Hibernated with my favourite person and watched this feature film yesterday. Sita Sings the Blues is an animated retelling of the Ramayana by the extra-talented-and-I-am-now-in-awe-of Nina Paley who wrote, directed, produced and animated it. Narration of the Ramayana, punctuated with irreverent shadow puppet commentary and scenes from the director’s own life, with perfectly sychronised musical interludes with 1920s jazz musician Annette Hanshaw’s songs. The animations are beautifully rendered and alternate between different styles. It’s a brilliant film, a delightful interpretation of this ancient epic.
Talented Rhett Dashwood at Melbourne’s Wade Studios which produces some fantastic creative work made a weird little mirror music video for kicks. I’m in it at some point. Whee. So much fun.
No time to explain, cos I’m in the middle of dancing to holy-jaysus-the-best-remix-of-all-time, Billie Chikku which is what you get when you mash up Michael Jackson with A. R. Rahman. Rahman Noodles, the mixtape, produced by Raj Makhija, or RajStar takes Rahman and popular music samples and makes curry flavoured cheeseburgers and boy oh boy, they’re good.
Love that two of my favourite labels Missoni and Prada have such fun, spirited campaign videos for their festive new season collections. No vacant stares and insipid poses to be found anywhere.
I love soup. One of my favourite folk tales is Stone Soup, where the travellers trick a whole community into donating ingredients for soup which they all share. Anyway, it’s been raining incessantly and I’ve been thinking about the soup place on Degraves St in Melbourne with the giant vats of the best soups. Anyone who has visited me in my new home knows all I do these days is stay indoors, wear (ugly) floral maxi dresses and cook. I love making things that require only a handful of ingredients, so anything on Martha Stewart is out. I’ve been making up all the recipes. Cooking by intuition. Farfalle with coriander and walnuts, salami sandwiches with avocado and pesto, tumeric and cumin roasted cauliflower. Yesterday I listened to Manu Chao, thought of Rushad and made potato soup. It was pouring outside and my house was so lovely and breezy, that it just seemed apt. I simmered it for a good hour or so but it was so melty and delicious and worth it. It was also really filling. I made up the recipe so I thought I’d type it out so I could remember it for the future. I miss this boy with all my heart.
(Garlicky-buttery) Potato soup
Serves 2
Ingredients:
5 floury large potatoes
half a cube of chicken or vegetable stock (or make your own)
3 onions
4 garlic cloves
butter or olive oil
cracked pepper
Wash, peel, dice and bring the potatoes to boil covering them with enough water. Peel and add the cloves of garlic.
Saute the onions in butter or oil over medium heat until they soften slightly and even char a wee bit. Add it to the pot and simmer. Add more water if levels get too low. Stir occasionally.
It’s done when it has a creamy consistency. Mash with a fork or potato masher until the soup is as smooth as you’d like. Taste and season.
Stir through more butter, or a spoonful of wasabi, or add tobasco if you’d like. Serve with some crusty bread.
