Avatar discussions... again? No, it's about the responses it's elicited.

I'm on an email list for a Naturalistic Paganism group and there's been a lot of discussion about the movie Avatar.  I would say that pretty much all of it has been positive since Avatar portrays a story about a nature-based civilization.  However, an email came through today in response to another member's email defending the nature-based side of the movie against the "small (but vitriolic) backlash against Avatar by fundamentalist Christians".  The response to his email was, in short, to say that participating in these types of arguments is a "waste of time" and "all the brou-ha-ha about the movie has made [her] ambivalent feelings about going to see it in the first place swing right on over to the side of 'now I know for sure I don't want to see it.'"

I decided to respond to her notion that Avatar (and possibly other movies by her implications) is "just a movie" and people like the original poster and the fundamentalist Christians should "get over it".  I also thought my response was meaningful enough to me to share it with others:

I think one of the greatest things about humans is that we do find deeper meanings in movies (and other works of art) and are willing to discuss them.  And yes, sometimes argue about them.  By finding deeper meaning in things, it allows us to develop and strengthen meaning in our lives or at least serve as parables to help us understand things around us.  You state that you're not making a commentary on others' likes and dislikes, but your very email makes a commentary on those that choose to participate in these types of discussions (argument or otherwise).  Some people do feel strongly enough to respond in a way that you may feel is arguing, but that's their choice and they may find meaning in it that you don't.  It's unfortunate that you've chosen to allow the "brou-ha-ha" to influence your choice to see Avatar (and probably other movies in the past).  Without seeing it, it would be difficult for you to understand where [the original poster] and others are coming from.

Just like the point [the poster] made in his original email: without suffering and death in the world, it would be hard to distinguish what makes things wonderful.   I think the same thing applies to discussing differing viewpoints in art and film.  I feel discourse between those around me helps me to find a deeper appreciation for those works.  Granted, I usually find my own meaning, but as I listen to or read what others have to say (whether I agree with them or not), I find it helps me to strengthen and refine my own viewpoints about the movie and sometimes about my own faith and understanding of the world.  Avatar happens to one of those movies that does make commentary on many religious and political levels and that's why there is so much discussion about it.  It would be remiss for you to say that it doesn't make those kind of statements since you have never watched it.

I do agree that Avatar does have a common story with a common theme underneath all the glamor, but if you look at lot of art and film in this world, they would probably fall into the category of "common story/common theme" as well.  What makes a movie that tells a common story great, is how much it's able to touch the people who watch it.  How much it's able to get people thinking and talking and yes, even arguing.  Just because something has a common theme, doesn't mean people can't take significant meaning from it.  Go back to Winnie the Pooh or Aesop's Fables, for example.  Those are common stories with common themes, but there's so much meaning in them.  I would never consider them "just books".

These discussions aren't about coming out as winners in the end. You're right, no one does come out as a winner.  But no one comes out as a loser either.  It's all a matter of perspective and you take from it what you will.  In your case, you've chosen to forgo watching the movie altogether.  And that's your choice.  And you feel that taking part in these discussions and arguments is a waste of time.  And that, too, is your choice.  But please respect those who do feel it's worth their time to participate and recognize that even though you may not get something out of it, others will.

Thanks for taking the time to read it. Please tell me what you think.

Who says vegetarians can't make a good hash?

Last night, we made "Sam's Truck Stop Hash" topped with "Red Onion-Green Apple Marmalade", both recipes from The Vegetarian Meat and Potatoes Cookbook.  The hash, made with Boca Meat Crumbles and lots of potatoes, was warm and hearty and fit right in with the title of the cookbook.  It definitely brought back a little bit of childhood for me when I tasted it.  We topped it with the marmalade, which was tasty, but not exactly up my alley.  The recipe tells you to use ketchup instead if you want it "truck-stop style".  Perhaps, I will try that today when I have it for lunch.  Both recipes can be made vegan and gluten-free, depending on the meat substitute you choose.

As far as ratings:

"Sam's Truck Stop Hash" ★★★★★

"Red Onion-Green Apple Marmalade" ★★★

Sweet Potatoes, Apples and Avocado. Who knew it would taste so good?

Well, according to Elwood J. Blues, "Just about every Tex-Mex chef in the world, ever?"  And he's probably right!  But this is the first recipe I've ever made, let alone tasted that combined sweet potatoes, apples, avocados, lime juice, corn, onion, toasted pumpkin seeds, olive oil and cilantro.  I snagged this recipe from Vegetarian Times and it was delicious.  The flavors mixed really well together, a combination of sweet and tangy.  And the apple and pumpkin seeds gave it a very nice crunchy texture.  The dish was very easy to make and took less than 20 minutes total.  I put a scoop of it over some mixed baby greens and had some homemade pumpernickel on the side.  While I ate it as a main dish, it would probably serve best as a side dish, since it wasn't very filling.  It's also gluten-free and vegan.  I give it 4 out of 5 spoons.

What's Cookin: Yo Cheese, Vegetarian Gumbo and "Chicken" Salad

This past week was quite an adventure in cooking up new things.  I made three new recipes and all were delightfully good for various reasons.  Plus, I'm now 3 new recipes closer to my goal of 24 for the year for a total of 4 so far.  And it's only been 11 days!


Yo Cheese

Yo? Cheese? You ask?  It's actually not cheese, but yogurt without the whey.   It's quite easy to make and it's great for a cream cheese substitute or diluting down mayonnaise in recipes to reduce the calorie count.  All you need to make it is the following:

• 32 oz. container Non-Fat Plain Yogurt (I used Stonyfield Farms Plain Organic Fat-Free Yogurt)
• Cheesecloth¹
• Strainer
• Bowl large enough to hold strainer

Directions:

• Line your strainer with the a double-layer of cheesecloth
• Pour your yogurt in the middle of the strainer and place in a large bowl
• Place the bowl in the fridge for 24-36 hours, pouring away the whey every so often (before it touches the bottom of the strainer)
• Put Yo Cheese in a container and enjoy!

The texture of the Yo Cheese is thick and creamy and it's virtually calorie-less!  I even used it my "Chicken" Salad recipe featured below.  I give this recipe 5 out 5 spoons!

¹Walmart does not sell cheesecloth as I found out one day after asking 4 employees there.  Not one of them even knew what cheesecloth was.  I also wouldn't get it at Target since they sell it for around $10 a package.  You can get it at any health food store for less than $3-4 a package.


Vegetarian Gumbo

I was searching the recipe archives at vegetariantimes.com for a vegetable stew I could make that would use up all the random veggies I had in my fridge.  I happened across their Vegetarian Gumbo and thought it would be perfect.  I've never had gumbo before and since you can pretty much put whatever you want in it, it was a good choice for this week.  The recipe calls for parsnips, but I used zucchini instead.   The directions asked you to cook the roux (flour and oil mixture) on high for 10 minutes until a dark caramel color.  However, I found after about 2 minutes on high heat, it turned fairly dark.  I ended up turning it down to a little over medium and only cooked it for 5 minutes before I started the next step.  I believe I got the roux too dark, but the dish still tasted great.  And it was even better the next day as most stews are.  I also stewed it in the crockpot for about 8 hours rather than on the stove.  The picture definitely doesn't do the gumbo justice, but I included it anyway.  I give this recipe 4 out 5 spoons.


Quorn "Chicken" Salad

I might be vegetarian, but I still love chicken salad sandwiches.  I look for ways to replace the chicken with something that's not only good, but has a good texture.  The perfect substitute are Quorn Chik'n Tenders.  Quorn products are soy-free meat substitutes made out of mycoprotein.  They have a great taste and texture.  So this week, I made "chicken" salad for the first time and used the Chik'n tenders.  I adapted a recipe out of Cooking Light's 5-Star Recipes and made the best vegetarian "chicken" salad I've ever had.  I give this recipe 5 out of 5 spoons and I've included it below:

• 1/3 cup diced celery
• 1/4 cup finely chopped green onions
• 2 Tbsp mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup Yo Cheese (see above)
• 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp dried basil
• 2 cups Quorn Chik'n Tenders (cooked according to package)

Mix all the ingredients together and chill!  Yields 3-4 1/2c servings.

Week in Review: Movies and TV Shows

Here's my weekly wrap-up of the movies and TV shows I watched.  Definitely a variety this week from campy to surreal to just plain painful to watch.

First on the list is Teeth.  This movie is a independent film directed by Mitchell Lichtenstein.  The main character, Dawn, discovers she has the best defense against rape: a toothed vagina.  Vagina dentata, as it's known in mythos, makes for an interesting plot device which lends to the film's campy black humor and shocking horror.  Sprinkle in a devout abstinence program and a nuclear power plant and you've got yourself an interesting film.  What I liked about this film was that it was that the horror was more startling and disturbing than gory (though it had plenty of gore for the audience, especially if you're a guy).  Beware, there are lots of penises in this movie...not necessarily...er...attached.  I give it 4 out of 5 stars. 

The next film I'd like to share with you is called Ink.  The descriptions on Netflix don't quite capture what this movie is like.  The site describes the movie as a story of a young girl, Emma, who was spirited away into dreamland while her body lay comatose in the world of the living.  Forces of good and evil are fighting over her, while her distant father sits helpless by her side.  Watching Ink is like being in a lucid dream for 106 minutes.  There are moments where you know you're dreaming and other moments you are so sure they're real, but they end up being fantasy.  The imagery in this movie is delightful yet dark.  I give it 4 out 5 stars.

Obsessed is your typical stalker movie with all the appropriate tropes.  You could probably look at this film as Fatal Attraction-lite.  The film stars Beyoncé Knowles and Ali Larter (Heroes and Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back).  Lisa (Ali Larter) gets a temp job as a secretary where she immediately and unabashedly becomes smitten with Derek (Knowles' husband).  Obsession ensues and you've got your typical stalker-movie plot.  I actually liked this movie because stalkers and serial killers fascinate me.  It was quite interesting to see how Lisa developed her "relationship" with Derek in her mind, convincing herself it was real.  One warning though: Knowles is a terrible actress.  I give this movies 3 out 5 stars.

Speaking of trope-filled movies... Here we have Serendipity.  It's your typical romantic comedy.  The plot is cutesy but unrealistic in which a couple meet and instantly hit it off, but leave it to fate to hopefully bring them back together again several years later.  Which, of course, happens else you wouldn't have a movie.  I feel sorry for John Cusack, who I think is a great actor, but he seems perpetually stuck in romantic comedies.  I didn't hate the movie, but my cynical side had to dock it several stars.  Or maybe I just don't like romantic comedies?  I give it 2 out of 5 stars.

I consider Law and Order: Special Victims Unit to be one of my comfort shows.  You know how you have comfort food?  I have comfort shows too.  When all other movies and shows fail to nab my interest, this is one of those shows I'm always in the mood to watch.  It's hard for me to rate each season individually since the shows all run together in my mind, but even after eight seasons, the writing and acting is still top notch.  My only complaints come from a political and philosophical stand-point with some of their shady oversights with respect to civil liberties.  Plus they always seem to ignore the most level-headed of all the characters, Dr. Huang the psychiatrist.  He almost always hits the nail on the head and rarely judges the victims or perpetrators.  The rest of the cast is very judgmental even against things that aren't against the law.  That's a very frustrating aspect of the show for me.  However, I still consider it one of my comfort shows.  I give season eight 4 out of 5 stars.

This is the movie I was talking about that was painful to watch.  You thought I meant Teeth?  No.  I meant 2012: Doomsday.  I mistakenly thought it was Emmerich's 2012.  Boy was I disappointed.  The plot of this movie involves the Mayan-predicted doomsday about to destroy the world as we know it (cue REM).  Any fan of  the apocalyptic genre (of which I am one) would think it would be a decent story, even if it was low budget.  But you would soon discover you were sadly mistaken.  First of all, the special effects are laughable.  Literally.  Secondly, the acting for the most part is sub-par even at it's best.  And thirdly, Mayan mythos gets trumped by a Christian agenda.  I find that incredibly disrespectful to Mayan history.  Not to mention, all the deaths are of the ethnic actors (save one) and all the white actors miraculously survive.  I give this movie 1 out of 5 stars.  If Netflix let me give 0 stars, I would have.

Finally, on my list of movies this week, I present to you Flatliners.  This movie was released in 1990 and I found it fun to see some top actors of the time in their prime again.  The story involves five medical school students playing with life and death.  Headed by Nelson (Keifer Sutherland), the students would take turns allowing the others to literally kill them for a small amount of time, then resuscitate them.  The point?  To find out if there really was some truth to near-death experiences and see what was on the other side.  However, the students quickly find themselves facing some of their biggest fears.  The movie also stars Kevin Bacon, but this was before his gratuitous penis shot phase.  I give this movie 4 out of 5 stars.

Dancin' John: New South Black-Eyed Peas and Rice

It's traditional to eat black-eyed peas on New Year's Day as it's thought to bring prosperity for the upcoming year.  This year, I chose a recipe from Crescent Dragonwagon's Passionate Vegetarian called 'Dancin' John: New South Black-eyed Peas and Rice'.  In the south, black-eyed peas are traditionally cooked with some sort of pork, giving it a smokey flavor.  Since my household is vegetarian, we opted to leave out the pork and instead use chipotle chiles recommended by the recipe to give it that smokey flavor.  It takes a few hours to make, but the result is wonderful, hearty and warm.  Just perfect for a cold New Year's day.  Hopefully it will be perfect for ushering in a year of prosperity too!

I give this recipe 4/5 stars.  This recipe is also gluten-free and dairy-free.