"Crevettes sauce mangue gingembre"

 Des fois, mon père m'envoie des photos du souper qu'il a cuisiné avec ma mère, rien que pour m'envoyer des photos. Ce qui me rappelle que je suis médiocre chef. Mais enfin bref, mes parents ont cuisiné hier des crevettes sauce mangue et gingembre. Sur un lit de riz. C'est juste ce qu'il faut d'exotique, je dois dire. Ils en font assez souvent ces temps-ci parce qu'ils ont des stocks de crevettes. Bon, enfin bref, voici la photo.

Sandwich poulet, mangue, curry

 Mes parents ont fait des sandwiches il y a quelques jours. Poulet au curry avec mangue. Un joli mélange d'exotique et de familier. Le sandwich m'a fait un peu penser au club des îles que j'ai mangé il y a des années au défunt Cornichon. Je pense que je vais l'essayer quand je serai de retour à la maison, ou alors je le ferai ici. L'ennui, c'est que je suis le seul dans cette maison qui mange du poulet.

Nuit Blanche sur Tableau Noir

Petit billet qui est aussi une plogue de dernière minute. C'est aujourd'hui la denrière journée de Nuit Blanche sur Tableau Noir, le festival qui est surtout un marché à ciel ouvert sur l'Avenue Mont-Royal. Il fête ses 18 ans cette année. Mon petit frère m'a dit hier que la pluie diluvienne a gâté la fête, mais ce qui est bien avec Nuit Blanche c'est que ça se reproduit plus d'une fois durant l'été. Je me souviens de la Grande Fresque de Nuit, qui colorait l'Avenue (fermée aux voitures pendant ces jours-ci) et des mangues offertes sur bâton, avec, si on le voulait, des grains de chilli pour la saveur. La Grande Fresque a été annulée cette année à cause de la pluie. J'espère qu'il ne pleut pas trop présentement et que mon lectorat montréalais le visitera. Nuit Blanche sur Tableau Noir m'a un peu fait découvrir le Plateau Mont-Royal quand je m'y suis installé. C'était en 1996, le festival était alors encore nouveau.

Missing this summer?

This is what I was wondering yesterday. I don't mean because I am working, I mean that it is already August, it has not been very hot so far and the weather has been average at best, and there a lot of things associated with summer that we haven't done. Swimming is one of course. A chat with one of our neighbours yesterday reminded us that we haven't had a barbecue this year. My grandfather used to eat outside way into Autumn, so I guess it is not too late technically (and it could make for a resurrected family tradition), but I doubt my wife would like the idea much. Oh, and a small anecdotal thing I miss: eating a whole fresh mango. I used to eat one at this street festival on the Plateau Mont-Royal. It was offered by one of the fruiteries there. They were putting the mango on a stick with bits of dry chili on it. Delicious and original. I have never seen anything like this outside Montreal.

Venus rising from the sea

This is one of my favorite scenes from a Bond movie. You know the one I am talking about. You have probably seen it all. Maybe not the movie, but the scene, you sure did. Of course, Honey Ryder (played by then unknown Ursula Andress) rising from the sea is an iconic moment of cinema, but you have to take time to appreciate how much this scene works on so many levels. First because it is successfully constructed as an allegory: it is a modernisation of Venus Anadyomene. In the original novel, this is even more obvious as Honeychile Ryder is naked, save for a belt, just like Aphrodite in the myth. Like Aphrodite, Honey Ryder's appearance is associated with shells (but she carries them instead of being carried by one). Like Aphrodite at her birth, Honey Ryder is innocent. She arrives in Crab Key oblivious of the dangers the island is hiding. Andress has never been a great actress, but she displays perfectly the innocence of the character. It also works because of the subtext. There is this brilliant song which I talked about in a previous entry, Underneath the mango tree, in itself a sweet love song, is here a wonderful piece of irony: here is this girl, who has dreams of a simple family life, with a stable and loving marriage, who is going to meet her prince charming: a bachelor who has nothing but dislike of simple life, whose work is nothing like the thing she hopes for, and who is oblivious to notions of stable relationship, love or even sexual exclusivity. Bond will nevertheless use the song shamelessly to get in contact with Honey and in the meantime court her. Ursula Andress was dubbed by Nikki Van der Zyl for the dialogues, but by Diana Coupland for the singing part, so we should also give credit to Mrs. (Ms?) Coupland. She sure had a lovely voice. Sean Connery was also dubbed, because he couldn't sing a damn. Finally, before I show you the scene again, there are the brilliant lines and the beautiful surroundings that really make it stand out. Anyway, I hope you enjoy... It's not quite a song, but it's just as good for a feel-good Friday.

Saturday is another sunny day

Is it going to actually be summer for all summer? I sure hope so. It's sunny anyway. I am in the mood for some Pimm's, for walking outside, for reading outside (I am deep into Persepolis and the character's European experience, I expect to finish it today, then I'll read something more escapist), for listening to summery music (I think I might drive my wife crazy with Underneath the Mango Tree, which I will probably listen to a thousand times today, I wish I had some Harry Belafonte CD's, I can't find what I want on youtube).

Underneath the Mango Tree

Maybe it's because of the weather, it's feeling really summery today, but I have that old song from Dr. No in the head. I loved that aspect of Dr. No: the way the music was part of the plot. ironic as well that Honey Rider was singing this when Bond found her, it's a love song about marriage and the joys of a quiet, normal life, something James Bond was never really fond of. Anyway, here's the song I had in the head all day.