The Story of Sushi...........

A new book from Trevor Corson, entitled "The Zen of Fish: The Story of Sushi from Samurai to Supermarket," deals with how sushi makes its way to these united states. It is his first book since the succesful venture "The Secret Life of Lobsters."

Corson's new book was profiled in the June 22 edition of the (Portland) "Maine Sunday Telegram."

Corson, 38, used to live in Little Cranberry Island, Maine, near Acadia Natl. Park. Today, he lives in Washington, D.C.

Ray Routhier of "The Telegram" said Corson has a way of telling folks in much detail about the stories behind the foods they like to devour.

Corson told the Portland, Maine newspaper that his frst book resulted from working as a sternman on a lobster boat while he lived in Maine. For his sesond book, Corson wanted to explore his mutual interests in Japan and seafood.

"The challenge was figuring out how to tell an American story about sushi, since I wrote for an American audience," Corson told "That's when I discovered the California Sushi Academy in Los Angeles, where young Americans train to become sushi chefs."

Corson also emphasized that his book is a nonfiction documentary about Kate Murray who struggles to survive as a chef-in-training at the sushi academy.Among Murray's challenges are the fact that she is not Asian, and that she is a woman.

The author also revealed that the Japanese sushi industry now has sushi-making robots!

Corson also examines American phobias regarding sushi:

"The word 'sushi' actually has nothing to do with raw fish," Corson said. "It refers simply to rice that has been seasoned with vinegar and sugar (and a little salt.)"

For more info:

http://www.trevorcorson.com

"The Maine Sunday Telegram" is the Sunday edition of "The Portland Press-Herald."

http://www.pressherald.com

 

 

Allen Ginsberg Doc Out on DVD

Here at "Politics, Culture, and Other Wastes of Time," we don't normally denote entires about something that's in "The New York Times." For one, because they don't have a comics section, it is not my favorite newspaper though it is more satisfying than "The Reidsville Review" (pardon the in-joke). Secondly, their web site is only available to those who are willing to pay a stippen.

Nevertheless, they did mention my friend Les Blank, a documentary filmmaker in Berkeley, Cal., a few weeks back.

And, the paper's July 24 edition featured a "Critic's Choice: New DVDs" column by Dave Kehr. One of Kehr's choices is a film that was showing when I was in Montreal as a young man, back in 1994, entitled "The Life and Times of Allen Ginsberg."

Kehr states that director Jerry Aronson has 'augmented a crisp, straightforward documentary portrait of the poet with six hours of extra material for this double-disc release."

Kehr said the film follows Ginsberg from his middle-class childhood in New Jersey through his breakthrough as a beat poet in the 1960s. The doc also explores Ginsberg's conversion to Buddhism and his political activities.

The film also includes footage of Ginsberg and Bob Dylan visiting Jack Kerouac's grave (Ginsberg has since died as well) and a 1965 reading with Neal Cassady at the City Lights bookstore in San Francisco.

(New Yorker Video, $34.95)

For those interested in Les Blank, who directed the brilliant 1982 doc "Burden of Dreams" about the making of Werner Herzog's German epic "Fitzcarraldo," which was filmed in the Amazon jungles of Peru, you can log on to Blank's web site:

http://www.lesblank.com

Herzog's new film, "Rescue Dawn," which is based on an earlier doc that he made is showing nationwide this week. It opened at the Grandin Theatre in Roanoke, Va., on Friday, for those of you from my neck-of-the-woods.

http://www.grandintheatre.com

 

 

Old Hats in Bean Town

I actually thought I had an abundance of material for my blog, as I was on the road for some two and half weeks. But, I actually just had writer's block....yikes!

This blog entry will reveal something that some of you may not know about me: my mother is an antique dealer! In fact, she will be at a show in Lynchburg, Va., on Oct. 26.

But, today's installment is about another antique dealer, and one with a specialty_hats!

Mary Lou Connaught of Saugus, Mass., was the profile a sidebar in the July 24 edition of "The Boston Globe."

As a flight attendant, she gathered many clothing items from around the world, including jewelry, hats and handbags. She now has them in her store, Mary Lou's Vintage Clothing Boutique, which is located in the Cambridge Antique Market in Cambridge, Mass.

Connaught told "The Boston Globe" that she always had a love for nicely made items that could withstand the test of time.

Her items are from many decades, including the '30s, '40s and '50s.

Perhaps, if she opened a store in New Hampshire, Sen. Hillary Clinton would stop by! Items start at $15, so you may have to be Hillary to shop there:)

Mary Lou's Vintage Clothing Boutique

Cambridge Antique Market

201 Msgr. O'Brien Hwy.

Cambridge, Mass.

617-868-9655

Useful Links:

http://www.marketantique.com

http://boston.com/sidekick

For more info on my mom's show in Lynchburg, email me at turkam@yahoo.com

 

A Version of Harry Potter That Won't Be in the Classroom

While in Massachusetts, I picked up a copy of Boston's main hip alternative paper "The Boston Phoenix," which needs a better spellchecker (they spelled "Hustler" publisher Larry Flynt's name Larry Flint).

The July 20 issue of the newspaper had some quips from stadup comedian Lizz Winstead, who was performing in Boston that weekend.

When asked what happens to Harry Potter in the final book, the quick-witted comedian replied:

"I think he meets up with Ted Haggard and they have a not-gay affair and then Harry Potter has to go to gay-conversion camp. It will be called 'Harry Pott-him."

Well, all you Potter fans were warned that this entry might offend you!:)

Useful Links:

thephoenix.com

A Cocktail Named for a Political Candidate?

The Aug. 2007 issue of "Esquire" has former NC Sen. John Edwards (D) on its cover, but the very last page of the trendy men's magazine has a cocktail named for the Republican Michael Dukakis himself. I am, of course, refering to former Massachuesetts Gov. Mitt Romney (R).

Here is how you can you and your friends a "Mint Romney:" (some irony here as Romney is of the Mormon faith, and like faithful Moslems, they are not known for alcohol consumption)

Mint Romney

1. Four springs mint
2. Two-ounce bourbon
3. one tsp. of sugar
4. Add mint, bourbon, sugar in a coktail shaker
5. Shake vigorously
6. Discard, replace with tap water
7. Invite Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-Mass).........ok, I added this one!

The recipe was written by Bob Scheffler. His other cocktail suggestions include a "Bombay Stinger," a "Bay Area Bullet" and "Ocean's Thirtini."

UPDATE_ I just watched this great footage (even better than "Sicko") from a "Washington Post" blog of Romney getting confronted by Michelle Griffin, a watiress at the Red Arrow Diner in Manchester, NH, where the Republican candidate was trying to woo voters. The same diner has been visited by Sen. Joe Biden (D-Del.) and Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.). Griffin, who has one daughter with Crohn's disease and another daughter with diabetes, accused Romney of hypocricy as she criticized the lack of decent health care coverage that she recieves. Romney was clearly uncomfortable with the waitress who interupted his prepared stump speech. It was almost enough to make me sympathize for Romney, even though I'm a Democrat! But Griffin is not a partisan, as it turns out, she also confronted Biden over health care. Good for her!

http://www.washingtonpost.com/-thetrail

Interesting Letter to the Editor From a New Yorker

While traveling, I like to collect letters to the editors from local papers. While I did not go to New York City on this trip (though I was in Port Jervis, NY), I did pick up an issue of "The New York Daily News."

There was this humorous letter from Jean Hopkins of Bronx, NY. It pertains to Iraq.

It reads as follows:

"Please explain how American soldiers are being killed and maimed on a daily basis in Iraq, yet strong, healthy Iraqi men are playing soccer in Indonesia!"

I am not sure which political direction the letter-writer took, but she makes a very good point about the confusion over 'all things Mesopatamia.'

Links:

http://www.nydailynews.com

Rudy was in NH When We Were...NOT AN ENDORSEMENT

Amazingly enough, the former mayor of New York City was in Linoa, NH, while we were in the vicitinity of Littleton, NH. We saw no signs for him, but we did see one for his Republican primary opponent Cong. Ron Paul (R-Tx) along the Vermont border.

As for me, I will be endorsing either Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) or Gov. Bill Richardson (D-NM) very soon. Hillary has dropped to third, and John Edwards, who is from my state of NC, is a distant fourth.

My favorite Republican is that congressman from Texas.......he ranks sixth behing Sen. Joe Biden (D-Del.).

I guess Rudy and Mitt Romney might be better options than Cong. Dennis Kuchinich (D-Ohio), but................after W can we honestly trust the Republicans again? Well, I'm not sure we ever could!:)

http://www.barackobama.com

http://www.billrichardson.com

PS_ I saw Rudy Guilani on Charlie Rose last night. I was surprised by how much he knew about the Michael Moore doc "Sicko," though he claims 'not to have seen it.' He also showed the limits of his foreign policy agenda by proclaiming that he would make sure that all American ambassadors respond to 'all criticism of our country' abroad. With the fiasco in Iraq, this would be one tall order!

Hillary Clinton will be on David Letterman on Aug. 30.