dreaming of sushi

Even though the event was part of AARP, it wasn't local or part of their MFG lineup.

No, "Jiro Dreams Of Sushi" came from the California AARP, as part of their 3-film Ginger & Garlic Series, aimed at their Asian-American audiences.

I just happened to stumble upon it, too late for the first two movies, but in time for the 2011 documentary that I'd first seen a dozen years back.

Incredibly, I'd recently been reminded by fb of seeing the film - not once, but twice - as part of the Psychotronic Film Society's offerings at Muse Arts Warehouse.

That was on June 10, 2012, and here's what the "memory" said.

"Lovely Sunday! Thanks to Jim Reed for a film awesome enough to see TWICE!! Thanks to Jeff Secrest for sparkling conversation and sushi between showings of "Jiro Dreams Of Sushi"! Thanks to Joe Guy and Kristin Stout and Jim Reed for chocolate goodies at Lulu's to finish up the evening! And tomorrow I look forward to breakfast with bff Sam DeLong - sweet dreams, y'all!" 

What a good time that was, with a film group now gone, at a venue now gone.

I'm so glad my first viewing - I mean, viewings - have such happiness involved!

Right time, right place, then, and now.

 

And as I drank my morning coffee... 

 

and dined on a tortilla sandwich made with Canadian bacon and Muenster... 

 

all I really wanted was some of that sushi being lovingly prepared... 

 

by the 85-year-old shokunin extraordinaire, Jiro Ono.

 

That younger man is his 60-year-old son, who works with his dad in the family business.

Their 50-year-old sushi restaurant only - yes, only - sells sushi.

Period.

No soups, no tempura, just sushi.

 

Their patrons willingly pay the 30,000 Yen, or more, to dine there, and willingly make their reservations at least a month in advance.

 

Jiro and the two assistant shokunin keep a steady stream of sushi coming out, knowing that the dish is meant to be eaten immediately by the diner.

 

Thanks to the prep work done on the meats and the rice by the kitchen staff, the trio of men preparing the sushi dishes are able to meet, or even exceed, the goal to give each person twenty pieces as their meal.

As Jiro said, the staff do 90 percent of the work, so he can do his 10 percent and get the credit of being a talented sushi chef.

Very nice.

And the price really isn't out of line with top-end restaurants here in town, like Ruth Chris or Elizabeth's on 37th or Sapphire Grill.

That price of 30,000 Yen equates to about $205 per diner, making each piece of nigiri sushi cost $10 - an absolute steal, considering all the massaging the meat gets in the master's hand as he applies the rice base.

Yeah, I'll definitely have to get some sushi next week.

Maybe I'll even splurge and go to a restaurant...

perhaps!

4 d man

"For what man, dear?"

Oh, you misunderstand. I'm talking about a 1959 movie I saw at PFS tonight!

"Oh. Was Jim showing a documentary about some fellow? "

Ha! During the month of October, when every show falls in the "horror" genre? Not hardly!

"Wait just a minute! You tend to abstain from such films! Well, with the exception of a rare one to satisfy a Tuesday film companion... "

That's true, but I did, indeed, attend tonight's psychotronic film, for several reasons. First, it had two actors - Robert Strauss and Guy Raymond - whose comedic turns were quite popular in 1950's films, so I knew to expect some fun. Second, it had thirteen-year-old Patty Duke in it, four years before her turn playing twins in a tv series.

"Why, that doesn't sound like the cast of a horror film at all!"

No, it doesn't and so, no, it wasn't that type of movie! Or, rather, by today's standards, the movie was straight up science fiction. Hallelujah!

"Amen, girlfriend!"

You said it! I'd almost decided to watch it, but I wasn't that sure. So, I'd dropped by the Sentient Bean after WNS at AMUMC and told Jim that I was taking a walk around Forsyth Park and might be back, but might not. Jim told me that he hoped I had fun at whatever I decided to do tonight.

"How very kind of him!"


That's what I thought, too! Plus, Ken was there at that time. For whatever reason, I had greeted him with "K-k-k-k-ken!" and he had immediately known what movie that was from! I don't know why, but him being so familiar with "A Fish Called Wanda" really made me happy!

Honestly, I felt like I was on a roll when I headed out to start my walk! And then it got better, with just a hint of cool in the air and a stunningly beautiful sky! It was as if the Earth had thrown on its loveliest gown, with swirls of pink intermingled with clear blue, and a bright moon as a brooch, way up firm and high - wow.

"Wow. Very nice imagery. Working on those "Night Moves"... oh, yeah!"

You know it!

"So, I guess after the walk you opted for the movie?"

Oh, not quite. I still had too much time on my hands, don't you know... and ice cream on my mind! My own fault, as I had brought it up at the WW meeting. The DOT was right there, so it seemed to mean I was meant to go to Ben & Jerry's... so I did!

"They even had your favorite flavor, didn't they?"

Oh, yeah... coconut almond fudge chip!!! Scrumpdiddlyicious!

"Hahahaha! Between that word and those crazily decked out hats, I had a flashback to 'Chitty Chitty Bang Bang'! Truly I did! Hahahaha!"

I hear you talkin'! Those hats were actually quite fun to peruse as I leisurely enjoyed my treat... which I finished in time to catch another DOT back down to the park. Right place, right time, and with ice cream!
It was almost twenty past 8 PM by this time, so I popped into the coffee house to see if the movie had begun. Nope! Jim was still talking!
So, I stayed!

"You stayed?! I bet Jim can't even get a dog to stay!"

Hahahaha hahaha! I just love "Groundhog Day"! Hahahaha!

"Glad I could so easily tickle your fancy, dear! "

Hey, you know I'm pretty easy to please!

"Yes, I do! And, so, I take it this movie was quite pleasurable?"

This movie was aWEsoMe!!! There were two brothers, who both happened to be scientists, scrambling over the same girl, so that was a great premise. Lee Meriwether, who was Miss America in 1955, played the love interest and did it quite well. The two character actors mentioned earlier? The first was an also-ran at the lab, always in the shadow of the two brothers. The other was a security guard and played it to the hilt! Plus, the soundtrack was super-marvy, man!

"Are you talking jazzy with a dollop of beatnik? "

You know it! I had hoped to find some of that online, but no such luck. Maybe I could ask Ralph Carmichael where I could get a dose of it.

"He's the one behind the score? "

Yep, as well as the one keeping the score. Bah dum dumm!

"Weak, but I'll let it pass. "

How magnanimous of you. You're too kind.
LOL!

"Hey, it takes the same amount of effort to be kind as to be contrary, so why not be kind?"

I totally agree! The world could certainly do with a decrease of snark.

"No doubt in my mind that Arthur Fleck would agree, whole-hearted."

Yeah, that's not how the song goes. The actual title is "Hole Hearted", a phrase which may aptly describe Joker, but the lyrics may not concur with how he feels.

"Perhaps that discussion is better elsewhere. You still haven't told me the name of tonight's movie. So, if you please? "

"4D Man".

"No, seriously. "

Yes, seriously! As you know, the fourth dimension is time and The 5th Dimension is a singing group...

"Okay, I can tell you're still buzzed from the ice cream..."

...so 4D was as far as they took it. The younger brother was the one who came up with the experiment, but the older brother, who had some faulty wiring in his brain...

"Yeah, a lot of that going around, of late... "

... is the one who got it to work. It freaked him out, at first, to have managed to get his hand stuck in a block of solid metal. However, once he realized he could control his molecules being simultaneously in the same three-dimensional space as the molecules of any other solid, he went slap-happy with his new power!

"Ohhhh... that doesn't sound like it would end well for him. "

Nope! For one thing, he discovered to his dismay that the payment for passing through walls and such was, quit literally, pieces of his life. Like, years of his life, gone, POOF!

"Enter the 'horror' aspect of the tale of science gone wrong? "

Yep! Just as he had accidentally 'discovered' this power of his, he also accidentally found the antidote to the enhancement of the aging process. He'd gone to his doctor to seek help, and, when he touched the man, the life force reversed him back to his own age again. Sadly, the doctor did not survive the life transfusion. Of course.

"Much like with "The Little Shop of Horrors" then, when the plant requires living bodies from poor Seymour?"

Ah, not quite, but at least you're trying. Nor is it like "Monsters, Inc.", with energy from the kids' screams of fear being converted to energy for the city. However, it's definitely similar to what's going on in "Bubba Ho-Tep", now that I think about it...

"Alrighty then! You're rambling and I'm ready for something else, so let's call it a night, dear. "

It's a night, dear!
Hahahaha!

"Yes, it is."

And a mighty fine night it has been, too!
i thank You, God!

"I'll second that motion! Motion carried, case adjourned. G'night, my girl."

And sweet dreams, too!
(smile)

heaven and earth, and hauer too

The Savannah Voice Festival has begun!
Actually their Seventh Annual Season (which I christened SVF7) officially began last weekend, but those events weren't free.
Now that I'm retired and on a budget, "free" is my favorite type of event!
(smile)
The theme this season is "Heaven And Earth", so how appropriate that the first no-cost performance is at a church!
Plus, it was at 7 PM on the 7th... and that's special for me!
Held at First Presbyterian Church on a rainy evening, Carolyn and I were right there...
seated way in the back, as we arrived moments before the concert.
The important thing is: we were there!!!
(smile)
"VOICES In Sacred Song" could have just as easily been titled "Christmas in Summer".
That was fine by us!
We were even allowed to sing along for the very first song, and we certainly did!
"O Come All Ye Faithful" had the words in the program, but we knew them by heart.
(smile)
The highlights for me include that first song, from "Messiah", with Peter Lake's sweet tenor; Psalm 23 sung as a hymn, by soprano Maria Zouves; "The Bird's Song", trilled by mezzo Maayan Voss de Bettancourt; mezzo Jessica Best with "Gesu Bambino"; and Chad Sonka's baritone in "Antiphon".
I also loved singing along with the final song, the "Hallelujah Chorus"!
Then we beat feet out of there, barely reaching my car before the downpour -
hallelujah!
Right place, right time!
Off and over to the west side of town for the Sentient Bean we went!
After all, it was a Wednesday night and that meant Jim Reed's movie and the PFS crowd!
This one was to be a "mystery" tribute to the late Rutger Hauer, who died last month.
What a coincidence that this actor was in my thoughts earlier!
So, what obscure or lost or rarely seen film was it to be?
"Blind Fury", from 1989, with a 45-year-old Rutger in fine form!
I'll definitely have sweet dreams tonight!
(smile)
I'm so glad Carolyn was able to join me for all of this!
It was especially nice to be able to talk to her about all of it later, too, when we went post-movie for a nosh at the Black Rabbit.
i thank You, God, for that blessing!

bibimbap with peacocks and a green dolphin

That first item?
I'd be willing to bet you've never had it before!
The Sentient Bean had concocted this dish from sticky black rice, carrots, radishes, kale, cucumbers, and mushrooms, with a sunnyside egg topping it off.
Not for me, though - mine had their fabulous bbq tofu in its stead.
Magnificent fare!

No, this is not a photo of that.
My phone stayed home when I went out for the day, so I have no pictures to share, sadly.
That mass of eighty blue tickets snaking over the floor is my memento from the fundraiser.
Of the four prizes raffled off, I won none... but I did spend the evening with Ken and Mike and Sandy and Joyce and Bonnie and Don and Hai and Jim... and the honoree, Carolyn, of course!
P.S. I was right about the movie!
(smile!)
I had gone straight to the 'Bean after the monthly jazz concert from the CJA. It was over at the Ben Tucker Pavilion, across the Savannah River, and was, fortunately, not as crowded as the last one I attended. That was good, as I was a bit late!
I arrived just in time for the last number from their first set and the raffle during intermission. But I caught almost all of their second set, dancing through each song! I think Tom Scott, the renowned saxophonist, truly did appreciate that!
(smile!)
Actually, I know he did, since he kept looking at me and smiling!
So did the bassist and drummer for Howard Paul's band!
(smile!!)
Business Meetin' led off their second set and it was rather lively! Then came "On Green Dolphin Street", from the movie, which was definitely trickier, as its tempo kept changing. Not so with Victor Feldman's "The Chant"! I very much liked it! Sonny Rollins' "Oleo" sounded like another I would have loved for dancing, but maybe some other time, y'all!
(smile!)
Now then, you know where I went from there, as I've started this post in reverse chronology.
But where had I come from that I'd missed most of the first set?
Well, I was having my Sunday adventures at downtown locations.
That first stop on my day's itinerary had been for something literary.
(See what I did there? Rhymes to bring a smile!)
The Flannery O'Connor Childhood Home was hosting "A Muster of Peacocks", an event I'd never, ever attended, even though I'd been a member in the past.
I'm so glad I was there and I look forward to sharing this group with Kevin!
He has begun writing a graphic novel, featuring a dwarf called Hearthstone. Over the past few weeks, he's shared the progress of the art, storyboards, and plot lines. Last Tuesday, after seeing "Tolkien", we adjourned to his place so he could show me a video he'd made with the pieces and some medieval metal music.
(Yes, I'm aware of the old line about "come up and see my paintings, wink wink, nudge nudge." This was not about that. Don't make it weird!)
So... where was I... ah, yes, Peacocks!
No, not those, silly rabbit.
These are the members of the Peacock Guild, a rather diverse collection of local writers who have banded together for the past decade to help each other write better.
When I say diverse, I mean just that. With a wide range of ages and cultural backgrounds, their works ran the gamut.
Consider "Haint Blues" and "Fear Eyes" and "A Letter To My Niece". The first was a third-person voice about a woman steeped in Gullah, the second was told from the point of view of a 10-year-old boy moved to a new town and new school who was facing down a monster, and the third was sharing family history through an enlightened perspective.
Then there was the tale of a new priest administering to a conspiracy-theory Nevada man, a laugh-out-loud-sexy bit between an aging rock drummer and the bassist's daughter, and the father of a two-year-old trying to get the pacifier into the grasp of the Paci Pirate - those were all quite hilarious!
One of the readers was a friend I'd lost track of a few years back, when her husband was needing a kidney transplant. I made sure to go up and say howdy to Dawn Cordray so that won't happen again!
(smile!)
Then, I had a very pleasant surprise!
Yesterday, I'd been to the FOCCH website, as I knew they were fundraising with the Savannah Bananas. I purchased a ticket for that June 6th game, then also renewed my membership.
I was planning to come by this next week to pick up the ticket.
Instead, Cody walked up, smiling, envelope in hand, and told me she had guessed I would be present for the readings, so she had already prepared the goods for me!!!
She is certainly on top of her game!
Thank you for saving me that extra trip!
(smile!)