The WGA and the studios have agreed to go back to the table to talk for at least one more day (they’ve been talking since Monday). Nobody’s willing to say much about how (or if) the talks are progressing, but, according to last night’s Hollywood Reporter, the fact that anybody’s still chatting at all is a vaguely good sign. The LA Times says that the gap between warring parties still remains wide. If things fail to at least inch forward by Friday, strike watchers predict that negotiations could stall until after the holidays.
In the meantime, when not picketing, stir-crazy screenwriters are finding ever more creative ways to fill their time, and to lower their individual and collective anxiety levels. (When prevented from writing, writers—any kind of writers—are a notoriously nervous bunch.)
The most recent of these strike-fueled activities is a new LA food blog called Food Coma LA, produced by the gorgeous, talented, and extremely antsy….Kelly Fremon. (Yes, she is related to me. She’s my fabulous niece.)
A quick rundown on Kelly—just so you know this post has zero to do with nepotism. (Or, if it does, it’s well-deserved nepotism.) Kelly was listed this year by Variety as one of the “10 Screenwriters to Watch” after her quirky/funny spec script, “Ticket To Ride” was bought and developed by Ivan Reitman (the guy who did Animal House, Ghostbusters and the like). The film will start production next month for Fox’s Atomic division. She’s also writing—or at least was until the strike hit—a remake the French film “Intimate Strangers” for Paramount, with Hillary Swank set to star.
Now, like most screenwriters, Kelly’s going berzerkers with the inactivity. (One can’t picket all the time.) Hence Monday’s blog launch—with much more to come.
So go check out Food Coma, and try out the soup recipe.
Hey, it’s the least you can do to support our city’s striking screen scribes, right? Of course, right.
One good thing about the writers’ strike is that it forced, for the moment, the Democrats to cancel their last debate that would have been hosted by CBS’s Katie Couric. Nope, no Democratic plants there–besides the host. LINK: DNC cancels L.A. debate Keep striking!
Gotta take the smelly dog to the vet for a bath. Will comment on the food blog later.
Back. From your niece’s site, I see that she likes Paula Dean, so we have something in common. Like Dean, your niece even used the word “y’all” in a post. Paula Dean keeps me in stitches just from the way that she laughs about everything. She was on U.S. Iron Chef’s the other night and won, and, of course, she was acting crazy the entire show.
A few comments. My favorite place to eat in LA is a place in the Olvera Street Market.
My wife, Mércia is a gifted cook and I’ve been trying to encourage her to take some classes to refine her skills. I think she might do that next year. Her salmon with mangoes and her passion fruit mousse is excellent, as are her beef rollups.
We disagree on Italian v Spanish (from Spain) food. I think much Italian food is good, but I think Spanish food is much better, especially the Serrano ham and the olive oil.
Actually Woody that is a different labor action. The news writers of CBS News have authorized a strike and it was the potential of them being on strike that made the Dems cancel. No Democratic candidate is going to cross a picket line.
And on that – let me just note that my Guy, John Edwards, has not just expressed support for the WGA but walked the picket line both here and in NYC.
You’re correct, rlc.
My favorite food that I can cook is a crunchy peanut butter and strawberry preserves sandwich on white bread with butter on the outside and heated in the oven served with multiple glasses of milk. That is comfort food.
Spanish food from Spain has no flavor…Italian is the best.
For the entire time I lived in Spain (one year) – had to resort to home made chicken sandwiches, Mediterranean Resturants, Arabic Resturants, Greek Resturants, McDonalds, KFC, or just wait for the weekend to head out of the country on the Euro Train.
The pork thingy is out of control in Spain. You cant even get original Chinese Food…..they mix chopped ham in the white rice. I had to beg to have the Chinese Cook make original Chinese food without tampering with it.
worst, there is no hot sauce in Spain. I flew in a box of Tapatio to Spain and made a fortune.
I once found tortillas….but they were greenish from the mold and length of time sitting there.
The only food that was okay for my taste buds was in Malaga. How can you go wrong with ordering a fried fish?
I have to agree with Randy Paul about the Spanish hams. If you drive around in the Alpujaras mtns, the only cool place to be on hot summers there, every village has its own ham, wine and cheese and they’re all as delicious as they are totally different. Italian salamis are good, but their salumerias are definitely a close second to those in Spain’s mountain towns. Spain’s basque region has good, hearty food and surprisingly good pizza.
Both countries do a lot with ham and pork, but Spain has a lot of seafood, too, from ceviche and seafood stews to ocean varieties. For meals, they do better with tapas than big sit down meals as in Italy, though — you have to get into their lifestyle of sampling a variety of foods during the course of the night. And their best meals are at lunch — suppers are late and kind of skimpy (better than late and heavy) whereas Italians don’t mind eating big meals late at night. Southern Italy around Naples has amazing lemon-infused veal marsala, light yet flavorful – when it comes to cooking, I have to give the Italians the award. But for fun, the all-night tapas sampling in Barcelona.
you get thrilled over Spainish tapas? Jesus….
That’s like me getting thrilled over a bacon hot dog on Temple street – in downtown LA.
wait, is that the Guinness Beer talking?
I’ve never had bacon hot dogs or Guinness with my tapas, but I must admit, anything there tastes better with their fullblooded red wines. And I’m European so I enjoy my hams and sausages — ever want to insult a central or Eastern European, tell them that the neighboring country makes better salamis and sausages!
I ate very well all over Spain: Madrid, Barcelona, Sitges (I still dream about the chiperones and razor clams), Granada, Seville, Cordoba and Tarifa. I even had good fried chicken in Algeciras. Everyone told me that the best dining was to be found in the Basque Country and I didn’t go there.
In Italy the best meals I had were in Florence and Siena. I found a good restaurant in Rome and Venice was a big culinary letdown. The only good food I had there was some cichetti (Italian version of tapas).
I went into the Basque area but strictly talked Spanish and stated my nationality as Mexicano. At the time, the U.S Consulate gave orders for Americans to stay in-doors and stop all travel in Spain period. They were rumors of ETA attacking Americans on public transportation buses and trains. The ETA was hitting banks and government buildings left and right. The experience of seeing private paid cammandos guarding banks with high power machine guns is a sight to see. Nevertheless, it was an awesome place to live and the food was better than the majority of Spain. But then again, like the Basque people, I dont consider them Spanish.
No one mentioned paella, lamb or the great cheeses and breads in Spain. Maybe compared to our Wonder white bread and American cheese, any countries’ “real†bread and cheese is good to me.
Most Ham and sausage is just too greasy and fatty for my taste, although sometimes I do like a grilled Kielbasa sausage.
I enjoyed all the different types of Empanadas (Spanish Pastry Pie for the gringos), even had some pretty good calamares empanadas. I like sampling calamari in different places.
********************
My L.A. restaurant recommendation is a small Greek place, Le Petit Greek on Larchmont St, in the Larchmont shopping and dining area. Great Lamb shank, salmon and Greek salads, a good feta cheese.
Anybody recommend any Southern Calif. Restaurants for their Spanish food and paella?
I went into the Basque area but strictly talked Spanish and stated my nationality as Mexicano.
Poplock,
Do you think the people of Spain would confuse your Spanglish with their Spanish? lol
When I studied Spanish, my teachers and prof’s made a big point of telling us it was Castillian, which I gather is like Oxford is to English. Very careful annunciation, elegance. (I did say that the Alpujarras villages had not only unique hams and wines, but cheese — and they all go together, with good bread and fresh gazpacho. Simple but robust and fresh tastes.) Sitges is great if crowded — tons of English with second homes there. The Catalans north of Barcelona also make a huge point that you are visiting Catalonia, not Spain — and there is separatist graffiti all over, except the coastal tourist areas where they promptly remove it. But at least no one was getting blown up then.
I didn’t have any problem as an American even in the Basque region (although I wouldn’t have taken a bus or gone near a Spanish gov’t building), nor have I ever — people are usually flattered you’ve gone to visit them at all, as long as you listen. (Except for fundamentalist areas, which are a world of their own.) But sometimes you encounter a political zealot and get such an earful, it’s just easier to say you’re Canadian — I travel with a maple leaf t-shirt and hat if I sense a political barrage coming on.
Hmmmm. A Spanish restaurant? Let me think on it. Favorite LA Mexican restaurant is still La Serenata de Garibaldi, the original First Street location—for dinner, not lunch.
Shhh… We don’t want a certain person to hear and come ruin the ambiance: Tasca, in We Ho, on Third. Tuna tartare, pates as well as fresh-shaved salumes, prosciuttos, yummy cheeses, all in a Barcelona-meets Paris tapas wine bar vibe. Just a year ago it was BYBO but it’s too popular now. Near the older and trendy A.O.C., also good, but some feel it’s gotten too chic — but then, so are tapas bars in Spanish cities.
For basic good food, Celeste’s pick may be the ticket, but is something with “Garibaldi” in it really Spanish, not Italian?
Hey, Celeste, just noticed your pick is Mexican, not Spanish! As Poplock says, they have virtually nothing in common. (Tho spicy Mexican food has crept into Spain, too — especially those baja-style fish tacos and lobster tortillas.) So far the heated Spanish vs. Italian food debate has been pretty civil, amazing for this blog — don’t confuse it with Mexican vs. Spanish, that will be too volatile!
Spanish olive oil is better than Italian IMHO. I don’t know if any of you saw this article in The New Yorker, but this part jumps out at me:
Interesting.
L.A. Resident
I dont know what type of people you hang out with, but my Spanish is not your ghetto LA or half ass American elementary school – “Spanglish”.
very interesting, but I don’t agree with you
Idetrorce