1.18.2013

The Grandmasters


The Grandmasters

Music video or Postcard Flick book like, The Grandmasters is no doubt the most beautiful film we've ever seen. A little bit too much of William Chang perhaps? But don't get me wrong. Chang's esthetic package(Production design, Costume and Editing) was plainly pleasant only if we can see more of Wong Kar-Wai's usual curio self. If you are not stranger to Wong Kar-Wai's love story, if his breaking slow motion is not too much of bother, you will definitely fall in love with this film, savoy every single bite, dream with each single frame and sorrow for each spoken or unspoken text, then interrupted a couple of times by a tacky piece of piano and soon forgiven thank to Yuen Woo-Ping's biblical choreograph heartfelt work which will sure multiply a lot more martial art population from around the world.


Indeed the opening rain fight was expectably jaw dropping; the encounter between Mr. Ip and Miss Gang was surprisingly sensual which leads us to Wong's classic trance of In the Mood for Love and Days of Being Wild. Yes. Like 2 pieces of the same magnetic pole, the excitement of the unachieved love magnet tension in the past became the regret at present state. They're far apart from each other by Tolstoy's snowy train ride distance and time, with their own family responsibilities and grinds, disconnected by the historic background of Japanese invasion ... Wong's abyss of love, his reincarnation and his Sisyphus hard work are again legend him in the history of cinema.


Beside of that disgrace piano piece, the music was in general beautifully moody as always and the atmosphere created by Wong can even reach the 5D sense of the chill on the platform, the warm lamp, women's perfume in grandmasters' meeting room or even smell the love when Mr. Ip and Miss Gang meet, but the best of all was actually the out of nowhere or perhaps the prelude of a sequel character played by the long time underrated Chang Chen (it happened before with Tony Leung in "Days of Being Wild"), who's veteran influenced by Wong and many years of intense martial art training payed off and valued him on all counts. His remarkable confidence and powerful acting style leaves us an endless imagination to prolong the dream that Wong has started.


12.29.2009

2009吳魯芹散文獎 愛亞 - 金蘿銀蘿


蘿蔔季節以蘿蔔燒的菜常稱「銀蘿」,「銀蘿牛腩」、「銀蘿炆肉」、「白汁銀蘿」都是。但金蘿在台灣的地位可沒有什麼菜可堪比高下,金蘿,蘿蔔乾是也。吾家不放味精,只吃蘿蔔,不管金蘿銀蘿,吃它個黑地昏天。

 暑逝秋涼,傳統小菜場裡青蔬也應換了角色扮演,這個季節原本該來的「植物性食材」因為莫拉克等幾個颱風給吹打得亂了套,許多蔬果都沒能及時上市,許多蔬果上市卻又失去了時鮮準頭,譬如秋蘿蔔。

 台灣秋蘿蔔名喚「牛杙仔」,用台語發音是「古起仔」,跟牛有什麼關係呢?原來舊時牧童放牛將小木條釘入土地再把牛繩綁繫在小木條上,牛被拴住行動範圍只在繩的半徑圓周裡,牧童就可以有暫時的休息時間、遊戲時間。這根長木條就是「牛杙仔」,形貌像拴牛木條的長蘿蔔是一年中最早收成的蘿蔔,在舊時量少、營養、好吃、價較貴,所以稱「十月人蔘」。

 秋蘿蔔冬蘿蔔春蘿蔔,都好吃好吃好吃,可夏蘿蔔不行,夏蘿蔔味苦。今年颱風天蔬菜不足,政府進口救急的「植物性食材」一大部分就是與「牛杙仔」同一體系的長蘿蔔,這種滋味絕美的進口蘿蔔怎麼燒怎麼好吃,在盛夏台灣少產蘿蔔時以二十元一條的廉價煮進了每個家庭的廚鍋。

 蘿蔔季節以蘿蔔燒的菜常稱「銀蘿」,「銀蘿牛腩」、「銀蘿炆肉」、「白汁銀蘿」都是。但金蘿在台灣的地位可沒有什麼菜可堪比高下,金蘿,蘿蔔乾是也。

 等再過一陣子小菜場裡蘿蔔會沒有「秤斤賣」這回事了,你問蘿蔔怎麼賣?會出現這款答覆:「一個十塊,兩個二十,三個二十五,四個也二十五,五個三十。」???簡直聽不懂,個頭不大,但是好吃的不得了的蘿蔔呢。

 天冷了地寒了,十字花科的蔬菜紛紛趁著低溫展開愈冷愈甜脆的架勢,也是十字花科的蘿蔔大批的甜脆的收成,收成愈多價愈賤,蘿蔔田壟裡行走的農人和小菜場裡把蘿蔔堆地成山的農婦都擰眉皺臉,賣便宜也少人探問一聲,菜市裡菜販都在賣蘿蔔呢。

 ●

 我唸高中時有這麼一回;父親見一男子在路邊賣又白又胖的圓蘿蔔,走過去扁擔兩頭的兩筐蘿蔔在,走回來扁擔兩頭的兩筐蘿蔔還在,似乎一個不少,那老實男就一直佇在那裡也不懂叫賣,父親面向著他他也只會面向著父親,一句話也說不出來,父親著他將一擔蘿蔔挑到家後院,男子喜孜孜收下錢走了。母親問總是買到貴價東西的父親:「不會買貴了吧?」,父親只隨意晃兩下手,剩下發傻的母親面對著堆在水泥地上的白蘿蔔山。

 我們燉了蘿蔔湯,拌了蘿蔔絲,炒了蘿蔔片,也不過用了幾個蘿蔔,後來父親指派我洗蘿蔔,我直洗到十指皺白,頭暈眼暈。父親領軍,全家一起把圓蘿蔔縱切厚片,又在厚片上切三刀連刀,讓厚蘿蔔片像一隻長了四指的手,把白潤潤的手,或說潔淨淨的白手套吧,掛在後院牽起的鐵絲上,一大串一大串又一大串又一大串的白就在後院裡神氣地招展了,我回家路過後院,看到那樣一院子白手招我回家,臉上不打笑招呼都不行。

 過了兩天太陽把手套曬成微黃色,它們縮小了但水分仍多,我們把手套幾個一捧抓取下摁在盆子裡搓鹽像是給髒孩子搓澡,搓完再掛回鐵絲,又過了幾天手套變成淺淡的土黃,手掌手指都又皺又縮曲地成了另一個樣子,最後就是一小糰一小糰蜷成一垞的淺咖啡色蘿蔔乾,一傢伙一傢伙老灰灰地懸在空中,有點醜又有點可憐。把醜可憐收在玻璃罐瓦甕陶盆裡,一層蘿蔔乾一層辣辣粉,用力塞得緊緊,壓得實實,蓋上罐蓋。

 父親說再過陣子就能吃了,我才不管,先是嚐嚐,不過就是蘿蔔乾麼,怎麼好吃到讓人想大聲唱歌,於是便常去抓兩片當零嘴,也用作業紙反捲起帶到學校,上課時聽到咯蔔咯蔔,便知有同學在吃吾家蘿蔔乾。

 那是多到怎樣吃也吃不完的蘿蔔乾,一扁擔兩籮筐呢,可能水分多又有辣椒粉,它和台式口味全然不同,我們拿蘿蔔乾炒蛋、剁碎了炒肉末、蘿蔔乾自已乾燒蘿蔔乾,甚至煮出滋味不錯的湯。一頓吃兩頓吃,放著放著吃著吃著,啊,啊,啊──陶盆空了玻罐空了瓦甕竟然也空了,蘿蔔乾都沒有了?蘿蔔乾都沒有了!

 有人開始著惱:「怎麼都沒給人家留。」

 不過是蘿蔔乾。

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 後來吃各種蘿蔔乾味道都打了折,就是感覺不對,就是感覺不對,真是弄不清究竟是怎麼一回事。

 不過新鮮蘿蔔還是讓人吃了瞇眼讚讚的。

 吾家有一味吃法雖簡單卻獨特:

 蘿蔔若是皮太老便先刨皮,把白蘿蔔、胡蘿蔔用刨刀從頭刨到尾,由外刨到最裡的蘿蔔心,一個白蘿蔔配一個胡蘿蔔,刨好後好像得了一盤有橙色有白色的麵條。

 加醋加醬油加麻油涼拌、加麻醬加醬油加辣椒粉涼拌、加哇莎必加醬油加橄欖油涼拌、加橄欖油加客家桔醬加孜然涼拌……拌不完拌不完拌不完。

 怎麼辦?怎麼樣都讓人一口接一口地沒個樣子地吃個不停。

 要不就炒,就刨白蘿蔔炒刨胡蘿蔔,加鹽不加醬油美麗,加醬油不加鹽美味。

 吾家不放味精,只吃蘿蔔,不管金蘿銀蘿,吃它個黑地昏天。

11.03.2009

twit & FB

Dear all,

It has been a very busy year and regularly blogging became a luxury for me.
I've just realized I've many unpublished drafts in the system which i'll trying to work them out progressively when I've more time. And for readers also twit and Facebook. I'll be very please to see you over there where I share more of everything we all like:

http://twitter.com/OVNI
http://www.facebook.com/shumaic

9.04.2009

Green Beans Drew 綠豆露 - Summer's best taiwanese desert



Ingredients:
- Green beans 300g.
- Water 1200g.
- Agar 8g.
- Gelatin 6g.
- Rock sugar 200g.

How to:
1. Rinse green beans and emerge in clean water for 20 mn. then pour out the water.
2. Add 1200g. water and bring to boil in a pot for 20 mn. to soften the beans into soup.
3. Add rock sugar 180g. bring to boil then turn off the fire.
4. Add and mix agar 8g. and gelatin 6g. in the green beans soup, add rock sugar 20g. bring to boil 5 more mn. turn off the fire.
5. Cool down the soup and pour into bowls. Ready to serve after 1-2 hours refrigeration.
6. For better flavor. The drew can be served with shaved ice and a spoon of sugar water.

9.03.2009



My dream come true with this future Sixth Sense device !!
But I would prefer to have a small screen projects in my flippable eye glasses instead of project info on object.
Make it work!