Over six years ago, on February 27, 2014, to be exact, I discussed a few kombuchas that I'd tried. Well, since that time kombucha has become a bit more popular in the U.S. Therefore, I thought I'd give some new ones a try, and see how they were. The three I selected were the tart cherry kind from KeVita, the pomegranate one from Health-Ade, and the pomegranate lemonade kind from humm (they seem to usually spell it this way, without capitalizing the "h," so I'll follow suit).
Since I went through this in that former post, I'll try not to repeat too much. Essentially, kombucha is tea that has been fermented using a cocktail of bacteria and yeast. Its time of origin is disputed--some say it's over 2000 years old, others claim only a 100 or 200 years old. Its place of origin is also controversial--some historians think it was China, others Japan, and still others Russia or other parts of Eastern Europe. Continuing this theme, even the derivation of the name isn't conclusively known. The most popular theory is that its from the Japanese words for "kelp" and "tea"--"konbu" and "ocha," respectively. The humm company website threw out another theory, that it was named after a Korean doctor, Dr. Kombu, and that the "cha" was an (unspecified) Asian word for tea. But moving on, kombucha was traditionally made at home. Commercial versions have only been available since the late 1990's. In the U.S., one company reigns supreme--Millenium Products, who provided one of the ones I tried back in 2014. Of America's recent annual sales of $400,000,000, Millenium accounted for $350,000,000. The huge beverage companies are taking notice, too--PepsiCo bought up KeVita in 2016.
The humm company was started by Jamie Danek and Michelle Mitchell in 2009, out in the state of Oregon. They make many different flavors of kombucha, mostly using various fruits. Two of the more unusual ones are cucumber lime mint, and raspberry hops. They also market a zero sugar line. On their website they mention that unlike most kombucha makers, they started marketing their drinks to supermarkets and gas stations, instead of the more typical health food stores. So I guess humm is the kombucha for regular folks, and not just crunchy hippie types. They're also reportedly quite into being good to their employees, who they view as family. Finally, humm is the official kombucha of the NFL's Seattle Seahawks.
Health-Ade was founded by Diana Trout, her husband Justin, and their close friend Vanessa Dew, in California in 2012. Like humm they make many different kinds of kombucha, utilizing all sorts of flavors, mostly from fruit. Pink lady apple, cayenne cleanse, jalopeno/kiwi/cucumber, and holiday cheer (ginger/allspice/chocolate et. al.) are some of the more interesting and odd ones. According to their company website, they're also quite proud of making small batch, glass-fermented, artisanal kombucha--free of gluten and GMOs, and certified vegan, and R.A.W (which I learned stands for raw, alive and whole--plants and milk, eggs, and honey that have been humanely harvested). In an article about them, they admitted that as of August 2018, their company was not profitable. For their sake hopefully that's changed.
KeVita began in California in 2009, founded by the former organic wine make Bill Moses and a holistic nutritionist Chakra Earthsong. (And call me cynical, but I think that Ms. Earthsong might have changed her name somewhere along the line.) Aside from various flavors of kombucha, they also make sparkling probiotic drinks (water kefir), and apple cider vinegar (see February 16, 2019 post). They're also non-GMO, organic, and Kosher.
1) humm pomegranate lemonade kombucha: Came in a 14 ounce (415 mL) bottle. Had an astringent, sour odor and reddish color. Very lemon-y and citrus-y. I didn't taste the pomegranate that much. Okay, I guess. Not great, certainly. Got worse as I kept drinking it. Vinegary.
2) Heath-Ade pomegranate kombucha: This bottle was 473 mL (16 ounces). Also had a reddish color, but with a more subtle smell. This one was slightly better than the humm kind, but still very vinegar-y, and not great. While drinking this one I thought, "Do people really like kombucha as a drink, or is it just to get the probiotics and alleged health benefits?"
3) KeVita master brew kombucha, tart cherry flavor: Was a 15.2 ounce/450 mL serving, in a glass bottle once more. Had a dull brownish-pink hue, and an astringent odor. Probably the best of the bunch, by a little. The tart cherry flavor melded with the vinegar flavor a bit better. Still mediocre at best.
I should also mention that in 2018 I had some kombucha that was home made by some friends (hi Pat and Allison). I thought theirs was pretty decent, and like the 2014 kinds, didn't have an discernible negative health effects. Alas, I can't say the same for this recent trio. I had some significant abdominal pain, gas, and even diarrhea after I tried them. I sampled some of each all on the same day, so I couldn't determine which one was the culprit. It's possible that the root cause was something else I consumed that day, but since these things were typical fare that I've had many times, it seems more likely it was the kombucha(s). So, because of this bad experience, I'm probably not going to be revisiting kombuchas anytime soon, or at all. Finally, as I mentioned in the 2014 post, if you do decide to make your own kombucha, make sure you know what you're doing, as improperly made or stored kombucha can make you sick. And despite what you may read on the internet, to date there's no sound scientific evidence that drinking kombucha can treat or cure any serious diseases or conditions, such as cancer, HIV/AIDS, etc.
Saturday, July 25, 2020
Saturday, July 18, 2020
Exotic/Disgusting Foods and Beverages Forum--Indian/Omani Biscuits
I've been sitting on this one for quite some time--I actually ate these biscuits like 9 or 10 months ago. They're the last find from the great Indian grocery I've referred to many times--India Bazaar in Stratford, NJ. The cookies were all from the Britannia company--their milk biscuits, their Nutri Choice biscuits, and their digestive biscuits.
All the packages for these cookies said that they were manufactured in Oman, so initially I thought I'd be talking mainly about that Arabian Peninsula country. However, when I looked into it, I learned that Britannia is actually an Indian firm. They do have factories around the world, obviously, but they are not an Omani company per se. Anyway, that's why I chose the title of this blog post.
The history of the Britannia company is a bit vague. The official company website noted that it was founded in 1892, by unnamed British businessmen. Sometime in the next 26 years Britannia was acquired by the Gupta brothers, led by Nalin Chandra Gupta. Aside from biscuits, the company markets bread, rusks*, cakes, and dairy products. They reported 2019 grosses of 1,500,000,000 (in U.S. dollars), and a profit of 160,000,000 (again, converted to U.S. dollars). Currently Britannia is owned by the Wadia Group. That company, in turn, was started way back in 1736 as a marine construction company (i.e., shipbuilding). As an aside, the Wadia Group constructed the famous British ship HMS Minden, upon which Francis Scott Key may have composed "The Star-Spangled Banner," eventually the American national anthem. I say "may have" because historians seem divided on exactly which ship Key wrote the song on--he evidently was transferred on and off several vessels during the day in question. Wadia also built the HMS Trincomalee in 1817, which is the oldest English warship that's still intact, and still afloat. (The HMS Victory is older, having been built in 1765, but has been in dry dock since 1922.) Furthermore, for all of my readers obsessed with nautical history, the oldest commissioned naval ship still afloat in the world is the American USS Constitution, built in 1797.
As for fun Omani trivia, the country is known for its rich history of breeding the superior Arabian horses. It's also one of the few places in the world where frankincense trees still grow wild. A website I consulted said that the folks in Oman really love the American soft drink Mountain Dew. The only film that is Omani-made to date is 2006's "Al-Boom" (aka "The Dawn.") Its current IMDB rating is 7.4, which is very respectable.
Britannia digestive biscuit: These were light brownish in color, round, with a diameter of about 2.75 inches (about 7 cm.). They also had holes punched not quite through them, and "Britannia" embossed on their surface. I found these to be a typical European-style biscuit--kind of bland, and not that sweet. Okay, but not delicious or anything.
Britannia milk biscuit: These cookies were light brownish-yellow, and rectangular in shape. About 6 cm. by 4 cm., or about 2.25 inches by 1.5 inches. They also had a waffle-like pattern on them. Like the digestive kind, they were alright, but not very sweet or strong-tasting. Maybe a bit better than the average European-style biscuit, but not by much.
Britannia Nutri Choice biscuit, 5 grain digestive: This sort was oval in shape, about 8 cm. by 4.5 cm. (about 3.25 inches by 1.75 inches). Had a light brownish hue, and "Britannia" was embossed on them. Dry and crunchy, like the others. Taste was pretty similar to the other kinds, except for a slight fruity flavor, which seemed raisin-y. (Although the ingredient list didn't have any fruit in it.) So these were also rather mediocre, but slightly better than the other two Britannia biscuits I tried. A decent, but unspectacular biscuit. And if you're curious, the five grains were wheat, millet, oat, corn, and rice.
* The other rusks (which are usually very dry, twice-baked breads/cakes) I've discussed are as follows:
Finnish flatbread--November 3, 2018 post
Zwieback--April 13, 2019
Brazilian toast--May 11, 2019
Bangladeshi cake rusk--February 8, 2020
All the packages for these cookies said that they were manufactured in Oman, so initially I thought I'd be talking mainly about that Arabian Peninsula country. However, when I looked into it, I learned that Britannia is actually an Indian firm. They do have factories around the world, obviously, but they are not an Omani company per se. Anyway, that's why I chose the title of this blog post.
The history of the Britannia company is a bit vague. The official company website noted that it was founded in 1892, by unnamed British businessmen. Sometime in the next 26 years Britannia was acquired by the Gupta brothers, led by Nalin Chandra Gupta. Aside from biscuits, the company markets bread, rusks*, cakes, and dairy products. They reported 2019 grosses of 1,500,000,000 (in U.S. dollars), and a profit of 160,000,000 (again, converted to U.S. dollars). Currently Britannia is owned by the Wadia Group. That company, in turn, was started way back in 1736 as a marine construction company (i.e., shipbuilding). As an aside, the Wadia Group constructed the famous British ship HMS Minden, upon which Francis Scott Key may have composed "The Star-Spangled Banner," eventually the American national anthem. I say "may have" because historians seem divided on exactly which ship Key wrote the song on--he evidently was transferred on and off several vessels during the day in question. Wadia also built the HMS Trincomalee in 1817, which is the oldest English warship that's still intact, and still afloat. (The HMS Victory is older, having been built in 1765, but has been in dry dock since 1922.) Furthermore, for all of my readers obsessed with nautical history, the oldest commissioned naval ship still afloat in the world is the American USS Constitution, built in 1797.
As for fun Omani trivia, the country is known for its rich history of breeding the superior Arabian horses. It's also one of the few places in the world where frankincense trees still grow wild. A website I consulted said that the folks in Oman really love the American soft drink Mountain Dew. The only film that is Omani-made to date is 2006's "Al-Boom" (aka "The Dawn.") Its current IMDB rating is 7.4, which is very respectable.
Britannia digestive biscuit: These were light brownish in color, round, with a diameter of about 2.75 inches (about 7 cm.). They also had holes punched not quite through them, and "Britannia" embossed on their surface. I found these to be a typical European-style biscuit--kind of bland, and not that sweet. Okay, but not delicious or anything.
Britannia milk biscuit: These cookies were light brownish-yellow, and rectangular in shape. About 6 cm. by 4 cm., or about 2.25 inches by 1.5 inches. They also had a waffle-like pattern on them. Like the digestive kind, they were alright, but not very sweet or strong-tasting. Maybe a bit better than the average European-style biscuit, but not by much.
Britannia Nutri Choice biscuit, 5 grain digestive: This sort was oval in shape, about 8 cm. by 4.5 cm. (about 3.25 inches by 1.75 inches). Had a light brownish hue, and "Britannia" was embossed on them. Dry and crunchy, like the others. Taste was pretty similar to the other kinds, except for a slight fruity flavor, which seemed raisin-y. (Although the ingredient list didn't have any fruit in it.) So these were also rather mediocre, but slightly better than the other two Britannia biscuits I tried. A decent, but unspectacular biscuit. And if you're curious, the five grains were wheat, millet, oat, corn, and rice.
* The other rusks (which are usually very dry, twice-baked breads/cakes) I've discussed are as follows:
Finnish flatbread--November 3, 2018 post
Zwieback--April 13, 2019
Brazilian toast--May 11, 2019
Bangladeshi cake rusk--February 8, 2020
Saturday, July 11, 2020
Underrated Horror Movie Gems--"Identity"
This one's a bit of a stretch. First off, some folks would classify "Identity" as more of a thriller, or a mystery. Also, it wasn't a box office bomb--it made 90,000,000 dollars on a 28,000,000 dollar budget. Even allowing for the unofficial rule that marketing can be about three times the stated budget, "Identity" should have at least broken even, or turned a small profit. The criticisms were similarly okay, but not spectacular--a 7.3 rating on IMDB, and 62% on Rotten Tomatoes. Nevertheless, I think this 2003 movie doesn't get the credit it deserves, so here we are. It'll be the same format as always--short spoiler-free synopsis, then a long, spoiler-rich recap, then a discussion of the movie's themes and strengths, and ending with some information about the cast and crew. Also, if you haven't seen this movie yet, I would highly advise not reading the parts with spoilers, as there are some plot twists that should remain unknown if you want to fully enjoy the movie.
A late night hearing is held at a courthouse, concerning a convicted murderer, Malcolm Rivers, who's scheduled to be executed in mere hours. There is also a strange situation going on at an isolated shabby motel in the middle of the Nevada desert. Ten guests and the manager are trapped, as a torrential rainstorm has boxed them all in. One by one murders start happening, done by an unseen psychopath. As the night progresses the events become more and more unlikely--even impossible. What's the reason behind the murder spree, and how does Malcolm Rivers connect to this?
(SPOILERS AHEAD UNTIL MARKED) "Identity" opens on the tape recording of patient Malcolm Rivers, which psychiatrist Dr. Mallick is listening to. We learn about Malcolm's bad childhood, and prostitute mother. Newspaper clippings allude to a string of brutal murders. A judge is then called to an emergency hearing at the courthouse. Some suppressed evidence may forestall Rivers' scheduled execution, for the six murders he committed. The scene abruptly shifts to a run down motel. For the next portion of the film, the audience sees various events, and then flashbacks to how they occurred. Alice York is accidentally hit by a car during a rainstorm, driven by limo driver Ed, who's transporting washed up actress Caroline Suzanne. Alice's husband George and son Timmy take her to the nearby motel, which is run by manager Larry. Paris, a prostitute, discovers that the road east is blocked by a flooded stream. Ed tries to cross to get to the nearest hospital for help, but he's unsuccessful. Ed and Paris make it back to the motel in a car driven by newlyweds Ginny and Lou, who report that the road going west is blocked, too. All the phones, include people's cellphones, aren't working either. All the stranded people reluctantly rent rooms. Back at the courthouse, Dr. Mallick finds out that Malcolm Rivers is on his way.
Back at the motel another car pulls up. Inside is policeman Rhodes, accompanied by a prisoner, murderer Robert Maine. Rhodes requests a room at the motel, and tells Ed that his CB radio isn't functioning, either. Maine is handcuffed to a room's toilet for safekeeping. Ed manages to sew up Alice's severe neck wound using a needle and thread. The boy, Timmy, is revealed to be mute, traumatized by his biological father leaving years before. The audience sees that Rhode's shirt under his coat has an odd red stain on the back, and Larry seems to be sneaking around and hiding things. Caroline gets a weak signal on her cellphone. She wanders the motel grounds in the rain, trying to get a signal strong enough to call out. Suddenly she's attacked by someone.
Ed hears a noise, and investigates outside. After a search he finds Caroline's severed head in a laundry room dryer, accompanied by a hotel room key. Ed, Larry, and Rhodes discover that Maine has escaped, too. They round up all the other guests and tell them what's happening. While Ed, Rhodes, and Larry look for Maine, Lou and Ginny return to their room and have a heated argument. Ginny reveals that she's not pregnant, and locks herself in the bathroom. After Lou bangs on the door and yells repeatedly, he suddenly goes silent. Ginny slips out the window, and she and the others then find that Lou's been stabbed to death. Then we see Maine on the run. He heads for a distant set of buildings, and breaks into one. He's astounded to realize that he's somehow back at the motel. He's then recaptured, and Ed and Rhodes tie him up in the storeroom. Larry is assigned to guard him, and Maine mentions that he has a secret, and suspects that Larry does too.
Ed and Paris have a talk. He tells her that he left the police force after he was unable to talk a girl out of committing suicide. Bad headaches and blackouts resulted, causing him to become a limo driver. Another motel room key is found on Lou's body, and then Maine is discovered dead, with Larry's bat in his mouth. Larry denies killing Maine, but admits to stealing Caroline's wallet. During a scuffle Larry threatens Paris, and then the freezer comes open, revealing a frozen corpse. Larry tries to escape, but accidentally crashes his truck and kills George. Back at the courthouse Rivers' diary is examined, and shows different handwriting and tones. Rivers himself is brought in.
At the motel Larry claims he lost all his money gambling in Las Vegas, and then found the real motel manager dead. When no one came to claim the body he just put it in the freezer and started managing the motel. Ginny brings up the alleged Indian burial ground curse on the area, and also references the "10 Little Indians" story. The survivors try to establish a connection between all of them. Paris and Larry are both from the same county in Florida, and Paris has just bought a citrus grove there. Alice is discovered dead, and with the usual room key. Ed tells Ginny, Paris and Timmy to leave in a car, and just drive around. However, an explosion rocks the car. Ginny and Timmy are presumed dead, but no remains of their bodies are found. The survivors find that all of the previous bodies are gone now, too. And all the survivors, plus the deceased, have the same birthday.
Ed regains consciousness in the courthouse proceeding. After being questioned, Dr. Mallick reveals that "Ed" is only one of Rivers' split personalities. Malcolm developed them all after being neglected and abused as a child, and doesn't remember killing the six people. The motel events are Malcolm's personalities confronting each other, and "killing" each other off until only one remains. Back at the motel Paris learns that Rhodes is a convict too--he murdered the cop transporting he and Maine, and stole his identity. Rhodes kills Larry, and then he has a gunfight with the returned Ed. Both die. Paris leaves and goes to Florida, starting her citrus grove. At the courthouse the judge stays the execution, and Malcolm is sent to a mental hospital under Mallick's care. Malcolm is exhibiting the "Paris" personality. However, in his mind Paris is killed by the Timmy personality, who's revealed in flashbacks to have been responsible for all the personality "murders." In the real world, Malcolm/"Timmy" kills Dr. Mallick, and the transport van comes to a stop.
Let's discuss the biggest issue about "Identity" first, that of its main plot twist. Multiple Personality Disorder, now called Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID), is a very controversial topic in modern psychiatry. Many doctors question its main causes, and think that psychiatrists might actually start the other personalities using hypnotic suggestion (whether the doctors are aware of this or not). Some psychiatrists even think that DID isn't a real disorder, or at the very least it is not nearly as common as some would claim. For one example, some doctors think that Shirley Ardell Mason, known as "Sybil" in the famous book and movie about her case, might have not really had DID at all. Instead, they think that her doctor, Dr. Cornelia Wilbur, may have made up the claim, or at least wildly exaggerated it, for professional and financial gain. So, at worst "Identity" may be about something that's a myth, and at best it's about something that is at least implausible. Along these lines, DID is something that fiction writers love, because it's such a dramatic twist. So one could also argue that it's a cliche, being overdone in soap operas, other television programs, and countless movies. Probably the only psychiatric disorder more overly utilized in fiction is amnesia. (Although to the movie's credit, it does contain the root cause that most adherents say is the usual one--severe childhood abuse.)
So with this admitted, why do I still enjoy "Identity," and why am I writing about it in such a positive way? The short answer is that I don't care. Yes, it's unrealistic, and exaggerated, and possibly about something that doesn't even exist, but so what? I don't really believe in ghosts, demons, werewolves, vampires, or zombies, for example, but I love many books and movies that feature them. It's dressed up enough to seem somewhat scientific, so I can let it go, and suspend my disbelief. I get that some people can't get past this point, and I can respect their opinion. But clearly I was able to move past it and still enjoy the film.
Another common criticism of "Identity" is that it tips its hand too soon, and ruins the big plot twist. Which I also disagree with. We don't see "Ed" revealed as one of Malcolm's personalities until about 75% of the way through the film. And even after that revelation, there's still tension, as we want to see a "good" personality triumph. So we don't want to see Rhodes prevail and kill off Larry, Paris and Ed. Even though the separate personalities aren't really people we still know them a bit, and like some of them. Therefore, I think the film unfolded in the best way it could have. Some explanation for the bizarre-ness of the situation was needed.
Related to this is the frequent red herrings sprinkled throughout the movie, which I found effective. The biggest is Malcolm, of course--we know he's a prolific murderer, so initially we think the motel events are real, and it's a flashback showing Malcolm killing the people off one by one. But there are others, to keep the audience off balance and confused. The motel is allegedly built on a Native American tribe's burial ground, so at times it seems like supernatural creatures, perhaps vengeful ghosts, are behind the killings. And early on we think that Robert Maine is doing the murders, since he's done it before, and was on the loose when some of them took place. There's even a case to be made that Larry's the real killer--he acts suspiciously, hides things, and seems nervous in general. Eventually we discover it's because he's a petty thief, and took over the managing job under false pretenses, but before that he seems culpable. Especially when the frozen body of the real manager falls out of the freezer, and Maine is killed during a time when Larry was supposed to be watching him. The final red herring is Rhodes. There are clues that he's not legit--we briefly see the blood on his shirt, and he seems shifty and incompetent, and later in the film we learn that he's a murderer, too. There's even another subtle reveal as he dies. He says, "I didn't do this" to Ed as he expires, stating he's not the mystery killer of most of the "people" (personalities), aside from Larry and Ed, obviously. Finally, the motel keys are a nice tangible clue, too--they're found to be counting down the total number of personalities left, and they don't actually match the room the victim had rented out. So maybe I'm slow at picking up who the real killer is in murder mysteries, but I thought this all unfolded in a cool way, that kept me guessing until the end. The implausibility of certain details, or outright impossibilities, grow more significantly as the movie goes. Which makes sense for the story, since the motel events are only happening in Malcolm Rivers' mind.
I also found it kind of neat to go back later and figure out why Malcolm developed the different personalities that he did. Timmy being maladjusted and nearly mute because of his father's abandonment is surely based on the real Malcolm apparently not knowing his own real father, and the bad feelings this produced. The ludicrously focused and loving stepfather George is presumably the type of father Malcolm wished he had. And Alice York is similarly the type of stable and caring mother that Malcolm always wanted, instead of the real prostitute mother he did have, who was neglecting and probably abusive. Larry is probably based on the real life sleazy motel manager at the place Malcolm was "raised" in as a neglected child. Paris is clearly a version of Malcolm's real mother, only a better one. She's a hooker, but she's decent, and looking to switch careers and improve her life. Robert Maine and Rhodes are probably based on real life murderous convicts that Malcolm met in prison, and/or perhaps the way he acted as an actual prison inmate. Ed is the guy Malcolm most wants to be--a cool, smart, and resourceful cop. Who, realistically, suffers from PTSD and blackouts, like Malcolm really did. The remaining personalities are more difficult to figure out. Ginny lying to Lou about being pregnant is a type of thing that Malcolm might have done in real life in order to stop a lover from leaving. I can't really figure what Lou and especially Caroline come from--I suppose in Malcolm's diseased mind developing personalities is like eating potato chips--the more the better!
Some viewers might be disappointed by the violence in "Identity"--there's not a lot of blood, and most of the murders are done off screen, and we just see the result. But, I think the scenes still have decent tension behind them. And given the plot twist, it was really the only choice the filmmakers could do. Granted, it's not a typical horror slasher movie, so if you're looking for that you'll probably be frustrated. But those who like a strange and tense, slow burning mystery will probably enjoy it.
(END SPOILERS--SAFE FOR ALL READERS) Director James Mangold has had a solid, busy career. Highlights of it include writing and directing "Copland" (1997), "Girl, Interrupted" (1999), "Walk the Line" (2005) and "Logan" (2017), and directing "3:10 to Yuma" (2007), "The Wolverine" (2013), and "Ford v Ferrari" (2019). He's also slated to direct the upcoming 5th Indiana Jones movie in 2022.
The cast of "Identity" includes a lot of recognizable names. Ed Dakota was played by John Cusack, arguably best known for roles in "Sixteen Candles" (1984), "The Sure Thing" (1985), "Better Off Dead" (1985), "Stand by Me" (1986), "One Crazy Summer" (1986), "Eight Men Out" (1988), "Say Anything" (1989), "The Grifters" (1990), "Bullets Over Broadway" (1994), "High Fidelity" (2000), and "1408" (2007). Samuel Rhodes was played by Ray Liotta, known for roles in "Field of Dreams" (1989), "Goodfellas" (1990), "Copland" (1997), "Hannibal" (2001), "Blow" (2001), "Narc" (2002), and "Smokin' Aces" (2006). Among Paris Nevada portrayer Amanda Peete's career highlights include "She's the One" (1996), "The Whole Nine Yards" (2000), "Changing Lanes" (2002), "Something's Gotta Give" (2003), "Syriana" (2005), "2012" (2009), and "Identity Thief" (2013). John Hawkes (Larry Washington) was in movies like "Freaked" (1993), "From Dusk til Dawn" (1996), "Rush Hour" (1998), "The Perfect Storm" (2000), "American Gangster" (2007), "Winter's Bone" (2010, for which he was nominated for the Best Supporting Actor Oscar), "Martha Marcy May Marlene" (2011), "Lincoln" (2012), and "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri" (2017). Clea DuVall (Ginny Virginia) was in such films as "Can't Hardly Wait" (1998), "But I'm a Cheerleader" (1999), "Girl, Interrupted" (1999), "21 Grams" (2003), "Zodiac" (2007), "Argo" (2012), and on the HBO series "Veep" from 2016-19. Caroline Suzanne was played by Rebecca De Mornay, remembered for roles in ""Risky Business" (1983), "Backdraft" (1991), "The Hand That Rocks the Cradle" (1992), "Lords of Dogstown" (2005), "Mother's Day" (2010), and "American Reunion" (2012). John C. McGinley (George York) was in such films as "Platoon" (1986), "Talk Radio" (1988), "Wall Street" (1987), "Born on the Fourth of July" (1989), "Point Break" (1991), "Seven" (1995), "Office Space" (1999), "42" (2013), "The Belko Experiment" (2016), and television's "Scrubs" (2001-10). Jake Busey (Robert Maine) appeared in movies like ""Straight Time" (1978), "The Frighteners" (1996), "Twister" (1996), "Starship Troopers" (1997), "The Predator" (2018), and the Netflix series "Stranger Things" (2019). Malcolm Rivers was played by Pruitt Taylor Vince, who was in such films as "Angel Heart" (1987), "Jacob's Ladder" (1990, see my post on April 4, 2020), "JFK" (1991), "Heavy" (1995), "Natural Born Killers" (1994), "The Cell" (2000), "Constantine" (2005), "Butter" (2011), and "The Devil's Candy" (2015). Alfred Molina's (Dr. Mallick) resume includes "Raiders of the Lost Ark" (1981), "Ladyhawke" (1985), "Not Without My Daughter" (1991), "Species" (1995), "Dead Man" (1995), "Boogie Nights" (1997), "Magnolia" (1999), "Spider Man 2" (2004), and "Frida" (2002). Finally, the small role of the district attorney was played by Marshall Bell, probably best known for appearing in "Birdy" (1984), "A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge" (1985), "Manhunter" (1986), "Stand by Me" (1986), "No Way Out" (1987), "Total Recall" (1990), "Natural Born Killers" (1994), "Starship Troopers" (1997), and "Capote" (2005).
Therefore, in summation, I think fans of intricate murder mysteries should give "Identity" a watch. It's nice and tense, and keeps you guessing until the end about exactly what's happening.
A late night hearing is held at a courthouse, concerning a convicted murderer, Malcolm Rivers, who's scheduled to be executed in mere hours. There is also a strange situation going on at an isolated shabby motel in the middle of the Nevada desert. Ten guests and the manager are trapped, as a torrential rainstorm has boxed them all in. One by one murders start happening, done by an unseen psychopath. As the night progresses the events become more and more unlikely--even impossible. What's the reason behind the murder spree, and how does Malcolm Rivers connect to this?
(SPOILERS AHEAD UNTIL MARKED) "Identity" opens on the tape recording of patient Malcolm Rivers, which psychiatrist Dr. Mallick is listening to. We learn about Malcolm's bad childhood, and prostitute mother. Newspaper clippings allude to a string of brutal murders. A judge is then called to an emergency hearing at the courthouse. Some suppressed evidence may forestall Rivers' scheduled execution, for the six murders he committed. The scene abruptly shifts to a run down motel. For the next portion of the film, the audience sees various events, and then flashbacks to how they occurred. Alice York is accidentally hit by a car during a rainstorm, driven by limo driver Ed, who's transporting washed up actress Caroline Suzanne. Alice's husband George and son Timmy take her to the nearby motel, which is run by manager Larry. Paris, a prostitute, discovers that the road east is blocked by a flooded stream. Ed tries to cross to get to the nearest hospital for help, but he's unsuccessful. Ed and Paris make it back to the motel in a car driven by newlyweds Ginny and Lou, who report that the road going west is blocked, too. All the phones, include people's cellphones, aren't working either. All the stranded people reluctantly rent rooms. Back at the courthouse, Dr. Mallick finds out that Malcolm Rivers is on his way.
Back at the motel another car pulls up. Inside is policeman Rhodes, accompanied by a prisoner, murderer Robert Maine. Rhodes requests a room at the motel, and tells Ed that his CB radio isn't functioning, either. Maine is handcuffed to a room's toilet for safekeeping. Ed manages to sew up Alice's severe neck wound using a needle and thread. The boy, Timmy, is revealed to be mute, traumatized by his biological father leaving years before. The audience sees that Rhode's shirt under his coat has an odd red stain on the back, and Larry seems to be sneaking around and hiding things. Caroline gets a weak signal on her cellphone. She wanders the motel grounds in the rain, trying to get a signal strong enough to call out. Suddenly she's attacked by someone.
Ed hears a noise, and investigates outside. After a search he finds Caroline's severed head in a laundry room dryer, accompanied by a hotel room key. Ed, Larry, and Rhodes discover that Maine has escaped, too. They round up all the other guests and tell them what's happening. While Ed, Rhodes, and Larry look for Maine, Lou and Ginny return to their room and have a heated argument. Ginny reveals that she's not pregnant, and locks herself in the bathroom. After Lou bangs on the door and yells repeatedly, he suddenly goes silent. Ginny slips out the window, and she and the others then find that Lou's been stabbed to death. Then we see Maine on the run. He heads for a distant set of buildings, and breaks into one. He's astounded to realize that he's somehow back at the motel. He's then recaptured, and Ed and Rhodes tie him up in the storeroom. Larry is assigned to guard him, and Maine mentions that he has a secret, and suspects that Larry does too.
Ed and Paris have a talk. He tells her that he left the police force after he was unable to talk a girl out of committing suicide. Bad headaches and blackouts resulted, causing him to become a limo driver. Another motel room key is found on Lou's body, and then Maine is discovered dead, with Larry's bat in his mouth. Larry denies killing Maine, but admits to stealing Caroline's wallet. During a scuffle Larry threatens Paris, and then the freezer comes open, revealing a frozen corpse. Larry tries to escape, but accidentally crashes his truck and kills George. Back at the courthouse Rivers' diary is examined, and shows different handwriting and tones. Rivers himself is brought in.
At the motel Larry claims he lost all his money gambling in Las Vegas, and then found the real motel manager dead. When no one came to claim the body he just put it in the freezer and started managing the motel. Ginny brings up the alleged Indian burial ground curse on the area, and also references the "10 Little Indians" story. The survivors try to establish a connection between all of them. Paris and Larry are both from the same county in Florida, and Paris has just bought a citrus grove there. Alice is discovered dead, and with the usual room key. Ed tells Ginny, Paris and Timmy to leave in a car, and just drive around. However, an explosion rocks the car. Ginny and Timmy are presumed dead, but no remains of their bodies are found. The survivors find that all of the previous bodies are gone now, too. And all the survivors, plus the deceased, have the same birthday.
Ed regains consciousness in the courthouse proceeding. After being questioned, Dr. Mallick reveals that "Ed" is only one of Rivers' split personalities. Malcolm developed them all after being neglected and abused as a child, and doesn't remember killing the six people. The motel events are Malcolm's personalities confronting each other, and "killing" each other off until only one remains. Back at the motel Paris learns that Rhodes is a convict too--he murdered the cop transporting he and Maine, and stole his identity. Rhodes kills Larry, and then he has a gunfight with the returned Ed. Both die. Paris leaves and goes to Florida, starting her citrus grove. At the courthouse the judge stays the execution, and Malcolm is sent to a mental hospital under Mallick's care. Malcolm is exhibiting the "Paris" personality. However, in his mind Paris is killed by the Timmy personality, who's revealed in flashbacks to have been responsible for all the personality "murders." In the real world, Malcolm/"Timmy" kills Dr. Mallick, and the transport van comes to a stop.
Let's discuss the biggest issue about "Identity" first, that of its main plot twist. Multiple Personality Disorder, now called Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID), is a very controversial topic in modern psychiatry. Many doctors question its main causes, and think that psychiatrists might actually start the other personalities using hypnotic suggestion (whether the doctors are aware of this or not). Some psychiatrists even think that DID isn't a real disorder, or at the very least it is not nearly as common as some would claim. For one example, some doctors think that Shirley Ardell Mason, known as "Sybil" in the famous book and movie about her case, might have not really had DID at all. Instead, they think that her doctor, Dr. Cornelia Wilbur, may have made up the claim, or at least wildly exaggerated it, for professional and financial gain. So, at worst "Identity" may be about something that's a myth, and at best it's about something that is at least implausible. Along these lines, DID is something that fiction writers love, because it's such a dramatic twist. So one could also argue that it's a cliche, being overdone in soap operas, other television programs, and countless movies. Probably the only psychiatric disorder more overly utilized in fiction is amnesia. (Although to the movie's credit, it does contain the root cause that most adherents say is the usual one--severe childhood abuse.)
So with this admitted, why do I still enjoy "Identity," and why am I writing about it in such a positive way? The short answer is that I don't care. Yes, it's unrealistic, and exaggerated, and possibly about something that doesn't even exist, but so what? I don't really believe in ghosts, demons, werewolves, vampires, or zombies, for example, but I love many books and movies that feature them. It's dressed up enough to seem somewhat scientific, so I can let it go, and suspend my disbelief. I get that some people can't get past this point, and I can respect their opinion. But clearly I was able to move past it and still enjoy the film.
Another common criticism of "Identity" is that it tips its hand too soon, and ruins the big plot twist. Which I also disagree with. We don't see "Ed" revealed as one of Malcolm's personalities until about 75% of the way through the film. And even after that revelation, there's still tension, as we want to see a "good" personality triumph. So we don't want to see Rhodes prevail and kill off Larry, Paris and Ed. Even though the separate personalities aren't really people we still know them a bit, and like some of them. Therefore, I think the film unfolded in the best way it could have. Some explanation for the bizarre-ness of the situation was needed.
Related to this is the frequent red herrings sprinkled throughout the movie, which I found effective. The biggest is Malcolm, of course--we know he's a prolific murderer, so initially we think the motel events are real, and it's a flashback showing Malcolm killing the people off one by one. But there are others, to keep the audience off balance and confused. The motel is allegedly built on a Native American tribe's burial ground, so at times it seems like supernatural creatures, perhaps vengeful ghosts, are behind the killings. And early on we think that Robert Maine is doing the murders, since he's done it before, and was on the loose when some of them took place. There's even a case to be made that Larry's the real killer--he acts suspiciously, hides things, and seems nervous in general. Eventually we discover it's because he's a petty thief, and took over the managing job under false pretenses, but before that he seems culpable. Especially when the frozen body of the real manager falls out of the freezer, and Maine is killed during a time when Larry was supposed to be watching him. The final red herring is Rhodes. There are clues that he's not legit--we briefly see the blood on his shirt, and he seems shifty and incompetent, and later in the film we learn that he's a murderer, too. There's even another subtle reveal as he dies. He says, "I didn't do this" to Ed as he expires, stating he's not the mystery killer of most of the "people" (personalities), aside from Larry and Ed, obviously. Finally, the motel keys are a nice tangible clue, too--they're found to be counting down the total number of personalities left, and they don't actually match the room the victim had rented out. So maybe I'm slow at picking up who the real killer is in murder mysteries, but I thought this all unfolded in a cool way, that kept me guessing until the end. The implausibility of certain details, or outright impossibilities, grow more significantly as the movie goes. Which makes sense for the story, since the motel events are only happening in Malcolm Rivers' mind.
I also found it kind of neat to go back later and figure out why Malcolm developed the different personalities that he did. Timmy being maladjusted and nearly mute because of his father's abandonment is surely based on the real Malcolm apparently not knowing his own real father, and the bad feelings this produced. The ludicrously focused and loving stepfather George is presumably the type of father Malcolm wished he had. And Alice York is similarly the type of stable and caring mother that Malcolm always wanted, instead of the real prostitute mother he did have, who was neglecting and probably abusive. Larry is probably based on the real life sleazy motel manager at the place Malcolm was "raised" in as a neglected child. Paris is clearly a version of Malcolm's real mother, only a better one. She's a hooker, but she's decent, and looking to switch careers and improve her life. Robert Maine and Rhodes are probably based on real life murderous convicts that Malcolm met in prison, and/or perhaps the way he acted as an actual prison inmate. Ed is the guy Malcolm most wants to be--a cool, smart, and resourceful cop. Who, realistically, suffers from PTSD and blackouts, like Malcolm really did. The remaining personalities are more difficult to figure out. Ginny lying to Lou about being pregnant is a type of thing that Malcolm might have done in real life in order to stop a lover from leaving. I can't really figure what Lou and especially Caroline come from--I suppose in Malcolm's diseased mind developing personalities is like eating potato chips--the more the better!
Some viewers might be disappointed by the violence in "Identity"--there's not a lot of blood, and most of the murders are done off screen, and we just see the result. But, I think the scenes still have decent tension behind them. And given the plot twist, it was really the only choice the filmmakers could do. Granted, it's not a typical horror slasher movie, so if you're looking for that you'll probably be frustrated. But those who like a strange and tense, slow burning mystery will probably enjoy it.
(END SPOILERS--SAFE FOR ALL READERS) Director James Mangold has had a solid, busy career. Highlights of it include writing and directing "Copland" (1997), "Girl, Interrupted" (1999), "Walk the Line" (2005) and "Logan" (2017), and directing "3:10 to Yuma" (2007), "The Wolverine" (2013), and "Ford v Ferrari" (2019). He's also slated to direct the upcoming 5th Indiana Jones movie in 2022.
The cast of "Identity" includes a lot of recognizable names. Ed Dakota was played by John Cusack, arguably best known for roles in "Sixteen Candles" (1984), "The Sure Thing" (1985), "Better Off Dead" (1985), "Stand by Me" (1986), "One Crazy Summer" (1986), "Eight Men Out" (1988), "Say Anything" (1989), "The Grifters" (1990), "Bullets Over Broadway" (1994), "High Fidelity" (2000), and "1408" (2007). Samuel Rhodes was played by Ray Liotta, known for roles in "Field of Dreams" (1989), "Goodfellas" (1990), "Copland" (1997), "Hannibal" (2001), "Blow" (2001), "Narc" (2002), and "Smokin' Aces" (2006). Among Paris Nevada portrayer Amanda Peete's career highlights include "She's the One" (1996), "The Whole Nine Yards" (2000), "Changing Lanes" (2002), "Something's Gotta Give" (2003), "Syriana" (2005), "2012" (2009), and "Identity Thief" (2013). John Hawkes (Larry Washington) was in movies like "Freaked" (1993), "From Dusk til Dawn" (1996), "Rush Hour" (1998), "The Perfect Storm" (2000), "American Gangster" (2007), "Winter's Bone" (2010, for which he was nominated for the Best Supporting Actor Oscar), "Martha Marcy May Marlene" (2011), "Lincoln" (2012), and "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri" (2017). Clea DuVall (Ginny Virginia) was in such films as "Can't Hardly Wait" (1998), "But I'm a Cheerleader" (1999), "Girl, Interrupted" (1999), "21 Grams" (2003), "Zodiac" (2007), "Argo" (2012), and on the HBO series "Veep" from 2016-19. Caroline Suzanne was played by Rebecca De Mornay, remembered for roles in ""Risky Business" (1983), "Backdraft" (1991), "The Hand That Rocks the Cradle" (1992), "Lords of Dogstown" (2005), "Mother's Day" (2010), and "American Reunion" (2012). John C. McGinley (George York) was in such films as "Platoon" (1986), "Talk Radio" (1988), "Wall Street" (1987), "Born on the Fourth of July" (1989), "Point Break" (1991), "Seven" (1995), "Office Space" (1999), "42" (2013), "The Belko Experiment" (2016), and television's "Scrubs" (2001-10). Jake Busey (Robert Maine) appeared in movies like ""Straight Time" (1978), "The Frighteners" (1996), "Twister" (1996), "Starship Troopers" (1997), "The Predator" (2018), and the Netflix series "Stranger Things" (2019). Malcolm Rivers was played by Pruitt Taylor Vince, who was in such films as "Angel Heart" (1987), "Jacob's Ladder" (1990, see my post on April 4, 2020), "JFK" (1991), "Heavy" (1995), "Natural Born Killers" (1994), "The Cell" (2000), "Constantine" (2005), "Butter" (2011), and "The Devil's Candy" (2015). Alfred Molina's (Dr. Mallick) resume includes "Raiders of the Lost Ark" (1981), "Ladyhawke" (1985), "Not Without My Daughter" (1991), "Species" (1995), "Dead Man" (1995), "Boogie Nights" (1997), "Magnolia" (1999), "Spider Man 2" (2004), and "Frida" (2002). Finally, the small role of the district attorney was played by Marshall Bell, probably best known for appearing in "Birdy" (1984), "A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge" (1985), "Manhunter" (1986), "Stand by Me" (1986), "No Way Out" (1987), "Total Recall" (1990), "Natural Born Killers" (1994), "Starship Troopers" (1997), and "Capote" (2005).
Therefore, in summation, I think fans of intricate murder mysteries should give "Identity" a watch. It's nice and tense, and keeps you guessing until the end about exactly what's happening.
Saturday, July 4, 2020
Exotic/Disgusting Foods and Beverages Forum--Borscht
Borscht is one of those foods that I've heard of since I was a kid, but never had. In fact, before this event, if you had asked me what exactly it was, I'd have probably guessed it was some kind of stew. But now I'm a bit more educated about it. The example I bought was Gold's classic borscht, which came in a large jar.
Let's start with the name. It's thought that it comes from a proto-Slavic word for hogweed, "bursci." But this then inspired the Yiddish word "borscht," which is how English speakers usually refer to it. Other spelling renditions include borsch, borsht, and bortsch. Okay, now we know the name--when was it invented? Alas, there's no clear answer to this. Supposedly the earliest mention in history was in a 16th century Russian compendium, entitled "Domostroy" ("domestic order.") But clearly it was developed long before that time. Location-wise, it's very common in Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. As to how it's made, and with what ingredients, the answer to these is "many ways," and "just about anything," respectively. The original way, like the name suggests, was a soup made from the hogeweed plant. However, cooks took the ball and ran with it. There's a rye, wheat, or cornmeal variety, which is a white color. A kind made from sorrel, spinach, collard greens, dandelions, or other greens results in a borscht with a greenish hue. But by far the most popular, and famous type is made with a beet base, which obviously results in a reddish dish. This scarlet soup is credited to the Ukrainians, and is what most people think of as borscht. All of these borschts usually have other other ingredients, not shockingly, and these can be many things. Cabbage, carrots, sour cream, onions, potatoes, tomatoes, beef, pork, lamb, fish, marrow, etc., etc. Essentially, pick a thing, and as long as it's not something ridiculous, like M & M's or dirt, and chances are good that someone puts it in their style of borscht. Cooking methods also vary, although slow cooking seems to be the most frequent way. Furthermore, it's eaten both hot, and cold (usually this way in the summer). Some even consume it as a thick beverage.
As far as my home goes, borscht in the U.S. was mainly introduced by Eastern European Jews and Mennonites, and usually the Ukrainian beet-based style. Some Americans, and some foreigners, may have heard of the "Borscht Belt." This is based on something that is depressing, but turned into something positive in the end. Antisemitism meant that Jews in the Northeast were often barred from popular resorts and hotels. So they started their own, located mostly in the Catskill Mountains in New York state. Entertaining at these resorts were various comics (many of whom were Jewish as well), some of whom went on to become famous and successful across the country, or even the world. Some of these were Milton Berle, Mel Brooks, George Burns, Lenny Bruce, Rodney Dangerfield, Phyllis Diller, Buddy Hackett, Jerry Lewis, Jackie Mason, Don Rickles, Henny Youngman, Joan Rivers, and Carl Reiner (who just passed away--RIP). The heyday of these resorts was the 1920's through the 1960's. So Borscht Belt can refer to the area, or the style of comedy that developed there.
Gold's, or to use their full moniker, Gold's Pure Food Products Company, Inc., was started by Tillie and Hyman Gold in Brooklyn, NY back in 1932. At that time most delis made their own horseradish, which was rather tedious and time consuming to do. Gold's marketed their own, and the business was soon a hit. Currently, aside from their flagship horseradish, they also sell mustards, sauces, various kinds of borscht, Fox's syrups, and schav (see my post on March 28, 2015). Gold's exports to Australia, Israel, Russia, Brazil, South Africa, and England. They also make and distribute Nathan's Famous condiments. Nathan's is famous (or infamous, depending on how you feel about it) for their annual hot dog eating contest. Which, by coincidence, is happening today, although not in front of a crowd due to the pandemic. If you're curious, Joey Chestnut is the reigning male champ, and also holds the record for most hot dogs and buns eaten in 10 minutes--74! Miko Sudo is the reigning women's champ, and has the record high of 41. Gold's sold its controlling interest to the La Salle capital investment firm in 2015, for those into business minutia. Finally, Guinness doesn't seem to keep a record listing for this, but allegedly Gold's at one time had the biggest root cellar in the world.
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Gold's Pure Food Products Company, Inc., classic borscht: This came in a 24 ounce (680.4 gram) jar. The ingredients were simple--water, beets, sugar, salt, and citric acid. The color of it was obviously an intense purplish red, from the beets. The borscht itself was thin--mostly liquid, with finely minced up pieces of beet. I should note that I'm not usually a fan of beets. I can stomach eggs pickled in beet juice, but that's typically it. Therefore, I was quite surprised that I rather liked this borscht. The sour tangyness was pleasant. I didn't love it, but I did think it was decent. So now there are two soups I like--this and gazpacho (see June 23, 2018 post). I should note that I had it at room temperature, and then chilled. So I haven't changed enough to like hot soups. Moreover, I'm certainly aware that this borscht was no frills, and a basic, minimal take on the soup. But I would be willing to try more elaborate beet kinds, or even the green and white sorts. But only served cold!
One final note--if anyone's thinking of making their own, original gangster type of borscht, using hogweed as the base, be very careful. Many of the plants that closely resemble hogweed are poisonous. I'm familiar with the giant hogweed variant, from my years of field archaeology. That kind is also partially edible, but if the right parts of the plant are picked, or not properly processed, they can cause awful, photosensitive chemical burns. Check out the results on Google Images, if you want to be horrified! And the thought of those burning sores in your mouth and esophagus is nightmarish.
Let's start with the name. It's thought that it comes from a proto-Slavic word for hogweed, "bursci." But this then inspired the Yiddish word "borscht," which is how English speakers usually refer to it. Other spelling renditions include borsch, borsht, and bortsch. Okay, now we know the name--when was it invented? Alas, there's no clear answer to this. Supposedly the earliest mention in history was in a 16th century Russian compendium, entitled "Domostroy" ("domestic order.") But clearly it was developed long before that time. Location-wise, it's very common in Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. As to how it's made, and with what ingredients, the answer to these is "many ways," and "just about anything," respectively. The original way, like the name suggests, was a soup made from the hogeweed plant. However, cooks took the ball and ran with it. There's a rye, wheat, or cornmeal variety, which is a white color. A kind made from sorrel, spinach, collard greens, dandelions, or other greens results in a borscht with a greenish hue. But by far the most popular, and famous type is made with a beet base, which obviously results in a reddish dish. This scarlet soup is credited to the Ukrainians, and is what most people think of as borscht. All of these borschts usually have other other ingredients, not shockingly, and these can be many things. Cabbage, carrots, sour cream, onions, potatoes, tomatoes, beef, pork, lamb, fish, marrow, etc., etc. Essentially, pick a thing, and as long as it's not something ridiculous, like M & M's or dirt, and chances are good that someone puts it in their style of borscht. Cooking methods also vary, although slow cooking seems to be the most frequent way. Furthermore, it's eaten both hot, and cold (usually this way in the summer). Some even consume it as a thick beverage.
As far as my home goes, borscht in the U.S. was mainly introduced by Eastern European Jews and Mennonites, and usually the Ukrainian beet-based style. Some Americans, and some foreigners, may have heard of the "Borscht Belt." This is based on something that is depressing, but turned into something positive in the end. Antisemitism meant that Jews in the Northeast were often barred from popular resorts and hotels. So they started their own, located mostly in the Catskill Mountains in New York state. Entertaining at these resorts were various comics (many of whom were Jewish as well), some of whom went on to become famous and successful across the country, or even the world. Some of these were Milton Berle, Mel Brooks, George Burns, Lenny Bruce, Rodney Dangerfield, Phyllis Diller, Buddy Hackett, Jerry Lewis, Jackie Mason, Don Rickles, Henny Youngman, Joan Rivers, and Carl Reiner (who just passed away--RIP). The heyday of these resorts was the 1920's through the 1960's. So Borscht Belt can refer to the area, or the style of comedy that developed there.
Gold's, or to use their full moniker, Gold's Pure Food Products Company, Inc., was started by Tillie and Hyman Gold in Brooklyn, NY back in 1932. At that time most delis made their own horseradish, which was rather tedious and time consuming to do. Gold's marketed their own, and the business was soon a hit. Currently, aside from their flagship horseradish, they also sell mustards, sauces, various kinds of borscht, Fox's syrups, and schav (see my post on March 28, 2015). Gold's exports to Australia, Israel, Russia, Brazil, South Africa, and England. They also make and distribute Nathan's Famous condiments. Nathan's is famous (or infamous, depending on how you feel about it) for their annual hot dog eating contest. Which, by coincidence, is happening today, although not in front of a crowd due to the pandemic. If you're curious, Joey Chestnut is the reigning male champ, and also holds the record for most hot dogs and buns eaten in 10 minutes--74! Miko Sudo is the reigning women's champ, and has the record high of 41. Gold's sold its controlling interest to the La Salle capital investment firm in 2015, for those into business minutia. Finally, Guinness doesn't seem to keep a record listing for this, but allegedly Gold's at one time had the biggest root cellar in the world.
\
Gold's Pure Food Products Company, Inc., classic borscht: This came in a 24 ounce (680.4 gram) jar. The ingredients were simple--water, beets, sugar, salt, and citric acid. The color of it was obviously an intense purplish red, from the beets. The borscht itself was thin--mostly liquid, with finely minced up pieces of beet. I should note that I'm not usually a fan of beets. I can stomach eggs pickled in beet juice, but that's typically it. Therefore, I was quite surprised that I rather liked this borscht. The sour tangyness was pleasant. I didn't love it, but I did think it was decent. So now there are two soups I like--this and gazpacho (see June 23, 2018 post). I should note that I had it at room temperature, and then chilled. So I haven't changed enough to like hot soups. Moreover, I'm certainly aware that this borscht was no frills, and a basic, minimal take on the soup. But I would be willing to try more elaborate beet kinds, or even the green and white sorts. But only served cold!
One final note--if anyone's thinking of making their own, original gangster type of borscht, using hogweed as the base, be very careful. Many of the plants that closely resemble hogweed are poisonous. I'm familiar with the giant hogweed variant, from my years of field archaeology. That kind is also partially edible, but if the right parts of the plant are picked, or not properly processed, they can cause awful, photosensitive chemical burns. Check out the results on Google Images, if you want to be horrified! And the thought of those burning sores in your mouth and esophagus is nightmarish.
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