Exploring Food and Movies

Monday: Footlight Parade (1933)        Chester is struggling to produce musicals. People are more interested in films. He learns about musical prologues that are preformed before the movies. The first he sees is an Egyptian themed song and dance before a movie set in Egypt. He realizes there is money to be made in these prologues. He joins a company that produces them. Chester turns the business around and is very successful. His prologues are being played in cinemas all over the U.S. He is constantly having to think of new ones. His secretary, Nan, helps him come up with ideas. She is in love with him, but doesn't think he could ever feel that way for her. Chester is competing with another movie theater chain to make the best prologues. I liked this movie ok. It was entertaining. They talk very fast. It still has the quick pace that they did in silent films. You can tell it was one of the very early talkies (films with full sound). Tuesday: Up the Down Staircase ...

        This week I went to a Moroccan place called Tangier for lunch with a family friend. It is on SW Pine. It looks small when you first walk in, but there is another seating area in the back. There are dark brick walls with pops of color. There is a ocean painting. The tables are a bright green. On one wall there is a mural of ancient ruins. The decorations aren't overdone. There is just enough to make it interesting. When I got there we were the only customers. One other group came in while we were eating, but other than that it was pretty empty. I don't know why I have such a talent for picking places that are empty. Clearly I'm there at the wrong time. They had bastila as an entree option. I was so tempted to get it. I ended up getting the Moroccan Couscous dish. I can't resist a couscous dish. Not going to lie a big part of that is just because I like the word couscous. And it reminds me of that Alvin and the Chipmunks movie where they travel around in air ba...

Monday: The Three Faces of Eve (1957)           Eve White is a house wife who is quiet and obedient. Her husband starts to notice that she is acting strangely. She goes off to go to bars and dance with friends. She buys more clothes than they can afford. When asked she has no memory of doing any of those things. They go to a psychologist named Dr. Luther. He is not sure what to make of her situation. Then during a session Eve's personality changes. She says she is not Eve White, she is Eve Black. Eve Black likes to have fun, drink, and flirt with men. Dr. Luther diagnosis's her with multiple personality disorder. He tries to explain it to Eve's husband. The husband doesn't believe it. He thinks she is faking. He moves to Florida. Their daughter stays with Eve's parents. Dr. Luther tries to get to the reason why Eve developed another personality. Then he meets a third personality. This is a good movie. I liked it. It does a better job of showing multiple persona...

      This was the first time I have gone to a restaurant by myself. Or at least one where you are seated and order from a menu. I've been to places like Qudoba and Cafe Yumm by myself. This week I went to Mi Pueblo. It is on SE Fuller, close to Clackamas. Technically it's Portland. It is small and in a shopping mall. It is your typical Mexican place. It is very colorful. There are paintings on the tables. The back of the seats of the booths are also painted with small murals. It was the last day of Dia de Los Muertos so there was still a lot of decorations up. Lots of sugar skulls. There was even an ofrenda. An ofrenda is usually a table with pictures of loved ones who have passed away. The belief is that if their photo is on display they can come from the spirit world  during the holiday and spend time with their family. Usually there is an offering of food. I have learned about ofrendas in school and in Coco, but I had never seen one in real life. I got the pueblo...