As far as a gift was concerned, we waited until Sunday to go shopping.
I'd requested a food processor, because I often make recipes that call
for them. In such cases a blender, which is only good for liquid concoctions,
simply doesn't do. While I do have a mini food processor, a gift from
my Mom, it has a small capacity, forcing me to process food in batches.
The Gryphon had done some research online and determined Sears was
a good place to shop. They're getting a lot of business from us this
year: two air conditioners and now a food processor. Luckily, they were
having a sale on all the kitchen appliances. We compared the relative
merits, and The Gryphon used his iPhone to check some online reviews
before we made a selection. We went with the Hamilton
Beach Big Mouth 14-Cup Food Processor. The term "big mouth"
refers to the large opening, not because it's an appliance for gourmands.
I hope to use it for the first time this week. Perhaps tomorrow.
We had dinner reservations, but we finished at the mall quicker than
The Gryphon had anticipated, in part because we decided not to stop
at Radio Shack to pick up a special battery for the front doorbell.
It had mysteriously stopped working a couple days previously and now,
just as mysteriously, was working again. The Gryphon called the restaurant
and had them move our reservation earlier.
Of course, this meant that we got stuck in traffic on Broad Street.
Surprisingly, though, we were only five minutes late for our new reservation
time. We ate at Chifa
[SITE HAS SOUND], which was participating in Restaurant Week. This is
when restaurants across the city offer special meals and special deals.
We followed the hostess downstairs to a table in the basement area,
which also includes a bar and lounge area, with low seats and red cushions.
Our section was lined with gold, 3-D tiles with loops, making them look
like little safety deposit boxes. I wonder how many people try to open
them. (I did.)
Chifa specializes in tapas, which was one reason I chose it. I thought
it would be fun to sample different foods. The Restaurant Week menu
allowed each patron to choose two first courses, two main courses, and
one dessert. Of course, we chose eight different choices and each of
the two available desserts. This turned it into something of a tasting
menu.
We both loved the Pork Belly Buns, which were served as an open sandwich,
or a deconstructed pork bun. I also loved the Red Curry Del General,
which had an elegant blend of spices, counterpointed by coconut milk.
Everything we tasted, though, was a treat. The only dish of which I
was not terribly fond was the Beef Noodle Bowl, which was a little salty
for my taste.
I also had two glasses of wine, one red and one white. This was also
part of the Restaurant Week deal, the two glasses together being offered
at a discount.
As we were enjoying coffee, The Gryphon used his iPhone to consult
movie theaters in the area. We saw that Ritz 5 was playing September
Issue, which we'd been talking about earlier that day, after seeing
The Devil Wears Prada on FX. The documentary follows the staff
of Vogue as they prepare a big issue, featuring Ann Wintour,
who is a partial inspiration for the Meryl Streep character in The
Devil Wears Prada.
Since we had a little time before the movie, we got some coffee from
the Cosi on Fourth Street and then relaxed on a bench behind the
First Bank of the United States, which is also where I took my self-portraits
on my birthday.
As we walked to the theater, I found a plaque on a building that I'd
never noticed before, which drew my attention because it referred to
a famous relative. James
Wilson, signer of the Declaration of Independence and one of the
first justices on the Supreme Court, was the brother of my direct ancestor,
who if I remember correctly, was a farmer. (My branch of the family
tended to be farmers and doctors.) Interestingly enough, this connection
does not come from the Wilson side of the family but from my paternal
grandmother's side, the Marshalls.
The sign (pictured below) reads, "On this site, in 1779, resided
James Wilson, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, and a leading
lawyer in Philadelphia. Having represented certain Tories accused of
treason, Wilson incurred the wrath of patriotic elements after the British
army left Philadelphia. These feelings culminated in a riot in which
the mob fired on Wilson's home and killed several persons."
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Grandma Heritage (my grandmother had remarried many years after my
biological grandfather's death) had never told me about this particular
incident. I find it a bit disturbing that somebody who was simply following
the newly-established legal code in this country would be subject to
such mob violence. Truly, though, I'm not surprised Grandma didn't tell
me about it. She only passed down stories that she felt added to the
honor of our lineage. She left out a lot of the good ones.
We were the first to show for the movie,
and I thought we'd have the theater to ourselves. By the time the movie
began, it was pretty full, at least in the center section.
The first part of the movie drags a little bit, as it introduces the
viewer to the workings of the magazine. Increasingly, throughout the
movie, the principle figures open up and reveal more about their thoughts
on the process. My favorite was Grace Coddington, the magazine's creative
director. She's the one with the thankless job of choosing outfits for
proposed shoots, which editor Wintour goes through, getting final say
on what to keep and what to lose. Coddington often manages the photo
shoots, with Wintour deciding what photos will make it into the magazine.
Coddington was a fascinating character. Here she was, working at the
biggest fashion magazine in the world, dressed always in a simple black
dress and comfortable wedges, her long red hair puffing around her like
a mane. A former model who had worked at the magazine as long as Wintour,
she was just as strongly opinionated and did not easily give up. The
movie showed that she really cared about the artistry and found it frustrating
when Wintour cut beloved photos.
By the end of the film, the movie is less about Wintour as the "most
powerful woman in America" but more about the interaction between
Wintour and Coddington, how that friction and counterpoint makes the
magazine a success.
They are very different women. Wintour is always guarded. Except for
micro expressions, she tries to keep herself in check. Coddington hides
nothing. A spirited romantic, she strives always to create beauty.
Rating: **** (4 out of 5)
On the way back to the car, we saw a few signs that said, "TO
SET #2." We saw some security-type guys sitting in a parking lot,
blocked off with orange cones, next to one of Philly's famous murals.
This is one of my favorites, a mosaic of a young boy, called "The
Lincoln Legacy Project" by Josh Sarantitis. I watched it being
constructed, back in 2006. There's been a lot of filming in Center City
Philadelphia this summer. Can't wait to see what results.
We stopped at one of the famous art installations on Chestnut Street,
"Woman
Looking Through a Window," by George Segal, which sits outside
an office building between 6th and 7th streets on Chestnut. It shows
a woman (who as it turns out, is quite small) peering through a window
frame.
Since it seemed appropriate, I stepped into the art.
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