Note: The following is a personal reflection of mine on the recent film "The Hunger Games." While this isn't a film review per se, there are spoilers ahead, if you care about that sort of thing.
The thoughts expressed in this blog post are entirely those of the author, and do not reflect those of Google, Suzanne Collins, Scholastic Corporation, Lions Gate Entertainment, Gary Ross, Jennifer Lawrence, or indeed any other known human being.
I've been living with anxiety and panic for the last three weeks or so. While I'm definitely on the mend, there's definitely still some lingering "what if...?" in the background, more than likely caused by that other stomach problem I've been told I have.
Having said that, I actually caved and decided to go see The Hunger Games over the weekend, just to see what all the hype was really about.
And I'm certainly glad I did.
Going into it, I knew about, and was quite intrigued by, the main event--what could best be described as an eclectic, if not sadistically ruthless, mashup of Survivor, Weakest Link, and the Roman Coliseum. Some may even say a blatant ripoff of Battle Royale (which, as I've discovered, is not the case).
What I wasn't expecting, though, was to be as personally impacted by the film the way I was.
Jennifer Lawrence brilliantly plays the main role of Katniss Everdeen, 16, who volunteers as tribute for the 74th Hunger Games in her sister's place. Just like any reality competition on TV these days, there can only be one winner. But these games are different from your average series of Survivor, in that the winner is the only one left alive at the end.
Katniss and her fellow tribute, Peeta Mellark (also brilliantly portrayed by Josh Hutcherson), are two of the 24 tributes competing. They are from the same district, and during the course of the games we see the two of them develop an alliance-turned-romance.
Let me pause here for a minute. As I have previously stated, I have been suffering anxiety and panic attacks for the last three weeks. With these attacks comes, after a chain reaction of emotions ranging from a fear of eating to a lack of motivation to work, a (largely irrational) fear of dying--or at least the fear of something else (read: worse) happening to me. I've developed a lot of fears of things I used to enjoy, such as a good meal or a swim--in other words, perfectly innocuous things that, while I'm beginning to get over it, I now dread.
But I find a bit of myself in Katniss, in Peeta, in any of the other tributes for that matter. And with that comes a bit of a reality check. Unlike my irrational fear of death, the tributes' fear of death is very real. It becomes real from the very minute they are reaped, and lasts through the second the games begin until the very instant they die or win. And even though my fear won't come to fruition, it still haunts me, just as the tributes' very real fear does to them.
This is why I, as Merv Griffin once said, "would rather play Jeopardy! than be in it."
The other bit, the reality check, that I noticed was this notion of tenacity, of boldness, of fearlessness. Yes, the possibility of death is high. But to win this game, you have to put that thought completely out of your head, and be ready to betray everyone to be rich. And in a sense, I would have to be that fearless to get over my panic/anxiety/whatever this can be called. And given how I completely lost it, broke down and cried the other night, I've got a long way to go before I get to that point.
It's also why I'd be a terrible tribute. I'd be dead within the first hour.
Watching The Hunger Games was also the first time I can remember when I actually cried in the theater. Katniss's alliance and friendship with Rue was incredibly gripping. I think it speaks to the acting of both Lawrence and Amandla Sternberg (Rue) when I say that I was genuinely shocked when Marvel killed Rue, and was equally as heartbroken as Katniss was. My tears began to flow when Katniss sang to Rue, fulfilling her last request, and when Katniss covered Rue in flowers. If there is any solace to be had, at least Katniss and Rue weren't the final two, leaving one with a difficult decision to kill the other.
Nonetheless, it served as a sobering reminder to cherish those that are close to you.
I didn't need to be told going into this film that there's always a dark side to love. But yet I still was, through Gale. Gale, the one who has feelings for a girl he practically grew up with. Gale, the one who can't bear to look as his love interest locks lips with another young man. Gale, the one hurt by the star-crossed lovers stunt.
I, too, identify with Gale (and with Peeta too, in a sense, since I suppose he goes through something similar...only the odds were in his favor in that respect). I have been smitten, if not in love with, a girl I know well; have seen said love interest get together with a different man; have spent so many nights lying awake, unable to sleep, all the while thinking that should have been me.
But then there's that unadulterated joy that comes with seeing one's family again, as we see when Katniss returns home from the games to the sister she vowed to protect.
It's like stepping off the plane and into the arms of the loving family you haven't seen in months.
And that's when you realize your fears are gone.
Monday, March 26, 2012
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
ICT: Battle Uni: Sakai vs. Wakiya
BATTLE DATA FILE
Japan Original Airdate: 6/17/94
Episode: 33
The Challenger: Yuji Wakiya, a revolutionary of Chinese cuisine in Japan. He fuses ingredients from around the world with genuine Chinese flavors. He is here on the recommendation of culinary critic Masuhiro Yamamoto, who has criticized the selection of challengers on the show lately. He says that, while the challengers are no doubt top chefs, they only specialize in one field. Wakiya, he says, specializes in multiple areas.
The Iron Chef: Iron Chef French, Hiroyuki Sakai. So far he's three for three...can he make it four?
The Battle:
Actress Mayuko Takata, once again, joins Fukui and Hattori in the announcers' booth.
9 months since the opening of Kitchen Stadium, Kaga doesn't doubt the caliber of the 30 or so challengers who have stepped into Kitchen Stadium thus far, despite the fact that one Masuhiro Yamamoto does. Indeed, here he comes, leading Wakiya in.
"His name's not a household name like those of the Iron Chefs, but his skills are definitely comparable," Yamamoto says of his hit man, who is ready to take down one of the three men ascending into Kitchen Stadium...but which one?
Sakai! So far undefeated in Kitchen Stadium, says Fukui. That could change with Wakiya knocking at his door.
"We know how discerning Mr. Yamamoto is about food. I had a tough time deciding on today's theme," Kaga says. "It was his words that gave me a hint: 'To beat an Iron Chef is not that difficult.' It's quite a 'thorny' expression, don't you think?"
I don't really see what's so thorny about it, but OK...
"Thorns. Yes, it's the perfect time to enjoy that ingredient."
Which one, you ask? UNI! Sea urchin roe, for the Japanese-linguistically-challenged. And Sakai looks as though he's under pressure!
"Eggs for eggs." That's how you get the best out of this ingredient, according to the Japanese.
So it's a top class-chef backed by a discerning critic against the Iron Chef French...and we are underway with Kaga's trademark call of "ALLEZ CUISINE!"
And Sakai did NOT look happy when that theme ingredient was unveiled...although Hattori says raw uni isn't that uncommon in French cuisine, so maybe it's not so bad...
Sakai is cutting his sea urchins with scissors, while Wakiya has shark's fin and wonton skins on his side--Ohta's dub voice sounds...different today. Strange, not as fast.
Wakiya is now deep-frying his wonton skins as, according to Ohta, Yamamoto is already pre-calling Sakai's menu: uni scrambled eggs, NOT a mousse, and a dish with red miso. Huh-kay.
Speaking of Sakai, he's laying raw uni on top of raw tilefish--Hattori predicts he'll steam that (technical term: vapeur). Wakiya, meantime, is mixing his uni with tofu--they predict that will go with the wonton skins. Lotus leaves on Wakiya's side, according to Ohta...but we don't know for what. Yet.
Sakai is delicately opening eggs (just the tops off), as the 15-minute mark is announced. And Wakiya's...already plating? The tofu-uni mixture is down with the deep-fried wonton skins, with some raw uni on top and another wonton skin...this will probably a mille-feuille, they say.
Wakiya's already sweating and we're barely halfway through. Sakai has the beginnings of an egg dish, while Wakiya has minced okra and XO sauce with uni in those lotus leaves. Sakai proves one of Yamamoto's guesses correct (eggs), while the commentators get a kick out of Wakiya flipping his shark fin mixture over in his wok (quite the show, that)...so it won't be a soup?
Mushrooms go into the egg crepe on Sakai's side, which has uni mixed in. Back on Wakiya's side, bamboo shoots are being delicately cut into fan shapes (tail feathers, it looks to me)...his blender is also in action. And either this battle is going fast or they've heavily edited this one, but we're already halfway home!
Break in the action as Ohta gets some words from Yamamoto, who says both chefs are "doing wonderfully." Yamamoto says Wakiya can win if he can break the Japanese mindset of raw sea urchin--in other words, cook it.
Sakai is folding over his egg crepes...while Wakiya is piping some mixture onto the bamboo tails. Fukui thinks it's lard (gross), but his serious guess is white fish meat paste. He's making those tails look like swans (or cranes, I suppose), though...and there's word of spinach rice flour from his blender mixture elsewhere on his side.
Soup on Wakiya's side, perhaps a chawan-mushi. And Sakai is stuffing prawns into sea urchin shells, along with mussels. And there are Wakiya's spinach rice flour balls...but one of them doesn't look so good. What does, though...swallow's nest on his side!
Sakai has curry powder into a sabayon sauce...and Wakiya has the makings of sea urchin dumplings with his spinach rice flour. The uni going into those has already been steamed, and Hattori bets he'll dip those into hot water.
Sakai is steaming his eggs that he spent some time taking the tops off...and we have just 20 minutes left as he's steaming some herbs as well. So many steamed items, comments Takata...Hattori says it's the trendy thing to do these days (bear in mind that was 1994). Wakiya's working with his swallow's nest now (which Takata misnames "sparrow's nest"), and Sakai is spooning uni on top of his steamed eggs (he would later add his sabayon sauce and some prawns). And uni on top of Wakiya's chawan-mushi...it's everywhere today! Go figure, it's the theme ingredient.
Wakiya plates abalone and wakame near his shark's fin...but where is the uni in all that? Maybe I missed something. But Sakai is plating his tilefish from the very beginning...and cutting some plain white bread. Croutons or breadsticks, perhaps? Wakiya's cranes are doused with sauce of some kind.
Those breadsticks go with Sakai's egg dish, while Wakiya's swallow's nest goes straight on top of the spinach dumplings--perhaps like a dim sum item, Fukui says. Five minutes to go as there is plating about here...
Three minutes now, and Wakiya is laying on the sauce on his mille-feuille. Sakai is spooning a soup into the uni shells, but we don't know where it came from...
And the swans land on the shark's fin dish on the challenger's side. Sakai is laying on another sauce onto his tilefish dish (as he fumbles the saucepan)...one minute left as Sakai gets in a sly ad for his Tokyo restaurant, saying the eggs are symbolic of the skycraper where his restaurant is.
15 seconds left, some colored sauces go down on the egg crepes...the final seconds tick down...
"And THAT'S IT! The cooking's done, the Uni Battle is OVAH!"
And Yamamoto sneaks a taste test as Ohta interviews the combatants. Sly devil.
Challenger Wakiya's five dishes:
--Sea Urchin and Tofu Hors D'oeuvre
--Sea Urchin in Egg Soup
--Stewed Abalone and Shark Fin, Sea Urchin Sauce
--Sea Urchin Grilled in Lotus Leaf
--Sea Urchin Dumpling
Iron Chef Sakai's four dishes:
--Sea Urchin Soup
--Steamed Egg with Sea Urchin and Sabayon Sauce
--Sea Urchin Crepe
--Tilefish and Sea Urchin
On the panel today for the Uni Battle are:
--Novelist Tamio Kageyama
--Actress Mayuko Takata
--Rosanjin Scholar Masaaki Hirano
Wakiya's up first, as is the tradition...
"What I tried was to accentuate the natural flavor of sea urchin roe," he tells the panel.
Takata likes the contrast of the wonton skin with the sea urchin roe, while Hirano likes how he chose to be modest in his first dish. Whatever that means.
Kageyama likes the duality of flavor in Wakiya's second dish. Takata can't get over how different the uni on top and the uni on the bottom of the bowl taste so different.
Hirano comments on Wakiya's skill through the ingredients he used, but Kageyama says the shark fins came out a bit tough.
Hirano says the first few dishes were simple and flat, but likes the intent of intensity in his fourth (stemming from the spicy XO sauce).
Kageyama doesn't feel the sea urchin in his last dish, but Takata says it eventually hits her. Hirano thinks the uni could've been highlighted a little better.
As for Sakai's dishes...
Hirano says the use of the shell makes a powerful statement in the opening, and Takata likes the extensive use of seafood throughout the dish.
They all like the egg dish, for what it's worth...
The crepe, says Kageyama, draws out the sweetness of the uni better than the other dishes.
His last dish Kageyama calls orthodox...and Hirano is getting tired of uni. Though he says if it was served by itself, he'd enjoy it.
Kaga concedes Yamamoto was right about the caliber of the challenger, but who ends up getting pricked in the end...the Iron Chef or the hero of French--natch, Chinese--or whatever the hell he specializes in--cuisine?
"Tetsujin, Sakai Hiroyuki!"
And relief on Sakai's face as he extends his winning streak! No doubt his toughest challenge yet, but a win's a win!
My take: You have to give Wakiya credit for being incredibly creative in his dishes. I definitely think he won in that department, as Sakai's dishes looked like standard French fare with a markedly Japanese ingredient. But in all Iron Chef battles, there is a such thing as going way overboard (something we'll see of Morimoto in the later years), and I think Wakiya went too overboard with his approach.
And can we get a new panelist, please? Hirano says a lot without saying anything meaningful at all.
Watch this battle at the Iron Chef Collection here.
Japan Original Airdate: 6/17/94
Episode: 33
The Challenger: Yuji Wakiya, a revolutionary of Chinese cuisine in Japan. He fuses ingredients from around the world with genuine Chinese flavors. He is here on the recommendation of culinary critic Masuhiro Yamamoto, who has criticized the selection of challengers on the show lately. He says that, while the challengers are no doubt top chefs, they only specialize in one field. Wakiya, he says, specializes in multiple areas.
The Iron Chef: Iron Chef French, Hiroyuki Sakai. So far he's three for three...can he make it four?
The Battle:
Actress Mayuko Takata, once again, joins Fukui and Hattori in the announcers' booth.
9 months since the opening of Kitchen Stadium, Kaga doesn't doubt the caliber of the 30 or so challengers who have stepped into Kitchen Stadium thus far, despite the fact that one Masuhiro Yamamoto does. Indeed, here he comes, leading Wakiya in.
"His name's not a household name like those of the Iron Chefs, but his skills are definitely comparable," Yamamoto says of his hit man, who is ready to take down one of the three men ascending into Kitchen Stadium...but which one?
Sakai! So far undefeated in Kitchen Stadium, says Fukui. That could change with Wakiya knocking at his door.
"We know how discerning Mr. Yamamoto is about food. I had a tough time deciding on today's theme," Kaga says. "It was his words that gave me a hint: 'To beat an Iron Chef is not that difficult.' It's quite a 'thorny' expression, don't you think?"
I don't really see what's so thorny about it, but OK...
"Thorns. Yes, it's the perfect time to enjoy that ingredient."
Which one, you ask? UNI! Sea urchin roe, for the Japanese-linguistically-challenged. And Sakai looks as though he's under pressure!
"Eggs for eggs." That's how you get the best out of this ingredient, according to the Japanese.
So it's a top class-chef backed by a discerning critic against the Iron Chef French...and we are underway with Kaga's trademark call of "ALLEZ CUISINE!"
And Sakai did NOT look happy when that theme ingredient was unveiled...although Hattori says raw uni isn't that uncommon in French cuisine, so maybe it's not so bad...
Sakai is cutting his sea urchins with scissors, while Wakiya has shark's fin and wonton skins on his side--Ohta's dub voice sounds...different today. Strange, not as fast.
Wakiya is now deep-frying his wonton skins as, according to Ohta, Yamamoto is already pre-calling Sakai's menu: uni scrambled eggs, NOT a mousse, and a dish with red miso. Huh-kay.
Speaking of Sakai, he's laying raw uni on top of raw tilefish--Hattori predicts he'll steam that (technical term: vapeur). Wakiya, meantime, is mixing his uni with tofu--they predict that will go with the wonton skins. Lotus leaves on Wakiya's side, according to Ohta...but we don't know for what. Yet.
Sakai is delicately opening eggs (just the tops off), as the 15-minute mark is announced. And Wakiya's...already plating? The tofu-uni mixture is down with the deep-fried wonton skins, with some raw uni on top and another wonton skin...this will probably a mille-feuille, they say.
Wakiya's already sweating and we're barely halfway through. Sakai has the beginnings of an egg dish, while Wakiya has minced okra and XO sauce with uni in those lotus leaves. Sakai proves one of Yamamoto's guesses correct (eggs), while the commentators get a kick out of Wakiya flipping his shark fin mixture over in his wok (quite the show, that)...so it won't be a soup?
Mushrooms go into the egg crepe on Sakai's side, which has uni mixed in. Back on Wakiya's side, bamboo shoots are being delicately cut into fan shapes (tail feathers, it looks to me)...his blender is also in action. And either this battle is going fast or they've heavily edited this one, but we're already halfway home!
Break in the action as Ohta gets some words from Yamamoto, who says both chefs are "doing wonderfully." Yamamoto says Wakiya can win if he can break the Japanese mindset of raw sea urchin--in other words, cook it.
Sakai is folding over his egg crepes...while Wakiya is piping some mixture onto the bamboo tails. Fukui thinks it's lard (gross), but his serious guess is white fish meat paste. He's making those tails look like swans (or cranes, I suppose), though...and there's word of spinach rice flour from his blender mixture elsewhere on his side.
Soup on Wakiya's side, perhaps a chawan-mushi. And Sakai is stuffing prawns into sea urchin shells, along with mussels. And there are Wakiya's spinach rice flour balls...but one of them doesn't look so good. What does, though...swallow's nest on his side!
Sakai has curry powder into a sabayon sauce...and Wakiya has the makings of sea urchin dumplings with his spinach rice flour. The uni going into those has already been steamed, and Hattori bets he'll dip those into hot water.
Sakai is steaming his eggs that he spent some time taking the tops off...and we have just 20 minutes left as he's steaming some herbs as well. So many steamed items, comments Takata...Hattori says it's the trendy thing to do these days (bear in mind that was 1994). Wakiya's working with his swallow's nest now (which Takata misnames "sparrow's nest"), and Sakai is spooning uni on top of his steamed eggs (he would later add his sabayon sauce and some prawns). And uni on top of Wakiya's chawan-mushi...it's everywhere today! Go figure, it's the theme ingredient.
Wakiya plates abalone and wakame near his shark's fin...but where is the uni in all that? Maybe I missed something. But Sakai is plating his tilefish from the very beginning...and cutting some plain white bread. Croutons or breadsticks, perhaps? Wakiya's cranes are doused with sauce of some kind.
Those breadsticks go with Sakai's egg dish, while Wakiya's swallow's nest goes straight on top of the spinach dumplings--perhaps like a dim sum item, Fukui says. Five minutes to go as there is plating about here...
Three minutes now, and Wakiya is laying on the sauce on his mille-feuille. Sakai is spooning a soup into the uni shells, but we don't know where it came from...
And the swans land on the shark's fin dish on the challenger's side. Sakai is laying on another sauce onto his tilefish dish (as he fumbles the saucepan)...one minute left as Sakai gets in a sly ad for his Tokyo restaurant, saying the eggs are symbolic of the skycraper where his restaurant is.
15 seconds left, some colored sauces go down on the egg crepes...the final seconds tick down...
"And THAT'S IT! The cooking's done, the Uni Battle is OVAH!"
And Yamamoto sneaks a taste test as Ohta interviews the combatants. Sly devil.
Challenger Wakiya's five dishes:
--Sea Urchin and Tofu Hors D'oeuvre
--Sea Urchin in Egg Soup
--Stewed Abalone and Shark Fin, Sea Urchin Sauce
--Sea Urchin Grilled in Lotus Leaf
--Sea Urchin Dumpling
Iron Chef Sakai's four dishes:
--Sea Urchin Soup
--Steamed Egg with Sea Urchin and Sabayon Sauce
--Sea Urchin Crepe
--Tilefish and Sea Urchin
On the panel today for the Uni Battle are:
--Novelist Tamio Kageyama
--Actress Mayuko Takata
--Rosanjin Scholar Masaaki Hirano
Wakiya's up first, as is the tradition...
"What I tried was to accentuate the natural flavor of sea urchin roe," he tells the panel.
Takata likes the contrast of the wonton skin with the sea urchin roe, while Hirano likes how he chose to be modest in his first dish. Whatever that means.
Kageyama likes the duality of flavor in Wakiya's second dish. Takata can't get over how different the uni on top and the uni on the bottom of the bowl taste so different.
Hirano comments on Wakiya's skill through the ingredients he used, but Kageyama says the shark fins came out a bit tough.
Hirano says the first few dishes were simple and flat, but likes the intent of intensity in his fourth (stemming from the spicy XO sauce).
Kageyama doesn't feel the sea urchin in his last dish, but Takata says it eventually hits her. Hirano thinks the uni could've been highlighted a little better.
As for Sakai's dishes...
Hirano says the use of the shell makes a powerful statement in the opening, and Takata likes the extensive use of seafood throughout the dish.
They all like the egg dish, for what it's worth...
The crepe, says Kageyama, draws out the sweetness of the uni better than the other dishes.
His last dish Kageyama calls orthodox...and Hirano is getting tired of uni. Though he says if it was served by itself, he'd enjoy it.
Kaga concedes Yamamoto was right about the caliber of the challenger, but who ends up getting pricked in the end...the Iron Chef or the hero of French--natch, Chinese--or whatever the hell he specializes in--cuisine?
"Tetsujin, Sakai Hiroyuki!"
And relief on Sakai's face as he extends his winning streak! No doubt his toughest challenge yet, but a win's a win!
My take: You have to give Wakiya credit for being incredibly creative in his dishes. I definitely think he won in that department, as Sakai's dishes looked like standard French fare with a markedly Japanese ingredient. But in all Iron Chef battles, there is a such thing as going way overboard (something we'll see of Morimoto in the later years), and I think Wakiya went too overboard with his approach.
And can we get a new panelist, please? Hirano says a lot without saying anything meaningful at all.
Watch this battle at the Iron Chef Collection here.
Monday, January 16, 2012
Bob Holness: 1928-2012
I'm a little late on this news, but my first entry of the new year is a rather sad one. One of my favorite international game show hosts (and one of my biggest hosting influences as I've been doing my own game show at USC), Bob Holness, passed away on January 6.
Bob was the host of the British version of Blockbusters for 11 years (1983-1994). While he may be best remembered for that, it should also be noted that he was one of the first actors to portray James Bond in a radio adaptation of Moonraker. Sounds like an urban myth, but isn't. (Another rumor about him playing a saxophone solo, however, is.) He began his career as a radio DJ and actor in his native South Africa, and returned to the UK in 1961.
Now, granted, I'm an American blogger posting about a British personality...therein lies the magic of YouTube. I discovered the British version of Blockbusters thanks to a (sadly now-defunct) broadband online version of the game, in which Bob prominently featured. He's a stark contrast to the American Blockbusters hosts, Bill Cullen and Bill Rafferty--Rafferty was definitely friendly to the contestants, and Cullen had a sense of humor that you just had to understand to know how he ticked. But Bob--who dealt the hard questions to 16-to-18-year-old kids on the show--had an avuncular air about him. He was authoritative without talking down to the contestants, not to mention warm and inviting as well. Amidst all the silly mascots the contestants brought on, their antics, and the occasional request for a "P", Bob kept a straight face through it all, but still had a lot of fun himself. He would play along with all the jokes thrown around, joined in that silly hand jive the kids did at the end of the Friday edition of Blockbusters, and even had a mascot of his own (pictured below), which apparently was a Christmas present of his from his wife.
I've looked up to him as a role model of sorts, really. Colleagues and former Blockbusters contestants remember him as one of the nicest game show hosts around, having lunch with the contestants and really getting to know them from their first step into the studio to their last one on their way out. I admire the fact that he criticized the BBC's decision to axe his later show, Call My Bluff (a sort of Balderdash-esque panel game) in 2003, saying that he disliked the notion of a move towards quiz shows of avarice instead of education--you don't really think about learning from TV, but it's a tool, after all, so why not use it for that? It's a shame, really, that the ratings prove that the viewers want otherwise. And I'm not ashamed to admit that I've adopted some of his mannerisms on my show as well, short of his trademark roar of "THAT'S BLOCKBUSTERS!" when the contestant makes that connection across the board. And unlike many game show hosts today (who I'm convinced do very impressive reads off a teleprompter, or cue cards, or some kind of script), Bob was a natural. He never needed a script, and if he had one, went off it quite often. Though viewers could never tell the difference.
It's a real shame health issues dogged him in the last 15 years or so of his life, shortly after Blockbusters ended. Several strokes weakened him considerably, though through all of that he had coped with it all. If there's any consolation to this at all, it's that his family said he died peacefully in his sleep.
They don't make 'em like Bob anymore--a warm, inviting, all-around nice guy on television. A far cry from a lot of TV--not just game shows--we see today.
 |
| Bob Holness, on the set of Blockbusters |
Now, granted, I'm an American blogger posting about a British personality...therein lies the magic of YouTube. I discovered the British version of Blockbusters thanks to a (sadly now-defunct) broadband online version of the game, in which Bob prominently featured. He's a stark contrast to the American Blockbusters hosts, Bill Cullen and Bill Rafferty--Rafferty was definitely friendly to the contestants, and Cullen had a sense of humor that you just had to understand to know how he ticked. But Bob--who dealt the hard questions to 16-to-18-year-old kids on the show--had an avuncular air about him. He was authoritative without talking down to the contestants, not to mention warm and inviting as well. Amidst all the silly mascots the contestants brought on, their antics, and the occasional request for a "P", Bob kept a straight face through it all, but still had a lot of fun himself. He would play along with all the jokes thrown around, joined in that silly hand jive the kids did at the end of the Friday edition of Blockbusters, and even had a mascot of his own (pictured below), which apparently was a Christmas present of his from his wife.
 | |||
| Bob Holness with his own mascot, Harold the Hedgehog. |
 |
| The parting shot on the last Blockbusters |
They don't make 'em like Bob anymore--a warm, inviting, all-around nice guy on television. A far cry from a lot of TV--not just game shows--we see today.
IN PACE REQUIESCAT
BOB HOLNESS
1928-2012
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Blockbusters: Back in the UK?
Apparently the beloved quiz show, Blockbusters, is coming back to the UK--there was a casting notice posted without much comment.
I know what you're thinking--why do you care so much about a show that's coming back to the UK? Well, it was originally an American game show with a rockin' theme song, but it didn't quite have the charm of the UK show. And I've been watching some of the episodes of the UK version on YouTube, and I'm hooked. Take a look:
It's a really innovative format--and the board never allows for a tie. Not to mention the host, Bob Holness, is fantastic--you can tell he's really enjoying himself, and he has great rapport with the rather awkward kids on his show. I think it could work if it comes back to the States, but a bit like the original UK run...don't you think?
(OK, so we can't replicate the awesomeness of this theme music, but...)
I know what you're thinking--why do you care so much about a show that's coming back to the UK? Well, it was originally an American game show with a rockin' theme song, but it didn't quite have the charm of the UK show. And I've been watching some of the episodes of the UK version on YouTube, and I'm hooked. Take a look:
It's a really innovative format--and the board never allows for a tie. Not to mention the host, Bob Holness, is fantastic--you can tell he's really enjoying himself, and he has great rapport with the rather awkward kids on his show. I think it could work if it comes back to the States, but a bit like the original UK run...don't you think?
(OK, so we can't replicate the awesomeness of this theme music, but...)
Saturday, October 15, 2011
ICT: Battle Sweetfish: Michiba vs. Hanato
BATTLE DATA FILE
Japan Original Airdate: 6/10/94
Episode: 32
The Challenger: Katsumi Hanato, who began his apprenticeship at the age of 15. He is now under the wing of the infamous Toshiro Kandagawa, who defeated Iron Chef Chen Kenichi some four months earlier. Having practiced with over 40 different theme ingredients, he believes that defeating an Iron Chef is the top diploma as a professional. He wants to take down the mightiest Iron Chef of them all.
The Iron Chef: Iron Chef Japanese I, Rokusaburo Michiba, arguably the mightiest of them all. So far in this timeline, he's had two impressive wins...can he make it three in a row?
The Battle:
TV host Keiko Kohno joins Fukui and Hattori in the broadcast box for this match, making her first appearance.
Kaga is quite peeved by the fact that Toshiro Kandagawa "barged into my Stadium," as he puts it, after his minions defeated his Iron Chefs before, then marched into the Stadium himself anyway and blew Chen Kenichi out of the water--even after he vowed he would only do so if his men lost.
Kandagawa's designated hit man this time, Katsumi Hanato, desperately wants to take on Iron Chef Michiba--he's been preparing for this battle with over 40 possible different theme ingredients in rehearsal battles. Kaga speculates whether this is Kandagawa's plan to take down Michiba himself...
It's pretty obvious that they're using an applause track here, as the challenger's Royal Box is completely empty and applause can be heard. But no matter, Chairman Kaga enters...with a rather nasty scowl, might I add.
TV host Keiko Kohno joins Fukui and Hattori in the broadcast box for this match, making her first appearance.
Kaga is quite peeved by the fact that Toshiro Kandagawa "barged into my Stadium," as he puts it, after his minions defeated his Iron Chefs before, then marched into the Stadium himself anyway and blew Chen Kenichi out of the water--even after he vowed he would only do so if his men lost.
Kandagawa's designated hit man this time, Katsumi Hanato, desperately wants to take on Iron Chef Michiba--he's been preparing for this battle with over 40 possible different theme ingredients in rehearsal battles. Kaga speculates whether this is Kandagawa's plan to take down Michiba himself...
It's pretty obvious that they're using an applause track here, as the challenger's Royal Box is completely empty and applause can be heard. But no matter, Chairman Kaga enters...with a rather nasty scowl, might I add.
Kandagawa's right-hand man is led in by the man himself, a contingent of followers tailing him in.
"Each time you march in, the troops have grown," Kaga remarks.
"You look like you've been eating well, you look healthy!" Kandagawa replies. "You've got a glow." Whatever that means. Kaga definitely doesn't look pleased.
Nevertheless, he calls upon his Iron Chefs, and as if it's any surprise as to whom Hanato will choose..."MICHIBA! YOU'RE GOING DOWN!" he shouts. (I wonder if this was the battle to which Michiba was referring when he said he told the guy "Look, when a chef asks you to be impolite, it's OK to refuse...")
"I hear that the challenger prepared for this occasion for over 6 months. I wonder how effective this strategy was," Kaga says. "I'd like to tell his fortune as a chef with a particular fish. Its Chinese character can read 'a fish of prophecy.' Yes, that fish. It's in season right now."
Well, Kaga, what is it? You've lost the American viewers on this one...nevertheless, it's SWEETFISH...and Hanato looks very pleased. Michiba...well, we can never get a read on him.
And remember with sweetfish, heed the words of Rosanjin Kitaoji: "To enjoy sweetfish, go for the innards."
6 months of preparation may pay off in a matter of seconds when Kaga calls out the familiar call to battle: "ALLEZ CUISINE!"
Sweetfish, or ayu in Japanese, is similar to trout, according to Fukui's notes. Hattori says the ones they have today are half-and-half--half raised in fish farms, then released into the wild.
Michiba has innards, or uruka, written out on his menu, and a pot of kelp broth boiling away. Hanato, meanwhile, has some smaller anchovy-like fish in a pot...and it looks like Michiba has five...no, six items on his menu.
Hanato is breaking down some pumpkins as Ohta reports that he's working on five items. Michiba pours some soy sauce in a pot full of ayu, and just like that, 15 minutes are gone...Hanato is extracting the innards, which Hattori said is the key to sweetfish, so it's very important not to damage them. And Fukui supposes Hanato's being a bit of a general with his assistants...
Michiba, meanwhile, is frying some fish heads, and simmering and stewing some innards. Fukui has no idea where he's going with that, and Hanato's clean slice through the back of a fish gets an instant replay. Keeping the natural shape of the fish, apparently, is a matter of pride with Japanese chefs.
Michiba's pouring some beaten egg into the pot where the uruka (innards) are, and he looks like he's added some leeks to that. There's a lot of repeated commentary from Hattori regarding the innards being the best part of the fish...thank you, Captain Obvious! -_-
35% of the fish, according to Hattori, has to be thrown away. But Hanato will have none of that, as he's skewering whole fish through the right eye. Rule of thumb is that the fish must be facing the left side, if it's a river fish...Japanese cuisine philosophy and all that jazz. Hanato's salting that for the grill, and a thick layer is going onto the fins and tail (to prevent charring and to preserve shape).
Michiba is chopping the fried fish heads, and scooping out some rice...Fukui speculates that he'll combine the two in some way. Meanwhile, Hanato is slicing some fillets but not all the way through the skin (plowing through that, we might add). Hattori supposes some egg might go over the top of that...and we're already halfway through!
Michiba has somen noodles out on his side (one of his items on the menu), while Ohta gets an interview with Kandagawa. Of course, the big man thinks Hanato will win, giving him some brusque encouragement. Michiba's dipping the end of the noodles in hot water, gluing that part together. Then he boils the whole bundle (which will be stuck together), which can later be pulled apart.
Hanato has corn starch in a pot, while Michiba has the "stubborn rice" on his side (that's with the fish heads mixed in, while Hanato has his skewered fish going under the salamander oven, left side up.
One of Hanato's assistants has mixed egg yolks with...something sweetfish and wrapped it in plastic. Meantime, Michiba is making what appears to be onigiri (rice balls) with his stubborn rice...Hanato is pulling the skin off the fish fillets, and a sushi roller on his board.
20 minutes left, and Michiba is doing some deep frying of fish skins (harako, Michiba says--fish roe, so everyone's wrong.) Hanato, meanwhile, is boiling the eggs wrapped in plastic, but we still don't know where he's going with that. He's making kimi-zushi as well, which is essentially sushi but with vinegared egg yolk instead of rice. Kandagawa's now spying on Michiba! And all he has to say about that: "Interesting."
Michiba's stewed ayu is done, and he's pouring that out into a small pan. It's the only one of his that has the whole fish involved...
15 minutes left now, and Hanato has tofu paste along with some small pieces of ayu (camera's straining to get that in focus), and his steamer is open, but we have no clue as to where he's going with things. Sounds like an hors d'oeuvre, says Hattori. And Michiba's rice balls are under the salamander!
Speaking of which, they're applying a miso paste over Hanato's grilled fish. Hanato himself is beginning to pick up the pace a little bit--Kandagawa, usually the loudmouth in the Stadium, is oddly relegated to kind mediator between Hanato and his assistants!
5 minutes left, and Michiba's taken out his egg yolks with sweetfish.
"Hey, what do you guys think you're doing?!" Hanato shouts at his assistants. He's sounding just a *little* cross here...
The egg yolks wrapped in broth (and plastic) are in bowls, possibly a soup. Michiba has uni and prawns on his side, and as Kohno wonders where the fish is, Fukui jokes, "Don't worry, it'll be swimming along shortly."
Meantime, on the other side, the fish has swam along in Hanato's soup, boiled and situated right on top of the egg mixture. And with three minutes left, Michiba's harako goes next to the uni and prawns.
Hanato has a very artistic presentation as he fogs up the camera with the soup, while Michiba adds grated daikon to his stewed fish.
Hanato can still heard over the rabble of the battle, while Michiba is garnishing one of his dishes with a water pepper leaf or two--that goes on top of the grated daikon he just plated.
1 minute to go, and Michiba is still slicing into some fish...Hattori notes that the challenger has been more orthodox, while Michiba has been sticking to his guns and being more adventurous, something that will work heavily in his favor in the long run. But Hanato could still very well pull it out in the end, you never know around here...
Michiba enters hurry-up-offense mode while Hanato puts the finishing touches on his dishes as the clock runs out...
"And THAT'S IT! The cooking's done, the Ayu Battle is OVAH!"
Hanato expresses that, despite preparing for this for a long time, it was a lot shorter than he thought it would be. Michiba rates his performance today on a 93/100, although I thought I heard him say "kyu-jyu-hachi" underneath the dub...that would be 98!
Challenger Hanato's four dishes:
--Sweetfish Hors d'oeuvre
--Sweetfish on Egg Tofu
--Sweetfish, Five Styles
--Miso-flavored Grilled Sweetfish
Iron Chef Michiba's six dishes:
--Stewed Sweetfish Innards
--Chilled Sweetfish Sashimi
--Sweetfish Noodles
--Poached Sweetfish
--Fried Sweetfish Roe
--Sweetfish Rice Ball (his "stubborn rice")
On the panel today for the Sweetfish Battle are:
--Copy writer, Shigesato Itoi (yes, he of Earthbound fame)
--TV talent, Keiko Kohno
--Rosanjin Scholar, Masaaki Hirano
Challenger, as usual, is up first...Hanato serves his hors d'oeuvre to open.
"I didn't know what the theme was, so I had several ideas in mind. Had to pick one pattern to match the ingredient."
Itoi thinks it's very clever, but he questions whether he needed the uni. Hirano says it could've been for visual effect, but it wasn't the best move.
Kohno really likes the soup. Itoi was surprised by the dried sardines Hanato used for the broth, saying it created a really powerful aroma. Combining two strong elements really paid off, it appears. A pleasant surprise, he says.
Hirano doesn't like the strong vinegar in the five-ways ayu. But Kohno likes the one-bite size of each of the preparations. Itoi thinks the sushi was overpowering in flavor.
And the grilled fish--Itoi thinks Hanato's idea was to conquer the sweetfish by overpowering it. A little tough for him to swallow, he says.
Well, mind over matter for now, as Michiba now faces the panel.
"It's a popular ingredient in summer, so we have a lot of recipes to choose from. Deciding on which one to use was the key to this battle."
Hirano thinks the identity of the sweetfish is in Michiba's opening course of innards. Itoi was proved wrong by the egg flavor...
...and he likes the match with plum in the next, but says it was almost too sweet for him because of the last dish.
The noodles are generally well-received...Itoi really likes the skin of the fish in that dish.
Kohno doesn't want to ruin the picture of the whole fish...but we don't get any comments on taste! (I think we're in hurry-up-offense mode ourselves, as we jump straight to the uni and prawn salad...and Itoi.)
Itoi thinks that dish is a very compelling story, knowing which order to serve the ingredients. Kohno was put off by the greasiness at first, but later relented when she tried everything else.
And Itoi likes Michiba's rice ball as well, although Hirano thinks it's a little too much for him to handle. Almost too perfect, too manipulative, he says. (He's been rather quiet today, oddly enough...)
But now, it is time to know...victory as sweet the fish, defeat as bitter as the innards. Who takes it? Is it the Iron Chef or Kandagawa's designated hit man? Whose cuisine reigns supreme?!
"Tetsujin, Michiba Rokusaburo!"
And Kandagawa isn't happy about this one...even though Hanato shakes hands with Michiba, Kandagawa stays right where he is! I think this means war...
Sweetfish, or ayu in Japanese, is similar to trout, according to Fukui's notes. Hattori says the ones they have today are half-and-half--half raised in fish farms, then released into the wild.
Michiba has innards, or uruka, written out on his menu, and a pot of kelp broth boiling away. Hanato, meanwhile, has some smaller anchovy-like fish in a pot...and it looks like Michiba has five...no, six items on his menu.
Hanato is breaking down some pumpkins as Ohta reports that he's working on five items. Michiba pours some soy sauce in a pot full of ayu, and just like that, 15 minutes are gone...Hanato is extracting the innards, which Hattori said is the key to sweetfish, so it's very important not to damage them. And Fukui supposes Hanato's being a bit of a general with his assistants...
Michiba, meanwhile, is frying some fish heads, and simmering and stewing some innards. Fukui has no idea where he's going with that, and Hanato's clean slice through the back of a fish gets an instant replay. Keeping the natural shape of the fish, apparently, is a matter of pride with Japanese chefs.
Michiba's pouring some beaten egg into the pot where the uruka (innards) are, and he looks like he's added some leeks to that. There's a lot of repeated commentary from Hattori regarding the innards being the best part of the fish...thank you, Captain Obvious! -_-
35% of the fish, according to Hattori, has to be thrown away. But Hanato will have none of that, as he's skewering whole fish through the right eye. Rule of thumb is that the fish must be facing the left side, if it's a river fish...Japanese cuisine philosophy and all that jazz. Hanato's salting that for the grill, and a thick layer is going onto the fins and tail (to prevent charring and to preserve shape).
Michiba is chopping the fried fish heads, and scooping out some rice...Fukui speculates that he'll combine the two in some way. Meanwhile, Hanato is slicing some fillets but not all the way through the skin (plowing through that, we might add). Hattori supposes some egg might go over the top of that...and we're already halfway through!
Michiba has somen noodles out on his side (one of his items on the menu), while Ohta gets an interview with Kandagawa. Of course, the big man thinks Hanato will win, giving him some brusque encouragement. Michiba's dipping the end of the noodles in hot water, gluing that part together. Then he boils the whole bundle (which will be stuck together), which can later be pulled apart.
Hanato has corn starch in a pot, while Michiba has the "stubborn rice" on his side (that's with the fish heads mixed in, while Hanato has his skewered fish going under the salamander oven, left side up.
One of Hanato's assistants has mixed egg yolks with...something sweetfish and wrapped it in plastic. Meantime, Michiba is making what appears to be onigiri (rice balls) with his stubborn rice...Hanato is pulling the skin off the fish fillets, and a sushi roller on his board.
20 minutes left, and Michiba is doing some deep frying of fish skins (harako, Michiba says--fish roe, so everyone's wrong.) Hanato, meanwhile, is boiling the eggs wrapped in plastic, but we still don't know where he's going with that. He's making kimi-zushi as well, which is essentially sushi but with vinegared egg yolk instead of rice. Kandagawa's now spying on Michiba! And all he has to say about that: "Interesting."
Michiba's stewed ayu is done, and he's pouring that out into a small pan. It's the only one of his that has the whole fish involved...
15 minutes left now, and Hanato has tofu paste along with some small pieces of ayu (camera's straining to get that in focus), and his steamer is open, but we have no clue as to where he's going with things. Sounds like an hors d'oeuvre, says Hattori. And Michiba's rice balls are under the salamander!
Speaking of which, they're applying a miso paste over Hanato's grilled fish. Hanato himself is beginning to pick up the pace a little bit--Kandagawa, usually the loudmouth in the Stadium, is oddly relegated to kind mediator between Hanato and his assistants!
5 minutes left, and Michiba's taken out his egg yolks with sweetfish.
"Hey, what do you guys think you're doing?!" Hanato shouts at his assistants. He's sounding just a *little* cross here...
The egg yolks wrapped in broth (and plastic) are in bowls, possibly a soup. Michiba has uni and prawns on his side, and as Kohno wonders where the fish is, Fukui jokes, "Don't worry, it'll be swimming along shortly."
Meantime, on the other side, the fish has swam along in Hanato's soup, boiled and situated right on top of the egg mixture. And with three minutes left, Michiba's harako goes next to the uni and prawns.
Hanato has a very artistic presentation as he fogs up the camera with the soup, while Michiba adds grated daikon to his stewed fish.
Hanato can still heard over the rabble of the battle, while Michiba is garnishing one of his dishes with a water pepper leaf or two--that goes on top of the grated daikon he just plated.
1 minute to go, and Michiba is still slicing into some fish...Hattori notes that the challenger has been more orthodox, while Michiba has been sticking to his guns and being more adventurous, something that will work heavily in his favor in the long run. But Hanato could still very well pull it out in the end, you never know around here...
Michiba enters hurry-up-offense mode while Hanato puts the finishing touches on his dishes as the clock runs out...
"And THAT'S IT! The cooking's done, the Ayu Battle is OVAH!"
Hanato expresses that, despite preparing for this for a long time, it was a lot shorter than he thought it would be. Michiba rates his performance today on a 93/100, although I thought I heard him say "kyu-jyu-hachi" underneath the dub...that would be 98!
Challenger Hanato's four dishes:
--Sweetfish Hors d'oeuvre
--Sweetfish on Egg Tofu
--Sweetfish, Five Styles
--Miso-flavored Grilled Sweetfish
Iron Chef Michiba's six dishes:
--Stewed Sweetfish Innards
--Chilled Sweetfish Sashimi
--Sweetfish Noodles
--Poached Sweetfish
--Fried Sweetfish Roe
--Sweetfish Rice Ball (his "stubborn rice")
On the panel today for the Sweetfish Battle are:
--Copy writer, Shigesato Itoi (yes, he of Earthbound fame)
--TV talent, Keiko Kohno
--Rosanjin Scholar, Masaaki Hirano
Challenger, as usual, is up first...Hanato serves his hors d'oeuvre to open.
"I didn't know what the theme was, so I had several ideas in mind. Had to pick one pattern to match the ingredient."
Itoi thinks it's very clever, but he questions whether he needed the uni. Hirano says it could've been for visual effect, but it wasn't the best move.
Kohno really likes the soup. Itoi was surprised by the dried sardines Hanato used for the broth, saying it created a really powerful aroma. Combining two strong elements really paid off, it appears. A pleasant surprise, he says.
Hirano doesn't like the strong vinegar in the five-ways ayu. But Kohno likes the one-bite size of each of the preparations. Itoi thinks the sushi was overpowering in flavor.
And the grilled fish--Itoi thinks Hanato's idea was to conquer the sweetfish by overpowering it. A little tough for him to swallow, he says.
Well, mind over matter for now, as Michiba now faces the panel.
"It's a popular ingredient in summer, so we have a lot of recipes to choose from. Deciding on which one to use was the key to this battle."
Hirano thinks the identity of the sweetfish is in Michiba's opening course of innards. Itoi was proved wrong by the egg flavor...
...and he likes the match with plum in the next, but says it was almost too sweet for him because of the last dish.
The noodles are generally well-received...Itoi really likes the skin of the fish in that dish.
Kohno doesn't want to ruin the picture of the whole fish...but we don't get any comments on taste! (I think we're in hurry-up-offense mode ourselves, as we jump straight to the uni and prawn salad...and Itoi.)
Itoi thinks that dish is a very compelling story, knowing which order to serve the ingredients. Kohno was put off by the greasiness at first, but later relented when she tried everything else.
And Itoi likes Michiba's rice ball as well, although Hirano thinks it's a little too much for him to handle. Almost too perfect, too manipulative, he says. (He's been rather quiet today, oddly enough...)
But now, it is time to know...victory as sweet the fish, defeat as bitter as the innards. Who takes it? Is it the Iron Chef or Kandagawa's designated hit man? Whose cuisine reigns supreme?!
"Tetsujin, Michiba Rokusaburo!"
And Kandagawa isn't happy about this one...even though Hanato shakes hands with Michiba, Kandagawa stays right where he is! I think this means war...
My take: Usually, if Michiba's involved, it's bad news for the challenger. While this proved no different today, I think Hanato could've given Michiba a run for his money...but if he were a little more adventurous in his approach. Then again, maybe because he's trying to uphold the tradition that Kandagawa does...maybe they were all screwed from the start.
Watch this battle at the Iron Chef Collection here.
Saturday, September 3, 2011
Those Little Nights When You Can't Sleep
I'm writing this partially because I was up until 3:20 am last night on duty (hey, they never said this job was easy), but also because I've had quite a lot on my mind that's preventing me from sleeping.
Just the other day, my resident faculty member runs into me just outside the dorm and says, "You look like you're a zombie!" It didn't feel like it, but according to him, I had the tired-looking eyes and the sleepwalking shuffle. Despite that, I played it off like it was nothing.
How I have the energy I do some days (all without drinking coffee or any form of caffeine) amazes me.
Aside from the fact that I had four incidents to report last night while I was on duty (which is what kept me up at night) and that I have a throbbing headache (no doubt due to lack of sleep), there's just a few thoughts that I can't really articulate. Whatever they are, though, they're keeping me awake. Anxiety? You bet. And it sucks.
I've always presented myself well, or I'd like to think so. There are times when I get unnecessarily nervous (though I'd like to believe you'd never know it), and I completely lock up. And then I can't spit out what I want to say. Which in turn means I can't talk about what I really want to talk about.
You might be thinking, "well, jeez, it's not THAT hard..." When you get embarrassed easily, it's tough to talk about. Which is exactly why I'm beating around the bush and such and not really saying much about it.
It's the Internet, after all. Anyone can see this.
Just the other day, my resident faculty member runs into me just outside the dorm and says, "You look like you're a zombie!" It didn't feel like it, but according to him, I had the tired-looking eyes and the sleepwalking shuffle. Despite that, I played it off like it was nothing.
How I have the energy I do some days (all without drinking coffee or any form of caffeine) amazes me.
Aside from the fact that I had four incidents to report last night while I was on duty (which is what kept me up at night) and that I have a throbbing headache (no doubt due to lack of sleep), there's just a few thoughts that I can't really articulate. Whatever they are, though, they're keeping me awake. Anxiety? You bet. And it sucks.
I've always presented myself well, or I'd like to think so. There are times when I get unnecessarily nervous (though I'd like to believe you'd never know it), and I completely lock up. And then I can't spit out what I want to say. Which in turn means I can't talk about what I really want to talk about.
You might be thinking, "well, jeez, it's not THAT hard..." When you get embarrassed easily, it's tough to talk about. Which is exactly why I'm beating around the bush and such and not really saying much about it.
It's the Internet, after all. Anyone can see this.
Monday, August 22, 2011
ICT: Battle Natto: Michiba vs. Ishikawa
BATTLE DATA FILE
Japan Original Airdate: 6/3/94
Episode: 31
The challenger: Kuniyuki Ishikawa, certified Maestro of the Japanese Cuisine Seminar Group, an organization with over 20,000 members. Established in 1930, the group was founded to preserve such intangible treasures as knife skills passed on by legendary chefs. He believes chefs must stay behind the scenes, whereas Michiba rides into the limelight.
The Iron Chef: another certified Maestro and the leader of the organization, Iron Chef Japanese I, Rokusaburo Michiba. Last time he put the kibosh on commentator Yukio Hattori (and did he ever), but can he turn back another one of his colleagues as well?
The Battle:
First-timer, actress Ritsuko Tanaka joins Fukui and Hattori in the broadcast box today.
Kaga has always been interested in the Japanese Cuisine Seminar Group, and says that the challenger, if Kaga had met him first, might've been the Iron Chef Japanese instead of Michiba. Hmm, interesting. Nevertheless, the Maestro marches into Kitchen Stadium, clad in traditional attire.
"If Michiba is the sun, you may be the moon," Kaga says to Ishikawa as he greets him at kitchen level. And after some more flowery language, he summons the Iron Chefs, and as if it's any surprise as to whom Ishikawa will challenge...indeed, Michiba is the marked man today!
"Today's battle is between two men of incredible caliber. I don't want to pull any cheap tricks to spoil the occasion," Kaga begins. "They will fight it out without giving up. Yes, persistence. Ah, could be 'sticky.' Japanese cuisine...sticky...yes, that's it."
And as Kaga leaves the American viewers scratching their heads, he rips the veil off the ingredient stand and reveals--of course! NATTO! And did I see Michiba crack a smile for once?
For those of you wondering...what the heck is natto, anyway? It's basically fermented soybeans, with silky, sticky threads that contain all the flavor and texture. And remember...stir it up 15 times.
Maestro vs. maestro showdown in one hour with natto...and Kaga calls out the famous battle cry, "ALLEZ CUISINE!" Small beans on the left of the stand, and large ones on the right today. Traditionally, it's used on top of rice and flavored with soy sauce.
Michiba, of course, starts out with his menu-writing--"Mini-Full Course Natto Dinner," Hattori says he's writing. And check this out, Ishikawa's doing it as well! Fukui notes that Ishikawa's planning on abalone steamed in sake, as well as Japanese beef with Japanese flavored-soy sauce. And here's another Michiba tradition: the Broth of Vigor!
Ishikawa is rinsing the natto to get rid of the sticky strings. Ohta's first report is that they're both planning on 5 dishes. And as Michiba fillets a flatfish, Ishikawa has a bonito broth of his own on his side! 15 minutes gone already...
Michiba is curing the flatfish with konbu, and word on the floor is that he's planning to use udon noodles! Ishikawa, meanwhile, is steaming sardines.
Michiba's food processor has natto, and his cutting board has lobster! We hear Ohta report on Michiba's comments on Challenger Ishikawa, and how he appears to be mirroring him...and in a rare twist, Michiba actually gets in a dig at him! "He didn't learn everything--I wish he learned how to smile more!"
Tilefish is being broken down on Ishikawa's side, and Michiba takes the natto (to which he's added the Broth of Vigor) for a spin in the food processor. And foie gras on the challenger's side? I'm as confused as Fukui, why is Ishikawa going for foie gras in Japanese cuisine?
Michiba's added kudzu starch to his food processor and taken it for another spin, saying that's to solidify the mixture. Meanwhile, Ishikawa has yuba out on his board, to wrap the tilefish in. The mixture from the food processor has hit some small hotel pans and the steamer, while we hear of trouble on the challenger's side--he gave instructions to one of his assistants to steam some clams, but the assistant steamed the sardines instead, which Ishikawa was going to use for meat fish balls! Uh-oh. He doesn't look happy at all.
And bad news on Michiba's side! He's cut his finger handling the lobsters, and he's bleeding a little...and the thing in the steamer on his side appears to be in limbo, if Fukui's comments are any indication.
In the meantime, Michiba has an omelette in the works. And as the halfway point is announced, he's added natto to that pan. Ishikawa is wrapping the tilefish in kelp in the yuba, and that's where the foie gras ends up! But no natto yet...Hattori speculates there will be a natto-flavored sauce to accompany that.
Omu-rice is on Michiba's side, and he's shaping it in a cup. And Ishikawa's broken out the beef! And Michiba's got uni right on top of the omu-rice...sparing no expense in Kitchen Stadium! A value-enhancer, they're saying...so THAT'S how he takes our money!
And there goes the beef on the challenger's side, on skewers and being cooked over an open flame! Not long after that, it hits the ice water for a very rare inside...he also has a sauce in the works, soy sauce and natto, it appears. The yuba wraps have hit the steamer, while on the other side, Michiba's whisking a mixture of shirotama rice flour and natto. Fukui thinks it'll be a dessert...perhaps in the vein of Chinese sesame seed balls?
20 minutes left, and Ishikawa has seaweed, yams, and ham in a wrap. He'll be deep-frying that, but maybe the oil's not hot enough?
Ishikawa isn't sure he's going to make it as he works with some clams. And there goes the natto right inside the holes he just cut inside of that.
Michiba also has a sesame seed cake in the fryer, and Ishikawa's already plating those stuffed clams!
Yuba also makes an appearance on Michiba's side, and he's wrapping natto inside of that. Speaking of yuba, Ishikawa's yuba is down on the plates, awaiting a potential sauce.
10 minutes left now, and Michiba is finishing up with his flatfish. He'll be wrapping the small yuba wraps from earlier into the fish.
Ishikawa has tataki-style beef on its own, but where's the natto?
Michiba's cutting up the kudzu starch mixture from the top of the battle, while Ishikawa is plating a sauce for the beef (natto soy sauce, Hattori says). And down goes the sauce on the yuba wraps! Michiba's flatfish wraps are plated as-is in small glasses, as are his sesame-coated natto confections.
3 minutes left now, and Michiba's adding more natto to a sauce for the udon noodles. Ishikawa is putting the finishing touches on some of his dishes as the one-minute call is announced, and Michiba's omu-rice has been garnished with lobster.
They're wondering where the sardines went...but Ishikawa had to give up on that one, try as he might. Final seconds ticking down...might be a battle of sauces in this maestro vs. maestro smackdown...
"And THAT'S IT! The cooking's done, the Natto Battle is OVAH!"
Challenger Ishikawa's 4 dishes:
--Steamed Clams Stuffed with Natto
--Japanese Beef with Natto Soy Sauce
-- Fried Natto in Beefsteak Leaves
--Tilefish and Foie Gras in Yuba with Sweet and Sour Sauce
Iron Chef Michiba's 5 dishes:
--Natto in Kudzu Starch
--Natto Rolled in Flatfish
--Natto Omelette
--Udon Noodles with Natto Miso
--Fried Sesame Seeds and Natto Biscuit
On the panel today for the Natto Battle are:
--Novelist Tamio Kageyama
--Actress Ritsuko Tanaka
--Rosanjin Scholar Masaaki Hirano
Ishikawa's up first, as always. He says he thought about the combination of natto with the other ingredients, then tried to use each one to their full potential. (Sound familiar yet?)
Kageyama thinks his first dish is very good for summer, despite thinking it would be overpowering. Hirano thinks it would've been perfect if it were chilled--Ishikawa said he had that in mind, but ran out of time..
The beef gets accolades from all the judges--Hirano describes his approach as delicate.
Of the fried wrap, Kageyama says the yam flavor appears first, then the natto comes out from the background. Hirano likes the texture.
Tanaka likes the aroma of the yuba wrap, but Hirano doesn't like the combination of tilefish and foie gras.
A bit of a sour note for Ishikawa as we move on to Iron Chef Michiba's dishes...
Kageyama's amused by the kudzu noodles' texture. "Fun to eat," he adds.
Of his second dish, Kageyama says, "Natto wins." Without the yuba, it would've been overpowering, he says. But Tanaka thinks there's too much natto...
Once again, Kageyama, ever the chatty one, says the omu-rice is very luxurious with the addition of the uni and lobster. An unusual use of natto...
Hirano comments on the use of foreign cooking techniques in the omu-rice, and says the only purely Japanese technique was the use of the lobster. Whatever that means.
Hirano would've liked to see some citrus juice to add a stimulating element. "Natto and miso is too boring," he said. I tend to agree, as it's two different things made from the same base ingredient...
The dessert gets many "mm"s from the judges, while Hirano goes on about so many different things that I can't even keep track of them all. Dubbing fail?
But as Fukui says, this verdict means more than just a hill of beans. For one Maestro, the verdict will be bitter. It's now time to know...who takes it? Is it the Iron Chef or the young Maestro? Whose cuisine reigns supreme?
"Tetsujin, Michiba Rokusaburo!"
He does it again! No surprise there, but Ishikawa--even in defeat, finally cracks a small smile! Victory for the viewers as well!
My take: Natto is tough. It's got a strong taste, but it's not an easy ingredient to make the centerpiece without overpowering everything else. Having said that, both chefs did an adequate job of controlling the natto flavor. I think it essentially came down to clock mismanagement on Ishikawa's side...but then again, what battle doesn't?
This is, however, an example of some of the hilariously bad dubbing, especially during the tasting segment. I guess now we know why Hirano disappeared from the show later on in the run...he never really said anything useful!
Watch this battle at the Iron Chef Collection here.
Episode: 31
The challenger: Kuniyuki Ishikawa, certified Maestro of the Japanese Cuisine Seminar Group, an organization with over 20,000 members. Established in 1930, the group was founded to preserve such intangible treasures as knife skills passed on by legendary chefs. He believes chefs must stay behind the scenes, whereas Michiba rides into the limelight.
The Iron Chef: another certified Maestro and the leader of the organization, Iron Chef Japanese I, Rokusaburo Michiba. Last time he put the kibosh on commentator Yukio Hattori (and did he ever), but can he turn back another one of his colleagues as well?
The Battle:
First-timer, actress Ritsuko Tanaka joins Fukui and Hattori in the broadcast box today.
Kaga has always been interested in the Japanese Cuisine Seminar Group, and says that the challenger, if Kaga had met him first, might've been the Iron Chef Japanese instead of Michiba. Hmm, interesting. Nevertheless, the Maestro marches into Kitchen Stadium, clad in traditional attire.
"If Michiba is the sun, you may be the moon," Kaga says to Ishikawa as he greets him at kitchen level. And after some more flowery language, he summons the Iron Chefs, and as if it's any surprise as to whom Ishikawa will challenge...indeed, Michiba is the marked man today!
"Today's battle is between two men of incredible caliber. I don't want to pull any cheap tricks to spoil the occasion," Kaga begins. "They will fight it out without giving up. Yes, persistence. Ah, could be 'sticky.' Japanese cuisine...sticky...yes, that's it."
And as Kaga leaves the American viewers scratching their heads, he rips the veil off the ingredient stand and reveals--of course! NATTO! And did I see Michiba crack a smile for once?
For those of you wondering...what the heck is natto, anyway? It's basically fermented soybeans, with silky, sticky threads that contain all the flavor and texture. And remember...stir it up 15 times.
Maestro vs. maestro showdown in one hour with natto...and Kaga calls out the famous battle cry, "ALLEZ CUISINE!" Small beans on the left of the stand, and large ones on the right today. Traditionally, it's used on top of rice and flavored with soy sauce.
Michiba, of course, starts out with his menu-writing--"Mini-Full Course Natto Dinner," Hattori says he's writing. And check this out, Ishikawa's doing it as well! Fukui notes that Ishikawa's planning on abalone steamed in sake, as well as Japanese beef with Japanese flavored-soy sauce. And here's another Michiba tradition: the Broth of Vigor!
Ishikawa is rinsing the natto to get rid of the sticky strings. Ohta's first report is that they're both planning on 5 dishes. And as Michiba fillets a flatfish, Ishikawa has a bonito broth of his own on his side! 15 minutes gone already...
Michiba is curing the flatfish with konbu, and word on the floor is that he's planning to use udon noodles! Ishikawa, meanwhile, is steaming sardines.
Michiba's food processor has natto, and his cutting board has lobster! We hear Ohta report on Michiba's comments on Challenger Ishikawa, and how he appears to be mirroring him...and in a rare twist, Michiba actually gets in a dig at him! "He didn't learn everything--I wish he learned how to smile more!"
Tilefish is being broken down on Ishikawa's side, and Michiba takes the natto (to which he's added the Broth of Vigor) for a spin in the food processor. And foie gras on the challenger's side? I'm as confused as Fukui, why is Ishikawa going for foie gras in Japanese cuisine?
Michiba's added kudzu starch to his food processor and taken it for another spin, saying that's to solidify the mixture. Meanwhile, Ishikawa has yuba out on his board, to wrap the tilefish in. The mixture from the food processor has hit some small hotel pans and the steamer, while we hear of trouble on the challenger's side--he gave instructions to one of his assistants to steam some clams, but the assistant steamed the sardines instead, which Ishikawa was going to use for meat fish balls! Uh-oh. He doesn't look happy at all.
And bad news on Michiba's side! He's cut his finger handling the lobsters, and he's bleeding a little...and the thing in the steamer on his side appears to be in limbo, if Fukui's comments are any indication.
In the meantime, Michiba has an omelette in the works. And as the halfway point is announced, he's added natto to that pan. Ishikawa is wrapping the tilefish in kelp in the yuba, and that's where the foie gras ends up! But no natto yet...Hattori speculates there will be a natto-flavored sauce to accompany that.
Omu-rice is on Michiba's side, and he's shaping it in a cup. And Ishikawa's broken out the beef! And Michiba's got uni right on top of the omu-rice...sparing no expense in Kitchen Stadium! A value-enhancer, they're saying...so THAT'S how he takes our money!
And there goes the beef on the challenger's side, on skewers and being cooked over an open flame! Not long after that, it hits the ice water for a very rare inside...he also has a sauce in the works, soy sauce and natto, it appears. The yuba wraps have hit the steamer, while on the other side, Michiba's whisking a mixture of shirotama rice flour and natto. Fukui thinks it'll be a dessert...perhaps in the vein of Chinese sesame seed balls?
20 minutes left, and Ishikawa has seaweed, yams, and ham in a wrap. He'll be deep-frying that, but maybe the oil's not hot enough?
Ishikawa isn't sure he's going to make it as he works with some clams. And there goes the natto right inside the holes he just cut inside of that.
Michiba also has a sesame seed cake in the fryer, and Ishikawa's already plating those stuffed clams!
Yuba also makes an appearance on Michiba's side, and he's wrapping natto inside of that. Speaking of yuba, Ishikawa's yuba is down on the plates, awaiting a potential sauce.
10 minutes left now, and Michiba is finishing up with his flatfish. He'll be wrapping the small yuba wraps from earlier into the fish.
Ishikawa has tataki-style beef on its own, but where's the natto?
Michiba's cutting up the kudzu starch mixture from the top of the battle, while Ishikawa is plating a sauce for the beef (natto soy sauce, Hattori says). And down goes the sauce on the yuba wraps! Michiba's flatfish wraps are plated as-is in small glasses, as are his sesame-coated natto confections.
3 minutes left now, and Michiba's adding more natto to a sauce for the udon noodles. Ishikawa is putting the finishing touches on some of his dishes as the one-minute call is announced, and Michiba's omu-rice has been garnished with lobster.
They're wondering where the sardines went...but Ishikawa had to give up on that one, try as he might. Final seconds ticking down...might be a battle of sauces in this maestro vs. maestro smackdown...
"And THAT'S IT! The cooking's done, the Natto Battle is OVAH!"
Challenger Ishikawa's 4 dishes:
--Steamed Clams Stuffed with Natto
--Japanese Beef with Natto Soy Sauce
-- Fried Natto in Beefsteak Leaves
--Tilefish and Foie Gras in Yuba with Sweet and Sour Sauce
Iron Chef Michiba's 5 dishes:
--Natto in Kudzu Starch
--Natto Rolled in Flatfish
--Natto Omelette
--Udon Noodles with Natto Miso
--Fried Sesame Seeds and Natto Biscuit
On the panel today for the Natto Battle are:
--Novelist Tamio Kageyama
--Actress Ritsuko Tanaka
--Rosanjin Scholar Masaaki Hirano
Ishikawa's up first, as always. He says he thought about the combination of natto with the other ingredients, then tried to use each one to their full potential. (Sound familiar yet?)
Kageyama thinks his first dish is very good for summer, despite thinking it would be overpowering. Hirano thinks it would've been perfect if it were chilled--Ishikawa said he had that in mind, but ran out of time..
The beef gets accolades from all the judges--Hirano describes his approach as delicate.
Of the fried wrap, Kageyama says the yam flavor appears first, then the natto comes out from the background. Hirano likes the texture.
Tanaka likes the aroma of the yuba wrap, but Hirano doesn't like the combination of tilefish and foie gras.
A bit of a sour note for Ishikawa as we move on to Iron Chef Michiba's dishes...
Kageyama's amused by the kudzu noodles' texture. "Fun to eat," he adds.
Of his second dish, Kageyama says, "Natto wins." Without the yuba, it would've been overpowering, he says. But Tanaka thinks there's too much natto...
Once again, Kageyama, ever the chatty one, says the omu-rice is very luxurious with the addition of the uni and lobster. An unusual use of natto...
Hirano comments on the use of foreign cooking techniques in the omu-rice, and says the only purely Japanese technique was the use of the lobster. Whatever that means.
Hirano would've liked to see some citrus juice to add a stimulating element. "Natto and miso is too boring," he said. I tend to agree, as it's two different things made from the same base ingredient...
The dessert gets many "mm"s from the judges, while Hirano goes on about so many different things that I can't even keep track of them all. Dubbing fail?
But as Fukui says, this verdict means more than just a hill of beans. For one Maestro, the verdict will be bitter. It's now time to know...who takes it? Is it the Iron Chef or the young Maestro? Whose cuisine reigns supreme?
"Tetsujin, Michiba Rokusaburo!"
He does it again! No surprise there, but Ishikawa--even in defeat, finally cracks a small smile! Victory for the viewers as well!
My take: Natto is tough. It's got a strong taste, but it's not an easy ingredient to make the centerpiece without overpowering everything else. Having said that, both chefs did an adequate job of controlling the natto flavor. I think it essentially came down to clock mismanagement on Ishikawa's side...but then again, what battle doesn't?
This is, however, an example of some of the hilariously bad dubbing, especially during the tasting segment. I guess now we know why Hirano disappeared from the show later on in the run...he never really said anything useful!
Watch this battle at the Iron Chef Collection here.
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