Joseph Mallozzi's Blog, page 484
September 27, 2012
September 27, 2012: Quinto Quarto dinner! Days of Stargate Atlantis Past! Kindred I!
“In the cuisine of modern Rome quinto quarto (literally the “fifth quarter”) is the offal of butchered animals. The name makes sense on more than one level: because offal amounts to about a fourth of the weight of the carcass; because the importance of offal in Roman cooking is at least as great as any of the outer quarters, fore and hind; and because in the past slaughterhouse workers were partly paid in kind with a share of the offal.
Until modern time the division of the cattle in Rome was made following this simple scheme: the first “quarto” was dedicated to be sold to the Nobles, the second one was for the clergy, the third one for the Bourgeoisie and eventually the fourth “quarto” was for the soldiers. The proletariat could afford only the entrails.”
- Quinto quarto – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Well, whaddya know. Just the other day, I was discussing adventurous dining and my fruitless attempts to acquire duck hearts for a dish I was looking to prepare (September 22, 2012: Heart of Duckness). Five days later, I’m sitting down to one of my most unique meals of 2012. Last night, Campagnolo Roma hosted their annual Quinto Quarto dinner with Chefs Ted Anders and Nathan Lowey serving up a Roman style feast highlighting “the odd bits”. The menu…
The dinner was served “family style”, so Akemi and I ended up sharing a table with three other diners, some friendly fellow foodies (two of who happened to be big Stargate fans). The meal started with the antipasto:
Arancine al sugo (risotto balls stuffed with fifth quarter sugo) and stioghiola alla griglia (charred intestines).
Akemi quite enjoyed the former (Of course. She’s Japanese!). The charred intestines I thought lacked the headlined charring and were possessed of an underlying gaminess that I, well, didn’t love.
Vasteddo piccolo (spleen sliders).
Similar in flavor to liver but, I found, far less intense. Also, somewhat chewier, but served slider-style, these small bites were utterly delicious. I ended up eating four in all.
Rounding out the antipasti was some very good sfincione con nduja (sicilian flatbread seasoned with soft liver sausage). Akemi and I were never actually served this dish but our table mates had been given a plate and they were more than happy to sure (Ah, the perils of family-style dining).
spaghetti con le cuore de salmone
nass river salmon hearts, garlic confit, saffron
Now THIS dish was the highlight of the night. The pasta was a perfectly prepared al dente, the accompanying sugo sweet and smokey from the shaved salmon hearts.
A whole salmon heart we brought back home as a keepsake – and, later that night, dog snack.
polpette quinto quarto
pork meatballs with everything, lemon zest, mint
The “everything” included heart, liver, and kidney. If you had served up these meatballs to someone like, say, my unadventurous buddy Carl, and not told them what they were eating, they would probably declare them the best meatballs they’d ever eaten. And they were: incredibly moist and utterly delicious.
il caponata bianca
vinegared celery, eggplant, pine nuts
I’ve never been a big fan of anything marinated but thought this was a nice change of pace for the meal. Akemi particularly enjoyed the pickled celery.
pomodoro misto e orecchio fritto
milan’s tomatoes, crispy pig’s ear, basil
Also a nice little detour. The crispy pig’s ears offered a nice, crispy textural contrast. That being said, I still prefer them sliced thicker and served with salsa verde like Refuel used to do back in the day (and I believe Fat Dragon still may do).
cassata siciliana
marzipan, ricotta & pig’s brain cream, marsala
Yes, the inclusion of pig brain gave me pause as well. I’m not a huge fan of brain (I’m not a fan of its metallic aftertaste), but it was inoffensive here. So inoffensive, in fact, that it felt a little unnecessary but for the simple fact that it maintained the dining theme and, hey, diners could tell their friend that they’d had a pig brain dessert – and liked it. Which I did.
Dining opportunities like this one are a rarity and, while I’m sure that’s a-okay for many more conservative diners, I, for one, would like to see more of these daring dining events.
A huge thanks for a job well done to Ted, Nathan, and the gang at Campagnolo Roma.
This morning, Paul swung by and we worked through the day -stopping only for tacos – to finally finish that outline. Well, more or less. More in terms of structure and less in terms of detail, but I’m sure all the minutiae will work itself out in the next couple days when I get it all down on (virtual) paper. It’s a pilot for a fantasy series and, while I have high hopes it will go to series, I’m being realistic as well. In this business, everything is a longshot. It and the potential Dark Matter series are purely speculative at this point and, even if they do come to fruition, production wouldn’t get underway until well into 2013. This is why I’m not giving up my day job (a.k.a. focusing on winning the lottery).
Paul gives the outline a thumbs up.
Continuing our trip down Stargate Atlantis memory lane…
KINDRED I
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According to the trailer that the network ran for this episode: “You won’t believe the last five minutes”. These words were uttered as viewers were shown the deceased but very much alive-looking Carson Beckett looking up as someone says: “Carson!”. My question was: “Why won’t they believe the last five minutes. You’ve already ruined it for them.” It was reminiscent of the network trailer for SG-1′s The Curse that showed Osiris, eyes glowing, blasting members of the team – effectively ruining our end of episode reveal. Which was, in turn, reminiscent of the TV Guide blurb for SG-1′s Solitudes: “Jack and Sam are stranded in the Antarctic”, an episode in which Jack and Sam believe they’ve been stranded off-world until they discover they’re actually been on Earth all along. In the Antarctic! Surprised? No?
At the SGA season 3 wrap party, I informed a glum Paul McGillion that I had a great idea to bring Carson back. It involved cloning, Michael, and a shocking and unexpected appearance by the beloved Scot. Well, in the end, cloning and Michael anyway.
The placeholder title for this episode was “Rise of the Googlions”. Why? Because that’s the title fellow Executive Producer/writer Carl Binder suggested and it stuck. From a former blog entry: “Oh, dear. This is what happens when you hang on to a gag title a little too long. Sooner or later, it makes it onto the schedule, the Art Department starts using it in their design updates, and producer John N. Smith can be heard uttering the words: ‘We should check out that location. We might be up there for Googlions.’ For all of you who have been racking your brains trying to come up with the hidden meaning behind the ‘Rise of the Googlions’ title, allow me to reveal it for you. … ‘Rise of the Googlions’ was nothing more than an inane title Carl came up with off the top of his head. To all those who wasted any amount of time searching the Internet for clues about the googlions, blame Mr. Binder who unwittingly sent you all out on a wild goose chase.”
Tagged: adventures in dining, adventurous dining, Atlantis, Campagnolo Roma, Kindred I, offal, offal dinner, Quinto Quarto, Quinto Quarto Dinner, SGA, Stargate, Stargate: Atlantis
September 26, 2012
September 26, 2012: Spinning our creative wheels! Dark Matters! Days of Stargate Atlantis past! Midway!
The thinkers
My writing partner, Paul, came over for Day #2 of our spinning session for the new pilot script we’re working on. Next to starting a script and, perhaps, passing a kidney stone, there’s nothing more painful than outlining a story, especially in those first few days. Ideas are pitched. They’re shot down. The story is discussed in the vaguest of terms. Plenty of questions are asked; hardly any answers given. Frustration mounts. Breaks are taken. The conversations go off on unusual tangents. And, all the while, we sit, staring at the big white board. It looms before us, intimidating in its pristine perfection – unblemished, not a magic markered stroke to mar its clean surface. We could break the ice by jotting down a title but doing so would necessitate a task even more daunting than breaking the story: actually coming up with a title!
And so we sit. And think. And wait. As if the creativity will eventually get fed up with our procrastination and suddenly manifest itself in a bright, colorful burst of act breaks, suspenseful beats, and a brilliant end of episode solution to the supernatural manifestation.
Yes, writing is a painful business. Positively excruciating at the spinning, breaking, outline, script and rewrite stages. But incredibly satisfying when you complete work on a first draft. And, to be honest, that satisfaction only lasts as long as it takes you to type in FADE OUT and deliver the script. Savor it!
But today, we did manage some progress. Three solid acts, albethey peppered with TBD’s (a writerly term for “to be decided”, those annoying little speed bumps that slow down the process and inevitably get shuttled away for later consideration, usually sometime between lights out and REM sleep). What is our Holy Shit third act break? I’m sure Paul will come up with something.
Hey, this afternoon I dropped by my local comic book shop to pick up the latest issues of Iron Man, The Ultimates, The Punisher, and an intriguing new title, Rose & Thorn, and noticed THIS sitting amongst the new releases:
Joseph Mallozzi and Paul Mullie, writers on Stargate, from SG1 through to SGU, bring their latest science fiction epic to comics in Dark Matter. The six-person crew of a derelict spaceship awakens from stasis in the farthest reaches of space. Their memories wiped clean, they have no recollection of who they are or how they go on board. The only clue to their identities is a cargo bay full of weaponry and a destination-a remote mining colony that is about to become a war zone! With no idea whose side they are on, they face a deadly decision. Will these amnesiacs turn their backs on history, or will their pasts catch up with them?
Yep, it’s the trade paperback collecting all four issues of the first chapter of SF Dark Matter, our comic book series. I didn’t expect it to come out until October (Thanks for the heads up, guys!).
Some reviews: Dark Matter: Rebirth Graphic Novel is Solid Sci-Fi Fun – Examiner.com, Sequel’s Blog: Dark Matter Vol. 1: Rebirth TPB – Review!, and Dark Matter Vol. 1 Review (On the one hand, they spell my name incorrectly; on the other hand, they had nice things to say about the book).
Speaking of Dark Matter, our attempts to get it to the small screen progress. We have broadcaster interest but now require the money to do it properly. One of our partners has some meetings lined up at MIPCOM (MIPCOM – The world’s entertainment content market – MIPWorld) and, if they go well (and fingers crossed), we’ll have a solidly budgeted 13-episode first season of our twisty, turny, suspenseful, high-flying, humorous, character-driven, scifi action space opera.
Continuing our trip down Stargate Atlantis memory lane. Let’s reflect back on:
MIDWAY
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Who would win in a fight between Teal’c and Ronon? Well, if you ask Chris Judge (which I once did) he’d reply: “Ronon. Teal’c is still doing that wushu shit.” Still, we weren’t satisfied with that answer and so, Carl Binder put pen to paper finger to keypad and wrote this all-out actioner in which Ronon and Teal’c team up to battle a wraith incursion. And also throw down. And who wins? Why, it’s a draw, natch.
Early in show’s fourth season, we wanted to do a scene with Carter, back at Stargate Command, leaving behind the life she knew for a fresh adventure in the Pegasus Galaxy. We wanted to scene to be grounded in the world of SG-1 and felt that the best way to accomplish that would be for Sam to have a conversation with one of her SG-1 teammates. I approached Chris Judge about doing it but told him we wouldn’t be able to afford his episode rate for the single scene. Chris just shrugged in response and happily offered his services for a nominal fee. I thought that was a stand-up thing to do and this episode was a repayment for that kindness, an episode guest-starring Teal’c. And, yes, Chris got his full episode rate for this one.
Jason Momoa and Christopher Judge had a blast shooting the episode, especially the action sequences. And there were plenty. The episode also boasts some terrific guest stars like Bill Dowd, Dean Marshall and Ben Cotton who return to reprise familiar roles.
Today’s entry is dedicated to luvnjack. Good luck with the adoption caseworker tomorrow. Hope you land in a good home!
Tagged: Dark Matter, scifi television, SF television, Stargate
September 25, 2012
September 25, 2012: The Doggy update! Days of Stargate Atlantis past! Outcast!
Oh, the ignominy!
Yep, them’s is diapers Jelly is wearing. She’s been having some issues, the result of an apparent bladder infection, so she’ll be sporting the velcro shorts for the rest of the week. You can tell she’s bummed because she was expecting something more stylish.
The stare-down.
Lulu, meanwhile, has been prone to occasional vomiting. Well, semi-regular vomiting. She’s a serial vomiter.
And, finally, there’s Bubba who is fit and ready to go. REALLY ready to go:
Continuing our reminiscing on Stargate: Atlantis’s fourth season. Yes, I skipped one…
OUTCAST
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Actor Joe Flanigan came to us with a story idea. He wanted to do an episode in which Sheppard teams up with Ronon to hunt an escaped human-form replicator on Earth. That intriguing notion resulted in Outcast, an episode that not only saw Sheppard and Ronon teaming up to hunt down an escaped human-form replicator on Earth, but also allowed us a rare opportunity to explore Sheppard’s backstory. I love episodes that allow us fresh insight into our characters and, for that reason, Outcast stands out as one of my favorites of the show’s fourth season.
The character of Nancy, played by Kari Wuhrer, was briefly considered as a possible candidate to succeed Samantha Carter as commander of the Atlantis expedition.
The winner of a walk-on role appears at the buffet line scene early in the episode, smiling amiably as Ronon loads up.
Our fearless stunt coordinator, James “Bam Bam” Bamford took it upon himself to execute the crazy replicator high fall escape in the middle of the episode. Crazy.
Director Andy Mikita
We weren’t counting on rain for that “a walk in the park” scene.
A break in the downpour. Quick! Shoot it!
Kari Wuhrer was terrific as John’s ex.
Going over the final scene in the chill late September weather.
The run-through.
Waiting to shoot.
Setting up the replicator beam out.
A sun-burned Dr. Lee.
U.F.O.:
The replicator plunge:
Tagged: Atlantis, Days of Stargate Atlantis Past, Outcast, SGA, Stargate, Stargate: Atlantis 
September 24, 2012: The Doggy update! Days of Stargate Atlantis past! Outcast!
Oh, the ignominy!
Yep, them’s is diapers Jelly is wearing. She’s been having some issues, the result of an apparent bladder infection, so she’ll be sporting the velcro shorts for the rest of the week. You can tell she’s bummed because she was expecting something more stylish.
The stare-down.
Lulu, meanwhile, has been prone to occasional vomiting. Well, semi-regular vomiting. She’s a serial vomiter.
And, finally, there’s Bubba who is fit and ready to go. REALLY ready to go:
Continuing our reminiscing on Stargate: Atlantis’s fourth season. Yes, I skipped one…
OUTCAST
(415)
Actor Joe Flanigan came to us with a story idea. He wanted to do an episode in which Sheppard teams up with Ronon to hunt an escaped human-form replicator on Earth. That intriguing notion resulted in Outcast, an episode that not only saw Sheppard and Ronon teaming up to hunt down an escaped human-form replicator on Earth, but also allowed us a rare opportunity to explore Sheppard’s backstory. I love episodes that allow us fresh insight into our characters and, for that reason, Outcast stands out as one of my favorites of the show’s fourth season.
The character of Nancy, played by Kari Wuhrer, was briefly considered as a possible candidate to succeed Samantha Carter as commander of the Atlantis expedition.
The winner of a walk-on role appears at the buffet line scene early in the episode, smiling amiably as Ronon loads up.
Our fearless stunt coordinator, James “Bam Bam” Bamford took it upon himself to execute the crazy replicator high fall escape in the middle of the episode. Crazy.
Director Andy Mikita
We weren’t counting on rain for that “a walk in the park” scene.
A break in the downpour. Quick! Shoot it!
Kari Wuhrer was terrific as John’s ex.
Going over the final scene in the chill late September weather.
The run-through.
Waiting to shoot.
Setting up the replicator beam out.
A sun-burned Dr. Lee.
U.F.O.:
The replicator plunge:
Tagged: Atlantis, Days of Stargate Atlantis Past, Outcast, SGA, Stargate, Stargate: Atlantis
September 24, 2012
September 24, 2012: The Supermovie of the Week Club reconvenes! Cookie Monster reviews Catwoman!
How can movie about sexy bendy girl who wear leather outfit and carry a whip not be good? How possible? Well, why not we run down pros and cons of Catwoman. Cons: crappy akting, stoopid skript, lame direktion, annoying music, terruble speshul effekts. Pros: Not longer den 104 minutes. Hmmmm. Monster tink we have our answer.
We introduced to main charakter, Patience Philips, who work at Cosmetic Firm for angry boss and his wife. Patience be very meek, very timid, clumsy, and not very good at climbing out on ledges and onto side of buildings (all dis ridikulously established in first twenty minutes of movie). One night, she drop by Cosmetic Firm R&D (in dis case, it stand for “rash” and “dopey”) to drop off work and happen to overhear scientist complaining about new cosmetic cream dat cause hideous physikal side effekts. He suggest company not sell it but boss’s wife overrule him. Why? Becuz cream be very addiktive and she see opportunity for company to make lots of money. How, exacktly, she expect company to make money AND survive inevitable consumer lawsuits and government investigation beats monster. But dese be questions for de sekwel.
Me surprised to see Mitt Romney play part of evil boss in dis movie.
Bad guys notice Patience and chase her through plant, shooting at her, den flushing her out into ocean along wit super-speshul cosmetic chemikal bath (?). She mostly dead but brought back to life. Luckily, cat know artificial respiration!
Cat lifeguard on duty!
Patience go back home and, next morning, wake up and diskover she sleeping on shelf. Get it? She a cat! Dis first of many incredibly stoopid cat-gags. She hisses. Dogs bark at her. She wolf down sushi. She go crazy for catnip. She go to bar and order “White Russian. No ice, no vodka, no hold de Kahlua” and bartender hand her de drink: “Cream, straight up.” ”Cat got your tongue?”she say at one point. In another scene, we find her on her bed, licking cans of cat food. She turned into a cat! Get it?!
She suddenly posses cat-like powerz like having great balance, surviving falls, uh, climbing walls, errr, using a whip, and, hmmmm, playing basketball really really well (in a scene dat rival Daredevil/Elektra playground fight as one of cheesiest scenes in superhero movie history).
She show mad cat skills.
She steal motorcycle. She foil robbery (and steal jeweled necklace to make nails for her cat gloves). She strut along rooftops. All de while, incessant crakptakular music play. It be like sitting thru one seemingly endless Toni Braxton video.
Wha-chaaa!
She track down bad guy who shoot at her and, after doing sexy whip dance at club (?), she rough him up and he tell her about sekret cosmetic. She go to R&D lab and diskover scientist dead. But janitor find HER and she suspekted of murder!
Equally dumb sub-plot involve her romantik relationship wit detektive. Dey go to amusement park where ferris wheel screw up. Gears spinning out of control! What to do?! Detektive climb down from top of ferris wheel and stick wrench in gears to stop dem from turning (apparently, someting absolutely no one else on de ground capable of doing) while, up on ferris wheel, Patience use her cat quickness to save little kid. Why dis scene important? It not. What it add to movie? Absolutely nothing. It just feel like producers said “Hey, it been long time since someting actiony happen. Why no have her save kid on ferris wheel?”
Catwoman break into boss’s house and confronted by wife. She tell her she also suspekt hubby of general badness. Catwoman confront boss at theater (aka tell him he not very nice), den chased by cops including her detective boyfriend. Dey fight on CATwalk (me not tink dis accidental) den she lick and kiss his face before getting away.
“Cat got your tongue?” Get it? She a cat!
On another date wit her detective boy, it start to rain and Patience run under awning becuz she hate rain (remember, she a cat! GET IT?!!!). Dis lead monster to remember dat cats not like water either meaning she probably not shower or bathe in a while. Dis not bother detective and he go back to her apartment and dey have music video sex during which she scratch his back (did me mention she a cat? You get it?). But, next morning, he discover jewel, part of her cat glove. He take glass she used back to de lab and match lipstick DNA on glass to lipstick on cheek where Catwoman kissed him. For real. It a 99.9% match!
Catwoman go back to boss’s mention and fine him dead. It turn out…boss’s wife kill him and frame Catwoman. Patience arrested and detective confront her in interrogation. She say she innocent but he throw her in jail anyway.
“Boo hoo hoo. Why you not trust me?” “Um, mebbe because you a lying, split personality criminal?”
At dis point, screenwriter muster all his intelligence to come up wit de most brilliant metho of eskape, a method so clever and original me not ever seen it before. How does Patience eskape from prison? You ready for it? She eskape by…squeezing between de bars. For real!!!
Skinny criminals take note.
She put costume back on and confront boss’s wife who, it turn out, have super powers becuz, uh, de cream disfigure people AND give dem super powers! How dat for a twist?! No good? Did me mention she eskape from prison cell by squeezing thru de bars? Detective injured and he say to her “I’m sorry. I should have trusted you all along.” Of course! All she did was lie to you about being a criminal. Why WOULDN’T you trust her?
Cat fight! Get it?
Girl fight! Cue lame music! Cue lame dialogue! Boss’s wife: “It’s over.” Catwoman: “Guess what? It’s overtime!” Catwoman kick boss’s wife out window and she fall to her death. Den, she tell detective: “I may not be a hero, but I’m certainly not a killer.” Monster not so sure. Me guess kicking someone out a window to deir death be borderline.
Verdikt: Dis movie a CATastrophe. Get it it? She a cat!
Rating: 2 out of 10 chocolate chippee cookies.
Tagged: Catwoman, Cookie Monster, Cookie Monster film reviews, Cookie Monster movie reviews, Cookie Monster reviews Catwoman, film reviews, movie reviews, superhero films, superhero movies, superheroes, SuperMovie of the Week Club
September 23, 2012
September 23, 2012: Football Sunday! Mystery Reads! Days of Stargate Atlantis Past! Trio!
It was this close…
Whew! After two winless weeks in fantasy football league play, my Snow Monkeys appear poised to claim their first victory. Ivon’s team, The Running Dead, require a near miraculous performance by both his wide receivers to make up a big 49 point deficit. This win is, of course, huge for the defending champions who are looking to return to dominance – just as soon as Fred Jackson and Pierre Garcon come back from his injury, the Giants bench Ahmad Bradshaw, Drew Brees and Marques Colston start playing better ball, Jacquizz Rodgers shows more consistency, we pick up a bunch of better players and lose a bunch of bad ones, and, most important of all, catch some lucky breaks.
Today, lunch was provided by the aforementioned Mr. Bartok who prepared an exquisitely sweet and smokey slow-cooked pork served on corn tortillas accompanied by sweet onions, pickled carrots, and a blow-your-face-off spicy mix of jalapenos, cayenne and habanero peppers.
Ivon’s pork. He really should do this more often.
Whoa. I’m still sweating.
In addition to eating, we watched a little football – and spent quality time with the dogs.
Lawren multi tasks, charting his team’s progress AND watching one of several games.
Ivon in happier times (aka right before kick-off).
Ivon and his second girlfriend, Lulu.
So remember a couple of days ago when I asked you all for some mystery reading suggestions? I outlined not so much what I was looking for but what I wasn’t looking for (September 18, 2012: Recommend me a great mystery read! Days of Stargate Atlantis Past! Spoils of War!)? Sure you do. Anyway, those guidelines are pretty much out the window. Using the Mystery Writers of America list of the Top 100 Mystery Novels of All Time for inspiration, I picked up the following titles:
Clockwise from top left: 1930′smystery with a recurring detective character, a medieval mystery, a mystery with a recurring detective character, a post-WWII mystery, and a mystery set in the 1970′s. So, yes, pretty much exactly what I didn’t want. And, rounding out the selection, I stopped by my local second-hand book shop and picked up a few more:
Yeah, these should keep me busy for the next month or so.
Our walk down SGA memory lane continues with…
TRIO
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There wasn’t a whole lot of love for this episode when it first aired which was kind of surprising since I thought it a nice change of pace featuring three very stronger actors. We ended up redressing and using the gimbaled set that formerly played as the ship’s hold in Continuum. It was a tough, demanding shoot, especially for Amanda Tapping who, apparently, like me is not a huge fan of heights and was required to do a little high-wire performance. Trio had the placeholder title, Three’s Company, while we were developing the story (for obvious reasons) but before we sat down to spin it, there was some spirited debate about who should be trapped. We discussed various permutations: McKay and Carter, McKay and Keller, McKay and Carter and Keller. Finally, we decided the old fashion way: Survivor-style with Martin Gero playing the part of Jeff Probst reading out the secret ballots cast:
Chamber diorama
Episode Writer/Producer Martin Gero.
The set
And this was supposed to be one of the cheaper episodes.
Inside the set.
Director Martin Wood having a blast.
There were more laughs and fun working on this episode than any other.
September 22, 2012
September 22, 2012: Heart of Duckness
Courtesy http://www.flickr.com/photos/sifu_renka/
I’m sure it’s happened to you before. You’re sitting back, watching a show on Food Network or the Travel Channel, when a dish catches your eye. You track down the recipe, study it, then jot down the ingredients, determined to recreate it at home. The next day, you go to the grocery store and pick up the garlic, butter, pepper, sea salt, and thyme, and then swing by your local butcher only to be told they don’t have any fresh duck hearts. But maybe you might be interested in some frozen chicken hearts instead?
Seriously? The recipe is duck hearts on toast, not thawed chicken hearts on toast. You return home to swallow your bitter disappointment, along with an alternate dinner of pork belly, fried peppers, and radish and tomato salad.
Okay, granted, there may not be that much consumer demand for duck hearts, but I see duck breasts and legs on display so I have to wonder what they do with the hearts. And the rest of the innards (aka offal pronounced, appropriately enough to some, “awful”) for that matter.
There was a time when the consumption of animal organs was confined to those who simply couldn’t afford the finer cuts. But things have changed. In fact, you could say they’ve been completely upended. Nowadays, thanks to advancements made by the modern meat industry, most anyone can enjoy the choice cuts – or a reasonable facsimile thereof pressed into burger form, frozen, then flash fried for your convenience. Meanwhile, top chefs around the globe have discovered the versatility of such once-dodgy menu items as sweetbreads, lamb heart, pork cheek, and calf brain. Granted, these dishes aren’t for everyone but you might be surprised at the rising popularity of the likes of grilled beef tongue with mustard sauce or a fine cognac-laced rabbit liver pate. Last night, I was watching celebrity gourmand and world traveler Anthony Bourdain rave about one of the courses he’d been served at St. John Bread and Wine in London and I found myself thinking: “Yeah, that blood cake and fried egg DOES look delicious! The lucky bastard.”.
Courtesy http://www.curious-eater.com/
You know, it wasn’t long ago that I preferred my meat well done, my seafood cooked, and my squid in the mezzanine tank of my local aquarium. But times have changed and so have I. In some respects. And while you’ll never catch me bungee jumping or cave diving or dating a reality show contestant, there’s a chance you may come across me sitting down to some fugu shirako tempura, a plate of roasted bone marrow with parsley salad, or some crispy pig ear with salsa verde.
Just, apparently, not butter-fried duck hearts with thyme and garlic. Not anytime soon anyway.
Crispy pig brain served with parsley root and Dungeness Crab mayonnaise compliments of Chef Rob Belcham and the gang at Fuel/Refuel/Campagnolo/Camapgnolo Roma/Fat Dragon. Mmmmmmmm.
Tagged: adventurous eating, bizarre food, blood cake, duck hearts, duck hearts on toast, food, offal 
September 21, 2012
September 21, 2012: In memory of Kelly
I awoke this morning and logged onto to this blog to find the following message awaiting moderation:
“Anne Teldy’s lil sisAnne and I wrote this two weeks ago. All typos or mispellings are mine. I had hoped not to have to post this for some time, but sadly…
Kelly Hurt, known on the Internet as Anne Teldy, passed away Thursday, September 20, 2012. She belonged to several discussion groups ranging in subject matter from books to size acceptance to her beloved Stargate Atlantis and made good friends through them.
Those online friends rallied around Kelly when she announced on her TV.com blog her hospitalization and subsequent move to a nursing home. They sent a flood of cards and gifts, cheering her greatly during her worst times.
Kelly’s favorite online activity was participating in the discussion at the blog of Stargate Atlantis writer/executive producer Joseph Mallozzi. Winning his “One Millionth Blog Visit” contest was the highlight of her life, she said, and she was nearly overwhelmed by the prizes: a Stargate SG-1 10th Anniversary watch and a character named after her on Stargate Atlantis. (Major Anne Teldy made her debut in the Fifth Season episode “Whispers”.)
Kelly was preceded in death by her father Roy. Hurt. She is survived by her mother, Marlett Hurt of Newburgh; a brother Richard Hurt of Evansville; sisters Kathleen Blizzard and Kerry Siniard both of Chandler as well as nieces and nephew Heather Schoch, Tony Hurt and Leah Hurt (U.B.) of Tennesse; nieces Amy Blizzard, Kristina Orange, and Katlynn Orange all of Chandler.
Funeral arrangements are pending at Alexander Funeral Home in Newburgh IN. In lieu of flowers, please send memorial contributions to the “Save Stargate Atlantis” Fund or the American Diabetes Association.
Kelly wished to express her especial gratitude to Sparkle and Puppet of Madison WI as well as to Joseph Mallozzi and his blog regulars (for the love of Beckett, skgraff, das, paloosa, sulien, maggiemayday, sheryl, and everyone) for all their friendship and support during her illness.”
As many of you know, Kelly was a longtime reader of this blog and a passionate Stargate fan. She’d been battling health issues for a while and it was only last week that we learned her condition had taken a turn for the worse. The news prompted me to write an entry in which I offered an overview of Kelly’s interactions with our little online community – her posts, her milestone achievement of being the 1 000 000th visitor here (which won her a Stargate SG-1 10th anniversary watch), the fact that she had a character named after her internet pseudonym, Anne Teldy (September 15, 2012: Our Major Teldy! Days of Stargate Atlantis Past! Be All My Sins Remember’d!). Although she was unwell, her comments were always positive and spirited. Some of my favorites included:
“Am I the only person who, on first seeing deeinsouthafrica’s little avatar/icon/picture thingy thought it was some strange internal organ?”
“Your blog never fails to make me laugh and, considering my health problems, etc., that means more to me than I can say. And, since content of posts has nothing to do with winning, you may rest assured I am sincere. Thanks.”
“I’ve gotten my 22 year-old-niece hooked on Stargate Atlantis by letting her borrow my DVDs. She hadn’t finished Season 3 when this season started but had by the time SciFi Channel ran the all-day Atlantis marathon. We watched it together over the phone with her calling me every commercial break. (I had to change batteries in my cordless. 
) We watched tonight’s episode together, too.”
“As to the first 3 pictures: I’m sorry, but that looks like an Asgard sex doll which makes Mr. Gero’s expression rather… uhm… creepy.” (January 15, 2008)
“Dear Cookie Monster,
Thank you so much for your email. Please let me know when the watch will be arriving so that I can rent a forklift.”
“I honestly can’t believe this. Thanks, Mr. M.! (The cash is on its way. Tens and twenties like we agreed.)
All kidding aside, this means more than I can possible convey in words. As I posted in one of my gabillion comments, I’m housebound and don’t have much to get excited about. Stargate Atlantis is the first thing in a long while that has “got my juices flowing” as my grandmother used to say.
It also got me wanting to interact with others. The regular commenters here, as well as yourself, Mr. M., have such great senses of humor that I get a laugh every time I come to the blog. It made me want to be a part of it, something that’s been quite alien to me lately.
Thank you again, Mr. M. Whether she’s eaten by space cows, killed by Sheppard in his stick-fighting episode, or dies of poor hygiene due to the lack of bathing facilities in Atlantis, I’m sure you’ll write a memorable death scene for my namesake.
Anne Teldy
PS: Please hold off shipping the watch until I get the floor reinforced.”
“I really wish I hadn’t looked up ‘Melena’. It was a beautiful name.”
“jan wrote:
If there was a fast food fly-in at Pegasus galaxy, would they serve special dishes for Wraith like a ‘Crispy Colonel’ or a ‘McKay’?
I’m thinking ‘Sheppard’s Pie’. 
“
“At last a bright spot in my imprisonment! A recently-hired nurse, John, is an SF fan! When he brings my 4 p.m. medicines (he uses a wheelbarrow )Stargate Atlantis is on SciFi and he usually stays and chats a while. He’s excited about knowing the real Anne Teldy.”
“I have to agree with your stance. I have never considered fruit “dessert”. However, the staff here does. It seems to have to do with something called ‘nutrition’. The concept of ‘nutrition’ is apparently defined as “when food is good for you but does not taste good”. They cooks here excel at nutrition.”
“Thanks again to all the regulars sending cards and letters. It really brightens my day when the staffer brings those little reminders that somebody out there likes me.”
“I was moping around in emotional misery this morning when the staffer came in with the mail. “You have a box!” she said in that annoyingly chipper voice of hers. After she left, I opened it to reveal manna direct from Heaven (or, in this case, Amazon.com) in the form of books — The Android’s Dreamand The Blade Itself — sent by Sylvia (skgraff) with the beginning discussion dates for each noted.”
“Mr. M, I again must ask for a blog dedication to honor one of your generous readers. Today, out of the blue, I received a box filled with CDs and a CD-player (batteries included!) from Paloosa.
Thank you, Paloosa! I can’t even begin to tell you how much this means to me. Some of the CDs are definite keepers and I look forward to exploring the music on the others.
And thank you to all who keep sending the spirit-lifting cards and letters. I’ve filled one bulletin board with them and am starting a second. They’re the first thing I see when I wake in the morning and they always make me smile.”
“The staffer woke me up this afternoon when she delivered a box with an air hole in it. It was from the Vermont Teddy Bear Company and contained my new teddy bear. She wears a white t-shirt with “Marines” in red on the front and “Major Anne Teldy” in black on the back. I sat rocking her and cried like a baby. (Of course, I cry like a baby quite often these days.) I can’t thank you enough for the gift.”
“A Personal Milestone: No Reply Needed; Skip if You Like
Since I’ve always been an avid reader, people often ask me to recommend good books to them. In June of 1994, as an aide to memory, I began to write down every book I read. Once I finish it, I record the title and author along with notations as to who among my reading acquaintances might best enjoy it.
I’m pleased to announce to all my friends that, after sixteen years, I have reached a personal milestone: as of this evening, Monday, the 5th of July, 2010, I have read 3,000 books! (This includes fiction and nonfiction, audiobooks and traditional, as well as rereads of favorite titles.) This works out to an average of 15.5 books per month. I’ve had three months in which I read 47 books, my personal best. Also, due to my poor health, I’ve had nine months in which I didn’t read a single book.
I can’t actually choose a favorite, but my most reread books are Jane Austen’s six, J K Rowling’s seven, and Helene Hanff’s 84 Charing Cross Road. As for worst, I once read an SF novel, Vurt, for which I noted “recommend to worst enemies only”. Of course, I could have been having a bad day. “
Although I only knew her through the comments she posted to this blog, those posts, I thought, offered great insight into Kelly as a person, showing her to be warm, funny, an avid reader, and greatly appreciative of Stargate and her fellow fans.
She will be missed.
http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/courierpress/obituary.aspx?n=Kelly-Hurt&pid=160016291#fbLoggedOut
Tagged: Stargate, Stargate fandom
September 20, 2012
September 20, 2012: A chance encounter! Days of Stargate Atlantis Past! Harmony!
Well, look who it is. Yes, it’s my former Stargate arch-nemesis Ashleigh (not to be confused with my former Transporter arch-nemesis Tara) and her adorable pug, L’Eau. I happened to be in Gastown, enjoying an afternoon stroll with my frenchie, Lulu, when I happened to spot our former Exec. Producers’ Assistant across the street. The last time I’d spoken to her was – well, we actually exchanged texts a couple of weeks ago. I invited her to lunch. She said she couldn’t make it but suggested an alternate date. I said great and waited for her follow-up text. Which never came. Clearly, she’s been VERY busy. What doing? Well, so far as I could discern, not all that much – certainly nothing that would trump having lunch with yours truly.
Anyway, we did some catching up. I suggested we get together for lunch next Friday. She informed me that Friday was no good for her but suggested an alternate date. She’ll get back to me.
Continuing our stroll down SGA memory lane…
HARMONY
(414)
I loved this episode for many, many reasons. Carl Binder, Martin Gero, and I broke the story over the course of a fun-filled afternoon. We cast the wonderful Jodelle Ferland as Harmony and she was not only perfect for the role, but perfectly prepared. She not only knew all of her dialogue, but knew everyone else’s dialogue as well, occasionally prompting David and Joe whenever they forgot their lines. Much of the episode was shot at Widgeon Park – a lot of early mornings and late nights – with one of my favorite directors, the amazing Will Waring, calling the shots. It was the same location where the crew reported spotting a bear while shooting an episode of SG-1. Apparently, when Chris Judge got word of the sighting, he refused to come out of trailer. Guess you don’t see very many bears back on Chu’lak.
Thanks to the well-wishes on the wasp sting (and Akemi’s wisdom tooth extraction). I’m almost fully recovered (Akemi too). And thanks for the horrific dental surgery stories (Did I mention how much that wasp sting hurt? A lot!).
Today’s entry is dedicated to Janet’s daughter, Vicky. Get well soon! Today’s entry is also dedicated to the latest addition to Deni’s brood, Cody. Also, a dedication goes out to Hero Pig.
Tagged: Atlantis, Days of Stargate Atlantis Past, Harmony, SGA, Stargate, Stargate: Atlantis
September 19, 2012
September 19, 2012: The Curious Case of the Vindictive Vespula Germanica: A Joseph Mallozzi Mystery! Days of Stargate Atlantis Past! Quarantine!
It was a fiery pain, sharp and sudden, as if I’d brushed up against a white hot stove element. I dropped my bag of dog treats and immediately checked the source of the intense burning, discovered the detached wasp’s stinger embedded on the inside base of my right ring finger. It instantly brought to mind a video I once saw, an extreme close up of an abandoned stinger, one end trailing its former owner’s innards, the other still pumping liquid poison into its unfortunate victim. I acted quickly, pulled it out, then attempted to suck the toxin out of the tiny wound – with negligible results. In retrospect, I think that only works for snake bites.
WTF? I’ve always laughed at the women in my life – my sister, my ex, Akemi – whenever they’ve reacted with hysterics, shrieking and bolting, at the mere sight of a wasp, ever-confident in my assumption (evidently an erroneous one) that the damn things only sting when provoked. Also, from what I’d been told, unlike bees that can sting with gay abandon and not suffer any consequences, wasps die after they sting someone. As it turns out, wrong again as its reversed: bees die because of their hooked stingers while wasps are unaffected due to fact that their stingers are straight. So, my assailant wasn’t suicidal, but she (I’ve since learned that only females possess stingers) was certainly crazed. How else to explain that completely unjustified attack? I was just standing there, minding my own business. My own business!
And, yes, I’m sure it was a wasp and not a bee. It didn’t look like this:
It looked like this:
All demented and angry and shit.
I had to cut the walk short, much to Jelly’s disappointment, and returned home to run the affected area under cold water, douse it with oregano oil and rubbing alcohol, and then downed a couple of advils and a benadryl. Nevertheless, my finger swelled up, turned a bright pink, and was extremely sensitive to touch. On the bright side, I did not experience dizziness, shortness of breath and/or death.
Ironically, I wasn’t the one scheduled to endure any sort of pain today. That was Akemi who had a wisdom tooth removed this afternoon.
She was in and out of the dentist’s office in less than fifteen minutes and, I’m pleased to report, is on the mend. According to the dental assistant, when she gets hungry, she should eat something soft and preferably not hot. So, ice cream dinner it is!
Continuing our trip down Atlantis memory lane:
QUARANTINE
(413)
A “bottle episode” is a cost-saving episode that limits its scope to our established characters and sets while also making equally limited use of visual effects. After Be All My Sins Remember’d, we really needed one of these to get us back on track budget-wise. More often than not, the action in a bottle episode centers on our heroes, trapped and isolated, attempting to reverse the conditions that landed them in their difficult circumstances. When done well, bottle episodes can be engaging and entertaining, shedding light on our characters as they open up to one another in closed confine conversations. When done poorly – well, there’s not need to discuss that since Quarantine did it well, throwing together some unlikely pairings (Ronon and Keller, Carter and Zelenka) and delivering an episode that, while inexpensive to produce, offered humor, suspense, and insight into our characters. It also granted an opportunity to a most unlikely hero, Radek Zelenka, who ends up saving the day – following a terrific tumble out a vent.
Ah, how things may have gone had the circumstances been different. At the beginning of the season, Martin Gero pitched the idea of McKay becoming a dad. I liked the notion of Rodney having to balance fatherhood with his ongoing commitment to safeguarding the galaxy and we were giving some serious consideration to having him settle down with Katie Brown… But when Rachel informed us that she was pregnant, we elected to write her pregnancy into the show instead. There could only be room for one parent in season 4.
This creative shift also, curiously, had an effect on another storyline we’d been considering, a romantic arc that would have seen Ronon and Keller get together. In the end, it became a love triangle and, instead of Kellnon (or is it Roller?) we wound up with McKeller (or is it KellKay?).
Thoughts? Opinions? Did you prefer one pairing over another? Or would you have preferred no pairing at all?
Tagged: Atlantis, Quarantine, SGA, Stargate, Stargate: Atlantis, wasp sting, wasps
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