Musings of an Idiot

Fantastic Mr. Fox & Sichuan Pepper

I picked up a book at random from the library as it looked interesting. It was called 'Shark's Fin & Sichuan Pepper' by Fuchsia Dunlop. That was a day and half back and I've finished reading the book. It is compelling, funny, insightful and a real page turner. It's a highly recommended read for those wanting to get an insight into China - through their food, obviously. The biggest compliment I can give to the book is that it wanted me to search out Sichuan restaurants in Auckland and give them a go. There are also a couple of reciepes from the book I intend to try -especially 'Dan Dan Noodles'.


I watched a few movies in the meantime - 'Choke' {dark adult humor topped by Sam Rockwell's performance}; 'King of Kong' {a documentary which had me looking up the latest Donkey Kong records} and most recently 'Fantastic Mr. Fox' - which is one of the most charming and funny movies that I've seen in a while. The stop animation, the style, the pacing, the humor, the voice work -everything is top notch. A highly recommended watch. If you don't walk out with a grin on your face then something in you has died a long time ago. :-)

Tomorrow I'm going with a few friends to Ohakune - which is central north island and on saturday morning we will be hiking up Mt. Ruapehu. The weather forecast is good and I am out of my comfort zone as it's my first proper mountain hike - a fantastic combination to prepare for the Mt. Kinabalu climb in April.

Later,
Amit

Labels: Books, Movies, New Zealand

posted by Amit @ 10:39 PM