Foreign Films

I think I saw my first foreign films in high school French class. We screened Jean Cocteau's Beauty and the Beast (1946) as well as Claude Berri's Jean de Florette and its sequel, Manon of the Spring (1986). Those films mesmerized me.

As an adult, I've tried to keep up with the acclaimed foreign films that I've heard about from Siskel, Ebert, and Roeper. I've discovered Amelie, Hero, Run Lola Run, Monsoon Wedding, the early films of Ang Lee and the sublimely colorful world of Pedro Almodovar.

Today I watched The Lives of Others, the 2006 Oscar winner for Best Foreign Film, directed by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck. The film takes place in 1984 East Berlin and follows the lives of a playwright, his actress girlfriend, and the Stasi agent (secret policeman) assigned to monitor their lives and work. It's a quiet thriller and heartbreaking character piece; I highly recommend it.

Butchery Class Final(ly Over)

Today is my final butchery class. I'm a bit teary-eyed. No more soaking my chef jacket each night to get rid of the, um, stains. No more panic attacks while trimming a $30/pound beef tenderloin. No more fish guts.

I really did learn a lot and have more skills in the kitchen than ever before. But boy, oh boy, the things I've seen.

My most memorable moments:

Chef turned to me one day and said, "There's some mackerel in the sink over there. It needs to be gutted and filleted." I walked slowly to the sink, approaching it unexcitedly, and sure enough, there were mackerel in there. Four whole mackerel that were probably enjoying a leisurely swim the day before.

I became known as the Saw Lady in class. After a demo of butchering a leg of lamb, Chef said, "OK, who's next? You?" He handed me the hacksaw (yes, I said hacksaw) and told me to go for it. I'm pretty sure that was the first time I'd ever held a saw in my hand. I did so well, I got applause. The next day, Chef came over to my station and told me that he had nightmares of me and my saw.

After taking attendance one afternoon, Chef told me and another girl to go to the cooler and get the cart with the pig on it. I remained where I was and chuckled. Chef said, "No, I'm serious." We walked down to the cooler and sure enough, there was a five-tier cart with four sides of pig. I'm talking someone took two pigs and cut them straight down the middle. Averting our eyes, my fellow student and I pushed the cart down the hall. Only when we'd placed the cart in the classroom and returned to our stations did I realize that the pigs' heads were STILL ON THE CART!

And then, Chef said, "Saw Lady, you're up."

National Dessert Month

October is, yes, National Dessert Month. Doesn't that make you happy even though you could've had dessert every day in September?

I confess that I am not a dessert monger. I never save room for dessert. I'm always so eager for my entree that I gobble it up and then realize, oh yeah, there's probably a dessert menu.

Another reason that dessert and I have not developed a satisfying relationship is that I usually head for the salty snacks if I crave a little something. Put some kind of dip (onion, vegetable, dill, cheese...it really doesn't matter what) in front of me and I will find a way to eat it as fast as humanly possible. Popcorn? Pretzels? I'm there.

So in honor of Dessert Month, I think I will stretch myself and try to partake of some desserts.

Quick brainstorming: Apple pie...pound cake with lemon curd and raspberries...chocolate tart...

UMMA

The University of Michigan Art Museum is closed for remodeling. In the meantime, the museum has rented some space near campus to host small exhibits. G & I are members so whenever the exhibits change, we get to attend an opening night cocktail party.

The space is intimate and there's live music, either a band or a DJ. The hors d'oeuvres are delicious (tonight we had fresh mozzarella with tapenade on French bread and a yummy Chinese chicken salad in a flaky pastry cone) and the wine is everflowing.

I feel like my hipness quotient skyrockets when I go to these events. I wear a cute outfit, hold my glass of chardonnay, my napkin carrying the crumbs of my last appetizer, and I talk about shadows and light and composition. I love it.

Banned Books Week Sept. 29-Oct. 6

According to the American Library Association, Banned Books Week emphasizes the freedom to choose or the freedom to express one's opinion even if that opinion might be considered unorthodox or unpopular and the importance of ensuring the availability of those unorthodox or unpopular viewpoints to all who wish to read them.

Every year there are attempts to remove books from library shelves and schools. Per the ALA, 42 of 100 books recognized as the best novels of the 20th century have been challenged or banned.

Here's a brief list of recognizable titles that have been challenged:

The Great Gatsby
The Lord of the Flies
Catcher in the Rye
The Call of the Wild
In Cold Blood
The Jungle
The Handmaid's Tale
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn