Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Morituri, Dancing with the Stars,

How odd, I have nothing particular to do today. I don't believe it, our lives seem to be filled with appointments of one kind or another, particularly medical ones, groan. Then there's a lot of bowling and selling Avon and so on, just seem to be on the go all the time. Of course we do have an appointment to play cribbage tonight so our day is not totally clear. Last night we watched a movie I had never heard of, Morituri, made in 1965. starring Marlon Brando and Yul Brynner. I thoroughly enjoyed it, as did Matt. Its a second world war story - a German living in India is blackmailed by the British into posing as an SS officer on a German ship carrying a valuable cargo of rubber which the allies would like to get. Brando is tasked with the job of disarming the scuttling charges so the captain cannot sink the ship when encountering th Americans. Brynner is the captain. If you get a chance to see it, I recommend it. Good movie. Morituri is from the Latin phrase "Morituri te salutamus" or 'those who are about to die salute you' which is supposed to have been said by the gladiators to Caesar in the arenas.
Matt, who has been a devoted fan of Good Morning America for years, said he is going off the programme. Some of it is because of the topics being covered such as Bachelor or Bachelorette and Dancing With the Stars. None of which holds any interest for us. Also, they have little chat sessions during the programme where everyone is talking at once and it is difficult to distinguish what people are saying. Probably more difficult for older ears. That is one of the reasons I have never been a follower of The View because they all talk over one another. However, it is something we all do - a convivial bunch of people all talk at once and one has to tune in to the things which are of interest to you. Talking of Dancing With the Stars, I am staggered to find the astronaut Buzz Aldrin in included this year - he was born in 1930 for goodness sake, he's 80, plus its a very energetic performance. The other surprise was Kevin Lysacek the guy who won the gold in men's figure skating a week ago. He shouldn't find it a problem.
Anyway, being a free day, I need to go and do some cooking for the freezer. Things like spaghetti sauce and Marinara Sauce for instance. I might even make the following:
I got an email talking about vegetable stews so I checked some out, this is the first one from Eating Well which I thought sounded delicious. Fragrant Chickpea Stew Source: © EatingWell Magazine 4 servings,
When time is of the essence, this hearty stew makes a quick meal. It has a complex, almost beefy flavor that develops when the onion and garlic are cooked until dark brown. Accompany with steamed rice or whole-wheat flatbreads (chapatis). Make Ahead Tip: Cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days. Reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave. INGREDIENTS 1 tablespoon canola oil 1 teaspoon cumin seeds 1 medium red onion, chopped (1 cup) 5 medium cloves garlic, minced 1 tablespoon coriander seeds, ground (see Ingredient Note) 1 cup water 1 red potato, scrubbed and cut into 1-inch cubes 1 19-ounce or 15-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro, divided 1 medium tomato, cut into 1-inch cubes Ingredient Note: Coriander seeds are tiny and yellowish brown; they are produced when cilantro is allowed to seed. They smell slightly citric. Their flavor does not resemble, in any way, that of cilantro. DIRECTIONS Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat; cook cumin seeds for 10 seconds. Add onion and garlic; cook, stirring, until dark brown, 5 to 8 minutes. Add coriander; cook, stirring, for 20 seconds. Stir in water, potato, chickpeas, salt, pepper and 1 tablespoon cilantro. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until the potato is tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Add tomato, increase heat to medium and simmer, uncovered, for 1 to 2 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon cilantro and serve.
Have a great day

7 comments:

  1. My question might be simple one, but at the same time it might not. I was just wondering at the begining of the movie when you first see Brando. He is sitting on the staires of his home in India speaking with the British officer and Brando is feeding a dog. Well, myself being a dog lover, pose the question what type of dog is this that Brando is feeding. I have an idea but I'm very wondering.

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  2. Oops, I am afraid I never noticed. I was too busy listening to Brando and Howard talking and not paying sufficient attention to the dog. What breed do you think it was? I wonder if there is any way of checking it out for sure? It was a good movie wasn't it?

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  3. I have just emailed a query to Turner Classic Movies asking them this very question. We will see what answer I get.

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  4. I was never a fan of Marlon Brando, though I did think that he was good in the Godfather.

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  5. Yes indeed a very good movie. I saw for the first time why Brando was liked buy women, he was actuly a handsom man in this movie and it was said that he was forty years old at the time. I watched this movie with my mother and she was surprised that Brando had top billing over Brener. I didn't ask her why because, I have always seen Brando as this bigger than life icon. I have a suspision that the type of dog it was, is of the only American breed called a Catahuola cur or lepored dog, also known as hog dog. It is known to me as the state dog of Loisiana. The dog in the movie looked like it had the markings and the traits of that even the ears resembeled this breed. I also could see how Brando and Breners arragance came through in the begining it was almost comical.

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  6. I always liked Brando, and I was nuts about Brynner - particularly in the King and I. Although I gather he was an absolute so and so and thought a lot of himself.

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  7. I have never heard of that breed of dog, I just Googled to see what it is. It seems unlikely under the circumstances, unless it was a major mistake. A Catahoula cur in India???

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