Way back in 1985, the Hanshin Tigers of Osaka won the Japan Central League title, after a lapse of 21 years. Their overjoyed fans took to the streets in celebration and happened upon a staue of KFC founder Colonel Harlan Sanders. Deciding that it bore a strong resemblance to Hanshin Tigers slugger, Randy Bass, they tore the [...]
Archive for the ‘Asia’ Category
The Hanshin Tigers and the Curse of Colonel Sanders
Posted in Asia, Humor, Random, Sports on March 16, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
“Living Long, Living Good”
Posted in Asia, Life, People, Thoughts on March 10, 2009 | 3 Comments »
About 25 years ago, an elderly gentleman came to my office to ask why his product was no longer on our approved list. When he handed me his business card, I noticed that his name ( Kellogg) was the same as that of the manufacturer of the product.When I remarked upon the “coincidence”, he replied [...]
Cricket : The Fallout from Lahore
Posted in Asia, Cricket, Uncategorized on March 6, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
For any right thinking person , the first two reactions to the terrorist attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore are relief and sorrow. Relief that the cricketers themselves came through almost unscathed. (It could have been much , much worse. ) Sorrow that eight Pakistani police personnel lost their lives in the [...]
Eating My Way Through India– Part I
Posted in Asia, Culture, Food on February 15, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
No, I did not embark on an eating tour of India. That would have taken months, if not years. We were on a three week trip to India primarily to attend my nephew’s marriage in Mumbai and to visit our daughter who is just finishing up a posting in Delhi. In the course of our [...]
Blood Type and Character Traits
Posted in Asia, Culture, Life on February 4, 2009 | 1 Comment »
Yesterday’s newspaper carried an item about the Japanese belief that blood type and personality are linked. In Japan, it’s perfectly normal to ask “What’s your blood type?” in the course of a conversation, just as here we might ask ” What’s your ( zodiac) sign?” Until recently, job applicants in Japan were asked for their [...]
Ancestor Veneration : Remembering those who are gone
Posted in Asia, Culture, Life, Thoughts on December 11, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
Back in January, my wife and I were visiting one of her uncles , a gentleman of advanced years,who was not keeping well. We had a good visit and as we were saying our goodbyes, he caught hold of her hand and said ” You won’t forget me when I’m gone, will you ?” We [...]
A Book About China That You Will Really Savor
Posted in Asia, Food, Life, Travel on October 20, 2008 | 1 Comment »
The book is Serve the People and it is sub-titled A Stir Fried Journey Through China but neither of these does it full justice. It is about Chinese food and cooking but it’s also a travel book that offers fascinating glimpses of life in China AND it contains recipes. It succeeds at many levels and [...]
Seven Samurai : Simply Magnificent
Posted in Asia, Culture, Movies on September 1, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
When I saw ” The Magnificent Seven” more than forty years ago, I had no idea that it was the Americanized version of the Japanese classic ” Seven Samurai”. All I knew was that I loved it . The All Star cast ( Yul Brynner, Steve McQueen, Charles Bronson, James Coburn, Robert Vaughan, Eli Wallach [...]
Kurosawa’s “Kagemusha” : Disappointing
Posted in Asia, Culture, Movies, Observations on August 31, 2008 | 2 Comments »
After having enjoyed two of Akira Kurosawa’s previous films , Redbeard and The Seven Samurai, I was so looking forward to viewing Kagemusha. Not only was it in color but it had been shot on a much larger budget and had shared the Palme d’Or at the Cannes film Festival in 1980. Besides, it was reputedly [...]
Sansho the Bailiff : the 250th Best Movie of All Time ?
Posted in Asia, Culture on July 18, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
Sansho the Bailiff won the Golden LIon Award in Venice in 1954 and is considered among the finest works of Japanese director, Kenji Mizoguchi. It also appears among the All-time Best Movie lists.
Is it really that good?
Sansho Dayu, or Sansho the Bailiff is a jidai geki or historical film set in the Heian period of [...]
