Here and There
by Andrea Rademan
When Carol Selva Rajah, a prize-winning cookbook author, wanted to learn how to make sushi, she packed her bags and moved to Tokyo, where she enrolled at Asahari culinary academy. By the time she left she had picked up an understanding of Japanese cuisine, a rough command of the language, and a host of recipes that wound up on the pages of her bestselling, A SEAFOOD CELEBRATION. Her latest book, HEAVENLY FRAGRANCE Cooking with Aromatic Asian Herbs, Fruits, Spices and Seasonings (ISBN-13: 978-0-7946-0353-3, $39.95, Tuttle Publishing), just out, won a starred review from Library Journal, which said “Each chapter begins with a detailed, illustrated glossary of these aromatic ingredients, and many of the imaginative recipes, which range from Fresh Tuna with Citrus, Starfruit, and Jicama to Crab Soup with Lemongrass, Tamarind, and Mint, are shown in gorgeous color photographs. The text is a pleasure to read, and the recipes are enticing.” Local food maven, Dan Cox, said, “There are countless cookbooks that deal with taste, but (this) takes fragrance – that most seductive of culinary qualities – as its basic premise… Here we are talking… about the expert blending of many aromas – like the blending of a fine perfume – that can be achieved in a kitchen stocked with Asian aromatics. Inspired by fond memories of fragrant cooking since her childhood days, the author has included in this book a collection of new and classic Asian dishes for cooks who wish to recreate the memorable flavors at home.
Moving among different worlds was an exciting experience but nothing unusual for the daughter of a Malay mother and a Sri Lankan father who was raised in Singapore by a Chinese amah and has a network of relatives and friends throughout Asia. After moving to Australia with her late husband, she worked as an English teacher in Cabramatta, then a poverty-stricken area, while raising their three children. There, she pioneered a program of food tours for day trippers so they could explore the ingredients, flavors and tastes available at the local Vietnamese, Laotian, Cambodian, Thai and Malaysian markets. She also introduced them to Japanese cuisine and started a rage for nori (seaweed), eaten as snacks, in sushi, and using the breaken up leaves in salads. Her efforts were recognized when she won the prestigious Jaguar Gourmet Traveller Award for Excellence in Gastronomic Travel. In addition to writing for leading publications, sitting on food and wine boards, acting as a judge at international competitions, being a Guest Chef on the QE2 and hosting a TV series, she was the first Australian woman to cook at the James Beard Foundation in New York City. She relaxes by cooking spectacular dinners for a cancer charity in Sydney.
June 14 Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel, 1700 Ocean Ave, Santa Monica; Gourmet magazine’s annual grilling spectacular, GOURMET ON FIRE! Akasha Richmond (Akasha); Govind Armstrong (Table 8); Gregory Foos (Ocean & Vine at Loews Santa Monica); Joe Miller (Joe’s); Katsuya Uechi (Katsu-Ya); Neal Fraser (Grace, BLD); Zoe Nathan, pastry chef at Rustic Canyon); and Michael Green (Gourmet Wine & Spirits Consultant) gather poolside at sunset for sizzling cuisine, winning wines and cool cocktails. A portion of proceeds benefit The Southland Farmer’s Markets Association. Sponsors: Cavit, Häagen-Dazs, Kerrygold, Pam, Spice Islands and Tommy Bahama Ultra Premium Rum. Tickets: 877-490-3337 or www.gourmetscoop.com/fire $90 before June 1, $100 after.
June 19 - 29 LOS ANGELES FILM FESTIVAL (LAFilmFest.com)
will screen more than 230 feature films, shorts, and music videos, chosen from more than 5000 worldwide submissions. Among them are several films from Asia, several in the International Showcase, which highlights the best of world cinema, including: The Amazing Truth About Queen Raquela – Iceland/Philippines/USA; Exodus – Hong Kong; Hello, Stranger – South Korea; Useless – China; and Wonderful Town – Thailand. Japan’s X-CROSS (Kenta Fukasaku) is among the summer sneak-peeks and THE MAKIOKA SISTERS (1983) and KON ICHIKAWA, from the master filmmaker who died this year, will be among four Special Event Screenings at the Ford Amphitheatre. The UCLA Film & Television Archive presents four films from China and Project: Involve showcases Half-Life (Jennifer Phang). Network at Diversity EXPO, which offers access to over 40 entertainment and media organizations. Info: Jhwang@filmindependent.org.
May 23-29 IMAGINASIAN CENTER, 251 South Main Street, Dntn.
Director Nobuo Mizuta and screenwriter Kankuro Kudo (PING PONG, Yaji and Kita: The Midnight Pilgrims, Takashi Miike’s Zebraman), MAIKO HAAAAN!!! do a slapstick comedy with an energetic twist of manic Japanese humor and a colorful introduction to the little-seen Maiko (apprentice Geisha) world. Japanese salary man, Kimihiko Onizuka (Sadawo Abe, KAMIKAZE GIRLS), dumps his girlfriend to pursue his dream of courting a real Maiko in Kyoto. The lavish Maiko Houses become a social barrier partly caused by a rival, a millionaire baseball player (Shinichi Tsutsumi). But Kimihiko, undaunted, embarks on a wild journey to gain entry to the Geisha inner sanctum. Meanwhile, his girlfriend (Kou Shibasaki) leaves Tokyo to become a Maiko herself. Aside from the over-the-top plot and comedic performances, the film provides a unique and introduction into Japanese culture.
Roger Spottiswoode’s THE CHILDREN OF HUANG SHI, based on real events, is a sweeping but intimate story set against war-torn China in the 1930’s. English journalist (JONATHAN RHYS MEYERS), an American nurse (RADHA MITCHELL) and the leader of a Chinese partisan group (CHOW YUN FAT) rescue 60 orphaned children, leading them on an extraordinary journey across hundreds of miles of treacherous terrain, through snow-covered mountains and a blistering desert. Along the way they discover the true meaning of love, responsibility and courage.
TUYA’S MARRIAGE A film by Wang Quan’an, is the tale of Tuya, a hardworking and hardheaded Mongolian desert herder who refuses to be settled in a town in accordance with the new industrialization policy. She has two kids, a disabled husband and 100 sheep to care for, but when she injures her back, for the family’s survival she must divorce her husband on paper and find for a new spouse who can take care of the whole family. Suitors line up but it’s not easy to find a man who fits the bill. This warm, endearing tale, featuring stunning cinematography, won the top prize at the 2007 Berlin International Film Festival. Andrew O’Hehir, of Salon, called it “A compact near-masterpiece that combines a slow-motion romantic comedy with a docudrama-style portrait of a remote, nomadic culture as it is gradually eroded by the tides of the 21st century.”
HOLLYWOOD CHINESE From the first Chinese American film produced in 1917, to the present, this is a fascinating portrait of actors, directors, writers, and iconic images of the Chinese as imagined in movies. Produced, directed, written and edited by Academy Award® nominee and triple Sundance award-winning filmmaker, Arthur Dong (Licensed to Kill, Coming Out Under Fire, Forbidden City, U.S.A.), it presents eleven of the industry’s most accomplished Chinese and Chinese-American film artists, including Ang Lee, Wayne Wang, Joan Chen, David Henry Hwang, Justin Lin, B.D. Wong, Nancy Kwan and Amy Tan. Luise Rainer (Good Earth, 1937), Christopher Lee (Fu Manchu, 1960-65), and 1940s matinee idol Turhan Bey (Dragon Seed, 1944) give first-hand recollections of playing yellow on the silver screen. Humorous, maddening, and inspiring, it weaves a rich tapestry marked by unforgettable performances and groundbreaking films, but also tainted by a tangled history of race and representation.
UP THE YANGTZE. In China, it is known as “The River”but the Yangtze—and the life that surrounds it—is undergoing a transformation wrought by the largest hydroelectric project in history, the Three Gorges Dam. Canadian documentary filmmaker Yung Chang returns to the disappearing landscape of his grandfather’s youth to trace a “farewell cruise. Chang’s ‘upstairs-downstairs’ approach beautifully captures the microcosmic society of the luxury liner. Below deck: A bewildered young girl trains as a dishwasher, sent to work by her peasant family that is on the verge of relocation from the encroaching floodwaters. Above deck: wealthy international tourists set sail to catch a last glance of a country in flux. The teenaged employees who serve and entertain them -- tagged with Westernized names like “Cindy” and “Jerry” -- warily grasp the prospect of a more prosperous future. Moving and breathtaking, UP THE YANGTZE gives a human dimension to the wrenching changes facing not only an increasingly globalized China, but the world at large.
Enter the “BE THE ONE” online talent competition in conjunction with the new national tour of the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning musical “A Chorus Line.” Visit www.CenterTheatreGroup.org/audition to create an audition profile. The top 17 vote getters will be invited to a live callback. Four men and four women will win tickets to the show and then compete against finalists from other cities for the National Grand Prize: a trip to New York City including airfare and hotel accommodations, tickets to Broadway shows, backstage tours, show merchandise, meet and greets and more. “L.A.’s Singular Sensation” will win $500. The show runs May 22 through July 6 at The Ahmanson Theatre at the Music Center, 135 N. Grand Ave, downtown. Info: 213-628-2772.
May 18–October 12 BOWERS MUSEUM (2002 N. Main St, Santa Ana; 714-567-3642) presents Terra Cotta Warriors: Guardians of China’s First Emperor, the largest loan of terra cotta figures and significant artifacts to ever travel to the U.S. from the tomb complex of China’s First Emperor, Qin Shi Huang. Considered one of the greatest archaeological discoveries of the 20th century, the First Emperor’s enormous mausoleum features thousands of terra cotta warriors that were intended to protect him throughout eternity. Since their discovery, the terra cotta army has been termed the Eighth Wonder of the Ancient World, and the exhibition showcases 100 sets of objects, including 14 complete life-size terra cotta warriors. In addition to seeing the famed terra cotta warriors, visitors can explore the galleries, see a film, or purchase specialty drinks (the Asian Pear Martini, Emperor Champagne, Lichini, Chi-Chi, and Mandarintini) and entrées like the grilled “Terra Cotta Warrior” rib eye or kurobuta (black hog) pork chops at Tangata Restaurant. The PIMCO Foundation is hosting Free Friday Nights admission for up to 100 visitors per hour and the museum will stay open until 8 pm. Tickets bowers.org
June 20 They’ll be singing in Nagasaki, humming in Hawaii, warbling in Washington state, and intoning in Toronto during SOLSTICE SING FOR PEACE, a grassroots movement empowering local organizations and individuals to create 24-hours of singing for peace in 24 time zones on the 2008 Summer Solstice, which officially begins at 11:59 p.m. GMT on Friday, June 20th. Performers around the world will sing in celebration of peace for a portion of that period. Individual Vocalists and Singing Groups of all genres and experience levels are invited to join, including rock bands, rap and hip-hop groups, school choruses, church choirs, community choruses, bluegrass groups, opera companies, Buddhist chanters, etc, can sing together or in relays. Concerts will utilize local talent and sponsorship. Organizations endorsing the event include World Peace Project for Children, Aloha Peace House, Food on Foot, and the American Choral Director’s Association. Info www.solsticesing.wordpress.com
Rieho Yu (Photo Howard Pasamanick) was a Runner-up in the Classical Instrument division at the MUSIC CENTER SPOTLIGHT AWARDS 2008. More than 2,220 students participated and over $100,000 was awarded to finalists, semi-finalists and participants who received honorable mentions. Celebrity judges included Spotlight Alumni who have gone on to successful careers in the arts. Among them were Misty Copeland (American Ballet Theatre), Erin Mackey (Wicked), Joshua Winograde (LA Opera), Max Levinson (Boston Conservatory), Natalie Willes (Movin’ Out) and Gerald Clayton (Jazz Instrumental 2001). Info: 213-972-3300.
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