Taste

If we are not to be "sweet" in every situation, what is the alternative? What is the opposite of sweet, anyway? And isn't bitterness undesirable, even immoral, infectious, spiritually paralyzing?

But what did our life science teachers (wrongly) teach us, using the handy-dandy diagram seen above? The tongue is made to taste variety.

Sometimes it is desirable to have a sweet, happy, life--to only notice what is good and only be an easy presence in others' lives. But after a while, and I've experienced this lately, one can have too many sweets and start to crave something else. Bitter? Maybe, like beer, coffee, or salty, like steak, olives, potato chips, or sour, like wine, pickles.

Trying to be sweet all the time becomes overkill. It's too easy to go for the instantly pleasing stimulus. Maybe there is a good bitterness, an honesty that tempers the sweetness that starts to taste fake, unsatisfying, even sickening. Bitter herbs represent honesty about the sad parts of life, the fact that there is sin, death, grief, and disappointment.

Salty people, the salt of the earth, tell the truth. They challenge and provoke controversy. They save life from blandness. Women are often admired for being "salty," "saucy," or "spicy." Spicy and salty can be too much, too, though. I love dessert, its pleasing texture, its easiness. We have to be positive, to defend others, and cover their failings sometimes, celebrating what is good.

I think I understand better now, because of the tongue. I don't have to be sweet all the time. However, the principle of balance comes into play, of putting sugar in bitter tea, or sour cream on spicy chili. I have never been someone who was addicted to spice, but I have been enamored with bitter hops, strong coffee, Irish chips, and milk chocolate. After attempting to live exclusively on one of these flavors, I always tire of it and seek dietary diversity. May I strike that balance in my personality on a daily basis rather than causing those around me to grow surfeited with my extremes.

Casino Royale

So...I saw two movies today. Casino Royale was the second. Doesn't the name of this movie just sound cool? Well, it is cool, surprisingly (to me) for James Bond.

Casino Royale has the trademarks of a Bond film: the iconic music, 60's graphics, fine suits, and beautiful bosoms on display. But the characters are anything but the cliche's I usually find them to be (and hate). It explores something before unseen: the human side of Bond. In fact, he doesn't say his cliched "the name is Bond, James Bond," but once, and he's earned it by then. For the rest of the story he's a very non-cliched, even flawed, human being who's learning to deal with his shortcomings (few that they are) and lack of respect from his colleagues, enemies, and superiors. This is a Bond who loses at poker, is saved by a woman, and is challenged by a woman who is his equal. However, it also shows why Bond is admired and why he achieves iconic status: he can do just about anything, from self-medical care to withstanding torture, to running great distances at top speed, to hacking into computer systems, to seducing beautiful women....and he only loses at poker once. As his boss, M, says, "I knew you were you...," and this film develops who that "you" is, unyielding and unable to let things drop, and able to beat just about any enemy.

It shows that even Bond has a heart (& a brain) and even to him, some things are more important than the spy game, even to the point that he's willing to give it up.

If you like smokin' hot actors and thinking while you're entertained, you'll like this movie. This could be the movie that turns me into a Bond fan, if they make more like this.

The Queen

I just saw a great movie with my friend Tony---The Queen, starring Helen Mirren. I found it fascinating to see the inner workings of the British government, the interplay between monarch and prime minister, the conflict between the old order and the new, and the subtle humor of the whole thing. I laughed a lot!

The movie is based on the immediate aftermath of Princess Diana's death in 1997---interesting, because Queen Elizabeth is still on the throne and Tony Blair is still in office today, and they are the two main characters, trying to figure out what protocol is in the situation and how the queen can reach out to her people without compromising her dignity. It's worth it just for the numerous shots of the queen driving her Land Rover across her Scottish estates in her tweed skirt and rubber boots, once even getting out to examine her broken SUV as she is crossing a river. As she points out to one of her groundsmen who helps her out, she was a mechanic during the war. Who knew?

The movie represents a clash between the queen's conservative way of doing things, her devotion to duty and dignity and emotional reserve ("that's what the world respects us for!") and the common people, who loved Diana's total lack of reserve, her bold vulnerability about personal problems, and her willingness to follow her heart rather than the call of duty. The movie is subtle, well-written, and has fabulous acting, as well as fabulous tweed costuming within an inch of the royals' lives.

I recommend it!

I'm going to break my personal bank with all the good movies coming out right now. I saw four previews before this movie, all for movies I now want to see (the habit is self-perpetuating), and all in addition to the four movies currently in the theatre that are on the "schedule."