News & Views of Phillips Since 1976
Sunday July 28th 2024
Searching ”“ A Serial Novelle Chapter 16: El Corrido De Don Jaime
By Patrick Cabello Hansel
When Angel and Luz arrived at her abuela”'s house, the whole neighborhood was gathered. Children running everywhere, elderly women dancing to scratchy phonograph records from Mexico. Even though it was freezing outside, Luz”'s cousin Rodrigo was in the backyard, turning steaks and sausages on a large grill cut from an oil drum. People who had run in terror from the raid just a few hours before were partying as if Mexico had just won the World Cup. Luz finally found her grandmother Dolores in the kitchen. Over the noise, she asked her what happened.
“Your Uncle Jaime is free!” she shouted as she gave her a big hug.
“What?” Luz cried. “Immigration let him go?”
“No, mi amor””he escaped””he flew the coop””¡voló como un paloma!”
It took a few moments for this to sink in.
“Where? How? Abuela, they”'re going to come looking for him! They”'ll bust the door down!” Luz shouted.
“No-no, he”'s safe””he”'s not here””he”'s miles away and they”'ll never catch him again!”
Luz wasn”'t quite sure what that meant, and kept shaking her head. Angel, meanwhile, stood with his hands in his pockets, surrounded by people whom he did not know, but who surely knew Luz.… Read the rest “Searching ”“ A Serial Novelle Chapter 16: El Corrido De Don Jaime”
Food Obsession: Something Different
by Jane Thomson
My readers (both relatives) are probably tired of my preaching about diet, obesity, waste etc., so I will tone it down.
These two recipes are good for summer. Neither is for “everyday”.
“Bill”'s” Smoked Oyster Salad (from Star Tribune, long ago)
3 cans of smoked oysters, drained
2 cups of cooked curly macaroni, rinsed
1 green pepper, chopped
1 rib celery, chopped
3 ripe medium-size tomatoes, cut up
6 hard-boiled egg, sliced
Mayonnaise seasoned with a dash of ketchup
“Good squirts” of Tobasco sauce
Combine oysters, macaroni, green pepper, celery, 2 of the tomatoes and 5 of the eggs. Moisten with mayonnaise, seasoning to taste with ketchup and Tobasco. Chill. Serve garnished with sliced egg and tomato wedges. Serves 6 to 8.
This recipe is a good one to illustrate the point that you should read the whole recipe, instructions and all, before starting to make it as there are some time lapses involved. Obviously, since there are no instructions for heating the water, it is for experienced cooks.
Red, White and Blue Salad (also from Strib)
Have a glass 9×13-inch pan? This salad would look nicer in glass.
2 of 3 oz. packages of raspberry Jello
3 cups of hot water
1 envelope of plain gelatin
½ cup of cold water
1 cup of half-and-half
1 cup of sugar
1 tsp.… Read the rest “Food Obsession: Something Different”
Solitary Man & The Karate Kid
The Solitary Man
Solitary Man (2009)
***1/2
Millennium Films
Comedy/Drama
Running Time: 90 minutes
Director: Brian Koppelman and David Levien
Michael Douglas as graying old Ben Kalmen is neither villain nor hero in “Solitary Man,” Mr. Kalmen in his heyday was a sparkling car dealer for New York”'s Honest Car Dealership. He”'s saliently flawed in the morality department by cheating on his wife Nancy (Susan Sarandon) and disappointed his daughter Susan (Jenna Fischer) too many times to count.
Interestingly enough, Ben”'s not solitary by choice but because of his breaking trust with the ones he loves. His new girlfriend Jordan (Mary-Louise Parker) asks him to accompany her college-bound daughter Allyson (Imogen Poots) to a college interview at his alma mater. He”'s reluctant to go but he goes anyway. Later (as he has done in the past) he makes more injudicious choices.
Michael Douglas is one of those actors who can look like he”'s in crisis or about to get out of one. “Solitary Man” is no “Fatal Attraction” (1987) nor is it “American President” (1995) which Michael Douglas also starred in. Douglas, like Robert DeNiro in “everybody”'s Fine”, has alienated himself from familial circles in sated conclusion: everybody”'s dysfunctional.
Related Images:
Keep citizen journalism alive!
