Saturday, 19 January 2013

Calamari, French dubbed movies, and anti-jokes.



Well, I had calamari today.  It was really good.  It is used a lot in the cuisine of the region neighboring Languedoc-Roussillon (where I am) due to the Mediterranean being right here.  After the main course of calamari, red sauce, and noodles, we had cheeses and then dessert.  I am becoming a fan of the multi-course meal system in France.  While we do typically eat more per meal than in the United States, the actual number of different dishes and sides are about the same, just spread out over several periods within one meal.  It is like compartmentalizing your eating experience, which helps to prolong conversation, aid in relaxation, and, in my opinion, smooth over digestion.

I also went to the cinema tonight with my host brother.  We saw Django: Unchained dubbed in French.  Because I had seen it in the States before I left, I understood perfectly what was going on.  It was also easier to follow because I had context for the conversations.  Just as before, I really enjoyed the movie.  It is not for all audiences, but if you enjoy Quentin Tarantino’s other works, you will enjoy this one.  Christoph Waltz, in particular delivers another astounding supporting roll, as do Samuel L. Jackson and Leonardo di Caprio.  Jamie Foxx is quite outstanding as well.  Tarantino, as always, brilliantly uses music from several genres to give the film an outstanding score which serves to set the move and also to move the story along.  I may be biased, of course, because he once again prominently features the work of my favorite movie composer, Ennio Morricone.

After the show, I caught up with a friend of mine from the Minnesota program who was with a group of her friends from other programs.  So two Americans, two French girls, a Brit, a German, and an Australian walk into a bar… Yeah, it looks like my life has become the setup for a joke… I would say that I hope that the punch line is good, but you’ve all heard me tell jokes before. 

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