Films to Watch on Labor Day

by Erik Olsen on

I was thinking of doing a post today about the best films to watch…you know, Labor Day films….and while I was making my list, I came across this post over at Cinematical that does just that. Their list is almost perfect, so rather than waste a bunch of time repeating what they’ve written over there, I’ll just link to the post. I mean, I could write pages about why Office Space is such a wonderful send up of the modern workplace, the deep historical subtext and symbolism of the burning office building (i.e. the burning of Carthage in the Third Punic War), but I shall not do so, because that would be boring.

Now, all that is not to say there are no additions I’d make. As one of the commenters points out, no labor day movie list should be without Michael Douglas’ portrayal of a very angry laid-off defense industry worker in Falling Down. And who can forget the exquisitely cold-hearted rationality of the Tyrell Corporation’s Eldon Tyrell in Blade Runner? I mean, that’s the corporate honcho of the future if ever there was one. So anyway, as we bring this 2006 Labor Day to a close, I have a single recommendation: see a movie.

Last Hippie on Haight Street

by Iva Skoch on

Although a big chunk of Haight Street in San Francisco is now packed with tourists, yuppies and beggars, you can still find occasional treasures. If you can get past the cheesy hippie souvenir stores and grungy-gone-chic clothing boutiques, that is. Yes, and there is even a McDonald’s on one side and GAP smack in the middle. OK, so it is the original GAP, but still..

The Red Victorian is a small B&B at 1665 Haight Street, a part of the Peaceful World Inns, run by a sweet, entertaining lady named Sami Sunchild. She started this hippie hotel in order to create a “new alternative for corporate tourism” and it is fair to say she succeeded. You can choose from 17 unique rooms, such as the Summer of Love Room, the Flower Child Room, or the Peace Room. We recently stayed there and can definitely recommend this place to anyone looking for clean, quaint, and pretty affordable accommodation in SF.

Sami actually joins her quests for Breakfast Conversations, so if you are ready to discuss peace in the Middle East over your fair-trade latte, Sami will be all yours. Of course, if you have any good ideas on that topic, please get back to us. Peace out.

From Jetlag Travel

by Erik Olsen on

I gotta drag out some bits of an old post I did because the book I posted about – Phaic Tan is now out in the US. Before, I think it was only available in the UK and Australia. I’d gotten my hands on a copy of one of the earlier books called Molvania, the first in the mock-guide book series by a company called jetlag travel. I posted about it a while ago, expressing my enthusiastic regard for the idea.

Well, Phaic Tan ups the ante with a hilarious take on the whole exotic island motif. The country of Phaic Tan is said to be “an overwhelming explosion of sights, sounds, tastes, smells and strange colonic movements,” where “traffic police wear face masks but surgeons rarely do”.

Very clever, and that’s just the start.

There are also photos and clever little hotel recommendations, etc. For food, authors make up dishes in the “cuisine section”, and mention one particular dish called Nergak, which the book says “is a spicy fish sauce widely added to food throughout Phaic Tan. It is made at a massive processing plant in Pattaponga, one of the biggest factories in Asia, said to be the only man-made structure that can be smelt from the moon.”

This is one of those concepts I really wish I’d thought of.

Salmon Festival

by Erik Olsen on

I love to point out things that are happening in my old stomping grounds of the Northwest. One of the more interesting cultural events that really speaks to an icon of the area is the Wenatchee Salmon Festival. The festival runs September 28 to October 1 this year. Salmon is big in the Northwest. Big business, big in the cultural/historical sense, and big in the dining sense.

The red meated silvery fish are a big part part of the rich heritage of the region. And even though many of the biggest salmon runs have been decimated by dams and pollution, the salmon is still revered and, well, eaten. And I’ll tell you, if you’ve never had salmon at Ivar’s, well, you don’t know what you’re missing.

The Wenatchee festival is having its 16th anniversary this year with live entertainment (the Jude Bowerman Band), and a live reptile demonstration with Reptile Man Scott Petersen (what reptiles have to do with salmon is beyond me, but hey, that shouldn’t dissuade you from going.

Real Fishermen–Carpe Diem

by Iva Skoch on

Neil’s post about goulash reminded me of another controversial Czech specialty – fried carp. Don’t make that disgusted face! Carp can actually taste good, if prepared properly.

Europe has a fascinating history of fish farming, or aquaculture, dating back to the Middle Ages. Historically, monasteries were the centers of the nascent fishing “industry,” and many ponds were created to feed members of the Church.

This tradition dates back to the 11th century, and spread throughout Europe. My home country, the Czech Republic, was one of the biggest fishing centers, sporting as many as 25,000 fish ponds by the 15th century.

The primary meal fish is, and has been, carp, but eel, pike, perch, and trout are also common–and tasty–fish “crops.”

The tradition continues to this day, but you’ll have to travel a little out of the way to see it in action. You’re not going to see these events on a tour bus or just sitting around in the city. No, you’re going to have to get out to the country, to a local fish farmer.

The most common, most efficient, method is to drain the lake to one end, and just scoop up net-fulls of thrashing fish. In Czech, we call it a “vylov” (pronounced “VEE-lof”). The modern method usually goes like this: men from the village are invited to come at 4am, warmly dressed, ready to get drunk, and get wet. Waders or tall waterproof boots are required. Big, burly men catch, separate, and weigh the fish, which are quickly put into holding tanks on big trucks–essentially aquariums on wheels. Water, fish, and body-warming slivovice (90+ proof clear plum brandy–preferably homemade) are sloshed around in a frenzy until the lake is emptied. The pace slows somewhat, as the slivovice kicks in, but it’s still a blur of activity. The day is capped off by a big feast for the participants, with, of course, delicious dishes made of fish: fish soup, smoked fish, and fried fish.

Once a tanker truck is full, it’s bound for markets all over Europe, or, at Christmas time, particularly in Germany and the former Eastern block, the fish end up in big barrels for purchase by families who can’t wait to put their carp in the bathtub, where they swim briefly before being prepared in the Christmas Eve dinner.

Unfortunately, the European Union’s ridiculous, burdensome regulations are killing local agriculture and aquaculture. Better get there soon, or it will all be gone.