We just returned from a fabulous trip to the Côte d’Azur, still rhapsodizing about it, it’s back to business as usual. Quickly skimming across my favorite blogs, I stumbled over a movie-related questionnaire last night and being a movie buff par excellence, nothing could have kept me from letting it pass by unanswered. Anke, Kaltmamsell, thanks for the inspiration!
no.1 – Name a movie you have seen more than 10 times
Impossible mission, oops, well not the movie, but it’s really tough to name just one: L.A. Confidental, The Thrill of It All, Jo, What’s up, Doc?, Delicatessen, The Graduate, La Boum, Heat, Something’s Gotta Give, Dead Poets Society, How to Marry a Millionaire, One, Two, Three, Sabrina, A Simple Plan, All the President’s Men, The Ice Storm, Jackie Brown and probably many more
no.2 – Name a movie you’ve seen multiple times in the theater
Delicatessen, The Big Blue, Alien, From Dusk Till Dawn, Paris, Texas
no.3 – Name an actor who would make you more inclined to see a movie
In no specific order: Kevin Spacey, Maggie Gyllenhall, Zooey Deschanel, Anthony Hopkins, Robert De Niro, Amanda Peet, Al Pacino, Jack Nicholson, Cate Blanchett, Edward Norton, Laura Linney, Marion Cotillard, Sean Bean, Ewan McGregor, Peter Sarsgaard, Greg Kinnear, Martin Sheen, Jean Reno, Judi Dench, Kevin Kline, Alan Rickman, Ian McKellen, Sean Connery, Louis de Funés, Lauren Bacall, Doris Day, Liselotte Pulver
no.4 – Name an actor who would make you less likely to see a movie
Sylvester Stallone, Tom Hanks, Nicolas Cage, Jessica Biel, John Cusack
Just like salt and pepper, stock made from meats or vegetables is a standard ingredient in many, many recipes we cook. Back in the days when I was a student (wow somehow that sounds really weird, will I get punished with gray hair by just having said this?), I was quite indifferent – really, I couldn’t care less about what exactly I used in my recipes, broth powder, stock cubes from the supermarket? No problem, they did the job! Glutamate, flavor enhancers? What was that again?
With my taste buds becoming more and more picky and my increasing knowledge and interest about everything edible, my shopping habits changed naturally over time: besides many other things, ordinary salt was substituted by sea salt – crumbling the large crystals of fleur de sel with my fingers over a freshly cooked dish has become an indispensable ritual – and of course yucky broth powder quickly lost its place on my spice board.
Today, whenever possible, we try to avoid artificial flavor enhancers like MSG (monosodium glutamate, E 621). Glutamate being responsible for the umami taste (savory to meaty) and while occurring naturally in many vegetables like tomatoes and cheese, is accused of negative health effects like the “Chinese restaurant syndrome“, a definite scientific evidence is missing though. Besides its appetizing effect, one’s taste buds get accustomed to it and ask for more, in contrast, the natural taste of ingredients might be perceived as boring and dull. All valid reasons for avoiding artificially added MSG when possible, don’t you think?
It’s Easter time, are you in for a seasonal baking treat? Here’s a great and fun alternative to hard boiled eggs…
Some trivia: Have you ever wondered what determines the color of a chicken egg shell? It’s all about the earlobes. Well, almost, it depends on whether or not the chicken is a purebred. If so, chicken with white lobes predominantly deliver white eggs, ones with red earlobes brown eggs. Araucana chicken are special: they produce green-bluish eggs. If the chicken is a crossbreed really anything is possible.
Want a baby? were the words, Kristin welcomed us with recently. Not exactly sure, whether I was up to a discussion about family planing early morning, so I simply glazed at her with questioning eyes. She laughed wholeheartedly about my silly face and revealed the background of her deluding question: She was raising a Hermann and therefor looking for adoptive parents.
For me a Hermann (a starter, yeast culture) is a relict from the 80s, a sort of edible chain-letter which actually never made it into my hands. I can’t speak from personal, first hand experience with the Hermann family nor have I ever tried the final product. Hearing the term, I couldn’t help but picture a classic advocate of the eco-movement wearing woolen socks and sandals raising a Hermann baby – of course it’s just a cliché.
