“Man had always assumed that he was more intelligent than dolphins because he had achieved so much – the wheel, New York, wars and so on – whilst all the dolphins had ever done was muck about in the water having a good time. but conversely, the dolphins had always believed they were far more intelligent than man – for precisely the same reasons.”
Douglas Adams
I know, it’s not really bento, but it is very bento-ish…
Today’s bento: brown basmati rice, cucumber/tomato/black olive salad, falafel. All nestled in lettuce “cups” onside my brand-new bento box, un-varnished cedar box from Japan.
I’ve been inspired by Just Bento.com, who writes about all things bento. The idea of packing little nutritious and aesthetically pleasing lunches has huge appeal to me. I’ve been reading about Bento all day, and have even ordered my own magawappa bento box and chopsticks.
I have even created my own first albeit very simple bento lunch consisting of Quinoa Lime/pepper salad and a modified Greek salad, with two romaine leaves doubling as food holders and dividers. As i don’t yet have a proper bento box, I used a round tupperware container for this first attempt.
I shall take this little lunch on my bike ride tomorrow. My bento test. Hope it holds up to all the jostling it’s sure to receive!(Not sure why this photo is so blurry, and it’s frustrating since a blurry photo of a bento lunch seems ironic given that visual appeal is part of the whole point of bento to begin with. Clearly, I’m just a beginner at this!).
I have become hopelessly addicted to new style street dancing, particularly to les twins. When i was a teenager (and now I’m about to really date myself!) we hung out in one another’s houses, waved our freak flags, smoked a little (or a lot, depending!), listened to progressive rock, and from time-to-time, offered up some philosophical insight or another. We were cool. We didn’t engage in a whole lot of strenuous physical activity. We were cerebral.
Maybe it’s the contrast that appeals to me so much. Street dancing and the mock battles are intensely physical expressions of things we immediately recognize – conflict, anger, intense joy, freedom. All without words. And each dancer has his or her own unique style that comes out of who they are. That’s not to knock ballet or jazz or other more formulaic styles of dance. I love those too. But the organic, individualistic and spontaneous nature of street dance is just so incredibly immediate and compelling. I am continually blown away by the way the dancers do things that appear to be impossible (that backward swoop Laurent does, for example, where he seems so use the muscles in the front of his feet and ankles(!), to lift himself back up, or Bones’ and Pee Fly’s ability to free-flow their entire bodies). When Les Twins, Meech, Rayboom and the like dance, it seems to me they’re pulling from the very core of who they are. It’s so creative, earthy, and expressive. I love it, and I love them for sharing it. Check it out…
… and maybe it’s just me, but I find these battles are based in a collaborative effort that makes the term “battle” truly interesting. There’s an agreement to battle, to engage in a conflict and sometimes the dancers can get really quite aggressive. But there’s also an agreement that what happens on the dance floor stays on the dance floor (I love those hugs at the end of the battle). And even though it is a staged event, the battles are also so amazingly spontaneous and cathartic. I wish we could have the occasional street battle at work! I can’t help but think that would help us work out the barriers that get in the way of our collaboration. I can just see it now…
I am hooked. And I can’t help but think that Aristotle would approve.
I bought some lovely midnight blue silk a while back to make this shawl, and in celebration for my upcoming trip to Paris (whooo hoooo!) I’m now finally getting around to knitting it. Lovely, isn’t it?
I know there are some Montreal winter cyclists, but not a lot. I’ve been putting my bike away each fall because it seems … risky. But look at this! Next year, will I become a winter cyclist? I dunno yet, but it’s something I’m really seriously thinking about.
