Yunnan Province on ThingsAsian

This Month's Film: Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles
Cuisine: Japanese Chinese

ThingsAsian features dozens of articles and photos on China's Yunnan Province. A simple search using keyword "Yunnan" will yield more than 100 results. Here are two of the best:

Finding your way in the new "Old Lijiang" by Graham Simmons

Last Days of the Tiger Leaping Gorge? by Adam Bray Today's photos by ThingsAsian contributors Graham Simmons and Adam Bray

For questions, comments, or to subscribe to Chopstick Cinema's monthly menu and film review, send e-mail to cheiter at thingsasian dot com

01:15 PM PDT Permalink |

A Pairing of Cultures and Characters

This Month's Film: Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles
Cuisine: Japanese Chinese

What I like about Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles, the film I've chosen to feature this month, is the pairing of Japanese and Chinese cultures, and the thread that runs through the lives of the characters. Due to different but equally painful circumstances, both fathers are estranged from their only sons, and must walk the path of redemption. It's this pairing that has inspired me to pair Chinese and Japanese cuisines by featuring a menu of Japan's most popular Chinese dishes.

For questions, comments, or to subscribe to Chopstick Cinema's monthly menu and film review, send e-mail to cheiter at thingsasian dot com

01:10 PM PDT Permalink |

Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles

This Month's Film: Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles
Cuisine: Japanese/Chinese

I first saw a trailer for this film a few months ago, and knew in an instant that it would be a perfect feature for Chopstick Cinema. Here is the NetFlix synopsis:

"Hoping to mend a deep rift with his dying son, steely Japanese fisherman Gouichi Takada (Ken Takakura) sets off for a remote province in China to fulfill his son's dream in this gentle drama helmed by Yimou Zhang. Despite the obstacles in Takada's path -- including a language barrier and government red tape -- he's determined to complete his son's unfinished documentary by filming a jailed Chinese folk-opera star performing a classic ballad."

For questions, comments, or to subscribe to Chopstick Cinema's monthly menu and film review, send e-mail to cheiter at thingsasian dot com

06:35 PM PDT Permalink |

Welcome to Chopstick Cinema for the Month of July

This Month's Film: Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles
Cuisine: Japanese Chinese

This month, I'm featuring a lovely cinematic bijou by my favorite Chinese filmmaker Zhang Yimou. In this poignant tale, a Japanes man travels to Yunan Province to fulfill his dying son's wish see a performance of famous mask opera. To go with the film, a menu of Chinese dishes that are also popular in Japan.

For questions, comments, or to subscribe to Chopstick Cinema's monthly menu and film review, send e-mail to cheiter at thingsasian dot com

12:58 AM PDT Permalink |

'Lord Jim' Cambodian Recipes & Photos

This Month's Film: Lord Jim
Cuisine: Cambodian

This array of Cambodian inspired appetizers features Seafood Rice Paper Rolls, Deep-Fried Spring Rolls, Spicy Chicken Wings, Tender Beef Skewers with Chili Dipping Sauce, Grilled Shrimp Pate Skewers, Roasted Pork Ribs, Golden Fish Cakes, Shrimp Stir-Fry with Mushrooms and Baby Corn, and Spicy Noodles with Asian Vegetables.

Here is a link to the Recipe & Photos.

For questions, comments, or to subscribe to Chopstick Cinema's monthly menu and film review, send e-mail to cheiter at thingsasian dot com

12:06 AM PDT Permalink |

Film Review: Lord Jim

This Month's Film: Lord Jim
Cuisine: Cambodian

The life of Joseph Conrad is mirrored in his novel, Lord Jim, a classic adventure tale that inspired the film starring Peter O'Toole as the title character. With its anti-hero and its angst-ridden themes, Lord Jim is a Joseph Conrad classic.

Here is a link to the Film Review.

For questions, comments, or to subscribe to Chopstick Cinema's monthly menu and film review, send e-mail to cheiter at thingsasian dot com

02:58 PM PDT Permalink |

My Extracurricular Films for the Month of

This Month's Film: Lord Jim
Cuisine: Cambodian

Throughout each month, in addition to my Chopstick Cinema selection, I watch lots of other films. This month they were:

A Couch in New York - With co-stars like William Hurt and Juliette Binoche, I thought this movie would be better than it was. It's an obvious adaptation of a French film, in which two strangers swap apartments. William Hurt is a high-profile psychiatrist with a penthouse in New York, and Juliette Binoche is a Parisian woman with a complicated love life in a flat in Paris. When both need a respite from their respective lives, they decide to swap apartments through a personals ad. Neither has met the other, however they are soon immersed in each other's lives. Silly, improbable, and contrived.

Get Shorty - Turnabout is fair play in this wiseguy comedy starring John Travolta as Chili Palmer, a small-time mafia collection agent with a vendetta against Dennis Farina over a leather jacket. When his collection work takes him to Hollywood, Chili becomes implicated in subterfuge involving a movie script, a drug deal gone bad, and the retrieval of a duffel bag filled with cash. There is no end to the thieving and doublecrossing, but Chili plays it cool to the end. Entertaining and amusing.

Dr. Zhivago - In this epic love story, Omar Sharif stars as the title character, a Russian doctor, caught up in political revolution and torn between the love of two women, Tonya his wife (Geraldine Chaplin) and Lara his lover (Julie Christie). Told from the perspective of Dr. Zhivago's brother Yevgraf (Alec Guiness), a general in the Red Army, the film encompasses the full scope of the revolution, from the Bolshevik uprising to World War I, and traverses the frozen tundra from Moscow to Yuriatin. Well worth watching, even the third time around.

Sybil - This remake of the TV classic stars Tammy Blanchard in the title role that won Sally Field an Emmy, with Jessica Lang as her therapist, reprising the role originally played by Joanne Woodward. Sybil is a psychologically scarred young woman who develops seventeen distinct personalities to help her cope with the horrors of her childhood, and under the patient guidance of Dr. Cornelia Wilbur, embarks on a journey to become whole again. Although this version is well acted and faithful to the original, it offers no new insights.

Miss Potter - Renee Zellweger plays the title role in this utterly charming biography of children's author and illustrator Beatrix Potter of Peter Rabbit fame. Miss Potter was born into an upper class English family, but headstrong woman that she was, never succumbed to the foppish parade of suitors her mother foisted upon her. Instead she became a woman of considerable means through the sales of her children's books and went on to become one of the most significant women in literary history. Excellent from start to finish.

The Third Man - By far, my favorite film noir, The Third Man is based upon a novel by Graham Greene, and stars Joseph Cotton as a successful Western fiction writer who goes to visit his friend Harry Lime (Orson Welles) in Berlin during World War II, only to find that he has been killed by a car accident of dubious credibility. Not only is the story masterfully and mysteriously told, the film sets the bar for black and white cinematography. Positively luminous.

Brian's Song - For some odd reason, I got the notion that I wanted my son Will to see this film. Made for TV in 1971, Brian's Song stars James Caan as rising football star Brian Piccolo, and Billy Dee Williams as his friend and teammate Gayle Sayers. Their interracial friendship stood as a shining example amid troubled times, and personified what it means to 'go the distance'. Very dated after more than 30 years, but a classic 'guy flick' nonetheless.

The Hand - How I managed to miss this gem in the more than twenty years since it was made is a mystery. Directed by Oliver Stone, The Hand stars Michael Caine (my favorite actor) as a graphic novel illustrator who loses his right hand in a freakish car accident caused by his wife. Robbed of his career as an illustrator, he has little choice but to become a teacher. But when he separates from his wife and moves to California, he has the dreadful feeling that 'the hand' has taken on a life of its own. Good mystery and psychological drama.

For questions, comments, or to subscribe to Chopstick Cinema's monthly menu and film review, send e-mail to cheiter at thingsasian dot com

11:16 AM PDT Permalink |

Cambodian Barbequed Pork Ribs

This Month's Film: Lord Jim
Cuisine: Cambodian

I was pleasantly surprised at the way this dish turnd out. I started with some plump boneless pork ribs, which I marinated and braised in soy sauce, brown sugar, and garlic, with a dash of the secret ingredient: cinnamon. Once the ribs were tender, I drained off the braising liquid, thickened it with a little cornstarch, and then used it as the basting sauce for the browning phase of the cooking process. The finished ribs were moist and tender and browned to a deep mahogany brown in a richly-flavored glaze with just a whisper of the secret ingredient.

The recipe will be posted at the end of the month along with my 'Lord Jim' film review.

For questions, comments, or to subscribe to Chopstick Cinema's monthly menu and film review, send e-mail to cheiter at thingsasian dot com

11:06 PM PDT Permalink |

Cambodian Fish Cakes

This Month's Film: Lord Jim
Cuisine: Cambodian

The recipe will be posted at the end of the month along with my 'Lord Jim' film review.

I've made variations of this dish for menus from several Asian cuisines, including Indian, Korean, and Japanese. The batter is a basic flour, egg and water base, to which I added some coarsely chopped catfish, along with garlic, scallions, water chestnuts, carrot, green chili pepper, soy sauce, Asian fish sauce, and a dash of sugar. The dipping sauce is Asian fish sauce, rice vinegar, soy sauce, and a few drops of chili oil for spice.

The recipe will be posted at the end of the month along with my 'Lord Jim' film review

To subscribe to Chopstick Cinema's monthly menu and film review, send e-mail to cheiter at thingsasian dot com

11:05 PM PDT Permalink |

Cambodian Barbeque Chicken Wings

This Month's Film: Lord Jim
Cuisine: Cambodian

This recipe was so tasty, I've made it twice this month. The marinade is a combination of soy sauce, Asian fish sauce, chili oil, lime juice, ginger, garlic, and scallions. The barbeque sauce is a simple blend of brown sugar, honey, and oyster sauce. The chicken wings are braised in the marinade for most of an hour, and then finished in the broiler with a slather of the sauce. So easy. So tasty.

The recipe will be posted at the end of the month along with my 'Lord Jim' film review.

For questions, comments, or to subscribe to Chopstick Cinema's monthly menu and film review, send e-mail to cheiter at thingsasian dot com

12:45 AM PDT Permalink |

Cambodian Prawn Stir Fry

This Month's Film: Lord Jim
Cuisine: Cambodian

According to my research, this dish is a Cambodian favorite, and now it's one of mine. The stir-fry is a medley of shrimp, garlic, carrot, mushrooms, onions, and baby corn in a sauce of soy sauce, oyster sauce, and brown sugar, thickened with a little cornstarch.

The recipe will be posted at the end of the month along with my 'Lord Jim' film review.

For questions, comments, or to subscribe to Chopstick Cinema's monthly menu and film review, send e-mail to cheiter at thingsasian dot com

12:36 AM PDT Permalink |

Spicy Cambodian Noodles

This Month's Film: Lord Jim
Cuisine: Cambodian

No Asian meal is complete without a bowl of spicy noodles. These were made with ginger, garlic, mushrooms, carrot, scallions, water chestnuts, cabbage, and sesame oil over vermicelli noodles, in a sauce of soy sauce, oyster sauce, chili oil, and chicken stock.

The recipe will be posted at the end of the month along with my 'Lord Jim' film review.

For questions, comments, or to subscribe to Chopstick Cinema's monthly menu and film review, send e-mail to cheiter at thingsasian dot com

12:10 AM PDT Permalink |

Cambodian Beef Skewers

This Month's Film: Lord Jim
Cuisine: Cambodian

This was a simple and tasty addition to my 'Lord Jim' Cambodian menu. The marinade is a classic Southeast Asian blend of sesame oil, lemongrass, garlic, scallions, sugar, Asian fish sauce, soy sauce, oyster sauce, and chili oil. For the dipping sauce, a mixture of soy sauce Asian fish sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, chili oil, ginger root, and garlic.

The recipe will be posted at the end of the month along with my 'Lord Jim' film review.

For questions, comments, or to subscribe to Chopstick Cinema's monthly menu and film review, send e-mail to cheiter at thingsasian dot com

04:43 PM PDT Permalink |

Cambodian Shrimp Skewers

This Month's Film: Lord Jim
Cuisine: Cambodian

This recipe was so tasty that I'm going to add it to my permanent collection to enjoy on a regular basis. The reicpe is deceptively simple and easy, needing nothing more than a pound of shrimp, some scallions, garlic, salt and pepper, and a little cornstarch to hold it all together. After shaping the shrimp paste on bamboo skewers, I grilled them to a golden brown on my electric grill. The finished appetizers were so tasty that they needed no condiment, and disappeared faster than you can say 'bamboo'.

The recipe will be posted at the end of the month along with my 'Lord Jim' film review.

For questions, comments, or to subscribe to Chopstick Cinema's monthly menu and film review, send e-mail to cheiter at thingsasian dot com

01:28 AM PDT Permalink |

Deep-Fried Spring Rolls

This Month's Film: Lord Jim
Cuisine: Cambodian

These crispy little treats were the star of the show. I used ground turkey for the meat element of the filling, along with shredded carrot and cabbage, scallions, and garlic. I seasoned the filling with fish sauce, soy sauce, and oyster sauce, and served the deep-fried rolls with sweet chili dipping sauce. The result was so tasty that I was grateful that the recipe made two dozen rolls, so there were enough left over for dinner the next evening.

The recipe will be posted at the end of the month along with my 'Lord Jim' film review.

For questions, comments, or to subscribe to Chopstick Cinema's monthly menu and film review, send e-mail to cheiter at thingsasian dot com

05:01 PM PDT Permalink |