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Valentine Yuzu Cake and the Exiles

     Tried selling some clothes at Buffalo Exchange near SE Hawthorne on Thursday. (Don't get how they choose what clothes to sell. It's vintage clothes so it should all work.) After that failed I realized a couple places on my list were nearby. I ended up going to Champagne Poetry Patisserie. There is neighborhood parking. It's a small shop. They sell Japanese and French pastries. Inside is very pink. One whole wall is decorated in fake pink roses with a neon rainbow angel wing sign. There is a giant pink KAWS sculpture in the front entry. I had to google what it was. Its cartoon looking with x's for eyes. There are cute velvet chairs at white marble tables. Other than that it is sparsely decorated. There are some very pretty French inspired desserts. In the shape of a mango, a dark blue rose, a heart. I knew I had to try one of those. So I got the Valentine cake. Which is a white chocolate strawberry yuzu cake. It's in the shape of a heart with a glittery red topping and a small fondant butterfly. The cake was good. Seemed more like a mousse to me. There was a strawberry jelly thing in the middle. I normally go for the chocolate desserts but it was too pretty to pass up. I've also been wanting to try ube. So I got their ube mochi chocolate chip cookie. It was good for the most part. Ube is a very subtle flavor. The cookie was a little under baked. They are known for their Japanese souffle pancakes. I saw them being brought out to another table. They look really good. I'll have to go back and get them next time. Also the service was good.

Tuesday: Help! (1965)

      Ringo is sent a ring by a fan. Turns out she belongs to an Eastern cult that sacrifices their members. They need the ring to perform the sacrifice. They discover Ringo has it. So they track him down to London. They try to get it off him. Their attempts get crazier and crazier. After finding out what is happening Ringo and the other Beatles try to get the ring off. It seems impossible to get off. Scientists find out about it and also want the ring. Ringo and the other Beatles are constantly on the run, trying to get away from them. I thought this movie was alright. I liked A Hard Day's Night so much I thought I would try to watch the other Beatles movies. It was hard to find anywhere to watch this one. Finally found it at the library. I can see why it's not as accessible. Now I know that it was made in the 60s but it's pretty offensive. Lots of racist jokes. The Eastern cult are all English actors pretending to be Indian. It's problematic. There are still some fun moments with the Beatles interacting with each other.

Saturday: The Friend (2025)

     A writer named Iris is mourning the loss of her friend and mentor Walter. She learns from his second wife that he wanted her to take care of his Great Dane,  Apollo. Iris is not a dog person and has no where to keep a dog. But there is no one else who can take him. She doesn't want him sitting in a shelter. So she takes him home. It's a struggle at first. Especially because her building doesn't allow dogs and she could get in big trouble. Soon Iris and Apollo start to get along. They help each other in their grief. This movie was alright. It's sad.

Sunday: Mississippi Masala (1991)

      Mina is a young Indian woman who grew up in Uganda like her father before her. Indians were forced out of Uganda when a new regime took over in 1972. Didn't matter if they had lived there their whole life. Mina and her family ended up in Mississippi. They run a liquor store. Mina works as a maid at the motel they live at. One day she gets in a car accident and hits a carpet cleaner's van. He is a young black man named Demetrius. They run into each later at a club and hit it off. Their relationship is not accepted and causes trouble. I thought this movie was good. It's an interesting story. I didn't know about the Indians living in Uganda. What I learned was that British brought Indians to Uganda to build the railroad. After it was built many stayed on. That is until they were forced out. The new regime only wanted Black Africans.  

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