Safi Thomas, the Artistic Director of HDC along with Yvonne Chow, Curator of Works and the ENTIRE Hip-Hop Dance Conservatory FAMILY (The Hip-Hop Dance Conservatory Repertory Company, BLADE Entertainment, the BLADE Academy, HDC Summer Intensive Class of 2010, etc.,) just turned it out and again…and again…and again…and again.
They did not just give us Hip-Hop Dance, they put it in our face; did not just feed us Hip-Hop Dance, but crammed it down our throats; did not just ask us to observe Hip-Hop Dancce, but demanded to be seen & heard; did not just entertain us with Hip-Hop Dance, but excited, offended, endeared, angered, elated, saddened, and overjoyed us.
They had all genres of Hip-Hop Dance – Breakin’, Poppin’, Lockin’, Boogaloo, and Social Dance among others foundations that I am not educated enough to explain…but what I saw was astonishing, mesmerizing, and amazing! It did NOT make me think about Hip-Hop Dance – but it gave me an emotion, a strong reaction, a feeling, a deep-rooted experience about Hip-Hop through Hip-Hop Dance. I guess I “did” thinkabout it too, after all, isn’t that what a “feeling” is – an emotional reaction to critical thinking? I was just blown away from the moment the lights flooded the dark theater and everywhere I turned – stage left, stage right, up stage, down stage, and every space in between on the stage was just a “story” or an adventure of Hip-Hop in the form of DANCE.
During intermission, I heard someone near me say, “This is great, like watching a ballet.” I snickered to myself, “Why is ballet the epitome of dance?” but outwardly told her ”NO…this is beyond great, like watching Hip-Hop!!” She nodded that she understood as well as acknowledged her error. I quickly turned to look around – I knew if the great Safi Thomas would have been in earshot he would have had a gracious ”moment” with this guest.
Photo courtesy of Resident Photographer, Ana Kuzmina - AK47 Division@2010 for HDCRC
The genius of Safi Thomas had no qualms to let us know that this is REAL Hip-Hop Dance – whether we passionately love it or hold it in disdain… it IS what it IS.
“If we didn’t offend you, that just means we have to try harder next time!” – Safi A. Thomas, Artistic Director of HDC
If you have missed this event, which I can best describe as a Hip-Hop Sensory Overload for your Mind, Body, and Soul, then you should know that Safi Thomas has leaked his next Hip-Hip venture and Dream Sequence – BLACK BARBIE!
The Hip-Hop Dance Conservatory is throwing the biggest NIGHT of Hip-Hop in NYC with an EVENT to remember on Saturday, August 28th, 2010. Do NOT miss this one…
This Hip-Hop Dance Evening (a matinee is also available for you early birds) will be filled with a performance after performance after performance after performance. It really is a “collection” of high-end ART as seen in a museum, but minus the boredom of course. You won’t get to only see ART/DANCE, you’ll get to experience Hip Hop!! When you see what The Hip-Hop Dance Conservatory Repertory Company (HDCRC) has lined up (along with Sister company, BLADE Dance Entertainment), you are going to thank your lucky stars that you still have an opportunity to purchase a ticket (but don’t dilly-dally, tickets are going fast!) Click this LINK for these must-have tickets!!
Here’s what awaits us on August 28th…
HDCRC and the HDC Summer Intensive Class of 2010 are to perform renowned Artistic Director Safi A. Thomas’s premier piece, “The Life and Death of Hip-Hop” (2007), a parody and social commentary on the current state of our Hip-Hop culture.
HDCRC will present the newest and most anticipated work, “CHURCH: A Cultural Orgasm” (2010), “My Ghetto Pop Life: A Dream Sequence” (2008) as well as “HATE: A Wake-Up Call” (2010). HDCRC is also proud to present Guest Choreographer Jayson “Mighty Mouse” Vasquez’s “Woman: Hood Savior”.
Sister company, BLADE Dance Entertainment (BDE), will present their newest work “Obfuscation Deferred” (2010) and BDE’s youth division, The BLADE Dance Preparatory School of NY will present “Bass (It Does a Body Good)” (2010).
Like I mentioned on FaceBook, “All this Hip-Hop for less than the price of a night out at the movies?” A definite no-brainer…tell them H. Luiz sent you (and YES, I will be there!!) so that they know I am a True-Blue Supporter of the ONLY Hip-Hop Dance Conservatory on a planet known as Earth.
The In-Demand Performances will have two showings. There’s a beautiful, stellar Matinee from 12:00pm-3:00pm (doors open at 11:30am) inexpensively priced at just $20 and you’ll witness the same Mega Hip-Hop Performances as the Evening show. However, the Evening Performance from 5:30pm to 10:30pm is priced at just $30, but let me tell you what you “really” get for this low price:
From 5:30pm to 6:30pm you will attend the Reception Dinner where you get to meet and greet the Artistic Director, Safi A. Thomas, and the Curator of Works, Yvonne H. Chow. You will also get to meet and greet the cast from HDCRC, the HDC Summer Intensive Class of 2010, and sister company BLADE Dance Entertainment (BDE), as well as BDE’s youth division, The BLADE Dance Preparatory School of NY.
Doors will open at 6:30pm where we will settle-in for an Evening of Hip-Hop Dance. Afterall, there are about SEVEN performances (last time I counted) so you want to make sure you get there on time, get comfortable, and get ready for an experience none of us are sure to forget. This will also be a good time to turn off all mobile devices, pagers, beepers, and anything else that makes noise – don’t want to disturb your neighbor and/or the performance, now would you?
At 7:00pm, the Repertory Exhibition will begin, take us on a journey, mesmerize us, then fill our souls with a new-found love of the Hip-Hop Dance Art-form by 10pm.
From 10:00pm to 10:30pm, they will close-out our Summer with the HDC Summer Intensive Class of 2010 Commencement. Now I have to ask you, “Where in the world are you going to get all of this Hip-Hop ENTERTAINMENT and INTERACTION (plus dinner) for just $30.00??” Click this LINK for these must-have tickets!!
More from the Hip-Hop Dance Conservatory Repertory Company (HDCRC)…
“The repertory of works is set to challenge society’s current perceptions and oft naively conceived notions of what a Hip-Hop dance performance should be. Hip-Hop dance is presented through the lens of carefully scripted themes and motifs and pays homage to underground Hip-Hop artists as well as other musical genres. Artistic Director Safi A. Thomas’ uniquely riveting works are therefore guaranteed to incite discourse and garner a reverence for the art form.”
Don’t forget: Saturday, August 28th, 2010 @ 5:30pm (matineee @ 11:30am) but I suggest you purchase your tickets online – HDCRC performances sell out! The venue is at The Theater at Dance New Amsterdam, 280 Broadway (entrance on Chambers) 2nd Floor New York, NY 10007. Click this LINK for these must-have tickets!!
Be sure to say hello if you see me, I’ll be the tall bald guy with the blazer – I’m sure we’ll all have a GREAT time!! Subscribe to H. Luiz Presents…
Did you all see Clean House’s Yard-Sale Diva, Trish Suhr, get married on Style Network’s “Marry Me in Mexico: Trish’s Dream Wedding”? Although it aired on August 4th, Trish Suhr married super-cute Dave McCoul on May 15th, 2010 in My Favorite Vacation Spot – Cancun, Mexico!
I have read that Trish Suhr…uhm, I have heard that…well, I was told…okay, okay – I saw the show shhhhh! I saw the show where new-bride Trish Suhr “trashed” her dress by taking pictures in the waters of Mexico – it was BEAUTIFUL! (The photographers of del Sol Photography did an amazing job…more on them later!!)
There was a sexy scene where Pretty Girl Trish and Too Cute Dave were being photographed near the cave walls while the cool waters of Mexico gleamed off of them…so sultry!
I also liked the shots of them on the rocks with the cave walls as a backdrop to that beautifully white wedding dress (and white suit.) The photographers of del Sol Photography took wedding photos that truly were a once in a lifetime experience.
The photographs of Trish Suhr and Dave McCoul underwater were magical, almost dream-like and fantastical. You can feel the quiet peace, heartfelt love, and beautiful serenity come through the lens. The stillness is captured under that crystal-clear water, giving the happy couple a world of love onto their own.
Like Mrs. Trish Suhr McCoul had said on Marry Me in Mexico: Trish’s Dream Wedding,“…When am I going to ever wear this dress again?” She’s absolutely right, in fact, she has seen more than her share of wedding dresses taking up space (and taking up “emotional” space as well after a divorce) to know that you should get some use of it AFTER the wedding. It’s the Modern Woman’s version of what to do with a wedding dress as oppose to keeping it in a trunk for decades and decades. The new modern girl does not want to get married in their mother’s traditional dress anyway (all that taffeta, big poofs, and vintage lace), and they know by their own experiences that their daughters probably won’t wear their dresses either.
This trend, “Trashing the Dress” is not new, but it is growing in popularity among Brides. Here are some other ideas…
Take the material(s) from your wedding dress and have a Christening and or Communion Gown(s) made for your 1st child and then your subsequent children if any. It would make the day extra special!
Another idea is to make small pillow cases out of the wedding dress material(s) and make sweet little pillows for your mother, mother-in-law, grandmothers and grandmothers-in-law. These grandladies would love this sweet memento. Make one for yourself and keep it in your keepsake china-cabinet (Hispanic and Italian women – this means you) along with your special wedding champagne glasses, silver cake-cutter, invitation, and small wedding favors you have had on your special day. Don’t stop there – if you have a really sweet Grandmother (or Mother), ask her if you can make sweet little pillows out of her wedding gown (she probably hasn’t even seen it in 50 years) to give to the entire family as a beautiful one-of-a-kind gift that you just cannot buy anywhere. These pillows can turn into family heirlooms!
I heard of Brides cutting square out of their wedding dresses and making special quilts out of them, then they have a beautiful blanket to bring home “baby” in from the hospital. This could also start a keepsake tradition for your family.
Some ladies keep their beautiful but simple gowns and wear them on their anniversary (wow, talking about pressures of staying fit after marriage) either at an anniversary party they throw together, or out to dinner with their husbands, or just to take a photograph to “prove” that they can still fit the dress. How about making a “Teddy” out of it or a negligee and wear it on your Wedding Anniversary to get the romance started!!
You can donate your wedding dress to someone less fortunate than you but still deserves a beautiful gown on her special day – you can make that happen by donating to charities such as Brides Against Breast Cancer http://www.bridesagainstbreastcancer.org/
I still think that the BEST idea is trashing the dress: Take pictures in a tree, on a farm, on beaches and muddy parks. How about in torrential rain – what fabulous photos would that produce???
So what exactly is (or shall I say, who are?) del Sol Photography? Well, these visionaries are as unique as their photographs – Matt Adcock and Sol Tamargo. This extraordinary couple met, married, and started a company that has made last year’s Top Ten list for2009American Photo Magazine:
Click on their link for Contact Information, Galleries, Videos, Behind-the-Scenes, and their BLOG. Please know that they do more than just Wedding Days and Trash the Dress events. Tell their Studio Manager, Melissa Mercado that H. Luiz sent you… http://www.delsolphotography.com/blog
1) “The White House,” a name we know today for 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington D.C., was known throughout history as the “Executive Mansion,” “President’s Palace,” and the “President’s House.” Former President Theodore Roosevelt officially gave the White House its current name way back in 1901. The White House is also known as “The People’s House” since it is the only Head of State Private residence that is opened to the public – our house, the People’s House.
2) Our First President, George Washington, is the only one who has NEVER lived in the White House (it was still under construction.)
3) The White House has two other Twin Sisters – one in France and one in Ireland. The replicas are tourists’ attractions (there are a few “replicas” in the United States as well, but they are much smaller in size.)
4) The first child born at the White House was the grandson of President Thomas Jefferson. The second child born there was his property – the black baby of Jefferson’s two slaves (slaves were housed in the basement, now known as the “Ground Floor,”)
5) Until the Civil War, the White House was the largest property home in the United States.
6) Millie, the White House dog, earned more than 4 times as much as President George Bush in 1991. Millie’s Book, humorous photographs of the Presidential dog, has earned $889,176.00 in book royalties. WOW! Barbara Bush later donated the money to her literacy fund – the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy.
7) I wrote this on my FaceBook Wall and I still can’t believe it: the President and his family are charged for “every” meal and other incidentals, such as toiletries and dry cleaning. They have chef staff as well and so they are charged for “Chef Services” as well.
8 ) There has NEVER been a computer in the Oval Office, could you believe that? President Obama claims that he is going to bring the Oval Office “online” during his term.
Some of us parents will be overjoyed and elated so sad to see our mooching little no good brats kids go back to school in about a month. We’ll abandon leave them in someone else’s filthy caring hands from 8 to 3pm Monday through Friday. But, what about the mooching little no good brats kids? How do they feel about it?
Some kids may be filled with anxiety – are they going to get those grades Moms & Dads expect; has their acne cleared up; are their new clothes going to be cool enough; is the summer really over already? So many BIG little things for them to get all worried about, but you can help ease that anxiety…with these tips:
First, find out exactly what they are worried about – is it new situations, social anxiety, test anxiety, peer pressure, being bullied? Some kids, whether they feel anxious or not, just may not express to you that he or she may be uncomfortable. It’s up to you to talk to them. Never accept an “I don’t know” response when you ask, “So, how do you truly feel about returning to school?” Talk it out and organize a plan on how to handle situations that may arise – role play if you have to (believe it or not, this helps!) Do not dismiss ANY concerns with statements like “Don’t worry” and “You’ll be fine.”
Start the child’s back to school routine. For instance, if your child has a no “sleep-curfew” in the summer time, then be sure to start AT LEAST 1 week before the official “back to school” date to start going to bed at around the same sleep curfew as a school night. Also for AT LEAST a week beforehand, have your child start waking up around the same time he/she would on school days. This will help them transition from SUMMER mode to BACK TO SCHOOL mode (there’s nothing worse than students yawning and/or falling asleep during the first week of school, when they should be the most attentive, especially since teachers are explaining to them what’s to be expected for the school year.) Resist the bad habit of letting your child sleep past 9 hours – if your child goes to bed at 1am (summer or not) then he/she should be up by 9-10am. Also, resist the very bad habit of letting a child go to bed as LATE as they want, because it’s the last summer NIGHT before the school year starts.
Start planning a schedule – is your child on sports teams, cheer-leading, or other after-school activities? If so, what time are they expected to be home for family dinners? See how long it takes for your child to get dressed in the morning – 10 minutes, 20, an hour? Maybe if they pick out their clothes the night before, it’ll shave off 10-15 minutes off their time (and NO TV while getting dressed.) Breakfast is a must! Be sure that your child eats something and that it is NOT too heavy nor too sugary (set a time-zone as to when your child should be eating, include brushing teeth afterwards in the time frame.) How long does it take for your child to get to school – 15 minutes, 30 minutes, more? What time does he or she have to leave the house in order to leave for school ON TIME (incorporate 10 minutes for incidentals – one late bus or congested traffic can make a child tardy for school.) Don’t forget to setup Homework and Study zones (one hour, two?) and don’t forget to turn off TVs, mobile phones, and too loud music during this zone.
I always tell my child, “If you ‘plan,’ you do not have to rush!”
Some children do not see their school friends throughout the summer, so why not have them over for a BBQ or and afternoon for lunch? They can get re-aquainted and talk about their up-coming classes. If you start this Tradition early enough, your child and their “school” friends will look forward to the “day” and keep the “Back to School Blues” away (…hey, that rhymed jajajajajajaja!)
If you have any stress-free tips to beat the” Back to School Blues,” please share them with us in the comments section and don’t forget toSubscribe to H. Luiz Presents…
1) Brown bag your lunch (The average lunch in NYC is around $9…that’s $180.00 a month you’ll save right there.)
2) Drink the company’s free spring water, that’s why it’s there ( Average price of bottled water in NYC is $2, same for coffee – Starbucks: around 4 bucks.)
3) Pull all plugs from everything in your home – coffee maker, AC, chargers, lamps, stereos, TV’s, computers, etc. (We do this and saw a huge difference in out PSE&G bill – cut a full third off – about $30 dollars. We also put in those “green” energy reducing bulbs and find that they really work.)
4) Do not go crazy buying expensive gifts, if any, at the holidays and birthdays (We buy baking ingredients – about $40 – and make home-made Baked Goods for Christmas gift-giving for about 12 relatives/friends. That’s like $3.33 a person. A few favorites are “A-Lotti-Biscotti,” “Gourmet Crisp Treats,” “Outrageous Brownies.” and “Organic Coconut Macaroons.”)
5) If you rarely use a landline, get rid of it or reduce the cost. (We just reduced our landline Long Distance Feature. We call NY and Florida and use our free weekend minutes on our mobile phones for it anyway, so why pay the extra $29.95? We’ll save $360.00 a year!)
6) For those paying for water, take showers – not baths. You can also install a shower head SAVER (you’ll use less water for your showers.)
7) Cook all your meals – do not eat out. (Average cost of a meal for 4 in NYC is about $120.00 – dessert not included. However, you can buy groceries and make 25 meals, including dessert for the same amount.)
8 ) If every room has a TV and each TV has Cable Premium Channels, then cut the Premium Cable on all TVs, except the Family TV. If you find that you are not really using Pemium Channels, then why pay for it at all? (We figured out that we watch Movies, Specials, and general tv programs in the living room anyway, so why pay an extra $30.00 a month on Premium Service on 2 bedroom TVs?)
9) Still want to entertain? Have a pot-luck party, tasting party or a cocktail party…better yet, do a Brunch. (These kinds of parties have more “work” involved, but are less expensive than a full blown dinner party for eight.)
10) Swap magazines, books, and DVDs with friends instead of buying new ones. You can even make a “club” out of it by emailing each other what you have and what you may want to borrow. (I hate it when I find out a friend and I are reading the same book, or bought the same music or movie. We could have swapped and saved.)
Happy Savings!!! (Got a money-saving tip? Please share via comments)
Here’s a new Animated Episode of “On the Air with H. Luiz” and if you truly enjoy it, please tell your friends and don’t forget toSUBSCRIBE to H. Luiz Presents.
He’s the “other” silverfox broacaster and no-offense Anderson Cooper (we love you too) but this one has won SEVEN Emmy awards for the work he’s done in his wonderful career!
Jorge Ramos is an American immigrant. He was born in Mexico City on March 16, 1958 and he came to the United States as a student in 1983. In November 1986, at age 28, he became one of the youngest national news anchors in the history of American television. Since then, he has been called “the voice of the voiceless” for other immigrants like himself.
Our Hermano, Jorge Ramos holds a degree in communication at the Ibero-American University in México City and has a Master’s degree in International Studies from the University of Miami. The University of Richmond gave him an honorary degree of Doctor of Letters in 2007.
Jorge Ramos is Hispanic TV’s No. 1 correspondent and was included in Time magazine’s list of “the 25 most influential Hispanics in the United States”. (People magazine also agrees.) He is a Pillar in Latin Communities and an established journalist in the Latin-American countries.
Since 1986, Jorge Ramos has been the anchorman for Noticiero Univision while hosting “Al Punto”, Univision’s weekly public affairs program offering in- depth analysis of the week’s top-stories and exclusive interviews with newsmakers.
Jorge Ramos is better known in Miami, Los Angeles and Houston, but he SHOULD be know to all of us in EVERY City (Hispanic or not.) His newscast consistently beats out all the other networks for the top ratings. (More than 2 million people tune in daily to his newscast and almost a million to his Sunday morning political show (according to the Nielsen Company.)
Ramos is one of the most respected journalists among the 50 million Hispanics in the United States and in the 13 Latin American countries where his newscast is seen every night. He has covered five wars (El Salvador, the Persian Gulf, Kosovo, Afghanistan
and Iraq) and has been a witness to some of the most important news stories of the last two decades, including the fall of the Berlin Wall, the disintegration of the former Soviet Union, 9/11 and the catastrophe of hurricane Katrina. Currently, he is THEE voice in the Latin American community in the United States in regards to making IMMIGRATION REFORM a priority with our President, Barack Obama.
Among his many prestigious awards, Jorge Ramos was honored in 2002 with the “Ruben Salazar”award by the National Council of La Raza for his positive portrayal of Latinos. In 2008 The Commonwealth Club of California recognized him with the Distinguished Citizen Award for being one of the outstanding individuals who embody the American Dream as an immigrant to the United States.
He is the author of ten books and bestsellers: “Behind the Mask”, “What I Saw”, “The Other Face of America”, “Hunting the Lion”, his autobiography “No Borders: a Journalist’s Search for Home”, “The Latino Wave”, “Dying to Cross”, “The Gift of Time; Letters from a Father”, and the children’s book “I’m Just Like My Dad/I’m Just Like My Mom” (HarperCollins) and “A Country for All; An Immigrant Manifesto” in which Ramos received the Latino Book Award in 2006.
Ramos has been instrumental in promoting literacy among Latinos. In 2002 he created the first book club in the history of Hispanic television: Despierta Leyendo (Wake Up Reading).
In the United States and Latin America, Jorge Ramos writes a weekly column for more than 40 newspapers distributed by The New York Times Syndicate, provides three daily radio commentary for the Radio Univision network and collaborates with the largest Spanish-language website in the United States (www.univision.com).
Jorge Ramos has interviewed some of the most influential leaders in the world: Barack Obama, John McCain, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, Sarah Palin, Harry Reid, Newt Gingrich, Mitt Romney, John Edwards, Al Gore, George Bush Sr., John Kerry, Fidel Castro, Hugo Chávez, Felipe Calderon and dozens of Latin American presidents.
My hope is that we spread the word (especially to our youth) as we become more informed on “Who Jorge Ramos is…” and what he is, is a Proud beacon of hope and a physical reminder that you CAN live the American Dream if YOU put in the work (whether we’re immigrant, natural born, Latino, or otherwise.)
This brainstorm came to me, while I was watching home-made cartoons on YouTube. I thought, “What fun to have your own cartoon.” But FUN was not enough (not “practical” enough anyway) for me to hit the drawing board (I know that cartooning is a lot of work!)
Then it hit me – I can speak to my friends via “H. Luiz Presents…Radio!” and have lots of audio footage to place into my Cartoon Talk. Instead of “listening” to an audio file, you can “see” interviews on important topics and issues, coupled with my cartoon visual antics. Friends, Professionals, Celebutantes, Big-wigs, and Family can be interviewed via mobile phone, then see a visual representation of the conversation (good for those busy ones who cannot physically meet with me.) This format is also good for answering your “Ask H. Luiz” questions, discussing news media events, promotions, ADVERTISEMENTS, civil rights issues, reviews, whatever…the possibilities are endless!
Also, you can send me video emails, picture emails, and audio emails and I can make a cartoon episode out of it – I can even try to make a cartoon character to “represent” you (check out the big round head of my cartoon personality jajajajajaja!!) You can send vacation photos, celebration photos, fashion photos, wedding pictures and even last night’s meal (we all have camera phones, right?)
Below is my 1st webisode, call it the “Intro” episode…please leave me comments on the site AND press the FB Like button on the bottom of this post – oh, and if you have not SUBSCRIBED yet, what are you waiting for?Subscribe to H. Luiz Presents…by clicking here!
This will be my 3 part Blog series about my life with food – The Beginning, Growing Pains, and Here & Now!
It all started when I was a wee child…I was very particular about food.
Not because I had this great palette, but much like any child, texture played a big role to my sense of taste. My mother was a good decent cook in our young years (she was a very young mother of three) and like most Latinas, she cooked with lots of spices – dried and fresh. Sometimes, spices are just too much for a child, but it was more than that – it was the texture. Fresh adobo and sazon, sofrito and recao, along with chopped cilantro, sliced onions, and diced peppers played like rounds of tennis on my young tongue ( <—hey, that rhymed.) Too many textures and flavors would overload my system and caused me to heave, spit, or throw-up. Imagine being a frustrated mother and your youngest child is spitting up food that you worked so hard to buy, make, and serve? There was nothing but “cocotassos” everywhere…I still have the knots on my head to prove it jajajajajaja!
The rich spices & herbs (I use to call them “creepy-crawlies” because to me, they felt like insects crawling inside my mouth) would just make my eyes shut tight, my lips purse, and cause me to stop breathing while my hands clutched my throat (I was a very dramatic child, if you can imagine that - ha!) I would try to scrape and hide the creepy-crawlies under my food. My mother would just look at me and ask, “Kripy de que…eh? Kripy de que?” and another cocotasso would ensue, “Sangano!”
You can usually find (at the same sitting) two types of rice in many Latin homes – arroz blanco y arros moro. I only liked and would eat white rice…I use to call it “arroz lindo” (pretty rice) and I use to call Latin style rice (whether red, yellow, or brown) ”arroz feo” – which means ugly rice. Imagine a Hispanic child calling “White” rice pretty and ”Spanish” rice ugly…no one said, “Hmmmm, maybe there’s an issue of racism and an ingrained inferiority complex going on in this child’s life?” Outside of my home, I was made to feel that anything White is beautiful and everything Spanish/Brown is NOT (TV, Movies, Friends, School, etc.) so I liked the bland White rice as oppose to the flavorful Spanish rice…but that story is for another post.
My mashed potatoes could not have gravy (looked like caca) nor creamy butter (looked like mocos) and my mashed potatoes could not be over-whipped (I swear, sometimes it looked like a bowl of watery potato soup in my bowl.) I would either complain or scream, and I have to say, it hardly went over well with Mami, “Mira pendejo, callate ya y acabar de comer!”
My mother was a big fan of soft-boil eggs (sandwiches, salads, etc.)…I was not! Now that I’m older, I see that it wasn’t because I was not a fan of soft-boil eggs, it was because I was not a fan of “partially” cooked soft-boil eggs. Those eggs actually had runny egg-WHITES!! She could have killed me/us!! :)
Meats…oh those meats: She would give us liver and tell us it was steak (the begining of trust issues) and she would serve rabbit fricase and say it was chicken. So of course, when I was told we were having steak or chicken for dinner, I would be skeptical of the on-coming dining experience that was about to come. Why do mother’s think that covering liver with sauteed onions is enough to fool a child into thinking it’s steak? Don’t they know children have taste-buds too??
Then there’s sancocho – till this day, the texture sends me reeling. Sancocho is a hearty soup (often times considered a stew.) It usually consists of large pieces of meat and vegetables served in a broth…sometimes seafood as well. Now you think that a child would take to it as if it were ice-cream, right? No – kids hate it…kind of looks like baby vomit. Similarly there’s Mofongo. Mofongo is generally made from fried green plantains (fried yuca too) which is mashed together with broth, garlic, olive oil, and pork cracklings or bits of bacon. It is often filled with vegetables, chicken, crab, shrimp, or beef and is often served with fried meat and chicken broth soup. Now ask any self-respecting Dominican what mofongo is, and there eyes may light-up while their mouths water, but me?… a ‘Rican child of 8, born and bred in Bayonne, NJ would just throw it right on up.
Don’t get me started on seafood – especially salted cod (bacalao.) I will not eat salted cod, not even today (the smell is still too tied into my childhood memories!!) But once again, in Latin American homes, bacalao is a major protein food staple. There’s also mondogo (tripe) – another Puerto Rican specialty that I am not a big fan of – because of the texture of the dish.
My family thought I was a picky eater. They would say that my American body was rejecting it’s cultural roots to the Borinquen. Afterall, I did like other foods that stemmed from my other “root origins” like all Italian foods (especially baked ziti with sausage, lasagna, and meatballs & spaghetti), Soul foods (anything pork, anything “smothered,” deep-fried chicken, collards or cabbage, and home-made biscuits & cornbread), and American classics (like Yankee pot-roast, meat-loaf, potatoes, and cheesburgers,) maybe they were right. I loved “those” foods, so what was it that I liked about them and not the Latin foods??
I didn’t figure that out until I was around the age of 14, then things really got interesting at home…
Stay tuned for part two: My LIFE with food: Growing Pains
Congratulations to Serena Williams on winning the finals at Wimbledon (2010) for the fourth time, making it her 13th career Grand Slam final wins!!
The number 1 in the WORLD, Serena has already proven to be the best player of her generation and some feel that she’s on her way on taking on the records of noted Legends – she has already surpassed the Great Billie Jean King’s titles. Serena is only 28 years old so she may just very well challenge (and beat) history’s very best. Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert are next in line…however, Serena needs to win 5 more Grand Slam Titles to do that.
During the ceremony, Serena Williams looked up to the Royal Box section and sweetly said, “Hey, Billie, I got you!” (Billie Jean King shared with us that she told Serena that she BETTER surpass her – and that was an order!)
Defending her title, Serena defeated Vera Zvonareva at 6-3, 6-2 but it is important to mention that Zvonareva is only the Third woman from Russia to ever reach the finals (it was Vera Zvonareva’s first time reaching the finals, making her jump to #10 in the World.)
Serena finished with nine aces, and her seven-match total was a record 89. The final Wimbledon 2010 match lasted for 67 minutes. Serena Williams has been serving better than ever that even she was surprised by her stellar serving. Martina Navratilova, who was also in attendance, called Serena’s serve the best she has ever seen, which is saying something. U.S. Fed Cup captain Mary Joe Fernandez concurred.
“Impeccable, just impressive, once again, the way she’s able to dominate with the best serve we’ve ever seen in tennis. It’s very hard for someone to compete against, time in, time out. Not so much that it’s the biggest. It’s the best, it’s got the speed when she needs it, and the spin when she needs it. She can slice it, kick it and hit into the body “ – Mary Jo Fernandez
Sister Venus Williams (#2 in the World and 5 time Wimbledon winner with record-breaking titles, scores, and stats of her own) was defeated early (by Williams’ standards) by two sets of 6-2, 6-3 by unseeded Tsvetana Pironkova, 22, from Bulgaria in the 2010 Wimbledon women’s single quarterfinals. However, tennis authorities and spectators alike say that Venus’ loss was just an unlucky fluke (Venus probably lost due to her back injuries sustained earlier, but she will NEVER complain about that or use it as an excuse for her defeat.) Venus Williams has been playing and winning her tournaments within the last 8 months – look for her to win (or at least play against Serena in the finals) in the Slams to come this year.
Hey folks – here’s the video I’ve been promising…it has been a busy month (but in a good way!) Some questions were asked over and over again, others I would rather have YOUR medical doctors or YOUR psychologists answer, and some were too inappropriate and “too twisted for color T.V.” Please note, that I just got back from vacation when I did this a little over a week ago and for the first time in my history, I was “peeling” all over the place (gross alert.) Here are some of the questions…
To ask more questions email me at hluizpresents(at)gmail(dot)com <—this is done to protect the site from spammers, but you have the address.
Especially in summer, apples and citrus fruits are less expensive in 5lb. bags as opposed to buying them individually – as much as half the price for the same exact produce. Limes (10 for $1.99) cost less than lemons (4 for a $1.99) and are way less acidic. Limes in summer cocktails, desserts, and even on pork or poultry are a sweeter alternative than lemons. Use them fast though, limes can dry out within a day or two.
Fresh fruits and cheaper than frozen fruits in the summer time. Pick your favorites (strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, etc.,) and freeze them yourself.
Opt for frozen seafood over fresh. Vacuum-packaged salmon, flounder, and tilapia fillets and bags of frozen shrimp cost up to 40 percent less and most are flash-frozen to ensure quality (If that sounds unappetizing, consider that most “fresh” fish has been previously frozen during transport.)
When buying organic chicken, opt for wings, drumsticks or thighs in family-size packages and you’ll save big (organic chicken breasts are still so expensive.) Most of my recipes for chicken breast can be used with chicken thighs – just add a tablespoon more of liquid (water, broth, oil, whatever.) Also, if you buy boneless anything, it will cost up to 35 to 40% more than those ”with” bone (meats and poultry have full-bodied flavors with their bones still intact when cooked.)
Get use to looking at an item’s cost per unit (CPU). It’s listed on the shelf sticker next to the price. It will tell you what an item’s cost per pound or ounce is, which can keep you from getting fooled by great marketing/packaging.
Store-bought juices are high in calories because of their carbs. Shrink your wallets and your bellies by adding seltzer water to your juices (seltzer water has 0 calories) and your expensive juice will last twice as long. Experiment and make your own low-calorie fruit “sodas” and fizz-coolers. We use a half juice to half seltzer ratio, find which ratio works best for your family.
Lastly, eat less meat, fish, or poultry. We have 2 days in our week where we eat no animal flesh (Meatless Mondays and Shake-y Wedsnesdays.) I noticed a significant difference in our weekly food bill. And it’s summer, what better way to trim a few pounds?
ENTERTAINING:
A simple and easy way to entertain your family (and even friends) is to go apple picking and/or strawberry picking. It’s rather inexpensive (about $5 to $10 per person) and you’ll have fruit to make pies and pastries with. In our family’s case, we like strawberry-picking. We’d go early in the morning and come home by early afternoon to pick over the strawberries for the “best” ones. Then we make strawberry preserves (they make great gifts for family and friends.) We also make strawberry tarts and fresh strawberry sorbets and ice-cream. Then we freeze the rest for a rainy day!
When entertaining, use fruits as your dessert (aren’t we all tired of those sugar-laden desserts by the time summer hits us?) We love watermelon cubes with powdered ginger and honey – you will too! Instead of cake, why not try glasses filled with fresh cut-up fruit (not mixed fruits, but elegant individual fruits) like a glass of cubed mangoes, or a glass of slice peaches or pineapples? For adults, add a splash of sweet liqueurs. Try strawberries with balsamic vinegar or mango slices with lime juice and chili powder. How about a fruit tart? Everybody loves fresh-fruit tarts (the secret is you don’t need lots of fruit and it is quite easy to assemble.)
Have a “signature drink” at your next party and serve them out of glass pitchers. It’s less expensive and faster too to entertain this way as oppose to buying a whole sleuth of hard liquors and a bunch of mixers (sodas, juices, etc.) Use the best-quality alcohol you can afford and make a fruit-induced cocktail. My famous “Strawberry Smacka” and “Lychee Martinis” grew from this idea (also offer an alcohol-free beverage for those who don’t/can’t drink, ginger-ale has a champagne-like fizz to it when blended with fruit juice.)
Simple is always better, especially in summer. Last summer I had a pizza party – I made individual mini pizza slices (about the size of a large Dorito) with combos such as chicken, arugula & pesto; sausage, mushrooms & peppers; and tomato & artichoke. I also made a green salad of arugula, tomato slices, and shards of fresh parmesan. I served it with 2 bottles of Merlot. Beforehand, I laid out an antipasto with store-bought imported slices of meats, cheeses, and bread sticks. Put on some opera music and you’ll have a hit on your hands too!
Let me know if you need any recipes and let me know how your summer entertaining pans out…leave a summer savings tip if you have one.
