As happy as terrorism can be

THEATRE REVIEW: MAJOR BANG OR HOW I LEARNED TO STOP WORRYING AND LOVE THE DIRTY BOMB

It wasn’t until about the middle of my university life that I first fell in love with Dr Strangelove (I had seen it during my senior years of high school, but the humour had largely passed over my head).  So, as soon as I saw the title for this show, I wanted to see it. 

Major Bang is a two-person show produced by New York’s Foundry Theatre.  It is a play within a play, and Steve Cuiffo and Maggie Hoffman excel at keeping the audience entertained and the story humming along.

The story surrounds a red backpack which is found on the New York subway.  In this new age of terrorism, you can guess what happens when unattended luggage is found on public transport.  The play within the play is about Cuiffo and Hoffman creating a story around the items found in the backpack.   Interwoven in the script are tributes to Dr Strangelove (surprise, surprise), The Bodyguard (yes, the one with Kevin Costner) and Lenny Bruce (I’m not sure if Australian audiences will get this one – I didn’t).

Cuiffo is not only an actor, but also a magician.  Major Bang starts with a clever card trick and ends with Cuiffo doing his best to channel Peter Sellers and play three different characters at the one time.  Hoffman is funny and engaging – in one moment ridiculously funny and in the next fear inspiring.  One scene involving just a geiger counter reached deep down under my laughing facade and teased my ever-present post 9/11 fears.  The play succeeds on the backs of these two actors.

What I enjoyed most about Major Bang was that it makes you laugh at things which need so much laughter in today’s world.  The comedy is funny because it is not high-brow, but clever because it has meaning on many levels.  Don’t worry, you won’t come out with your head hurting.  It is at time ridiculous, visually rich, stand-up and slapstick.  There aren’t many parallels between Major Bang and Dr Strangelove, but that is probably a good thing.  However, like Dr Strangelove, it mocks the handful of headcases that have caused so much fear in today’s world, and it laughs at some of the harebrained responses from government.

It is only playing for two weeks, so if you want to see it, I suggest you act now.  There were still a fair few seats available on opening night, so you should still be able to grab a seat.  Consider subscribing to the Adventures 07 program – I did. 

Where: Playhouse at the Sydney Opera House

When: To 29 July 2007

Principal Cast: Steve Cuiffo and Maggie Hoffman

One Man’s Rating (out of 5):

 

Tastes of my childhood

Not being a scientist, and relying on what Google can tell me, it appears to be commonly recognised that smells can trigger memories. By extension, because our ability to taste is affected by our sense of smell, our taste buds must also trigger memories.

I was compelled to write about this (and look up Google on the subject), because I recently discovered Tasty Toobs on supermarket shelves (it seems that a wave of popular support (and here) has recently caused their reintroduction to the craving masses). As soon as I opened a packet and tasted a toob, I was immediately reminded of many mid-afternoons during the summer holidays, where I would be watching the tennis or some other sport on the television. I can remember the small excitement at opening one of the lunchbox sized packets of toobs, and licking my fingers clean of the salt and spices. And I can remember being tempted to grab another packet from the pantry, but deciding to exercise a little restraint.

Although I associate Toobs with some of these events, it wasn’t until I tasted one that all these memories came flooding back. It was almost as if my body was experiencing those same feeling which I did all the way back then.

This got me thinking about other foods which provoke memories and feelings. Here are four other foods which spark memories of my childhood:

McDonald’s cookies

This is a strange memory. It wasn’t until I bought a packet of cookies about 3 years ago, and tried a cookie while I was driving through Tasmania, that this memory was triggered. I remember sitting in the backseat of a car in the carpark at Eastlakes. Mum is in the front seat chatting with one of her friends. Next to me is another kid, about the same age as me, and I assume he is the son of mum’s friend. We both have a box of McDonald’s cookies which we have opened and are sampling. I can also remember thinking that mum never lets me have McDonald’s cookies, and the only reason I have them now is because the other boy’s mum bought him a packet. I have no idea what that all means…

Chokos

In our backyard, a choko vine use to grow over our side fence and mum use to cook a couple of chokos each and every night for dinner. I don’t think we ever discovered a good recipe for chokos, and my memories are all of boiled chokos served with a knob of butter. I can remember finishing all of my dinner, except for the chokos. And I remember my protests when I refused to eat them, how they did not taste any better when seasoned with the salt of my tears, and how I wondered why children were inflicted with such a cruel vegetable.

Creamed potatoes

One night a week, mum usually cooked a roast, but it is the thought, sight and smell of creamed potatoes which can still make me salivate. Even though I can faithfully recreate the dish, I can only ever eat it at home because they make me remember those nights when all the family was together, and make me reminisce of simpler times (and when I could stuff my face with food guilt-free).

Passiona

It wasn’t until I was about 14 that I was allowed to catch public transport to go to a friend’s place (on my own) and go to the park or the shops with them without adult supervision. Whenever I drink Passiona (a passionfruit flavoured softdrink), I can remember school holidays, being out of breath and sweaty from an afternoon chasing a ball around a park and quenching my thirst with a passiona from a particular shop near a particular set of tennis courts. I am not sure whether Passiona actually replenishes your body of fluid, but for me, there was nothing better.

High water mark

REVIEW: SWELL

A birthday breakfast? I had heard of birthday lunches and birthday dinners, but not birthday breakfasts. Ten of us stumbled into Swell last Sunday for a friend’s birthday breakfast.

We managed to ring earlier in the week and arrange a reservation, which must be rare in Sydney these days. The set-price menu covered the breakfast favourites and the inclusion of a Happy Birthday printed at the top was a nice touch.

The first thing I notice at Swell was the décor. There must be a name for it – the clean whites and blues that, if not done properly, come across uninviting. It has a similar feel to the fitout at Sugarbag. Perhaps we can call it “Sydney Beach Weekend”.

The set menu included banana bread and fruit bread for the table to share which went down well as we looked out over Bronte beach. The breads were good, but not great, but I think I only say this because Sydney is spoilt by good food prepared well. In any other city I hesitate to say that such food would be lauded.

One Princess and I decided on the scrambled eggs with bacon, mushrooms, tomatoes and toast, and the smoked salmon eggs benedict.

The poached eggs were warm and runny, and the hollandaise sauce not overbearing. On a minor point, the vinegar (commonly added to water when poaching eggs) was a little too noticable. The smoked salmon was light and salty – really good compared to the usual stuff that’s served in some cafes around Sydney.

The scrambled eggs and bacon were good – it is a bit hard to really shine or fail with such staples. Plates were a tad too small for the amount of food. The eggs were sitting in a small puddle of its own juices – which usually happens when the eggs are cooked too long. This didn’t detract from the meal, but only made it feel a little unpolished.

A friend tried the roasted pumpkin with fetta, spinach and a poached egg on turkish bread. Looked delicious, and by all accounts, tasted equally as good.

The service was rushed, which is understandable considering the place was full and filled with fussy Eastern-suburbs types. Despite the number of diners, the food and coffee managed to come out hot and without delay.

There is an outdoor eating area, so bring your stroller or dog, and even on a cold winter’s morning, we could take off our jackets inside. There are a few other cafes along the same strip of Bronte Road which Swell occupies. I am curious as to whether they come close to Swell.

Overall, I was impressed by Swell. Their website boasts some great reviews, but I don’t think this is the best Sydney can offer. The food was great, but a little too unpolished for such high praise. Like the décor, the service was clean and faultless but a little lacking in warmth. Perhaps I am being too picky, but I only feel the need to be because of the quotes on its website. I think I am not far off the mark, however, when I say that in terms of beachside cafes, they don’t come much better than Swell.

Details:

The Place: Swell

Where: 465 Bronte Road, Bronte (Ph: 9386 5001)

Food: Cafe

Tip: Watch out for Waverley Council parking officers!

Butcher’s Bill: Set breakfast menu was $30 per person (banana and fruit breads, breakfast meal, regular coffee and orange juice)

Who should go: people who still look cool on a cold winter’s Sunday morning

Don’t forget the kids

REVIEW: WOOD AND STONE

It had been so long since I last tasted good pizza that One Princess and I decided to try Wood and Stone, a long-time Crown Street resident that always appeared to be busy when we passed.

At 6.30 on a Saturday night the two of us managed to secure a table without a reservation. Half an hour later, people were being turned away at the door.

The restaurant was filled with families, so if you have an aversion to children, you have been warned. I, on the other hand, quite like children in a restaurant (so long as they are not throwing tantrums or tunneling their way under my table) – places which are child friendly are generally less pretentious. Tiled floors mean the chatting and laughter of diners really echoes in the room, and music played over the sound system only adds to the din.

The menu consists of the usual starters (garlic bread, bruschetta), a number of salads and a long list of pizzas. The pizza menu could fairly be described as “gourmet” in the “Gourmet Pizza Kitchen” sense. That is, many of the pizzas involve ingredients which are not commonly associated with pizzas (e.g. tandoori chicken).

I generally don’t go for “gourmet” pizzas. A properly prepared traditional Italian pizza beats the pants off any fancy-smancy gourmet pizza – but then again, I have tasted gourmet pizzas which taste far better than the usual pizzas which the average diner has to endure (e.g. at some of the large pizza chains and milk bar/burger shops). What I really don’t like is that most “gourmet” pizza places charge “gourmet” prices, which is understandable because more ingredients are involved, but not justifiable when the taste of the pizza doesn’t come off right.

OP and I decided on the Italian sausage pizza and the Tuscan prawn. The carnivore inside of me loved the Italian sausage pizza. Mildly spicy Italian sausages layered on top of some mild salami on a crisp tomato pizza base. Not complicated at all. Although none of the ingredients really stood out, overall it did the job.

The Tuscan prawn was also good but not spectacular. The prawns themselves were medium sized and there was one for every slice of pizza. The garlic base was just about right, noticable but not strangling, in the way that garlic can sometimes be. There was a sprinkling of pancetta, but cooked as it was, ham or bacon could have easily substituted. The cheese however, was too much for me. The mozzarella, boccicini and fetta/goats cheese overloaded my taste buds and for me, drowned out the prawns, garlic and pancetta.

Dessert was a banana pizza – caramalised strips of banana sitting on a plain pizza base and dripping in a rich caramel sauce. Decadent and simple. It was just the right sort of dessert to end the meal and satisfy the child inside of me.

I can see why Wood and Stone is so popular with families. The pizzas are loud and the flavours brash. Perfect for children (like me) who are used to pizzas were 10+ toppings. The food comes out quick (so you don’t have to deal with hungry children), and from what we saw, colouring books and games are available to keep the little ones entertained. Ventuno had much better pizzas (for about the same prices), but the atmosphere at Wood and Stone is so much more relaxed. They each satisfy two different types of diners. To impress a date, take her to Ventuno. To impress her family of cousins, nephews and nieves, go to Wood and Stone.

Details:

The Place: Wood and Stone

Where: 559 Crown Street, Surry Hills (Ph: 9319 0757)

Food: Pizza

Tip: Book ahead on weekends, and bring the kids

Butcher’s Bill: $71 for two (a small salad, 2 pizzas, dessert and drinks)

Who should go: families and anyone looking for unfussed pizzas

Inconsequential fun

MOVIE REVIEW: I DO – HOW TO GET MARRIED AND STAY SINGLE (PRÊTE-MOI TA MAIN)

In Prête-moi ta main or I Do: How to Get Married and Stay Single, is a fun, light-hearted romantic comedy that ends sweetly but predictably. The storyline starts promisingly, and the characters all have the potential to charm. And perhaps this is what audiences like about this film – its potential – because by the end the plot went from being clever to clichéd, and the characters, charming to uninspiring.

Alain Chabat plays Luis, a 43 year old bachelor who is determined to stay single. Unfortunately, his five sisters and mother have different views on the matters. And after a lifetime of doing his chores, they resolve, in a way that would have made their revolutionary forebears proud, to find Luis a wife. Luis, of course, is resistant, and enlists Emma (Charlotte Gainsbourg) in a clever scheme to ensure that his family never brings up the topic of his marriage again. Like all well though out schemes, things don’t go to plan, however, by this stage of the movie, we all know how the movie will end.

There are a few very funny moments in I Do, and each character has so much more potential to be interesting and quirky. Luis, for example, becomes infatuated with another woman near the beginning of the film. And Emma is a much more sophisticated woman with her knowledge of fine wines and antique furniture, and there are hints that she has an interesting past (remember the Oscar Wilde quip?). These are just a few of the moments in the first half of the film where I wondered “where is this going to go” – unfortunately, the films answer is “nowhere”.

I Do has a good premise for a romantic comedy, but fails to deliver on that potential. It is too light-hearted (if that is possible?) and the audience only gets to see a skin-deep view of the characters. There is little chemistry between Luis and Emma, such that I could not really understand how or why they fall in love with one another. There are definitely some funny moments, but not enough to sustain the predictable plot and two-dimensional characters. That said, the movie is fun, and will probably leave you smiling.

In the movie session I attended, there was a spattering of genuine applause at the end of the movie. I Do has also been a success in the French box-offices, so perhaps my instincts are wrong on this occasion. So perhaps the best advice I can give is for you to see the movie and let me know your conclusion.

One Man’s Rating (out of 5):

Basic bread and butter pudding

As you may be able to tell, I like my recipes short and simple. This is the quintessential “home food” dessert. I have seen some restaurants offer bread and butter pudding as a dessert, but why pay $10 for a single serve when you can make enough for a whole family with for less?

Once you have mastered this basic recipe, you can experiment with different ingredients.

Ingredients

Old bread or croissants. Enough to layer your dish twice. Bread that is stale is better because it absorbs the custard mix more
1 part milk (cream is even better). As a guide, the milk should fill about 3/4 the dish
1 well beaten egg for each cup of milk (some recipes say to add 1 more egg than cups of milk – I prefer not to as the custard tastes a little too eggy)
1 heaped tablespoon of sugar for each cup of milk
Butter

Optional:

Jam
Sultanas and dried fruits
Nutmeg
Vanilla essence

What to do:

1. Butter or oil the dish so that the bread won’t stick to it
2. Cut the crusts off the bread, spread one side with butter (and jam – in the picture I used some homemade marmalade) then cut each piece into fours
3. Line the bottom of the pan with the bread
4. Sprinkle most of the dried fruits over the bread layer
5. Mix the milk, beaten eggs, sugar and vanilla together then pour half to cover the bread layer
6. Place remaining bread on top, then sprinkle remaining dried fruits, then pour rest of the milk mixture
7. This recipe is for a relatively shallow dish. If your dish is deep, you can have as many bread layers as you like, just repeat steps 3 to 5
8. Gently push down the top layer of bread. The bread and fruit should be just submerged - otherwise the fruits will burn in the oven, as you can see in the picture above.
9. Let the bread soak for about 30 minutes
10. Sit your dish in an oven tray that is half filled with water. This prevents the milk and eggs from separating and keeps the pudding moist. Sprinkle with nutmeg.
11. Place in oven at 180°C for about 30 minutes or until the top turns golden brown
12. Serve with cream or icecream