A lifestyle blog documenting my move from the city to the country (and back to the city) as well as my daily inspirations, including food, fashion, travel and love. And celebrities.
I
remember it like it was yesterday. It was 1996. I was living on Queen Mary
Road, in Montreal, and they were living in Los Angeles. Suddenly, in the middle
of the afternoon my phone rang and I - obviously - picked up.
"Hello?"
I said timidly. "Hi, it's Wes, and Owen, on speakerphone."
Holy
%$@&!
As
the interview went on, I realized I, or they, were onto something big.
"None of the actors in this film are well-known," said Anderson,
"but some will be eventually."
No
%$@& Sherlock.
Wes,
Owen and Luke are now, over 20 years later, very well-known indeed. Since
Bottle Rocket, Anderson has made Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums, The Life
Aquatic with Steve Zissou, The Darjeeling Limited, Hotel Chevalier, Fantastic
Mr. Fox and The Grand Budapest Hotel, to be released in 2014. The Wilson
brothers have joined him on many of these, in addition to starring in their
very own feature films. And let's not forget dear Mr. Kumar Pallana.
What
made me think of this interview, conducted so many moons ago, was my recent
viewing of Moonrise Kingdom. Another peek into Anderson's fascinating mind, the
movie features many of the images and themes present in his other films: maps,
hand-drawn pictures, old movie-making equipment and, of course, children/adults
that never grow up.
"It's
like Charlie Brown's world," said Anderson back in 1996. "They always
wear the same clothes and you never see their parents." The more things
change the more they stay the same because the same can be said about Moonrise
Kingdom.
After watching Anderson's latest, I had an irrepressible urge to watch my
all-time favourite: The Royal Tenenbaums. Though I've watched it countless
times, it makes me laugh, and cry, every time. By way of the Green Line bus remains my favourite scene in a movie - like ever
- and for me, is a visual and audio representation of true love. Gwyneth
Paltrow acts the %$@& out of it without saying a word while the breeze in
her hair speaks volumes.
A
little while ago, in October 2012 (haha), I penned a transcript of my interview
with Eric Ripert, head chef and co-owner of Le
Bernardin, a 3-star Michelin restaurant in New York that specializes in
seafood. This past weekend, I had the pleasure of watching Jiro Dreams of
Sushi, a documentary about another 3-star Michelin restaurant that specializes
in seafood - sushi specifically - this one in Tokyo.
Jiro
Ono is a shokunin, a master in his field. He has been making sushi since
the age of nine and is now 85. He is the head chef and owner of Sukiyabashi Jiro, arguably
the world's best sushi restaurant. A meal there consists of about 20 pieces of
exquisite sushi, takes about 20 minutes to eat and costs the equivalent of about $400. If you're at all
mathematically-inclined, you've already calculated the break-down: it's $20 a
minute.
Some other interesting facts about Sushi Jiro include the fact that the
"restaurant" seats a maximum of 10 people and that Jiro makes each
and every piece of sushi with each and every customer in mind. Is the customer
male or female? Right-handed or left?
Heaven.
Though I lived in Japan for one year and would have, had I known about it,
eaten at Sushi Jiro in a Tokyo minute, I didn't. But watching the documentary
almost makes me feel like I did. Beautifully filmed and filled with
transporting classical music, the documentary is not only full of interesting
facts, it is also full of flavours.
You
heard me.
I
could literally taste the sushi while I was watching it.
Ripert
himself has claimed to be a huge admirer of Jiro and I hope to one day have the
pleasure of saying the same. Until then, I'll settle for my very own, homemade
salmon tartare. Not quite 3-star... but not bad!
If you're wondering what the drizzle is, it's a balsamic reduction. Oh yeah. That's what I said.
