Film Review: An Education

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As a former attendant of an all-girls school, this movie struck a particular chord with me. The main character, Jenny (Carey Mulligan), is anxious to leave the confines of her sheltered private school life with an all-too-attentive father who has nightly dreams of her attending the prestigious Oxford University, and break out in order to explore the hustle and bustle of a cultured lifestyle.

For a time, she is blind to the fragility what's been set before her by David (Peter Sarsgaard): nights out to fancy restaurants, race tracks, art auctions, and weekends in Paris. As a teenager rarely exposed to such luxuries, it's hard to resist. As a teenage girl, you daydream of a man whisking you away from the rigidity of competitive schooling and extracurriculars to a carefree life of surprise and romance. An older man has the illusion of wisdom and excitement rolled into one attractive package. Little does a girl know that the adult world is not all it's cracked up to be, and maturity is not defined by age, but the individual themselves.

The story itself is a beautiful one, and watching Jenny navigate her way through the mess she created for herself could inspire any drop-out to kickstart their lives and go for the ivy they've always dreamed of. If you want your teenage daughter to learn a lesson or two, this is a worthwhile short "education" (pun intended). If you're looking for a serious film that doesn't leave you feeling hopeless in the end, then I would say it's a must see. However, there's a sense of realism that is missing from this film. There are so many things that could've gone wrong, but simply didn't. I don't believe that every story should explore all of the horrible things life can throw at one individual, but maybe it should have just a few?


Jackie's rating: 4 stars out of 5

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Book Review: Eating Animals

Jonathan Safron Foer is known for his two eloquent and witty novels, Everything is Illuminated, and Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. However, his most recent book is a non-fiction account of his past three years delving into the factory farm industry that has overtaken our family farms. Foer has plunged head first into the animal shit (so to speak) that has begun to flood farms all over the country.

I've teetered between the realms of omnivore and vegetarian for the past few years. In my junior year, a good friend convinced me to live a healthier lifestyle by going vegetarian. She would bring me tofu chicken nuggets from the Asian market and helped me master the art of chopsticks. However, after she left for med school, I didn't have incentive to keep me on the path. This past summer I rode my bike across the country with 26 other cyclists and feared that no meat would equal not enough nourishment.

Maybe I'm just easily pursuaded, but Foer's book was the tipping point for me when it came to meat vs. no meat. His research is thorough and concise, while also dramatically gripping without added drama (it's all real...which is more than I can say for the animal genetics profiled in his book).

I can see omnivores choosing to read this book with a sense of openness and desire to eat better, whether they will stick with meat or not. Self-proclaimed "carnivores," on the other hand, may not even choose to open the book. It is one of those things that reveals the ugly truth, but only if you choose to actually read it. However, maybe you can force your carnivorous friends (or foes?) to read it through creative force...Valentine's Day gift? (Love thy animal?)

Whether or not you're willing to face the facts, this book lays them out in an extremely bold and powerful manner, without leaving behind the beauty of this author's prose. Foer's wit is crafty and clever, but never outshines the disturbing figures that claw through the pages.

DISCLAIMER: "Don't read at the dinner table." I highly recommend you avoid eating any food, particularly meat or fish products, while reading this book. It won't work out very well.

Jackie's review: 5 stars (note: vegetarians may be slightly biased)

Food Review: Salazon Chocolate

One of very few local chocolatiers, the Eldersburg MD-based company creates three delectable flavors: dark chocolate with sea salt, dark chocolate with organic cane sugar, and (my bar of choice) dark chocolate with sea salt and organic cracked black pepper.

As soon as a piece hits your tongue it is a burst of bold, bitter flavor. The salt and pepper provide both spice and sweetness to the dark mouth-puckering chocolate.

Each bar has the wrapper's image imprinted onto the chocolate itself, to make for a deliciously powerful taste that is beautiful too.

The cute shop "Ma Petite Shoe/Oh Said Rose!" in Hampden carries the Salazon line of gourmet chocolate bars, along with numerous other gourmet chocolate brands...enough to keep you watering at the mouth until you can walk out of the store with at least two or three in hand.

(The store also has an adorable assortment of shoes. Walk in and you're surrounded by a woman's dream come true. They sell men's shoes too.)

Jackie's review: 4.5 stars (extremely delicious and unique...but not nearly enough! I want more, please!)

Film Review: "Precious"

Happy (belated) New Year, all!

The film "Precious," based off of the novel Push by Sapphire, tells the story of Claireece Precious Jones, a young girl in high school who is barely reading at a 3rd grade reading level and is pregnant for the second time by her father. Her mother, in turn, is a tyrant who inflicts severe physical and mental abuse on Precious. However, she somehow finds escape through the amazing strength of spirit that, through some miracle, exists deep inside of her. Her thoughts divert to an alternate life of celebrity, where the only screaming she hears is of fans lined up outside the door to get a photo of her and her "light-skinned boyfriend."

Her life, already full of turmoil and abuse, takes a sharp turn when she is suspended from school for becoming pregnant with her second child. The principal takes things into her own hands and enrolls Precious in "Each one Teach one," an alternative school for young women who have found themselves in exceptional circumstances that otherwise prevent them from continuing their high school education.

When we first walked into the theater, we were focused on finding our seats and settling in for a bumpy ride of a movie. There had been talk of the film's high level of intensity, and the fact that Oprah was backing it, I'm sure helped bring in the crowd.

The acting was brilliant. Gabby Sidibe, who plays Precious, immediately grabs your heart by the reigns. People may think the actress' abilities are overstated, but I will not back down from my exclamation (point). Alongside Sidibe was the actress who played her teacher Ms. Rain, Paula Patton, whose compassion (although a bit hard to believe at first) is overwhelming and simply beautiful. Her love for Precious does not remain constant, but grows exponentially throughout the film as she unearths the genuine life of her student.

Aside from the acting, controversy has surrounded the film and its portrayal of the "black american family" in the eyes of the white majority. When the lights came on and we looked up at the people sitting around us, it was mostly middle-aged or older white men and women. Did these people come to see a work of art on the big screen? Did they come to educate themselves about the "black experience?" Either way, you see these sixty and seventy-year-old couples walking out whispering to each other, "Oh, wasn't that awful? I cannot believe a mother would do something like that?" What would Oprah say to these remarks? After all, she did heavily promote the film.

There is a gripping statement to be made by "Precious." Not one of hate and despair, but a message that speaks to the power of the human spirit. The spirit of a black woman who, despite all that is thrown at her, rises up more powerful than any man or white person who may have hurt her in the past. The message is one of hope and triumph in the face of all that is shitty in this world (not just against the black community, but against any and all who have been stepped upon by the society we have built for ourselves today).

However, this is not the message that people are leaving with from the theater. Rather, they are throwing it away with their leftover popcorn and high fructose corn syrup soda, and instead saving the images of a black woman who loses her virginity to her father and must go through hell to save her children, only to hear that in the end she is struck down again by a nasty fate.

When you see this film, please make sure to leave with the right message in mind, and the movie will certainly be the success that it is made to be.

Restaurant Review: Woodberry Kitchen (take 2)

The second time we went to Woodberry was for Sunday brunch. Our previous savory meal was immediately complemented by this sweet array of breakfast delicacies.
Ricotta pancakes with cybee honey, and pear crepes with Grand Marnier and fresh vanilla whipped cream. Freshly brewed, french-press coffee (one full french press allows you two full cups of bold brew) and buttery cranberry scones.

Salman's taste is more favorable of savory foods. However, I was in heaven with the sweet breakfast spread we had before us. The crepes were extremely light and fluffy, making it that much easier to consume every bite that was on my plate. The ricotta pancakes, however, were much more heavy, and it took both of our powers combined to finish them.




Side story: When we first walked in to take our seat, a blonde haired, blue eyed middle-aged man sitting in the corner booth with a likewise attractive woman immediately caught my eye. As Salman and I sat down, I motioned behind us and said, "Who is that? He looks familiar." Salman's face suddenly dropped and said, "Oh my God, that's Cal Ripkin." Sure enough, Mr. Ripkin and his wife were sitting in the same booth we had occupied on our first trip there. Despite the hype, his star-presence was short-lived for the both of us: after receiving his check, which couldn't have been less than $90-$100 with the amount of morning cocktails and meat that they had purchased, Mr. Ripkin left a measly $10 tip.

His waitress also just happened to be ours as well, and needless to say, we tipped her a bit extra to make up for the baseball player's foul.

FYI

Hi everybody-

Just to let you all know, Salman has been away for a few weeks, so this is the reason for our "hiatus" on posts. However, we will have a fresh one for you coming on Tuesday/Wednesday of this week reviewing the play "The Exonerated," which is coming to the Everyman Theater...so stay tuned.

In the meantime, look out for my post on our previous TWO visits to Woodberry Kitchen, tonight!

-Jackie

Restaurant Review: Woodberry Kitchen (take 1)

Have you ever had an absolutely euphoric experience, and the only thing you wished for afterwards was to experience it over and over again?

When we walked in the first time, it was a cool fall night, but warm enough for people to be seated outside on the terrace of the former steel mill-turned-restaurant. The singular lightbulbs were dangling over a swarm of people sitting with their husbands, wives, girlfriends and boyfriends as they seemed at peace with what life had brought to them in this tiny Baltimore town.

We opened the heavy, wooden door to enter into the warm glow of the high-ceiling restaurant. Woodberry Kitchen was created from an old steel mill in a town that had once collapsed after the recession in the 80's, but was now being revived by a new audience of starving artists and young townies looking for a chic place to live without the price tag.

Our waitress sat us down in the corner booth, which gave us the opportunity to view the entire space at a unique angle. The upstairs of Woodberry wraps around the perimeter of the restaurant's ceiling-high stone walls. The music that softly reverberated throughout the space was a classy mix of Norah Jones and Corinne Bailey Rae-esque tunes to keep the atmosphere vibrant, but relaxed.



FROM FARM TO TABLE:

Woodberry is known for its dedication to LOCAL cuisine. Much like Chez Panisse in Berkeley, CA (where the "local food movement" began with the help of Chef Alice Waters), Woodberry doesn't over-do their dishes and maintains the simplicity while garnishing only to enhance the natural flavors that are unique to local, organic produce.

Our first trip was an other-worldly experience of soft flatbreads and zucchini dip, with a monk fish entree for myself, and rockfish for Salman. The monk fish was lay like fallen dominos across the plate, with a moist piece of fried sweet bread holding it up at the end. The fish fell apart as soon as it hit my lips and just melted in my mouth immediately.

For dessert, we couldn't help but order something for each of us, since the menu doesn't really afford dessert-lovers to just choose one. Salman ordered a small blackberry pie with a double crust, while I took the advice of several online reviewers and chose the Market Sundae. The pie was a sweet, tarte experience of sugary crust with a moist berry center. The sundae was...well...beyond words. I've never had basil ice cream, but Woodberry pairs it with a sweet peach sorbet and a sugary tea cake, garnished with fruit and a dark rasberry sauce.

Now, for an entry-level employee at the School of Public Health and a full-time med school applicant, money is not easy to come by. However, for some unknown reason, we manage to scrounge up as much as we can each month and out do ourselves...and this was thoroughly worth every cent. But was it worth going back a second time?....