Ellen's Blog

Get your Green On

socapellen — Thu, 30 Aug 2007 15:40:33 EDT

What an amazing alternative to the unhealthy, un-conscientious places to eat in the "golden triangle" of DC! It's a bit pricey, but considering that Java Green offers creative all-organic all-vegan cuisine, offsets its carbon use through windpower, and uses all bio-degradable lunchware, it's well worth the price. Unfortunately, Java Green is a bit out of my way for weekday lunch, but I finally made it in this week to try it out. The line was out the door and the tables were filled - I was happy to see an organic vegan place doing so well and hopeful that the food might be equally exciting.

Free Music in DC

socapellen — Mon, 27 Aug 2007 12:18:04 EDT

The summer is winding down, and for those of us who are staying in DC and starting to pay tuition bills again, free concerts become especially handy...

Best Pasta in DC

socapellen — Fri, 24 Aug 2007 13:57:33 EDT

ok, whenever I see or think the words "pasta mia," I sing them to the tune of "Casta Diva" Listen to Maria Callas sing it:

Paaaaaaaaaa-aa-aa-AA-aa-aastaa Miiiiiiii-ii-II-ii-aa - so beautiful!

If you've never been to Pasta Mia in Adam's Morgan, it's totally worth the trip, the wait, and the crowd. It may not be the best pasta you'll ever eat, but I'm almost positive it will be the best pasta you eat in dc, and I'm absolutely certain it will be the cheapest amazing pasta you'll ever eat in dc.

Pasta Mia is tiny, hard to get into, and a teensy bit stuck on itself. It's only open Tuesday through Saturday, and doesn't accept reservations. You should expect to wait at least an hour for a table, esp if you have 4 or more people in your party, but on a warm summer evening, what could be better than hanging out on Columbia listening to the awesome, erratic latin jams from the McDonald's on the corner?

Don't try to change anything on the menu - they basically won't let you. There are options for vegans and vegetarians, though, without having to change much. The house wine is great, and you should expect to leave with leftovers - the portions are gigantic!

Legend has it that only the owner is allowed to cook the pasta - which is why you can expect an extremely long wait for your food. So enjoy the wine and the fact that you finally got seated, and salivate in anticipation of the best pasta in DC.

1790 Columbia Road NW
Washington, DC 20009
202/328-9114

More Free Movies!

socapellen — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 18:41:32 EDT

How did I not know about all these free movies until almost the end of the summer??!! Shame, shame.

Fortunately, there are still a few good free ones left to see. This time, they're at the Mary Pickford Theater at the Library of Congress.

Check out the schedule here:

http://www.loc.gov/rr/mopic/pickford/pickford-current.html

Coming up tomorrow - 10 things I hate about you - eh...not so great but Heath Ledger is awfully cute and it is based on Shakespeare.

Friday, the 24th, Titus is playing

Monday, the 27th, looks especially interesting:

Le Ballon Rouge = The Red Balloon (34 min, Technicolor, 16mm)
Crin Blanc = White Mane (40 min, black & white, 35mm)
Le Voyage en Ballon = Stowaway in the Sky (84 min, Technicolor, Dyaliscope, 35mm)

Tuesday, a recent adaptation of Midsummer Night's Dream

RESERVATIONS may be made by phone, beginning one week before any given show. Call (202) 707-5677 during business hours (Monday-Friday, 9:00 am to 4:00 pm). Reserved seats must be claimed at least 10 minutes before showtime, after which standbys will be admitted to unclaimed seats. All programs are free, but seating is limited to 60 seats. The Mary Pickford Theater is located on the third floor of the Library of Congress Madison building.

If you've never been, you should get a Library of Congress library card just because it feels so cool and because the main reading room is gorgeous. So, take the orange line over to Metro South or walk there from your oh-so-swank Hill office and catch a few more free movies before the summer ends!

And, in case you're back in DC doing another unpaid internship next summer, remember that this amazing free film series will start up again in April.

Library of Congress: http://www.loc.gov/visit/directions.html

No End In Sight - See it!

socapellen — Sun, 19 Aug 2007 15:19:13 EDT

I guess the "social capital" blog is supposed to focus on fun social activities, but I've got one for you that's social, important, for-a-limited-time-only, and not the least bit fun.

You may not have heard about "No End in Sight," the latest and in my opinion best of the Iraq war documentaries, because it hasn't gotten much mainstream coverage yet and is only playing in one theater in the district (E st). I've seen a few others of the Iraq docs and this is by far the most thorough investigation of pre-war and current policy decisions with the most credible experts available, focusing less on the day-to-day experiences of the men and women in our military and the situation on the ground.

Through a series of interviews with high level current and former members of this administration and two combat veterans, Charles Ferguson attempts not to find a scapegoat for the failures of this seemingly endless war, but to give the viewer an honest, complicated look at the many crucial moments, bad decisions, and behind-the-scenes key players that led us to where we are now.

Bush, for example, is hardly mentioned or blamed for anything, with the focus instead being on Rumsfeld, Bremer, Cheney, and Wolfowitz. This is a key success of the film. Instead of harping on what we all already know - that Bush is untrustworthy, incompetent, and a puppet at best, Ferguson pushes past the valid and satisfying easy Bush bashing. He instead prods his interview subjects to reflect on their own roles in this spiraling conflict, which some are willing to do on camera, with great poignancy, but not others.

Ferguson also doesn't advocate for any particular position or agenda, which is another success of the film and which I hope will allow it to be perceived as I perceive it - non-partisan. He doesn't call for immediate withdrawal, he doesn't advocate the surge, and he doesn't offer much personal point of view on the situation at all, using abrupt camera close-ups and lingering shots to let his subjects determine the film's tone - cynical and hopeless - and fills the rest of the film with images most Americans don't want to see - dead and maimed Iraqi and American bodies and hordes of suddenly unemployed Iraqi civilians toting automatic weapons.

So, go see it with friends, and take yourselves out to a nice dinner beforehand so this social event feels less grim.

Movie website: http://noendinsightmovie.com/

NYTimes Review: http://movies2.nytimes.com/2007/07/27/movies/27sigh.html?8dpc&pagewanted=print

How much of your hard-earned money has financed this? Find out: http://www.nationalpriorities.org/Publications/Local-Costs-of-the-Iraq-War-8.html

This Weekend at Black Cat

socapellen — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 17:26:03 EDT

Wed Aug 15- A PLACE TO BURY STRANGERS, AIRIEL $7 Backstage 9:00

Thu Aug 16- PROFESSOR MURDER, THE BOGGS $10 Backstage 9:00

Fri Aug 17- LET'S FRENCH farewell show, GREENLAND, NUNCHUCKS $10 Mainstage 9:00

Fri Aug 17- EVIL DISCO: DC's Loudest, Lewdest, Most Liquored-Up Dance Party w/ DJ Hey Sailor! free Backstage 9:30

Sat Aug 18- MOUSETRAP: DC's Biggest Britpop Dance Night 8th Anniversary Party! $10 Mainstage 9:30

Sat Aug 18- LOOSE JOINTS: Club, House, Hip Hop, Dancehall w/ DJs Curtis Vodka, Flufftronix, Meistro, Deep Sang free Backstage 9:30

Sun Aug 19- GLORYTELLERS (Geoff Farina, Josh Larue), DCIC $7 Backstage 9:00

I've been trying to be more up on what's happening at Black Cat, a pretentious but lovable 14th st venue. If you've never been (perhaps if you work on the hill and wear a lot of khaki and/or pearls), don't be afraid! Check out one of their indie/obscure shows or amazing dance nights. This weekend looks like a good mix of bands, and I can wholeheartedly vouce for both Evil Disco and Mousetrap - some of the best dancing you can do in this city, in my opinion.

Tonight - A Place to Bury Strangers is said to be the loudest band in NYC. I'll stay home, but if you like carefully strung together, angsty noise, check them out. http://www.aplacetoburystrangers.com/

Thursday - catchy, percussive "Professor Murder" is music to dance to - the rhythm and instrumentation are fun, but the vocals are kind of yelly for my tastes. www.professormurder.com

Friday - EVIL DISCO!!! GO GO GO! http://www.myspace.com/evildiscodc

Saturday - MOUSETRAP!!! Dance yourself into a Brit Pop fever - and dress up a bit, this one tends to be hipster-heavy. Dance upstairs to Mousetrap or check out Deep Sang and friends for free in the back room: http://www.myspace.com/deejayholiday

Sunday - Never heard of them, but Glorytellers sound like something I'd like to check out - kind of easy listening, kind of folky, kind of pop - they're backstage for intimacy. And, they have a song in Italian on their myspace page which means extra points in my book. http://www.myspace.com/glorytellers

Have some vegan cake for me if you go.

Head West for some Free Eastwood - Tonight!

socapellen — Fri, 10 Aug 2007 11:48:03 EDT

So what if he threatened to kill Michael Moore? Clint Eastwood, while mayor of Carmel-by-the-sea California, repealed a long-standing law which forbade the eating of ice cream on the sidewalk. That's progress, people.

I'll leave it up to your conscience whether attending one of the few remaining screenings of the Clint Eastwood films which have been playing every Friday at Rosslyn will violate your principles. What gives me pause is not so much that he's threatened to kill Michael Moore but more that his characters are super-violent archetypes of idealized American masculinity. At least, in the early films. While I haven't seen any of his recent films, it looks like Letters from Iwo Jima might actually give the enemy (albeit an enemy that no longer exists in the American mind) a sympathetic human story. Ok, perhaps that really is progress. I would've seen the film so I could back these judgments up with something, but war movies give me the willies.

Somehow, I missed the memo on this summerlong series of the old Eastwood classics, but fortunately, they've saved the best for last if, like me, you're just finding out. Tonight's film, one I've never heard of, does very well on rottentomatoes.com.

But, the weather forecast for tonight looks horrible. Not only is it in the upper 90's (yet again!), but there's a chance of storms.

So, even if the weather ends up being bad, you've got three more chances to see The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, Shane and Unforgiven. And a big thunderstorm tonight will give you an opportunity to see David and Layla, Talk to Me, or Ratatouille somewhere with a roof.

Get all the details: Link

Get Your Ghost On - Tonight!

socapellen — Wed, 08 Aug 2007 16:43:11 EDT

I yelped with excitement when I discovered this DC Haunted House Tour just three weeks before I'm moving away to an older, presumably more haunted city. I've taken many ghost tours in Savannah and Williamsburg and absolutely love a good legend and fright! Tonight should be a good night for a swampy tour of the district, especially if we have a good tour guide, which can totally make or break the experience. If only they had drinking ghost tours...

After finding this tour, I did a little googling around about DC ghosts and naturally came across the "true" story of The Excorcist, which is the source of much speculation and legend among college students and DC residents. I found this fascinating article about one guy's journey to understand the historical context of the movie: http://www.strangemag.com/exorcistpage1.html

Join me tonight from 7-9 for a tour of DC's most haunted historical homes! It's only $10! More info can be found at: http://www.washingtonwalks.com/tours/haunted-houses.shtml

Summon up your courage and meet your tour guide (and me!) at the 27th st exit of the Farragut West metro station at 7pm. If you can't make it tonight, go any Wednesday, or try the "Capital Hauntings" tour on friday nights.

Soup, Soup-beh-Doup, Soup-beh-Doup-eh-Doup-eh-Doup

socapellen — Fri, 03 Aug 2007 09:15:10 EDT

(lemme hear ya say!)

Is it just me, or is there nothing better on a 100 degree day when you're stuck inside a 60 degree office than a big bowl of soup for lunch? I have been prowling around Dupont circle for good, healthy, vegetarian, reasonably priced soups and am finding the pickings rather slim. This week, however, I have discovered five new soups within a block of my office. I'll also include reviews of two old favorites from Teaism.

From Cosi: (All the soups from Cosi come with their flatbread - order the whole grain and if you go during lunchtime it will be fresh out of the oven. Otherwise it gets a bit cardboard-y. I got the large soup size, which is around $4).

(Everyday) Tomato Basil Soup -

This is probably one of the most delicious soups you will ever ingest. Creamy (I think they're using more than just a "touch"), tomato-y, and deliciously salty - I cannot get enough of it! I just looked up the nutritional information and now I understand why - the large size packs a whopping 561 calories and 51 grams of fat into 15oz. I've concocted a clever way to enjoy the amazing taste but cut down on the calories and increase the fiber. Read on to discover how.

Tuesdays: Morrocan Lentil - A decent lentil soup, but nothing compared to Teaism's sensational seasonal lentil stew (see below). The trick to this soup (and the next) is to order a large, ask for it filled with 3/4 lentil and 1/4 tomato basil. You get all your healthy lentils (10 times fewer calories and fat grams than the tomato basil) with the tangy kick of the tomato basil. The staff will be like "whaaa...." the first few times, but trust me, this is the best way to enjoy it.

Wednesdays: Autumn Vegetable and Mushroom - My least favorite of the cosi soups. Give it the ol' Tomato Basil treatment and it'll be fine. On Wednesdays you may want to give up on your pretentious health kick and treat yourself to Pad Thai elsewhere.

From Zorba's: (soups are $3.95 and come with a "plain roll" - ick!)

(Everyday) Fasolatha - Totally gross. The website's description: "A traditional Greek soup made with great northern beans, onions, celery, carrots, tomatoes, olive oil and herbs." It's basically some soggy white beans floating around in bland red broth. Doesn't taste like tomatoes, doesn't really taste like much. I choked it down with about a tablespoon of salt.

(Everyday) Lentil - Because I had the Grossolatha soup first from Zorba's, I wasn't looking forward to boring old lentil. Much to my surprise, on first slurp, I detected a sweet, tangy, unfamiliar taste. My immediate suspicion - meat. I called Zorba's frantically, making sure that this "vegetarian" soup was indeed vegetarian. According to the woman who answered, it's made with vegetable broth. I went back to their online menu and discovered what gives this soup its interesting kick. Red wine vinegar - how do you like that?! Other than finding a piece of real meat floating around in the soup, I enjoyed this one.

From Teaism: My two old favorite soups, one of which has been unfortunately retired for the summer and replaced with Grosspacho.

Chinese Noodle Soup - This soup is kind of fun because they compile it in front of you. They throw all the ingredients into the skillet with the ginger broth and cook it up before your eyes. It takes an extra minute or two, and explains the $4.75 price, but it kind of makes me feel special, which is nice. This soup doesn't have much going for it nutritionally, but it's very comforting and tasty - a vegetarian version of chicken noodle soup, perhaps.

Lentil Stew - Sigh...This is my favorite soup in DC (thus far) but when I ordered it early in July, the woman behind the counter pointed behind her head and said "we have gazpacho now." "Forever!!?" I cried. Fortunately, only for the summer. It will be back in the fall, by which time i will be several hundred miles away from any Teaism. You, however, can carry on the lentil legacy and try it in the fall. Order it with a ginger limeade and a ginger scone (or a salty oat cookie), pull out a book from behind which you can check people out, and pretend to be me.

swingers dances

socapellen — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 23:43:05 EDT

Ladies: Does the possibility of holding hands with 30-40 guys in one night get you excited? What about the probability that one or more of them will try to grope you? What if I told you that most of these guys look like either your grandfather or your creepy uncle, except one, who looks like your hot cousin?

If this is you - you should take up swing dancing. Public swing dancing. DC has several cute venues which host swing dances several nights a week, usually with preceding lesson for the unwilling boyfriend you drag along (if you're lucky). Swing dancing isn't something you should go into alone.

If you're up to the challenge, grab a few friends and head to one of DC's two main swing venues: Clarendon Ballroom or Glen Echo Park. Generally admission is around $15 and includes an hour lesson before the dance itself starts. Wear sneakers if you want to make it through the night, and really do bring some friends, especially guys, so you don't have to spend too much time dancing with the moderately creepy middle aged guys or the cute but slow and smelly grandpa-types. (No offense, Grandpa!!)

Almost always, these nights involve live swing bands, which is probably the best part. Check out the schedules at:

http://www.glenechopark.org/dancing.htm

http://www.clarendonballroom.com/

Guys - take note - there are always lots of cute girls at swing dances - and they're desperate for youngish guys - even ones who can't dance!

The Booze Cruise - if you need a hot date...

socapellen — Sat, 28 Jul 2007 10:43:48 EDT

Probably my favorite episode ever of "the office" - Jim and Pam share a long, meaningful moment, Meredith sleeps with the Captain then pukes in his quarters, Michael gets put in the brig...and all in February on Lake Wollumpompack!

I was hoping for a similar adventure last night, when I hopped aboard the "Moonlight Madness" cruise leaving out of the Annapolis Harbor. I kept hoping John Krasinski would magically appear and gaze into my eyes in the moonlight. Unfortunately, most of the men aboard were sporting the "mid-life sea captain" look and had doting Annapolis huns on their arms.

It's a bit pricier than your average So Cap outing, but for $35 you can make fun of people who look like your parents, get a few free drinks, possibly participate in a risque dating game or the adult version of twister, and sail up the severn river at sunset. If you're willing to be the odd woman out among the Annapolis crowd, it could be great, or even romantic. Surprisingly, the upstairs deck with all the benches and great views wasn't too crowded, so you could nurse a corona or bud light (ick!!), watch the naval academy float by, and snuggle up with someone equally antisocial. Grab a cheap bite at one of the local pubs after, and you'll still probably spend less than if you went out in georgetown for a "few drinks."

Free Screening of Artic Tale tomorrow!

socapellen — Wed, 25 Jul 2007 18:03:29 EDT

For free tickets to the 7pm thursday screening of this year's "March of the Penguins," go to http://www.arctictalemovie.com/ and enter your info as directed (make sure to uncheck all the boxes unless you want Paramount Pictures sending you junk mail).

Arctic Tale, narrated by Queen Latifah and starring some ADORABLE little creatures, is the "true" (read: not true!) story of Seela and Nanu, a baby walrus and polar bear as they grow up in the melting Arctic wilderness.

So it's a kind of true story. In actuality, the narratives of each of these cubs is actually a compilation of shots taken of different animals over 15 years of filming. The footage of the Arctic is gorgeous, and the plight of the wild animals compelling, so I'm personally willing to overlook this slight falsehood in the hopes that the narrative format and anthropomorphism will inspire a new generation of conservationists. After all, it was the cartoonish cuteness of manatees that got me hooked on "being an environmentalist" when I was 9.

If you can't make it tomorrow, this will be showing all over the place starting today.

Beyond Naan and Beyond

socapellen — Sat, 21 Jul 2007 12:57:45 EDT

What a pleasant surprise to find a cheap, cute, friendly little Indian place in Adams Morgan. Not that Jyoti is particularly hidden, but it’s easy to miss some of the cute little restaurants on the East side of 18th when you’re racing up the hill to get a spot in the hour-deep Pasta Mia line.

Jyoti has a really friendly staff (my waiter told me he loved me in Hindi), a pleasant décor, and comparably cheap food. Apart from the breadth and depth of the vegetarian fare, I really liked it!

My friend and I tried the Veggie combo, which consisted of six (seven?) of the veggie curries plus naan and that spicy flat crunchy bread, lemon pickle, and like 4 other sauces. All this for $12.95 – so $6.50 each! Even though we were both really hungry, we couldn’t finish this combo (we also had two appetizers, more on that in a second). Some of the curries were interesting, but I couldn’t tell what they all were. Definitely avoid the spinach/corn curry, but the thing I thought was Aloo Gobi was my favorite. The naan was tasty, and the lemon pickle was sweeter than I like it, but still added a kick to the curries.

The appetizers we ordered were just ok. We ordered a samosa and some kind of veggie fritter. The samosa was fine (they’re hard to ruin, fortunately), but the fritters were crispy on the outside and kind of boring and soggy on the inside. Definitely not bad, and for $1.95, I can’t complain too much.

I had two beers, he had one (why am I out-drinking my dates?!!), we ordered 2 appetizers and the incredibly filling combo which we split, and the total including tip was $36. You really can’t beat that. Ok, you can. But you have to travel to Langley Park, MD. More on that to come…

Screen on the Green

socapellen — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 18:07:11 EDT

I can't believe no one has posted on this yet!!

Almost nothing makes me more nostalgic for my idyllic youth in the 50s than watching a great movie on a big screen outdoors. The mosquitos bite, you sneak in a flask, and all is well with the world. Apart from Bengie's, I've never been to a drive in. I went to Bengies when I was in Girl Scouts, and we all sat on the top of our leaders' van to watch Mario Brothers in the moonlight. If you're interested in finding a drive-in movie theater near you, you could check out Link, OR you could just hop on the metro a few Monday nights this summer and enjoy an eco-friendly version of this classic movie-watching experience. This past Monday, HBO's screen on the green kicked off with a romantic classic - Annie Hall. Many (including me) were scared away by the forecast of severe thunderstorms, but as with the fireworks, the few brave souls who ventured out were rewarded with perfect weather, no rain, and adorable young Woody Allen.

Here's what's coming up:

July 23 --- The Thing (From Another World)
July 30 --- Wait Until Dark
August 6 --- All the King's Men (1949 film)
August 13 --- Casablanca (film

And, if you just like watching old movies for free in nostalgic settings, you should check out the schedule of oldies and classics at American City Diner:

Link

Utter Naansense

socapellen — Sun, 15 Jul 2007 10:19:33 EDT

When you google "Naan and Beyond," an "indian" takeout place on L NW between 17th and 18th, you'll see this place compared to the soup nazi counter on Seinfeld, and see adjectives like "great," "truly delicious," and "FRESH, CHEAP, ENTERTAINING!" in one blog post.

Either these people have never had good indian food before, or the lunch options in Farragut North are so chain-y and meagre that Naan and Beyond stands out as at least vaguely ethnic and therefore "good" or "great." Or, they're so excited to bring a foil wrapped "Sheesh" or "Tikka" back to the office for bragging rights that they overlook the gummy naan bread, soggy vegetables and sour sauce that made up my Veggie Tikka sandwich.

I would blame it on my own restrictive dietary choices that I hated Naan and Beyond, but the tears welling up in my meat-eating friends' eyes confirmed my disappointment. I am an adventurous vegetarian - and don't need a restaurant to look nice (or even clean) to enjoy the food. Naan and Beyond is basically a dumpy lunch counter with appropriately passive service (not nearly as surly as the bloggers led me to believe - unfortunately) - and if the food were good, I would sing its praises for having cheap vegetarian food that was even half-bad. This was all bad, and I picked through the two pieces of watery eggplant and three pieces of zucchini on my Tikka before throwing the rest away.

On the other hand, this would be great for you if you have never had indian food or are used to grabbing lunch at, say, Burger King. It'd be real culinary and cultural adventure.

It's sad that in order to enjoy lunch in some areas of this city, you have to cook it yourself the night before and eat at your desk...ever since Teaism retired their lentil soup for the summer, the word is still out on delicious vegetarian lunch food in the Dupont/Far. North area.

My dirty little secret...

socapellen — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 09:06:14 EDT

Ok, so I used to phrase this secret this way:
"I started watching a few episodes because I'm interested in the societal impact and the portrayal of the women"
But, after completing the second season this weekend (when I should have been, you know. out with other live human beings), the semantics have changed:
"I am obsessed with The L Word."

LebTav, as the locals say

socapellen — Sat, 07 Jul 2007 08:34:41 EDT

I've been meaning to get to Lebanese Taverna for awhile (the one in Woodley Park), but something always comes up (Meskerem, Pasta Mia, Tryst, etc). I finally went tonight to reunite with a group of friends from college, and was given the arduous tasks of both choosing the wine and having to choose from their bevvy of veggie options. I was happy to see that they had a great selection and range of both Lebanese wines as well as other mostly Mediterranean wines.

Although the service was miserably slow, the waiters were friendly and the fresh bread, when it finally arrived, was piping hot and delicious. I shared a hummos and had a Shakshouky (roasted eggplant salad mixed with diced tomatoes, scallions, garlic, pomegranate extract and olive oil, served chilled) which was tasty but kind of cold and slimy in texture. The promise of pomegranate extract was what lured me in but it was undetectable in the dish. The bread was definitely the highlight of the meal for me, and I ate way too much of it. The Lebanese wine, Les Bretches, was solid, but I should have picked something sweeter to go with all that lemon and vinegar.

Lebanese Taverna is the place to go if you have a lot of people to please (read: a lot of vegetarians) and if you're looking to spend a whole evening lounging at your table waiting for service. If I hadn't been yukking it up with the old crowd I would have been seriously aggravated with the slow service (and they charged us for two things we didn't eat). However, everything i tasted was fine, and their extensive menu is beckoning me back to be more adventurous with my ordering.

Digging Deeper at the Folk Life Festival

socapellen — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 10:35:57 EDT

Emerging from the metro station in a haze of national mall dust and heat, I immediately didn't want to be at the folk life festival. I've gone every year since I've been in DC and it's something I always feel like I should do - you know, get some culture.

Unfortunately, the experience of the folk life festival on a hot sunday in july could leave the most intrepid cultural explorer (which I'm not), a little disgruntled. With the long lines for food and the endless horizon of tents as one surveys the mall, it feels overwhelming. Not to mention, if you're like, me, swarms of meandering tourists make you want to jump into the tidal basin.

So I stayed about 20 minutes, listlessly wandering around the Mekong exhibit, where I saw basket weaving, canoe digging, silversmithing, and lots of people eating what looked like pad thai. Maybe it was the heat, maybe it was the tourists, but I couldn't take it. I realized I'm not that interested in watching people exercise their cultural traditions, unless those traditions are music, dance, or literature (they have those there, I just couldn't get a seat). I'd probably be much more enthralled by basket weaving if it weren't hot out and if I weren't pressed up against a sweaty stranger to try to see it.

Complaining aside - what little research I did on the history of the folklife festival made me curious to go back (when it's raining and no one is around except me and the basketweavers).

"The Festival has strong impacts on policies, scholarship, and folks "back home." Many states and several nations have remounted Festival programs locally and used them to generate laws, institutions, educational programs, books, documentary films, recordings, museum and traveling exhibitions. In many cases, the Festival has energized local and regional tradition bearers and their communities, and thus helped to conserve and create cultural resources. Festival practice served as both the backdrop and inspiration for the consideration and ultimately the development of UNESCO's 2003 International Convention on the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage."

So I'm going to go back - this sounds worthy. And I'll even promise to write an updated blog about it - to force myself to go. This time, I'll bring a huge bottle of water, sunscreen, sunglasses, and some sort of cattle prod to deal with the tourists.

Check out: Link

La Me en Rose

socapellen — Sun, 01 Jul 2007 01:57:14 EDT

I was desperate to see "La Vie en Rose" so that I could experience something similar to what it must have been like to see Edith Piaf perform. I was in it for the tour-de-force performance by Marion Cotillard - I wanted to see this woman stretched to the very limits of her humanity in her attempt to portray one of the most tragic and interesting popular figures of the 20th century.

I was also in it for the music. The title song, "la vie en rose" is Piaf's most famous ballad and one of my favorite songs of all time. The first few lilting notes make me giddily romantic and wistful for the 1940's. Piaf's voice is incredibly distinct - her vibrato always uncontrolled, emotive, and bare.

The movie disappointed me. I wish the story had focused more on her voice, her magnetism, and less on her almost comicly tragic life story. Yes, Marion Cotillard was luminous, but the movie was too much a movie - apart from Cotillard's performance there was little that was visceral, human, or developed.

The film attempted to give us the life behind the voice, lingering on Piaf's childhood traumas and even delving briefly into her daughter's death by meningitis. While this is clearly a noble, natural angle for a film to take, I was left wanting more Edith and less back story. I wanted to just bask in her voice for a few hours - not find out how much she sacrificed to bring me this music.

Eat Your Vegetables

socapellen — Wed, 27 Jun 2007 08:41:21 EDT

As if vegetarians need any more help finding vegetarian food at whole foods...

Although I hear from my fish-eating friends that the sushi is less consistent, I've been very impressed with the veggie options at this super-cheap, cute little cafe. If you're like me, you find yourself wandering the P street Whole Foods at least once or twice a day. This time, once you've picked up your organic oatmeal bread from the bakery, Dagoba extra dark chocolate and as many free-sample cherries as you can stomach, head over to the newly renovated space which houses Izakaya. There you will most likely be greeted by "J. Chang," the extremely helpful head waiter/host/cook/I don't know what who has been there every single time I have. He will literally make you whatever you want and charge you maybe four or five dollars for it. I'm talking grilled vegetables here, not vegetarian maki. Try the veggie Teriyaki and ask them to add every vegetable they have that day. Substitute a spicy sauce for the boring teriyaki and you have yourself a four dollar healthy, tasty meal.

The veggie tempura is good, the avocado rolls are fine (but not cheap) but seriously - eat your vegetables and put something spicy on them and still spend less than you would have on the caramel soy latte from the old coffee bar that used to be there. They don't let you tip at Izakaya and the green tea is free and free-flowing (ask for it iced with lemon for the summer).

I don't know how long the impeccable service will last (once people find out about this place it will be packed all the time, I'm sure), so go make friends with "J. Chang" asap

Izakaya is located inside the P Street NW Whole Foods.