Sublime seduction ~ food and the movies

This piece was created for Vamonos as Perry Champion’s Culinary Adventures column. It sparks in me a need to respond – how about you?

Let's be reel here (forgive the cheap reference) - food is about passion, and movies thrive on it.
Movies are all about romance and, if they add food, specially chocolate, well, you have a blockbuster.
As baseball season is upon us let's create and score this movie-food game chick flicks vs. guy movies.
First up, allow me the scene in The Godfather where the young, mostly innocent Michael Corleone is being taught how to make spaghetti sauce for the capos. The young Godfather-to-be is being teased mercilessly by "the family" about his girlfriend. Ah, the good old movie days of crime, criminals and love.
Animal House - This is a classic gastronomic monster, courtesy of the comic gluttony of the late John Belushi stalking the cafeteria lunch line, sampling everything in sight and then some, brilliant and so gross at the same time. A guy film and that is 2 for us and 1 for the ladies.
Young Frankenstein - Recall, if you will, the silly breakfast scene where the cast hears moaning and groaning during the meal and they engage in the usual Hollywood innuendo. Funny, classic stuff and we are guys up, 3 now and ladies 1, but this movie food column runs long and I am afraid.
When Harry Met Sally - This Rob Reiner-directed chick flick classic puts my comic hero Billy Crystal on the movie map as the comedian of the day. The diner segment with (I seem to recall) Rob Reiner's sister in-law is priceless humor.
The lengthy food order (on the side), with the discussion of sex between Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal, sets this woman off. "I'll have what she's having."
Such a thing!
I score the guy-chick film thing as 3 to 2 now.
The Jerk - This comedy movie from the early 1980s still makes me laugh. At one point, Steve Martin says to the waiter, while seated with the luscious Bernadette Peters, "Waiter, get those snails off her plate." Or "No more old wine; I want fresh wine ... " Navin R. Johnson aka Martin at his disgusted lack-of-knowledge best. Four to 2 now, top of the ninth inning.
This is an all-out "our movie food thing is funnier, better, sexier than your movie food thing," right?
I present with no equivocation, nay, even embarrassment, the finest movie food segment ever. From Blazing Saddles, Mel Brooks' epic Western, the cowboys eating their bean dinner. Class, dignity and pure laughs.
We are now up 5 to 2. Yeah, boy!
In typical male fashion, I have set my movie-food vision to a very base level. Simple movie-food pleasures for the male mind. Movie-food for a man is like a good cheeseburger. We don't need a lot of frills with the burger - we want meat.
Ladies, get your mind out of the movie gutter. I want a good cheeseburger in a movie and maybe even some fries, too.
On the other hand, the movie-food taste buds of women are quite sophisticated - note the Meg Ryan "on the side" reference. On the side is important apparently, or even the magic of Chocolat.
Alas, I face the truth - the real reason movies are made and include food.
The Chick Flick - The movie may be about another topic, but be aware that it almost always has food and romance. Look, you cannot find a good cheeseburger in a chick flick. I dare you to find one. It is all decadent chocolate and a radicchio salad with the dressing (one always has the vinaigrette on the side).
I don't need to be right here, as it is common knowledge that we of the male subset of the human species are, by definition, always wrong. I just want to see that good cheeseburger in some chick film. Is that too much to ask? Oh, and I want the Gorgonzola crumbles on the side.
Casablanca - Perhaps the most romantic movie of all time. It is based in a saloon, and we don't see much food in the film, but you don't need to, because the thought is there.
A chick flick means "the thought is there." Pay attention, guys, the thought-is-there thing is huge.
Okay 5 to 3. Yikes. I wish I had a good closer for this movie-food game. Joe Torre, help me out!
Chocolat - I have tried to watch this movie several times. The stuff and the angst are too much for this movie foodie. I cannot get through the thing. With such jealousy, fear, anger and passion it is not a guy-movie tableau.
The movie score now is 5 to 4.
The Entire Robin Hood Genre of Film - From Errol Flynn to Kevin Costner. Greasy fire-pit cooked lamb. Surely a tie for great romance and crummy food.
Score remains the same.
Tortilla Soup - Fantastic food on film, and my favorite food/chick flick, bar none. (As a guy, you can write "bar none" and get away with it.)
The lead character is a man (Hector Elizondo - pained, but loving it) working in his family restaurant (issues), raising his daughters alone (more issues), and a pushy, middle-aged woman (Raquel Welch - funny her in this and an issue). A clue here: Yes, men, you are not expected to know how to fold certain garments.
Tie, movie-food game.
Now, it was on purpose that I left out the baseball movies in this column. A good ballpark dog certainly qualifies as great food, setting, etc., but the baseball-movie genre is a bit weak overall with regard to food. That is not to say that movies like Bull Durham and For Love of the Game are not fine baseball romance movies. They are; they just don't have the right food element to be considered here.
Here we are with nine fine movies - all with romance, sort of, and all movie classics in their own way with food.
The chick flick vs. guy movie-food game is tied at 9.
What to do? Just what any sensible guy would do right now. Go get a cheeseburger and rent a movie.
Bon Appetit.

Artists offer gift to village

Brian and Summer Sarinova have been creating public and private artwork in the area for the past six years.
Specializing in custom-designed mosaics, the couple has worked to beautify signs, floors, showers, pathways, countertops and stairways, in addition to their extensive mural creations, both for private clients, including custom homes, and public artwork.
Billy The Kid Scenic Byway Visitors Center in Ruidoso Downs, the Kids Konnection Park in Ruidoso and the Alameda Park Zoo in Alamogordo all boast tile installations created by the Sarinovas and their Lincoln County Artwerks.
Other public venues displaying their work are Cafe Rio, Michelena's, St. Bernard's, Steppin' Out and Sevilla's Day Spa.
"We can translate any style of image into a tile, glass, porcelain, stone or ceramic mosaic," the Sarinovas said. All jobs are priced by the square foot, ranging from $20 - $125 per square foot
"Ruidoso has been very good to us and has kept us busy for the past six years," they told ¡Vámonos! "We have been grateful for the opportunity to create art for many local and out-of-town residents."
Brian, 36, was born and raised in Southern California. Educated in art at an early age, he continued his art studies in college, focusing on both 2- and 3-dimensional art.
Before coming to Ruidoso in 1998, he was employed by DMI, sculpting for Disney and contractors for the Bellagio Hotel. Brian worked with sculptor Luis Jimenez, then later helped to open Ruidoso Downs Classic Bronze, where he stayed on to work with Lincoln Fox and James Muir.
Brian was commissioned for several large projects, including with the Village of Tularosa to paint a mural on the water towers. He and Summer were married in 2002, and they started studying mosaics, going on to combine their artistic abilities installing mosaics in custom homes while petitioning cities for projects.
Born in Lubbock, Summer came to Ruidoso with her family in 1994. She studied ballet from an early age under Victor Moreno, and in Ruidoso under Deborah Rogers.
Privately schooled throughout her life in multiple art mediums, in 1996 she received formal training in illustrative styles and later took commissions for her artwork. She and Brian have created a unique line of glass jewelry, and Summer also joined with her mother and family to create the very unique and popular Atticus Books and Tea House.
"We are also anxious to start the 'Wall of Courage' project at the new fire station in Ruidoso," Summer said.
As pointed out in a recent story and editorial in the Ruidoso News, Brian has approached the village with an offer to create a very impressive 75- by-20-foot mural to adorn the bare wall at the fire station in School House Park. The mural will honor firefighters, and would last for generations.
But without donations from the public, without community support, the project cannot come to fruition. The Sarinovas are offering to donate their time and artistic expertise as a service to the community, but the project will be completed only if the community can cover the $48,600 material expenses.
Public artwork, especially distinguished murals, are well-established attractions for visitors to cities and towns all over the U.S. The mural proposed for the fire station would be one of the largest in the nation, and would further Lincoln County's status as a year-round visitors' destination.
It's also an opportunity to create a unique community project - a gift that we can offer as a community to the generations to come, be they residents or visitors.
Whether you are an art-lover who embraces the idea simply for art's sake, or wish to contribute to an inspiring monument to honor our heroic firefighters, your donation is needed. The Ruidoso Regional Council for the Arts is acting as fiscal agent for the project, so you may take your donations to their office at 1712 Sudderth Dr.
Support this community project with your donations, and keep in mind that the funds need to be raised as quickly as possible. The faster the money comes in, the greater the likelihood the mural will be accomplished.

Regional Arts Council successes

In an environment where community volunteerism has been sluggish, and attendance at events and performances appears to be largely in a slump, it has been gratifying to note the successes achieved by various organizations in spite of this general malaise.
It has been especially exciting for me to watch as collaborations between arts organizations in our area have been forged over the past year.
Thanks largely to the efforts of the Ruidoso Regional Council for the Arts, musicians, theatrical performers, artists, artisans, educators and many others now call each other friends and collaborators.
With a mission to promote the arts, “enhancing the quality of life for area residents and all that visit this beautiful village,” the RRCA, under the leadership of its board of directors and Executive Director Alisa Kenyon, has endeavored to foster an atmosphere conducive to the sharing of resources, abilities and talents.
The RRCA is designed to serve as a support system to area artists and a liaison to cultural organizations. Additionally, the council has successfully produced its own events, including the Vinarelli, monthly Youth Poetry Jams, art classes for the young students at Nob Hill, summer gallery walks, and the very successful mARTi gras, among others.
However, the council is now seeking a new Executive Director. Kenyon is taking advantage of a wonderful new opportunity and will be leaving her job as ED at the end of March, so the RRCA Board of Directors is actively seeking her replacement.
The ideal candidate will have a love for the arts, first and foremost, along with administrative experience, grantwriting and fundraising expertise, creativity, and the ability to work with a diverse group of people. (Read: “plays well with others.”)
If you or someone you know seems ideal for this position, contact the RRCA office at 257-7272 for a complete job description.
And congratulations to the arts council for its efforts to bring the arts to visitors and the residents of Lincoln County. It will be a pleasure to watch and participate in the continued development of the community as a cohesive arts entity.

Our youth, our community, our future

We have watched in amazement and appreciation as the Community Youth Center Warehouse has taken shape at its site on Church Street across from Community United Methodist Church. Thanks to many volunteer hours and donations of muscle and money, the 4,500-square-foot facility is almost ready to open to the youth of the community.
Only one thing is missing – and it could be you.
Did your New Year’s resolutions include anything about being more involved in the community? Or do you have a passion you could share with young people? Could you simply sign up to be on-hand to help support the goal of providing a safe and secure place for our community’s youth?
The Warehouse features a large space, with a recreation area, a commercial kitchen, fully equipped computer lab, a stage for performances and state-of-the-art sound and audio-visual equipment.
Based on a national concept relatively new to New Mexico (but a growing movement in Texas), the program features a center-based location for youth, 7th through 12th grades, to have a safe, supervised place to meet, do homework, enjoy recreational activities, take informational classes, produce concerts and much more, after school, in the evening and on weekends.
The goal of Warehouse Director Cathy Thurman is to have 50 volunteers in place during the hours of operation, Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays through Saturdays. Volunteers may download an application from the Warehouse Web site, ruidosoyouthcenter.org, and a background check will be required.
For additional information, you may contact Thurman at 257-4170. Your generous gift of your time will help make the center a success.

Feeling like no one cares about a project you have given 20 years to must be quite depressing. The Ruidoso Concert Association has announced that without the involvement of new board members and volunteers for shows, their curtain will close for the last time at the end of the 2008 season. (See ¡Vámonos!, Jan. 25.)
Money ... volunteers ... audience - all seem to be lacking, to one extent or another, so several questions could be asked:
• How can the 501(c)(3) best entice music-lovers to put in volunteer time to continue to bring such acts as the Preservation Hall Jazz Band and the Glenn Miller and Duke Ellington orchestras to audiences in Ruidoso?
• How can an organization that has been largely dependent on lodgers tax dollars (with declining amounts over the last few years) attract sufficient donations to continue to provide quality performance to a largely local audience?
• How can the group boost their resources to attract an audience for their shows?

Anyone care to weigh-in on this issue?

NEW YEAR'S RECIPE

Take twelve, fine, full-grown months, see that these are thoroughly free from all old memories of bitterness, rancor, hate and jealousy; cleanse them completely from every clinging spite: pick off all specks of pettiness and littleness; in short , see that these months are freed from all the past; have them as fresh and clean as when they first came from the great storehouse of Time.

Cut these months into thirty or thirty-one equal parts. This batch will keep for just one year. Do not attempt to make up the whole batch at one time (so many persons spoil the entire lot in this way), but prepare one day at a time, as follows:

Into each day put twelve parts of faith, eleven of patience, ten of courage, nine of of work (some people omit this ingredient and so spoil the flavor of the rest), eight of hope, seven of fidelity, six of liberality, five of kindness, four of rest (leaving this out is like leaving the oil out of the salad, don't do it), three of prayer, two of meditation, and one well selected resolution. If you have no conscientious scruples, put in about a teaspoonful of good spirits, a dash of fun, a pinch of folly, a sprinkling of play, and a heaping cupful of good humor.

Pour into the whole love ad libitum and mix with a vim. Cook thoroughly in a fervent heat; garnish with a few smiles and a sprig of joy; then serve with quietness, unselfishness, and cheerfulness, and a Happy New Year is certain.

Honoring our warriors

A brand new, limited-edition piece from renowned artist Teri Sodd has recently been offered for sale.
Highly regarded for her technique and the emotional quality of her work, Sodd’s newest piece, “Bring My Warrior Home,” has a personal message to go along with it, doubling its emotional impact.
“During this season of goodwill,” Sodd told me, “it has become important to rethink our positions on issues. Our hearts are truly with those who are away fighting. And I was inspired by the lyrics to a Melissa Etheridge song to create this painting.”

It’s Christmas all around us and you’re in someone else’s land,
So we’re sending out our only wish Santa, tell the man
Hey mister, send my warrior home it’s Christmas in America
And we need them away from harm.
So here we are on Christmas Eve, this silent holy night
And we reach up to the stars for you and pray that you’re alright
What happened to the peace on earth
And all that goodwill toward men
Oh come on all ye faithful
It’s time to think again

Hey mister, send my warrior home!

For Sodd, the song “truly expresses a portion of the where this image came from. This image is in honor of our warriors, and for the millions of family members that our warriors have here at home ... while they are, perhaps, fighting a losing battle.
“We beg of our leaders to reconsider what we stand for and their decisions that they are making.”
The original piece sold last week, and has been made available in a limited edition of 150 giclée prints which sell for $160. Visit Mountain Arts Gallery at 2530 Sudderth Dr., or www.mountainartsgallery.com.