LINES OF THE DAY

". . . But the past does not exist independently from the present. Indeed, the past is only past because there is a present, just as I can point to something over there only because I am here. But nothing is inherently over there or here. In that sense, the past has no content. The past -- or more accurately, pastness -- is a position. Thus, in no way can we identify the past as past." p. 15

". . . But we may want to keep in mind that deeds and words are not as distinguishable as often we presume. History does not belong only to its narrators, professional or amateur. While some of us debate what history is or was, others take it into their own hands." p. 153

Silencing the Past: Power and the Production of History (1995) by Michel-Rolph Trouillot

Sunday, March 29, 2009

More "Tremé" & Wendell (da Bunk) Pierce

Rainy and chilly today. An excellent day to stay in, read the papers, workout, write and make a week's worth of stock.

Two packages of drumsticks, seven per package (the Cantonese Lucky 7) purchased yesterday in the Chinatown Deluxe meat market for about 3 dollars/ A single box of 8 packets of non-sodium chicken bouillon now costs $2.99. I got the most aromatic bunch of parsley in the now Wong Chow, previously named Shing Hing, produce market for $.50, some bludgeon carrots for $.65, three enormous Spanish onions for $.60 and some lemons for $1.00, plus some herb medley brought from New Orleans, to make my own stock. The apartment is aromatic now, in a good way. Toward the end I may add some wine. This stock will be the basis for a mushroom medley-greens-chili-sweet-pork-and-tofu soup.

In the Sunday NY Times art section.

It includes a terrific photo of Pierce in his Tremé character as trombonist, Antoine Batiste, who is still not reunited with his family in the months post Katrina and the Levees' Massive Failure.

Then the London Times provides instruction in how to watch The Wire, now that all five seasons have been acquired by 'normal telly,' i.e. BBC2. However, from this perspective, this advice seems strange, considering the sorts of series that British television regularly runs.

Viewers are advised to " ... concentrate on the most popular characters, such as Omar and Bubbles, at the outset ..." and " ... switch on the subtitles for the hard of hearing until you get a grasp of things."

But I've viewed the entire series twice, discussed it in detail with close professional writing friends, some of whom are on staff as script writers for other popular television programs, and by now have met some of the principals, so I've maybe I've forgotten what The Wire seemed like initally? Still, among the great delights provided by this series is finding out who these characters are on your own, the dawning realization that your first impressions can and do change as you get familiar with people on the screen, just as happens in your daily life.

5 comments:

Foxessa said...

Dang-O! I forwarded this article to Vaquero, and now he's sent out to da List, making this entry fairly redundent.

O well. He didn't include the making stock parts. He also isn't getting to smell the stock-making goodness, which does so much to offset the damp chill the permeates everything today. We even have fog.

Frank Partisan said...

That is an original recipe? It sounds great.

Broth has to have uniformity. That is how I broth is judged.

I will try a variation of this recipe, with lesser ingredients.

The El Salvadoran FMLN supporters, showed a movie at a church about Father Romero's life. It's the anniversary of his death.

I appreciate how in a friendly way, you answered the conservatives about Cuba.

Unlike the conservatives, I judge Celia Cruz first as a singer/performer, and second politically. Artists have to judged first in their own language.

Foxessa said...

It's just your basic way of making stock. The more bones you use the better. It's a good way to use up your backs and so on when you roast a fowl.

I don't like arguing much.

I dislike like the facts being ignored or falsified even more. Benny Moré is the best known Cuban singer -- for one thing he brought "el Manicero" to the world stage; it's the song that has been covered more times than just about any other, including artists such as Louis Armstrong (who had a very strange way of pronouncing some of the words!). That's just one thing.

We spent some time with Celía. Her manager is one of our best friends; she was also one of Celía's best friends, at the end of her life. Celía always cared for her fans, in the way artists like Ernest Tubb did. We were at her funeral. And now Ralphee's dead too.

Celía blew it in Puerto Rico. In 1997 she was booed in Puerto Rico’s Hiram Bithorn Stadium because fans did not agree with her recent support for the canceling of a Miami concert. Cruz had supported those [anti-Castro Cuban-Americans] who decided to cancel salsa singer Andy Montañes’ concert because he had welcomed the Cuban troubadour Silvio Rodriguez to Puerto Rico.
That had never happened to her in her life. It took her a while to repair that one. It caused her great distress because that had never happened in her life and she couldn't understand how Puerto Ricans saw things differently politically than she did, when they loved so much of the same music and singers. Puerto Ricans love Silvio -- and Andy.

Btw -- why FaceBook isn't so appealing to people like me, go here.

Love, c.

K. said...

I hate to say this, but ask people (of a certain age, anyway) to name a Cuban musician and they'll say Desi Arnaz.

Foxessa said...

Yes, white USians of a certain age. That doesn't constitute global recognition, particularly among the millions in the Caribbean, South America, Canada and Europe.