Solving Culinary Mystery

I was woken up by an extremely loud thunder this morning. For a moment, I thought there was an earthquake. Then I heard the sound of rain—this can’t be happening! Thunderstorm in September and in San Francisco? Normally we don’t even have a single shower during the summer and fall seasons. We only hear sirens from the firetrucks, never a thunder. I guess we should never say never. Although we normally has no rain, there is plenty fog. Pretty fog. Yesterday morning, when I woke up and looked out my apartment window, the bridge was still sleeping with a heavy white blanket. I wish I didn’t have to go to work and just go back to sleep, like the bridge does. So on my way to work, I bought $1 lottery. Who knows, that day might come soon. Meanwhile, I should just go with my routines and try to find some fun at work. Otherwise, who is gonna pay the rent and food? Speaking of food, few days ago, I was craving for some moo shu pork (木须肉—I just realized that the picture on this wikipedia page is taken by me couple years ago). Actually I was missing my mom’s spring pancake (春饼), which I never learned from her how to make them. I decided to make some for the first time, to remember her. They turn out pretty well, except the spring pancakes are not as soft as mom made. I didn’t figure out why until yesterday. Yesterday morning, I was heating up some breakfast in the microwave, but when I took the food out, it was still cold! Oh! My microwave was broken! I was heating up water with the microwave when I was making those spring pancakes while mixing the flour. I thought the water was really hot, but actually I was mixing the flour with room temperature water! That’s why the pancakes are not soft enough. The puzzle is solved. It also means that I need a new microwave. I bought one today and it will be delivered next week. I also bought two Calphalon non-stick pans for my cooking pleasure. Tonight, I cooked some eggplant with the new pans, with very little oil. It turns out pretty well. I love these new pans. I made those shaomai (烧卖) for the first time as well, this time I bought the potsticker skin to be quicker, but they are just not as good as I made myself and not very sticky. Well, since it’s the first time, I can always make them better next time. I can’t wait to try some new dishes with my new pans. Tomorrow, I will go hiking, even there is a thunderstorm! I feel very productive today, because I finish a few film reviews as well, and this is one of them. Amreeka It is no secrete that life is extremely difficult for Palestinians living in Israeli occupied West Banks. However, will their struggle be easier if they immigrate to the US? Writer/director Cherien Dabis‘s semi-biographical first feature "Amreeka" (USA/Canada 2009 | in English/Arabic | 96 min.) humorously gives an insightful look at new lives of Arabic immigrants in the US. Amreeka means America in Arabic. To a divorced Palestinian mother Muna (Nisreen Faour) and her teenager son Fadi (Melkar Muallem), Amreeka is a wonder land for a new life full of hopes. They abandon their middle class life in their homeland and come to a small town in Illinois to escape the difficult life in West Bank under the Israeli occupation. However, in the backdrop of the First Golf War, Arabic immigrants’ lives in America are anything but easy, in additional to the struggle every new immigrant must face. Despite Muna’s two degrees and ten years of experience, she cannot find a job other than flipping hamburgers in a fast food joint (with a "Support Our oops" sign outside). Meanwhile, Fadi is experiencing academic and culture challenges at school. Even they all understand that "a tree pulled out by its roots and placed elsewhere, it doesn’t grow," they are determined to build a new life and let the tree grow. At a certain level, the story in this film echoes every new immigrant’s struggle, regardless their origins. Under the current political atmosphere, Arabic immigrants’ stories particularly need to be told. Although the dramatic development of the story is somehow familiar and predictable as seen in a television drama, the light humor and the embedded political commentaries make the film interesting. In addition, Nisreen Faour‘s terrific performance as the charismatic mother Muna is delightful to watch. "Amreeka" opens on Friday, September 18, 2009 at Bay Area theaters.