It’s Sunday night, dinner time and I don’t feel like cooking. I decide to make Salmon Furikake because it is so easy and the whole family likes it.
PAIRING SAKE AND FOOD IN JAPAN
by John Gauntner from “Sake Confidential”
Food pairing is such an important part of enjoying wine that many labels suggest pairings, and almost anyone handling the bottle between producer and customer will have something intelligent to say about it. That same vibe has come to be a part of sake enjoyment as well, and a very valid vibe it is. Continue reading
MIFUNE AND ME
by Steven Okazaki
I was eleven or twelve when I saw my first Toshiro Mifune movie at the Japanese Community Center in Venice, California. They had a noisy Bell & Howell running a 16mm print of Seven Samurai and turned the lights on for every reel change. It was projected onto a king-size bed sheet and every time someone opened the door, the screen would flutter and fly up and we’d grumble, “Shut the door!”
MIFUNE: THE LAST SAMURAI – Corner Critics
Mifune: The Last Samurai, a new film by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Steven Okazaki, explores the accidental movie career of Toshiro Mifune, one of the true giants of world cinema. Mifune made 16 remarkable films with director Akira Kurosawa during the Golden Age of Japanese Cinema, including Rashomon, Seven Samurai, Hidden Fortress and Yojimbo.
Together they thrilled audiences and influenced filmmaking around the world, providing direct inspiration for not only The Magnificent Seven and Sergio Leone’ A Fistful of Dollars starring Clint Eastwood, but also George Lucas’ Star Wars.
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BACKSEAT SAMURAI
By Gary Meyer
A dangerous rogue arrives in a village dominated by two warring criminal families and he quietly works for both.
Another more dashing rogue tries to protect a princess whose kingdom has been destroyed with the help of a pair squabbling sidekicks, one tall and one short.
Seven desperate renegades come to the defense of an equally desperate farming village to fight off a group of ruthless bandits.
We are not talking about movies starring Clint Eastwood, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Steve McQueen, Yul Brynner, Charles Bronson and Eli Wallach.
Toshiro Mifune and Akira Kurosawa on the set of Yojimbo
TOO MUCH OF A GREAT THING A Classic Film Lover’s Dilemma
by Gary Meyer
Almost every week there are great film selections to be found around the San Francisco Bay Area but sometimes it is just too much to comprehend much less attend. The first weekend of December, 2016 brings just such a problem.
SATURDAY MORNING LAUGHTER WITH CHARLIE
By Gary Meyer
“We presented your picture entitled The Rink, featuring Charles Chaplin last night. Persistent laughter and shouting on the part of the audience brought down most of the house… We have been showing pictures many years without loss of life or damage to property. The Rink has proved a menace to real estate improvement, and the result of one day’s run has cost us considerable outlay in repairs. We enclose plasterer’s and carpenter’s bills. We would appreciate a check by return.'” Letter from the manager of the Princess Theatre in Ohio
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IVAN RAMEN- Love, Obsession, and Recipes from Tokyo’s Most Unlikely Noodle Joint
Recipes by Ivan Orkin
Two recipes from the end-all-be-all guide to ramen from Ivan Orkin, the iconoclastic New York-born owner of Tokyo’s top ramen shop.
SIMPLY RAMEN – A Recipe
by Amy Kimoto-Kahn
Whether you are cooking for one or twelve, Simply Ramen brings homemade ramen to your table with a delicious fusion of seventy recipes, including soup bases, noodles, toppings, and sides.
A FISTFUL OF NOODLES Critic’s Corner
New poster design by Ping Zhu, 2016
JUZO ITAMI’S RAPTUROUS “RAMEN WESTERN” returns to U.S. screens for the first time in decades, in a new 4K restoration. The tale of an enigmatic band of ramen ronin who guide the widow of a noodle shop owner on her quest for the perfect recipe, Tampopo serves up a savory broth of culinary adventure seasoned with off beat comedy sketches and the erotic exploits of a gastronome gangster. Sweet, sexy, surreal, and mouthwatering, Tampopo remains one of the most delectable examples of food on film.
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EAT MY SHORTS- Ramen Revolution
Cooking and Eating Ramen with Tampopo and Ivan Orkin
We have collected several great scenes from the movie Tampopo reviewed in EatDrinkFilms and short documentaries about Ramen, often featuring Ivan Orkin, author of the book Ivan Ramen. Check out a few recipes here.
Ken Wantanabe learns how to Eat Ramen from a Ramen Master in Tampopo