Aladdin may in fact be set in India. They live in Agraba, a definite reference to Agra because Jasmine’s palace looks like the Taj Mahal. The palace has similarities to Mughal architecture since it is made of marble, has an expansive balcony, big fountains and scalloped arcs. Jasmine also keeps birds in an elegant cage, a very common pet during the Mughal era (think Pakeezah). The treatment of animals is similar to Indian culture as well, because Raja and Abu are not restrained or truly tamed; they interact with the people in various environments. The characters in Aladdin are caste conscious, because Jasmine must only marry a prince. Furthermore, when the genie must banish Aladdin upon Jafar’s wishes, he is exiled to stormy, snowy mountains, much like Kashmir, a true area of political conflict.
Though there is lots of evidence pointing to India as the setting, there are still some points to the contrary. Allah is mentioned quite often and Hinduism does not seem present (and religion is very hard to miss in India). The style of dress is the main factor that leads me to believe that this movie takes places somewhere else. Jasmine wears midriff showing tops with harem pants; but at the same time has to cover her head when leaving the palace walls. The other distant women characters are either covered in drab colors in the marketplace or peeking out of the harem balconies showing off their finery. The sultan’s attire is the most enigmatic of them all: it screams middle eastern, yet my friend mentioned that it seemed inspired by Ottoman Empire architecture, with all the blues and golds.
We did not end up at a reasonable conclusion and deemed it “The Muslim part of India.” Perhaps taking the film and characters too seriously might only result in ambiguity. Nevertheless, this film is a very entertaining film and contributes to the culture during this time.
Either way, this Disney movie is one of my favorites (I did wear the Jasmine jewelry set as a kid). Robin Williams is hilariously epic as the genie, and this was before he was obnoxious or doing serious dramas. The songs are fun and well written, "A Whole New World" was nominated for an Oscar
after all. Disney definitely was thriving by using stories from other cultures ("Pocahontas" and "Mulan"). They also started off the decade right with the classic "Beauty and the Beast." The millenium movies just don't live up to my expectations.
Monday, March 14, 2011
Anglo Indian Food Interlude
My friend really wanted to try East India Company on SW 11th and Taylor ish for a meal, because we had eaten there for happy hour before and were not filled up enough by the good food. My boyfriend and I met him down there on a really rainy early afternoon for lunch.
East India Company has three options: the colonel’s lunch ($8.95), the Viceroy’s lunch ($12.95) and the East India Co. lunch ($15.95). The prices go up because it adds on another early meat course, and you get dessert with the two more expensive lunches.
The decor, furniture and architecture makes you feel like you are living in British colonial India. There are white walls with pictures of the desert and troops, lined with mahogany colored wood (with chairs and booths of the same style). The room is right out of a Rudyard Kipling book or Lagaan (or if you've been to Delhi, the Picadelhi restaurant). There is a soundtrack playing mellow, yet slightly haunting Indian tribal music.
We were in a lazy way and wanted a drink with lunch. This restaurant is known for the Rangpur chill, which is a very spicy martini with cucumber and green chilies. My boyfriend loves that drink but decided to try something new so he went for the Masala Mojito. The Mojito has the standard ingredients of muddled lime and mint, but also had a delicate, sweeter masala to make it as the restaurant claims, spritzy.
My friend ordered the Sharabi Lassi, which is quite striking because they use saffron vodka. I was afraid of the thickness and sweetness, but it was a very thin and much icier lassi. I decided to order something different from them, called the Tamarind Ginger Tantra. This drink was the most robust of all the drinks with house infused ginger vodka, tamarind and date puree, plus sprite and peach schnapps. The puree definitely masked and interacted favorably with the liquor. Drinks start around $8.
We all ordered the Viceroy lunch. The first course was a samosa chaat. The samosas were lightly flaky and no bigger than my fist. There was a spoonful of chana to accompany the small samosa.
Next was the soup course. Again, something I assumed would be thick, really was not. The soup was a thin, creamy, yellow broth with tiny puffs of gram and a hint of curried chicken. When eating a spoonful, the tastes were subtle and cooling. But during and after swallowing, a burn lingered in the back of the throat.
The kebab course followed the soup course. My friend received tandoori chicken kebabs that were superbly marinated: the meat was light and fell off the bone. The spices were also not overpowering as sometimes can befall tandoori chicken. My boyfriend and I picked the minced lamb kabobs. They were hot like spicy sausage and had a parsley, pickly flavor going on.
We each picked a different entree (you can choose one of three, I hear their selections can vary). I got the tangy, tomato Goan fish curry. A dash of coconut was also subtly present. My boyfriend had the velvety chicken curry. Our friend had the herby and tangy palak paneer. Each dish came with a subtle tomato base vegetable curry with peas and onions in a light and cool sauce. They also provided naan and basmati rice.
Finally, they brought us gulab jamun. For those unaware, it is like a soggy donut hole that uses a light cheese tasting batter. I usually am not a fan of this dessert, but the gulab jamun pastry had a hint of cheesiness and was soaked in the best cardamom syrup. Pistachios were modestly grated on top.
The food was amazing and well worth the prize. I often do not want to pay very much for food I can make at home or is more inexpensive elsewhere. But East India Company is much better than the other expensive Indian place in the area, Bombay Cricket Club. The Cricket Club’s food seems to only be spiced with one ingredient and they are overpriced for what you receive.
The East India Company kept us in a delightful, mellow mood. Even though we had so many courses, we did not feel gorged, but pleasantly full. My only complaint about East India Co. is that they were hesitant with us asking for more naan, and could have served the curries with a larger amount of rice. The website is posted below if you would like more info:
http://www.eastindiacopdx.com/
East India Company has three options: the colonel’s lunch ($8.95), the Viceroy’s lunch ($12.95) and the East India Co. lunch ($15.95). The prices go up because it adds on another early meat course, and you get dessert with the two more expensive lunches.
The decor, furniture and architecture makes you feel like you are living in British colonial India. There are white walls with pictures of the desert and troops, lined with mahogany colored wood (with chairs and booths of the same style). The room is right out of a Rudyard Kipling book or Lagaan (or if you've been to Delhi, the Picadelhi restaurant). There is a soundtrack playing mellow, yet slightly haunting Indian tribal music.
We were in a lazy way and wanted a drink with lunch. This restaurant is known for the Rangpur chill, which is a very spicy martini with cucumber and green chilies. My boyfriend loves that drink but decided to try something new so he went for the Masala Mojito. The Mojito has the standard ingredients of muddled lime and mint, but also had a delicate, sweeter masala to make it as the restaurant claims, spritzy.
My friend ordered the Sharabi Lassi, which is quite striking because they use saffron vodka. I was afraid of the thickness and sweetness, but it was a very thin and much icier lassi. I decided to order something different from them, called the Tamarind Ginger Tantra. This drink was the most robust of all the drinks with house infused ginger vodka, tamarind and date puree, plus sprite and peach schnapps. The puree definitely masked and interacted favorably with the liquor. Drinks start around $8.
We all ordered the Viceroy lunch. The first course was a samosa chaat. The samosas were lightly flaky and no bigger than my fist. There was a spoonful of chana to accompany the small samosa.
Next was the soup course. Again, something I assumed would be thick, really was not. The soup was a thin, creamy, yellow broth with tiny puffs of gram and a hint of curried chicken. When eating a spoonful, the tastes were subtle and cooling. But during and after swallowing, a burn lingered in the back of the throat.
The kebab course followed the soup course. My friend received tandoori chicken kebabs that were superbly marinated: the meat was light and fell off the bone. The spices were also not overpowering as sometimes can befall tandoori chicken. My boyfriend and I picked the minced lamb kabobs. They were hot like spicy sausage and had a parsley, pickly flavor going on.
We each picked a different entree (you can choose one of three, I hear their selections can vary). I got the tangy, tomato Goan fish curry. A dash of coconut was also subtly present. My boyfriend had the velvety chicken curry. Our friend had the herby and tangy palak paneer. Each dish came with a subtle tomato base vegetable curry with peas and onions in a light and cool sauce. They also provided naan and basmati rice.
Finally, they brought us gulab jamun. For those unaware, it is like a soggy donut hole that uses a light cheese tasting batter. I usually am not a fan of this dessert, but the gulab jamun pastry had a hint of cheesiness and was soaked in the best cardamom syrup. Pistachios were modestly grated on top.
The food was amazing and well worth the prize. I often do not want to pay very much for food I can make at home or is more inexpensive elsewhere. But East India Company is much better than the other expensive Indian place in the area, Bombay Cricket Club. The Cricket Club’s food seems to only be spiced with one ingredient and they are overpriced for what you receive.
The East India Company kept us in a delightful, mellow mood. Even though we had so many courses, we did not feel gorged, but pleasantly full. My only complaint about East India Co. is that they were hesitant with us asking for more naan, and could have served the curries with a larger amount of rice. The website is posted below if you would like more info:
http://www.eastindiacopdx.com/
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