Grand Rapids Food Convention

I had a day off so I decided to join Palms on a road-trip to Grand Rapids for a GFS food convention. We left about 7am, and got there around 10ish... Although it wasn't my first time in Grand Rapids, it's been a while since I've been there in the daytime. I went to the BOB club a few years ago with my cousins, yet that was at night time. I'd say it's about the size of Fort Wayne, maybe a little smaller, and has a lot of scenic appeal to it. There's a river that cuts through the city, and the architecture is all fairly modern. Yet there is this one large building, the Amway Grand Plaza, that really captured my eye. It was a vintage hotel of brick, with an enormous American flag waving at it's front.

When we got to the Convention center, we got a little lost, and cut through the warehouse to get to the front lobby. Inside the convention center, were tons of food booths, companies representing GFS trying to sell their latest food products. I have to say I gained a new understanding of the food industry, and saw it more from a business perspective. Salesmen would stuff food down our throats, trying to get us to buy their new product. Then a marketing specialist walked us around, suggesting good tastes and new ideas. After a while it was all kind of phony, and I couldn't help but see through it all. These conventions are nothing but a sales-gimmick, people who want to be your best-friends just so they can sell you their product. I suppose the one good thing about it though is the free food-tasting. I had a wide variety of greasy food; soup, chicken, pizza, cheese, stir-fry, and almost every form of fried-food... As I walked around the convention I further came to understand why Americans are so obese... It's not the lack of exercise or dieting.. It's the greasy foods we eat... I did have lots of good Coffee though and concluded that Colombian was my favorite. Overall it was an interesting experience and I am very happy that I don't work in sales.

Recently Seen Movies

Here is a review of some of the DVDs I have watched over the past 2 weeks...

• Into the Wild (B)

This film by Sean Penn retells the true story of Christopher McCandless, a young college graduate who in 1990 decided to escape from the materialism of society to go live freely in the wild. It follows his journey as he travels from Atlanta to Alaska, and the many people he meets along the way. He eventually gets to Alaska, and lives in a bus for 4 months, until he finally succumbs to starvation. The story is very interesting, and has a great message in it. It captures the beauty of nature and a free life, yet emphasizes that true happiness can only be found when it is shared. Great acting performance by Emile Hirsch, yet the directing was somewhat off in my opinion. I think Sean Penn should just stick to acting. Yet all-in-all a great story with a great soundtrack.

• The Insider (B-)

Being a fan of Russell Crowe, I had wanted to see this film for some time, yet never knew what it was about. Well finally I sat through this political thriller that retells the true story of a tobacco executive, Jeffrey Wigand, a whistleblower who chose to expose the tobacco industries on 60 Minutes. In the 1990s, 7 of the biggest Tobacco CEOs testified in court stating that tobacco was not addictive, when in fact, they themselves knew that the nicotine in cigarettes would keep people coming back for more. Jeffrey Wigand therefore met with CBS producer Lowell Bergman, as well as the famous interviewer, Mike Wallace, to expose these CEOs. The interview then leads to a controversy of lawsuits, scandal, bribes, and flat-out corruption between CBS, Jeffrey Wigand, and the Tobacco Industry. It's a very informative film, with passionate performances by Al Pacino, Russell Crowe, and Christopher Plummer.

• 310 to Yuma (C)

Russell Crowe plays the fictional outlaw, Ben Wade, in this post-Civil War Western film. He and his gang rob a stagecoach full of money, and flee to a town in Arizona, where he is eventually arrested. There he runs into a poor rancher, played by Christian Bale, who decides to accompany the group of police as they transport Ben Wade to Yuma. The journey is a dangerous one, as they must travel across the desert, while being chased by Wade's gang. In the end as they await for the train, they must face Wade's gang in an impossible shootout. I guess this is my biggest complaint about the movie, finding the final scenes somewhat ridiculous... Crowe and Bale were decent yet the most notable performance goes to Ben Foster, as Wade's evil right hand-man.

• The Constant Gardener (B-)

Now this one is a very complex story about a British diplomat played by Ralph Fiennes and his activist wife, Tessa, played by Rachel Weisz. They travel together to Kenya where they get a firsthand look of the medical distributions. It is there that Tessa discovers that the major drug companies are using African citizens as guinea pigs to test their new products. She becomes passionate to expose these companies, and later draws her shy husband into the affair. Whether true or not, the story touches up on the corruption of these drug companies and the disregard for the poor African people. An overall interesting movie, with many different settings in Europe and Africa, yet once is enough for me. Strong performances from Ralph Fiennes and Rachel Weisz.

• Frost/Nixon (C+)

Following President Nixon's resignation due to the Watergate scandal he kept silent for 2 years, until he decided to go public in an interview with British personality David Frost. This movie basically goes behind the scenes in setting up those interviews, which would become a make-or-break duel for both David Frost and Richard Nixon. I have to admit I was very out of it when I watched this film, and dozed off in a few parts. It's a very informative, factual, film that demonstrates the corruption of the powerful. Although the interview was considered a victory for both Frost and Nixon, it clearly shows how Nixon abused his power in the Watergate scandal...

• Flags of our Fathers (C-)

Clint Eastwood has continued to amaze me, with his films starting back with Mystic River... Yet I have to bluntly say this one was somewhat of a dud. Let's face it World War II movies are starting to get old, and should just be retired with Saving Private Ryan. This one tries to take a different route by telling the story of the Battle of Iwo Jima, and the soldiers who raised the flag in the famous photograph. Yet the story is all-over the place jumping from America to the battlegrounds, which drag on and on... I fell asleep many times throughout this movie, with it's continuous battle scenes, terrible acting, and weak story. This film lacks the artistry and drama that Eastwood brought in his other WWII film, Letters of Iwo Jima. I'm sorry to say he could not deliver on this one.

Fall Festivals: Alexandria, IN

Yesterday I went on another road-trip with my mom, grandma, and Sue to the small town of Alexandria, IN (on the outskirts of Muncie). The weather was somewhat chilly, yet I thought it was perfect fall weather. The festival was pretty low-key, yet still there was a lot going on. Tents, rides, stage performances, and lots of food. We watched the community choir sing several songs from the play Music Man, including the song "Shipoopi". It reminded me of the classic Family Guy Episode where Peter scores a touchdown for the New England Patriots, and gets the entire stadium singing the song. I also had an elephant ear, which was the first time in a long while. We left the festival around 4ish, and on the way home, my mom had the urge to get some apple dumplings from her favorite restaurant Cracker Barrel. The place was pretty packed, and once we were seated, we waited another good 15 minutes to get served. We decided since we were seated to go ahead and just order some food, so I got my favorite biscuits and gravy. Ofelia asked for a bowl of potato soup, yet they didn't have any... To make things even crazier they were out of apple dumplings, which was the reason we came. The manager then came out, apologized to us, and told us our meal was on the house... So at least that was nice...

Goodbye Chicago 2016

I remember when I lived in Chicago, everywhere I went I would see the emblem or motto for the 2016 Olympic Bid... Sure I knew in the back of my head that a lot could happen in 8 years, and doubted I would still be living there, yet the possibility of hosting my friends and family to partake in the atmosphere would have been incredible. I am an avid fan of world competition, most notably the Olympics and the World Cup. To think that so much culture would be right there in our backyard would have been way too much fun. I was always doubtful we'd get it, yet had much more hope after a popular Chicago resident was elected president. Yet not even President Obama's push to host the games was enough. Today the Olympic Committee voted, and Chicago was eliminated from the selection. Now the games are either going to Madrid or Rio de Janiero, which is probably a better thing for them. We've hosted enough games already, and need to spread the event out a little more... Nonetheless, I still do intend to one day move back to Chicago, a city that is rich of culture!!!

Family Guy on it's 8th Season

In my opinion Family Guy is without question, the funniest show on TV... With their cut-away jokes and cultural references, I sometimes wonder how they get away with so much... Since their beginning in 1999 and after 8 seasons, they are still on the air as one of the most popular shows on TV. Some people may argue that their best stuff was in the beginning seasons, yet I strongly disagree, and feel that Family Guy just keeps getting better... They joke about whatever they want, many things that are considered taboo... That's what makes the show so unique and hilarious, is that they can get away with this stuff... I myself am not much of a TV guy, yet can watch a Family Guy episode over and over again...