Chinese Herbals 101

Chinese medicine crosses cultures, gains in popularity
Tuesday, July 31, 2007

By EVELYN SHIH
STAFF WRITER
Picture yourself at a clinic, flipping through magazines. The doctor asks you to go into her office for a chat. She takes your medical history and asks you about your disease. Then she asks you for your wrist.

She places three fingers under the bone of your thumb and to the outside of your wrist tendon. She changes the pressure, purses her lips.

"Your kidney is a little bit too yin," she says.

This factor will go into her final diagnosis. The "yin" is opposite of "yang," and the "kidney" refers not to the organ but to the kidney system in Chinese medicine, which controls fluids and endocrine functions. [Left, photo of herbs courtesy of eastbayacupuncture.com]

Nothing you can solve with two Advil and a glass of water.

This is Chinese medicine, a practice that includes cures ranging from acupuncture to the ingestion of herbal brews. The goal is usually not just to treat a specific symptom but to treat the imbalance in the body that causes the symptom.

You may go to see a Chinese-medicine practitioner for a headache that won't go away, a feeling of heaviness or a chest cold. You may even be there for a more serious reason: Chinese medicine has become a well-known alternative treatment for infertility and chemotherapy side effects.

But regardless of why you are there, you are part of a wider trend. Chinese medicine is becoming more and more popular as a legitimate alternative to conventional or "Western" medicine.

"[Chinese medicine] is slowly becoming universal, and both patients and providers come from every ethnicity possible," said Henry McCann, a certified practitioner in Madison.

Although acupuncture has become popular in major hospitals as a method of pain management, herbals are rarer. That's partly because New Jersey requires a license for the practice of acupuncture but not for herbs. Because of that, large insurance companies are much more likely to pay for acupuncture than long-term herbal treatment. McCann estimates that of the 500-plus Chinese-medicine practitioners in New Jersey, fewer than 100 have a certificate for herbal medicine.

Even if they have both skill sets, physicians may find themselves feeding greater demands for acupuncture. Dr. Dadong Wu of Tenafly, for example, works mainly with needles and suggests that patients think about herbal treatment if he notices symptoms that are better treated with medicine. (He was trained at the Beijing Medical College in the 1970s.) Once part of the same treatment, acupuncture and herbal medicine in the U.S. are separated by legal status.

Yet the tide is turning. Thomas Leung, an Englewood Cliffs resident who owns Kamwo Herbal Pharmacy, a Chinese-medicine pharmacy in Chinatown, says the demand for herbals is increasing by the year.

In "1994 when I first started, 10 percent of our business was non-Chinese," said Leung. "Now it's the other way around."

Thanks to the Internet and fast mail delivery services, Leung's staff can receive specific prescriptions of 10 to 12 herbs from physicians, brew the dried plants, package just the liquid in individual dose-size vacuum packs and send the medicine directly to the patient. Orders come in from all over the country, including clinics in North Jersey. [Above: a chart of some pressure points, courtesy of fivebranches.edu]

McCann, a past president of the New Jersey Acupuncture Association, led a charge in New Jersey for an official recognition of herbal medicine by the state. Under that recognition, Chinese-medicine doctors would be required to get a license before prescribing herbals -- a law that would protect consumers and possibly open the door to insurance coverage. This law has yet to pass.

In the meantime, patients should look for the national gold standard of Chinese medicine: certification in "Chinese Herbology" or "Oriental Medicine" from the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine.

"It's a buyer-beware situation," cautioned McCann. "The potential for hurting people with herbs is greater than that of hurting people with acupuncture." He cited herb-drug interactions as a major concern and warned that practitioners who do not ask for a full medical and drug history at the first meeting should be regarded as suspect. Practitioners should also be able to account for the origin of their herbs.

SOME HERBS AND THEIR POSSIBLE USES:
Gouquizi (lyceum berries). Can be used to improve vision in the elderly.

Sangye (mulberry leaves). Can be used to clear heat, such as a cough with yellow phlegm.

Gancao (licorice root). Can be used to moisten the throat.

Yiyiren (barley). Can be used to treat a urinary tract infection.

Xinyihua (magnolia). Can be used to treat allergies.

Jinyinhua (honeysuckle). Can be used to clear heat, such as red eyes.

Pugongying (dandelion). Can be used to treat breast abscesses.

Xiyangshen (American ginseng). Can be used to treat fatigue.

Lianzi (lotus seeds). Can be used for diarrhea in certain cases.

Danggui (angelica sinesis). Can be used to regulate the menses.

"[Chinese-medicine practitioners] wrote down everything from different regions through the millennia about what worked and didn't work," said Leung. "It's a very strong system."

There's nothing mystical about reading the symptoms and prescribing medicine according to this system, said Leung, but "people think that it's something done 'by feel,' something like a feng shui master or a martial-arts master."

E-mail: shih@northjersey.com

Copyright © 2007 North Jersey Media Group Inc.

Modern Chinese Opera Dance

New version of a Chinese opera adds background
Friday, July 20, 2007

By EVELYN SHIH
STAFF WRITER

When the curtain rises, the grandfather of the boy emperor has control of the Imperial Palace. The boy and his mother, the Empress, are trapped. She laments: Why, oh why did she not listen to good advice? [Production photo courtesy of Lincoln Center]

At this point you may be wondering: Who is this woman? What advice? And, come to think of it, what empire?

This classic Chinese opera piece, "Second Visit to the Empress," starts boldly in medias res with little explanation. But in a new production for the Lincoln Center Festival, director and choreographer Shen Wei fills in the story.

In 2005, Shen created a modernized version of "Second Visit" that featured four Chinese opera singers and seven modern dancers, who brought movement to the traditionally static stage. His newest version, to debut Tuesday, excerpts two other operas to add 25 minutes of back story to the beginning of the original production. "Second Visit" comes third in a triptych of operas, after "Pillar of the Dynasty" and "Visiting the Mausoleum."

"The main reason [I lengthened the show] is that in the story, everything will be [clearer]," Shen said. "If you only show the last part, then maybe the audience will get confused. They don't know what happened before." [Production photo courtesy of Lincoln Center]

That's the non-Chinese audience, of course. In China, Shen explained, "they don't care about stories. It's more about the art form." Repertory pieces are so familiar to opera aficionados that the emphasis is on elements like orchestral music, vocals, spoken text, pantomime, acrobatics and martial arts. The story is almost assumed to be common knowledge.

Shen grew up with that tradition, entering an opera training institute at the tender age of 9. He performed as an adult opera singer for five years before taking on modern dance in 1989. "Second Visit" is his first return to the opera tradition since establishing his own dance company, Shen Wei Dance Arts, in 2000.

Now an acclaimed international dance phenom, Shen wants to bring the artistic discussion back to Chinese opera, which has been losing viewers even in its country of origin. "Modern people don't go to see opera, and don't understand," he said. "That's one of the reasons I'm doing this -- because I want to connect the art form to young people, and modern people."

E-mail: shih@northjersey.com

Copyright © 2007 North Jersey Media Group Inc.

"Fun" Forecast

Fiction with a real storm warning
Thursday, July 19, 2007

By EVELYN SHIH
STAFF WRITER

In 1985, then-young weather reporter Bill Evans [left, courtesy of plj.com] was looking dashing on the rooftop of a Mobile, Ala., hotel. The wind riffled through his hair -- which would have been an excellent effect if it hadn't been blowing at 45 mph. He was reporting on a coming hurricane, and the camera had to be secured with bolts and sandbags to keep it trained on his handsome face.

"The strongest part of the hurricane is still coming," said Evans, thinking to himself this was a really stupid idea. "We haven't felt the full force of the storm yet -- "

And as if on cue, a gust of wind knocked him clear out of the camera frame. "People were calling the television station asking if I was blown off the side of the building," said the Emmy Award-winning ABC weatherman. In fact, he had only been thrown against a retaining wall -- and even that was enough to give him a concussion. Evans continued to report through the evening, though his memory was fuzzy at best.

But his foolish attempt to best the weather was not for nothing. "I thought, I've got to put that in a book," he said.

Evans did just that in "Category 7." The novel, co-written with Marianna Jameson, imagines what would happen if a Category 7 storm -- Katrina was Category 3 -- were to hit New York City, tearing down skyscrapers and seriously flooding areas in Connecticut and North Jersey.

As far-fetched as it may sound to some, the weatherman says the scenario is not unrealistic.

In fact, though the tri-state area passes through most hurricane seasons without much death and destruction, it's due for another major storm in 2008. Research has shown that such storms come every 70 years, and the last massive hurricane, a Category 3, devastated parts of the Northeast in 1938.

"Weather repeats itself," explained Evans. Nowadays, instead of pulling live storm stunts, he has turned his attentions to spreading news of this gloomy disaster forecast. "All the signs are pointing toward New York as the next place a Katrina could happen if it's not prepared. The landmass is at a right angle; the stone under the ocean forces all this water into the city ..."

"I wanted to make sure that, after Katrina, what happened in New Orleans does not happen in New York and New Jersey and Connecticut," said Evans, who currently commutes to New York from Connecticut. "We can't do anything about the hurricane. It's our response to the hurricane is what we're going to be measured by."

"Category 7" is not his first attempt to raise hurricane awareness. While at WABC-TV, Evans put together a documentary that explained how the Big Apple might bruise in a serious storm: a completely crippled subway system, city history lost forever, and an estimated $150 billion in damage.

Evans also tried shopping the idea of a book that explained the meteorology behind mega-storms, but was dissuaded by publishers.

"They said, 'Well you know, only 8 percent of people who read books will read a science book. ... If you want to get your message out, you need to make it entertaining,' " Evans remembers. "So that's why I put it into a novel."

What's the smartest thing to do in a storm, whether it's natural or manufactured? Be prepared, and have a plan, says Evans.

And whatever you do ... don't get on top of a building with a camera.

E-mail: shih@northjersey.com

Copyright © 2007 North Jersey Media Group Inc.

Reasons to go Vegan

A new leaf: Tofu boursin lavash
Tuesday, July 17, 2007

A NEW LEAF

Vegetarian recipes from recently released cookbooks:

"The Complete Vegan Kitchen," by Jannequin Bennett (Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2007)

When they say complete, they mean it. Not only does Jannequin Bennett teach you how to eat complete proteins, she also provides a comprehensive how-to guide for starting a vegan lifestyle. The book doesn't have many photos, but the ideas are garden fresh. Who said that the only vegetarian sandwiches were hummus and cheese? Bennett challenges this and other misconceptions about vegan cuisine.

-- Evelyn Shih


# Tofu boursin lavash

1 cup cashews, soaked (see note)
4 cloves garlic, minced
½ teaspoon salt or ½ teaspoon miso
ground black pepper to taste
1 pound medium tofu
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons each of chopped tarragon, basil and parsley
1 teaspoon fresh dill
2 lavash (Armenian flatbread) loaves, 12 inches each
1 English cucumber or 2 salad cucumbers
4 medium carrots, peeled
2 medium zucchinis
6 green onions, thinly sliced
4 small radishes, cut into paper-thin slices

Combine the cashews, garlic, salt and pepper in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until the cashews are pasty. Crumble the tofu into the processor and add the lemon juice. Pulse until the mixture is blended well. Add the herbs and pulse until mixed well. Taste and adjust the seasonings with salt, pepper and lemon juice.

Spread the tofu mixture evenly over the lavash. If you are using salad cucumbers, peel them and scoop out the seeds. Cut long, thin ribbons of cucumber, carrots and zucchini. Soak the vegetables in salted water for 10 minutes. Drain and pat dry.

Layer the vegetables on the lavash, alternating colors. [Lavash, above, courtesy of rentcar.com] Roll the lavash into a tight cylinder and wrap securely with plastic wrap. Cut each loaf into 3 pieces and serve immediately or refrigerate up to 4 hours.

Servings: 6.

Note: Put cashews in a large container. Cover with hot water and let the nuts soak for 1 hour. Drain and rinse the cashews. Cover with hot water and let the nuts soak for 6 hours or more. Drain and rinse the cashews.

Copyright © 2007 North Jersey Media Group Inc.

What?! Noh Way!

Japanese theater takes to Manhattan
Friday, July 13, 2007

By EVELYN SHIH
STAFF WRITER

Shakespeare in the Park? That's practically modern. This year, the Japan Society will resurrect an ancient theatrical tradition -- outdoor noh theater -- that predates Shakespeare by more than 100 years. [Photo left, courtesy of Japan Society]

Samurai in the 14th century enjoyed the tragic Zen-inflected noh plays and the comic kyogen interludes under the stars. This tradition was called takigi-noh or "bonfire Noh" because the stage was lit with torches.

There will be no actual sparks flying in "Noh & Kyogen in the Park," the finale to a spring/summer Noh-Now! program series in New York, says Japan Society artistic director Yoko Shioya. But on the plus side, the shows will be out in the open -- with free seats and standing room for those who have missed out on advance tickets.

"If some people are just interested in seeing what it is like, they can stop by for 30 minutes," said Shioya. The two noh pieces are 60 to 90 minutes each, while the intervening kyogen will run 25 to 40 minutes. "You can just stop by and take a look, and if you like it, you can come back the next day and get a free seat.

"And if you don't like it, you can just go away," she quipped.

Shioya admitted that noh has a reputation for difficulty -- not unlike Shakespeare. The language of noh is poetry, similar to the blank verse of the Bard, and it is set to music. Even a native Japanese audience cannot be expected to catch all the nuances of these 600-plus-year-old texts.

"When you see noh in Japan, you don't see any contemporary wording translation," said Shioya. "But here with the English translation [in subtitles], you can easily follow what is going on -- not only for Americans, but people [from Japan] who are living here."

[Photo left courtesy of Japan Soceity. Copyrighted by Tessen-Kai]

To accommodate the larger outdoor audience, the society will set up two plasma displays for subtitles as opposed to the one screen it has been using for subtitles throughout the season, she said. Detailed program notes also will be available.

But take note: If you consider yourself up to the challenge, the reward is considerable. This final installment of the Noh-Now! series gathers several top stars of Japan's noh and kyogen circuit in one show.

"I am proud to say that even if you are in Japan, you cannot see those stars lined up in the same program," said Shioya.

Among those coming are renowned noh actors Kanze Tetsunojo IX and Umewaka Rokuro and renowned kyogen actor Nomura Mansai. Mansai, who appeared in Akira Kurosawa's "Ran" and spent a year with London's Royal Shakespeare Company, will perform a kyogen with his 7-year-old son, Yuki.

"The Japanese performing arts are inherited through the family, so when you are born into such a family, you are destined to become a performer," explained Shioya. Yuki made his international debut three years ago at a Japan Society performance in New York, a show in which he played the role of Baby Monkey and shared the stage with his father and grandfather.

This time, young Yuki will be tricking two adults with a hat that makes him invisible.

A rascally younger Harry Potter? "I think this story has an international theme," said Shioya.

E-mail: shih@northjersey.com
* * *
Mini-guide to Japanese theater

Noh: A revered form of musical theater that dates to the 14th century. The samurai were patrons of the form because its spiritual themes echoed those of Zen Buddhism, especially that of transience. During the war era of the 15th century, the ruling samurai class began performing the plays themselves as a complement to their Zen meditation practice. Actors use masks when portraying the main character, women, supernatural spirits, old men or young boys.

Kyogen: The comic mini-plays that offset the heavy, serious tone of noh. Each noh performance consists of two noh plays separated by the kyogen. The name literally translates as "wild speech," but physical comedy also is an integral part of the art form. Kyogen actors also are part of the noh theater.

Kabuki: The Broadway musical to the opera of noh. Kabuki is more flamboyant than noh and intersperses comedy within dramatic plays. Costumes and sets are extremely elaborate, unlike the pared-down look of noh. As in noh, all actors are men, and famous acting families dominate the scene.

Copyright © 2007 North Jersey Media Group Inc.

Zen Retreat

Buddhist group goes on Zen retreat
Thursday, July 12, 2007

*For more, click and see the official Photo Gallery with my photos!*

By EVELYN SHIH
STAFF WRITER

About 20 minutes into the Zen retreat, I noticed a burning feeling in my bottom. As if, of all body parts, my bonbon were falling asleep.

It was going to be a long retreat.

I was visiting with the Heart Circle Sangha (Buddhist group) of Ridgewood. Retreats, or sesshin as they are called in the Japanese Zen tradition, are common events to this friendly Bergen group, which is saving to build its own zendo, or meditation space, for its growing membership.

This one was attended by 11 people and would last from Friday night to Sunday noon. We went home at 8 or 9 in the evening and arrived the next day in time for an 8 a.m. sitting.

Which brings me back to the numb caboose: The basic activity at a Zen retreat is sitting meditation. The practitioner sits in the cross-legged lotus position on a round cushion called a zafu. This supposedly straightens the spine and takes the pressure off the legs during meditation, although one common complaint for those new to meditation is lack of circulation in the legs.

I, however, had a more interesting problem. I was beginning to feel that I was sitting on nothing -- appropriate, perhaps, given that we were trying to attain a mental state of nothingness.

Luckily, sitting meditation was offset by walking meditation. Time-keeper Alan Seiden of Ho-Ho-Kus marked half-hour sitting sessions by striking a "case" -- a metal bowl that made a lingering, bell-like sound. He then led us as we paced down the hallway, donned shoes and went out to the back yard to circle for 10 minutes, single file. The idea was to maintain the awareness of our bodies and minds while doing a physical activity.

Zen priest Joan "Hogetsu" Hoeberichts' yard was large and well-kept, anchored by a sitting Buddha. I would notice, out of the corner of my eye, the neighbors' kids playing Whiffle ball, and I could hear a dog barking down the street. I felt the unseasonably cool wind caress my face with amazing clarity.

Intense sensual awareness is, in fact, one of the goals of a Buddhist retreat. Long periods of silent meditation are meant to cultivate a state of mind. The effect is more striking in a residential retreat, where the sangha sleeps and eats silently in the same setting for the entire length -- usually waking up at 5 a.m. for the first session.

My retreat was relatively easy and broken up by the fact that I had to drive home each day and interact with family. There were friendly whispers that rippled the veneer of silence to guide me, the newcomer; and there were other modifications in ritual that were meant to accommodate this modern American sangha. But even so, the state of awareness grew in each aspect of the days I spent there.

One obvious problem of spending long hours at Hoeberichts' house, which doubles as a zendo, is that we needed to eat. But cooking, as well as eating, became a part of the meditation.

The cooking of a full vegetarian meal was a part of something called samu, or working meditation. The idea was to cook, sweep or do garden work -- think of Zen rock gardens in Japan -- while maintaining physical and mental awareness of the task at hand. Being present in the moment was the challenge.

My assignment was to help weed the garden. I have never been a gardener, but I found myself becoming knowledgeable about the types of weeds in the yard, feeling around for their respective roots in the loose earth and pulling them out with a loving but firm tug. And when I had become perhaps a bit too attached to the plants, Seiden rang the densho -- a large brass bell -- for lunch.

This was a special retreat for the Heart Circle Sangha because the participants were trying the ceremonial monastic eating ritual oriyoki for the first time. This involved using a set of three bowls wrapped in cloth napkins along with all utensils and cleaning tools.

We chanted a sutra (Buddhist scripture) in time with the unwrapping of the bowls, the serving of the food and the eating. When the meal was finished, we passed around hot water to clean the bowls, using a spatula to scrape the scraps from our bowls, chopsticks and spoons. We tasted the cleaning water at the end -- the sutra calls it "ambrosia" -- as if not to waste anything of our meals.

I realized anew all the actions involved in eating that I usually ignore; and since it was silent, like everything else, I tasted every flavor, every texture, with intensity.

That silence was broken only three times during the retreat: once for a short lecture on oriyoki by Hoeberichts, and twice for Council. Councils are a time for verbal sharing during a retreat. Sitting in a circle, the sangha members shared confidential thoughts and feelings that occurred during meditation.

We also shared creative projects that we did in Practice of Immediacy. Introduced by Maezumi Roshi, Hoeberichts' teacher's teacher who brought his Zen lineage to America, the Practice of Immediacy involves doing something creative: a poem, a clay sculpture, a painting or woodwork. The goal was to reflect your state of mind.

I came out of the retreat, like an eager kindergartner, with a drawing, a poem and a clay rose. But I also emerged with a refreshed mind, ready to engage again with the world -- and my bonbon was all right, after all. I would live to sit again.

E-mail: shih@northjersey.com

Copyright © 2007 North Jersey Media Group Inc.

Crepes!

Stir-fry of tropical fruits in crepes
Monday, July 9, 2007

A NEW LEAF

Vegetarian recipes from recently released cookbooks:

"Diabetes Fit Food" by Ellen Haas (American Diabetes Association, 2007)

A new cookbook by the American Diabetes Association proves to be the rare non-vegetarian volume that features new and creative vegetarian ideas. How many mainstream cookbooks have recipes for veggie burgers from scratch? The recipes come from a network of chefs who are used to serving healthful food in their own restaurants. Nutrition facts for each recipe and cooking time estimates are helpful features for the health- conscious and time-starved.

-- Evelyn Shih
* * *

Stir-fry of tropical fruits in spiced crepes

* 3 tablespoons canola oil or grape seed oil
* 1 star fruit, thinly sliced and cut into quarters
* ¼ pineapple, peeled and diced
* 1 cup watermelon, peeled, seeded and diced
* 1 banana, peeled and cut into small cubes
* 3 tablespoons spiced rum
* 1 cup apple cider or juice
* Juice of 1 lemon
* ½ cup honey
* 12 crepes, recipe follows

Heat oil over medium heat in a large skillet. When hot, add the fruit and allow it to barely soften, about 2 minutes. Add the rum, cider, lemon juice and honey. Allow the fruit to get softer, and then remove all of the fruit with a slotted spoon to a mixing bowl. Reduce the remaining liquid until syrupy. Strain it into a small saucepan.

Spoon the warm fruit onto 1 quadrant of each crepe. Fold the crepe in half and then spoon fruit onto another quadrant. Serve 1 crepe per person on plates or in shallow soup plates and then, with a spoon, drizzle some of the warm fruit syrup over each.

Servings: 12.
* * *

Crepes

* 3 eggs, beaten
* 1 cup skim milk
* 1 cup flour
* 1/8 teaspoon salt
* 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1 teaspoon ground cloves
* 2 tablespoons canola oil

Whisk the eggs and milk together in a large bowl. Beat in the flour, salt, cinnamon, cloves and oil.

Heat a non-stick crepe pan over medium-high heat. Pour a few tablespoons of batter into the pan while tilting the pan so that the batter covers the bottom of the pan in a thin layer. When the crepe is golden brown, flip it and cook the other side until golden brown, about 45 seconds.

Yield: About 12 crepes.

Copyright © 2007 North Jersey Media Group Inc.

It Don't Mean A Thing If You Ain't Got That--

Lincoln Center brings dancing to you
Friday, July 6, 2007
[Photo left courtesy of The Lincoln Center]
By EVELYN SHIH
STAFF WRITER

There's a show at Lincoln Center that you don't pay to watch -- you pay to be in it. For $15, you can get on the dance floor that has taken up residence in the central plaza of the complex and entertain the over-dressed operagoers watching from the windowed balconies of the Metropolitan Opera.

Forget dancing with the stars. Men and women mambo, cha-cha, swing and even tango under the stars at Midsummer Night Swing, a program that continues until July 21. Even kids can get in on the action with a daytime salsa event July 14.

And during intermissions at the center's surrounding performance halls, the plaza's balconies fill with spectators.

"When you go back into the ballet, it must be a shock," says Nancy Crowder, the producer of Midsummer Night Swing, with a laugh. Avery Fisher Hall, she adds, has the best view of the dance floor.

This year the live music lineup sizzles hot with swing on Tuesdays, salsa on Saturdays and a whole selection of styles on the nights in between. More niche dance styles include Brazilian samba, frevo and marcha, as well as an Irish night that Crowder likens to a square dance.

Learning new dances can be part of the fun. Events start every night at 6:30 with a lesson, but the learning curve climbs exponentially when the band starts playing.

"It's nice to dance with somebody at your skill level, but it's also nice to dance with someone at a different skill level," said Crowder.

And don't assume you have to come with a partner and stick with him or her through the evening.

"If someone breaks in, you're kind of supposed to let them," adds Crowder. "It's that dancing etiquette where you're not supposed to refuse anybody. People are really open to dancing when you're out there."

Over the years, Midsummer has created a sort of dance culture of its own. "We have regulars that come back year after year that have been coming since the beginning," said Crowder.

On the programming end, she added, feedback from ardent social dancers has been a source of constant improvement over the past 19 years. "We try to get bands that know the dance scene and play for people to dance," she said. "People will get mad if they can't dance to the music."

After all, this isn't the ballet.

E-mail: shih@northjersey.com

Copyright © 2007 North Jersey Media Group Inc.

Chatting with Madame Mayette

French troupe debuts 'Fontaine'
Friday, July 6, 2007

By EVELYN SHIH
STAFF WRITER

This summer, all the world's stage is in New York. The Lincoln Center Festival flies in acts from around the globe, from Japanese kabuki actors to Chile's Teatro Cinema.

"Les Fables de la Fontaine" is a production by the premiere French theater company La Comedie-Francaise. It dramatizes 19 of the more than 250 verse fables by classical author Jean de la Fontaine, who was a contemporary of Moliere, the founding force behind La Comedie-Francaise, and the Sun King, Louis XIV.

We spoke with Muriel Mayette, the current -- and first female -- director of the company, about art that reaches tout le monde -- all cultures and all ages.

Q. This run will be the American debut of "Les Fables de la Fontaine." In France, Jean de la Fontaine is well-known, and his fables are well-known even to children. The production has been very well received in France, where it brings back nostalgic memories of childhood for many viewers. Are you worried that the reception will be markedly different in America, where there is no such deep cultural memory of the fables?

I think the audience is actually going to take more pleasure out of it, because they will be discovering the stories for the first time.

I acted three years ago in "Le Malade Imaginaire" by Moliere in New York, and I remember the New York audience laughed like children, because they picked up on the authentic comedy. They responded even better than the audience did in France.

I think it will be the same for "Les Fables."
Q. One of the actors, Bakary Sangare of Mali, has commented that this production is reminiscent of African oral tradition. Do you feel that working in an oral tradition mode, the Comedie-Francaise is doing something it rarely does?

Yes. This piece is entirely new because of [director] Bob Wilson.

These tales are a good example of how a presentation of naivete can demand sophistication. It is in the naﶥ mode of animals, of the tales we tell our children, but it incorporates La Fontaine's sophisticated handling of the material.

Q. Is this a production for children?

Absolutely.

Q. La Fontaine wrote the fables in verse. What happens to the quality of the language when the audience is reading the translated text in supertitles?

The fables are not only poetry, but are also short stories. They actually use images, especially animal images to represent humankind. The aim of the short stories was to present our human weaknesses. ...

La Fontaine is a universal auteur, and this is an easy piece to tour with. To me, Robert Wilson made a very visual piece that made it very easy to understand for all cultures.
Q. What is your impression of the director, Robert Wilson? What sort of director and artist is he in your eyes, coming from an acting background?

His art is universal because the visual dimension of it is something everyone can understand. His stage art connects with the audience all over the world, and not only that, but all ages. When he created "Regard du Sourd" [a production she appeared in as an actress], he really invented a new mode of theater. He's a great inventor.

Saying an artist has the quality of universality, in my mind, is the greatest compliment.

Q. Are you going toward universality in the future?

Of course we are, because the Comedie-Francaise is the biggest and the oldest theater troupe in France. It is our mission to transmit and share the patrimony of the French theater. We want and need to present to the largest audience possible. I've been working on that since I became the director of the Comedie-Francaise.

Right now, part of the company is in Milan, and another group is in Bourgogne.

E-mail: shih@northjersey.com

Copyright © 2007 North Jersey Media Group Inc.

Reconnecting

North Jerseyans’ kids sojourn in the old country
Thursday, July 5, 2007

By EVELYN SHIH
STAFF WRITER

The summer she was 16, everything changed for Joanna Paliouras. Her parents sent her on a trans-Atlantic flight, all by herself, back to the country where they had been born.

"My uncle said maybe you should see more of Greece and learn to love it," said the Closter mother of three. "And that's what happened."

Paliouras' childhood impressions of Greece were slightly terrifying, formed by time spent on her grandmother's farm, where dinner was alive and eating in the back yard just hours before making it to the table. It was only after that transforming summer, traveling across the ancient nation as a young adult and seeing the breadth of cultural heritage it had to offer, that Paliouras had a change of heart.

"It became more of what I wanted," said Paliouras. "As a parent it's what I want for my kids as well."

Joanna and her native Greek husband, Dimitrios, now take their three young sons to Greece yearly. They are one of the many local couples that dedicate time -- and significant plane ticket money -- to a yearly pilgrimage back to their country of origin. Whether the parents are first-generation immigrants, second generation or even further removed, the goal is to pass on a deep-seated love for a tradition and a way of life that complement the American way of life.

Poland-bound

This summer, Kasia Krzoska, 18, will be picking up the baton from her native Polish parents Beata and Leszek. In late July, the Upper Saddle River native will be charting her own trip across Europe, spending a significant amount of time at a village near Krakow, Poland, where her step-grandmother lives.

She will also be acting as tour guide for a daughter of a family friend, a Polish-American girl her own age.

"I'm just excited to show her everything, because she's only been [to Poland] once, when she was much younger," said Kasia, who is now an old hand at travel. At the tender age of 7, she traveled alone under the protection of a stewardess and spent the summer with an aunt she barely knew near Krakow.

Kasia will be the first to tell you that a certain double vision -- seeing American life in one eye and a different life in another -- is a unique side effect of growing up with summers abroad.

"Whenever I would visit Poland I felt like I was almost living a double life," she said of the different social atmosphere. It was not until 10th grade that she came to terms with her layered national identity. "I tried to cut out the attitude that I had in Europe when I was here [in America] and tried to fit in with the mainstream American high school attitude and behavior," she explained. "Now I can tell you it honestly doesn't matter what environment I'm in: I'm proud of my roots."

The stamp of worldliness is difficult to wash off, said Anju Ahuja, a first-generation Indian mother in Closter. "They have realized that life is not a bed of roses," she said of her son, 19, her daughter, 18, and her youngest son, 8, all of whom have gone on annual trips to India. "There's so many people that have nothing, and yet somehow get through the day. ... I think it has to do with who they are, and the kindness and compassion in their hearts.

"And they are more in touch in their culture," she added.

Intangible connection

Summering in the homeland is a way of staying in touch with family members still living in the old country, but it's also a way of showing the next generation a different worldview that informs their parents' lives. While language skills may vary -- Kasia speaks Polish more fluently than her younger brothers, says mother Beata Krzoska -- it's the intangible feeling of connection to a place that is most precious.

"The first few days when I go to Poland, it feels strange to me," admits Kasia. "At first I miss the U.S. a little bit, and then at the end I don't want to come back. ... I'm looking forward to going back to Poland and having that feeling of ... feeling at home."

Meanwhile, the Paliourases labor on, hoping to foster a similar love for Greece in their young sons Pantelis, 8, Alexandros, 4, and Aristotelis, 18 months. The older boys attend Greek language school twice a week, and the whole family participates in Greek gatherings and festivals in their North Jersey community.

But without a doubt, the trips to Greece do the most to reconnect their children with family and culture, said Joanna Paliouras. Those summer stays began when the boys were mere infants. In Greece, they eat their fill of souvlaki and feta, dance at impromptu family gatherings and celebrate their saints' name days. And of course they speak fluent Greek with their cousins.

By bringing them to Greece early in their lives, Joanna Paliouras hopes to spare them the sudden culture shock she experienced at age 8, during the first trip to Greece she can remember.

"My grandparents were used to going out in the back, grabbing a chicken and killing it for a meal," she said. To this day, she cannot bring herself to eat lamb from the spit at Greek festivals.

E-mail: shih@northjersey.com

Copyright © 2007 North Jersey Media Group Inc.

Gad-zuchs!

Zucchini cheese squares
Tuesday, July 3, 2007

Vegetarian recipes from recently released cookbooks:

"Serving Up the Harvest: Celebrating the Goodness of Fresh Vegetables," by Andrea Chesman (Storey Publishing, 2007)

Andrea Chesman calls herself a "cook who gardens" in a cookbook that exudes enthusiasm for both pursuits. Although Chesman doesn't turn her nose up at those who choose to buy from farmers' markets instead of planting their own produce, she includes cultivation tips for every vegetable featured. (Vegetables have their own chapters and are organized roughly into five harvest seasons.) She also includes a "math" list converting the unprepared vegetable into the standardized measures used in recipes and timing notes for how each vegetable responds to different cooking methods. The recipes themselves are fairly simple -- the book cover advertises "175 simple recipes" -- and are aimed at bringing out the best flavors of specific vegetables.

-- Evelyn Shih
* * *

Zucchini cheese squares

* 3 cups grated zucchini
* 2 teaspoons salt
* Butter for greasing baking dish
* 1½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
* 1 tablespoon baking powder
* 1 onion, diced
* 2 cups grated cheddar cheese
* 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
* 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper or lemon pepper
* ½ cup canola oil
* 3 large eggs, beaten

Combine the zucchini and salt in a colander and toss to mix. Set aside to drain for 30 minutes. Squeeze out the excess water.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease a 7-by-11-inch baking dish with butter. Stir together the flour and baking powder in a medium bowl. Add the onion, zucchini, cheese, thyme and pepper. Mix well with a fork.

Whisk together the oil and eggs in a small bowl. Pour into the zucchini mixture and mix well. Spread evenly in the baking dish.

Bake for about 35 minutes, until golden. Let cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Cut into squares and serve warm or at room temperature.

Servings: 6 to 8.

Copyright © 2007 North Jersey Media Group Inc.

Woman Sells Book; Book Sells You

Your 15 minutes of fame await
Tuesday, July 3, 2007

By EVELYN SHIH
STAFF WRITER

I gave Marta Tracy [pictured left] my name and number without thinking.

"You see what I just did?" she asked after taking it down.

My information is now indelibly inscribed in Tracy's Rolodex of contacts, rubbing shoulders with the likes of Food Network host Paula Deen, fashion designer Isaac Mizrahi and "The View" host Elisabeth Hasselbeck.

A television producer responsible for launching the Style network as well as helping to create E! Entertainment Television, Tracy has been putting people on TV for more than 30 years. She treats every phone number like a keeper -- and so should you.

Networking one name at a time is only one of the many insider tips she lays bare in her book, "Starring You!" which arrives in bookstores this week.

"People kept coming to me and getting advice from me about getting onto television," said the Old Tappan resident. "I'd see them on TV a few months later."

Now you, too, can get the Tracy treatment. "Starring You!" is a step-by-step guide to getting booked on TV shows, something that almost everyone should do, according to Tracy and co-writer Terence Noonan, a co-producer on "The Morning Show With Mike and Juliet."

"I think that television is still the most powerful medium for getting your message out," said Tracy, claiming that the Internet has yet to outdo the tube in terms of mass influence. Whether you actually want to become a TV personality or you want to "launch your brand, your business and your life," as Tracy is fond of repeating, the glowing box is the way to go.

Tracy herself was a convert to television. At Boston College, she studied education but eventually "just felt that the box was a little bit small for me."

"Sophomore year, I happened to pass a sign in the basement of the education building that said 'TV 101,' " she recalled. "I just had an aha! moment -- gosh that sounds so exciting, that's what I want to do!"

The problem was, Tracy discovered, she had no contacts in an industry where who you know is everything -- hence, her now fanatic dedication to the expansion of her Rolodex. As a fresh college grad, she spent three years pounding the pavement before a tenuous tie got her in the door at the children's show "Captain Kangaroo." By the time she was in her late 20s, Tracy was working at HBO with a then-fresh-faced Matt Lauer on entertainment segments.

Nowadays, as the owner of her own company that realizes the dreams of would-be TV guests, Tracy wouldn't trade her career for anything else. What's best, she said, is "the opportunity to be creative, to work with other creative people."

Tracy is working on a show concept that she hopes to bring to fruition soon. "It's actually confidential, but I hope you'll see it on the E! network soon," she said. "It's some of the best work that I've done in my life."

But don't expect to see "The Marta Tracy Show" anytime soon.

"I have never wanted to be in front of the camera," she said. "It was very clear to me when I was in college, working with talents in TV, that I enjoyed helping the talent get on TV and on the screen. But I never considered myself an actress.

"The best role I ever had was to help give [others] confidence," she added.

E-mail: shih@northjersey.com

Copyright © 2007 North Jersey Media Group Inc.