Sunday Feast № 9 | Oscars' Night Smørrebrød Improv

	Tomorrow night, freshly minted golden statutes, each called Oscar, will be given new owners and homes.    That's right, it's that night of the year when movie buffs, critics, couch potatoes, snobs, enthusiast and consumers do the dance that either divides them or makes them "ooh" and "aah" in unison, for the 88th time. Pure tango.    Not having a reference at hand, I will construe the origin. Here were these shows, and their makers were playing The Game to make it all BUSINESS, and were wanting to get awards no one was giving them and to have the clout in the part of the city they called home and beyond. Complicated matter, but you gotta start somewhere. Business is Business and it has little patience for procrastination of real or feigned Art unless Art makes money, provides promise of glory and riches, or occasionally sublimes beyond all of that.
	sublime verb | sub·lime | \sə-ˈblīm\ sub·limed sub·lim·ing transitive verb 1: to cause to pass directly from the solid to the vapor state and condense back to solid form 2 [French sublimer, from Latin sublimare] a (1): to elevate or exalt especially in dignity or honor (2): to render finer (as in purity or excellence) b: to convert (something inferior) into something of higher worth intransitive verb : to pass directly from the solid to the vapor state
	Simplistic and cynical, I know, especially since that very Business has created many a dream, fostered technical advances and tattletales for our pure enjoyment, brought us glamour, exposed us to realities we would rather forget or not step into but have to know about, and created jobs that span beyond its lots as long as the economy is good.    Depending on your inclination vis-à-vis this Film and Show Business, you can either watch 88th Academy Awards ceremony, watch "There's No Business Like Show Business" or "Chicago", or opt for a spot of theater. Either way, keep the evening meal light in the spirit of the red carpet, but not minute. Minute is for starving artistes and those that want to or need to look just so since the lens adds pounds and ... and I am trying hard not to go down that pathway of analysis, commentary, issues, and views. I'd rather eat.    Improvised smørrebrød will do just fine. Grab buttered rye bread and stack on your toppings (smoked salmon or lox, marinated herrings, cold cuts, lettuce, tomatoes, hard boiled eggs, etc.) and wash it all down with cold beer - more filling than canapés and more grounding than champagne. It will be Sunday night, and most of us have to clock in early on Monday morning to non-Film and non-Show Business jobs, at least till we get that part we were made for.

Sunday Feast № 8 | Polish Comfort

Kotlet schabowy. I am strongly attracted to the breaded pork cutlet. You can have your Viennese schnitzel, I rather opt for the familiar comfort and the memories of the whole cultural shebang.      You see, I always liked when Mum made it and I put up with her predilection to heavily sprinkle the kotlet, and potatoes it was inevitably paired with, with parsley whenever parsley was on hand, which seemed to be most of the time, and how every time I lamented "Enough!" she retorted in a matter of fact fashion with "But it's good for you", parsley that is. Fussing about, or worse still rejection of, what was put in front of you was not the done thing. This was where Dad occasionally interjected with a reminder that "You will eat what you're given." So ultimately, that parsley and those potatoes were dues to be paid while enjoying the kotlet I was given.      The whole "You will eat what you're given" was as much a parenting technique and about respecting the cook as a reflection of the place and time. Food shortages, restrictions, or whatever it really was, prevalent back in the days of Poland under Communist rule meant that if the food arrived in the shop most often there wasn't enough to go around. It was a case of either being "first in [the queue/line], best [fed]" or having the right connections. When you got it, you didn't waste it. Pounding of those cutlets was a surefire indication to the next door neighbors living in the same klatka schodowa w bloku (that is the stairwell in one of those hideous buildings constructed all across Soviet Bloc countries during the second half of the 20th century, that beyond Soviet Bloc would find siblings in U.S. housing projects and someone's idea of modern affordable high density housing in 1970s) that you got some. Which led itself to comedic scenarios in movies, and maybe even real life, where the cook of the house would pound the kitchen counter in imitation of to get under the skin of the neighbors - a "keeping up with the Joneses" twist.      Nowadays I will take that kotlet with any sides especially if Mum's cooking. Although typically herbs such as rosemary, dill or sage would not be added to the breadcrumb mixture, the recipe from "The Food and Cooking of Poland" by Ewa Michalik has these three in the mix (rosemary and sage are really the odd ones here but cuisine moves with access and times). Make as many as you like since they reheat well, and serve with mashed potatoes or boiled red potatoes, sauerkraut or red cabbage (with or without apple), cauliflower po polsku, okra, green beans, brussel sprouts with bacon and balsamic, or anything you like with breaded pork cutlets.

Fun on the side and after Watch "Sex and the City" marathon starting when Carrie meets the Russian "Shameless" anytime, any season "Dark Star: HR Giger's World" "Homeland" Season 5 Drink Vodka, what else!

Sunday Feast № 7 | "Like you'd cook for Picasso in his seventies. Like it's a matter of love and death."

Oh my, it's that day tomorrow, the one that either wakes a crazy ravenous romantic or utterly world weary cynic in you. Either way, you gotta eat! Might as well make a multi-course feast of it, because it is good for your soul and your body. Puurrrfect!      And what better source than "The Cosmic Feast: Divine Inspiration For Earthly Pleasures" by David McKay, Anna Johnson and Kirsten McKay (a threesome of authors? well lookie here and how about that *snicker* ... I totally digress - blame tomorrow) - "a spell book for the modern chef" toying with the dictates of Western horoscopic astrology. Utterly silly secret pleasure? Well, why thank you!      Whether for tomorrow or any other Sunday when a three course feast is called for (no dessert yet, have to work up my way to that slowly, then again - here I digress once more), the chilled red pepper and tomato soup with fresh prawns can be made the day before and sit pretty in the fridge, the squid stuffed with rice will test your skill and patience during stuffing but it is totally worth the suggestively "naughty" fun and the taste once ready, while Pablo's chicken, although maybe not truly Picasso's dish (then again who knows, too busy entertaining to research), warms and grounds towards olé!      Now that sounds like delicious fun *wink*

Fun on the side and after Music Pandora Flamenco Channels Movie "Pulp Fiction" & "Under the Skin" Drink Hoegaarden with squid & Vinos de Arganza "Flavium" Premium Bierzo 2011 with chicken

Sunday Feast № 6 | Going Light with Japanese

As far as feasting goes there comes a time when a certain sentiment arises: cannot do "La Grande Bouffe" / "The Great Feast" kind of thing anymore, need a "Lost in Translation" kind of thing instead. Let me explain somewhat by highlighting parts of a dialog from the latter. Lydia Harris: [over the phone] Is this a bad time? Bob: [pauses] No, it's always a good time. Lydia Harris: The burgundy carpet is out of stock: it's going to take twelve weeks. Did you like any of the other colors? Bob: Whatever you like - I'm just completely lost. Lydia Harris: It's just carpet. Bob: That's not what I'm talking about. Lydia Harris: What are you talking about? Bob: I don't know. I just want to... get healthy. I would like to start taking better care of myself. I'd like to start eating healthier - I don't want all that pasta. I would like to start eating like Japanese food. Lydia Harris: [icily] Well, why don't you just stay there and you can have it every day? Bob: [biting his tongue] How are the kids doing? Lydia Harris: They're fine. They miss their father. [pause] Lydia Harris: Do I need to worry about you, Bob? Bob: Only if you want to. So here it is, a light Japanese-style lunch or dinner which is easy and quick, with overnight pickling. Some dashi, tsukemono and a seafood salad.      Recipes are from the back of kombu packet and “Harumi's Japanese Home Cooking” by Harumi Kurihara, with few of my alterations.

Fun on the side and after Drink Hitachino Nest Beer White Ale Movie "Sakuran"