Randyman wrote:Frank, have you had white Menudo? For me it has to be red.
No, never have, I have seen it and heard about how good it is, but like you, for me it has to be red....
Food Shooters . . .
I have to give you guys credit, you really do a nice job of photographing your food.
In the early 80's, I worked for a commercial producer who did a lot of work with food products.
We did lots of table-top shots of the product, and employed a variety of tricks to make the food more appealing.
All shoots had what was known as a "food stylist", and they make the food look right.
We use other photographic methods to make a bottle of beer "sweat", those frosty drips. It's interesting how products are filmed.
Cameraman Freddie Moore was the top "food shooter" of the eighties. I worked for his lighting gaffer, who was an early mentor.
I learned a lot about lighting food, simple technique, camera angles, etc.
I know how to photograph food, but I can't cook it. You guys do both well.
-Rick Farris
Some of the food photos that I have posted here are mine but the two photos of the red and white Menudo I downloaded from the internet.
Police: Ex-boxing champion Forrest killed in Ga.
By CHARLES ODUM, AP Sports Writer
ATLANTA (AP)—Vernon Forrest, a former three-time champion who gained stardom when he became the first boxer to defeat “Sugar” Shane Mosley, was shot to death during an apparent robbery in Atlanta, police said Sunday.
Sgt. Lisa Keyes said in an e-mail Sunday that Forrest, 38, was shot several times in the back Saturday night, which an autopsy confirmed. Keyes said there are no suspects.
“Vernon was one of the few decent people in boxing,” promoter Gary Shaw said. “I mean really decent. He cared about mentally challenged adults. He cared about kids. I just can’t believe it.”
Fulton County medical examiner Michele Stauffenberg confirmed the case was a homicide and that the autopsy showed Forrest died from “multiple gunshot wounds involving the torso and thigh.” Keyes said a police report on the shooting was not immediately available.
Forrest, a native of Augusta, Ga., who lived in Atlanta, was a member of the 1992 Olympic team. He also was a former IBF welterweight and two-time WBC junior middleweight champion with a 41-3 career record with 29 knockouts.
“He was one of the most gracious and charitable fighters in boxing and he will be missed by the entire boxing community and all of his friends at HBO,” HBO Sports president Ross Greenburg told The Associated Press.
Greenburg helped put on eight of Forrest’s fights.
“Maybe Vernon’s lasting legacy will be for Americans everywhere to rise up and end this kind of senseless violence,” Greenburg said.
Those who knew the fighter praised his role in launching the Destiny’s Child group homes in Atlanta, which work to provide homes for the mentally disabled.
“It was truly his calling,” Forrest’s publicist, Kelly Swanson, said of his work with children. “When he wasn’t boxing, this was his full-time job.
“When they would see him, they would just light up, and some of them couldn’t even talk. Vernon was very much involved. He’d have some of the kids over to his house on Sundays. They were part of his family.”
Swanson said Forrest was not married and has one son, Vernon Jr.
Inside the ring, Forrest was known for taking two wins over Mosley in 2002. On Sept. 13, 2008, Forrest reclaimed his WBC 154-pound title by beating Sergio Mora in a rematch of a fight won by Mora.
The win over Mora was Forrest’s last fight. He suffered a rib injury while training for an April fight against Jason LeHoullier, which was canceled, and Forrest had to vacate his title.
Ken Hershman, vice president in charge of boxing at Showtime, which aired Forrest’s first fight with Mora, said Forrest was a popular fighter dedicated to his charity work.
“He wasn’t looking for anything, he just did it because it was the right thing to do,” Hershman said.
“Vernon was a young, vibrant guy coming to the end of his career. He still had a lot of life ahead of him.”
There were tentative plans for a title fight against Sergio Martinez, perhaps in October, Shaw said. Plans for an August fight against Martinez were pushed back the rib injury.
“Instead of being an Olympian, a two-time world champion, a guy who beat Shane Mosley twice, the guy who did some good for boxing—maybe his legacy will be for something else,” Shaw said. “Maybe boxing will finally get around the violence outside of the ring. Maybe Vernon’s name and legacy will be for that.”
Former two-time champion Arturo Gatti, who retired in 2007, was found dead July 11 at a Brazilian resort. Gatti’s wife, Amanda Rodrigues, is being held as the prime suspect.
Another former champion, Alexis Arguello, was found dead on July 1 at his home in Managua, Nicaragua. He was elected mayor of Nicaragua’s capital last year.
“If the saying is bad things come in threes, hopefully we’re done with that for a long time to come,” Hershman said. “I hope that’s the case. I mean, ironically three great people, three great human beings, too. Not a good few months.”
Forrest’s trainer, Buddy McGirt, also worked with Gatti. McGirt said Forrest planned to start training Aug. 1 for his next fight.
“I just feel so bad. He has a son you know,” McGirt said. “Someone is going to be raised without a father because somebody wanted to rob someone.”
AP Sports Writer Dave Skretta contributed to this report.
Great work Rog! It captures Vernon in a very surrealistic way. You pay great homage to all of boxing's greats. I posted this painting on my site. http://boxing-ring.blogspot.com/
Italians and Mexicans couldn't live without their Tripe/Menudo. Mexicans like it mostly red with the cilantro,onions,limes,and chiles. Italians like it red also,but add a little sugar to make it sweeter. All I know is that it's the best thing to put into your stomach after a night's drinking. It's easy to digest and provides enough protein so you won't have a giant hangover.
Last night's Festa Bella Party at my sisters'. I was thinking of you Randy.
HOW DO YOU MAKE THE MEATBALLS?
Like I was runnin' down to you once before,my grandfather ,Diamond Joe,brought the finest chef from Naples to cook at my grandfather's restaurant the Bella Napoli. Everyone in town that savored Italian cooking wound up in there to relish the food and the atmosphere. Celebrities were a common sight. Al Jolson,Enrico Caruso,Jack Dempsey,and Rudolph Valentino to drop a few names. Oh,and that guy with the scar on his face ate his spaghetti there every night. One time one of Bugs Moran's boys tried to bribe the cook at the Bella Napoli to put prussic acid in Big Al's spaghetti .Less competition in the alky world. (It's only business).Well the only one eliminated was the guy who approached the chef.
Anyway the chef at the Bella Napoli taught my grandmother how to ccok it up in the finest Neopolitan fashion. My grandmother passed it along to my mother (her daughter in law),and in turn the recipes were given to my sisters. My father knew the ingredients also because he was always hanging around the kitchen watching his mother cook.
Well, I was brought up on this stuff and to be frank, took it for granted. I loved it,but wasn't until later when I tasted Italian food prepared by others did I know how REALLY good our family's cooking was.
Italians are like Mexicans. They like and are used to their mothers' cooking.But when my family cooks Italian food for other Italians they submit. They are overwhelmed. Most of the time it's the cake like dish called "Pizza Gane."(top photo).It's made with sausage and ricotta cheese. To be honest,I've never seen much of it in Italy. Diners at my sisters are always intrigued by this "new" Italian delicacy.
The other treat that makes their brains fall out is the meat balls. My sisters put raisins inside to make the meat soft and sweet.
Now don't ask me what the proportions are as far as mixing the ingredients. What to set the temperature. The brand names and where to buy everything that makes our familiy's food unique,but I have never heard another Italian say ,after tasting our food, making a comparision with the meals served in their dining rooms.People ask for recipes and my sisters turn a polite deaf ear.
Don't ask me . I don't know.I wouldn't talk even if I knew. Besides,I wouldn't want to wind up like the guy that approached the chef at the Bella Napoli who wanted him to poison Capone's spaghetti.
From the mid-1950s to the late 1960s, after a nite out on the town, after the clubs had close, we used to go to a restaurant for menudo, "Vicky's", on First and Indiana, E.L.A., get that menudo before the hang-over hit you, would see lots of the E.L.A. fighters there at 3-4 in the A.M., having menudo before hitting the gym later that day, you would see some that were on the way up, some on the way down and some that were going no where, but all fighters non the less.
Last night's Festa Bella Party at my sisters'. I was thinking of you Randy.
HOW DO YOU MAKE THE MEATBALLS?
Like I was runnin' down to you once before,my grandfather ,Diamond Joe,brought the finest chef from Naples to cook at my grandfather's restaurant the Bella Napoli. Everyone in town that savored Italian cooking wound up in there to relish the food and the atmosphere. Celebrities were a common sight. Al Jolson,Enrico Caruso,Jack Dempsey,and Rudolph Valentino to drop a few names. Oh,and that guy with the scar on his face ate his spaghetti there every night. One time one of Bugs Moran's boys tried to bribe the cook at the Bella Napoli to put prussic acid in Big Al's spaghetti .Less competition in the alky world. (It's only business).Well the only one eliminated was the guy who approached the chef.
Anyway the chef at the Bella Napoli taught my grandmother how to ccok it up in the finest Neopolitan fashion. My grandmother passed it along to my mother (her daughter in law),and in turn the recipes were given to my sisters. My father knew the ingredients also because he was always hanging around the kitchen watching his mother cook.
Well, I was brought up on this stuff and to be frank, took it for granted. I loved it,but wasn't until later when I tasted Italian food prepared by others did I know how REALLY good our family's cooking was.
Italians are like Mexicans. They like and are used to their mothers' cooking.But when my family cooks Italian food for other Italians they submit. They are overwhelmed. Most of the time it's the cake like dish called "Pizza Gane."(top photo).It's made with sausage and ricotta cheese. To be honest,I've never seen much of it in Italy. Diners at my sisters are always intrigued by this "new" Italian delicacy.
The other treat that makes their brains fall out is the meat balls. My sisters put raisins inside to make the meat soft and sweet.
Now don't ask me what the proportions are as far as mixing the ingredients. What to set the temperature. The brand names and where to buy everything that makes our familiy's food unique,but I have never heard another Italian say ,after tasting our food, making a comparision with the meals served in their dining rooms.People ask for recipes and my sisters turn a polite deaf ear.
Don't ask me . I don't know.I wouldn't talk even if I knew. Besides,I wouldn't want to wind up like the guy that approached the chef at the Bella Napoli who wanted him to poison Capone's spaghetti.
Sometimes Rog, it's best to be like Sgt Shultz "I know nothing! Nothing!!" You live longer. Every family that likes to cook has there own "Secret Recipe". It usually turns out to be something everyone keeps in the pantry, sometimes the secret is in the proportion, other times it's the timing, when you add it during the cooking process. Sometimes it's something as simple as browning the meat before adding it to the sauce. Look at some of the recipes for tomato sauce. With few exceptions they will almost always have the same ingredients. The proportions and timing are usually the only difference. Some may add a stock, others wine and yet others might add both, and still you get the same product Tomato sauce. Some are just better than others.
My father always said that the most important ingredient in any recipe is love, the love of family and friends, and people in general, and the love of sharing food with them, and of course, the love of food. I believe that to be the truth. I'll bet there was a lot of love at last night's "Festa Bella".
From the mid-1950s to the late 1960s, after a nite out on the town, after the clubs had close, we used to go to a restaurant for menudo, "Vicky's", on First and Indiana, E.L.A., get that menudo before the hang-over hit you, would see lots of the E.L.A. fighters there at 3-4 in the A.M., having menudo before hitting the gym later that day, you would see some that were on the way up, some on the way down and some that were going no where, but all fighters non the less.
Great menudo memories....
Frank, I learned to make Menudo from my mother and grandmother. Jeri learned it as well. Years ago, when we were young, back in the Fred Flintstone era, we used to throw a lot of parties. Lots of booze and lot's of food. We always had two things ready for our guests before they got in the car to go home. The coffee and a large pot of Menudo. Sometimes, everyone would work their way back to the house the next morning to finish off the beer and Menudo. Sometimes we made it from scratch and other times we would buy it from "Mary's Mexicatesson". Either way the Menudo was there. Nothing cures you better after a night of drinking.
Randy
Last edited by Randyman on 26 Jul 2009, 22:41, edited 1 time in total.
The Genna brothers used to work under my grandfather,Diamond Joe ,on the southwest side of Chcago. I think there were four brothers.Angelo,Tony ,Mike,and Jim. The alky business was getting pretty bloody and to associate with any of the "Terrible Gennas" was a risk not worth taking.
My mother's family was very poor. Nine siblings living in a cold water flat in the 19th Ward. My mother's sister Catherine(my aunt)wanted to move up in the world and started to be seen as Mike Genna's moll.
Well her big brother(my uncle Joe) threw her down the stairs one night after a date with Mike Genna and that ended the courtship. Later that week Mike Genna was gunned down in a mob hit.As Mike was dying in the street, a cop kneeled down and asked him who shot him. Mike put up his hand to motion the cop to get closer. When the cop put his head closer ,Mike kicked him in the face and then died.
The Genna brothers used to work under my grandfather,Diamond Joe ,on the southwest side of Chcago. I think there were four brothers.Angelo,Tony ,Mike,and Jim. The alky business was getting pretty bloody and to associate with any of the "Terrible Gennas" was a risk not worth taking.
My mother's family was very poor. Nine siblings living in a cold water flat in the 19th Ward. My mother's sister Catherine(my aunt)wanted to move up in the world and started to be seen as Mike Genna's moll.
Well her big brother(my uncle Joe) threw her down the stairs one night after a date with Mike Genna and that ended the courtship. Later that week Mike Genna was gunned down in a mob hit.As Mike was dying in the street, a cop kneeled down and asked him who shot him. Mike put up his hand to motion the cop to get closer. When the cop put his head closer ,Mike kicked him in the face and then died.
Mike was a lot of things but he was no f*cking rat!
Randy, in the late 1940s us kids used to go to the show to watch their movies, after the show we would try talking like them, never could get it right, later (1950s) after I was already married I would stay up to the wee hours watching their movies on the "Late Movies" on TV.
"I ain't squawking"
Last edited by kikibalt on 27 Jul 2009, 08:44, edited 1 time in total.
kikibalt wrote:Got to hit the hay, tomorrow is a work day....
Keeping Kept . . .
Work? Wait a minute Frank, you're a "kept man".
Kept men don't work, not real work .
I think it breaks some kind of code, or something like that?
Keep in mind, I've been enjoying the thought of being "kept" like you one day.
Now your working? Tell me it ain't so.
Over here we like it bland (call it an 'island' mentality): meat, veg and potato, and a prawn cocktail starter, if one is lucky (note the empty plate). The cute old pubs and the beer make some amends.
. 
