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I'm A WIP: Food VLog

I’m A WIP: Food Vlog 1/2024

I was hoping to post a writing vlog this week, but oh well, here’s a food vlog instead. I released it a few days early to the paid members of my Patreon community, but now it’s public for the world to see.

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Thank you for making it this far down the virtual page. Kudos to you! I’d love to know what you thought of this post in the comments below. Stay safe and be blessed.

Categories
Mock Squid Soup Movies

CHEF #Review – Mock Squid Soup No.20 #cinephiles #film #food

Wikipedia

If anyone is interested in my experience of watching CHEF, click here to see my notes.

I’m following in the footsteps of Nancy Mock and MOCK and I hope I can keep up. I made a point not to read their reviews before watching this film so it would be a fresh experience for me. Let’s see how it all went.

This review will consist of me asking myself 10 questions and answering them to the best of my ability.

1. What is this film about?

Chef Carl is good, but he’s insecure. Not a good husband, not a good dad; being a great chef is all he has, but even his idea of what legitimizes a chef is a little askew. After a bad review and discovering the nature of social media in the worst way, Carl is forced to rethink his methods and downsize to a food truck.

2. What did I think of the title, poster, and or trailer?

The title is simple. Made me think the movie would be simple and subtly profound. I never watched the trailer. The poster looks fun.

3. What did I think of the main character(s) and how the actors performed them?

Well first off, this cast is ridiculous. Jon Favreau called in every big name he’s worked with, or wanted to work with, even down to cameos from real chefs and recording artists. No one did a bad job with their roles, but then they weren’t really challenging roles. I did think the boy, Emjay Anthony, did a great job standing his ground next to talents such as Dustin Hoffman, Scarlet Johansson, and Robert Downey Jr.

4. What did I think of the direction and cinematography?

Quadruple-threat-man, Favreau, did a nice job putting this all together. I liked the way he incorporated the social media elements. It was student-film-like in that way that feels natural and edgy, even if it’s not.

5. What did I think of the soundtrack and score?

The soundtrack was the second best thing about this film. The cooking scenes were the first, but I have a thing for cooking scenes. Sadly though, anyone who doesn’t like Jazz, Blues, and or Latin music won’t share my thoughts here.

Let’s all thank Nancy for sharing the soundtrack with us here.

6. What did I like about the story as a whole?

I like that the need to connect and create was at the center of it all. Chef Carl wasn’t able to create and it drove him crazy and because he wouldn’t connect, he stifled his own focus and execution.

7. What did I not like about the story?

Simple is usually good, but the simplicity of how everything worked out seemed generic. It was an enjoyable story, but it didn’t excite me.

8. Would I recommend this movie to others?

Probably, but I’d be picky about it. If anyone asked me if it was worth seeing, I’d say yes, but I don’t feel like I need to hurry out and share this with all my friends.

9. What would I rate this movie?

On a scale of 1 to 5 movie reels, I give this film 3 reels.

MOkay

10. Was there anything in this movie that could be related to me or anything I have written?

Yes, FOOD. I love food and try to include it in my writing though I don’t always do so well. I find that I often create recipes for stories or characters as part of my writing process. I’m no chef, but I understand Carl’s need to create, whether in the kitchen or at my desk.

Watch, rent, or buy this movie here.

Download the soundtrack here.

Mock Squid Soup – Film Society

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MOCK! and The Armchair Squid are proud to introduce Mock Squid Soup: A Film Society. Each month, on the second Friday, we shall host a bloghop devoted to movie reviews. We invite others to participate and post their reviews…Don’t be shy; come join the fun! 😀

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you like it let me know and share it with others. See you next time, Toi Thomas. #thetoiboxofwords

Categories
EC: Giovanni's Angel Fun Hops

Wined, Dined, and Read Blog Tour and #FreeBook Giveaway!

I was invited to this, pretty cool, blog tour by the lovely M.C.V. Egan, author of the powerful novel, The Bridge of Deaths. She knew this food themed tour would be right up my alley. I actually have an intimate relationship with food and always find ways to slip it into my stories. So, without further ado, here I go comparing my book, Eternal Curse to food…Be sure to check out the giveaway at the end.


About the book:

1) If your main character were a glass of wine, which one would they be?

I think that if Giovanni was to be compared to a glass of wine, it would have to be something rare and exotic, perhaps something made from a very small and exclusive vineyard. He’d definitely be a dry red. The wine would have undertones of currant, sage, and perhaps even Rosewood (or some other strong wood). He’d be a drink to take with caution, not something to sip daily, but something to savor in desperate moments or in celebration of great triumphs.

2) Describe your book in one meal:

This is the question I’d hope to be asked. I believe meal time is important to the human condition. The way people cook their food, prepare their plates, and then gather or commune around a table or a circle on the floor says a lot about the character of the people and the relationships they develop. In Eternal Curse, I describe a few meals that my characters partake in as they develop their “family unit”. The one that I feel embodies the overall tone and message of the story, goes like this:

Three Green Pea Soup (an original recipe written for this book), Grilled turkey and mozzarella Panini’s with sun-dried tomatoes, and a pear tart for dessert. A great deal of planning, time, and love went into this meal and it was shared by my characters at a time when their bonds were just beginning to form.

3) What candy would your book be?

I know it sounds cliché, especially if you’ve read the book, but I’d say semi-sweet dark chocolate. It’s a great representation of the light and dark elements of this story.

4) What does your book smell like?

This is another easy question to answer considering the abundance of smells that appear in my book. In the olfactory sense, I’d describe this book as: a cup of green tea-coco (a drink designed for this story) being sipped in a garden just after dawn when the morning dew is still fresh.

5) Your book’s snack would be:

I actually had to think about this one or a while. I don’t think my characters do a lot of snacking in this story and I’m not a big snacker myself, so this required some extra thought. Then I considered a very small but important part of my story’s setting and then thought of one of the few things I do actually like to snack on. In the book, Giovanni’s home, Sinclair Manor, has apple trees leading up to his house and I adore eating apples. So, there you have it. It’s a healthy snack.

About the author:

1) Describe your most memorable meal:

I could go on for days describing countless meals that have stayed with me for positive reasons, but there is one that reminds me of home and family. My mother isn’t a bad cook; she just never cooked a lot. It’s not her thing, but she did make this one thing on a regular basis during my childhood. It’s a vegetable stew infused with rice and southern cornbread. Just thinking about it, doesn’t necessarily make me hungry, but it does make me long to be with my family. I may have to call my mother when I finish writing this.

2) One food word to describe your writing style:

Filling: I pack quite a bit into a relatively small portion.

3) What will someone find you eating/drinking when you’re really into a good book?

I’m probably drinking tea unless it’s really cold outside and then I switch to coco. I don’t usually eat while reading, but when I do it’s usually some kind of fruit or toast.

4) Sweet or Salty?

Both: homemade trail mix with sesame sticks, peanuts, crasins, and banana chips


For next week, I’ve passed the baton to two wonderful authors you’ll definitely want to check out.

Be sure to see what Glynis Rankin, Bridget Straub,  and Andrew Hess will be sharing, next Friday, September 12th.

Win a Free paperback copy of Eternal Curse.

Share this post with one of the options listed below and then leave a comment letting me know how you shared. Please also, tell me why you’re interest in a copy of this book.

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you like it let me know and share it with others. See you next time, Toi Thomas. #thetoiboxofwords