The Irascible Chef

iChef Politikos

Best web finds of the day

Current: Oil Barrel Prices

A la: CNN

• Commentary: Beverly “Hillary-Billies” Come to Denver!

A la: Today MSNBC

Matt Lauer: Hillary doesn’t support this message—but she said it!

A la: Drudge

• OUT OF SIGHT: Dems working on hotel roll-call vote…

Supporters of Hillary Rodham Clinton furiously circulated petitions on the floor of the Democratic National Convention last night, hoping to stave off a plan to hold the convention’s roll call at breakfast Wednesday — out of the public eye — sources inside the delegations said.

• Carville: Dems wasting first night…

(CNN) — Have the Democrats wasted the first night of the convention? Yes, says Democratic Strategist and CNN contributor James Carville.

• Tensions boil…

— As Democrats arrived here Sunday for a convention intended to promote party unity, mistrust and resentments continued to boil among top associates of presumptive nominee Barack Obama and his defeated rival, Hillary Rodham Clinton.

• Bill Clinton in Denver again undercuts Obama
  

By Sam Youngman DENVER — Bill Clinton appeared to undermine Sen. Barack Obama again Tuesday. The former president, speaking in Denver, posed a hypothetical question in which he seemed to suggest that that the Democratic Party was making a mistake in choosing Obama as its presidential nominee.Full Video

• GALLUP Daily: Deadlocked at 45%…

UPDATE: GALLUP Daily: McCain Takes Lead After Biden Pick…

Gallup Daily: No Bounce for Obama in Post-Biden Tracking

McCain creeps ahead, 46% to 44%

PRINCETON, NJ — It’s official: Barack Obama has received no bounce in voter support out of his selection of Sen. Joe Biden to be his vice presidential running mate.

• Fasten Your seatbelts it’s going to be a bumpy night!

  

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!

A la: Sig, Carl and Al. A la the Times

Tonight on stage in Denver Hillary Clinton, one of the most accomplished practitioners of the fine art of political deception, will pull off the biggest stunt of her career so far.

• ‘Hillary Clinton will pledge her support and call for unity but don’t believe a word of it’

Technorati Tags: Bill, Carville, Clinton, CNN, Denver, Drudge, Gallup, Hillary, iChef Politikos, Matt Lauer, MSNBC, News, Obama, Polls, Times, Today

Wowie! Can you say, Always Sunny in the Tropics Philadelphia?

Tropic Thunder—Let’s go down the list:

Tom Cruise is: fat, bald, bawdy, crass, Dane Cook!—loved it!

Ben Stiller: in charge of making fun of morons, retarded people, handicapped, mentally challenged people-in white face—Although, he could just have been making fun of Sean Penn—Love making fun of Sean Penn!

Robert Downey Junior in black face—friggin hysterical!

Jack Black’s charge: making fun of movie stars on drugs, forced cold-turkey-withdrawal, and also potty humor—all the necessary basic funny movie components—covered!

Can you say OUCH!

Also, I’m sorry, but there’s nothing funnier than:

• A small child stabbing Ben Stiller in the back and being eventually thrown off a bridge!
• Except for watching bald irascible Tom cruise with fat fingers and forearms rap dancing like Beavis and Butt-head!
• Except a black faced, African American stereotype sounding, nappy wig wearing Robert Downey Jr speaking the words to the theme song from the Jefferson’s and getting called on it by an actual African American!
• Except listening to what an underwear wearing, drug dependent, Jack Black will do to get untied from his withdrawal tree! Decorum prohibits repeating it here! But not here!

—iChef Cinema

After the first viewing of both movies, Step Brothers was funnier in my opinion, but Tropic Thunder still Rocks!

Technorati Tags: Ben Stiller, Comedy, Dark, Funny, iChef, Jack Black, Movies, Robert Downey Jr., Tom Cruise, Tropic Thunder

Wow did I luck out! My car was having it’s first checkup across the street and I was a little hungry and I don’t like being disappointed by any meal! The most risky meal for me may be when I’m forced to stumble on in (caught without a plan)—doesn’t happen often, but you have to eat when you have to eat

Lee’s Sandwiches.

I figure it’s a run of the mill sandwich shop like Subway and I will get the generic turkey with avocado—hard to screw that one up. Yes, when I walk in they have pictures on the wall of sandwiches, but I’m trying to process what all is going on. I see loaves of bread coming out, all the employees are of Asian decent, peoples food is being called out when ready, and there are prepackaged hot to-go delights. This type of food service is very similar to Nijiya Market in Mountain View—where, if I’m making Japanese Sushi or cooking any kind of Japanese, I buy my ingredients from. Nijiya Market (unbiased review) has the best quality, freshest sushi grade fish, nicest looking poultry and meats, that I trust enough to serve my guests. Japanese and Chinese food is all about the ingredients!

Just back from Beijing where the Hotel Kunlun dining area always smelled like you just walked into a Chinese Restaurant. I was still in the mood for a little more Chinese! As I said I don’t like to be disappointed and if there’s too much salt or my fries aren’t hot enough at McDonald’s I’m going to complain and send them back!

So, I’m going to Give Lee a shot! Yes, they had regular sandwiched as well, but come on—let’s roll the dice from up high!

I had rice paper wrapper spring rolls with shrimp and roasted pork and chicken lo mien. $2.50 each! Delicious! Fantastic! What a find!

Then I tell a couple of people about it and they tell me it’s a chain and they are all over—Double Fantastic! So, good job Lee and please keep up the great work!

—IrascibleChef

Technorati Tags: Chinese, food, Hotel Kunlun, iChef, Japanese, Lunch, McDonald's, Nijiya Market

Beijing enjoys best air in decade, vows to banish smog.

By Gillian Murdoch

BEIJING (Reuters) - Olympic host Beijing enjoyed its cleanest air in 10 years this month and will adopt strict new measures to ensure its notorious smog does not return, a top environment official said on Tuesday.

Performers wait for the 2008 Beijing Olympic torch relay at the Badaling section of the Great Wall on the outskirts of Beijing August 7, 2008. (REUTERS/Joe Chan)

Over the past 18 days, air quality in the capital ranged between excellent and fairly good on China’s index, Du Shaozhong, deputy director of the Beijing Environmental Protection Bureau, told reporters.

And he pledged good conditions would continue.

“Beijing will be built into a liveable city,” Du said. “We will take some new measures to ensure that air quality will reach a new level after the Olympic Games.”

Du said those measures would be announced after the Games end on Sunday, once officials had studied Beijing’s “successful experiences”.

Isn’t this the kind of talk that has to happen before actual change can happen? The whole article…

I just got back from Beijing. Brought surgical masks along for the ride—never took them out of the bag! The pollution that was promised was absent as far as I could tell—but so was any traffic all the way to the Great Wall! (Controlled it was. There was no non-Olympic purpose driving, then only odd and even day driving…)

We’ll see if things change, but this is the first step—isn’t it?

—iChef P

Technorati Tags: Beijing, China, Global Warming, News, Olympics

Great Wall, Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square, fabulous people, fabulous food, Olympic events, and Janet Evans—Wowie! And I still managed to get out safely!

Unlike these Yahoos!

Five Americans held as China steps up scrutiny…

By Ralph Jennings and Lindsay Beck

BEIJING (Reuters) - Five American blogger-activists and a foreign artist have been detained in Beijing as the government intensifies a crackdown on pro-Tibetan protests in the home stretch of the Olympics, rights groups said on Wednesday.

Technorati Tags: China, Communism, Dictatorship, Freedom

Let me just start by saying that the last time I saw Janet Evans she was a young girl, winning race after race and breaking record after record in the 1988 Seoul Olympics.

I had the biggest crush on her… She had the greatest smile, the biggest wide eyes, and the most enthusiastic personality—who could blame me?

Janet became America’s sweetheart and I didn’t stand a chance. I did think about joining the US Olympic team, but what would I do? When I was younger, I planned to be an Olympic bicycle racer, okay, why not, it’s a start? But. Oh, that’s right that was when I was 13, never competed in bike racing, and I was a kid—when that type of dream was still possible. I was 13 talking trash riding around on a 10 speed with my friends—it was a dream.

Sorry, where was I going with this? Oh, right, iChef Mindy won an all expense paid trip to the 2008 Beijing Olympics from sponsor Johnson & Johnson. For two! J & J ROCKS! They paid for every single thing, including food, drink, 5 star hotel, Olympic event tickets, AND round trip Business Class tickets to China— a small a freaking fortune!

One evening we were treated to a special intimate dinner for 11 at Green T in Beijing with special guest—can you guess who? No way!

YES! Janet Evans—all grownup!

Why was dinner for 11 and not 12 ? Because unfortunately Janet’s husband couldn’t make it—Unfortunate…

Would I speak or trip over myself? Continue to keep my secret or step up to the starting blocks and tell about my ridiculous unrequited feelings from over 20 years ago to someone I only met on TV?

Well, we show up at the restaurant and the hi’s, hello’s, and how-do-you-do’s, come and go and we all pressed palms, exchanged names, had a cocktail as a group (I had a GreenTea Martini.) The table at this fabulous Asian fusion restaurant rivaled Asia de Cuba (here in the states)—it ran the length of the restaurant and had seats with chair backs as high as the ceiling. There was a seating chart and iChef Mindy was so lucky (it almost wasn’t fair) because she was sat RIGHT next to Janet! Where would I be, probably at the end of this table as long as the Great Wall (just so happened we visited earlier.) Where’s my place card, where’s my name, where’s my— What’s this? There must be a mistake! Yikes! I was also seated next to Janet!

As fate would have it Janet was seated right between Mindy and myself! (because, unfortunately, as you know her husband couldn’t make it) Hoo-freaken-ha!

What a wonderful event, dinner, and conversation. Kids, blogging, writing books, (can’t call me inconsistent!) sponsorships, beer-in-a-bowl® (which IS of course trademarked) etc.

I didn’t tell her about the crush I had, I thought that would be so passé. Though when I did tell her what I told her I think she knew what I meant.

I told her what her smile, enthusiasm, and big brown eyes meant to (me) the country, how excited she made (me) the country feel, dot dot dot

She was great, she showed us pictures of her daughter and husband on her phone, talked to us like she was one of us. We took pictures before leaving. Yes, the group shot was great, but I wasn’t leaving without a pic of just the two of us—dreams do come true!

What a wonderful life!

PS. Predictably during the 1992 Olympics, I managed to fall love with Olympic swimmer Amy Van Dyken—I was young, a dreamer, falling in love with unattainable, enthusiastic, Olympic-Gold-medal-winning-women, that I would never meet, let alone have a meaningful thought provoking conversation with…

Though, my dream did eventually come true, in China of all places, with Janet.

—IrascibleChef

Technorati Tags: 2008 Olympics, America, Beijing, China, Crush, Dreams, J & J, Janet Evans, Mindy, Restaurants, Swimming, travel, USA

Happy 40th Birthday iChef Mindy! Welcome to the club!

# # #

I’m just not sure where to start… Maybe a, China Power In -N- Out, list!

• Janet Evans
• Business Class
• Beijing China—the People’s Republic
• The Green T
• Hotel Kunlun
• Communication or not
• 2008 Olympic (Beach Volleyball, Men’s Indiv Gymnastic Finals, Swimming—MP, the BirdsNest, WaterCube)
• Pollution and Traffic
• Yuan, RMB, $
• Johnson and Johnson
• Customs in China vs Customs in US—Airports
• The Forbidden City Tiananmen Square
• New Friends from the Old Country
• The Great Wall
• Janet Evans

Okay, I have my work cut out for me…

Technorati Tags: $, 2008 Olympic (Beach Volleyball, 2008 Olympics, Beijing China—the People, Business Class, Customs in China vs Customs in US—Airports, Hotel Kunlun, Janet Evans, Johnson and Johnson, Men's Indiv Gymnastic Finals, Pollution and Traffic, RMB, Swimming—MP, the BirdsNest, The Forbidden City Tiananmen Square, The Great Wall, The Green T, travel, WaterCube), Yuan

What a wonderful trip its been…

The Great G-d wall! We’re going to the Great Wall! We’re going to the Great Wall!

Yay!

I’m thinking about having a Tsing Tao before we car-off to the wall. It is only 6:45am, but hey, we’re in China!

We’re having our fill of the loin! What happens in China, you know…

More or less to follow!

Ciao!

Okay, I get it Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly are funny guys. They work well together and are funny together. But eventually you play the same hand one to many times, your wad is shot, you get the picture. As someone, I think De Niro, once said, everyone takes a beating eventually.

The premise: two elderly single parents (Jenkins and Steenburgen) with 40 year old children (Ferrell and Reilly) still live at home with them like they are little kids. The parents go to work, the children stay home and watch TV, play video games—no job, not going to school, no motivation, not dating, all completely enabled by their enabling parents that let them live this life.

Right, I’ve seen the trailer and the bits are funny enough for me to want to see the movie. But, we’ve seen it before in Talladega Nights, basically two grown men, living and acting like two big kids—girl, cars, gay jokes, ridiculous dialog, no real responsibility… I loved Talladega Nights! Can’t even count how many times I’ve seen it!

Well, is this a must see or avoid movie, already?

The potty humor, constant crass language, keeps you giggling throughout, but when, and I don’t want to give it away so I won’t mention the actor by name, takes his ball sack out and rubs it all over the drum set—I spit my popcorn three rows in front of me—a new personal record! This movie rocks from beginning to end!

Jenkins whose been in a million movies, that you probably couldn’t name 3, is funnier than I’ve ever seen! Adam Scott, who I think is the guy from one of those Tom Cruise spoofers wearing the glasses, also does a great job! **Update: after further review, Adam Scott is not the spoofer. Just because I think it’s funny more Tom Cruise Spoof…

No soft spots, the chemistry is alive and well! Get your ass to this movie—unless you don’t like the above, don’t have a sense of humor, or are basically lame!

Sidenote: Recently, saw Mamma Mia and I thought the singing from particularly Pierce Brosnan and some of the other cast were painful to watch—actors in a musical hard to watch performing their musical numbers, hmm. I was at one time attracted to Pierce, but after his singing in Mamma Mia—I am unable to get excited over anyone—stole the taste right out of my mouth!

Where’s the point iChef???

Will Ferrell was amazing in his singing finale. He is an amazing performer! Get your ass to this movie

—iChef Cinema

Technorati Tags: Comedy, Crass, Great, iChef Cinema, Inappropriate, John C. Riley, Mary Steenburgen, Movie, Richard Jenkins, Step Brothers, Will Ferrell