Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Studio Ghibli Collection Now Showing in Berkeley


***HELD OVER BY POPULAR DEMAND***
Showing now at the California Theater in Berkeley - Studio Ghibli 1984-2009 Collection.  Here's the line up:

Wed, Sep 26: Whisper of the Heart (1995) at 2:15 and 7:00pm
Wed, Sep 26: Ponyo (2008) in English: 4:45 and 9:30pm
Fri, Sep 28: Princess Mononoke (1997) at 1:30, 4:15, 7:00 and 9:45pm
Sat, Sep 29: Howl's Moving Castle (2004) at 1:30, 4:15, 7:00 and 9:35pm
Sun, Sep 30: Spirited Away (2001) at 1:30, 4:15, 7:00 and 9:45pm
Oct 1 & 2: My Neighbor Totoro (1988) at 1:30, 4:15, 7:00 and 9:35pm
Wed, Oct 3: Whisper of the Heart (1995) at 1:30 and 7:00pm
Wed, Oct 3: Pom Poko (1994) at 4:15 and 9:35pm
Thu, Oct 4: Howl's Moving Castle (2004) at 1:30, 4:15, 7:00 and 9:35pm
Fri, Oct 5: Howl's Moving Castle (2004)
Sat, Oct 6: Princess Mononoke (1997)
Sun, Oct 7: My Neighbor Totoro (1988)
Oct 8 & 9: Whisper of the Heart (1995)
Oct 8 & 9: Ponyo (2008) in English
Wed, Oct 10: Princess Mononoke (1997)
Thu, Oct 11: Howl's Moving Castle (2004)
Thu, Oct 11: My Neighbor Totoro (1988)

For a detailed description of each film here's a pdf to download. 

"My Neighbor Totoro" was the first Miyazaki film I ever saw so it will always remain one of my favorites.  What's yours?

Mmmm Mmmm Mooncake

No matter what you call it - Mid-Autumn Festival, Moon Festival, Mooncake Festival, it is one of the most important events celebrated by Chinese around the world.

Since it's a lunar holiday it is, of course, pegged to the lunar calendar,  so the holiday falls on a different Gregorian calendar day each year but it's usually in September or early October.  This year it's September 30th.



When I lived in Hong Kong in the 80s and 90s, this was like Easter and Christmas and Halloween all rolled into one.  Family and friends get together for a meal then, for dessert, eat mooncake.  Afterwards they would go out to the park (in HK it was Victoria Park) to buy and walk around with paper lanterns while enjoying a full moon.

To some this may sound, well, rather boring especially when you consider Easter is a time for chocolates, Christmas is a time for presents, and Halloween is a time to rake in confectionery goodies, but trust me, it's fun.  It's also a mindblowing sight if you live in a skyscraper that offers a view with hundreds of lanterns moving around below.

I mentioned earlier that you eat mooncake.  What is mooncake?  It's a little cake with pastry shell covering a sweet inner paste made of lotus, date, or red bean and if you're lucky, an egg yolk (presumably representing the moon).

I like mooncake the same way I like pumpkin pie.  During Thanksgiving, it's ok, however; if I ate pumpkin pie in March or on my birthday in September, I would hate it.  Why?  Simple.  It's a Thanksgiving treat.  Same goes for fruitcake; at Christmas it's fine (scratch that, fruitcake is always vile but you get what I mean).  Mooncake is one of those nice things during Mid-autumn Festival.  I have happy associations with this treat for the holiday but wouldn't want to eat it any other time of the year.



We missed last week's Moon Festival celebrations in SF's Chinatown.  I still plan to eat some moon cake on the 30th though while watching the moon.  We even have some solar-powered lanterns hanging in the trees for the occasion.

You can pick up moon cakes through the mid autumn festival at any Chinese bakery and most Chinese supermarkets.  Often they come in big tinned boxes to be given as gifts.  You can also buy tiny singles which I recommend if you've never sampled one before.  We tend to pick up a couple at Sheng Kee.  They have numerous branches in SF and the Bay Area.






Monday, September 24, 2012

Dim Sum at MayFlower Seafood Restaurant in Union City


I LOVE dim sum.  Not all Chinese restaurants serve dim sum, but thankfully there are a handful in the Bay Area that can satisfy my cravings.  Most of the time we go to  Mayflower Seafood Restaurant  in Milpitas or in Fremont/Union City.

Dim Sum can be intimidating for the first timer.  As soon as you arrive, go to the front desk and tell them your name and how many people are in your party so you can be added to the first come, first served list.  You'll be given a number which will be called out as soon as your table is available.  You may have to wait 10-15 minutes but, trust me, it'll be worth it.

Upon entering the restaurant, the first thing which will assault your senses will be the noise – roughly 150 dB (ok, I jest, but seriously, it’s loud.)  Though it's not necessary, people will often go to dim sum in a group with multiple family members, classmates, colleagues or friends. 



Though the food arrives quickly and at a steady pace, unlike fast-food of the West, it is meant to be experienced over a longer period of time.  Do not be greedy and select many items to be laid out on the table at one time.  These morsels are best enjoyed when they’re piping hot so select only a couple of dishes at a time.  Don't worry, the carts will continually be filled and circle the restaurant aisles, so you will have an opportunity to get your favorites on the next round.   The idea is not to sit, eat, and leave – but to savor and enjoy each bite while getting caught up on the latest news and gossip.  You're there to converse and catch up with family and friends – good food and tea is just something you enjoy while doing this.  Enjoy the company.  Enjoy the food.  Enjoy your tea.  Slow down. 

After you're seated, you'll be asked what type of tea you want.  The most popular tea (at least in Hong Kong) is pu-erh – or as the Cantonese say, "bo lay."   If you don't wish to look like an idiot, and I'm sure you don't, DO NOT PUT SUGAR IN YOUR TEA.  Personally, I prefer chrysanthemum leaves in my pu-erh so I order "gook bo."  Drinking tea is essential to the experience.  In fact, dim sum is also referred to as "yum cha" which means "drink tea."  Besides being a totally awesome beverage, it’s important to sip it throughout your meal because some of the dumplings may be a little oily or spicy and the tea aids in digestion.
By now you’re probably chomping at the bit thinking "Yeah, yeah.  Conversation.  Check.  Tea.  Check.  What about the flipping food?!"



"Dim sum" actually means "touch of heart."  Who knows what this has to do with cooking and eating dumplings? (seriously, if you know, tell me.)  Perhaps the chef lovingly adds a little of his/her heart when preparing the dumplings, maybe the ground meat contains a little bit of heart from the pig/chicken that’s part of the dish (okay, I'm joking), or maybe it's just that the experience opens your heart a little bit each time you go.

After you get your tea, a piece of paper will be put on your table.  You'll be getting a number of dishes from different servers, and this is the way they can keep track of what you've eaten and know how much to charge at the end of the meal.  

You may also be given a menu.  If the restaurant is busy (ref to aforementioned long waiting lines) the chances are high that they're cooking the dim sum dishes as fast as they're consumed so you’re pretty much guaranteed that you'll be able to grab your favourite as the cart gets pushed by your table.  If, however, it's near the end of the serving time, they may be wrapping up things in the kitchen in which case, it’d be best to ask someone or order it from an order form.   Also, note that the carts being pushed around will have smaller dishes.  If you want a larger dish like rice or noodles, you'll have to order this.

Women (I use the word "women" here because they usually are women) carrying trays or pushing carts around  containing various dishes will move around the aisles of the restaurant saying loudly (in Chinese) what dishes they have on offer.  Raise your hand or give them a nod to let them know you’re interested in what they're serving.  It doesn't matter if you don’t know the names of the dishes in Chinese.   As they push the trolley beside your table, they'll life up the lids of each dish one by one and often will say what these are in English.  Don’t be intimidated and shy about asking what a certain dish is.  Even if English is their second language and they may not be conversant in it, they will know how to describe their dishes in English. 



After selecting the dish(es) you want, the server will stamp the card on your table.  The card is divided into categories of small, medium, large, and special.  This has nothing to do with the size of the plate but rather the pricing structure of the dishes.  Generally , allocate around $4-5 per dish (except for special dishes). My husband and I can usually gorge ourselves for about $25.



Remember, you'll be sipping tea throughout the meal and, unless you have some sort of magical teapot, you will eventually run out.  In Hong Kong, whenever your teapot was empty, you would simply turn the lid of the teapot upside down.  The teapot would be whisked up and refilled almost immediately.  I find in the US that this doesn't apply so much – in fact, whenever I do this, my server looks a little annoyed that they have to reverse the lid.  Just raise your hand and once you get a server's attention, you can point to the teapot or simply ask for a refill.

At the end of the meal, tell a server you'd like the bill.  They will then take your paper away with all the stamps so they can total your bill. 

Please note: Vegetarians may find dim sum challenging.  Chinese people like meat and most dishes contain chicken or pork.  Even ones that don’t will still be cooked with a broth or drippings made with animal fat.  

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

New Shahrukh Khan Film Released Nov 13

In the 60s, John Lennon declared The Beatles more popular than Jesus.  Today, according to Google, Shahrukh Khan is more popular than The Beatles.

Google Search results:
Shahrukh Khan: 57,700,000
The Beatles:  47,600,000

Image results on Google for Shahrukh Khan are 29,000,000  which means he must be the most photographed man in the world.  Actually, he's probably the most photographed anything anywhere.  All cameras within a 10 mile radius of him  automatically start shooting photos every time he steps foot outside his door.



(Incidentally, Google searching my name resulted in Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn accounts, a lawyer, and a few mug shots of a person sharing my name who forges checks in Florida.)

Shahrukh Khan is an Indian actor.  Born in 1965, he graduated with a degree in economics and started acting in the theater in the late 80s before transitioning to television then Bollywood to become the world's most famous face - EVER.

Though he quickly became a heartthrob in India in the 90s, SRK escaped my radar until 2000.  It was around this time that my Indian husband and I started dating.  Having lived in California for a number of years he was clearly a SoCal guy, yet I wanted to impress him by learning as much as I could about Indian culture, food, art, etc.  In the process, I learned how to make a kick-ass dal and developed an affinity for Bollywood films. 



Bollywood movies are Indian movies made in Bombay (Mumbai).  Thus Hollywood + Bombay = Bollywood.

Before heading off to a Bollywood flick, here's a few facts you should know:  
1) Bollywood movies are usually 3 hours long.
2) There's an intermission in the middle for you to go and fill up on snacks.
3) There are usually around 6-7 big song/dance numbers.
4) The actors never kiss in the movie.
5) The soundtracks are as popular (if not, more so) than the movie.
6) The actors lip-sync the songs.



My husband, by the way, hates Bollywood movies and considers them the lowest form of entertainment.  To an extent, he's right.  Love story, singing, dancing, colourful costumes... it's total escapism.  But who cares? If you walk away feeling like you've been entertained and are humming a few bars of the lead song, it's all good.

I've read that fortune tellers foretold Shahrukh Khan's greatness.  Something to do with his "lion like hair" or, as my husband calls it, "John Stamos hair."  Personally, I'm mesmerized by his eyes and eyebrows which are shaped like a pair of tilde (~) symbols.  I'm also endeared to the fact that he married his college sweetheart, Gauri, and they seem pretty solid.  That poor woman.  Regardless of her life's accomplishments, she'll be forever be walking in his shadow.

King Khan's new movie, Jab Tak Hai Jaan, will be released November 13, 2012.
I'm fortunate enough to live in the Bay Area where there are a few places that actually show Indian films -- and you can be sure I'll be at the box office on opening week for this one.

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Balinese Art and Furniture in the Heart of Oakland

Everyone remembers their first time.

Last Friday was one of my "firsts" - my first First Friday at Oakland's Art Murmur.

Located between Jack London Square and 26th Street, Oakland's art venues are open from 6:00-9:00p.m. on the first Friday of each month allowing art enthusiasts to get visually "high" on contemporary art.

Having spent the afternoon at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco surrounded by Shang Dynasty bronzes, I needed to adjust my eye-hole settings from "historic" to "contemporary" to fully appreciate the pieces on display.

Heading toward a heavy concentration of galleries on 25th street, we passed numerous vendors and musicians.  It was only 6:30 but the streets were alive and celebrating the beginning of the weekend.  People were literally dancing in the streets.



Strolling in and out of galleries, nothing quite caught my eye until I arrived at Monkey Forest Road on 25th Street.  Through the window, there it was - a large painting with surfing monkeys.  It lured me inside.

The 25th Street venue is not the main gallery but their warehouse.  The totally AWESOME gallery/furniture store/coffee shop is located at 3265 Grand Avenue, Oakland.

Why the name "Monkey Forest Road?"  Monkey Forest is a popular place to visit in Ubud, Indonesia.  There are, of course, monkeys everywhere.  For a small fee you can purchase bananas to feed them.  It was one of the many highlights of my trip to Bali a few years ago.  The forest's namesake gallery in Oakland sells art and furniture created by expats in Indonesia as well as native Indonesian artisans.