Restaurants, and books, and movies! Oh my!
Lots to report this time! I just finished reading The Orchid Thief (at last) by Susan Orlean. Orlean is a journalist, and the novel definitely reads like a journalist wrote it. First of all, there is no real plot line. This is not a story with a beginning, middle, and end. Rather, it reads like a feature story: an in-depth look at Florida and its history, the society of orchid collectors and hunters, and Orlean's own experiences with John Laroche, the orchid thief of the book's title. (The book was actually born out of a story that Orlean wrote for The New Yorker.)
While it can be a bit slow at times, the book offers fascinating insight into several microcosms of Florida. Orlean explores the history of land scheming in the state, the treatment of the Seminole Indians, and the smuggling of plants and animals that occurs in Florida. She also invites the reader to join her in the high-stakes world of orchid collecting, in which one plant might fetch thousands of dollars. Orlean continually refers back to the passion of orchid collectors, characterizing their affinity for the plants as a type of mania. It was interesting to me, though, that Orlean herself experiences a similar mania - that of reporting. About half way through the book, I noticed that Orlean had gone to ALOT of trouble to write The Orchid Thief. She'd moved down to her parents house in Florida. She was driving all over the state of Florida to plant shows, orchid businesses, growers' fairs, etc. She was slogging through the Florida swamp in increasingly hot and buggy weather. She was spending copious amounts of time with John Laroche, a sometimes-irritating personality at best. It was interesting to me that she herself possessed a kind of mania, but that her mania (reporting/her job) is one that's much more acceptable to society. In other words, if you are in love with your job, fine. But if it's flowers you like, well, you're a little off kilter.
Anyway, I really enjoyed it, and I do recommend it. It can be a little slow in places, but it's worth forging ahead.
Next up - I had a fabulous dinner at a new restaurant in Ridgeland called Trio's. It's a great new Mediterranean-inspired place on Old Canton Road. For starters, we had the kaftedes, and they were definitely authentic. (Kafta is gound beef mixed with parsley, onions, and spices; it can be grilled or baked.) The only thing about the kaftedes that I didn't recognize was the sauce (we always served ours plain), but it was delicious. The Greek salad, which comes with most entrees, is wonderful at Trio's. They serve it with olives, feta cheese, and a fabulous house dressing. My entree, the scallops, was wonderful. I had requested it with an herbed beurre blanc sauce, but they forgot to put it on the plate. The scallops were so good on their own, though, that I didn't even remind them about the sauce! I chose potatoes au gratin as my side dish, and I later wished I'd picked something else. For dessert, we chose a very dense, very chocolatey brownie with whipped cream and strawberry sauce. All in all, it was a wonderful meal. The service was also impeccable. I noticed, as well, that the restaurant seems to have an inventive cocktail menu, and the patrons I observed at the bar were definitely enjoying themselves!
Lastly, I saw Mona Lisa Smile over the weekend. For the most part, I thought it was a pretty good movie. There were some things that really bothered me in it, though. For example, Betty (Kirsten Dunst) spends the whole movie hating Katherine Watson (Julia Roberts). Then, all of a sudden, at the end, she decides she absolutely LOVES her. It made no sense. The movie features an impressive cast of young female stars. Gennifer Goodwin as Connie was particularly convincing and lovable. I saw her performance in Win a Date with Tad Hamilton, and I think she's star material. All of the stars look GREAT in this movie; the makeup and hair was beautifully done. Some of the shots of the college campus are also gorgeous as well. This is a fun little chick flick. I don't think it would be on the top of my list, but it's a good movie for a night in with the girls.
While it can be a bit slow at times, the book offers fascinating insight into several microcosms of Florida. Orlean explores the history of land scheming in the state, the treatment of the Seminole Indians, and the smuggling of plants and animals that occurs in Florida. She also invites the reader to join her in the high-stakes world of orchid collecting, in which one plant might fetch thousands of dollars. Orlean continually refers back to the passion of orchid collectors, characterizing their affinity for the plants as a type of mania. It was interesting to me, though, that Orlean herself experiences a similar mania - that of reporting. About half way through the book, I noticed that Orlean had gone to ALOT of trouble to write The Orchid Thief. She'd moved down to her parents house in Florida. She was driving all over the state of Florida to plant shows, orchid businesses, growers' fairs, etc. She was slogging through the Florida swamp in increasingly hot and buggy weather. She was spending copious amounts of time with John Laroche, a sometimes-irritating personality at best. It was interesting to me that she herself possessed a kind of mania, but that her mania (reporting/her job) is one that's much more acceptable to society. In other words, if you are in love with your job, fine. But if it's flowers you like, well, you're a little off kilter.
Anyway, I really enjoyed it, and I do recommend it. It can be a little slow in places, but it's worth forging ahead.
Next up - I had a fabulous dinner at a new restaurant in Ridgeland called Trio's. It's a great new Mediterranean-inspired place on Old Canton Road. For starters, we had the kaftedes, and they were definitely authentic. (Kafta is gound beef mixed with parsley, onions, and spices; it can be grilled or baked.) The only thing about the kaftedes that I didn't recognize was the sauce (we always served ours plain), but it was delicious. The Greek salad, which comes with most entrees, is wonderful at Trio's. They serve it with olives, feta cheese, and a fabulous house dressing. My entree, the scallops, was wonderful. I had requested it with an herbed beurre blanc sauce, but they forgot to put it on the plate. The scallops were so good on their own, though, that I didn't even remind them about the sauce! I chose potatoes au gratin as my side dish, and I later wished I'd picked something else. For dessert, we chose a very dense, very chocolatey brownie with whipped cream and strawberry sauce. All in all, it was a wonderful meal. The service was also impeccable. I noticed, as well, that the restaurant seems to have an inventive cocktail menu, and the patrons I observed at the bar were definitely enjoying themselves!
Lastly, I saw Mona Lisa Smile over the weekend. For the most part, I thought it was a pretty good movie. There were some things that really bothered me in it, though. For example, Betty (Kirsten Dunst) spends the whole movie hating Katherine Watson (Julia Roberts). Then, all of a sudden, at the end, she decides she absolutely LOVES her. It made no sense. The movie features an impressive cast of young female stars. Gennifer Goodwin as Connie was particularly convincing and lovable. I saw her performance in Win a Date with Tad Hamilton, and I think she's star material. All of the stars look GREAT in this movie; the makeup and hair was beautifully done. Some of the shots of the college campus are also gorgeous as well. This is a fun little chick flick. I don't think it would be on the top of my list, but it's a good movie for a night in with the girls.
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