Lost In Translation

Hong Kong

I'm staying in Kowloon at The Stanford Hotel, it may have seen better days, but it has a good location and they give you a free phone which doubles as pocket WiFi-convenient.

Chungking Mansions was a location in Wong Kar-wai's Chungking Express.

The view from Eye Bar in Kowloon.

China Bar in Knustford Terrace.

Central escalators.

Yum cha with Anthony, a former Meiji student from Hong Kong.

Craft beer at The Globe.

Dinner at Ho Lee Fook.

With Christian, who was just transferred to Hong Kong from Tokyo.

Ginger mule served in a sealed bubble tea cup!

Hard at work.

The Ale Project, just a block away from my hotel!

Cereusly IPA and Siu Yuk Cubano with pressed ciabatta, house roasted siu yuk, sweet ham, chicharrónes, hoisin mustard, cheddar, chinese pickles.

Wong Tai Sin Temple in Kowloon.

Kowloon Walled City Park.

Flat white at Knockbox Coffee Company in Kowloon.

Subway art.

Dinner and beers with Christian at Little Creatures in Kennedy Town.

Chicken tacos.

Sliders.

Innocents Abroad

I have to admit I was inspired to read Mark Twain's 1869 travelog, Innocents Abroad (1869) due to Anthony Bourdain's urging-he said it's one of the best travel books. I have to agree. The fact that Twain was doing travel writing when it was really an obscure hobby, since it required several months or at least a year's commitment to undertake in those days. Twain is such a smart ass-almost two hundred years ago. People always make fun of Americans for being so naive and serious, but Twain was busting the balls of every tour guide as were his mates. First of all, they deiced they couldn't be bothered to remember the tour guides names so they all became "Ferguson"-which they all hated. I also like how he would torture tour guides by asking them after their lectures whether or not the principles were dead or not-funny stuff... Furthermore, Twain wrote about culture fatigue. I, personally first encountered, like Twain in Europe. I saw so many churches and religious paintings and was flummoxed. Then it happened again in Asian, when I saw so many temples and shrines. I had to laugh about most of his commentary on Italy and the fact that Micheal Angelo had designed and made everything. I also enjoyed his grape stealing episode in Greece. His interest and knowledge of the middle east reflects the American obsession with the bible and Twain was a man of his time-the main selling point of the tour was to see the Holy Land as well. I think some might interpret his comments about the cultures of the middle east as being racist, however, I see it as it coming form a man of his time. This trip took place in the late 19th century and overall I think Twain was pretty broad minded for a man of his generation. The final chapter ties it all together as well. There are so many great quotes from the book, but let's revisit a few of the more choice ones:

“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts.”

“I do not mind Bedouins,—I am not afraid of them; because neither Bedouins nor ordinary Arabs have shown any disposition to harm us, but I do feel afraid of my own comrades.”

“The gentle reader will never, never know what a consummate ass he can become, until he goes abroad.”

“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts."

"In this connection I wish to say one word about Michael Angelo-that man who was great in poetry, painting, sculpture, architecture-great in everything he undertook. But I do not want Michael Angelo for breakfast-for luncheon-for dinner-for tea-for supper-for in between meals. I like a change occasionally."

"When I think how I have been swindled by books of Oriental travel, i want a tourist for breakfast."

I really enjoyed this book and agree that it is a travel classic, that anyone who enjoy travel literature should read. Heck, it's just a great book and should be read by all.

Bangkok Days Part Five

Steak dinner at Meatlicious.

After dinner drinks at Enchanted with live music.

On my last full day in Bangkok I decided to do the Historic Bangrak Food Tour in the Silom district near the river. First stop was for roast duck and rice.

The State Tower-a big scene form The Hangover was filmed on the roof.

Next up a Muslim restaurant.

Stuffed roti bread, cucumbers in vinegar, and Massaman curry.

Assumption catholic church.

Next up fried chicken and more.

From left to right roast chicken (to be eaten with sticky rice), som tum (green papaya) salad, and fried chicken in lemon grass and leaves.

Thai milk tea with green custard buns.

 Coconut treat from a street vendor.

The last dish green curry with roti bread.

New place set to open next week.

Dim Dim is another highly regarded cocktail bar.

Bakkawa Old Fashioned with infused bourbon and Thai garnish.

There was a Rolling Stones cover band at The Clubhouse on Thursday night.

Hacksaw Ridge

I am a fan of WWII history-especially the Pacific theater since I have been living in Japan for some time, so that was the main appeal to see Mel Gibson's latest film, Hacksaw Ridge (2016). I went in expecting the usual Gibson antics-Christianity imagery/themes thrown in your face-excessive violence (actually, I was interested to see what he would bring to the combat scenes), melodrama, etc. It is essentially the true story of Desmond Doss (Andrew Garfield), the first conscientious objector to receive the Medal of Honor. However, it has been Hollywood-ized and Gibson-ized to be a more simplistic story of religious conviction in the face of war. There's comic relief with Vince Vaughn as the wise-cracking platoon sergeant and a cast of soldiers who would be identified by a single characteristic such as being vain, an Italian, college educated, etc. The battle scenes in Okinawa were certainly compelling and worth seeing on the big screen. It was a flawed but interesting film-far from a masterpiece, but moving and and entertaining nonetheless.

Bangkok Days Part Four

I heard about the COMMONS in Thong Lor and sought it out for lunch-it reminds me of spaces like Grand Central In Los Angels.

I chose to eat at Barrio Bonito, which may be overpriced in Bangkok, but it was in Tokyo I would be happy-real corn tortillas and a Mexican manager. This lunch set was a bit much for me: two tacos and an enchilada plus chips to eat with sauces which were awesome and homemade.

Cool mural.

Hair cut salon.

Changwon Express has great food, good beer, and the owner is very friendly.

Bibimbap for dinner.

I have to say Q&A was a highlight-very friendly staff that was also very informative. I started with a Negroni and the bartender had me try his own vermouth and a another to compare the two tastes. And they also gave me an Italian Aperitif before i left. I had to tell them that they were listed in a NY Times article on Sunday (I found out later they were listed as one of the top 50 bars in Asian in 2016 as well)...old school interior as well-very satisfying experience.

Hua Lamphong train station

Pra Sumen Fort.

My kind of place.

Makahan Fort.

The Jim Thompson House is a usual stop when in Bangkok.

Bronx Liquid Parlor is another upscale cocktail bar in Thong Lor run by a Japanese man from Nagoya who has worked in Tokyo, London, and New York.

Near the Commons is a new complex of high end restaurants and bars called 72 Courtyard. I got there late so most shops were closing up, so the only one I went to was Beer Belly.

Moonlight

Moonlight (2016) is a powerful film on several levels and it is nice to see that it go the recognition it deserves at the Oscars. Barry Jenkin's second feature is based on a play about a boy who grows up black, poor, and gay-but it is also about many other things in life. It is just as much about survival, resilience, being true to oneself, and being able to open oneself up to others. It is worth pointing out that Mahersala Ali's brief role as the father surrogate-drug dealer won an Oscar for his moving portrait of a man divided. The film is divided into three acts (much like a play) that describe the boy's life at three stages: 1. "Little" 2. "Chiron" 3. "Black"-each role is played by a different actor. I was also looking forward to seeing how Jenkins and cinematographer James Laxton paid homage to Wong Kar Wai (a personal favorite director as well), which was pointed out in a video online, however, I saw many other instances that were left out of the online video. They liked using the blurred hand held camera for action that can be seen in films like Chungking Express. I wonder if I had not been tipped off by this whether or not I would have noticed the effect. At any rate, it was a film worthy of the praise that it has received over the year. I wonder if it will become a breakaway success despite it's nontraditional subject matter-time will tell.

Ants On A Shrimp

Maurice Dekker's documentary on the NOMA pop-up restaurant in Tokyo, Ants On A Shrimp (2016) appealed to me on several levels. First, as a foodie I an interested in creative high end food, secondly it is always interesting to see how highly successful people operate and the lengths they go for the result they demand, and thirdly the fact that this event took place in my adopted city of Tokyo was intriguing. Executive Chef and owner Rene Redzepi is the creative force behind the project and constantly pushes his handpicked team to challenge themselves to produce the best dishes possible and in this context it meant trying to learn and incorporate ingredients that were unfamiliar to the Denmark-based crew and this involved months (if not years) of research prior to the project. In the film the crew visits all regions of Japan (Okinawa, Kyushu, Nagano, Tohoku, and Hokkaido for example) in different seasons to research the best ingredients. Reprized is humble enough to know that it would be futile to recreate Japanese-style dishes (He says there are probably 2000 restaurants that can do sashimi better than them), but use the ingredients to inspire new creations. It was a challenge to have fun and and push themselves to the next level, and is an example of how he was able to capture the world's best restaurant from 2010-2012 and in 2014. The dedication of his staff was impressive as well-I think anyone who has had the opportunity to be part of a successful team gets a lot of satisfaction from working with inspirational and creative colleagues that help push you to do your best. I found this to be a fascinating and inspirational film.

Bangkok Days Part Three

Near Ekkamai station.

Issan chicken curry noodles.

Golden Coins Taproom.

Dinner at a local restaurant with David and Jo. Chicken and cashew stir fry, chicken tom yum kun, cabbage, and ginger pork.

A.R. Sutton Engineers Siam-distills their own gin and specializes in gin tonics. It was designed by the same person who designed The Iron Fairies.

I found inspiration from an article by author Lawrence Osborne (Bangkok Days) in the NY Times. One recommendation very near my hotel was The Local.

Northern pork salad for lunch.

I headed over to the edge of Chinatown to check out a new hip area and started at Teens Of Thailand, which specializes in gin-here a passion fruit gin and tonic-excellent.

Traditional Central Thailand folk music at Tep Bar.

I was really impressed with Tep Bar since they serve traditional yadong, Thai herbal whiskey, in an old Chinese shop house and have musicians playing traditional music from the Central region. A modern take on Thai traditions.

The origins of this chain, Tim Ho Wan are from an affordable Michelin starred dim sum restaurant in Hong Kong.

Baked bun with BBQ pork.

Pork dumplings with shrimp.

Back to Thong Lor for dinner and drinks at Soul Food Mahanakorn-stir fried beef in oyster sauce.

Tiger shrimp prawns and a Dark and Stormy.

A Brooklyn at Backstage.

The butterfly art in J. Boroski, where there's no menu. You answer a few questions about taste and an original cocktail is made for you-mine was a tequila based short drink mixed with vermouth and spices.

Next up was Rabbit Hole, which was probably my favorite of the night due to the ambience and excellent music spun by a DJ and had a pleasant conversation with two young Thai doctors there.

Brunch at Kuppa in Asoke Soi 16.

Scrambled eggs with Virginia ham.

The divine Oreo cheese cake, I  don't often eat dessert but it looked so good-it was too much.

The Bangkok Screening Room is a 50 seat alternative film theater near Silom that shows independent, classic, and other noteworthy non-mainstream films in a 50 seat theater. I came to see the NOMA (world re-known restaurant) documentary Ants on a Shrimp.

After film dinner of fried rice with shrimp.

The Hitch-Hiker

The Hitch-Hiker (1953) is a film noir based on real life events and the first directed by a woman-Ida Lupino. Lupino was known mainly as an actress in several noir films such as They Drive By Night. However, it seems that she became a producer and director in order to make more serious films that dealt with serious social messages. In this noir two fishermen, Roy (Edmon O'Brien) and Frank (Gilbert Bowen) pick up a hitchhiker, Emmet Meyers (William Tallman) who forces them at gunpoint to take him to Mexico since he has killed several people on a robbery spree and wants to evade the police. A huge manhunt ensues but  along the way he engages in some sadistic games. The Mexican countryside provides the backdrop for this small ensemble piece. Lupino has made an effective, entertaining no frills noir in her debut. 

In The Shadow Of The Banyan

I have read a fair amount of nonfiction about Cambodia over the years, but when I was researching new books to read while in Cambodia and SE Asia I came across a well-received novel, In The Shadow Of The Banyan (2012) by Vaddey Ratner, and thought that it would be a good book to start with. It is basically the autobiographical story of Vaddey fictionalized-seven year old Raami is driven from her upper class home in Phnom Penh by the Khmer Rouge and survives the horrific mass collectivization that would claim the lives of one to two million people before liberation by the Vietnamese. But the book is more than that-it is about resilience and self-preservation, the bound between a father and daughter, as well as the importance of poetry and stories in life. The narrative here brings to life the misery that millions suffered under the yoke of the Khmer Rogue that sometimes seems abstract when you merely discuss numbers. It is a harrowing story of needless waste of human lives and was hard to bear at times-I was glad that I was alternating chapters from this book with Mark Twain's Innocents Abroad which has a much lighter comic tone. Ratner's book is a powerful testimony of one of humanity's worst atrocities.