Julie & Julia is an amazing and powerful movie that shows two distinct women's passion on food. The movie successfully creates a plot that has two parallel story line based on the life of Julia Child and Julie Powell. Surprisingly, the movie based its plot on two true stories and it truly shows the power of food in changing people's lives.
Both Julie & Julia found their "haven" and peace in food. Their lives were essentially nothing before they started to embrace in cooking. Julie Powell had a horrible job, and the only thing that makes her happy is food. Julia Child, in the other hand, was completely clueless about her life. Her husband was assigned a job in France, and she has nothing to do. However, through cooking, both Julie & Julia were able to find freedom and joy. The most unique moral of this story is that there's no such thing as being too late to follow your passion or hobby. Julia Child, who was probably in her 40's found her passion. She didn't even know how to boil an egg, however, she followed her passion and started cooking. Julie Powell was an average American woman that felt like she hits a dead end in her life. She hates her job and her life is full of misery. She started a blog and challenged herself to cook every recipe in Julia Child's cookbook and find happiness through cooking and writing. This portrays a powerful message, that people need to follow their passion regardless of their age or physical ability.
I love how the movie shows food not only as simply the solution to Julie's & Julia's life, but also as a double-edge sword. In Julie's story, there are conflicts that are caused by food and her blogs. She had a huge fight with her husband because of her sensitive attitude that is caused by her own cooking blog, and also the problems that Julia Child faced regarding her cooking book. Most of the time in modern society, food has always been portrayed as a solution to everything. When people are facing problems, food makes them happy. However, this movie portrays food beyond that social norm. Food is not simply a solution, but it is a lifestyle. Both Julie & Julia embrace food as apart of their lives. Although they face conflicts through their passion in cooking, they rebound and keep on going because they are in love with food.
Lastly, I love how the movie shows their emotion. Hands down, Meryl Streep is an amazing actress. In the movie, even though her voice is so high-pitched and annoying, I can truly see her passion in cooking. She shows it through her facial expressions and the way she talks about food. SImilar to Amy Adams who act as Julie, her facial expression while she cooks is so genuine. I love how both characters talk about food throughout the movie because I can truly see their passion in it. Overall, the acting in Julie & Julia is fabulous and there are powerful messages shown through the movie.
Friday, May 3, 2013
Monday, April 29, 2013
Chef as an Artist
"A great chef is an artist that I truly respect." - Robert Stack
In Babette's Feast, Babette, a chef in an exquisite Cafe Anglais at France, considered herself as an artist. She claims, "an artist is never poor." Within a context of food, can a chef be defined as an artist? Most certainly. An artist is not merely a painter, sculptor or writer that is dealing with fine arts. An artist for me is someone who puts virtue and value in imagination and creativity, creating delicate work that can be shared to the rest of the world.
A chef has several components that meet my definition of being an artist. First of all, a chef needs to think outside the box by combining raw ingredients to make an incredible meal for other people. Raw ingredients are similar to paint, they are building blocks to make a masterpiece. As abstract as it can be, chef can combine weird ingredients to produce one coherent and beautiful dish. Who would ever think to make caviars out of black beans and truffle oil? Or who would ever think to combine Pistachio and a rack of lamb? These are the dishes that Ferran Adria creates, one of my favorite chef ever. The next component is cooking the ingredients and flavoring them. A chef needs to use their instinct to put the right amount of salt, pepper or other spices. Even recipes can't give a distinct direction on how much spices you need to put. Similar to art, two chefs won't cook the same way or produce the same exact dish because they have different taste buds and preferences. The last component is plating and presentation. Similar to painting, Chefs have to present their dish on top of a plate to show elegance so that people would want to eat it. With any kind of liquid, puree or sauce, chefs need to paint it on top of a plate for presentation. Their presentation of the food is similar to the cover of books. It invites people to pick it up and increase their appetite. Plating requires a lot of creativity and art, defining chef as an artist.
Chef in a world-renowned restaurant has a big responsibility of creating memorable and exquisite experience for the guests. There is no doubt that chefs are artists. They create food that people can enjoy. Their food paint the tongue and taste buds of people. Similar to an artist, Chefs make a long-lasting impact in people's lives through the food that they create. Chefs are simply artists that use a different kind of medium (building blocks) to create their art work.
In Babette's Feast, Babette, a chef in an exquisite Cafe Anglais at France, considered herself as an artist. She claims, "an artist is never poor." Within a context of food, can a chef be defined as an artist? Most certainly. An artist is not merely a painter, sculptor or writer that is dealing with fine arts. An artist for me is someone who puts virtue and value in imagination and creativity, creating delicate work that can be shared to the rest of the world.
A chef has several components that meet my definition of being an artist. First of all, a chef needs to think outside the box by combining raw ingredients to make an incredible meal for other people. Raw ingredients are similar to paint, they are building blocks to make a masterpiece. As abstract as it can be, chef can combine weird ingredients to produce one coherent and beautiful dish. Who would ever think to make caviars out of black beans and truffle oil? Or who would ever think to combine Pistachio and a rack of lamb? These are the dishes that Ferran Adria creates, one of my favorite chef ever. The next component is cooking the ingredients and flavoring them. A chef needs to use their instinct to put the right amount of salt, pepper or other spices. Even recipes can't give a distinct direction on how much spices you need to put. Similar to art, two chefs won't cook the same way or produce the same exact dish because they have different taste buds and preferences. The last component is plating and presentation. Similar to painting, Chefs have to present their dish on top of a plate to show elegance so that people would want to eat it. With any kind of liquid, puree or sauce, chefs need to paint it on top of a plate for presentation. Their presentation of the food is similar to the cover of books. It invites people to pick it up and increase their appetite. Plating requires a lot of creativity and art, defining chef as an artist.
Chef in a world-renowned restaurant has a big responsibility of creating memorable and exquisite experience for the guests. There is no doubt that chefs are artists. They create food that people can enjoy. Their food paint the tongue and taste buds of people. Similar to an artist, Chefs make a long-lasting impact in people's lives through the food that they create. Chefs are simply artists that use a different kind of medium (building blocks) to create their art work.
Babette's Feast: The Last Supper
One of the most prominent theme in Babette's Feast is spirituality via food. Food is a predominant symbol that shows the transformation of the hearts of people and the atmosphere. Before Babette's appearance, food in the sect community of Berlevaag has only one sole purpose, which is sustenance. Seeking pleasure through food is sinful, and food is forbidden to be look upon as a luxurious experience. However, the appereance of Babette brings a new perspective of food and pleasure to the town of Berlevaag. Babette loves preparing exquisit food for pleasure purposes, and she has one chance to show this to the sect society, through "Babette's Feast."
Babette's Feast resemble the last supper because there are 12 people that participate in the feast, similar to the last supper with Jesus' 12 disciples. The feast itself is a symbol of luxury and transformation since the feast that she prepares creates an atmosphere that initiates interaction and delight within the 12 people, even after Martine and Philippa warned everyone not to apprehend the food as something luxurious. Babette also resembles Jesus in a way that she spent all of her money to prepare for the feast, expressing joy upon the 12 people that eat the feast. This can be seen through the expression of the guests. Even when the Berlevaag people were told not to speak much while they were eating, their expression shows that they have been transformed spiritually and physically. The audience/readers can also understand the beauty and authenticity of the feast through General Lowenheilm, in which he expresses his adornment of the feast freely.
Babette as a Christ figure is further shown through the sacrifice that she made, through the 10,00 francs that she won from the lottery. First of all, she's a foreigner to the people of Berlevaag and she still has an unselfish and selfless love. At first, the people of Berlevaag seems to not appreciate French cuisine because of its luxurious elements. However, Babette acts as a humble woman and transform the villagers through the extravagant meal that she made. The guests were expecting bad thing to come from this luxurious, but by the end of the feast, they find the value of goodness and love within the food. Lastly, similar to Christ, Babette spent everything that she has and says that "an artist is never poor." Her feast, a symbol of transformation and love, is something that can't be bought with money, more alone 10,000 francs.
Babette's Feast resemble the last supper because there are 12 people that participate in the feast, similar to the last supper with Jesus' 12 disciples. The feast itself is a symbol of luxury and transformation since the feast that she prepares creates an atmosphere that initiates interaction and delight within the 12 people, even after Martine and Philippa warned everyone not to apprehend the food as something luxurious. Babette also resembles Jesus in a way that she spent all of her money to prepare for the feast, expressing joy upon the 12 people that eat the feast. This can be seen through the expression of the guests. Even when the Berlevaag people were told not to speak much while they were eating, their expression shows that they have been transformed spiritually and physically. The audience/readers can also understand the beauty and authenticity of the feast through General Lowenheilm, in which he expresses his adornment of the feast freely.
Babette as a Christ figure is further shown through the sacrifice that she made, through the 10,00 francs that she won from the lottery. First of all, she's a foreigner to the people of Berlevaag and she still has an unselfish and selfless love. At first, the people of Berlevaag seems to not appreciate French cuisine because of its luxurious elements. However, Babette acts as a humble woman and transform the villagers through the extravagant meal that she made. The guests were expecting bad thing to come from this luxurious, but by the end of the feast, they find the value of goodness and love within the food. Lastly, similar to Christ, Babette spent everything that she has and says that "an artist is never poor." Her feast, a symbol of transformation and love, is something that can't be bought with money, more alone 10,000 francs.
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
Comfort Food: Indonesian Fried Rice
Back when I was in Indonesia, we always cook with simple ingredients and leftovers. I consider my maid to have the best recipe for Indonesian Fried Rice. That is my ultimate comfort food, Indonesian Fried Rice with sweet soy sauce and sausages cut into little pieces. Every time I go back home, my first meal will always be that Indonesian Fried Rice because it gives me a sense of home and contentment. And my maid needs to cook the meal because she's the only one who can cook that ultimate perfect Indonesian Fried Rice. Even when my my maid gave the recipe to my aunt, my aunt's fried rice can't satisfy my contentment.
Friday, March 1, 2013
Recipes for Potato Frikadels and Corn Fritters
Ingredients
1 Pound Chuck Beef Stew- 1/3 cup peanut oil
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1/2 cup chunky peanut butter
- 1/2 cup canned coconut milk
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 1/4 cup chopped green onions
Preparation
- Partially freeze steak; trim fat from steak. Slice steak diagonally across grain into 1/4-inch-wide strips, and set aside.
- Combine cilantro and next 4 ingredients in a large heavy-duty, zip-top plastic bag; seal bag, and shake well. Add steak to bag; seal bag, and shake until steak is well coated. Marinate in refrigerator 8 hours, turning bag occasionally.
- Combine peanut butter, coconut milk, minced gingerroot, soy sauce, lime juice, and red pepper in a small bowl; stir well. Cover and chill at least 1 hour.
- Remove steak from marinade; discard marinade. Thread steak onto 4 (12-inch) metal skewers.
- Place greased grill rack on grill over medium-hot coals (350° to 400°). Place kabobs on rack; grill, covered, 5 minutes or to desired degree of doneness, turning skewers once.
- Combine rice and green onions; toss well. Transfer rice mixture to a serving platter, and top with steak. Serve with peanut butter mixture.
Corn Fritters
Ingredients:
1 cup fresh corn kernels or canned,
1/4 cup water
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 1/2 tsp cornstarch
1/3 cup flour
2 scallions, finely chopped
Canola oil for deep frying
Dipping sauce:
3 tbsp sriracha chili sauce or chili garlic sauce
3 tbsp water
1 tsp sugar
Procedure
- Use mini food processor to chop 1/2 cup of corn into coarse mass.
- In a mixing bowl, place coarsely chopped coconut, whole kernels corn, water, flour, cornstarch, egg, flour, sugar, and scallions. Mix and stir to create a thick batter. You can add additional 1 tsp flour at a time if it is too thin. Set aside to rest about 30 minutes.
- For dipping sauce, place all of the ingredients on a small bowl. Mix and stir until sugar dissolves. Taste and adjust to your likings. Add more sugar, water or salt or chili sauce according to your taste.
- In a pot or wok, pour oil to a dept of about 1-inch and heat it over medium-high until it reach 350 F or you can test it with a bamboo chopstick. Stand it in the oil and if some small bubbles gather on the surface around the chopstick then the oil is ready.
- Scoop about 1 tbsp batter and gently put it into the hot oil. Cook just as many as will fit in the wok without crowding it. Turning the fritters once and fry them until crisp, puffed and golden brown. It will take about 3 minutes.
Comfort Food at Its Best: Corn Fritters and Beef Satay
My family has a love-hate relationship with food. They love eating, but not necessarily creating "family-tradition" recipes. However, my maid loves cooking and she's the best cook ever. Therefore, 10 years ago, my mom assigned my maid to cook something phenomenal for new year's eve and steal the recipe so it can eventually be a family tradition. Well, my maid created a dish called Sate (Beef Skewers) and Bakwan Jagung (Corn Fritters). Since then, we always had these dishes every week.
This potato and corn appetizers are more than an ordinary Indonesian food. It contains a story that I associate with my family and also with my country. Corn fritters are normally being sold from carts on street corners in Indonesia. When I was small, I used to hangout with my friends while buying snacks on the street in front of my school.
Indonesia was colonized by the Dutch in the early 1900s. Beef Satay (Sate) are actually an Indonesian appetizer with a dutch influence. Being far away from my family, these appetizers remind me of my family back in Indonesia. During the weekends, my parents and I loved to explore Indonesian street food, especially these chicken and beef satay. The dutch loved these food so much that they adapted a meal called Indonesian "Rijsttafel" (rice table). I love cooking and I used to cook these appetizers when I miss my family. It is a simple yet delicious dish that allows me to reminisce my hometown.
When cooking these dishes, I was transported back to my hometown. I associate myself with Indonesian ingredients and spices, and it made me realize how much I miss my family back in Indonesia. All in all, I hope you guys enjoy the experience of trying these well-known Indonesian appetizers!
http://youtu.be/Xy8snWC98IU
http://youtu.be/Xy8snWC98IU
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Memoirs of Food in My Family
Grain and Other Starchy Food ($15) Condiments ($7)
Spaghetti Pasta, 1 lbs Liquid Cream, 500 ml
Rotini, 1 lbs Red Onion, 2.2 lbs
Brown Rice, 4.4 lbs Ginger, 0.6 lbs
Potato, 2.2 lbs Garlic, 1.1 lbs
Onion, 1.1 lbs
Processed Food ($15) Salt
Ham, 2 boxes Teriyaki Sauce
Sausage, 1 box (20) Black Pepper
Minced Bacon, 1 lbs Oyster Sauce
Mushroom Flavoring
Seafood/Meat ($80) Soy Sauce
Minced Meat, 3.3 lbs Sweet Soy Sauce
Sirloin Steak, 3.3 lbs Sugar
Salmon, 2.2 lbs (8 slices)
Dori fish, 2.2 lbs Beverages ($10)
Crab Meat, 1.1 lbs Water, 15 gal
Peeled Shrimp, 2.2 lbs
Sliced Beef, 2.2 lbs
2 Whole Chicken
Eggs, 20
Vegetables/Fruits ($40)
Broccoli, 2.2 lbs
In Indonesia, the most important thing in a family is spending time together in the dining room for dinner. It has always been a part of my tradition that my parents and I would gather around the dining table at 7 PM and eat a wonderful homemade dinner, cooked by my lovely maid. My parents hate the kitchen, it would be a miracle to make my mom stand in the kitchen for 3 minutes. In fact, we have an air-conditioner in our kitchen because my mom can't stand the heat. Our kitchen is small since we live in an apartment, there's the stove, oven and other essentials. In our small dining table, we have a hotpot on the table because as an Indonesian family, we love to cook our vegetables and meat on top of a hot pot. We also have a TV in front of the dining table, because my dad loves watching the news while we're eating. During dinner, we usually talk about current events and also share things that happened during the day.
In Indonesia, the tap water is not safe to drink at all. In fact, death caused by drinking tap water in Indonesia is pretty common. Therefore, we buy over 15 gallons of water each week to was our fruits, grains and also for drinking purposes. Rice is a staple food in Indonesia. White rice is the universal grain. However, my mom is an organic-freak and she wants all of us to eat brown rice since it's organic and healthy. Spices are not a big thing in my family, and therefore we have limited and simple spices. For meat, my maid usually grill it with teriyaki sauce. For the salmon, it is a well-known dish in our household to put the salmon in the oven and sear the skin, and finally finish it with a touch of teriyaki sauce. Seafood is very popular in Indonesia, and my family is a big fan of seafood. We like to season our seafood using mushroom flavoring and then we boil all of them in the hotpot. Usually in every meal, my parents try to balance the meat/fish with vegetables. We usually have 1 dish of meat/fish and 1 dish of vegetables. We usually sauté the vegetables with garlic and red onions. It's that simple.
My family and I is not a big fan of snacks, desserts or processed food. My mom is strict with processed food and we use processed food occasionally, maybe once a week when we cook pasta. We don't eat snacks because we regularly eat fruits in between meals. Fruit is a big part of our daily lives, we consumed nearly 40 lbs of fruits every single week! For breakfast, my mom makes mixed-fruit juices. She really does experiment with a lot of fruits, mixing random fruits together and sometimes it is really nasty. Milk, cereals and greek yoghurt is also a part of our breakfast every single morning.
Food has always been a big part of our family. If there's a motto to describe my family, we live to eat not eat to live. We love experiencing different types of food because that's how we share our love and joy. Even if I'm 10,000 miles away, I still cherish every single memories that I have in a dining room with my parents. Those are the time where we can let go of our problems, and share our stories while eating a delicious comfort food. I like going to the city once in a while and go to this Indonesian restaurant at the Queens. Those Indonesian comfort food helps me reminisce the precious moments that I've spent with my family every single day. Once in a while, when I call my mom, my mom would just tell stories about her dinner experience with my Dad. She would talk about what my maid cooked for the past few days and that simple story makes me smile. It is remarkable as simple as comfort food is, it is a bridge that connects me with my family.
Spaghetti Pasta, 1 lbs Liquid Cream, 500 ml
Rotini, 1 lbs Red Onion, 2.2 lbs
Brown Rice, 4.4 lbs Ginger, 0.6 lbs
Potato, 2.2 lbs Garlic, 1.1 lbs
Onion, 1.1 lbs
Processed Food ($15) Salt
Ham, 2 boxes Teriyaki Sauce
Sausage, 1 box (20) Black Pepper
Minced Bacon, 1 lbs Oyster Sauce
Mushroom Flavoring
Seafood/Meat ($80) Soy Sauce
Minced Meat, 3.3 lbs Sweet Soy Sauce
Sirloin Steak, 3.3 lbs Sugar
Salmon, 2.2 lbs (8 slices)
Dori fish, 2.2 lbs Beverages ($10)
Crab Meat, 1.1 lbs Water, 15 gal
Peeled Shrimp, 2.2 lbs
Sliced Beef, 2.2 lbs
2 Whole Chicken
Eggs, 20
Vegetables/Fruits ($40)
Broccoli, 2.2 lbs
Carrots, 2.2 lbs
Lettuce, 1.1 lbs
Pumpkin
Tofu, 2 box
Spring Onion, 0.6 lbs
Spinach, 0.6 lbs
Chinese Leaves, 1.1 lbs
Tomato, 4.4 lbs
Apple, 6.6 lbs
Orange, 4.4lbs
Kiwi, 4.4 lbs
Grapes, 2.2 lbs
Papaya, 4.4 lbs
Pear, 4.4 lbs
Mango, 6.6 lbs
Pineapple, 4.4lbs
Melon, 2.2 lbs
Watermelon, 3.3 lbs
Banana, 3.3 lbs
Dairy ($10)
Dairy ($10)
Milk, 1.1 Gallons
Cereal, 1.1 lbs
Greek Yoghurt, 20
In Indonesia, the most important thing in a family is spending time together in the dining room for dinner. It has always been a part of my tradition that my parents and I would gather around the dining table at 7 PM and eat a wonderful homemade dinner, cooked by my lovely maid. My parents hate the kitchen, it would be a miracle to make my mom stand in the kitchen for 3 minutes. In fact, we have an air-conditioner in our kitchen because my mom can't stand the heat. Our kitchen is small since we live in an apartment, there's the stove, oven and other essentials. In our small dining table, we have a hotpot on the table because as an Indonesian family, we love to cook our vegetables and meat on top of a hot pot. We also have a TV in front of the dining table, because my dad loves watching the news while we're eating. During dinner, we usually talk about current events and also share things that happened during the day.
In Indonesia, the tap water is not safe to drink at all. In fact, death caused by drinking tap water in Indonesia is pretty common. Therefore, we buy over 15 gallons of water each week to was our fruits, grains and also for drinking purposes. Rice is a staple food in Indonesia. White rice is the universal grain. However, my mom is an organic-freak and she wants all of us to eat brown rice since it's organic and healthy. Spices are not a big thing in my family, and therefore we have limited and simple spices. For meat, my maid usually grill it with teriyaki sauce. For the salmon, it is a well-known dish in our household to put the salmon in the oven and sear the skin, and finally finish it with a touch of teriyaki sauce. Seafood is very popular in Indonesia, and my family is a big fan of seafood. We like to season our seafood using mushroom flavoring and then we boil all of them in the hotpot. Usually in every meal, my parents try to balance the meat/fish with vegetables. We usually have 1 dish of meat/fish and 1 dish of vegetables. We usually sauté the vegetables with garlic and red onions. It's that simple.
My family and I is not a big fan of snacks, desserts or processed food. My mom is strict with processed food and we use processed food occasionally, maybe once a week when we cook pasta. We don't eat snacks because we regularly eat fruits in between meals. Fruit is a big part of our daily lives, we consumed nearly 40 lbs of fruits every single week! For breakfast, my mom makes mixed-fruit juices. She really does experiment with a lot of fruits, mixing random fruits together and sometimes it is really nasty. Milk, cereals and greek yoghurt is also a part of our breakfast every single morning.
Food has always been a big part of our family. If there's a motto to describe my family, we live to eat not eat to live. We love experiencing different types of food because that's how we share our love and joy. Even if I'm 10,000 miles away, I still cherish every single memories that I have in a dining room with my parents. Those are the time where we can let go of our problems, and share our stories while eating a delicious comfort food. I like going to the city once in a while and go to this Indonesian restaurant at the Queens. Those Indonesian comfort food helps me reminisce the precious moments that I've spent with my family every single day. Once in a while, when I call my mom, my mom would just tell stories about her dinner experience with my Dad. She would talk about what my maid cooked for the past few days and that simple story makes me smile. It is remarkable as simple as comfort food is, it is a bridge that connects me with my family.
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