Sept 2018 Food n Flix

This is going to be the most informal Food n'Flix post I've ever done.

I've had a crappy week my lovely Spudguns!. I really hope your's has been decent.  September 2018 marks the 8th anniversary of Foodn'Flix. The first year I joined in; which was 2015, when September rolled around we were allowed to do a viewer's choice. And at that point, I did a 4 movie combo with a common theme. I also went with 4 different recipes. So of course, the second our fearless leader Heather said that this month would once again be a viewer's choice month and hosted by the official Food n'Flix blog, allowing us to pick any of the previously viewed months' movies; I knew I wanted to do something like that again. So I quickly picked my four dvds Eat Pray Love, Under the Tuscan Sun, Ramen Girl and Julie/Julia. I had a common theme - starting over. In Julie/Julia, the characters move for their husband's jobs. In Under the Tuscan Sun and Eat Pray Love, the characters move because of a divorce. In Ramen Girl, she moves for her boyfriend's job only to end up getting dumped and stranded. I even had a common food link this time...eggs.  What I didn't really have was the recipe.

I knew that the movie Eat Pray Love, had a scene where the lead character is shown making herself a simple plate of food on a lazy Sunday morning, that included olives, cheese, bread with olive oil, grapes, prosciutto, asparagus and a hard boiled egg.  The movie Ramen Girl, has a quick shot of a bowl of ramen containing noodles, broth, greens, pork and a soft boiled egg being placed in front of the Master for his approval. The movie Julie/Julia has a scene where our lead character is hovering over a large pot trying to get one perfect poached egg while arguing with her best friend. And the movie Under the Tuscan Sun, has an egg shaped  blue vase that the lead character clings to for her sanity. Each scene represented a major turning point for the characters involved.

Now, normally, when I do a Food n'Flix post, I give you a detailed account of the food throughout the entire film. I can't this time. Even had I chosen one of the movies and not the whole lot, there is just too much food to keep up with in each. From chocolate cake, wine, grapes, garlic, cheese, fish, noodles, bruschetta, onions, duck, stew, breads, leeks, pizza, tea, olives, ice cream, to tomatoes, peppers, pork, rice, and of course the eggs; these films were jam packed. And that's just naming a few.

But it was the eggs that stood out in my mind. Each egg scene -seen, came with a lesson for the character.

"Eat Pray Love"- The egg is seen as part of the basic meal our lead character makes for herself. It represents her accepting solitude. The character had been looking at a fancy nightgown while out with friends, and when her friend tells her to buy it, she as "For whom?" her friend replies "For you." We then see the lead character sitting on the floor in the fancy nightgown with her egg plate, having for the first time accepted that she's going to be okay single. She's finally accepted the company of herself as being enough. Up to this point, she's never been without a relationship. It's also the first time in the film we see her cook. Up till then, all her meals have been out at restaurants or at other people's houses.

"Julie/Julia" - The character of Julie has stated near the beginning of the film, that she's never eaten an egg as is. The eggs are done as a bit of a group effort. We see her, her husband and best friend standing in their tiny kitchen, sweating over the idea of making the perfect poached eggs. Which they seem to do. This is the big learning curve moment of truth for our lead as she admits to her desires and envies. It's the first moment she has any real confidence. It's also the first meal she's cooked we see her share with her friends, as well as the first time we see her really being taught by the cookbook. It represents her confidence and what would end up being her celebrity.

"Ramen Girl" - The egg is delivered here two separate ways. The physical egg is shown in a bowl of ramen but not by our lead. Instead, it's a minor male character whom serves the Grand Master Chef in order to get his approval. When it's the lead character's turn to serve her bowl of ramen, she's gone off recipe. The Master then tells her she's yet to learn what she needs to know. The lead character's struggle throughout the film is learning to make order out of chaos. It isn't until the day she leaves town, and is handed a large red egg shaped lantern, that she finally gets the approval she's been waiting for. And has discovered the balance within the design/plating of the ramen bowl. Up to that point, she managed to learn technique but without soul.  For her, it was representing restraint and balance.

 

"Under the Tuscan Sun" - Still hurting from her divorce, our lead character grabs an egg shaped blue glass vase as she moves out. She chooses to let her ex husband have everything else, but for some odd reason of defiance, she dumps out the contents of the vase and takes it with her. She keeps it for the first few years as she moves from a rundown apartment to her villa in Italy. Later on, she grabs it throwing it against the wall shattering it. Releasing herself from her hate, desperation and pain. The egg vase in this case represents the cycles of relationships. She first takes it when depressed at the end of her marriage, and breaks it at the beginning of her neighbours' marriage. The egg lesson here is healing and love.

Eggs have always represented beginnings and endings, fertility and protection.

So after all that what did I make?  I had made deviled eggs, (basic egg yolk, mayo, salt, pepper and paprika) but they were just so ugly. Then I remembered the line from Julie/Julia, where the character is taking about how she decided to tackle the poached eggs on a day when nothing in her life seemed to be going well.

So, I ended up making poached eggs. Which, were far far less than perfect.  And paired it with a quick instant ramen and green veggies. So, not really a recipe this time around, but just what the day needed. Ugly eggs to comfort at the end of a bad week. 

That's all I've got for you this time. Yes, I know, not the usual way I like to do Food n'Flix, but it's what I have to offer this time around.  Don't forget to join us next month, when once again, Heather from All Roads Lead to the Kitchen, will be hosting. The selection will be the Disney movie Princess and the Frog.

coffee talk sept 21st 2018

Spudguns! Hey, how's it on your end? Okay, I know I know, I said last week, I'd be in middle of the week with a recipe, and here it is end of the week. I missed the deadline I know. I have been sick to the point of not being able to look at food half the week, let alone try to do a recipe.  But I'll have it in the next few days. It's a Food n' Flix recipe, so yes it's going to be up in the next couple of days.

I'll also have the next serial up in the next few days too. It might be Monday on that one this week instead of Sunday. (so either Sept 23rd or 24th.)

I'm not the only one who's had issues trying to blog the last few months. Just seems to have been a bad few months for bloggers in general. Everyone I've been chatting with has had a string of bad luck/writers block since the new year.

Okay, that's it for the moment. I'll be back Sunday (Sept 23rd 2018) with something. We're 40 days till Hallowe'en.

Cinema Files s1 p 12

Cinema Files
page 12, chapter 12

Drive-In Drama

I stood on the middle of the parking lot just before 4pm, smoothing down the edge of the grey trenchcoat nervously. Honestly, I don't know what was causing the butterflies more; the fact I was on an official case or that I didn't want Ryan to bump into Rudolph. Or Rudolph to bump into Ryan for that matter. It was becoming very clear, that none of the men in my life really seemed to want me hanging around any of the others. All for different reasons of course, but still.  My jitters were intensified when the sleek black car drove up; letting the sounds of the overly motorized window fill the air as it was opened. Detective Whitechapel smiled his too wicked smirk as he nodded for me to get in.

"You look nice." the words were spoken without a hint of sarcasm. "So our cover story is really basic. We've been together four years, we met when I came into your video store."

"We did meet when you came into the video store." I commented without thinking.  Ryan winked at me. I swear, even his facial ticks had a British accent. "And what do you do for a living? Should anyone ask. As I'm assuming you're undercover."

"I am a lowly office worker who pushes paperclips and counts copy ink." he said turning off the cd player. He'd been listening to a jazz cd when he'd pulled up. "You assume right. The team has been trying to get these guys for awhile now. A couple of embezzlers. No one's been able to get close enough to them yet." he guided the car onto the freeway.

"Wait. You said we were just the decoy." I replied as I squinted trying to see the scenery and cars zipping past us, but the tinted windows were too dark.

"We are." he went quiet again for a moment, unsure if he should be telling me much more of the actual case. "Look, Desdemona, all I need is for you to play the part of the doting wife. The main guy is all about family values and the whole suburban lifestyle. Smile, keep it simple like what your book club is reading..."

"I'm not in a book club."

"...talk about your favourite meatloaf recipe..."

"I'm vegetarian."

"...and whatever else wives find interesting."

"I'm not married."

"Tonight my dear, you are." Ryan winked at me again. "Since when?"

"Since when what?" I asked flipping now through the few cds he had sitting between us on the seat.

"Vegetarian?" Ryan shifted in his seat before looking at me in the rear view.

"Since college many many moons ago." I stopped flipping through the cds nearly laughing suddenly. "It's a bbq we're going to isn't it?" I watched as he blushed. "Don't worry I'm sure I won't die if I miss one meal."

I found myself staring at a painting just outside the hosts bathroom, a half glass of wine in hand as I waited for Detective Whitechapel to return. He'd been ushered into the company of half the husbands in the neighbourhood seconds after we had gotten there. I was left to awkwardly try to figure out how to fit in with the wives while Ryan traded tips on how to keep the car wax from smudging. It was like high school only with bank accounts. Not only did our hosts buy into the suburban ideal, it was like they were Stepfords. A total paint by numbers version of what suburban life looked like in movies. I immediately thought of  that scene in Edward Scissorhands where they throw the big bbq and all the horny housewives are feeding him trying to get his attention. Each one of them trying to outdo the other while not appearing like they were. That's how these neighbourhood wives seemed to be. Each had a mommy and me group they were running, each seemed to be on the council for this or that at the school making it seem way more important than it should have been. Ryan's plan to fit in failed to account for the fact I could pass as a doting wife, but there was no way in hell I could pass as a soccer mom.  I was politely snubbed the second I stepped foot over the threshold.   The sliding door to the backyard opened up suddenly, allowing not only the host husband and Ryan back into the house, but the sounds of the party itself. Detective Whitechapel was beside me in a half a heartbeat, his arm snuggly around my waist.  I had worn a basic black pants that draped in a mini flare from the knees down, and a black and white floral print sleeveless shirt. Of which I had just bought two hours before. All the other Stepford Mums were dressed in vintage style cocktail dresses. The kind that are all the rage with the rockabilly crowd.

"Did you learn anything new?" I asked still staring at the painting. It was of a goat standing in the middle of a fishing boat, the waters calm and reflective.

"Only that I could use another beer." Ryan said nodding to the host husband. We watched as he went back out to the patio getting one from the cooler nearest the pool. "I might need you to play the loving wife a bit longer. I need to get invited to another get together."


Tune in again for another installment of the Cinema Files starring your heroine...me(straight up story.  Stuck in an unfriendly group at dinner time. Talk about fresh hell.)

Coffee Talk Sept 13th 2018

Spudguns! How's it on your end today? Great spiffy, happy to hear that.

We are 48 Days till Hallowe'en, and I have absolutely nothing to talk about whatsoever. Just thought I needed to come in and post something.  Just when things were getting nice here weather wise, we ended up this week with another mini heatwave. Blah! Not happy about that.

I am officially in the busiest time of the year for me. Hallowe'en season/October season. Yes, I know we're still in September, but that's neither here or there. There's holiday baking, gift baskets, get togethers, decorating etc, to get done. This is the first time though, that I'm turning 90% of it into blog posts/vlogs. So there's that.

Right, moving on. There should be a serial this weekend (Sunday Sept 16th 2018) and at lest one What that Movie Inspired Me to Do middle of next week.

Okay, that about covers today. I'll be back on the weekend.

The Nosferatu Adventures s13 p12

The Nosferatu Adventures
page 342, chapter 342

Instability on Stage 5

Bryon cracked his neck as he let out a deep breath wringing his hands as he turned to look over his shoulder at the mirror.

Out of Time

An hour ago...

Our heroine, Edric and Vlad arrived back at Quentin's warehouse, Vlad refusing to even look at Nosferatu. The scene at the corner store had been stupid of her, and she knew it. The three stopped nearly in unison as they got closer to the building. For Edric it had only been a few weeks since he had last been there, but for our heroine years had past. She'd forgotten just how small the building actually was. But it was the smells hot in the air that caused the trio to stop cold. The female banshee snarled as she took a step forward, her top fangs suddenly exposed. Edric had no idea what was going on as he watched Vlad grab her by the waist pulling her back. The door opened suddenly but only a crack as the hellhound mix came bounding out of the doorway, Arthur behind. He turned locking the door, while the little furball strained against the leash.

"Keeping secrets are we?" Nosferatu snorted nodding her head in the direction of the building. She could smell the creature still inside. "Get off me." she shrugged off Vlad's embrace. Her stride was solid as she moved then towards Arthur. Sniffing our heroine spat at his feet, causing Twilight to yelp as the beast got out of the way; cowering behind Arthur's legs. "Unlock the door before I break it." her tone was just on the edge of becoming a roar. She sniffed again, this time because the hot smell of dog urine was now in the air. Twilight had decided the nearest edge of the wall was a good enough place as any to go since it seemed there would be no walk now. The little hellhound mix started jumping up and down his front paws treading air as he barked feverishly. He had so much to tell the female caretaker. "Why is that mutt still even here?" our heroine snorted in frustration gesturing mindlessly at Twilight. "Shouldn't it have gone back to hell or something when I lost that baby? Huh? Or when Odin returned the others to their reality?"

"Loki created it here in this reality. You know this." Vlad's own voice held a scolding to it. The hellhound stopped yelping and turned to look at the male as it sneezed then shivered. Twilight didn't understand the rest of what was said, but he did know it was said silently between Vlad and Nosferatu without them moving their lips. Our heroine had ripped the key chain out of Arthur's hand and was already inside.  Stomping across the room like an angry child set on destruction, our heroine threw back the curtains to expose the large portable tub.

"So this is what bit you." she sighed in disgust, her eyes flashing the pure white of the banshee. "A water sprite. How in the hell did a water sprite even get here to this reality?" the words were barely out of her mouth as she spotted the books and pages scattered across the dinning table and the rippling energy of the not fully closed portal. Her spine seemed to fuse together as a cold sweat broke out over her flesh. They needed to close the portal completely before Dax realized it was open. Our heroine could not risk the familiar discovering it and using it to cross into this reality.

"I was trying to bring you back." Arthur's words were barely a breath. Our heroine let out another deep sigh as she pinched the bridge of her nose between her thumb and forefinger.

"You could have gotten yourself killed. Like no coming back dead. Had a mermaid come through your little portal here and not just some mire sprite...stupid." she swore under her breath in a language that made the sprite giggle. "And what do you have to say for yourself?" she was now addressing the sprite. "Huh?" our heroine let her hand slap her thigh as she gestured towards the portal. "Why come through? What it was shinny so you had to touch?"

"It opened before me. I fell into it by accident." she said in the same language that had just made her giggle, her voice echoing like forgotten windchimes.

"Well, you're going back so don't get too comfortable. Do you have a name?"   The sprite just shook her head.  "No of course not cause that would make sense and why would we want to do that?" another deep sigh of frustration from our heroine as she crossed back to the others.  But before she could say anything else, the group found themselves starring in silent shock as a man dressed in all black fell out of the portal.


Tune in again for another installment of the Nosferatu Adventures starring your heroine...me(straight up story. Water, mirrors, glass, blood...)

coffee talk sept 6th 2018

Spudguns! How's everything on your end? Great, spiffy, good to know.

We are 55 days till Hallowe'en, and it's a Thursday. Randomness as always leads the day. For those keeping score at home, I'm still dealing with the hand. But, the half cast-splint is off and I'm able to do a bit more. Which means, I'll have something for you in regards to the serials this weekend. (Sunday the 9th September 2018)

That's all I came in to say. See you on the weekend.