Skip to main content

City of Gold

An independent studio (Sundance Selects) made documentary about food and culture.  Culture of Los Angeles.  A city that I and the family have come to love.  For a variety of reasons.

Many centered around the plethora of food the expanse offers.  A microcosm of ethnic communities that migrated to make a life for themselves. A true definition of America the beautiful.

In this vast grid of highways and streets lives a food critic.  A native of the city, a former cellist and classically trained music lover, a writer and Pulitzer prize winner called Jonathan Gold.

The documentary is about the reveal of who Gold is.   For a while an anonymous and respected food writer he has a knack for story telling.  This skill is used with a versatility to describe communities in which the food is made and their history.  A lot many local eateries that are inhabited by common folk got reviews that brought them into the limelight and literally made for successful businesses.

His approach is not much of a critic but of a willingness to offer guidance to help a business succeed. After multiple meals at a place that he may not fully understand and yet in appreciating why there are still a lot of people eating the food he helps himself and the audience or readership see a different viewpoint.

'First we eat and then we do everything else' is the quote this movie made by a woman director from the Midwest opens with.

I have been on an indie film watching binge that has yielded some very informative and enjoyable nuggets and this documentary is certainly one worth watching if you are not watching your girth.


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Of chocolates

I like chocolates. Godiva Dark with Almonds - not sure of the naked woman on the horse to be the icon of some choice cocoa based products but tastes good. Started in Belgium but now owned by some Turks. Cadburys - Fruit and Nut Milk Bars - awesome combination of dried fruit pieces along with a medley of nuts makes your toungue dance - started by a Brit now owen by Kraft USA. Lindt Hazelnut spheres - made by a Swiss confectioner are divine balls that melt in your mouth with a lingering nutty taste Ghirardelli Milk Crisp Squares - crunchy and light these milk squares are easy on the palate but pack some serious calories - all good I say! Originally founded by an Italian who moved around till he landed in SF Bay today also owned by the Swiss Lindt empire.

Columbia SC

 The Palmetto state.  One of the confederate kinds. History dating couple centuries back.  We visited the capital yet again this time to take in the SC State Museum. Occupying the former digs (literally remodeled) of an erstwhile cotton mill this structure is an amazing piece of reimagination.  Four floors of excitement for kids and young at heart alike. Located on the shores of the Congaree River formed when the Broad meets up with the Saluda River, this edifice is approx. 60 years old.  The front of the building has a more modern planetarium that was added about a decade ago.  The museum itself has different areas of interest segregated on each of its four floors. The first floor has gift shop and a diorama of some of the local geography including the swamps and the state beaches with audio guides to help understand what fauna thrives locally. The second floor is all about natural history and showcases animal kingdom that may have survived on this latitud...

Cost of entrepreneurship

Last night I attended a guest lecture on the subject of disruptive technology and entrepreneurship.  Lecture was free but it was used as a pitch by the University that hosted it to attract new customers. The speaker was somewhat respectable fellow who happened to hail from India and spoke eloquently.   One of the key message was around how the professors in this university were ranked among the very best money can buy. Cost of the MBA program mere $110,000 and oh we also buy some dinner if you have late class.  So now the math is simple-  is learning to be entrepreneurial worth the cost of entry? That is assuming you end up being one.   What of those that do not?  or the ones that are not successful at being the entrepreneur?  Is that being a pessimist before even being handed the glass. What I found strange is that people will bet big money on the glimmer of hope that they might just make a entrepreneurial debut and hit it big.  The unive...