Kurosawa Rocks in Black and White

For some reason, TCM channel has been having a Akira Kurosawa fest...Seven Samurai, Yojimbo. It is amazing how that fellow could get the audience engaged, despite the lack of color, special effects, and grand band music.

I loved his takeoffs on Shakespearean plays...Throne of Blood. To see the play from a Japanese perspective. Wow!! Food for thought, food for the eyes.

It seems that often, his films show landscape that is so dusty, dirty, and windy. Although I lived in Japan, I never saw such places. It lends a sense of desolation and desperation to the scene.

We cannot leave off the handsome Toshiro Mifune, a fellow who awakenend women's interest in oriental men during the 1940-50s. Much of the acting hinged on the language of the eyes, and the profound nodding of the head. Mifune played some of the goofy roles well and quite a contrast to his serious Samurai characters of later years.

Good movies like good novels withstand the test of time and engage us as human beings with the struggles of the characters on the page or the screen. We need more stuff with substance.

March Aphorism

Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.

Thomas Alva Edison

Sky Garden Restaurant Noodles

One of the best places for fresh and healthy foods in Hilo is the Sky Garden Restaurant at the 'Imiloa Astronomy Center on the University of Hawai'i at Hilo's campus. The restaurant has an awesome view of Hilo to entice the diner.

Their lunch buffets are fabulous. Don't let the small table for salads fool you. You can find some wonderful tidbits to fill your plate again and again. More than a bowl of tossed greens, there is sweet potato salad, sprouts, tofu, crunchy toppings, and a variety of delicious dressings.

Their hot entree line is filled with really yummy items. I like their salt and pepper shrimp, and their mapo tofu is bombastic. For the tofu dish, you really need to take a portion of rice since it is quite spicy!! The items change from time to time but everything is very flavorful and they do a good job in refilling the items on the line.

Went to the restaurant this past Saturday for a book club meeting. We discussed Carolyn Mones' book, Last Chinese Chef. So we decided to order some appetizers to nibble along. We had fried squid, potstickers, green beans with garlic, spring rolls, minced chicken with lettuce cups, and beef noodle soup.

The beef noodle soup was a winner with thick chunks of beef that looked like they were marinated in shoyu, ginger, and garlic. The noodles look like flat Japanese udon noodles. They also added slices of mustard cabbage for color and crunch. The sauce was dark and flavorful!! Really worthy in light of the many options one can choose at the Sky Garden. Will try to replicate the recipe at home.

Food for thought

I used to eat a lot of natural foods until I learned that most people die of natural causes. (Read this somewhere)

Why is it that there are people who exercise a lot who still die of heart attacks?

Why is it that there are vegetarians who are fat?

Why is it that an unhealthy, fast food diet is so much cheaper than a diet filled with fruits and vegetables?

Why is it that it costs so much for fish when we live on an island?

Why is it that there are rich people who are so unhappy?

Why is it that there are poor people who are so happy?

Life is indeed a quandary.