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DIShGo

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Everything posted by DIShGo

  1. DIShGo
    I hate when I run to the store for celery and this happens.
  2. DIShGo
    I enjoyed an unforgettable meal at Oval Room during a recent visit to D.C. While everything I ordered was exceptional, it was the starter and the dessert that I can't get out of my head. The sautéed foie gras, with lychee, passion fruit and black olive yogurt, was sublime. It was a perfectly balanced dish. The sauce had just the right amount of sweetness, enhancing the flavor of the foie gras, which melted on my tongue. My dinner companion had a wonderful starter as well: gently smoked sweetbreads with licorice, fennel and herb salad. This dish was well named because there was a gentle smokiness to the perfectly cooked sweetbreads that did not overwhelm their flavor. I think too much smokiness can ruin a dish. The right amount, in this case, elevated it. I enjoyed rockfish as my entree. It was served in a spice broth with carrot, shrimp dumpling and an herb salad. All of the components complimented each another, although the star, for me, was the broth. The fish was cooked to perfection, and the herbs on top highlighted it. The carrots didn't add much flavor-wise, but they were visually and texturally pleasing. The only negative thing about the meal was my friend's entree. He ordered the butter roasted beef strip medium rare. It was served medium and was lacking in flavor. The dish was somewhat redeemed by the other things on the plate: cherry mustard, blue cheese gougeres and multigrain risotto. All of these were delicious and went very well together. The cherry mustard was a taste treat. If they sold it in jars, I would buy it by the case. My final impression of this lovely meal was dessert, which was nearly as good as my starter. We shared a blueberry tart topped with sweet corn ice cream and berry sauce. I love ice cream and sweet corn, but I had never experienced them together. Combined with the freshness of the blueberries and the delightfully flaky crust, this was an ideal ending to a very memorable meal.
  3. DIShGo
    "Interpreter of Maladies" by Jhumpa Lahiri is a wonderful book. It is a Pulitzer-Prize winning collection of short stories. She is a gifted writer who packs a lot of punch in very few pages. If you want to commit to a longer and more difficult book, I think everyone should read "Catch 22." It is brilliant. No hit men or mass murders, but there is some graphic war violence. My favorite non-fiction book is "Unbroken" by Laura Hillenbrand. It recently came out in paperback. If you read it now, you will be in the know when the movie about Louis Zamperini's life opens in December.
  4. DIShGo
    I love how every story has a one-word title, and, in each case, that word conveys multiple meanings. Her writing is simultaneously simple and complex. She quietly manipulates the reader, so subtly and with such grace that we don't realize what is happening until it is done.
  5. DIShGo
    When you said you thought Lauren was 15 to 17, I was certain I read somewhere that she was 13 or 14. I looked back at the story, and never (until it is revealed near the end that she is 10) is her age mentioned. Never would I have guessed she was so young. In the paragraph where Munroe describes how Eileen and Harry treated Lauren as much older than she was, it says, "One of the boys had suggested sex to her and she had agreed, but he could not make any progress and they became cross with each other and later she hated the sight of him." Never in a million years would I have guessed she was 10! I did, however, guess from the start that Delphine was Lauren's mother and was trying to reestablish a relationship with her. This, too, turned out not to be the case. I didn't pick up a creepy vibe from Delphine, as you did. I thought she was a sad woman who made a series of bad choices and was trying to turn her life around. I thought her true love for Lauren would win out in the end. I did think something sinister was going on, but I thought it was something involving Eileen and the dead baby. I figured Harry was trying to protect Lauren from knowing what Eileen had done, and when that was ultimately revealed, Lauren would wind up with Delphine. So I was lead down a different, but also wrong, path by Munroe.
  6. DIShGo
    Because I finished reading "Trespasses" so long ago, I have gone back and reread it a couple of times. Each time I do, I notice some striking detail that I missed the first time. I think there are a lot of layers to Munroe's writing, and her words become richer when you read them again. The first few paragraphs of this story are offsetting because you have NO idea what is happening. The last paragraph is incredibly sad. All of those "burrs" stuck to Lauren, causing her pain, and all she can do is wait to be rid of them.
  7. DIShGo
    It would be interesting to know if the actresses playing the role of Cressida present her as flighty and vain or sweet and sincere. I wonder if the turn of events to come took viewers unfamiliar with the story by surprise.
  8. DIShGo
    I liked Beowulf. I think I was the only person in my high school English lit class who did.
  9. DIShGo
    I found a couple other things worth noting here. First, I found it interesting that after their first night of lovemaking. Troilus can't seem to get out of there quickly enough to suit him. And that Cressida, once again, laments that she gave of herself too readily, and that if only she had held out, Troilus might be lying next to her, spooning. When it is learned that she must leave Troy, Troilus seems more concerned with no one discovering he was there, enjoying a night of lustful debauchery, than with the fact that his "true love" is being sent away. Pandarus seems more upset by the news, but he acts more troubled by how it will affect Troilus than with the welfare of his niece. This is another example of how women were viewed as property at this time.
  10. DIShGo
    Thank you for clearing this up for me. I had forgotten about her father being banished from Troy. Remembering that makes his actions more understandable.
  11. DIShGo
    I found it shocking that Diomede spoke this way about the most beautiful woman in the world over whom a war was being waged. His language was extremely descriptive, to-the-point and offensive. While Helen took the brunt of it, he was harsh about Paris and Menelaus as well. I was surprised by Paris' calm reaction--that he didn't jump to defend Helen's honor or himself. Instead, he basically said, "You are just jealous because you can't have her." Clearly Diomede's speech illustrates how fatigued the soldiers are of this war and that they blame Helen for it. The way Diomede speaks about Helen, and the way that Helen and Cressida are seen in this play as "things" to be had, stolen and bartered with, makes me appreciate that I do not live in a society where such attitudes still exist, and sad for the women who do. I enjoyed this scene, too. That's two in a row!
  12. DIShGo
    Ah, yes, I see your point about meaning one. Leave it to you to find a Star Trek connection!
  13. DIShGo
    I agree with Don that Oenotri and Bouchon are well worth a visit if you are in the Napa Valley, and Sushi Sam's has the best sushi I have ever tasted. I live near Napa, and there is a new restaurant in Yountville called Ciccio that I absolutely love. It is a warm, unpretentious Italian place with great service and wonderful food. The restaurant is small (it was an Italian grocery store in 1916) and they do not take reservations. Try to get there early if you can. If you can't, the wait usually isn't that long. They don't have a huge bar or outside waiting area, but if you walk up the main street of Yountville there are many places where you can enjoy a pre-dinner drink. The last time I was there, my friends and I walked across the street to the new R&D Restaurant for a cocktail on their beautiful patio while we waited.
  14. DIShGo
    I did not notice this, and when I went back and read the passage, it seems to me like meaning number two makes the most sense, if this is a list of positive things for which a person should not seek remuneration. If it refers to military service in a desert, that would be something for which a person might expect adulation. If he intended all three meanings, do you think Ulysses mentioned desert of service (definition number 3) as a subtle dig at Achilles' reluctance to fight? I know very little about Greek mythology, but some brief and limited research on the internet showed numerous connections between Achilles' and Troilus' deaths and Apollo.
  15. DIShGo
    Achilles has become a pacifist because of his love for Polyxena, king Priam's youngest daughter, and Troilus' sister. In Greek mythology, he tells her about his vulnerable heel, and he is killed by her brothers because of it. I think Ulysses and Patroclus are appealing to Achilles' wounded ego to try to get him interested in the war instead of love. They are both playing up how beloved Ajax has become while he, Achilles, is being forgotten. Perhaps Achilles desire to sit peacefully with Hector shows how he is more interested in his Trojan love than winning the war. As for the to reference Apollo, I think he was mentioned here because he is the god of music and poetry, and the lyre was supposedly created for him. It is interesting to note, however, that in Greek mythology, Achilles is ambushed and killed by Polxena's brothers at the temple of Apollo. At line 2163 in my book, it says, in italics before the dialogue, {to Thersites who is playing Ajax,}. Then, at line 2180, it says, {he pretends to exit.} This exchange is a little play within the play in which Patroclus and Thersites poke fun at the dimwitted Ajax.
  16. DIShGo
    I am currently reading "Endurance," a book of poetry called "New Shoes on a Dead Horse," and "Troilus and Cressida." porcupine, did you ever get around to reading "Unbroken?" It's a little slow starting, but I think it is a worthwhile read.
  17. DIShGo
    I think seeing the original film first and then the Director's Cut second is the way to go. If you are only going to see it once, I don't think you would go wrong choosing either version.
  18. DIShGo
    I just finished watching the Director's Cut of Amadeus, and I think the additional scenes enhance the film. I think the role of Constanze is strengthened, and her hatred of Salereri at the end of the film makes more sense.
  19. DIShGo
    I enjoyed this scene. I feel like we are getting into the meat of the play. This scene has humor, drama, foreshadowing and philosophical musings. I liked Ulysses' speech about how a person cannot see himself until he gives to others and then his worth is reflected back through his actions. I enjoyed his thoughts on how people latch on to the latest thing, forgetting past good deeds and remembering whatever is attracting the most attention at the moment. I thought this speech was very applicable to our times. I didn't like the way Cressida's father offered her up so quickly. I assumed he would have been badgered and tormented about it. Instead, he offered her up on a silver platter without even being asked.
  20. DIShGo
    What an incredibly talented man. The ending made me think of Robin Williams.
  21. DIShGo
    He was an a big supporter of St. Jude's Children's Hospital. I made a donation to that organization today, to honor his memory.
  22. DIShGo
    To DonRocks, without whom none of us would be here! Happy birthday, dear friend.
  23. DIShGo
    I have a friend from high school who is obsessed with this film. When we were in college, he had reunion parties that he named after himself and talked ad nauseam about how we were just like the characters in the movie. He pretty much ruined Big Chill for me, and not just because he made my best friend JoBeth Williams while I was Mary Kay Place.
  24. DIShGo
    There are movies you see, enjoy and then forget about. Midnight Cowboy, for me, was NOT one of those films. This is a movie that I have continued to think about long after the credits rolled. Jon Voight was phenomenal as Joe Buck. He said in an interview that he was paid minimum wage for the role, and that the studio even charged him for his lunch on the last day of shooting. He said he knew the movie would make his career, and he was right. The Academy was progressive in giving Midnight Cowboy three Oscars, not only given its nudity and melancholy overtones, but because it was rated X. I am sure there were a fair number of Hollywood insiders who were opposed to setting that precedent in 1969.
  25. DIShGo
    It is interesting that you even noticed it. This is a very effective passage. It seems to be about beets, but really it accomplishes two things at once. It shows Delphine's personality and illustrates, with the quote that follows it, that she is searching for similarities between Lauren and herself.
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