Day: October 23, 2003

Stalin Coffee

looky

Ok, it’s actually called Boss Coffee from Suntory. Doesn’t he look like Stalin? Maybe the unholy love-child of Stalin and Bob Dobbs.

Be sure to play the games on the site- there is a typing game and a crazy English game. It sort of reminds me of Wario Ware.

Turns out we were not the only ones to think BOSS looks like Stalin- there is a review on 8 bit joystick which compares him to Stalin as well!

Now we refer to the various flavors by what Stalin is doing in the picture on the can- “Stalin Driving”, “Stalin on the Phone”, “Stalin with Dog”.

Of course I made everyone watch the Ayumi Hamasaki BOSS commercial, where she sings “LOVE” with half the lyrics replaced with “BOSS.”

A friend in Tokyo (a white guy) asked his coworkers about BOSS- they said BOSS reminds them of MacArthur, who is not a negative figure.

Go figure!

Pictured: Stalin Reading Paper, Stalin on Vacation, Stalin Driving

Web link of note: Stalin Coffee
(At http://www.s-boss.com)

48 hours = 10 minute film

looky

Insane. We’re doing the 48 Hour Film Project starting tomorrow… we won’t know what genre our movie is until 7 pm, and we have until 7pm on Sunday to write, film, and edit our 5-10 minute short. We do have a genre list though… I’ve heard some crews are writing snippets for every possible choice, but that seems like cheating somehow.

It turns out there are a bunch of these kinds of contests, including the Extreme Filmmaker 48 Hour Film Festival and the British
48 Hour Film Challenge.

I’ve planned a lot. I have worksheets for storyboards, location schedule, and reel notes. I set up a crew-only blog. We have 10 people on the cast and crew, and everyone is in constant cell phone contact. We have a caterer. We have cameras, laptops, editing systems, decks, a light kit, and rented pro sound gear. I bought one can of every Stalin Coffee that they make. I just can’t help feeling like we’re forgetting something.

Gah. No wonder producers get paid so much.

You know who has a cool site? Greg Pak. Half Korean director. I met him once, he is pretty awesome. He has all kinds of advice on his website, including sample legal releases.

Skittling

looky

A trend among suburban youth funnier than “Ahnulding”- pop a bunch of cold medicine pills containing “dextromethorphan” and chase with alcohol. It’s called “skittling” and it makes you high for cheap. Ah, who needs a liver anyway!

You damn kids are so spoiled. In my day we just had “robotripping”- drinking Robotussin until you got high. Or “huffing” (inhaling paint fumes)- spray into a paper bag and inhale.

1000 year old eggs

looky

I’m not quite sure why you would make these yourself- they cost about a dollar at any asian market.

Maybe if you live in the middle of nowhere, with a bunch of white people, and can’t tell the difference between Japanese and Chinese food.

Or maybe you watch too much Martha Stewart and mine your own slate for the kitchen chalkboard.

Recipe below.

PRESERVED DUCK EGGS (Thousand Year Old Eggs)
Yield: 12 servings

  • 2 c tea, very strong black

  • 1/3 c salt

  • 2 c ashes of pine wood

  • 2 c ashes of charcoal

  • 2 c fireplace ashes

  • 1 c lime*

  • 12 duck eggs, fresh

*Available in garden stores and nurseries.

  1. Combine tea, salt, ashes and lime.
  2. Using about 1/2 cup per egg,
    thickly coat each egg completely with this clay-like mixture.
  3. Line
    a large crock with garden soil and carefully lay coated eggs on
    top.
  4. Cover with more soil and place crock in a cool dark place.
  5. Allow to cure for 100 days.
  6. To remove coating, scrape eggs and
    rinse under running water to clean thoroughly.
  7. Crack lightly and
    remove shells.
  8. The white of the egg will appear a grayish, translucent
    color and have a gelatinous texture.
  9. The yolk, when sliced, will
    be a grayish-green color.
  10. To serve, cut into wedges and serve with:
    • Sweet pickled scallions or any sweet pickled vegetable
    • Sauce of :
      • 2 T vinegar
      • 2 T soy sauce
      • 2 T rice wine
      • 1 T minced ginger root.

Copied from Recipe Cottage

Possibly originally from “The Regional Cooking of China” by Margret Gin and Alfred E. Castle, 101 Productions, San Francisco, 1975.

I recommend slicing them and serving them over very smooth (“silken”) and very cold, fresh tofu. Sprinkle green onions or scallions, soy sauce, and bonito flakes.