Writ in Water

Mommy She Wrote

2008-06-09T15:53:00.002-04:00

Mahwah author shares her craft with young writers
Monday, June 9, 2008
Last updated: Monday June 9, 2008, EDT 8:24 AM
BY EVELYN SHIH
STAFF WRITER
Left: photo by staff photographer Tariq Zehawi.

As a teenager in Georgia, Leigh-Anne Kidwell loved to read. She knew what she liked – Judy Blume's "Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret" was her favorite — and she dabbled in writing short stories and poems.

Blume was her hero, but Kidwell never thought she could be "that person."

"I did not seek out writing as a career," said Kidwell, who now lives in Mahwah. "Because it wasn't touchable."

Fast-forward to her 30s. Now a published author of two books for the tween and teen sets (ages 9 to 15), Kidwell teaches creative writing. Her mission: to show kids that their dreams of becoming writers are within reach.

"I want to let them know, 'You can do this,' " she said. "... There are a lot great young authors out there."

Kidwell will be reading from her books, 2005's "The Year I Lost My Popularity" and 2006's "Summer Vineyard," at the Mahwah Public Library on Tuesday afternoon. She also will be signing up students for a free once-a-week writing workshop at the library during July.

The workshop is a version of a program Kidwell created in Tennessee, where she and her family lived until a year and a half ago. Unlike most creative writing classes, which focus on generating finished stories, Kidwell also teaches kids how to get published.

"There are many avenues they actually can go through at their age to get their work in print," she said.

Kidwell deviated from the writer's path for about 15 years — through college and then 10 years in the fashion merchandising industry — before she finally sat down again and put pen to paper.

And when Kidwell sat down at the drawing board for her first book, she set tweens in her sights.

"I call it the innocent before the trouble," said Kidwell of the middle-school years. "... It's when I started knowing about the reading world and was reading books all the time."

It was also when her world changed. At 13, Kidwell's family moved to a different town in Georgia, and the experience stuck with her. Her first book, "The Year I Lost My Popularity," is loosely based on her own process of fitting in at a new school.

But the appeal of middle-grade books isn't limited to kids the same age as the protagonists, Kidwell added.

In fact, the fans tend to be much younger.

"When they're 9, they're thinking about being 13," she said. Kidwell is writing a third novel, "The Power of Three," which chronicles the troubled friendship of three teenage girls. Her life as a full-time mother of a 6-year-old and a 2-year-old provides ample inspiration.

"I go to the mall or the park, and I hear teenagers talk," she said. "I listen to my baby sitters. In my workshops, I like to have students treat me as one of them as much as possible."

Chuck Mangione!

2008-06-06T15:57:00.001-04:00

Hats off to a jazz master
Friday, June 6, 2008
Last updated: Friday June 6, 2008, EDT 5:47 AM
BY EVELYN SHIH
STAFF WRITER

WHO: Chuck Mangione and His Feels So Good Band.

WHAT: Smooth jazz.

WHEN: 8 p.m. Saturday.

WHERE: Tarrytown Music Hall, 13 Main St., Tarrytown, N.Y.; 877-840-0457 or tarrytownmusichall.org.

HOW MUCH: $38 to $58.

WHERE TO HEAR: chuckman gione.com.

Smooth jazz legend Chuck Mangione had two dreams as a youngster: playing for the Yankees and playing for Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers.

Image courtesy of scaruffi.com

He thought that perhaps he could do both, a day job and a night job. After all, he sometimes played several baseball games a day before his mother drove him to an Italian wedding or a bar mitzvah, where he entertained guests with his trumpet.

Only one dream ended up coming true: Mangione did play with the Jazz Messengers after a stint with his brother Gap in a band they called the Jazz Brothers. The Messengers experience launched his career as a jazz superstar, though he soon switched to the flugelhorn.

More than 50 years after he picked up his first instrument, the Grammy Award-winning musician is still on tour, and he's coming to the Tarrytown Music Hall with his Feels So Good band. The band name refers to one of his best-known tunes.

"When we go to Tarrytown, I'm sure I'm going to see people who attended every performance that I had at Tarrytown," said Mangione. "We've existed for a long, long time. People have a connection to your music. ... I have people tell me how important this particular record was to them. How they fell in love to this particular music. When they were down, another composition lifted their spirits.

"It's a very humbling experience to hear the stories and experience of people who have been touched by this music," he added.

Although he reached the zenith of his fame in the '70s and '80s, Mangione experienced a resurgence after his animated cameo in the television show "King of the Hill."

"Not long ago, this guy comes dragging his kid over and says, 'You're Chuck Mangione, right? I'm a big fan.' And the kid says, 'Hey, you're that guy from 'King of the Hill!' " Mangione said with a chuckle.

The character was drawn with Mangione's trademark brimmed hat, which has unintentionally become his iconic accessory.

"Way back in 1970, I got it as a gift from two good friends," said Mangione. "I wore it occasionally. Then it became the cover for an album of mine called 'Friends and Love.' ... I went out on tour, and the record company said, 'Where's the hat?' So I started wearing that, and that became part of the image.

"It's not the same hat, and certainly I don't wear it all the time," he added. "It would be hard to shower."

With that same serendipity, Mangione accidentally returned to the dream that he left behind. His music gained a staunch fan: Yankees owner George Steinbrenner.

"George asked me to play the anthem at Yankee Stadium," he said. "Then we would be playing at Fort Lauderdale when they had spring training. We would go to the games, and the ballplayers would come to our concerts. They got to know us."

Like any other Mangione performance, the anthem is played with his unique aesthetic.

"Play it clean, play it straight from the heart," he said.

It's his simple, crisp tone — and his irrepressible playfulness — that keeps bringing fans back to a song he wrote. You might even call it his personal anthem.

"I'd just love to have people come out to Tarrytown," he said. "It's a wonderful, intimate setting. I guarantee that they're gonna feel so good!"

Parents Flock Online

2008-06-03T15:55:00.003-04:00

Gen-X parents have their space online now
Monday, June 2, 2008
Last updated: Monday June 2, 2008, EDT 6:09 PM
BY EVELYN SHIH
STAFF WRITER

Left: Famzam.com.

Chris Schwartz’s child isn’t due until September.

But girl or boy, Virgo or Libra, the littlest Schwartz has already been the subject of adoration in Pennsylvania, Louisiana, Texas and New Zealand.

Schwartz has been posting sonograms on his personal page at Famzam.com, a new family-friendly networking site founded by Anthony Lamme of Oakland. Like many Generation-X parents, the 35-year-old Schwartz has incorporated the Internet in his parenting — even before his child is born.

“I like to think we have the youngest social networking child in the world, at five months before birth,” said Schwartz, a Linden native.

For Gen-X parents in North Jersey, it’s no longer enough to use resources on the Internet passively. Several thirty- and fortysomethings have used their Web savvy to create sites that are a new space for their generation, apart from that of the dominant youth culture.

Partly, they are being forced to actively engage with Web culture because their children are (or will be) in the cyber world as early as 2 or 3 years of age. But mostly, the Internet is starting to become a new frontier for Gen-Xers who want to claim niches for themselves.

“I was in my early 30s when MySpace and the other sites became popular,” said Lamme, 35. “But I only want to communicate with people I know. I have absolutely no interest in going out and meeting strangers.”

What’s more, teens and twentysomethings consider older people encroaching on “their” space “creepy,” he added.

The former Wall Street trader decided to team up with Indian Hills High School classmate Mark Murphy and create a social connection site that made it easy to share things such as recipes, pictures and videos — and difficult for potential stalkers to ply their trade.

The site is intended as a way to connect far-flung family members. Lamme’s mother-in-law, Betsy McIntyre, lives in North Carolina and sees his twin daughters, Ashley and Haley, only twice a year in person. But with Lamme’s video blog, “she gets to see them grow up online,” he said. Lamme hopes to reach the boomer generation and beyond with his twist on social networking.

There is a strong demand for safe socializing spaces online — especially for children under age 10 — because of the rapidly changing rules of cyberspace, says Lauren Trudeau of Franklin Lakes. Networking sites like MySpace and Facebook are in easy reach of any finger big enough to click a mouse, and children are becoming socialized online earlier and earlier.

In order to protect and monitor her two children, Trudeau founded Yokidsyo.com, a parent-monitored e-mail and instant-message portal for kids. Eighteen months ago, at ages 7 and 8, Mark and Cassandra Trudeau were “a lot more advanced than we thought they would be,” said Trudeau.

“They wanted e-mail, they wanted instant messaging,” she explained. “They were headed toward Facebook and MySpace, which I felt was inappropriate for their age.”

Left: image courtesy of the Wired blog.

Trudeau and her husband, then in their mid-30s, felt compelled to create Yokidsyo as a private forum for their own kids and their friends. News of the site spread quickly by word of mouth, and today membership is at 25,000, mostly consisting of Bergen County children and their parents, according to Trudeau.

“Children that are my kids’ baby sitters, who are 15 and 16 — when they were younger, all this stuff wasn’t out there,” said Trudeau.
Yokidsyo, administered by Trudeau and a group of six local parents, is a way to keep kids from growing up too fast. But one Hoboken couple, Jonathan and Jennifer Rich, are trying to help kids grow more quickly — in their frontal lobes.

Jennifer Rich, a former public school teacher and reading specialist, writes all the content for children’s book review site Ethansbookshelf.com. Parents can find appropriate books by age and topic in the ever-growing database of reviews. The site is named after the couple’s 18-month-old son, Ethan.

“We’re lucky, because [Jennifer] knows good books,” said Jonathan Rich, 32. “But if you’re a young parent, and you don’t know what to get for your child, [other book sites] don’t give much guidance.”

Now staying at home with Ethan, Jennifer Rich, 30, makes use of her expertise and her son’s nap time to write about children’s fiction classics and new books that are sent to her for review. The Riches dreamed up the site after realizing how often she was asked by friends for book recommendations on an informal basis.

For all of these Web entrepreneurs, the end game is to be a better parent — and to help others do the same.

Fashion Stylings of the 10 and under

2008-05-26T10:30:00.004-04:00

Child-friendly salons put new twist on style trends

Monday, May 26, 2008
Last updated: Monday May 26, 2008, EDT 8:38 AM

BY EVELYN SHIH

STAFF WRITER

Julia Favaro of Demarest sits marvelously still for a 3-year-old.

Left: Ivelisse Vargas, 3, watches Dora the Explorer as stylist Sara Pakzad gives her a French braid. Photo by staff photographer Danielle Richards.

Hairstylist Sara Pakzad pats down Julia's newly shorn bob, then produces a short, fat brush half the size of the child's head. She dusts off the smiling girl and helps her out of her cloak. Julia holds her arms out to Pakzad to be picked up.

Julia "loves getting her hair done," said her mom, Christine Favaro. She fingered the small braid on her daughter's head. "She only lets Sarah do this — not me."

Julia has been getting her hair cut by Pakzad at David Alan's Cuts for Kids in Paramus for more than half of her young life. She's one of many North Jersey kids who may never experience what was once a staple of childhood: Mom's kitchen-sink bowl cuts.

These days, whether they're sporting haircuts that imitate Mommy and Daddy, or hairdos that resemble teen sensations like Hannah Montana or Zack and Cody, kids are stylin'. Along with the boom in children's clothing and products, professional hairstyling has become yet another part of the modern child's landscape. Babies as young as a few months old are getting their heads buzzed.

"The kids look good earlier and earlier nowadays," said Jennifer Bilek, founder of Get Coiffed, a Manhattan-based hairstyling business that offers in-home children's haircuts. Though most of her clientele consists of higher-income families, she believes that this is the next wave in hair styling.

"Especially in the urban areas, you can have a 6-month-old dressed to the nines. ... The whole children's industry is still in explosion."

Stylish offspring

Bilek said the attention being paid to children's hair comes part and parcel with a parental obsession to have stylish-looking offspring. And lest you think that it's just the parents, don't be fooled: Kids know exactly what they want.

Picture: Hannah Montana, aka Miley Cyrus.

"They bring pictures in, they say I want to look like him or her," said Chuck Moschetto, owner of Charlie's Kids Salon in Paramus. Idols from the Disney Channel and Nickelodeon media empires like the Jonas Brothers and the "High School Musical" characters inspire waves of pint-sized imitators.

To be sure, salons like David Alan's Cuts for Kids, owned by David Perlman, are not new: Perlman opened the child-friendly storefront 18 years ago. But kid-focused salon franchises like Snip-its have become popular in recent years: Thirty-one stores out of 60 opened between 2004 and 2005, including a Rockaway branch. Until 2002, the franchise business had only five salons.

Each Snip-its has colorful, eye-catching décor and branded characters designed by an animator, as well as a Magic Box with prizes at the end of the haircut. Stylists distract and entertain children by blowing soap bubbles, said Rockaway manager Dinah Janowski.

Recognizing that cutting kids' hair can be big business (haircuts can range from $15 to $25), salon owners are starting to cater to the younger set.

In recent years, some salons have added birthday parties to their list of services. Snip-its hosts "glamour" parties, where girls get the beauty salon treatment, then walk down a red carpet in a mini fashion show. Perlman will soon introduce "makeover" parties, where girls can get clip-on hair extensions, re-creating the Hannah Montana look.

An emphasis on fun

Kids are still kids, though, so the emphasis is on creating a fun, comfortable environment. In order to keep children seated, kid-friendly salons are usually full of distractions such as televisions, video games, toys and candy. They also try to hire stylists with an essential virtue: patience.

"Kids are scared of noises, like the [clippers]," said David Alan's stylist Philip Teresi. "They see this machine come out, and they think their heads are going to be chopped off. So I put it against my hand and show them that there's no boo-boo."

David Alan's Cuts for Kids has themed seating that suggests being on safari, or being a ballerina or baseball player. There are seats designed to look like Jeeps and even a giant stuffed giraffe. But Julia knows the best part: It comes after every haircut.

"Lollipop and balloon!" she said, walking toward the balloon station.

Ryan Balatbat of Waldwick, 2, has a different goal in mind. After his cut, he heads straight for the Thomas the Tank Engine train set. He and his older brother, 4-year-old Patrick, get haircuts every five weeks. He knows his way around David Alan's.

"My oldest son didn't get professional cuts until he was 3," said mother Kathy Balatbat, watching her son out of the corner of her eye as she stood at the cash register. "My husband used to cut it ... but here they're really 1-2-3. Both of them are done in half an hour."

E-mail: shih@northjersey.com

Steaks...Made of Eggplant

2008-05-26T09:47:00.000-04:00

Eggplant steaks with teriyaki marinade and dipping sauce

Monday, May 26, 2008
Last updated: Monday May 26, 2008, EDT 8:54 AM

Vegetarian recipes from recently released cookbooks:

"The New Vegetarian Grill," by Andrea Chesman (The Harvard Common Press, 2008)

Veggie burgers won't be the only vegetarian fare on the grill for today's Memorial Day gathering. Andrea Chesman's collection shows you how to grill everything from artichokes to plantains to the eggplant steaks below. Vegetables, unlike meat, contain no fat and must be brushed with oil or marinade. But, with the exception of eggplant and mushrooms, they don't need time to soak it in. Caramelizing in the vegetable skin and in the surface applied marinade will create a "nicely brown, slightly crunchy exterior," Chesman writes.

— Evelyn Shih

1 medium-size eggplant, peeled and sliced an inch thick
1/2 cup teriyaki marinade and dipping sauce, recipe follows
Prepare a medium hot fire in the grill.

In a shallow bowl, combine the eggplant and the marinade. Toss well to coat. Let the eggplant stand for at least 15 minutes to absorb the marinade.

Grill the eggplant, turning occasionally, until tender and grill-marked, about 10 minutes. The eggplant should be slightly crusty on the outside but soft and moist inside. Serve hot.

Servings: 4.

Per serving: 93 calories, 3 grams fat, 0.5 grams saturated fat, no cholesterol, 15 grams carbohydrates, 2 grams protein, 511 milligrams sodium, 5 grams fiber.

2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon canola or peanut oil
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup tamari or soy sauce
1/4 cup dry sherry
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/4 cup orange juice
1 tablespoon cornstarch

In a saucepan over medium-high heat, combine sesame and canola oils. Add the ginger and garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the tamari, sherry, brown sugar and lime juice. Bring to a boil.

In a small bowl, mix together the orange juice and cornstarch until smooth. Stir it into the tamari mixture and cook until the sauce is thickened, about 5 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Use immediately or store in a refrigerated airtight container for up to one week.

Yield: 1 1/4 cups.

2008-05-25T07:56:00.000-04:00

Weekend bikers are a far cry from Hell’s Angels

Saturday, May 24, 2008
Last updated: Saturday May 24, 2008, EDT 8:13 PM

BY EVELYN SHIH

Staff Writer

Raymond Brunelle of Upper Saddle River is vice president of a Chicago-based food packaging company, but he has something to look forward to during the workweek in the Windy City. Every weekend, Brunelle flies home to North Jersey, dons a leather jacket and rides the region’s twisty back roads on his sports bike.

Picture: ALDO MARTINEZ Jr. / SPECIAL TO THE RECORD

“Why do some people play golf every week?” said Brunelle when asked why he goes to such lengths to ride his motorcycle. “Instead of playing golf, I ride.”

Gone are the days when motorcycle riding was equated with skull-and-wings insignias or long hair. Today, North Jersey motorcycle enthusiasts rarely fit the traditional stereotype of The Biker: They range from single moms to Wall Street traders to computer programmers. Many are baby boomers who choose biking as a lifestyle or hobby — not for an identity or a gang affiliation.

A new breed of cyclist takes to the road for pure enjoyment and “the mastery of it,” said Brunelle, 50, who leads a group of local sports bikers from April to October on two-hour rides that can cover up to 80 miles.

And weekends are their thing.

Teaneck resident Dwayne Pierce, who got his first bike almost two decades ago, said that in recent years the Internet has enabled riders of all stripes – from owners of pricey Harley Davidsons to fans of powerful sport bikes, the young to the middle aged, men and women – to connect and ride in weekend groups.

“When you’re riding on your own, it’s you and 300 cars,” said Pierce, 46, an insurance company sales representative who stopped riding for two years after he got married, but resumed when “the feeling came back.

“When you’re riding together, people know you’re there.”

Group rides are simultaneously a solitary act — each rider on his or her own vehicle — and an exercise in group movement. Good organization is key to group rides, said Jerry Volpe of Ramsey. He should know.

Seals friendships

Volpe, a retired elementary and middle school music teacher, rode a motorbike for the first time on his honeymoon in Bermuda 11 years ago and got his New Jersey motorcycle license on a whim. Today, though, he is a road captain in one of the local Harley Owners Groups (or HOGs), which organize informal weekly weekend “meet-ups” that can swell to as many as 60 riders.

“If we want to move into the left lane, I’ll tell the rear captain,” said Volpe, 61, referring to a rider at the end of the pack. “He’ll move to the left lane to block it off, then signal me. I’ll check my mirror to make sure it’s OK, signal, and move the whole group over.”

Whether it’s the effect of group-think or the simple joy of pulling off a beautiful ride with a convoy of bikers, you grow closer to people after you ride together, said Volpe and others. Pierce, for example, recently attended the wedding of a friend he met through weekend rides.

“It’s social also, when you’re off the bike,” he said. “You become close friends with many of your riding buddies.”

On a more public level, bikers band together to organize charity rides, such as the FealGood Foundation benefit on May 10, which paid tribute to those who perished on 9/11. Sponsored by the Bergen County Harley-Davidson/Buell dealership in Rochelle Park, the ride involved hundreds of cyclists and briefly closed the George Washington Bridge .

Women bikers

Local bikers also come together in faith: One of the region’s largest mass bike blessings was held earlier this month by the Christian Riders Motorcycle Club at St. John’s Church in Paterson.

Image: A "biker chick," courtesy of Spaceg.com.

“I’ve never met a bad person biking,” said Diane DiSavino of Pompton Plains, a former road captain for an all-woman riding group called the Riding Divas. She’s currently a member of the Ladies of Harley and takes trips as far as Milwaukee and Myrtle Beach, S.C. She also sees riding as a more informal tool for socializing.

“Want to meet the ladies for ice cream? Make it 8 o’clock,” she said. “Let’s go.”

A former passenger on her ex-husband’s Harley, DiSavino is one of a burgeoning number of North Jersey women moving into the driver’s seat. Nationwide, women make up a projected 11 to 12 percent of all motorcycle owners in 2008, and their numbers are growing.

DiSavino, who quit her job in January as a mortgage underwriter to join the Bergen Harley-Davidson/Buell dealership staff, finds women-only rides helpful because some female riders can be intimidated by men.

“I see couples walk in, and if the woman looks interested, the husband or boyfriend will be like, ‘Are you crazy? You can’t do that,’ÿ” said DiSavino, who runs a motorcycle safety course. Often, the woman customer will leave, and some come back – alone.

She herself loves everything about biking, down to its superstitions – like the rider’s bell. “When a new rider gets a bike, someone has to get them a bell to hang from the bike – they can’t get it themselves,” DiSavino said. “It wards off the road demons.”

E-mail: shih@northjersey.com

Black Humor

2008-05-23T07:53:00.000-04:00

Eddie Griffin's outspoken comedy

Friday, May 23, 2008
Last updated: Friday May 23, 2008, EDT 7:04 AM

BY EVELYN SHIH

STAFF WRITER

Funnyman and actor Eddie Griffin will be taking over Carolines on Broadway this weekend, the first time he will perform at the New York comedy club. Though he has already conquered the movie theater ("Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo," "John Q") and television ("Malcolm and Eddie"), he still performs stand-up comedy on a weekly basis.

Griffin has also signed on to star in a new reality show on VH1 about his life, tentatively titled "Eddie Griffin Goes for Broke" and scheduled to start airing in 2009. He took time off his busy schedule to talk about his life and his comedy.

Q. What will your new show be like?

We have no idea. It's reality.
[VH1] approached me with the idea. They're going to follow me around with a camera.

Q. Are you looking forward to that?

My life is a movie. Someone should film it. I am the real "Truman Show."
Q. You live in Los Angeles, and you've done stand-up all over the country. Does the New York area audience play differently than the other audiences?

It's the same everywhere. People are people. They have the same concerns and desires. People got a different accent: the Boston, the Louisiana accents. But they all fall in and out of love. They all laugh at the same things.

Q. You will be appearing in an upcoming documentary, "Why We Laugh: Black Comedians on Black Comedy." What is different about black comedy?

The guy who's doing material about black people is usually black. Because people of any other race may come off as racist if they do the same jokes. Given what black people have gone through in this country, it's hard for them not to.

Because of that, black comedy has more bite than European comedy, I think.

Q. What's a funny New York story you know?

Let me tell you a funny thing about New York. After 9/11, the Fire Department were heroes. Now it's — how many years later? — and when they slash the budget, they slash the fire department budgets. That's so full of [expletive] that it's hilarious.

Where are the flag wavers now?

Q. Will you be doing some political comedy this weekend, considering the political climate we're in?

Oh, yeah.

Q. What did you think about the West Virginia primary results?

What we had was not a primary. What we had was the media having a sports event. Somebody call [Hillary Clinton] at 3 a.m. and tell her it's over!

If [Barack Obama] were a white candidate, they would've announced his win already, like John McCain.

They're just fighting tooth and nail to keep anything of color out of the White House. That's why they call it the White House.

Now there's black humor for you.

Fitness DVD reviews

2008-05-22T01:34:00.002-04:00

Fitness DVDs

Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Last updated: Wednesday May 21, 2008, EDT 8:42 AM

BOLLYWOOD BURN, with Hemalayaa ($14.99, acacialifestyle.com)

* What I liked: The DVD is split into three self-contained segments, each of which has a warm-up, cool-down and a mix of peaks and valleys in between. Yogini Hemalayaa does a good job of pacing so that you work your heart but get to rest, too. All three routines were especially good workouts in the quad region. I also liked that I was learning new moves. I didn't get them all the first time; but some, like a move where you jump backward in a circle with one leg lifted, were surprisingly easy and fun.

* What I didn't like: Hemalayaa's honeyed Hollywood-studio voiceover was slightly grating, so if you are picky about the personality of your trainer, she may not be for you. I also felt slightly silly doing some of the Bollywood moves, even when I was all alone with the DVD. The arm moves, in particular, were a little beyond me — and I didn't feel like they really worked my arms.

* The bottom line: This is a good experience, but you have to be willing to experiment.

— Evelyn Shih

YOGA TO THE RESCUE FOR BACK PAIN, with Desirée Rumbaugh ($14.99, acacialifestyle.com)

* What I liked: Rumbaugh patiently explains basic concepts of alignment and details precise movements that get results. She targets specific problems that those with back pain usually have and gives voiceover notes for adjusting posture as she and fellow demonstrator Andrew Rivin do the basic forms of yoga.

* What I didn't like: This is more of a handbook for yoga beginners and those coping with pain than an actual workout routine. For anyone who's learned the basic forms, the pace can be stiflingly slow. After going through the 66-minute disc once, you will either use the chapter system to skip to the forms that helped you the most — or never pop it in the DVD player again. It's hard to blame Rumbaugh for truth in advertising. But keep in mind that the operative word is more "back pain" than "yoga," especially if you like a practice with a flow.

* The bottom line: This is a good component of a beginner's yoga library.

— Evelyn Shih

Jewish Television

2008-05-19T01:42:00.000-04:00

Shalom TV reaches Jewish audience

Monday, May 19, 2008
Last updated: Tuesday May 20, 2008, EDT 6:51 AM

BY EVELYN SHIH

STAFF WRITER

Centuries ago, rabbis held full-time jobs unrelated to their congregations. If they owned wineries, for instance, they worked the vines for most of the week, and their congregations paid them for the time they spent teaching and performing rabbinical duties, said Rabbi Mark Golub. Since then, most rabbis have become professional spiritual leaders, spending little time on tasks that do not concern the congregation. But Golub, whose congregation is in Stamford, Conn., may be a bit of a throwback.

For one, he spends most of his week in Fort Lee. For another, he’s a television executive. “I teach in my congregation from Friday to Sunday, and I teach on television the rest of the week,” he said.

Golub’s newest lesson plan involves Shalom TV, which claims to be America’s first national network devoted exclusively to Jewish programming.

The channel, which launched in February, is carried in North Jersey in the video-on-demand format on the Comcast and Time Warner cable systems.

“It’s one thing to be a Jew in North Jersey or Manhattan, where Jews feel everything around them is Jewish,” said Golub. “But you go to Nashville, Tenn., or even parts of New Jersey that are outside the greater New York area — and all of a sudden … there’s not the same opportunity to experience Jewish culture.”

Golub uses the network to spread educational material, such as Hebrew lessons, and the Jewish perspective on world and American politics.

The network’s programming model is a mix of C-SPAN and PBS, Golub said. For example, there’s a module of content from the 92nd Street Y in New York City, with visiting dignitaries like television’s Jason Alexander (“Seinfeld”) and author Elie Wiesel.

Golub also runs the Russian Television Network (RTN), which he founded in 1991 with a member of his congregation, Michael Pravin. Golub, who comes from a Russian-Jewish heritage, decided to tap a demographic that had no available media outlet at the time.

The infrastructure of RTN, which operates out of offices in Fort Lee, makes it possible for a small staff to produce Shalom TV, Golub said. Shalom TV is supported by donations and is in the process of applying for non-profit status. The network has no advertising.

“If you’re Pepsi Cola, you can reach the Jew without going to a Jewish network,” explained Golub. “But there are niche markets that want to reach the Jewish market. There are also people in the Jewish community who own major companies that would like to support a Jewish network. If this all comes to be, then Shalom TV will be here for a long, long time.”

Golub expects North Jersey to become a prime area for interest in the network. “What you have in Bergen County is an incredibly strong Jewish identity,” he said.

Golub, who hosts the news topics show “L’Chayim” and a Hebrew language program on the network, plans to continue teaching through television. He said his congregation is supportive.

“I believe that there is something wonderful in a rabbi not to be simply leading a congregation, but to face the problems that his own congregants face day in and day out,” he said. “Getting up, going to work, worried about business, worried about how to pay your mortgage, worried about how to pay your employees … you have problems that you don’t have if you are solely a congregational rabbi.”

E-mail: shih@northjersey.com

Salad!

2008-05-19T01:38:00.000-04:00

Thai zucchini salad

Monday, May 19, 2008
Last updated: Monday May 19, 2008, EDT 7:44 AM

Vegetarian recipes from recently released cookbooks:

"Salad Makes the Meal," by Wiley Mullins (Rodale, 2008)

We vegetarians know our salads — at least, we think we do. With Wiley "Salad Man" Mullins' new collection, maybe it's time to think again. Mullins gets creative with such ingredients as mashed potatoes, mango and kale, demonstrating beyond a doubt that salads are much more than iceberg lettuce. Unique dressing-from-scratch recipes pump even more flavor into the colorful servings. Meat sections of the book aside, there are almost 40 pages of vegetarian entrée salads and bountiful selections in the appetizer and dessert categories.

— Evelyn Shih

* Thai zucchini salad
1 pound zucchini, sliced into long, thin ribbons with a vegetable peeler
2 large carrots, peeled and sliced into long, thin ribbons with a vegetable peeler
1/4 pound greens beans, trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 red serrano chilies, more if desired, seeded and chopped
12 to 15 cherry tomatoes
1/4 cup unsalted dry roasted peanuts, finely chopped
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
3 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons light or dark brown sugar
2 cups shredded green cabbage
2 cups bite-size pieces Boston or bibb lettuce

Cut the zucchini and carrot ribbons lengthwise into strips and place in a large bowl. Add the green beans and set aside.

Place the garlic and chilies in a food processor and process to a paste, or mash together on a plate with a fork. Add to the vegetables along with the cherry tomatoes. Use the butt end of a knife or a wooden spoon to bruise the vegetables. Add the peanuts, lime juice, soy sauce and brown sugar and toss to combine.

To serve, toss together the cabbage and lettuce and divide among 4 plates. Spoon the salad and juices on top and serve.

Servings: 4.

Per serving: : 153 calories, 5 grams fat, 1 gram saturated fat, 0 milligrams cholesterol, 24 grams carbohydrates, 4 grams protein, 482 milligrams sodium, 6 grams fiber.

Bergen Academies Theater

2008-05-18T23:41:00.002-04:00

Bergen Academies playwrights win honors
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Last updated: Sunday May 18, 2008, EDT 12:41 PM
BY EVELYN SHIH
STAFF WRITER

On Tuesday, the sophomore and junior performance arts students of the Bergen County Academies in Hackensack are taking a field trip to a student competition high on drama.

They're heading to Kean University's Little Theatre to see professionally produced plays by two of their own, juniors Julie A. Earls of Paramus and Bennett Kirschner of Montvale. Earls and Kirschner are winners in the 25th annual New Jersey Young Playwrights Contest, run by the Playwrights Theatre of Madison.

For members of the school's theater program, this pilgrimage is an annual rite of passage – and, for some, inspiration. Earls, 17, remembers taking this trip last year, when she saw the award-winning work of two other Academies students.

"I was just kind of like, 'It'd be so cool if I could do that, too,' " she said. So she began making lists of ideas she could fashion into a script. One of those ideas turned into "The Moodring Monologues," being performed Tuesday.

The Bergen County Academies theater program is a bit of a star within the competition. In two of the previous three years, at least two of the four plays chosen in the high school category have come from its students. The pattern continued this year — and a third student, Brianna Delfs of Hillsdale, received honorable mention.

The reason for the school's repeated curtain calls?

"Good teacher," Delfs said, looking across the table at her playwriting teacher, William Hathaway.

"Good students!" Hathaway countered.

Hathaway worked individually with the 15 performance students in the junior class to create 20-page submissions. "The process is different with each of them," he said.

Like many theater students, Earls and Delfs entered the program because of their interest and talents in acting. They'd never written a play before. But playwriting is a required fall course at the Bergen County Academies for performance students.

"I felt like I went from a one-dimensional view of theater to a six-dimensional view," said Delfs, of writing a play. "It's just a huge leap, because all of a sudden all these possibilities of how I wanted something to be were there for me."

Delfs' play, "Some People Never Go Crazy (What Truly Horrible Lives They Must Lead)," is a freewheeling series of monologues performed by four unnamed characters in an existentialist, provocative style. "I kind of threw in everything that was me," she said.

Kirschner's play, "Sorry, Allie," was an earlier playwriting effort from sophomore year that he worked on with Hathaway in English class. It deals with a young man who is losing a close friend to cancer.

The budding playwrights, like many high school creative writers, drew inspiration from personal sources. Earls dramatized teen issues such as identity, unrequited love and parental divorce in a series of interlocking monologues. A monologue set to song in Delfs' play was inspired by someone she refers to as "a kid from my past" who has "had a big emotional impact on my life."

Kirschner's inspiration came from a specific personal encounter with a classmate, Aly Boden, who had lost a childhood friend to cancer.

"I had just been told of that, and I apologized to her," said Kirschner, 16. "And I felt like such an idiot. What consolation, what help does that provide to a person? So right afterwards I was rather annoyed with myself, and I wrote a monologue."

All of the playwriting students did readings in class as a part of the revision process but were not allowed to direct or act in their own plays – simulating the professional playwright's relationship with the production crew and cast.

The three honored students may or may not go on to write plays for professional production. What's certain is that the process has helped them become more complete as actors and theater artists.

"In the business, you have to know how to do a little of everything," Earls said.

E-mail: shih@northjersey.com

Natalie Cole brief

2008-05-14T01:08:00.002-04:00

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

8 p.m. Wednesday, Englewood

Cole covers crooners

Natalie Cole sings her own hits alongside the tunes of Bruce Springsteen and Nat King Cole.

TELL ME MORE: Natalie Cole might always be remembered for her 1991 duet with a recording of her late father on "Unforgettable."

But the eight-time Grammy winner will be singing her own hits at bergenPAC, as well as more unexpected covers such as Springsteen's "Pink Cadillac."

In her 2006 studio album "Leavin'," Cole moved from the jazz standards she has done for about 15 years to cover R&B and pop tunes such as Fiona Apple's "Criminal," "Day Dreaming" by Aretha Franklin and even a surprisingly rich rendition of "Old Man" by Neil Young.

A sprightly 58, Cole has remained an active performer. Earlier this year, she sang for an Alberta Cancer Foundation benefit in Canada and performed in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. She was also in the news after the 2008 Grammy Awards for questioning Amy Winehouse's many wins.

"We have to stop rewarding bad behavior," Cole was quoted as saying. In her 2000 memoir "Angel on My Shoulder," Cole recounted her own struggle with drug addiction.

But Cole isn't one to dwell on the past — not exclusively, anyway. Her latest album, "Forgiveness," was released Sunday.

DETAILS: $37 to $127. BergenPAC, 30 N. Van Brunt St. Call 201-816-8160 or visit bergenpac.org.

— Evelyn Shih

100 Best Veg Recipes

2008-05-12T20:39:00.003-04:00

A New Leaf: Okra, plantain and sweet potato curry

Monday, May 12, 2008
Last updated: Monday May 12, 2008, EDT 9:02 AM

Vegetarian recipes from recently released cookbooks:

"100 Best Vegetarian Recipes," by Carol Gelles (Wiley, 2008)

Twelve years ago, Carol Gelles won both the Julia Child and James Beard awards for "1,000 Vegetarian Recipes." Now she's simmered that down to a select 100 recipes in a pocketbook-size package. Gelles provides several-course menu plans for entertaining and a primer for keeping a well-stocked vegetarian pantry. She marks the recipes with icons so that vegetarians of all stripes — vegan, lacto and lacto-ovo — know what they're getting before even reading the ingredients. Many non-vegan recipes come with vegan variations. The recipes themselves range from lasagnas and risottos to the "Jamaican curry" below and other world cuisine options. Beyond being a cookbook, this is a useful handbook: concise, convenient and delicious.

— Evelyn Shih

* Okra, plantain and sweet potato curry

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups sliced onion ( 1/4-inch thick)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 1/2 tablespoons curry powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 cups water
3/4 cup unsweetened coconut milk
2 cups peeled, cubed sweet potatoes
2 cups sliced, peeled green plantains
2 teaspoons dried lemongrass
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
2 cups whole okra, tops trimmed
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup peas (optional)

In a 3-quart saucepan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic. Cook, stirring until softened, about 2 minutes. Stir in the curry powder, paprika, cardamom and cinnamon.

Add the water and coconut milk. Bring to a boil. Add the sweet potatoes, plantains, lemongrass and basil. Return to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 40 minutes. Add the okra, cilantro and salt. (If you want to use peas, add them now.) Return to a boil.

Simmer, uncovered, 10 minutes or until okra is tender.

Servings: 5 to 6.

Per serving: 247 calories, 10 grams fat, 5 grams saturated fat, 0 milligrams cholesterol, 39 grams carbohydrates, 4 grams protein, 105 milligrams sodium, 6 grams fiber.

"Love Letters" at the Bergen County Players

2008-05-12T12:22:00.004-04:00

Stars return to Bergen County Players for benefit performance
Monday, May 12, 2008Last updated: Monday May 12, 2008, EDT 7:59 AM
BY EVELYN SHIH
STAFF WRITER
When she stepped into rehearsal for Disney's Broadway musical "Beauty and the Beast" in 1993, original cast member Beth Fowler already had a fan: the director, Robert Jess Roth. Both Fowler and Roth were former members of the Bergen County Players, and he told her that he'd always admired her work.

"Oh God," she recalled thinking to herself. "He's impressed."

Fowler has been a legend at the community theater organization since she made the leap into professional theater. The New Milford resident was a 29-year-old school teacher when she got a role in the musical "Gantry" in 1970. When she began work with Roth, she was already a Tony nominee for her role of Mrs. Lovett in 1989's "Sweeney Todd."

But Fowler, who was cast as Mrs. Potts in "Beauty and the Beast," was not looking for a fan.
"I said, 'Get over it Rob,' " Fowler recalled. " 'This is show business. Don't be afraid to tell me what to do.' "

"And he wasn't," she added with satisfaction. Roth, then a first-time Broadway musical director, kept his cool, even though the production budget was dizzyingly large at $10 million.

Roth will once again be directing Fowler and another local thespian legend, Philip Bosco, in the Bergen County Players' benefit performance of "Love Letters," by A.R. Gurney. The one-night-only performance, which also commemorates the Players' 75th anniversary season, takes place Sunday.

"I, for one, am very much looking forward to hearing Philip Bosco's voice reading these lines on stage," said Fowler, who has never worked with Bosco, a Haworth resident. "His is one of my favorite voices in the English language, and I will be very gratified to feel his voice in my body — because you do feel that on stage as an actor."

Their collaboration will be startlingly brief: The director and the two actors will get together to rehearse — at the earliest — the day before the performance. The play is structured as a series of letters between two people, crossing decades of their lives, and the actors are forbidden from memorizing a single line.

"The impact should be that [the actor is] reading this for the first time," said Bosco, who performed the two-person play when it was off-Broadway in 1989. "...It should have an unforced look, of a letter being read out loud. That was [Gurney's] only note to us."

The two actors sit across from each other on stage at a desk but consciously avert their eyes from each other for almost the entire length of the play, Bosco said. At the very end, when the woman has died and the man reads the last letter, she is allowed to look straight at him, but he is instructed not to reciprocate.

"It's a beautiful relationship that's funny and sad," said Roth. "They don't connect all the way through their lives — but you feel that maybe they should."

Roth says he is excited to be working with Fowler and Bosco in his old stomping ground. At age 12 and in the sixth grade, Roth became one of the Bergen County Players' youngest members in 1976. He still remembers the life-changing experience of playing Hughie in the play "Finishing Touches," by Jean Kerr.

"I had the first line of the play, as I recall," said Roth, who grew up in River Edge. "I remember you could hear the audience through the curtain, and you could see the houselights go down underneath it. There was this adrenaline rush, this excitement."

Roth continued with the Players, doing everything from the lights to assistant directing, for the next six years. He thinks of his experiences there as the most formative force in his childhood, other than his parents.

"The mechanics of creating a show are the same," he said, comparing the Players' productions with his work on Broadway. "It's just a lot more money involved, so there's more of an element of risk on Broadway... That's actually been comforting for me at times when it gets stressful: it's just the same thing, just a larger scale."

*
"Love Letters" will be performed at 7:30 p.m. Sunday at the Little Firehouse Theatre, 298 Kinderkamack Road, Oradell. Tickets $75. 201-261-4200 or bcplayers.org.
E-mail: shih@northjersey.com

kanye basks in his own glow

2008-05-09T22:53:00.003-04:00

Kanye West's space-age style coming to MSG

Friday, May 9, 2008
Last updated: Friday May 9, 2008, EDT 6:28 AM

7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Manhattan
SPACE-AGE STYLE
The Grammy-winning Kanye West invades Madison Square Garden on his Glow in the Dark tour.

TELL ME MORE: Time warp: Last summer, when Kanye West announced the theme of his new tour, he hadn't yet released September's Grammy-winning album, "Graduation." This was before the record sales duel with rapper 50 Cent and before his mother died from complications after cosmetic surgery.

None of these events had occurred in West's tumultuous year, but he planted the "Glow in the Dark" seed early, reportedly to lay claim to that name.

This May, he delivers on the neon promise. In large concert venues across the nation, West has been performing with Rihanna, N.E.R.D. and Lupe Fiasco on a futuristic spaceship of a set. The concept is complete with a huge LED screen and a talking spaceship computer named Jane.

Though Kanye fans have been supportive, the entertainer created new controversy last Friday when he attacked Entertainment Weekly magazine on his blog. The magazine's reviewer, Chris Willman, had given his concert a B+ rating.

"Never come [to] one of my shows ever again, you're not invited and if you see me ... BOW!! This is not pop, it's pop art!" wrote West.

Sunday, he took back some of the venom: "I'm sure there are some cool people who work over there and had nothing [to] do with that review. With all that said ... 'I'm still the greatest!!!' lol!!"

In the same post, West admitted to using "profanity" when he had technical difficulties with his set at a Houston concert.

DETAILS: Madison Square Garden, Manhattan. $49.50 to $129.50; sold out on Ticketmaster.

— Evelyn Shih

Gallery Walk in Englewood

2008-05-09T22:49:00.004-04:00

Fine art and dining at gallery walk

Thursday, May 8, 2008
Last updated: Thursday May 8, 2008, EDT 10:25 PM

BY EVELYN SHIH

STAFF WRITER

Watch out, Soho, Englewood has you in its sights. And the North Jersey town has something that New York will never have: relatively cheap parking.

Left: Jewelry at Ayesha Studio Jewelery

The number of art galleries in Englewood has grown in recent years, and the owners have joined forces to create an all-day gallery walk event on Saturday. Not only have seven galleries coordinated their exhibits to open the same day, but they have also invited restaurants to participate with discounts and deals. Artists will be present at the galleries’ daylong receptions, and guests will be treated to light refreshments. The Jewel Spiegel Gallery will even have a jazz trio performing from 6 to 7 p.m.

“The idea is to let people get the idea that Englewood is a place to see and buy art — not just shoes,” said Anat Klebanov, owner of Midday Gallery and organizer of the event. “With the addition of the new galleries, it’s really coming up nicely.”

Klebanov worked on a similar project two years ago, but only four galleries participated. Of the original four, only Midday is taking part this time around; six new galleries have gotten onboard. Participating this year are Arielle’s Gallery, Ayesha Studio Jewelry, Borghi Fine Art, Gallery 270 at Bergen County Camera, Jewel Spiegel Gallery, Mark Gallery and Klebanov’s own Midday.

“I think a lot of people, if they have the choice not to go to New York, will be happy to stay in New Jersey and get the same service and merchandise,” Klebanov added.

Englewood has become a destination in recent years, she said, and a springboard for galleries.

“At least one gallery that opened here within the last two years has already opened a second location in the city,” Klebanov said.

Gallery 270 will offeran exhibit of Rolling Stone magazine covers by photography legend Baron Wolman. Wolman’s new book featuringthose covers will be on sale, as well as large-sized prints. Those who purchase a print or the limited edition book($450, comes with a signed and numbered print) on Saturday will also get another print, priced at $350.

Above: Jerry Garcia, portrait by Baron Wolman.

“We’re giving away the store that day,” said Tom Gramegna, who has owned the gallery for 10 years.

Gramegna is a strong believer in collectible fine art photography. Ansel Adams prints that he purchased with paper route money at age 13 sold a few years ago at auction for tens of thousands of dollars. An Adams print on the coverof his Herb Alpert record “stopped me in my tracks” and inspired him to love photography, Gramegna said.

His parents thought he was crazy to spend $25 per print and refused to allow him to take $250 out of his college fund for that purpose.

“I still bring it up with my mother,” said Gramegna with a chuckle.

In business for 43 years, Jewel Spiegel has been selling art and frames in Englewood for longer than Gramegna has been collecting. Her offering this time will be traditional representational and impressionist-style paintings by Louise Hafesh of Cliffside Park and Adele Grodstein of Haworth.

“We also tried this about 10 to 15 years ago,” said Spiegel of the gallery alliance. “It seems every 10 years we get a resurgence.”

Although it’s too soon to tell how long the current boom in art galleries will last in Englewood, Spiegel is not worried.

“Build it, and they will come,” she said.

E-mail: shih@northjersey.com

On the Border

2008-05-06T04:00:00.000-04:00

Questioning their existence
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Last updated: Tuesday May 6, 2008, EDT 7:33 AM
BY EVELYN SHIH
STAFF WRITER

When Steve Ives was a student at Fair Lawn High School, a teacher gave him a copy of Jack Kerouac's "On the Road." It wasn't on the English class reading list.

Picture: A still from Ives' play, "Bordertown."

"You would really like this," Ives remembers the teacher saying.

Over the next 10 years, it would become his Bible. Ives traveled all over the country, living in his Saturn and taking odd bartending jobs. When he reached the Southwest, he was captivated. There was just something about it that he never experienced growing up in North Jersey.

"It had a certain peculiar romance to it," said Ives, who now lives in New York. "There was almost a mysticism to it, when you're the middle of nowhere, and it's nowhere as far as the eye can see."

The Southwest is the setting for his play, "Bordertown," now playing off-off-Broadway. In a place called Calexico, on the border between California and Mexico, Ives has created the Last Exit Café, a diner that becomes an existential meeting point for a motley crew of characters. All of them, including a young man who was abandoned as a baby, an escaped criminal and a policewoman, have heartbreak in their lives and must decide their fate.

There's even a character who may or may not be God.

"Throughout the play, you have these people whose lives — whether through God or through their own doing — have been sort of brutal," said Ives. "And they have to decide whether to believe or not believe."

Ives has settled — for now, at least — in New York City. But he, like his characters, still constantly questions his existence. His journey is far from over. "I still feel far from my goal," he said.

Ives has written two yet-unsold screenplays with best-selling novelist Jodi Picoult, as well as a collection of poetry and stories for DC Comics. His definition of being successful involves being a novelist.

But "Bordertown" is his first play, and as moments go, this might be the proverbial "it."

"This is the moment where if someday I am or am not a successful writer, I'll still look back on this and think, wasn't it exciting? Wasn't it fun?" he said. "Not knowing what the future is going to be, not knowing whether you were or weren't going to be successful, but having all these people reading your words, playing your characters; and all these people in the audience reacting to them. Maybe that's what it all means."

Many muses

When he's writing, Ives says, he wears his influences on his sleeve. "But because they're really disparate, I think I get away with it," he added. Not many people count among their influences Kerouac, Geoffrey Chaucer — the Bordertown characters each get a monologue in which they tell their stories, as in "The Canterbury Tales" — and Picoult.

"What [Picoult] does is she makes great literature and great fiction simultaneously," said Ives. "I try to do that in 'Bordertown,' to make it literature even though it's theater.

"I try to make the person who comes in to see the play think," he added. "I don't tell them what to think, but I try to get them to do it. That's definitely an influence from Jodi."

Ives isn't shy about citing these influences, and he also isn't too shy to say that he likes powerful women. He's worked on the Wonder Woman comic, and he inserted Hillary Clinton as a cultural reference in "Bordertown" because he admired "something that was cutting-edge sexy about her" in 2003 when he wrote the play.

Clinton wasn't in the news at the time, but "it's become almost ridiculously politically relevant," said Ives. "She's got this power surrounding her."

But relevant or not, successful or not, Ives believes he can change his own fate and that anyone can do the same.

"If people reading can take away anything from my life, it's that it's all possible," he said.

E-mail: shih@northjersey.com

Everywhere a Curry!

2008-05-05T04:10:00.001-04:00

A new leaf: Black chickpea stew
Monday, May 5, 2008
Last updated: Monday May 5, 2008, EDT 8:40 AM
Vegetarian recipes from recently released cookbooks:

"660 Curries," by Raghavan Iyer (Workman Publishing, 2008)

Curry is a catchall for spicy deliciousness, says Raghavan Iyer, and vegetarians who love Indian food heartily agree. The 362 pages of this hefty 800-page collection are dedicated to paneer, legume and vegetable recipes — and that's before you count the vegetarian selections among the contemporary and biryani curries. Iyer scoured the subcontinent for a wide range of curries and includes interesting trivia. The chickpea, featured in a pressure-cooker recipe below, is especially valued in Kajasthani and Parsi curries.

— Evelyn Shih

Black chickpea stew

1 cup dried black chickpeas, rinsed and soaked overnight
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 medium-size red onion, finely chopped
2 fresh green chilies, stems removed, cut in half lengthwise. Seeds preserved.
1 cup shredded fresh coconut
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
2 to 4 dried red chilies, stems removed
1 large tomato, cored and finely chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse kosher or sea salt
12 to 15 fresh curry leaves
Drain the chickpeas and transfer them to a pressure cooker. Add 3 cups water and bring to a boil, uncovered, over high heat. Skim off and discard any foam that forms. Seal the cooker shut and allow the pressure to build. When the cooker reaches full pressure, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 45 minutes. Remove the cooker from heat and allow the pressure to subside naturally before opening.

While the chickpeas cook, heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and fresh chilies. Stir-fry slowly until the onion is brown, 15 to 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, pour 1 1/2 cups water into a blender jar with coconut, coriander seeds, and dried chilies. Purée to make a slightly gritty, thick paste. Add this paste to the onion. Wash out the blender with 1 1/2 cups water, then add the water to the pan. Add the tomato, salt and curry leaves.

Drain the cooked chickpeas, and stir them into the mixture. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover the pan and simmer, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes. Keep warm until served.

Servings: 6.

Per serving: 232 calories, 11 grams fat, 5 grams saturated fat, no cholesterol, 27 grams carbohydrates, 8 grams protein, 496 milligrams sodium, 8 grams fiber.

Bucky Pizzarelli

2008-05-03T17:30:00.003-04:00

Jazzman Bucky Pizzarelli to perform with Bergen Youth Orchestra

Saturday, May 3, 20084 p.m. Sunday, Manhattan

82 Years young
Bucky Pizzarelli heads up the Bergen Youth Orchestra.

TELL ME MORE: Since the '50s, John "Bucky" Pizzarelli has collaborated with the likes of Benny Goodman and Stephane Grappelli. He's also worked with his son, John Pizzarelli Jr., who is known for his jazz vocals and guitar music.

But Sunday, the legendary guitarist and Saddle River resident will pit his classic jazz tones against the 85 high school members of the Bergen Youth Orchestra (BYO). The concert at Symphony Space is a benefit for the non-profit organization, which develops young musicians.

Pizzarelli will play the classical "Concierto de Aranjuez" by Joaquin Rodrigo and various jazz standards with the BYO and his trio, which includes Wayne Dunton (drums) and Jerry Bruno (bass).

Pizzarelli's daughter-in-law, Broadway star Jessica Molaskey ("Sunday in the Park with George"), performed in a BYO benefit three years ago and was instrumental in getting him to participate this year.

DETAILS: $25 to $55. Peter Jay Sharp Theatre at Symphony Space, 2537 Broadway (at 95th Street), Manhattan. Call 212-864-5400 or visit symphonyspace.org for more information.

— Evelyn Shih

Cinco!

2008-05-01T07:12:00.001-04:00

Meaningful Cinco de Mayo in N.J.

Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Last updated: Thursday May 1, 2008, EDT 2:41 PM

BY EVELYN SHIH

Staff Writer

Web special: More Cinco de Mayo recipes

Staff art, left, by Peter Monsees

We all know Cinco de Mayo. We know that “cinco” means five in Spanish, and “Mayo” is May. And we know that there will be more than a fair number of margaritas and nachos ordered in the coming days at bars and restaurants in the area.

Or do we only think we know Cinco de Mayo? Will anyone know what we are toasting as we hoist tequila-filled, salt-rimmed glasses? Like St. Patrick’s Day, Cinco de Mayo has become an occasion to consume alcohol and celebrate a particular flavor in America’s melting pot. Just substitute tequila for Guinness.

Although Mexican-Americans make up only 6 percent of the Latino population in Bergen County and 15 percent in Passaic County, restaurants and bars throughout North Jersey — even some that don’t serve Mexican cuisine — will be dishing up Cinco de Mayo specials and decorating with festive colors.

Tamara Morales’ 22-year-old son, Martin, probably will be partying with his friends, but he tells her that he also uses the day to spread the word about the day’s original meaning.

“He’ll have a couple of drinks with his Italian and American friends, but he’ll remind them, ‘Hey guys, this isn’t a holiday for drinking, you know,’ÿ” said Morales, spokeswoman for Casa Puebla in Passaic. Her organization works to preserve and promote Mexican culture in North Jersey.

“This is a day that helps you remember who you are and what it means to be Mexican,” said Morales.

For Mexican-Americans, Cinco de Mayo has come to signify the triumph of David over Goliath: the local campesinos, or farmers, rising up in arms to beat back the imperialist European power.

Although May 5, 1862, was not the day Mexico declared independence from Spain, it was the day of the Battle of Puebla, when 5,000 Mexican troops beat back the French army of Napoleon III. (With the United States occupied by the Civil War, France was looking to expand its colonial holdings.)

Morales, like many of the Mexican-Americans in the North Jersey and New York area, traces her family to the city and state of Puebla, near central Mexico. “Poblanos,” as they call themselves, are especially proud of Cinco de Mayo because it is a part of their local history.

“When you’re from Puebla, you feel more proud to be celebrating Cinco de Mayo,” said Juan Rojas Campos of Palisades Park. Campos owns Mama Mexico restaurant in Englewood Cliffs. “Yes, I’m Mexican, but I’m from Puebla.”

“If you’re Poblano, you’ll make sure to tell your children the story,” Morales said.

While most of mainstream America is out at bars and restaurants, traditional Poblano families will be having private parties with neighbors and paesanos, or countrymen, she added.

The dish of the day is “mole poblano,” which is turkey smothered in a rich sauce of chocolate, peanuts and raisins. It originated, according to one legend, at a convent where the nuns who needed to entertain an archbishop had nothing to serve. They put together the best ingredients they had, and the synergy of the materials created an instant success.

Campos has implemented another Poblano tradition at Mama Mexico: The manager makes rounds, tipping guests’ heads back and pouring in a mouthful of sweet tequila. The mild pineapple-flavored drink is brewed on the premises and is a way of creating a festive atmosphere, said Campos.

As for Morales, don’t look for her at a bar or restaurant.

“I’ll be home cooking up a storm,” she said.

E-mail: shih@northjersey.com

CINCO DE MAYO MYTH-BUSTERS
MYTH: Cinco de Mayo is Mexican Independence Day.
REALITY: Mexico declared independence from Spain on Sept. 16, 1810.
Cinco de Mayo commemorates a battle won in 1862 against Emperor Napoleon III’s French army, which was attempting a takeover of the city of Puebla. On May 5, about 5,000 Mexican soldiers under Texas-born Gen. Ignacio Zaragoza held off nearly twice as many French soldiers in the “Batalla de Puebla” (Battle of Puebla).
MYTH: Cinco de Mayo is Mexico’s biggest holiday.
REALITY: In Mexico, the day is celebrated locally in Puebla and Mexico City (the capital), but is not a big event in other parts of the country. When compared with American holidays, Cinco de Mayo is more like Flag Day, whereas Mexican Independence Day is more like the Fourth of July, said Tamara Morales, spokeswoman for Casa Puebla, a Passaic-based group that promotes Mexican heritage in North Jersey.

CINCO ON THE TOWN
Want to know where to go for your Cinco celebration? Here are a few local venues that will be spicing it up for the day.

Mama Mexico,464 Sylvan Ave., Englewood Cliffs, 201-871-0555. The house mariachi band plays live with the addition of traditional Mexican dancers and spotlights in the parking lot. Specials: guacamole Cinco de Mayo and flaming margaritas. Starting 7 p.m. Monday.
Blue Moon Mexican Café,Old Tappan: 316 Old Tappan Road, 201-263-0244; Englewood: 21 E. Palisade Ave., 201-541-0600; Wyckoff: 327 Franklin Ave., 201-891-1039; Woodcliff Lake: 42 Kinderkamack Road, 201-782-9500. Happy hour, live music and open mike at Englewood, 5 p.m., Friday; Cinco family brunch with clown entertainment at Wyckoff and Englewood, 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Sunday; mariachis, giveaways and specials, all locations, Monday.
Trumpets, 6 Depot Square, Montclair, 973-744-2600. World Culture Day: Mexico will be included through a performance by the Ballet Folklorico of Casa Puebla, traditional mariachi music and a presentation of food and history by Englewood author Nora Melendez. 4 to 7 p.m. Sunday.
Fiesta Hut,227 Park Ave., East Rutherford, 973-316-4965. The restaurant will be serving perennial favorites, including soft-shell tacos and a mole poblano sauce. From 5 p.m. Monday. (Restaurant is closed Mondays except May 5.)

A-List Pets

2008-04-29T10:27:00.000-04:00

Pampered pets live good life in North Jersey

Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Last updated: Tuesday April 29, 2008, EDT 10:52 AM

BY EVELYN SHIH

STAFF WRITER

Designer clothing, organic food, spas and massages -- for Fluffy and Rover?

You betcha.

Left: Fab Dog's subway vest for dogs.

Americans will spend an estimated $43.3 billion on their pets in 2008, according to the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association (APPMA). And although food accounts for nearly a third of that figure, other luxuries are quickly gaining popularity in the dog (and cat) race.

“Everybody thinks their dog is one in a million,” said Kerry Liman, spokeswoman for Nestle Purina Petcare Co.

For that reason, businesses that cater to four-legged friends have struck gold by providing ways to treat pets like royalty.

Here are some of the growing number of luxuries that are available to North Jersey pets.

Apparel

Although pet clothing has been around for some a long time, the idea of stylish luxury gear for pets is fairly new.

“It really has become a fashion market in the past five or six years,” said Alexa Cach, one of the directors of Pet Fashion Week, an event designed to rival its human namesake. (The third annual show hits New York City runways in August.)

The Bada Bone line from Lodi’s Fab Dog, a pet design company, features track suit jackets ($36), collars in the colors of the Italian flag ($20) and even tank tops paired with gold-chain bling and a dangling bone charm ($26).

“We’re across the street from the Bada Bing restaurant. We got inspired by that,” said president of design Cassie Cole of the fictional go-go bar made famous by “The Sopranos.” with a chuckle. “Our motto here is, ‘If I wouldn’t wear it, my dog’s not wearing it.’ÿ”

Fab Dog’s lines revolve around “human lifestyles,” she explained. The Delta Omega Gamma (D.O.G.) fraternity theme line has t-shirts and a chewable pledge paddle toy. The Argyle line comes in preppy sweater vests, collars and a patterned bone.

Stephanie McLoughlin, who carries Fab Dog products at her Best of Breed Pet Salon in Tenafly, says most customers still buy utilitarian sweaters and raincoats, but she has spotted a growing number of pooches sporting designer brands likes Juicy Couture and Louis Vuitton.
Care

Like the U.S. human population, dogs and cats are suffering an obesity epidemic — and are often in danger of developing diabetes, heart disease and joint problems.

“One in four pets is obese,” said Paul Mann, an Englewood native. A 2007 survey by the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention estimated that as many as 45 percent of all pets are overweight.

Mann’s business, Fetch Pet Care, added the Go! Fetch Pet Fitness service as an offshoot of its usual pet-sitting and dog-walking services about six months ago. Trained professionals play with dogs or cats to keep them active, just like a professional trainer at a human gym. The California-based firm, which has three branches in North Jersey, is popular with pet owners who lead a busy lifestyle, Mann said.

Some owners are so concerned about their pet’s health that organic food has become the latest industry trend, according to Cach.

For owners who spend time away from their pets, there are options more luxe than your local traditional kennel. If the rest of your life takes you away from your pet for a few days or even a week, the options go far beyond the kennel. The Morris Animal Inn in Morristown, for example, offers an aqua massage ($49 to $79 per session) and a swimming pool for dogs. A DVD screening of moving squirrels and birds keeps cats occupied for hours.

“The public is demanding more services for their pets,” said owner Walter Morris, who has worked in the industry since 1978.

With the Inn’s premium “King and Queen” package ($89 per day, plus boarding), pets get bottled water, an orthopedic bed and a tuck-in service that includes teeooth brushing, and a bedtime story and a bedtime mint, Morris added. Pampered Pet sessions include games of Frisbee and ball or supervised pool wading ($12.95).

Even the language of pet care has changed. At Camp Bow Wow, a national boarding company with two franchises in North Jersey, dogs are referred to as “campers” and the professionals as “counselors.” Nighttime cages are “cabins.”

Pet owners, of course, are “moms and dads” — or “brothers and sisters,” if they’re kids. After they leave, anxious pet parents even can watch their dogs frolic on candid camera, thanks to a camera they can access via the Internet.

Salon

“When a dog looks good, a dog knows it looks good,” said Joey Villani, president of the Nash Academy of Animal Arts in Cliffside Park. A veteran groomer of 33 years, Villani is currently judging what’s fab and what’s not on Animal Planet’s reality show “Groomer Has It.”

Increasingly, pet owners are willing to pay for spa treatments that go beyond .basic grooming, nail clipping and ear cleaning. Services can include massage therapy, aromatherapy, facials, color airbrushing for colorful of nails and even paw treatments — the equivalent of a manicure that “nourishes and moisturizes their paw pads, keeps them soft,” Villani said.

Sometimes, the pet version of a human luxury can be a loose translation, he added. A dog facial, for example, cleans natural tear duct and mouth area stains from a canine’s face and gives it a pleasant scent, according to Villani.

Do the dogs enjoy human-style pampering?

“No. 1, it depends on the animal,” he said. “No. 2, it depends on the groomer and the atmosphere he or she creates.” Like humans, pets find a quiet and unrushed environment more soothing.

Cats have a much harder time adjusting to the good life, he added. Their spa services are generally limited to “de-shedding” treatment, bathing and brushing for long-haired cats.

“Cats don’t like the grooming,” said Villani. “Dogs that get regular treatments will come towards us happily, but that will never happen with a cat."

Spicy Lotus Root!

2008-04-28T10:34:00.000-04:00

Vegetarian recipes from recently released cookbooks

Monday, April 28, 2008

"The Asian Vegan Kitchen," by Hema Parekh (Kondansha, 2008)

Author Hema Parekh says that many Asian cuisines are rich with vegan options, a serendipitous fact that allowed her to stick close to food traditions without substitutes. She herself grew up in a Jain family in India and has been a lifelong vegetarian. Her recipes are culled from her friends in Tokyo's international community and span the Asian continent from Thailand to Korea. In America, many of these dishes are not found on menus. The cookbook unfolds the mystery around more exotic dishes like the lettuce wrap.

- Evelyn Shih

* * *

Lettuce wrap with spicy lotus root

8 to 10 lettuce leaves
9 ounces lotus root
2 teaspoons vinegar
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 inch fresh ginger root, peeled and finely chopped
1 carrot, julienned
1 tablespoon Chinese red chili paste
1 tablespoon soy sauce

* * *

Chopped plum sauce, for serving Coriander for garnish

Halve the lettuce leaves and soak in ice water for 15 to 20 minutes. Drain and set aside. Peel and thinly slice the lotus root. Soak in a mixture of water and 2 teaspoons vinegar. Drain and dry when ready to use.

In a saucepan, heat the oil and briefly sauté the ginger over medium heat. Add the lotus root and carrot and stir-fry for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the chili paste and soy sauce and stir. Cover and cook for 1 minute.

Remove from the heat and allow the mixture to cool. Place the cooled sauté in the center of a large serving dish and garnish with coriander. Arrange the lettuce leaves around the edge of the dish. Place a spoonful of the lotus root mixture into a lettuce leaf and fold to make a wrap. Dip into the plum sauce for flavor.

Servings: 4.

Per serving: 107 calories, 4 grams fat, 1 gram saturated fat, 0 milligrams cholesterol, 17 grams carbohydrates, 3 grams protein, 455 milligrams sodium, 5 grams fiber.

Nellie!

2008-04-25T07:38:00.003-04:00

Singer to serve up satire in Ridgewood

Friday, April 25, 2008
Last updated: Friday April 25, 2008, EDT 10:20 PM

BY EVELYN SHIH

STAFF WRITER

Feminists don't have a sense of humor (poor Hillary)

Feminists and vegetarians

Feminists spread vicious lies and rumor

They're far too sensitive to ever be a ham

That's why these feminists just need to find a man

— Nellie McKay

Sung with a straight face, these are the last lines of Nellie McKay's post-feminist send-up, "Mother of Pearl."

"For the longest time, I didn't find the song any good," said the vegan singer and songwriter. "I would introduce it at my show like, 'I wrote a song called "Feminists Don't Have a Sense of Humor," but it's not very funny. So I'm not going to play it.' "

McKay decided to dust the song off and include it in her newest album, 2007's "Obligatory Villagers." In concert, it's one of the songs that gets the best laughs from the audience, she said.

What was she worried about?

"I think anytime you even mention a serious theme, it's like, 'Maybe I'm thinking this sarcasm is funny, but maybe it's just coming across as predictable and preachy,' " she explained. "It's so easy to think to yourself, 'Oh, I'm amusing.' But sometimes you're not."

McKay — who also does a tune called "Zombie," where she exhorts listeners to "Do the Zombie" — will bring her floating Judy Garland vocals and sharpest satire to Blend in Ridgewood on Saturday night.

No prizes for holding in the giggles.

"I think [humor] is a great way to talk about serious things," said McKay. "Music and comedy go together like music and film. Everything is helped by music, and everything feeds into it, too."

She should know. McKay debuted on Broadway as Polly Peachum in "The Threepenny Opera" and appeared in "P.S. I Love You," a movie starring Hilary Swank and Gerard Butler.

And despite her self-deprecation, her rise in the music world has been fast and furious. At 21, she released her debut, "Get Away From Me" — one of the few, if not only, double discs released by a new artist. Her subsequent release, "Pretty Little Head," continued to receive critical favor.

Although there were some bumps in the road — disagreements with Columbia Records led to a temporary split between company and artist — McKay went on to create "Villagers."

All this has led to some real quarter-life fatigue.

"Once you pass that quarter-century — eh, leave it to the kids," joked the 26-year-old.

McKay has dabbled in music genres from folk to jazz and even rap, using different motifs to play off her lyrics.

"I was just listening to 'London Calling' in the car with a friend, and he was talking about how he loved the bass line in that," she said. "I thought about using the bass line, but then I thought, 'Maybe I shouldn't. Maybe I should just leave it alone!' "

Nevertheless, McKay still enjoys performing, because "it's a good way to spread vegan propaganda," she deadpanned.

"Some people laugh enormously at the littlest thing, and some just keep it all inside, even with someone like Wanda Sykes, when you'd think they'd be roaring," she added.

"And I just, uh" — she paused, switching to the voice of a Southern belle.

"Ah aim to please."

E-mail: shih@northjersey.com

Arbor Day!

2008-04-24T07:27:00.000-04:00

North Jersey’s love-hate relationship with trees

Thursday, April 24, 2008
Last updated: Thursday April 24, 2008, EDT 6:35 AM

BY EVELYN SHIH

STAFF WRITER

Like many North Jerseyans, Terri Setteducato loves her trees. In fact, Setteducato moved to Fair Lawn precisely because of the town's ample foliage.

One day, two years after moving into her home, she heard a big bang outside. Policemen and neighbors gathered in her back yard. A car had been forced off Route 208 south, which borders her property, but a tall sycamore tree prevented it from rolling into her yard.

"I always thank the sycamore tree, because I feel that it protected my yard and my property," she said.

North Jersey has a love-hate relationship with trees. Living in a tree-lined suburb has its obvious appeal, but it can have its downsides: Windy storms often break weak branches, which then fall and cause damage to cars and roofs; tree roots crack neighborhood sidewalks; arguments about trimming or removing trees can cause painful schisms between once-friendly next-door neighbors.

Arbor Day traditionally has been the time to celebrate trees and teach children husbandry by having them plant seedlings in schoolyards and public areas. But who will take care of the trees when they are fully grown? Will we still think they are worth the trouble? The issue has become more complex as the area has become more developed, and there has been less room for trees — in many cases, towering centenarians — to grow and flourish.

North Jersey has a rich tree heritage that is worth saving, said gardening expert Edith Wallace. As recently as 2000, the U.S. Department of Agriculture found that of the 50 states, the Garden State has the highest percentage of urban trees. Older towns such as Hackensack, Glen Rock and Tenafly boast trees planted a hundred or more years ago.

When Wallace recently saw construction workers building a new house in her Glen Rock neighborhood, she wept for the trees that were around the site. "I could see the big equipment squishing their roots," she said. "[Developers] say, 'We didn't harm the trees,' but the tree may die in 20 years when it originally had 80 more to live."

Getting them for free

Staff photo by Record photographer Amy Neman.

As trees age, they need maintenance every three to five years, said arborist Walt Kipp of North Haledon. If a tree becomes so diseased or weak that it is dangerous and all life-saving options have been exhausted, Kipp will cut it down.

In many of those cases, homeowners will try to replace it with a new tree, which can be an expensive venture. A 100-year-old tree, for example, could cost up to $100,000 to transplant into your back yard.

But trees, especially younger ones, may be easier to get than you think.

In Fair Lawn, residents can request a free tree from the town's shade tree division in the name of neighborhood beautification, said Councilwoman Jeanne Baratta. But more often, the division decides unilaterally to plant trees along county roads, notifying nearby residents with letters.

"They try to phrase it like, 'Congratulations! You're getting a gift of a tree!' " said Baratta.

But residents don't always see trees as a positive; some complain about having to water the trees and rake the leaves, Baratta added.

In some cases, tree commissions are at odds with homeowners who would like to remove trees on their property. Municipalities generally oppose the removal of trees that are healthy and of a certain size, because large trees are difficult to replace. Homeowners, however, argue that they should be able to remove trees on their property.

An Upper Saddle River homeowner was recently denied permission to remove a tree blocking sun and causing a mold problem in his home, according to Arnold Friedman, chairman of the municipality's tree commission. The tree, commission members explained, was perfectly healthy.

"I'm an outdoorsman. ... There are many trees on my property," said the homeowner, who asked not to be named. "But I have children, and I don't want the mold getting into my home."

Renewing stringent tree policy has been a new trend over the past few years in North Jersey, and homeowners caught violating tree ordinances could be fined anywhere from $100 to $5,000 and receive up to 90 days in jail in some municipalities.

Tree loss has also been an issue of concern in many towns in recent years because of power line regulations, said Friedman. After a fallen tree in Ohio caused a blackout across the East Coast in 2003, affecting nearly 50 million people, power companies across the Garden State were tasked by the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities to take down trees that came within a certain distance of transmission lines, he said.

Residents in Closter, Cresskill, Demarest, Franklin Lakes, Mahwah, Montvale, Northvale, Old Tappan, Ramsey, Ringwood, Upper Saddle River and West Milford have gotten letters informing them of impending tree removal, according to officials.

Removing trees without replanting can be costly for towns years down the road, said Friedman.

"There's a cycle of trees in a town," he said. "Trees go through about a 40- or 45-year cycle. If you're not constantly replanting, then your canopy, your forest of trees is going to age all at one time. If you have a forest that is aging at the same time, you're doing a lot of maintenance at the same time."

Beyond courts, rules

For tree lovers, the death of a tree is a loss of life worth commemorating. Trees are with us for decades, standing watch as human neighborhoods move and change. Beyond the hullabaloo of courts and ordinances, private citizens like Setteducato have more personal relationships with their trees.

After the car accident, which happened 10 years ago, "I think [the tree] was in shock," she said. The sycamore was barren for a year. "I said to it, 'Please don't die!' I don't know if this is what brought it back, but I used my silent prayer to try and save it."

The tree lived to bloom again and again over the years. Its first flowers peeked out from winter slumber last week, Setteducato was happy to report.

E-mail: shih@northjersey.com

New Leaf: Massimo!

2008-04-21T08:16:00.000-04:00

Capra has a new cookbook of one-dish meals

Monday, April 21, 2008
Last updated: Monday April 21, 2008, EDT 6:37 AM

Vegetarian recipes from recently released cookbooks:

"Massimo's Italian Kitchen: Authentic One-Dish Meals from a Seasoned Chef," by Massimo Capra (Sellers Publishing, 2007)

The mustachioed Food Network Canada personality comes back with more simple Italian recipes. Born in Cremona, Italy, Capra introduces each recipe with personal tidbits. For "My Mother's Frittata," for example, he explains a local habit in his hometown of enjoying 11 a.m. wine and frittata as a midmorning snack: It's a staple at local bars that easily can be made vegetarian. Italian cuisine usually is filled with vegetarian options, and this book has its share. Be prepared, though, to leave the pancetta out of recipes pairing it with brussels sprouts and the prosciutto out of the recipes with peas.

— Evelyn Shih

* Milanese fennel cutlets
2 fennel bulbs
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
2 tablespoons Italian parsley
1 teaspoon fresh thyme
Salt and pepper
3 cups fresh bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated Grana Padano cheese
Extra-virgin olive oil, for frying
1 tablespoon butter

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Remove the stringy inedible outer leaf from each fennel bulb, clean the bottom, and cut the bulb lengthwise into wedges. Plunge the fennel into the boiling water for 30 seconds. Drain and cool on paper towels.

In a bowl, combine the eggs, milk, parsley and thyme. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add the fennel wedges, and gently stir to coat.

On a tray, mix together the bread crumbs and the Grana Padano. Coat each fennel wedge by pressing firmly into the bread-crumb mixture, being careful not to crush the fennel by pressing too hard.

In a frying pan over medium-high heat, pour olive oil to about 1/2-inch deep. It should be enough so that the fennel doesn't burn at the bottom of the pan, but isn't submerged. Add the butter. When it has melted, arrange the fennel wedges so they fit comfortably in the pan.

Fry the fennel until golden, turning as necessary for evenness. Remove from oil with a slotted spoon, and drain on paper towels. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Servings: 4 to 6.

Per serving: 471 calories, 25 grams fat, 7 grams saturated fat, 125 milligrams cholesterol, 45 grams carbohydrates, 16 grams protein, 721 milligrams sodium, 4 grams fiber.

Chick, Bobby and Jack

2008-04-21T07:59:00.000-04:00

A get-together by 3 jazz stars

Monday, April 21, 2008
Last updated: Monday April 21, 2008, EDT 5:15 AM

BY EVELYN SHIH

Chick Corea has played with Miles Davis. He's played the role of jazz fusion pioneer with his band, Return to Forever — which has reunited for a tour that kicks off at the end of May. He's played with a full orchestra, and he's played alone to great critical acclaim. He's juggled the hats of bandleader, composer and pianist like a seamless trick, rarely taking a moment to breathe in the course of a career that's pushing 50 years.

But right now, the Grammy-winning jazz artist is on tour doing something he's never done before: playing in a trio with Bobby McFerrin and drummer Jack DeJohnette.

"I don't even know what's going to happen," Corea said with a laugh two weeks ago, before leaving on the tour. "We're going to get together for our first gig. ... I know some music is going to happen, but I don't know what."

The trio will be at bergenPAC Tuesday and at Carnegie Hall Wednesday, so North Jerseyans have two chances to see them sink or swim.

Luckily, Corea has played with McFerrin and DeJohnette in separate musical configurations. DeJohnette was a fellow band mate from his time with Miles Davis in the late 1960s, and Corea has been working with McFerrin since their 1991 duet CD, "Play."

"The performance will be, for the most part, improvised, which is the way Bobby and I have done our duet work," Corea said. "We don't really discuss what we're going to do, ever, and we work it all out onstage as we go."

This wouldn't be the first time McFerrin has persuaded him to walk into the unknown. A jack-of-all-trades himself, McFerrin cajoled Corea for years to get him to play Mozart piano concertos with the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, which he conducted.

"He kept inviting me to play with his orchestra, and I kept saying no because it would just be too much practice to get it to happen," said Corea of McFerrin. "But between his encouragement and my wife Gail's encouragement, I finally did it."

In 1996, they recorded the "Mozart Sessions," a compilation of concerto performances. And so it was that the two collaborators, who found each other through improvisation, deepened their relationship by doing the opposite: playing composed music.

"In Bobby's orchestral projects, when he's conducting, he's operating with a whole program of pre-written music — very fixed in the way the score goes," said Corea. (In addition to the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, McFerrin has worked with the Vienna Philharmonic, the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic and the Gewandhaus Orchestra, among others.)

"But Bobby is an amazing improviser. So I think the contrast of doing performances that are completely improvised provides a balance. And it's the same for me."

Like other musicians who have straddled the divide between jazz and classical, Corea sees continuity between the genres. It took a shock, however, to open his eyes to the modern appeal of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

In the early 1980s, Corea was invited to be the jazz component of a piano festival in Munich, Germany — "It was all classical pianists," he remembered. There, he played with the late Austrian classical pianist Friedrich Gulda, who happened to have dipped his toe in jazz.

Corea noticed a strikingly beautiful passage that Gulda inserted during an improvised solo onstage. He knew immediately that it must have been written, but he had no idea who it could be.

"I said to him, 'Hey, what was that you just played? Was that some young guy?' " said Corea. "And he looked at me kind of strange and said, 'No, that was Mozart.' It caught me off guard, because I thought I didn't like Mozart."

He began studying Mozart's oeuvre, burying his ears in the harmonic structures and melodies. When McFerrin found out that his friend had caught the classical bug, the rest was history.

Ever the improviser, Corea ended up departing from script for the cadenzas, or the piano solo portions of the Mozart concertos. "That was the original intent, actually," he explained.

The experiment was not without its bumps. At first, Corea injected too much of his jazz background into the cadenzas. "I think I offended some people," he said ruefully.

"After that, I did take the time to delve into the score and the harmonic language and the Mozartian ways a bit more. So that my later cadenzas, like on the 'Mozart Sessions,' pay more attention to the Mozart style."

Now he's embarked on yet another experiment with McFerrin, and he has no doubt that the payoff will be equal to all their previous collaborations. After all, who could manage not to have fun working with the guy who brought us "Don't Worry, Be Happy"?

"Bobby's a very fun-loving guy, and both of us are a little wacky," said Corea. "We get on that way. ... That's the reason we named the first duet disc we recorded 'Play.' Because that's what we like to do when we're together.

"He's a great impersonator, you know," he added.

We can imagine.

E-mail: shih@northjersey.com

Young Lion

2008-04-18T07:04:00.000-04:00

Prodigy Eldar opens for Dave Brubeck at NJPAC

Friday, April 18, 2008
Last updated: Friday April 18, 2008, EDT 7:11 AM

BY EVELYN SHIH

Jazz prodigy Eldar will be opening for a giant of his genre, Dave Brubeck, tonight at NJPAC. It might be a rare pairing to see Eldar's 21 years matched with Brubeck's 87. But the young lion isn't intimidated: From a young age, he's been recognized by great musicians like Brubeck and the late Oscar Peterson.

Eldar, whose full name is Eldar Djangirov, performs under his first name. He immigrated to Kansas City, Mo., from Kyrgyzstan as a child. By 12, he was regularly featured on Marian McPartland's NPR show "Piano Jazz," and he attended the Brubeck Institute at age 15. He took a few minutes to talk about his understanding of jazz.

Q. Are you excited to be working with Dave Brubeck on this performance?

I'm psyched about it. ...

It's going to be a variety of things: pieces from my latest project, "re-imagination," which was nominated for a Grammy this year, and a mix of standards.

Q. You performed "Place St. Henri," a tune by Oscar Peterson, at a tribute to him last year. Is that one of your favorite pieces?

It's hard to say what my favorite piece is. I try not to have favorites, and it's hard to do at this point. But it's among my first influences, the first pieces I've had to learn. It's because Oscar Peterson was the first piano player I'd heard.

At first when I heard him, I admired the power, the drive, the technical sensibility. But the more I listened to Oscar, the more it became the inexplicable things: the phrasing, the ideas and how he presented them. For me, those were life-changing.

Q. Did you ever meet him?

I met him a couple times before he died. I was certainly lucky to do so.

The moment that I met him he was a very nice human being. And he recognized me. I was very young when I met him, about 14 years old. He said, "Hey Eldar, my man. How are you doin'?" And it felt good.

Q. How did you first learn music?

My first connection with the music was ever since I was born — my father was a music lover. I was always in an environment where there was a lot of music. Among the recordings he had were ones of Bill Evans, Oscar Peterson and Dave Brubeck. They were certainly among the first exposures to not just jazz, but to music. That was where I started picking up an interest.

It was very convenient for me to have one of the greatest teachers I've ever had: my mother. My mother was one of those quintessential Russian piano teachers, and not in a bad way. She wasn't slapping my wrists or anything. But she provided the foundation of my music. I was around 5 years old when I started taking lessons.

Q. Do you think your mother minded when you turned to jazz instead of classical music?

One of the great piano players, Bill Evans, would say that he looked at jazz as more of a process than a genre. If you think about it, in the classical days, people would improvise, but they had no means of recording it. Now with recording, I think jazz has become the music of evolution. I don't think my mother would be upset with my choice of music. And I think the music really bonded me and my dad.

E-mail: shih@northjersey.com

Quickie: Film Fest

2008-04-18T03:10:00.000-04:00

WEDNESDAY, Fort Lee; THURSDAY, Rutherford
Asian America on film
The Fort Lee Film Commission's fifth annual Asian American Film Festival connects with young viewers.

TELL ME MORE: The event, one of the original film festivals coordinated by the Fort Lee Film Commission, has been doing better each year. Last year's festival winner, a film about a Chinese-American rabbi called "Oy Vey," went on to do well at the Garden State Film Festival in Asbury Park.

"It's important that we have diverse programming that reflects Bergen County's population," said executive director Tom Meyers.

Like Tomoko Oguchi's 2005 short animation "Folklore Restaurant," at left, most films are relatively recent and come from all over the country. This year, there will be two additional screenings of Taiwanese films, courtesy of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in New York.

The festival winner will be played at the Bergen County Film Commission's Williams Center in Rutherford.

QUOTE: "The most difficult thing for small films is getting them played at all. That's where we can help them out." — Tom Meyers

DETAILS: Films show 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at Fort Lee Community Center, 1355 Inwood Terrace, Fort Lee; 201-592-3663 or fortleefilm.org. Free. Festival winner screened 7:30 p.m. Thursday at the Williams Center, 1 Williams Plaza, Rutherford; 201-592-3663 or bergencountyfilmcommission. org. $7 admission.

— Evelyn Shih

Kewt Wittle Puppies

2008-04-17T07:02:00.000-04:00

A hound finds a home

Thursday, April 17, 2008
Last updated: Thursday April 17, 2008, EDT 6:36 AM

BY EVELYN SHIH

Emma Jackson, a Northern Highlands Regional High School freshman from Upper Saddle River, was hoping for extra credit in English class. But she ended up playing school librarian for her classmates when she pulled out a mock-up of her children's book, "A Home for Dixie," which will be in stores Tuesday.

"They started yelling, 'Story time! Story time!' " said the 15-year-old author. The class gathered in a circle, with permission from the teacher, and Emma began reading her own words aloud.

It was an exciting moment for the first-time book writer, but "I got called 'Pippi Longstocking' for a week," she said ruefully, referring to the school-aged redhead featured in the Astrid Lindgren children's books.

By Page 6 of "A Home for Dixie" (Collins, an imprint of HarperCollins Children's Books, $16.99), at Emma's first appearance, the comparison becomes clear.

The illustrations in this picture book consist of photographs of a strawberry-blond Emma in pigtails and jeans, playing with a redbone coonhound puppy. But the real star of the work is her canine co-protagonist, Dixie, a lovable pup that Emma and her family adopted last March from rescue shelter Aunt Mary's Doghouse in Hope. The puppy is shown, only a month after its adoption, so lively and eager she's almost jumping off the page.

The book tells the story of Emma's quest for dog ownership. While many children have begged their parents for a dog, and some have their wishes come true, few find their story resulting in a children's book. In this case, it's because Emma is not just any teenager: Her mother is Kate Jackson, the editor in chief of HarperCollins Children's Books.

She's also "a 15-year-old with a point of view," said editor Maria Modugno, who worked with Emma in a relatively short time frame. Emma's age "did not factor into it," Modugno said — except for the fact that a list of questions she sent by e-mail was answered in bright pink print.

The story came together with relative ease: As a young only child, Emma saw other people walking their pets in public and asked her parents for a puppy. Instead, she was given a goldfish, a hamster and a guinea pig in succession.

"Probably mostly 'cause they didn't think I would take care of [a dog,]" said Emma of her parents.

Though she loved all her pets, it just wasn't the same. "You can't really take them out to play and talk to them like you can with a dog," she said.

About two years ago, Emma's parents finally agreed to her request. Finding the dog, however, took the family another year as they explored adoption options. It was this journey — and the irresistible cuteness of the dog in question — that inspired the book.

"We found out that there are 4 million dogs that are left in shelters every year," said Emma. According to the Humane Society, a combined 6 million to 8 million dogs and cats enter U.S. shelters annually. Three million to 4 million of these animals — or about half — are euthanized when shelters hit capacity.

The appropriately named Dixie was one of three puppies born in a litter in South Carolina. The dogs traveled up the coast from a shelter to Aunt Mary's no-kill facility, thanks to a string of volunteers, Emma explained.

"It's almost like an underground railroad," she said. "They give the dogs to one person, who drives them about 100 miles, and they're given to the next person who drives another hundred miles."

Mary Cody, owner of Aunt Mary's Doghouse, received a Bravo for Bravery medal from the American Red Cross in 2007 for her rescue work. To ensure a proper match between pet and owner, Cody wouldn't allow the Jacksons to take the puppy home right away. Instead, she asked the family to sleep on it.

"She doesn't want people making fast decisions that they might regret," said Emma of Cody. Although the Jacksons wanted to take Dixie home, "it was definitely the responsible thing to do."

Impressed by Cody's work, Emma decided to donate all her royalties from the book to Aunt Mary's Doghouse. After all, getting Dixie was reward enough.

"She gives me so much love every day," said Emma of her dog, now a 60-pound yearling. "She's not perfect, obviously. We had to train her, and she chewed up my flip-flops, but it's definitely worth it."

A year into the relationship, Emma has learned to love Dixie's idiosyncrasies, such as snacking on ice cubes and sharing carrots with Wilbur, the guinea pig. The pup also has been a big hit with young children at Emma's karate school, where part of her duties as a black belt is to help teach.

"I like little kids, and I want to be a teacher," said Emma. "So I was always really excited when the kids would come up to me and say, 'Aw, look at your doggie! She's so cute.' "

E-mail: shih@northjersey.com

Vegetarian Seder

2008-04-14T22:43:00.003-04:00

Vegetarian options for Passover Seder
Monday, April 14, 2008
Last updated: Monday April 14, 2008, EDT 6:42 AM
Vegetarian recipes from recently released cookbooks:

"Jewish Holiday Cooking," by Jayne Cohen (John Wiley & Sons, 2008)
Image courtesy of jewishholidaycooking.com

As a non-Jew who has celebrated Passover Seder at a friend's table, I know by taste that there are vegetarian options on Jewish feast days — and they are quite spectacular. Jayne Cohen seems to agree. Next to the other menu suggestions for Passover and Sukkot, she includes an entire vegetarian Seder. Other occasions like Rosh Hashana and Hanukkah also have ample options: After all, it was olive oil that burned in the temple for eight days, not poultry fat, Cohen writes. Oil-drenched latkes are a cruelty-free food. The vegetarian Passover Seder menu includes the chopped eggs and onions below, as well as an artichoke matzoh ball soup, zucchini frittata, wild mushroom potato kugel, fresh asparagus and, of course, bitter herbs and oranges.

— Evelyn Shih

* Chopped eggs and onions
3 to 5 tablespoons olive or avocado oil
1/2 cup thinly sliced onions
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 large hard-boiled eggs, peeled and cut into eighths
Olive oil schmaltz, optional (see note)

Heat oil in a medium skillet and add sliced onions. Sauté over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until rich golden-brown. Salt and pepper lightly and remove from heat to cool.

Scrape the sautéed onion and all the oil remaining in the skillet into a wooden bowl, and chop coarsely. Add the eggs and raw onion and continue to chop until the mixture is well-blended but not pasty. Mix in salt and lots of pepper with a fork. The mixture should hold together loosely. If you need, add more oil or olive oil schmaltz. Chill well.

Remove from refrigerator 15 minutes before serving with garnish.

Servings: 4 to 6.

Per serving: 218 calories, 18 grams fat, 4 grams saturated fat, 318 milligrams cholesterol, 4 grams carbohydrates, 10 grams protein, 167 milligrams sodium, 0.4 grams fiber.

Note: Olive oil schmaltz can be made with 2 cups of finely chopped onions, salted and drained, and 1/4 cup olive oil. Cook the onions in the oil over low heat for 60 to 75 minutes, then emulsify in a blender.

Earth Day Comes Early

2008-04-13T10:36:00.003-04:00

Ridgewood holds environmental fair
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Last updated: Sunday April 13, 2008, EDT 10:32 AM
BY EVELYN SHIH

With plenty of sunshine, tables of free handouts, balloons and crafts for the kids, it was almost as if the summer street fair season had begun early at Ridgewood Village Hall on Saturday afternoon.

Recycling at Ridgewood High, courtesy of Ridgenet.org

The public event, complete with a small cluster of booths, a lineup of presentations and live music, was the second annual "Environmental Celebration" organized by Ridgewood's Environmental Advisory Committee to mark Earth Day and Arbor Day.

"It's bigger this year, and hopefully it will be even bigger next year," said Councilwoman Kim Ringler Shagin, the committee's chairwoman.

"It's good to find out about the recycling and other things going on about town," said Stacy Hermann, who moved to Ridgewood with her family one year ago. Holding a sheaf of informational fliers, Hermann commented that she "didn't know Ridgewood had so much to offer."

Hermann's daughter Sydney, 7, was eager to plant a free red oak sapling she had received from the village's booth. With her mother's permission, she procured a Norway spruce for her brother Kory, 11.

Nearby, the Interfaith Environmental League was giving out temporary Earth Day tattoos for children. The organization has participants from all over Bergen County, but houses of worship in Ridgewood anchor its efforts, said Jacqui Riordan of Christ Episcopal Church.

"We need to indoctrinate kids at an early age about the value of recycling," she said, adding that the league promotes both secular and non-secular initiatives.

Girl Scouts provided recycled material to children for craft activities and lent out tin-can stilts. Toyota brought in hybrid vehicles for test driving, and Whole Foods Market handed out sample snacks.

Inside the community center, presentations ranged from a live reptile showcase with Patrick Scheuer of the New Jersey Audubon Society to a composting primer by Jen McDonnell of Whole Foods.

Mayor David Pfund signed the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement at the Sierra Club booth and pledged to initiate efforts to reduce the greenhouse gases emitted by the village.

"It's a good thing to do," Pfund said. "Other towns should also consider it."

The Sierra Club's Cool Cities program has persuaded 973 mayors nationwide, and more than 80 towns in New Jersey, to sign the agreement. Other North Jersey towns that have made the pledge include Closter, Cliffside Park and West Milford.

"Signing is easy," said Stefano Crema, who runs the New Jersey Cool Cities program out of Denville. "It's figuring out the efficient way to improve the towns and implementing changes that is hard."

One action that is close to implementation in Ridgewood is an energy audit by Green Living Solutions, a Ridgewood company that had a booth at the celebration.

Owner Edward Schwartz, a certified energy professional, evaluates private homes and businesses for energy efficiency, and may soon do the same for the Ridgewood public buildings. The state Board of Public Utilities has committed to covering 75 percent of the audit costs for the village, but has not yet made an official announcement, Schwartz said.

"It's the cool environmental thing to do," he said. "But right now, the reality is that it's also cost-effective." Rising energy costs are a pain, but "the dollar factor" may finally move the average consumer to think about conservation, he added.

E-mail: shih@northjersey.com

Art for Peace

2008-04-11T10:27:00.000-04:00

Hope shines in the eyes of the young
Friday, April 11, 2008
BY EVELYN SHIH
Most recent images we see of the Middle East involve some kind of violence. But Rachel Banai, an artist living in Teaneck, believes that positive images are what will bring Israeli Jews and Arabs together in harmony.

"I know how much photography can bring people together," said the Israeli-born Banai. "I think photography can [bridge] any conflict, anything."

Illustrating that point is "The Land Between Us," an exhibit at the Puffin Cultural Forum in Teaneck to mark the 60th anniversary of the founding of Israel. It features photos of Israel through the eyes of Jewish and Arab teens, as well as images of daily life there from Banai and her Israeli-Arab collaborator, Rauf Abu Fani.

Banai has been art director at Camp Shomria, a secular Jewish summer camp in the Catskills, for more than 20 years. About six years ago, she began working with Fani, who teaches a mixed group of Arab and Jewish teens at the Givat Haviva national education center in Israel.

Schools in Israel are mostly segregated, but Fani's project, "Through Others' Eyes," brings the teens together to take photos in one another's homes. The teens also travel to Camp Shomria each summer to interact with their American Jewish counterparts. There, they work with Banai.

"They have to solve problems in photography, first of all, so they have to talk to each other," said Banai, who also teaches art at the Puffin Center. "They have to travel together to the United States. They have to learn how to communicate."

Communication is often lacking between Jews and Arabs in Israel, she added. In fact, most of the Arab teens speak Hebrew, but in some cases Fani has had to translate. All the teens have learned English in school and will be putting that skill to use this summer at Camp Shomria.

Perry Rosenstein and Gladys Miller-Rosenstein, the president and executive director of the Puffin Foundation, have provided Fani's project with crucial support, said Banai, adding that they help fund the Israeli students' travel.

"We wouldn't be able to run this program here without their help," she said.

Many of the photographs in the exhibit illustrate kibbutz culture. Kibbutzim are communal communities in Israel, formed with the idea of achieving a utopian lifestyle. Banai was born in Kibbutz Sarid, and her siblings still live in Kibbutz Samar, which they helped found in 1976.

Banai's photos on display show life in Kibbutz Samar as well as Kibbutz Sarid. There are also archival images of the early years of Sarid, which was founded in 1926.

Fani's photos depict everyday life at Kfar Qara, the Arab Muslim village where he lives with his wife and children.

Both Banai and Fani will attend the opening reception of the exhibit Saturday.

There is still a long way to go before Israeli Arabs and Jews live together in peace, but Banai and Fani hope that the children will lead the way. One photograph by Banai shows two girls sitting in front of a mural. They are students at one of the first integrated Arab and Jewish schools in Israel, located near Kfar Qara.

"It's called Bridge Over the Valley School, because the idea is to have children from both communities come to school together," said Banai.

E-mail: shih@northjersey.com

Lee Speaks Out

2008-04-09T22:47:00.000-04:00

7:30 P.M. THURSDAY, WYCKOFF

LIFE-CHANGING Moment

Lee Woodruff talks about her memoir, "In an Instant."

Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Last updated: Wednesday April 9, 2008, EDT 6:36 AM

TELL ME MORE: Journalist Bob Woodruff was the one who suffered near-fatal injuries from a roadside bomb while covering the war in Iraq, but it was the whole family that had to cope with his recovery from brain trauma. He and his wife, Lee, have four children, and Bob had just become a co-anchor of ABC's "World News Tonight" when the bombing occurred.

The two co-wrote a memoir, "In an Instant," about the 2006 explosion and its aftermath. Lee Woodruff kept a journal during Bob's recovery, and it was extremely useful for reconstructing their story for the book. She speaks to the public at the Wyckoff YMCA on Thursday, detailing the effect the war has had on her family.

EXCERPT: "I wasn't ready to start making decisions. I didn't want to take my first step into this new world. I wanted to relish my old life for just a minute more. All four of my children were blissfully sound asleep beyond my door. Inside my room their secure little lives were being hacked apart while they dreamed, oblivious to the chaos.

" 'OK,' I said in a small voice. 'Tell me what you know. Please tell me what happened.' "

DETAILS: $20, includes softcover book. Wyckoff YMCA, 691 Wyckoff Ave. 201-891-2081; wyckoffymca.org.

— Evelyn Shih

Harlan Keeps Them Close

2008-04-08T22:52:00.002-04:00

2 P.M. SUNDAY IN RIDGEWOOD

SPYING ON YOUR KIDS

Author Harlan Coben signs his new book and talks about the perennial parents' struggle.

Wednesday, April 9, 2008

Last updated: Wednesday April 9, 2008, EDT 6:35 AM

TELL ME MORE: Best-selling author Harlan Coben is back with "Hold Tight," a new thriller (in stores Tuesday) that highlights the issue of child privacy, focusing on a Livingston couple who install spy software on their home computer to follow their teen son's Internet activities.

A Ridgewood resident, Coben recently wrote an opinion piece for the New York Times on walking the fine line between keeping your children safe and invading their privacy. Coben says the topic has been on his mind because he has four young kids of his own.

Coben will be at Bookends in Ridgewood to sign the book — and share tales of parental espionage.

EXCERPT: "We have the right to invade his privacy?"

"To protect him? Yes. He's our son."

Mike shook his head.

"We not only have the right," Tia said, stepping closer to him. "We have the responsibility."

DETAILS: Bookends, 232 E. Ridgewood Ave. Call 201-445-0726 or visit book-ends.com for more information.

— Evelyn Shih

Mary and Carol Higgins Clark

2008-04-08T10:31:00.001-04:00

Mary Higgins Clark, daughter Carol are on the same page
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Last updated: Tuesday April 8, 2008, EDT 11:59 AM
BY EVELYN SHIH

See the Video!

Staff photo by Chris Pedota. Courtesy of northjersey.com

In the summer of 1974, Carol Higgins Clark was home in Washington Township after finishing her freshman year at college. When she wasn't working as a hardware store cashier, she found herself parked at the kitchen table with her mother's second suspense novel, a scribbled-over manuscript titled "A Stranger Is Watching." She had promised her mother she would retype a clean copy for the publishing house.

"She was like, 'Oh gosh, I don't know how I will get this done!' " said Carol of her mother, Mary, who at the time was juggling deadlines on more than 40 scripts for a local radio station.

Neither Carol nor Mary knew that the book already at the presses, "Where Are the Children?," would soon become a bestseller. Its success, and the success of subsequent books, catapulted the widowed mother of five into the world of mainstream publishing.

Before J.K. Rowling, another struggling single mother, rose to astronomic literary fame, there was Mary Higgins Clark. But success came to Clark later in life than it did Rowling. Carol, her youngest daughter, remembers the early stages of her mother's literary efforts, and grew into a collaborator — not to mention an accomplished writer.

Both Carol and Mary, now a Saddle River resident, have new books coming out today.

Mary Higgins Clark's "Where Are You Now?" tells the story of a young woman who decides to search for her brother, whose absence has tortured their mother since he walked out of his dorm room 10 years earlier. Carol Higgins Clark's "Zapped" features her longtime protagonist, Regan Reilly, chasing down a man-mutilating female criminal during a power outage in New York City.

Touring together

Not only has Carol become a best-selling author in her own right, but she and her mother have written four Christmas-themed books together using characters from their previous stories. For the past three years, they have done book tours together in the spring, leading — appropriately — to Mother's Day.

"It's lovely to be with someone" on tour, said Mary. "When you're finished [with hours-long public appearances], you're hungry and tired. So we can go out and have a hamburger and a glass of wine together."

The mother-daughter creative connection began early on, when Mary was an unknown author.

Carol was in seventh grade when her mother published her first novel, a fictional account of George Washington's life, but the book didn't sell. By Carol's sophomore year of high school, Mary had made the fateful decision to try suspense writing.

Mary developed a regimen of writing from 5 to 7 every morning for years as she struggled to become a fiction writer, first through short stories, then through novels.

With her publisher on her back that summer before her big break as a novelist, Mary was relieved and touched that her daughter had time to help out. But she was about to find an extra benefit from having Carol lend a hand.

"She was a good editor from the beginning," said Mary, adding that Carol saw inconsistencies in some of her writing. Mary said Carol would often advise: " 'I don't think he would say that. I don't think she'd say that.' And she was right."

Acting came in handy

Carol attributes her grasp of character motivation to her training in acting, which she explored during and after graduating from Mount Holyoke College. She went on to perform audiobook versions of her mother's work and her own. She also played the lead character in "A Cry in the Night," a television movie version of her mother's novel.

But the writing connection was a mother-daughter relationship that would go on for years, even after Mary was able to turn her full attention to writing novels. When People magazine called "Loves Music, Loves to Dance" an accurate portrayal of the singles bar scene in New York in 1991, Mary had a private chuckle: It was Carol who updated all the names of the bars.

"I'm so lucky, because if it had been the computer age, she really wouldn't have needed my help," said Carol.

And 16 years ago, "when the writing happened, it just seemed like a natural thing," she added. Her plucky heroine, Regan Reilly, solves mysteries and prevents crime just like her mother's PIs — but with a good dose of funny thrown in.

"It came out just using humor right away," she said.

That's no surprise, said Mary: Her father "had a quick sense of humor, a wonderful sense of humor. So [she] came by it honestly."

Character's close call

By contrast, Mary almost killed off her funniest character, Elvira, because the character disrupted the suspense of the novel. As per custom — the Higgins Clarks swap pages of their in-process manuscripts — Carol read an early version of "Weep No More, My Lady," the first book where Elvira appeared as a minor character.

"I said, don't kill her! She's too funny," said Carol.

Instead, Elvira became a major player in each of the Christmas books that Mary and Carol have written together. Humor is a rare indulgence in Mary's work, but not in the collaboration novels.

"It's fun for me, because, you see, I write psychological suspense," said Mary.

In fact, in joint working sessions, they've even been known to have a little bit too much fun, she added.

"We start laughing when we get these people, and when we get dopey names for them," she said. "In fact, one time we were writing, we were laughing so hard in my third-floor office, my husband [John J. Conheeney] came to the bottom of the stairs and yelled up, 'I hope the reading public finds this book as funny as you two do!' "

E-mail: shih@northjersey.com

Ridley Pearson

2008-04-07T22:40:00.002-04:00

Author of young adult crime tale visits Glen Rock on Tuesday

Monday, April 7, 2008
Last updated: Monday April 7, 2008, EDT 6:07 AM

BY EVELYN SHIH

Author Ridley Pearson has written adult novels and young adult novels, but until now he's never done a crime novel for young adults. He's broken the mold with "Steel Trapp: The Challenge" (Disney Press, $16.99), the story of a 14-year-old who solves a crime with his photographic memory.

The father of two took time to tell us about his harshest critics, writing for younger readers and battling middle-age memory loss.

Q. What are the challenges of writing a young adult novel?

I don't dumb the books down, and I think that's one of the challenges.

There are a couple things that I do different. One is, instead of it being an R-rated book, it becomes a G- or PG-rated book. Those changes are simple.

Another thing is, it focuses more on the younger characters. Since I'm about 12 at heart, that's not too difficult for me. It actually was a ton of fun, because I love the idea of a kid who has an absolute perfect photographic memory. It's a blessing and a curse. You think of it as such a blessing, but it's also a curse because he can't forget the lousy times he's had with his dad or his mom, or maybe some time he made a mistake. As humans, we tend to be able to brush these things aside after awhile, but he can't. They stick to him like Velcro.

Q. If photographic memory were a superpower, would you want to have that power?

Yeah, I'd want it. Especially at my age, you'd want even a quarter of it.

I'm noun-challenged. You get to a certain age, and you start going, "Do you remember what's-his-name, with that thingy — you know, where it was?"

Q. Are there kids in your life who inspired you to begin writing more young adult novels?

Well, yes. This is why I began writing these books, I think. I have an 11-year-old daughter and a 9-year-old daughter. I make up stories for them every night as they're going to bed, and I also read to them, even at their age, although they can read perfectly fine on their own.

As a writer, you start thinking, "I could write this book. Maybe I could write a fun book." And you tackle it. It's been really rewarding in my life. ...

But kids are unbelievable critics. They give a book about three paragraphs. If it starts to slow down, or if it starts to disinterest them, they look for another book.

I've seen this time and time again with my own kids. I'm on notice in this whole thing to do it right.

Q. Are your kids fans of your books?

I don't let them sleep in the house if they aren't.

My oldest daughter, Paige, is the first person who reads all my YA books. ... She'll say, "What about this? What about that?" And I'll know I wasn't clear enough.

She doesn't know this, but I also monitor how interested in it she is. Some books you can't get her out of the room with — "Steel Trapp" was one of those. Others, she'll read for a while, and then I notice she's picked up another book. And she'll go back to it, but it still interests me that there was some chapter somewhere that allowed her to put this book down and pick up another book.

Q. Do you enjoy interacting with your younger fans at events?

I have a blast. ... This time, I'm also giving a talk or two each day at middle schools around the country. I do writers workshops and involve them in my books. Right now, I'm working on a memory test that I'll use to talk about "Steel Trapp."

E-mail: shih@northjersey.com

Travel: New Haven

2008-04-06T22:49:00.000-04:00

Spring break in New Haven's Little Italy

Sunday, April 6, 2008

BY EVELYN SHIH

*Note: All the photos in this posting are mine!

Back in my student days at Yale University, this was just about the time I'd start anticipating those few weeks of relative leisure before diving into my final papers. Sometime during those middle weeks of April, I always planned a little excursion away from the campus's gothic architecture and the cute Chapel Street restaurants with their bouquet of exotic international tastes. A leisurely half-hour stroll and I was in a place entirely unlike the campus scene: New Haven's traditional Italian neighborhood of Wooster Square.

In the spring, you can count on a beautiful walk. Cherry trees line the street and the park, and the Wooster Square Cherry Blossom Festival celebrates the glorious blooms each year. The 2008 festival is on April 20, with a rain date of April 27.

For North Jersey residents, the equivalent would be a town's summer street fair — but probably with a lot more Italian food, and with drifting pink-white petals.

Perched on Wooster Street and stretching into the residential area around the green of Wooster Square, the neighborhood is also a culinary goldmine in a town of good eats. The food, after all, is the reason I go back again and again.

First, there is the pizza. Pepe's Pizzeria, founded in 1925, claims to have served the first pizza in America. The light, thin crust plays the perfect partner to toppings so fresh you can almost taste the greenness of the vine in the tomato sauce. Pepe's one-of-a-kind clam pizza goes back to the restaurant's inception.

Today, Pepe's grandson, Gary Bimonte, is in charge of the place, and the smell of pizza may be forever baked into the walls. Photos decorating those walls provide evidence of celebrity visits, including one by President Ronald Reagan in the '80s.

While the late president may not have had to wait in line to get in, you can count on it. Down the street at the competition, Sally's Apizza, (founded in 1938), you'll also notice a line down the block — especially on sunny days. Neither establishment takes reservations — they've never needed to. Anyone in line will tell you it's worth the wait. Get there early, and always budget time for the line.

In the area, too, are Consiglio's, an Italian-American restaurant with hefty pasta portions; Abate, rumored to be a favorite of Hillary and Bill Clinton; and Tony and Lucille's, which lays claim to discovering the calzone.

If you have room afterwards, Libby's Italian Pastry Shop (circa 1922) is the logical — and delicious — next stop. Libby's sells cookies online (libbyscookies.com), but get those to go and head straight for the good stuff: the cannolis, the Italian ice and the gelato.

Walking off dessert, you might wander into Wooster Square, where a statue of Christopher Columbus stands watch over a carefully planned park. The green was named after Revolutionary War hero David Wooster, who maintained a warehouse on Wooster Street before dying in a battle against the redcoats in 1777.

The area was not settled by Italians. It was, by the late 18th century, the center of the seaport activity and home to prosperous ship captains and traders. The area became a fashionable summer resort. But with the Industrial Revolution, many of the elegant homes were destroyed to make way for factories, and Italian immigrants began arriving in the 1870s for the jobs those factories provided.

The neighborhood had its ups, and then more prolonged downs. But in the late 1950s, Wooster Square became the first urban renewal project in the country. Homes and stores were renovated and returned to their former charm, and today the Wooster Square area is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Many of the buildings in the historic district were built between 1830 and 1870. Their setting is even prettier with the added attraction of cherry blossoms pleasantly littering the whole neighborhood.

The square functions as the gathering place it was meant to be: All paths lead to the center of the park, where David Wooster's name is engraved in a round black floor stone.

You may go to New Haven to visit Yale University's art museums, or to go back 300 years down at the New Haven Crypt. But for a mix of history, great food and a big dollop of heart, the Little Italy of Wooster Square can't be beat.

E-mail: shih@northjersey.com

No News is Good News

2008-04-06T10:44:00.000-04:00

Paramus man killed, wife near death

Sunday, April 6, 2008
Last updated: Sunday April 6, 2008, EDT 7:25 AM

BY EVELYN SHIH

A Paramus man was killed and his wife left brain dead Friday morning as a result of a one-vehicle accident in Pennsylvania.

Frederick Becker, 78, and Elena Becker, 72, were on their way to North Carolina to meet Elena Becker's sister, Roseann Sanchez of Palm Coast, Fla., for a vacation.

Elena Becker lost control of the vehicle at approximately 9:49 a.m. while driving west on Interstate 78, Pennsylvania State Police said. She and her husband were near the Strausstown exit in Upper Tulpehocken Township, Pa., they said.

Their daughter, Dina Ciparchia of Dumont, estimated that they were on the road for only two hours before the accident. Elena Becker was driving because her husband didn't "like driving anymore," Ciparchia said.

The Beckers' 2002 Chrysler van left the roadway, crossed a grass shoulder and struck an embankment, police said. The Beckers were thrown from the vehicle when it rolled several times and landed back on the highway, blocking both westbound lanes, they added.

Neither was wearing a seat belt, police said.

"I would say that was a bad habit [of theirs]," Ciparchia said.

In addition to Dina Ciparchia, the couple is survived by three sons, Brian Becker of Lodi, Bruce Becker of Reading, Pa., and Bart Becker of Stratford, Conn., another daughter, Donna Ciccarelli of Paramus, and nine grandchildren.

The couple was taken to Reading Hospital by ambulance, but Fred Becker later died as a result of multiple blunt force trauma, police said.

Elena Becker sustained serious injuries and was declared brain dead Saturday, Ciparchia said, adding that her mother was left on life support Saturday evening so that Sanchez could say goodbye.

The Beckers lived in Paramus for 49 years.

Frederick Becker served as a U.S. Marine in the Korean War and worked as a stagehand in New York City before his retirement. Elena Becker was an entrepreneur.

State police said Saturday that they were still investigating the accident.

Investigators were considering the possibility that Elena Becker suffered a heart attack or stroke, causing her to lose control of the vehicle, Ciparchia said.

But "she had no heart problems," Ciparchia added.

E-mail: shih@northjersey.com

Cirque Le Masque

2008-04-04T23:00:00.002-04:00

Cirque Le Masque comes to Community Theater in Morristown

Friday, April 4, 2008
Last updated: Friday April 4, 2008, EDT 5:46 AM

BY EVELYN SHIH

Everyone knows about Cirque du Soleil, with its jaw-dropping feats of athleticism and artistic presentation.

But Cirque du Soleil doesn't cater to smaller venues. Cirque Le Masque co-owner Dennis Schussel and his brother Bernie lead a touring company that fills the void Cirque du Soleil left when it became a big deal — and "left behind America," Schussel said.

The family-friendly Cirque Le Masque show, "Fire and Ice," will perform Saturday at the Community Theater in Morristown. Schussel answered a few questions about his own obsession with the drama of the circus.

Q. How did you get interested in the circus, and in cirque theater?

When I was 14 years old, I used to wipe seats at the circus as an usher, did it for about five years. It was at the Island Garden Arena in West Hempstead (N.Y.). ...

I needed money — I needed those quarter tips! You want to be independent as a kid. It's just weird how things happen. How you begin with something like that, and then you end up in this business. It's just meant to be.

Q. What's your favorite act out of the 14 in "Fire and Ice," the current show?

The highlight is every act they watch. My show tends to play off different emotions.

But if I had to point out one, it would be the three-person hand-to-hand balancing, which takes it to another level. Their bodies are painted in silver, and they're balancing each other up in the air. At times it looks like they're suspended in midair.

Q. Are they holding anything?

Yeah, but barely.

Q. Who are the people in the show?

I contract acts for the year. The next year I'll bring in a whole new act. It keeps the show fresh. ...

People are born into it. These are people who start when they're 3 years old. Their families were circus members, usually from Russia or Hungary or Poland.

Q. How do you find the acts?

I get e-mails all the time from performers, saying, "I heard you were great to work for. I'd love to submit my qualifications and my act to you."

Every week I'm receiving 15 to 20 new submissions.

Q. Do you think the kind of circus theater you do is more popular in Europe than in America?

The acts themselves are not rooted here. The acts are rooted in Europe. But the roots of the show are deeply rooted here in America now, and it's becoming more and more popular.

I think it hasn't even gotten near its peak.

Q. What do you like about your job?

We love what we do from Day One to today. Can't wait to go to work. ... A show like this, I say, brings more joy to the audience than a Broadway show, because it strikes a variety of emotions that you don't get in one kind of a show.

I love that aspect of it. When I stand backstage, we get standing ovations 99 percent of the time with screams and yells. I still get goose bumps.

E-mail: shih@northjersey.com

Time for Thai

2008-04-01T16:04:00.001-04:00

A New Leaf

Monday, March 31, 2008

Vegetarian recipes from recently released cookbooks:

"Gourmet Thai in Minutes," by Vatcharin Bhumichitr (Kyle Books, 2008)

Vegetarian alert: If you don't eat seafood, Thai cuisine may not be your first choice. Many curries and other dishes in this book of essential Thai food contain fish paste. But if you're making food from home and have ready substitutes, this book is a good way to introduce your family to a different type of taste. The recipes appear to be true to the title: Many dishes can be prepared and cooked within 15 minutes, and all recipes fit neatly under half an hour. Quick introductions to the ingredients and techniques will get you ready for a transporting experience, and mini essays on Thai culture add spice to the collection.

— Evelyn Shih

* Thai fried noodles (gueytoew pad thai)

3 tablespoons oil
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
2 ounces fried tofu, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 1/2 to 3/4 cup)
1 egg
4 ounces dried sen lek noodles (rice sticks), soaked in water for 20 minutes and drained
1 tablespoon finely chopped chi po (preserved turnip)
2 scallions, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 tablespoons chopped roasted peanuts
1 1/2 cups bean sprouts
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons light soy sauce
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 sprig cilantro, coarsely chopped
1 lemon wedge

In a wok or frying pan, heat the oil and fry the garlic until golden brown. Add the tofu and stir. Break the egg into the wok, cook for a moment, then stir. Add the noodles, stir well, then add the chi po, scallions, half the peanuts and half the bean sprouts.

Stir well, then add chili powder, sugar, light soy sauce and lemon juice. Stir well and scoop onto a plate. Sprinkle with the remaining peanuts and chopped cilantro. Arrange the remaining bean sprouts and lemon wedge on the side of the plate; these can be added by the diner as desired.

Servings: 4.

Per serving: 305 calories, 16 grams fat, 3 grams saturated fat, 52 milligrams cholesterol, 32 grams carbohydrates, 8 grams protein, 353 milligrams sodium, 2 grams fiber.

Re-written by Yours Truly, Fastest Word-Stitch this side of the Hackensack River

2008-03-30T15:17:00.004-04:00

Study: Angioplasty risk may be exaggerated

Sunday, March 30, 2008
Last Updated Sunday March 30, 2008, EDT 10:17 AM

[Image courtesy of know-heart-diseases.com]

Elective angioplasties at hospitals without emergency heart surgery resources may not be as risky as previously feared, according to a study released Saturday.

The study by the American College of Cardiology used a 300,000-patient database to determine that the success and complication rates are similar whether or not there is a backup surgery team.

If confirmed by other ongoing studies, the findings could influence policies in many states, including New Jersey.

The state is participating in a Johns Hopkins University study in which Teaneck's Holy Name Hospital and eight other hospitals without heart surgery capabilities are being allowed to perform elective angioplasty on an experimental basis.

Deaths and complications related to elective angioplasties are controversial in North Jersey.

The family of a North Bergen woman sued Holy Name Hospital and two cardiologists in February, arguing that her 2006 death was the result of a botched angioplasty.

Pearl Sullivan died after a heart artery ruptured during the procedure.

"What we don't want is a huge proliferation of hospitals" doing this without strict quality safeguards, or in places that already have many heart centers, said Dr. Ralph Brindis, a heart specialist at the California-based Kaiser Permanente health plan. Brindis supervised data collection for the study released Saturday.

Many states ban cardiac angioplasties at hospitals without heart-surgery units except in emergencies like heart attacks. Small hospitals, which can earn $15,000 or more on each angioplasty, have pressed for a reexamination of the rules. They say stents that have come on the market in recent years have made angioplasty safer by limiting how many times the balloon is inflated and the risk of puncturing an artery.

The procedure earns hospitals statewide $300 million to $400 million and could mean a significant amount of money for community hospitals without cardiac surgery ability.

Most elective angioplasties are for chest pain and non-urgent situations. The procedure helps relieve clogging in arteries, lowering risk of heart attack or other related problems. In an angioplasty, doctors push a tiny balloon into an artery, inflate it to flatten the clog and often place a stent to prop the vessel open.

The patient registry is not definitive science, but suggests that safety is pretty good at small hospitals doing angioplasties, as long as strict quality controls are in place.

Researchers compared results from January 2004 through March 2006 on 9,029 patients who had angioplasty at 61 centers without on-site cardiac surgery to 299,132 patients at 404 centers with heart surgeons. Only about half of the hospitals without surgical backup did more than three dozen angioplasties a year.

Yet complications and success rates were similar, said study leader Dr. Michael Kutcher of Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, N.C.

Roughly four of every 1,000 patients needed emergency bypass surgery — far fewer than in the past. Nearly 2 percent died at hospitals without backup surgery versus just over 1 percent at larger hospitals. But there was no significant difference once researchers factored in age, severity of illness and other differences among patients.

Results did not differ for urgent or non-urgent angioplasties, though a greater portion of those at small hospitals were emergencies.

The issue has been most contentious in New Jersey. The nation's most densely populated state has 18 hospitals with heart surgery programs — one within a half-hour of virtually every resident — and they don't want more competition.

New Jersey's participation in a nine-state study comparing how patients fare at hospitals with and without heart surgeons has led to a lawsuit against the state. Some big hospitals have said patient safety was jeopardized, but a court allowed the state to remain in the study. The results aren't expected for at least two years.

Doctors will wait for more definitive studies to say the practice is safe, said Brindis, the Kaiser Permanente doctor.

Staff Writer Evelyn Shih contributed to this article, which also contains material from The Associated Press.

Focus on Focus Groups

2008-03-25T09:01:00.003-04:00

Area focus groups play critical role

Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Last Updated Tuesday March 25, 2008, EDT 5:20 AM

BY EVELYN SHIH

The man wouldn't speak. Despite everyone in the six-person group being a diabetic, he wasn't comfortable publicly discussing his illness. In fact, he'd meticulously hid that information from co-workers. About halfway through the 90-minute session, though, he finally broke his silence: He didn't think inhaling insulin three times a day at mealtimes was a good idea.

[Illustration by Staff Artist Billy Beccera.]

"It would be a dead giveaway," he said.

Others jumped in. "I would rather stick myself in the morning" with a needle, one man said.

"You're lucky you can stick yourself," another added. "My wife has to do it for me."

This wasn't a support group for diabetics. Donald Mazzella of Palisades Park was recalling an exchange from a 2006 focus group in which he took part.

A diabetic who uses pills to regulate his blood sugar, Mazzella believes the inhaled insulin product the group discussed was under development by a major drug company — and subsequently scrapped as a result of his and other focus groups held nationwide.

"Where else do you get paid for spouting off?" said Mazzella, who received $200 for his contributions.

Nearly every consumer product and commercial unleashed on our consumer nation is tested on focus groups, mostly in the major markets of New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and San Francisco. For geographic purposes, Bergen County is grouped with the New York metropolitan area, but the North Jersey region may be a better cross section of the nation than Manhattan in terms of consumer habits, according to experts.

"We can get participants that range from high income to low income; people in apartments to those who own very expensive homes," said Richard Miller, president of CPR Research, a focus group company with an office in the Westfield Garden State Plaza in Paramus. "We find all races, all creeds."

And consumer research firms need them. Focus groups happen at different stages of a product's life, from conception — the idea of inhaling insulin, for example — to evaluating the qualities of a finished product to screening new television commercials that tout products' "new" or "improved" qualities, so North Jersey residents like Mazzella are in high demand.

Pocket money

In the past five years, Mazzella has been tapped to opine on Chevrolet cars, the layout of merged Fed-Ex/Kinkos stores and homeowner's insurance. Another focus group respondent, Bianca Muccia of Maywood, has voiced her thoughts on cellphones and acne cream.

"I am very outspoken," said Muccia. "I don't tell them anything they want to hear. ... With the acne cream, I told them flat out, 'This is burning my skin.' "

In the cellphone study, she was asked to give her opinion about all facets of cellphones, including a mobile phone's form factor (or shape and feel). She and other participants were given an unmarked model cellphone to look at and touch. Participants tried putting the models in their pockets or bags, and told the moderator what they thought of the size or the weight.

"It's more exciting than jury duty," she said. "With jury duty, it's the outcome of someone's life. Here, it's not life or death — I'm not putting someone in jail. It's a lot cleaner, and the food's better."

Plus, it's an opportunity to get paid. Most focus groups will pay anywhere from $50 to a few hundred dollars, depending on the product, length of the focus group (on average an hour or two), and what's asked of the participants. Mazzella and Muccia agree that it can be a good way to earn some extra pocket money, although marketing companies tend to discourage participation in more than one focus group a quarter.

So how and why does the process work?

Marketing research companies regularly compile enormous lists of potential focus group participants that fit different categories of age, sex and consumer habits. (Individuals can sign up for these lists.) Those on the list only receive calls when they fit the profile for a specific product.

Warming the room

Muccia was a teenager when she tested acne cream, and Mazzella was chosen for a car group because he owned a Buick.

Typical focus groups involve six to 10 participants. A moderator like Miller — who has helped run focus groups since 1969 — oversees the proceedings and tries to elicit honest opinions and reactions to products, their packaging and how they're advertised. It's easier said than done, as he'll often have to warm the chill out of a room filled with complete strangers.

Sometimes it's necessary to use indirect means such as eye contact to get less vocal participants talking — and avoid having one respondent dominate the discussion.

"Focus groups are designed to get people's deep emotional reactions," he said.

That candor is imperative because the clients behind the focus group want to find out what consumers really think about a potential or existing product.

"Many times, [running a focus group] helps you shape your message," said Alan C. Marcus, president of public relations firm Marcus Group. A Saddle River resident, Marcus once represented the National Basketball Association and regularly polls focus groups for opinions on commercials that his company produces.

"We found out that people in New Jersey don't like New York garbage, even though it's the same kind of garbage," he said of one local case.

"We also found that people hate trucks. So our commercial [against shipping in New York garbage] demonized trucks: 'They're coming,' was the slogan."

For everyday consumers, the focus group provides a keyhole into and a small role in the shaping of products they use or buy. It doesn't hurt that food and a paycheck are part of the equation.

Muccia, 27, has another good idea about why someone might want to sign up for a focus group.

"If you're single and you don't want to meet people any other way, it's kind of a good way to meet people," said Muccia, who has suggested the social technique to her friends. "You're in a room with different people, and you all have common ground.

"Especially when I went to the acne one, some of the guys were pretty good looking," she said, "... and they were from New Jersey."

E-mail: shih@northjersey.com

Suburbia...the book.

2008-03-24T12:32:00.004-04:00

Novelist captures North Jersey angst

Monday, March 24, 2008
Last Updated Monday March 24, 2008, EDT 8:31 AM

BY EVELYN SHIH

She drives a Prius. She buys her stationery from Third World countries. She hates her own Jewishness, bemoaning what she calls her "zaftig" figure.

[Photo by Record Staff Photographer Tariq Zehawi.]

This woman isn't Debra Galant, North Jersey author of the new novel "Fear and Yoga in New Jersey." But she could be you — or someone you know.

She's Nina Gettleman-Summer, the protagonist of the novel, a yoga instructor whose perfect double-income Jersey life is coming apart at the seams.

Say what you want, but Galant knows her subject matter. A former New York Times reporter and columnist, she co-owns a blog of hyper-local Jersey news called Baristanet, which reports on interesting slices of modern suburban life in and around our parts.

"I wasn't specifically blogging about anything specifically to do with yoga," said Galant. "But certainly when I talk about her drinking bottled water and recycling religiously, that very much is the demographic — or one of them — that is reading my Web site."

Garden State details

Though she grew up in northern Virginia, Galant is "an adopted Jerseyan, and proud of it." She packs her novel with details about living the middle-class suburban life in the Garden State. Most of the novel was actually written at an artists colony in Virginia — "You get a year of work done in three weeks," Galant claims — but based on almost clinical observations of the quotidian North Jersey scene.

Take Nina's religion: The Jewish-born character is married to a Protestant and joined a Unitarian church — partly to get away from her background.

"I know a lot of mixed marriage couples are Unitarian," said Galant. "... I actually have never attended a Unitarian service, although I've spent time at concerts and things at churches. But I know that it's very touchy-feely, and it's very liberal. That's what I wanted her to be."

Meanwhile, Nina's son, Adam, is on the cusp of reclaiming his Jewish heritage: He wants to cash in on the bar mitzvah money handouts. Galant remembers first conceiving this idea when her son, Noah, was 13, and a Jewish friend complained about her child not having enough Jewish classmates in school.

"I mentioned this to a woman across the street from me, who is Roman Catholic," said Galant. "She said, 'My goodness' — or something stronger — 'Rob wishes he was Jewish! All he gets is invitations to people's bar mitzvahs. Every kid in town who's not Jewish wants to be Jewish.' "

True to life

Galant's own family, Jewish on both sides, sent Noah to Hebrew school from a young age. He never had the crisis of identity that Adam does in the book, Galant said. But he was helpful in keeping his mom's words true to life.

"I would test different dialogue on him. He was helpful for both Adam and Philip — the pompous and know-it-all friend."

Galant tapped her journalist husband Warren Levinson's experiences for inspiration, too. At his poker circle, he remembers, one time when "they went around the room, and half the people were laid off," said Galant. Many had lost jobs to outsourcing.

Enter Michael Gettleman-Summer, Nina's meteorologist husband whose job at Newark airport was "offshored" (or outsourced) to the Philippines. A similar poker scene takes place after he gets his pink slip. That particular plot point puts many of the novel's tensions into motion.

"It's not always the case, but very often, at least around here, the wife's income is the second income," said Galant. "... Most women I know work part time, or do freelancing, or have their own businesses. But the husband's income usually provides the health insurance and a lot of the money."

Losing the primary income is particularly frightening when the cost of living is high, as it is in North Jersey, she added.

Easy to recognize

Friend and Baristanet co-owner Liz George of Montclair — a self-professed Prius driver — found some of Galant's social commentary a bit too sharp, but takes it in stride.

"I was at a party, and somebody came up to me and said, 'She really skewered Montclair!' " George said. "I said, 'Well you know those Glen Ridge wannabes.' " (Galant lives in Glen Ridge with her family.)

"It certainly adds pleasure for people who are local, because you can recognize things, even if I've disguised the names," said Galant.

But Galant also wanted to take apart that New Jersey suburban life, exposing her characters for who they are. "The essence of the character is somebody who is very self-satisfied, and politically correct, and better than most people," she said of Nina. "... I wanted to paint her in terms of her own hypocrisy."

E-mail: shih@northjersey.com

Do you know how to pronounce "Quinoa"?

2008-03-24T07:38:00.000-04:00

A new leaf: Quinoa, eggplant and chickpea salad

Monday, March 24, 2008
Last Updated Monday March 24, 2008, EDT 8:20 AM

Vegetarian recipes from recently released cookbooks:

"Gluten Free and Easy," by Robyn Russell (Sellers, 2008)

To those with celiac disease, a condition that causes human bodies to react to gluten like poison, vegetarians say welcome to the club of limited food options. The gluten-free diet doesn't overlap entirely with veggie restrictions, but it often shares the territory of health-conscious cuisine. Other grains, like quinoa, used in the recipe below, often pack a strong nutritional punch. This collection doesn't take special care to address vegetarians — even the minestrone contains prosciutto — but in the veggie-friendly recipes, the methods are designed to make vegetable flavors shine. Every ingredient counts, as any vegetarian will avow. Freshness counts.

— Evelyn Shih

Quinoa, eggplant and chickpea salad

1/2 cup quinoa
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 teaspoon crushed garlic
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon garam masala
1 large eggplant, chopped
14 ounces canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1/2 cup chopped Italian parsley
Salt, to taste
1/2 cup plain yogurt
2 tablespoons chopped mint
1 teaspoon ground cumin

Place the quinoa in a sieve and wash well under running water, then drain. Toast the quinoa in a hot, dry frying pan until fragrant.

Pour 1 cup water into a saucepan, bring to a boil, and stir in the quinoa. Simmer, covered, for about 12 minutes, until soft. Remove from the heat, fluff with a fork and leave covered in the pan for 10 minutes more.

Heat the olive oil in a frying pan, and sauté the onion gently until very soft, then add the garlic and spices and cook 3 minutes.

Add eggplant and cook, stirring until golden, adding extra oil if needed. Add chickpeas and stir until heated through. Remove pan from heat and stir in the cilantro, parsley and quinoa. Season with salt.

To make the dressing, combine the yogurt, mint and cumin in a bowl.

Serve salad warm or at room temperature, drizzled with dressing.

Servings: 4.

Per serving: 336 calories, 11 grams fat, 2 grams saturated fat, 4 milligrams cholesterol, 51 grams carbohydrates, 12 grams protein, 472 milligrams sodium, 12 grams fiber.

The Gift of Music

2008-03-23T07:31:00.002-04:00

A gift of music to needy schools

Sunday, March 23, 2008

BY EVELYN SHIH

[All images courtesy of algierscharterschools.org.]

Cresskill High School senior Liza Sobel thought of New Orleans as the birthplace of jazz, so she was stunned to find that most students her age there had little access to music education — especially in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

"It's so sad that they can't play the music that New Orleans started," Sobel said.

A dedicated musician herself, Sobel couldn't imagine life without music. She started an instrument drive in her junior year to boost her own school's music program. This year, she decided to do the same for New Orleans.

In February, Sobel sent 50 instruments to the Algiers Technology School, a new charter school in New Orleans. She made her shipment part of a larger shipment organized by the student council at Northern Valley Regional High School, which included books, sports equipment and school supplies. She plans to send a second shipment of instruments in May and is looking for more donations.

"A lot of people just have instruments lying around the house," Sobel said. "They're happy to have someone to donate to. Especially to New Orleans. The second they find out it's going there, they're thrilled."

Sobel picks up the instruments at donors' homes or nearby public drop points. She also provides receipts for tax deductions.

Richie Bertran of Fair Lawn donated a clarinet, a flute and many volumes of piano music, all of which had belonged to his grown daughters.

"I was trying to decide whether to sell them," he said. "It's a good cause and a great idea on Liza's part."

Bertran's daughters, Nicole and Danielle, are 30 and 26, respectively. Their instruments had sat unused in the basement since their high school years.

Sobel put Bertran's instruments in storage for a few months before she was able to ship them, along with guitars, accordions, violins and other instruments. One drum set dominated her family's foyer until last month. She hopes to fill the house again by May and help other schools in New Orleans.

Algiers Technology School would not have been able to even think about starting a music program without Sobel's help, said Adam Brumer, who teaches social studies there.

"There's just not a lot of money for that," Brumer said.

[Left: A New Orlean school after the hurricane.]

The school opened in August to replace schools lost in the hurricane, but with no music program. It is now looking into hiring a music instructor, with the intention of creating a band to perform in next year's Mardi Gras parade.

Brumer is in his first year with Teach for America, a federal program that places recent college graduates as teachers in low-income communities. He said he was shocked by the lack of music education when he arrived. A piano student from the age of 5, he started studying the trumpet when he learned about his teaching assignment during his last year at Cornell College in Iowa.

"It didn't occur to me that my students didn't have the same musical opportunities that I had," said Brumer, who grew up in California.

When the first shipment arrived with two trumpets donated by the Sam Ash music store, one of Brumer's eager student aides startled the entire school by blowing into an instrument and making a loud noise. At 14, he had never touched a trumpet before, but is now planning to learn.

"At a time when students are dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder and a lot of negative things like violence and drug abuse, music is another way we can keep them off the streets," Brumer said.

In comparison, Sobel said she was fortunate to study piano, voice and composition as a child. But she credits her school music program for providing her with creative opportunity. She picked up the baritone horn, or euphonium, in seventh-grade band class.

"If I hadn't had that class, I would not be able to try such an unusual instrument," she said.

Contact Liza Sobel at 201-567-7549 or e-mail her at giveinstruments @optonline.net to arrange pickups or drop-offs.

V for...Vegetarian?

2008-03-20T21:47:00.003-04:00

A new leaf: Tempeh mushroom stroganoff

Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Last Updated Tuesday March 18, 2008, EDT 6:34 AM

Vegetarian recipes from recently released cookbooks:

"V Cuisine: The Art of New Vegan Cooking," by Angeline Linardis (Whitecap, 2007)

Vegan food educator Angeline Linardis lost weight and beat a hormone problem by going vegan in her late 20s and early 30s. But that was only half the battle: She also had to make the food fresh, new and cool so that non-vegans could begin to love the taste — not just the health benefits. Her hope is to quash the public image of vegan food as the "plain bean sprouts, the watery tofu and the mashed yeast" of the hippie '60s. In a cleverly designed collection, she zips across international and familiar cuisines with offerings like the Japanese rice cakes called mochi, burritos and even stroganoff, as shown below.

— Evelyn Shih

Sumptuous tempeh mushroom stroganoff

2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for pasta
1 large onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 cup flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped, plus more for garnish
1 cup dry sherry, divided
1 cup sliced mushrooms, any variety
8 ounces tempeh, cut into small cubes or strips
1 1/2 cans navy beans, rinsed, drained and puréed
1 tablespoon dark soy sauce or mushroom soy sauce
1/2 cup red wine
1 teaspoon tarragon
Salt and pepper to taste
3 cups egg noodles

Heat the olive oil and onion in a pot on high heat, stirring constantly. When the onions are translucent, add the garlic, parsley and a splash of sherry. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the mushrooms and the remainder of the sherry. Cover and cook over low heat for about five minutes.

Add the tempeh and cook for another 5 minutes. Uncover, add navy beans, soy sauce, red wine and tarragon, and cook until the sauce reaches a thick, saucy consistency. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Cook the noodles in a separate pot and drain well. Drizzle with olive oil and toss lightly.

Serve with the sauce and garnish with parsley.

Servings: 4.

Per serving: 589 calories, 16 grams fat, 3 grams saturated fat, 35 milligrams cholesterol, 67 grams carbohydrates, 27 grams protein, 699 milligrams sodium, 8 grams fiber.

The Backstage Voice, Center Stage

2008-03-19T16:26:00.002-04:00

This fair lady has a comic bent

Marni Nixon in a key role in NJPAC staging

WHAT: “My Fair Lady.”
WHERE: Prudential Hall, New Jersey Performing Arts Center, 1 Center St., Newark. 888-466-5722 or njpac.org for more information.
WHEN: 7:30 tonight through Thursday, with an additional 1:30 p.m. performance Thursday; 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
HOW MUCH: $23 to $79.

By EVELYN SHIH

Staff Writer

As spring creeps ever closer, do you have a hankering for “The Rain in Spain”? When you’re out on the town, do you ever think to yourself, “I Could’ve Danced All Night”?

You’re in luck: British director Cameron Mackintosh’s updated production of the stage musical “My Fair Lady” is coming to the New Jersey Performing Arts Center. Central characters Henry Higgins and Eliza Doolittle are played by leads from the award-winning West End production in London, Christopher Cazenove and Lisa O’Hare.

As Mrs. Higgins, Henry’s mother, American actress and vocalist Marni Nixon isn’t just another Yank. She was the voice behind Audrey Hepburn’s Eliza in the movie version of “My Fair Lady”— and has played Eliza onstage. (She also dubbed Natalie Wood’s singing parts in “West Side Story.”)

An opera and stage veteran, she’s finding herself right at home in the story she’s known and loved over the years. We spoke to her about the experience before her arrival in Newark.

Q. Tell us about your character, Mrs. Higgins.

Well, you really get to see where Higgins gets his perfectionist tendencies. Even though I don’t sing, it’s an important part, and it’s quite integral to the show.

… I just recently did Mrs. Higgins in New York City with Kelsey Grammer. It was four performances. It wasn’t a full production, but it was with the New York Philharmonic. That was the first time I had done the role of Mrs. Higgins. When they asked me to be in this stage production, I just knew I wanted to do it.

Q. How did you prepare yourself for the part?

To make it real, you have to duplicate the relationship that you evidently have had with your son. Then you can say the lines and it makes them real. Whatever you make up in your mind that causes you to say that. As if you’ve been that person. As if those things were real. Then you don’t have to think so much about saying the lines.

Q. The role of Mrs. Higgins is a comic part, and you’ve played many comedic roles in the past. Do you have an affinity for comedy?

It’s like hitting a ball back on the court. You need to hit it at the right time, and it takes off if the line is good. That’s one of the great joys of live theater. To be able to play it like live music.

Q. What was most important to you when you were playing the lead character, Eliza?

She has to have a full dimension of knowing what it means to be a guttersnipe, and also what it means to be an extreme lady. You have to pull upon more experiences.

Q. What is it like to work on a production that was first done in the U.K.?

They keep it very current. They keep coming over from England to make sure the production is staying intact. It’s a wonderful thing to have those people be on you all the time.

… This is the most opulent production of “My Fair Lady” that I’ve been in. It’s got a large cast, and it’s wonderful. The lighting is gorgeous; the costumes are gorgeous.

Q. What do you think of the lead players?

They were a part of the original direction for the show. So they went through the process of investigating who the characters are, with the director.

I think that Lisa O’Hare is quite astounding, and she keeps growing in the role. So does Christopher. They keep coming from an original source. It’s not just done by rote. They’re very steady and sturdy, and their professionalism is wonderful.

E-mail: shih@northjersey.com

Are you Scrappy?

2008-03-17T07:04:00.002-04:00

Scrapbooking retreats are sweet escapes

Monday, March 17, 2008
Last Updated Monday March 17, 2008, EDT 5:10 AM

BY EVELYN SHIH

[Image below: Scrapbook page, courtesy of Maryellen Hoffman.]
The first rule of scrapping: You do not talk about retreats.

The second rule of scrapping: You DO NOT talk about retreats.

Oh, and the third rule: You can go crazy with the layout, but always label each page with time and place.

Scrapbooking retreats in North Jersey may not be as secretive as author Chuck Palahniuk's fictional underground organization in "Fight Club," but they are a release from the pressures of the world.

Taking over hotel conference rooms and ballrooms from the Homewood Suites Hilton in Mahwah to the Seaview Marriott just outside of Atlantic City, the retreats can involve hundreds of avid scrapbookers — mostly women — organizing their memories on 3 feet of table space with stickers, stencils and designer paper.

These weekend retreats can turn into serious business for some attendees, who work feverishly through the night and go to sleep at 10 or 11 in the morning, said veteran scrapper Beth Sparozic of Wyckoff.

"One time, one of my girlfriends worked for nine hours straight without talking to anyone," said Sparozic. "When it was almost time to leave, she looked up and said, 'What? It's over? I thought I still had time to go over and talk to you!' "

Rule 4: No open beverage containers. Spills are a disaster.

Rule 5: Nothing is over the top. Custom glazed cardboard letters? Of course. Flattened snow globes? No problem. Sports medals and ribbons? You better believe it. Everything is fair game in a scrapbook, and serious scrappers revel in the details.

Avoiding overload

Because participants throw themselves headlong into their hobby, event organizers make sure to schedule non-scrapping activities — such as mini-contests, technique classes and surprise singalongs (reenacting the "Tell Me More" scene from "Grease") to break up the time.

"It's like a mini-wedding every month," said Stephanie Mandato, owner of Ramsey-based business Scrap-a-Doodle-Doo. Mandato has been running themed retreats out of Homewood Suites since late last year.

The accoutrements, including souvenir gifts, add to the value of the retreat, which can cost scrappers a few hundred dollars for the hotel room, the food and the use of facilities.

But it's all worth it to hobbyists, many of whom find it difficult to keep up with their craft on a regular basis. Even if you're scrapbooking for the sake of preserving family memories, that same family can distract you from working.

Rule 6: Concentrate.

"When you're at home, if your child comes over and says, 'Mommy, I need you for a minute,' you're going to stop," said Sparozic. "You're constantly stopping."

Added Maryellen Hoffman of Oakland, another longtime scrapper: "If you're able to go away on a scrapbook weekend, you have no other commitment."

Scrapbooking is, at its core, the creation of a decorated photo album, but it has developed into a consuming hobby. Serious scrappers spend hours creating layered or three-dimensional pages, stocking up on various supplies and poring over scrapbook magazines for the newest trends and patterns.

Trade organization Craft and Hobby Association, based in Elmwood Park, estimates that scrapbooking was a $2.6 billion industry in 2007. But it wasn't always a trend in North Jersey.

"When I started 12 years ago ... there was just nothing," said Sparozic.

Sparozic and Hoffman, who has been scrapping for eight years, both got into the activity when they attended Creative Memories parties held by their friends. Like Tupperware or Pampered Chef cookware parties, Creative Memories gatherings involve a presentation of products — scrapbooking supplies, in this case — and direct catalog sales.

"It's really evolved," said Hoffman. "There's been a lot of stores that have opened and closed. But now, there are many, many stores online that sell tools. There are scrapbook magazines," she said. "It's really starting to come over to the East Coast."

Business is booming

Chain craft stores like Michaels and A.C. Moore are flourishing, and scrapbooking businesses like Scrap-a-Doodle-Doo are finding footing. Mandato also got her start at a Creative Memories event and became so involved in the scrapbook world that she began selling materials. She left her original job and put all her time in her new business, traveling up and down the East Coast as a vendor at scrapbooking retreats. Eventually, she realized that the best place for a retreat was Bergen County.

"Scrapbookers in our area are more affluent," said Mandato. "They want that whole experience — not just schlepping down the stairs to work in a church basement."

The social aspect is certainly important to Sparozic, who goes to retreats with friends.

"We plan months in advance what to bring to these events!" she said. At recent retreats, Sparozic has brought five to six rolling tote cases of her own materials, plus her own shelving to maximize her work space.

It's important for the retreat to feel like a getaway — but it's nice not to have to go too far, said Hoffman, who has two daughters, 11 and 15.

"It's good being around the corner if anybody needs you," she explained. At one Scrap-a-Doodle-Doo retreat, she even received her husband and daughters as guests.

"They have a sense of what it's all about now," she said.

Getting on the same page

Not everyone understands the scrapbooking impulse. "There are a lot of closet scrapbookers," said Mandato.

"At first it was like, 'Is there an end to this?' " said Sparozic of her husband's reaction to her scrapping fanaticism. "We were putting aside money for me to go to retreats."

Since then, Sparozic has turned her hobby into a moneymaking proposition by scrapbooking for other people. As a stay-at-home mom, she can make time to scrap. Plus, she earns a pretty penny: At $500 per book, she's able to cover the retreat fees. It was only a matter of time before her husband came around.

"And what father doesn't like pictures of his children?" she said.

Which brings us to the seventh and final rule of scrapping: When you're done, share.

Scrappers like Hoffman and Sparozic regularly make books as gifts for friends and family, celebrating birthdays, anniversaries, weddings and bat mitzvahs. Sparozic gets misty thinking about a small volume that her younger daughter Macie, now 8, called "the book of me."

"I want to leave them something when I'm gone," she said.

E-mail: shih@northjersey.com

My First Travel Piece: Taiwan Photo Essay

2008-03-16T16:48:00.007-04:00

View my photos

The holiday at Taiwan's heart

Sunday, March 16, 2008
Last Updated Sunday March 16, 2008, EDT 12:05 PM

PHOTOS AND STORY BY EVELYN SHIH

Chinese New Year is more than a parade in Taiwan, where the holiday also marks a political changeover. (This year is the 97th year of the post-Qing dynasty Republic of China.)

It's never too early to start planning a trip there for the new year — in fact, it might be wise to book plane tickets well in advance to avoid a pricing spike close to the date. Next year, the Year of the Ox, begins Jan. 26.

I visited my parents in Taiwan this year for a traditional New Year's. Whenever I go, there's always a lot of culinary ground to cover. Chinese New Year takes eating to a different level and adds a level of spiritual meaning: It's like Thanksgiving and Christmas come at the same time. Not only is it a holiday of Daoist traditions and ceremonies, it's also a time for big department store sales and big meals.

You can feel the general excitement on the streets, in the markets and in communities. The temples have the highest traffic of any time of year. It's a genuine event of emotional significance — something that goes above and beyond the flashy lion dances in New York's Chinatown.

That's what I went home for and what I hoped to capture with these photographs.

Textile Art in the Garden State

2008-03-14T10:37:00.002-04:00

Demarest gallery features stitched works of six women
Friday, March 14, 2008Last Updated Friday March 14, 2008, EDT 5:46 AM
BY EVELYN SHIH

This weekend at the Mikhail Zakin Art Gallery in Demarest, six artists show that art isn't a competition -- it's a sisterhood.

Joanie San Chirico, Rachel Cochran, Rayna Gillman, Judy Langille, Joan Dreyer and Diane Savona are textile artists who work together and do mutual critiques twice a month. They call themselves the Studio Six, and their art ranges from quilt-based textile to historical representation to the stitching of X-rays and newspaper clippings.

We spoke to Savona about the magic of fabric art.

Q. Where did you learn to sew?
My grandmother was born in a thatched hut in Poland. She was illiterate. She came to this country as a young woman. She taught my mother to sew; my mother taught me to sew.

Q. How did you come to textile art?
It's funny, because my art when I started out in art college, I did stone carving and I did woodcarving. When my son was born, it was like, you know, you really can't do stone carving around a baby. But you can sew. And I started doing it, and I loved it. I never thought to do sewing as art. But it's just wonderful. There are things you can do with cloth that you can't do with paint. There are layers, there are reflections. It's a marvelous art form, and I'm addicted to it.

Q. What happens at Studio Six working sessions?
When we get together at Newark Museum, we have one person in charge of thickening the dyes, which you need if you're printing on cloth. Somebody else will be bringing the wax, and someone else will be bringing the silk screens. ... You get this wonderful sharing. Yet when you see the work in the show, there's no question everyone has their own individual voice.

Q. What is something you've personally taken from the group critique sessions?
If you look at the work in "Domestic Archaeology" [series to be shown at Mikhail Zakin Gallery], you might notice that there's not a lot of bright colors. I tend to be, not monochromatic, but certainly subdued. One thing the group has helped me with is to say, "You need more contrast. You need more depth of color."

Q. One of your newest works, "Fossil Garment #2" from the upcoming "Fossil Garments" series, shows a shockingly white garment against a deep red. [See www.di anesavona.com for images.]
I'm really happy with that, and the group was like, "Yeah, Diane! Now you have some contrast."

Q. Do you think of textile art as a woman's art?
It used to be that I'd be kind of bothered by men in this field. It's like, "Wait a minute: sculpture, painting -- you've dominated those fields for a long time. This is our field!" But I've gotten over that. Whoever wants to work in this field, more power to you.

Q. Do you feel that it is a feminist art?
There is some element of feminism in doing textile art. But it's kind of gotten past that. If you look at my work, there is certainly an element of women's history in it. If you look at other members' works, there might be none of that at all. There are those very interested in technique and style and how you can put 20 different colors on one piece of cloth.

It's a complex issue.

E-mail: shih@northjersey.com

Rocking the Kilts

2008-03-13T10:35:00.006-04:00

See my video!

First time as both videographer and video editor.

(I took the photos for this blog, but not the print photos.)

Bergen County bagpipers like you've never heard before
Thursday, March 13, 2008Last Updated Thursday March 13, 2008, EDT 6:35 AM
BY EVELYN SHIH
It's snowing on a Friday night, one of the rare times this winter that snow has stuck to the ground. But at Il Villaggio restaurant in Carlstadt, pantless men with bare knees are arriving in ones and twos. Underneath winter coats and sweat shirts, they sport uniforms of black polo shirts, custom boots and blood-red kilts.

Nobody seems to be feeling the freeze -- or, at least, no one admits it. After a raucous tuneup in an isolated upstairs suite, the Bergen County Firefighters Pipe Band (BCFPB) is ready to take the stage. The Shots, a local rock band whose lead singer, Lenny Reinhardt, also wears the plaid, plays the intro music. Twelve kilted pipers and drummers file in and line up in front of the raised band platform like the first foot soldiers in an Irish invasion.

First song on the set list: New Orleans tune "Iko Iko."

This isn't your typical St. Patrick's Day parade band. Although the BCFPB books plenty of gigs during March, from Hoboken to Bergenfield to Savannah, Ga., it doesn't stick to the traditional Irish and Scottish Highland melodies.

"It's all about entertaining the crowd," said band manager Rich Bathmann of the West Milford Fire Department. The band tackles tunes such as the 1950s ditty "Tequila," the popular 1960s hit "The Lion Sleeps Tonight," and "I Wanna Be Sedated" by the Ramones.

It makes them stand out a little bit in a parade.

The BCFPB started out like any other firefighter band in 1996, when Teaneck firefighter Paul Kearns and bagpipe instructor Pat Martens sent a letter to all the firehouses in Bergen County. The idea was to form a countywide pipe band in the tradition of firehouse and police force groups across the nation.

"You couldn't go to a firefighter's funeral and play violins walking down the street," said pipe major Jim Schmitt of the Ridgefield Park and Bogota firehouses. "There's no other instrument ... the tradition and history is that that's how firemen are sent off."

Schmitt said he ascribes the bagpipe tradition to the historical prominence of ethnic Irish and Scottish immigrants in emergency services. But many members of the BCFPB are neither Irish nor Scottish. They're simply people who find the instrument -- and the music -- fascinating.

"As an Italian boy, I didn't know where to go to learn it," said band member Mike "Slash" Sorrentino, 54, of Rutherford. His quest to learn the bagpipes began in the '70s and reached fruition in 1992, when he found an instructor in Kearny.

Luckily for North Jersey bagpipe enthusiasts, the BCFPB gives free lessons -- and you don't have to be a firefighter. Although the core of the band has always been volunteer firefighters, family members such as Schmitt's daughter Keri Schmitt-Sanabria and enthusiasts such as Sorrentino join in the fun. Even former competitive pipers, like BCFPB drummer Kathryn Tracey of Teaneck, are attracted to the camaraderie of the band.

"You make friends that you wouldn't normally make," said Schmitt. "There are people that come from different towns that you would never meet."

The BCFPB is able to be generous, he explained, because it forms a broad network of countywide firemen -- plus firemen from distant towns like Pompton Lakes and West Milford. The far-flung members bring in regular performance invitations at events such as wet downs (initiations for new fire trucks), weddings or even banquets such as the emergency aid worker installation dinner that was taking place at Il Villaggio.

The banquet crowd is a little too passive for the liking of the pipers, who are used to playing the bar scene with the Shots. Reinhardt tries unsuccessfully to pull audience members onto the dance floor. But the band does get some hearty fist pumps for sports game staple "Rock and Roll Part 2."

"That song always plays well," said Reinhart later with a chuckle. A member of both the pipe band and the Shots, Clifton resident Reinhardt helps bridge the gap between Celtic drone and rock sensibility. He and pipe instructor Doug Parody of Midland Park do most of the arrangements for the musical collaboration pieces. Reinhardt did the first arrangement of a non-traditional BCFPB favorite, "Yellow Submarine."

That was the first pop song that the band played in a parade, one fateful day in Bergenfield.
"They recognized it right away," said Parody.

"They poured champagne on our heads and held up their babies for us to kiss," joked Schmitt.

Since then, the BCFPB has been slowly growing its repertoire of tunes, and the gambit seems to be paying off. Although "competitive pipe bands turn their noses up at us," said Bathmann, the band has become a fixture at local St. Patrick's Day parades. The resulting earnings have allowed the band to do away with member fees and dress all performers. (A uniform may cost as much as $1,200 per person. The pipes may cost several thousand dollars, but individual members purchase their own instruments.)

They've even recorded two CDs, "Dirty Hose" and "Ho Ho Hose," and played original music by Reinhardt. One tune, "The Rasta Piper," was on the Billboard Top 10 in 2006 for the World Music category.

"If you think about it, bagpipes and rock music, that is world music," said Reinhardt. "It's all about doing something different. ... I'm glad they recognized what we're doing."

The music also gives the band members -- who have day jobs that range from real estate agent to funeral home director -- the chance to play an unconventional role.

"By day, I'm a mild-mannered computer programmer," said Parody. "By night, I put on a skirt and play a silly instrument."

E-mail: shih@northjersey.com

Popcorn Opera

2008-03-12T07:07:00.002-04:00

The Met Opera's production of Peter Grimes goes local.

Opera on the local silver screen
Edgewater, Clifton theaters 'host' Met

BY EVELYN SHIH

STAFF WRITER

WHAT: The Metropolitan Opera's "Peter Grimes: Live in HD."
WHERE: Edgewater Multiplex Cinemas, 339 River Road, Edgewater. 201-840-0699. AMC Clifton Commons, 405 Route 3 east, Clifton. 973-614-0644. Tickets for both locations available from movie tickets.com.
WHEN: 1:30 p.m. Saturday. Encore showing 1:30 p.m. Sunday at Edgewater Multiplex Cinemas.
HOW MUCH: $22, children $15.

Chris Diamond is a most unusual opera fan.

For one, he's 13 years old and listens to Linkin Park. For another, he fell in love with the Metropolitan Opera by watching a production in a movie theater. And his dad was one of the people responsible for putting it there.

Dan Diamond, the proud father, is VP of Fathom Entertainment, a company that puts "alternative programming" into 350 movie theaters across the country, including Edgewater Multiplex Cinemas and AMC at Clifton Commons — and even across the globe. Before the Met Opera, Fathom transmitted music performances from the likes of Celine Dion, the Rolling Stones and Coldplay into affiliated theaters.

This by itself may not be enough to excite you. But consider this: The Fathom network has the technology to play performances live. That means that if anything goes wrong at the Met, it's a blunder of international proportions.

"There's an athletic spectacle aspect to opera," says Metropolitan Opera general manager Peter Gelb. "You never know what might happen ... you're always waiting to see if your favorite tenor will hit his high C."

The next live high-definition broadcast from the Met will be the opera "Peter Grimes," set to hit movie theaters in Edgewater and Clifton on Saturday. Gelb says the Benjamin Britten opera is "considered by many to be the greatest 20th-century opera."

Since the Met transmits only eight performances a season, Gelb and his staff try to pick ones that are packed with star power. Saturday's performance of "Peter Grimes" feature Anthony Dean Griffey, who sang the title role at both the Met and the Paris Opera, and leading lady Patricia Racette, winner of the Richard Tucker Award, given to opera performers poised for a national and international career.

"[Live in HD] actually helps us in our casting," Gelb says. "It's much more exciting for the opera stars, knowing that their performance is seen by so many people at the same time — there's much more adrenaline."

The live theater high-definition series began in the 2006-2007 Met season with six performances and was one of the first triumphs in Gelb's career as general manager.

"It's important to present opera as an art form that is vibrant and youthful," says Gelb, adding that the live transmissions have helped the box office at the Met by building a larger fan base. "We are working to keep opera in the cultural mainstream and not become an elitist art form."

Says Diamond: "If I told my young son, 'Hey, we're going to sit for 3½ hours at the Metropolitan Opera,' I don't know if his barriers would have been as easily brought down. ... The theater brings down those preconceived notions that everyone has about certain types of performances and opens their eyes to a whole new world."

But in the beginning the experiment wasn't without glitches. In the first transmission, the subtitles read "English" instead of the actual subtitles.

"I had a sinking feeling in my stomach, because clearly something hadn't been switched on," says Gelb, who acts as executive producer of the taping. It took the staff almost 60 seconds to get the right text onscreen. Luckily, nothing worse has happened so far.

Since then, the opera house stage has been fitted with horizontal and vertical camera tracks that run along the frame of the stage, no more intrusive than the already existing microphones. "With time we have learned how to ideally position them," Gelb says.

Backstage interviews with the cast, crew and other behind-the-scenes staff during intermissions have also become more creative and varied. Shots of performers waiting in the wings before they get onstage are becoming more common.

The advantage of the movie theater screening is that the audience gets the extra content without the solemn atmosphere of the opera house. "People can go out and grab a popcorn and a soda without feeling like they've walked in front of a whole group of people and thrown the actors off timing onstage," Diamond says.

***

E-mail: shih@northjersey.com

Do I Procrastinate? Ask Me Tomorrow.

2008-03-09T05:32:00.001-04:00

Making the most of your minutes

Sunday, March 9, 2008
Last Updated Sunday March 9, 2008, EDT 10:17 AM

BY EVELYN SHIH

Normally, on the morning after the spring daylight saving time switch, I wake up late and blame my post-brunch indigestion on the hour I lost. I continue to grumble throughout the day to my friends and family, and then to my co-workers the next day.

[Image courtesy of jimenapulse.wordpress.com]

This year, I was determined to get that hour back.

My secret weapon: advice from Cresskill native Kerul Kassel, author of "Productive Procrastination" and "Stop Procrastinating Now -- Five Radical Procrastination Strategies to Set You Free."

Not only would I save that lost hour, but I might end up using some actual time management in my everyday life.

Don't get me wrong: I usually get my errands done around my work schedule. I even have time for a hobby, digital photography. But after I get home from work and eat dinner, I spend an embarrassing amount of time watching TV and DVD rentals -- often instead of exercising. Weekly tasks such as laundry and cleaning languish while I waste time in front of the tube.

Even in the morning, when I wake up, I spend time watching videos on the Internet. I roll over, slap the alarm clock and flop onto my stomach to use my laptop, which rests on the bedside table. And if I get started checking my e-mail, forget about it -- it can be an hour before I get up to face the day.

As they say with many forms of recovery: The first step is to recognize that you have a problem.

In "Productive Procrastination," Kassel offers a worksheet for figuring how time is distributed during your daily and weekly routine. This is followed by a second chart, filled in with the ideal distribution.

"A lot of this is about awareness," she explained. In fact, the key to better time management is to become hyper aware of time: Kassel suggested using timers -- egg timers, cellphone alarms, even friends who don't mind calling -- whenever you are involved in a task that leads easily to distraction.

Time black holes

For me, socializing on the Internet may be the biggest time black hole. One Internet sitting can branch off and self-perpetuate infinitely. E-mails lead to links, Facebook applications, online videos or even errands. Never mind that most of the time I'm also often monitoring my instant messages.

That's a no-no, according to Kassel. "They've done research on people who are multitasking," she said. "And what they've found is that there's a lot lost, because their focus is too distracted. ... So they're bouncing back and forth between things, and they don't have the kind of concentration and focus that leads to good results."

On the other hand, there's serial tasking: doing tasks in bite-sized pieces and alternating between them. For example, explained Kassel, you might take a break from an e-mail to find a pertinent piece of information, then remember a phone call you needed to make. You might stop reading a blog online to make dinner, or exercise during the commercial breaks of your TV program.

As long as you come back to your original tasks and finish them, serial tasking can be productive, said Kassel.

What isn't productive is watching TV. According to a 2006 Television Bureau of Advertising survey, the average woman spent five hours and 17 minutes in front of the TV daily, and the average man spent four hours and 35 minutes.

"If you can halve your TV watching, you save so much time a week!" Kassel said.

Skip TV commercials

But if you're not ready for dramatic cuts, the easiest way to save a few minutes every night would be to get a DVR (digital video recorder). Skipping commercials could make leisure time more efficient. For those without the technology, Kassel suggests little must-do tasks, such as laundry, exercise, cleaning or even phone calls.

"Have this stuff right next to the TV, so that as soon as the commercials come on, boom! You're doing it," she said.

Instead of sitting limp on the couch for a full hour of prime time, surfing other channels during commercials, I recorded my show. I set my laundry to finish by the time I could start watching the show, and folded whenever things got boring.

I realized afterward that I was multitasking. The folding took the full 45 minutes of the commercial-free show, as opposed to the 20 or 30 minutes it might usually take me. But I had effectively saved the commercial time -- and the extra time that I would have needed for laundry, had I done nothing during the show. The next day, I tried doing exercises during TV time, knocking out 20 minutes of arm lifts and lunges.

I also tried to become more aware of my computer time using Nakedalarmclock.com. I set the Web site, an unadorned online alarm clock, to prod me at 20-minute increments. The 20-minute limit nipped the branching of my Web activity, so that if I got a link to Facebook in my e-mail, I'd ignore it until later.

If the e-mail involved errands like paying bills or writing a longer letter, I would concentrate the 20 minutes on that one task.

Did I get my hour back? Between cutting commercials and double-tasking during my TV time, I think I may have earned most of those 60 minutes. The time saved from more conscious Internet usage is harder to quantify; but over time, I'm hoping it adds up.

I may not have followed Kassel's advice to a tee, and I'll admit to being a work in progress. But when autumn standard time comes around, don't wake me. By then, I think I'll have earned the right and time to sleep in.

E-mail: shih@northjersey.com

Yo-Yo Ma

2008-03-07T05:19:00.002-05:00

Yo-Yo Ma at NJPAC

Friday, March 7, 2008
Last Updated Friday March 7, 2008, EST 7:14 AM

BY EVELYN SHIH

Globe-trotting classical musician Yo-Yo Ma will be making a stop at NJPAC this week with a trio of Bach's unaccompanied cello suites. Fresh off the plane from India, he explained how he experiences the musical universe of the Baroque master -- and his vision for the Silk Road Project during its 10th anniversary year.

[Image courtesy of alexrossmusic.typepad.com]

Q. How did you choose your NJPAC program?

It's like getting three very different friends together in one evening, and you're getting portraits of each one. They're friends -- they go to school together and everything. But Suite No. 3 is joyful and kind of proud, earthy. The Suite 2's general character is kind of like Eeyore: It's in the minor key. It's more inward, more meditative and reflective. And No. 6 is totally exuberant. You might say that 3 and 6 are similar, but 6 is almost cosmically exuberant.

Q. You've done some soundtracks for movies such as "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" and "Memoirs of a Geisha." Do you feel a natural affinity for cinematic storytelling?

It's about transporting yourself into another reality, which is just what music tries to do, also. Or if you're reading a fabulous novel and you can't put it down, because you're so much in that world, and you hate to be interrupted and come back to your normal world. You don't want to put it down, and you don't want it to end. It's like your Harry Potter, that you read in one sitting, because you're so into it. That's what all these forms of expression try to do.

... A lot of times, with [composer and conductor] John Williams, we're recording [while] actually watching the films at the same time.

Q. Why did you found the Silk Road Project, which tries to record musical traditions along the former Silk Road?

One of the ways that we can try to understand our planet is to try and understand how different people in different parts of the world use sound or narrative or images to express their deepest feelings and beliefs. If you can get to that point, it actually makes talking to somebody from a different place with different sets of values and belief systems much easier. Because you know something that is so deeply embedded in their identity. That's one way to create an understanding between people.

Q. Being so rooted in the Western classical music tradition, do you ever find it difficult to understand certain musical traditions?

Everything's hard, until you make it easy. Everything at the very beginning feels foreign, and the whole point of doing this work is that you make what is somebody else's thing yours, and you make what is yours also belong to somebody else. This is why I perform and do what I do. The ultimate understanding is being in synch, because you are totally empathetic to what somebody else is thinking and feeling. You're looking at the world from their point of view, but you also know what your point of view is. You're inside both worlds.

Hopefully that's when the lights go on.

Q. What's your vision for this 10th anniversary year of the project?

I think we're going to try and celebrate the year by making sure that at the very top of our agenda is education. Education, not in terms of "You must know these thousand facts and pass the test," but more in terms of how we can inspire passion-driven learning.

In other words, how can you make something so exciting that people will be curious enough to want of their own volition to go out and find out more?

Q. So you're trying to inspire learning in general, not necessarily the learning of music itself?

It's all about understanding. Music is obviously what I do. But music is always trying to express something that is more than music. Otherwise, all we're doing is giving you notes. To be really absorbed, it means it remains active in somebody. A tune that you can't get out of your head, you know.

E-mail: shih@northjersey.com

Safari Photographer

2008-03-07T05:00:00.000-05:00

Mahwah photographer captures rare moments

Friday, March 7, 2008
Last Updated Friday March 7, 2008, EST 7:23 AM

BY EVELYN SHIH

It was already late, 10 a.m. on the Kenyan wild preserve Masai Mara. But John Reiter, a Mahwah photographer, had been stalking a lone zebra for three hours -- and he wasn't ready to give up his prey.

"I was hoping that three lionesses half an hour away would eventually go after it, because it was injured," he said.

The odds were against Reiter, who had hoped for a rare photographing experience. Lionesses usually hunt in the wee hours of the morning. "Typically when you go out on safari in the morning, you don't see the hunt," Reiter said. "You see the aftermath. You see lionesses feeding."

The zebra had stood still for three hours, apparently trying not to move its injured shoulder. Then it suddenly began trotting -- away from Reiter.

"My driver said, 'It's over,' " Reiter recalled. "I asked him to go a little bit farther. By luck, the zebra turned toward us."

Reiter captured the kill in a series of photographs, three of which are part of his exhibit at the Saddle River Valley Cultural Center. He clicked away from the open top of a Land Rover at eight frames a second.

His success as a photographer has everything to do with patience, Reiter said.

"Most people are not patient enough to wait around for whatever it is that should happen," he said. "They leave, and 10, 15 minutes afterward is when it happens."

Reiter, 59, certainly knows how to be patient. Despite a love affair with photography that began more than 35 years ago, he waited until he was 53 to retire from his day job and become a full-time photographer.

"It was part of my retirement plan," said Reiter, who graduated with a degree in marketing from Fairleigh Dickinson University. "My dad died pretty young, when he was 48, of a massive heart attack. I didn't have any indication that would happen to me, but I wanted to leave in time so that I could do what I enjoy."

Nowadays, Reiter spends his time teaching photography, selling prints and plotting his next excursions. He's already photographed the silverback gorillas of Rwanda, famous for being the subject of Dian Fossey's study. There, he almost had his tripod and camera stolen by a frisky young gorilla, and he played submissive when a dominant male beat his chest.

"It's nothing like going to the zoo," he said. "There's nothing between you and the wildlife."

Japan's snow monkeys and China's giant pandas may be next on the list.

"I want to get to do the polar bears before the ice melts," Reiter said.

E-mail: shih@northjersey.com

Your Polenta is Cooked, Homeskillet!

2008-03-03T02:39:00.000-05:00

A new leaf: Seitan and polenta skillet

Monday, March 3, 2008
Last Updated Monday March 3, 2008, EST 7:01 AM

Vegetarian recipes from recently released cookbooks:

"Vegan Express" by Nava Atlas (Broadway Books, 2008)

Veteran vegetarian cookbook writer Nava Atlas is back with a collection for busy home cooks. Contrary to popular opinion, Atlas posits, preparing good vegan food isn't always time-consuming. She should know, since she feeds the whole family every day -- including her two young sons, who inspired her to switch from vegetarianism to veganism. Keeping a well-stocked pantry and refrigerator is essential. Staples like potatoes, canned beans and bouillon cubes can go a long way when making hearty dinners. Tofurkey lovers will be glad to know she doesn't rule out mock meats. But by the time you finish cooking your way through "Vegan Express," you'll also be fast friends with tofu, tempeh and seitan, as in the recipe below.

-- Evelyn Shih

Seitan and polenta skillet with fresh greens

1 tube polenta, 18 ounces
Non-stick cooking spray
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 pound seitan (wheat gluten), cut into bite-size pieces or strips
4 large or 6 medium stalks of bok choy, sliced crosswise
5 to 6 ounces of baby spinach
4 scallions, sliced
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup oil-packed sliced sun-dried tomatoes, optional
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Cut the ends off the polenta, then slice 1/2-inch thick. Cut each slice into 4 wedges.

Heat a wide non-stick skillet. Spray with non-stick cooking spray and add the polenta wedges. Cook in a single layer over medium heat until lightly browned, about 5 minutes on each side.

Transfer the polenta to a plate. Heat the oil and soy sauce slowly in the same skillet. Before they get too hot, add the seitan and stir well. Raise the heat to medium-high and sauté, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes. Stir in the bok choy, spinach and scallions, then cover and cook until just wilted.

Sprinkle in vinegar to taste. Gently fold in the polenta wedges and sun-dried tomatoes, if using. Season with salt and pepper and serve at once.

Servings: 4 to 6.

Per serving: 600 calories, 8 grams fat, 1 gram saturated fat, 0 milligrams cholesterol, 41 grams carbohydrates, 91 grams protein, 850 milligrams sodium, 4 grams fiber.

"All I want to do is sit in my studio and paint!"

2008-02-29T02:34:00.000-05:00

Glen Rock painter to display his landscapes

Friday, February 29, 2008
Last Updated Friday February 29, 2008, EST 6:28 AM

BY EVELYN SHIH

WHAT: Art exhibit.
WHERE: Kurth Cottage at The Valley Hospital, 223 N. Van Dien Ave., Ridgewood. Call 201-447-8135 for more information.
WHEN: Saturday through March 30. 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. weekdays, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekends.
HOW MUCH: Free.

Painter Peter Liman has always had wandering eyes. It wasn't until retirement that he put what he saw on paper.

The son of a steamship mogul, Liman traveled to the Caribbean at a very young age. He went to college in North Carolina and later traveled to the Mediterranean as a Navy officer. He's done a stint as a businessman in South Africa.

"You're working, and hopefully you enjoy what you're doing," said the Glen Rock resident. "But you still have things that you have an interest in, and you don't get to pursue them until you have the extra time."

Now when he travels, it's all in the pursuit of the next beautiful scene. Liman is exhibiting 20-plus canvases from his eight years of artful retirement at The Valley Hospital in Ridgewood throughout March. Liman's work is mostly landscape, but the paintings show "anything from California to southern France to Norway."

"Any place you go has an inner beauty," Liman said. "Painting is just my way of capturing that memory, a little different from taking out your camera and snapping a picture."

Liman's studio is buried in the Catskills in Maplecrest, N.Y., an area favored by the Hudson River School of artists and full of seasonal beauty.

"To me it's the Shangri-La of the area," said Liman. "It's just so beautiful and peaceful, and it's just therapeutic."

But one painting in the upcoming exhibit, "Willows on the Pond," is of a less exotic location: Saddle River Park. It's Liman's tribute to the beauty around his home. He's also painted scenes from the area surrounding his studio, such as a skier from Windham Mountain or an antique truck permanently parked at the side of a road.

Getting involved in the community and giving back is a big part of his artistic life, Liman said. Every year, he organizes two Windham arts festivals, where visitors are invited to spend a weekend meeting the artists of Windham in galleries and in their studios. He also runs an annual sand castle contest at CD Lane Park in Maplecrest.

"My biggest difficulty is really finding time to paint as opposed to just organizing," he said. "Sometimes I say to myself, 'Heck, I'm helping all these people, when all I want to do is sit in my studio and paint!' "

E-mail: shih@northjersey.com

Viva Carlota!

2008-02-29T02:31:00.000-05:00

Flamenco troupe pushes bounds while keeping tradition

Friday, February 29, 2008
Last Updated Friday February 29, 2008, EST 6:15 AM

BY EVELYN SHIH

Carlota Santana is the grande dame of flamenco, and this year is the 25th anniversary of her company, Flamenco Vivo Carlota Santana. In the past quarter century, she's become a standard bearer of the art form in America. Before her upcoming Joyce Theater season, she spoke about the passion that drives her.

Q. What has changed in the years since you founded your company?

When we started in 1983, we were the only company in N.Y.C. doing anything. Now there is much more activity going on. There are festivals. There are other companies that come through. We do lots of arts and education. Young people are learning about flamenco. One of my fantasies is that one of these days there will be a whole bunch of little girls who want to wear dotted dresses as much as they want to wear the tutu and be the Sugar Plum Fairy.

Q. How did you come, initially, to flamenco?

What drew me to flamenco was the ability to express myself. For me, the female flamenco dancer is the most feminine you can get. You can be soft and sweet, and you can be tough and strong. Any emotion you can have, you can express. That's what drew me to flamenco.

Q. One of the new pieces this season, "Carmen: El Baile," is based on the story of Carmen. How is it different from the opera by Georges Bizet?

Carmen, of course, is a legend of a very strong female who runs around seducing men. Our Carmen is also a strong female. She is the epitome of the best flamenco dancer in the whole world, and people want to get her art. So people, in a sense, start seducing her. The men are after her, and are seduced by her, and the women also want to be like her.

A lot of the music is original, and then every once in a while you'll hear Bizet in there. ... The opera's so well known that you can't get away from that. People will hear that, and I think it will remind the audience that this is Carmen. Although I kept saying while we were rehearsing: "This is not Carmen the cigarette girl."

Q. And the choreographer of that piece, Pilar Andujar, is a rising young talent?

One of the missions of the company has also been to give opportunity to young and upcoming dancers and choreographers to do these works. To help develop the art form. There are not that many people choreographing for flamenco, so we're always looking to help people learn how to be choreographers.

Q. What is unique about the flamenco your company does?

My company has been founded with the idea of doing dances with story lines. Most flamenco dances [have] traditionally been just dances without a story line. It's more interesting for us and more challenging.

Q. You've also used elements of Latin American music and dance in your pieces. Are there similarities between flamenco and those cultural traditions?

Since the days of Columbus they've gone back and forth between Spain and Latin America. There's been a mixture. ... And now in the world of Internet, there's influences of everybody on everything.

Q. When you consult older members of the flamenco community, what do they say about your new approaches?

In flamenco there are the purists who say this should not be done: It's losing its feeling. It's losing its tradition.

And there are those who say, because the world has gotten so small, and because there is now so much available to us, we want to do these new things, and we want to experiment. We want to push the envelope. We feel that this is a way to make the art form expand. And we don't lose the tradition; we still carry it with us.

E-mail: shih@northjersey.com

Veggies Under Pressure

2008-02-26T07:27:00.000-05:00

You won't miss the meat in this hearty Irish casserole

Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Last Updated Tuesday February 26, 2008, EST 10:53 AM

Vegetarian recipes from recently released cookbooks:

"Miss Vickie's Big Book of Pressure Cooker Recipes," by Vickie Smith (Wiley, 2008)

Vegetarians may not find this book a good investment: There's a lot of chicken broth brewing in even the vegetable-heavy recipes of this pressure cooker collection. But for non-vegetarian home cooks who occasionally serve veggies, the book has a handful of meatless recipes. Brussels sprouts and potatoes feature prominently in these hearty recipes, including the traditional Irish casserole below.

-- Evelyn Shih

* Colcannon

2 potatoes, peeled and diced
4 cups coarsely chopped cabbage
2 leeks, white parts only, washed and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons butter
1 onion, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup hot milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Pat of butter, for garnish

Add 1/2 cup water to a large pressure cooker, place the rack in the cooker and add the potatoes. Place the cabbage and leeks in a steamer basket and position it on top of the potatoes. Lock the lid in place. Bring the cooker to 15 pounds of pressure per square inch over high heat, then immediately reduce the heat to the lowest possible setting to stabilize and maintain the pressure. Cook for 4 minutes, then remove from heat and depressurize.

Carefully open the lid after the pressure drops. Carefully remove the cabbage and leek mixture, drain the potatoes and set aside. Wipe the cooker dry.

Heat the butter in the pressure cooker over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until softened. Remove from heat, add the cooked potatoes to the pressure cooker and add just enough hot milk to mash them by whatever means you prefer. Leave the potatoes slightly lumpy rather than smooth and creamy.

Gently stir in the cooked cabbage and leeks, salt and pepper, adjusting seasoning to taste. Return the cooker to low heat and cook until just heated through. Transfer to a serving bowl and top with a pat of butter at the center.

Servings: 4 to 5.

Per serving: 310 calories, 8 grams fat, 5 grams saturated fat, 22 milligrams cholesterol, 54 grams carbohydrates, 8 grams protein, 391 milligrams sodium, 7 grams fiber.

Art for Money

2008-02-19T07:24:00.000-05:00

Locals among those receiving NJ arts grants

Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Last Updated Tuesday February 19, 2008, EST 10:15 PM

BY EVELYN SHIH

Three North Jersey residents were among the 30 artists recognized with 2008 Artist Fellowships by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts.

"My wife was more excited than I was," said winner Michael Dal Cerro of Lyndhurst, who received $12,000 for his work in prints. Other North Jersey winners include Dajhia Ingram of Fair Lawn ($6,800) and Claire Porter of Teaneck ($7,500), both for choreography.

(Left: "Convergence 2006," by Michael Dal Cerro. Woodblock print.)

"It means I can work less at my day job and more at my passion," said Dal Cerro, a 54-year-old printmaker who works part time for a trade show decorating company creating window displays. "I try to make art my full time job."

The trio received a portion of $225,000 in prize money handed out by the agency. Each year, the fellowships are awarded in different art categories.

This year's artists were chosen from a field of more than 350 entrants for potential in choreography, design, media, music composition, new genres in visual arts, painting and works on paper. Next year, the Council will award artists in the areas of crafts, interdisciplinary performance, photography, poetry, playwriting, prose and sculpture.

Dal Cerro, whose wife Patricia Dahlman is also an artist, isn't a Jersey native. But he says the Garden State has been a good home for them since they moved here in 1999.

"New Jersey's actually very supportive of its artists," he said, noting that his wife has gotten grants from other institutions in the past.

The Artist Fellowship program is administered in partnership with the Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation in Baltimore. The cash award - which can be used towards purchasing supplies, attending a residency or renting studio space - can be secondary to the honor of the prize for many artists.

"It's the recognition that the award gives you," said Dal Cerro. "...It gives me more hits on Google, which is always good. It means I'm easier to find."

Gluten Minimus!

2008-02-18T07:12:00.000-05:00

A new leaf: Antioxidant chili

Monday, February 18, 2008
Last Updated Monday February 18, 2008, EST 7:24 AM

Vegetarian recipes from recently released cookbooks:

"The Gluten-Free Vegan" by Susan O'Brien (Marlowe and Co., 2007)

If you take away all animal products and all foods containing gluten, it might seem like you're not left with much. But cooking instructor Susan O'Brien makes it easy in her new recipe collection. O'Brien began eating a gluten-free vegan diet to control her high blood pressure. She felt deprived of her usual ingredients at first but eventually expanded her repertoire into different grains, spices and substitutes. The results are not only healthy and cruelty-free, but also flavorful. O'Brien keeps the recipes as simple as possible to get you in and out of the kitchen quickly. Soon you may be converting non-vegan friends to this simple new diet.

-- Evelyn Shih

Antioxidant chili

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large red onion, chopped
2 medium-size carrots, chopped
1 cup seeded and chopped green or red bell pepper
1 pound extra-firm silken tofu, drained and coarsely chopped
1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped finely
1 can (28 ounces) organic tomatoes, diced
2 cans (15 ounces) black or kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
Freshly ground pepper

Heat a large Dutch oven or skillet over medium heat. Pour in the olive oil and, when it heats, add the onion and carrots. Sauté until the onion begins to soften, 4 to 5 minutes.

Add bell pepper, tofu and jalapeno, and continue sautéing for another 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, beans, cumin, chili powder, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper.

Cook until the flavors are blended, about 45 minutes.

Servings: 4.

Per serving: 327 calories, 5 grams fat, 1 gram saturated fat, 0 milligrams cholesterol, 53 grams carbohydrates, 22 grams protein, 1,249 milligrams sodium, 18 grams fiber.

Magi-What?

2008-02-15T11:34:00.001-05:00

MagiQuest casting a spell

Friday, February 15, 2008

BY EVELYN SHIH

My first clue that I'd entered another world was the doorkeeper, dressed in a brown velour tunic and leggings.

"Welcome, milady," he said, taking my plastic wand and scanning it over a reader at the register.

I was ready to play MagiQuest, a new electronic role-playing game at the Funplex entertainment facility in East Hanover.

The ticket to entering this live video game is a wand that you buy at the front desk for 60 minutes of play time, you are set loose in the facility - a land complete with dark woods, rooms designed to look like castle nooks, dungeons and a serene green forest.

The goal is to gather "rune" talismans, gain power and level up as a Magi, all by using your wand, which records your successes. On the way, you fight magical creatures and meet a host of characters, all animated or portrayed by actors on video screens. No one expects you to finish all the quests and become a "Master Magi" in one trip, but the wand "remembers" your identity for subsequent trips.

Though I was literally a novice, still waving my wand at every gold chest hidden in a dark corner and rune in the wall just to see them light up, I was about to get a tour from the most powerful Magi in the land - all 8,000 square feet of it.

The Enchantress looked quite humble dressed in a tunic of black and purple tatters, complete with a violet cape. But when she signed in to the screens at the Stonehenge-like Stone Circle to the left of the entrance with a wave of her wand, the system welcomed her as "Magi God."

Her name is Denise Weston, and she invented the game.

"Video games, although compelling, are isolating," explained Weston, of Rhode Island, a psychologist who studied play behavior in children.

Before she devised the game for entertainment company Creative Kingdoms, "I didn't see my own kids socializing, and I had a hard time connecting with them in their play," Weston added. "I thought, I can't stop my kids from playing [video games], but I can create an experience that feels like a video game and invite the whole family to play together."

Our quest brought us to the Goblin King's castle. Two boys of about 10 who had just failed at challenging the Goblin King stumbled out the gate, disappointed, as we entered. The Enchantress easily got past the animated goblin gate keeper by flicking her wand at two runes embedded in the wall. They blinked in response before sinking back into the painted gray concrete.

Once in, the Enchantress waved her wand at the large screen in the dark dungeon-like throne room, and the animated Goblin King woke up. He was full of PG-rated verbal abuse - "Puny human!" he shouted - but she tossed it off.

"Yeah, yeah," she said jeeringly. "Let's fight!"

Two columns on either side of the screen, one labeled "M" at the top for "Magi" and the other "G" for "Goblin King," lit up like three-dimensional health bars out of Street Fighter. The battle was on. The Enchantress whipped her wand at the screen over and over.

And then she made a hit. Blinding white lights flashed in the small throne room as the Goblin King roared in pain.

"Yes!" shouted the Enchantress, pumping both her arms down to the knee. The Goblin King's health dropped several bars.

The two defeated boys watched from outside the painted concrete doorway, hoping to learn some new tricks. It wasn't long before the Enchantress depleted the Goblin King's health and left him a smoking heap on the throne.

"Aim for the middle," she muttered under her breath to the boys as we strolled, triumphant, out of the throne room.

Frankly, I'm not sure I have what it takes to become a Master Magi, let alone a Magi God. But according to Weston, the game is a great equalizer that has gotten families playing together at other, larger MagiQuest locations in the Poconos and at Myrtle Beach.

"Girls play as much as boys, and adults play as much as children," she said. "Once you catch on, you get kind of addicted to the play. But you're doing it with your friends."

For this Magi, it's never lonely - not even at the top.

E-mail: shih@northjersey.com

I Love Herby

2008-02-08T21:04:00.000-05:00

A new leaf: Herby veggie and pasta bake
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Last Updated Tuesday February 5, 2008, PST 10:08 AM
Vegetarian recipes from recently released cookbooks:

"The Omega 3 Cookbook," by Michael van Straten (Kyle, 2008)

If you're vegetarian or vegan, you've probably heard that nutritionists suggest omega 3 supplements. The fatty acid comes mainly from fish, so if you don't eat it, you're a little out of luck. Plant sources are not nearly as efficient, writes Michael van Straten. However, this recipe collection contains more than a handful of recipes that deliver the omega 3s without fish. Check it out to find some new sources of the nutrients.

-- Evelyn Shih

Herby veggie and pasta bake
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
2 cups soy milk
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
4 tablespoons flax seed oil, divided
3 zucchini, diced
1 eggplant, diced
3 large tomatoes, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon tomato purée
3 tablespoons fresh oregano, finely chopped
14 ounces boiled lasagna sheets
3 tablespoons freshly shredded Parmesan cheese
6 fronds fresh dill
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Melt the butter gently in a large skillet. Take off the heat and stir in the flour and cumin. Return to a gentle heat and cook, stirring continuously, for 2 minutes. Gradually add the soy milk, stirring until thickened. Set sauce aside.

Sweat the onion and garlic gently in 2 tablespoons of oil until soft. Add the zucchini, eggplant, tomatoes, tomato purée and oregano, continue cooking for 5 minutes, and stir continuously.

Grease a wide, shallow pasta dish with the rest of the oil. Put in one layer of lasagna sheets. Spread on half the vegetable mixture and a third of the white sauce. Add another layer of lasagna, follow with the rest of the vegetable mixture and another third of the sauce. Add the final layer of lasagna and the rest of the sauce, making sure the pasta is well-covered.

Bake for 15 minutes. Remove, scatter Parmesan and dill over the lasagna, and return to the oven for another 5 minutes, until the cheese is golden and bubbling.

Servings: 6.

Per serving: 523 calories, 21 grams fat, 7 grams saturated fat, 23 milligrams cholesterol, 70 grams carbohydrates, 17 grams protein, 160 milligrams sodium, 9 grams fiber.

Command Performance: A Completely Unnecessry Story About Being a Sports Fan

2008-02-03T03:59:00.000-05:00

When football fans fumble their priorities

Sunday, February 3, 2008
Last Updated Sunday February 3, 2008, PST 7:45 AM

BY EVELYN SHIH

Are you ready for some football?

Shortly after 6:17 tonight, the Giants face off against the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl. A Big Blue victory would be one of the biggest upsets in postseason football history and surely warm the hearts of many Giants fans.

Here's an important question: Are North Jersey pigskin fans ready for life after football? Especially if – and we say this in the most hushed of tones and with the utmost reverence for our hometown heroes – their beloved Giants lose?

Believing that wearing the same unwashed team jersey every weekend will keep a winning streak alive never hurt anyone -- although it may cause those with more delicate noses to leave the room when you enter. But marriages, family ties and mental balance may all be in jeopardy if you see exclusively through the blue-tinted glasses of Giants mania 24/7.

"It's like religion," said sports psychiatrist Dr. Ronald Kamm of Oakhurst, describing the human fascination with sports. "You're part of something bigger than yourself."

Don't forget your other

As a result, psychiatrists offer the following advice: It's important to take a step back and realize it's just a game. Life will go on tomorrow. And you need to be mindful of your significant other (it's almost always a wife or girlfriend), including the weekends when you're MIA, feeding your sports obsession.

But that's easier said that done. A highly identified fan – or HIF in sports psychology jargon – may become estranged from loved ones when the emotional roller coaster of game-watching gets too addictive. Not only do some fans spend too much time watching, but their mood also will be affected for days afterward.

"If the team loses in a particularly gut-wrenching way, they can be depressed for a day or two," said Kamm. "Whereas if the team surprises them with a win, their chest puffs out, they're in a good mood for days."

For Philip Zito of Nutley, watching a Giants game can be more painful than going to work on Monday, and it's not because this true-blue fan is afraid his G-men will lose.

"Even sometimes when they win – it's what they put you through to get there," he said. The win over the Green Bay Packers two Sundays ago, for example, played out in a series of preventable errors before the final victory.

When the Giants do lose, it matters how they lose. "It either bothers me for five minutes because they got slaughtered and were never in it," Zito explained, "or it bothers me for two days because they screwed up."

Give him space

Women attached to men who are HIFs need to be understanding if postgame depression hits, said Dr. Richard Drobnick of Teaneck. Drobnick's clinic practices the philosophy of his mentor, Dr. John Gray, best-selling author of "Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus."

"If a man feels that depression, a man may need 'cave time,' " Drobnick said. "He may need some alone time to deal with the loss of his team. And for a while a woman should not run after him to talk about it because it will make him feel worse. ... A woman has trouble understanding this, because when a woman talks about her problems, she feels better, which is opposite of a man."

But there comes a time when a lady in waiting needs to kick down the door. "He can't just go into his cave and stay in there," Drobnick said.

Unless he is, in fact, a bona fide cave man, a mourning male fan should tell his significant other that he needs time alone. After he returns to his normal state of emotional balance, he should make up for his time away by being an attentive mate, advised Drobnick.

Bouncing back

Some Giants fans, however, won't have the luxury of that buffer time.

"I don't shut down for three days," said Capt. John McLoughlin of the Englewood Fire Department, an avid fan. "In the fire business, you have to keep everything in perspective. Twenty minutes after a game you get calls for house fires."

Nevertheless, the reality of his job doesn't stop him from buying season tickets every year and spending 10 hours at the stadium tailgating and screaming along with other true-blue fans.

Men aren't the only ones who fall into fanaticism, but female fans are less likely to wrap their egos in the fortunes of their favorite teams, said Drobnick.

"If a man is obsessed with sports to the point that it takes him away from his girlfriend or wife, she'll feel like she's low on his list of priorities," he said. The long-term cost of a man pulling away from his significant other to watch sports games can be resentment on the part of the woman. While men may see a big event like the Super Bowl as a chance to go all out with their fanaticism, it may in fact be the last straw for their chronically frustrated partners.

Family bonding

What superfans need to do is find a way to balance their loves.

Fathers and sons and growing numbers of fathers and daughters may find national sports a good way to bridge generation gaps and even physical distance, Kamm said. In fact, the sports team you support may have more to do with whom your family supports than where you live. Joining together against a common enemy is a fun way to connect.

Paul Sarlo, assistant majority leader in the New Jersey Senate, agrees that watching sports can be healthy recreation.

"The economy is perhaps close to being in a recession," he said. "There are health-care issues. There are so many things on people's minds in this day and age. [Sports] takes their minds off some of the other stuff that is happening around them that may be stressful."

Despite the fact that he is a Wood-Ridge native who ushered at the Meadowlands as a college kid, Sarlo has to keep his head in the game of politics. Should the Giants lose, he won't have the luxury of cave time. But the senator, like most Giants fans, will be connecting with family through football this weekend.

"My 7-year-old son is just getting into it," he said, "so I'm excited to watch it with him."

E-mail: shih@northjersey.com

'Fraid of Your Own Shadow? Then Dance.

2008-02-01T03:57:00.000-05:00

Dance drama "Glow" comes to The Kitchen

Friday, February 1, 2008
Last Updated Friday February 1, 2008, PST 3:56 AM

BY EVELYN SHIH

In Disney's "Peter Pan," Peter has to fly back to the Darlings' house to find his shadow. The liberated shadow refuses to reunite with its owner until Wendy Darling sews it back onto his toes.

"Glow," a dance piece by the Australian company Chunky Move, is also a drama featuring rebellious shadows and their owner. Artistic director Gideon Obarzanek and technology designer Frieder Weiss put together a light projection system that reacts to the movements of a solo dancer onstage, an experiment that took a turn for the metaphysical.

"The light gives the sense of her body glowing from within, visualizing her internal emotion," said Obarzanek. Infrared information from the dancer's body, read by a device, is instantly projected back in different light and shadow patterns that respond to her movement.

But in the second half of the work, the shadows disperse all over the performance space. "They start moving on their own, so that she is reacting to them," Obarzanek added. "These are images that come from an instantly replayed memory of movements she has just completed. The shadows appear to have come from her, despite being semi-autonomous.

"It's quite scary," he said.

"Glow" debuted stateside last year in Pittsburgh, but this will be its first New York appearance. Those who venture out for this experimental dance experience at The Kitchen in Manhattan will have an intimate experience in a space retooled especially for the performance. The dancer performs on the floor, and seats on all four sides allow viewers to look down on her.

"If I used a vertical screen, the dancer would be fixed to the floor by her feet," explained Obarzanek. "With the floor, the body can float within the image." Vertical screens, he added, are a more familiar way of viewing performances because of television and movie mediums. With the horizontal frame, Obarzanek tries to make the experience less familiar -- and more interesting.

The "Glow" project began as a challenge from Obarzanek to Weiss. He wondered if Weiss could design a lighting system that responded to the performer onstage, instead of creating a lit space to which performers confined their movement.

Weiss could and he did. Over a six- to eight-week period, Obarzanek and Weiss worked together to coordinate choreography and technology. That may seem like a short creative gestation, but Obarzanek usually finishes a piece in half the time.

"One of the inherent frustrations is that programming is painstakingly slow," he said. "It's incompatible with working with a dancer in the studio. ... You may discuss a small change with Frieder, and it will take two days to do."

But on the whole, the experiment was more successful than either imagined, and it is still evolving. Obarzanek has just finished debuting "Mortal Engine," a piece for six dancers using the same technology, in Australia. " 'Glow' was a very literal relationship," said Obarzanek. "The projected light simply lit the body, using algorithms to accentuate and interact with it. But 'Mortal Engine' has a more sophisticated life and decay to it, so that the shadows seem more autonomous."

A little rebellion, it seems, may be coming to a full-on mutiny.

Will Obarzanek be bringing the big light show to America?

"I certainly hope so," he said.

E-mail: shih@northjersey.com

Too Soon

2008-02-01T03:47:00.000-05:00

A fuller portrait of Debee Cornell's talents

Friday, February 1, 2008
Last Updated Friday February 1, 2008, PST 3:53 AM

BY EVELYN SHIH

The first time Debee Cornell's artwork was shown publicly, she was in elementary school. Her art class had a showing at the Cottage Place gallery in Ridgewood.

Her mother, Susan Cornell, remembers a drawing of a vase and flowers that a kindergarten teacher had her do. "I assumed the teacher did the vase, because the lines were so straight," she said. "But no, Debee did that."

In a portrait of a friend that she did at age 14, titled "Summer Love," Debee's early promise shows in the pregnant expression of the subject's mouth and the almost touchable interplay of light and shadow in her hair. Throughout her childhood, Debee's unusual eye for detail was apparent.

But the second time her work was shown publicly, those eyes were closed forever. Just shy of 17, the young artist had succumbed to an overdose of heroin. Susan and husband Gene displayed her work at the memorial.

On the first anniversary of her death today, they are opening her third art exhibit, a more comprehensive collection of her drawings and poetry.

"She excelled at black and white pencil and ink pen or marker," said Susan Cornell, who also paints. "Her detailed line drawings were what she was best at."

"She just didn't miss anything," added Gene Cornell.

The Ridgewood teen was a natural talent, self-taught in everything from drawing to poetry to songwriting. Her art was compulsive and introverted, an outlet for expression during her troubled adolescence.

"We were close as a family, but she was very alienated," said Gene Cornell. Of African and Hispanic descent, Debee was adopted when she was 5 1/2 weeks old into a Caucasian family. She changed her given name of Deborah to Debee and had unanswered questions about her own identity.

Susan Cornell said, "I think she always felt loved ..."

"... but she always felt different, and it really upset her," Gene Cornell finished.

A drawing on her Web site, hateworthy666.deviantart.com, depicts a fetal figure hugging a red heart and weeping straight blue lines as colorful figures out of Keith Haring do cartwheels on its head and walk into the distance, leaving tiny footprints. Titled "My Inner Picasso," the drawing was "a little insight into being me," according to Debee's caption.

About 25 to 30 art pieces will be in the exhibit, as well as many collected digital works presented in a digital photo frame, said Gene Cornell. Some of the original pieces are lost forever, but Debee diligently scanned much of her work, leaving a digital trail on the blogging site Xanga and the art hosting site Deviant Art.

Her parents have been working on the exhibit for quite some time. "It's been a terrible time," said Susan Cornell. "I suppose the art show is one way for us to deal with it. It gives us a chance to celebrate her creativity."

Just like a year ago, when the Cornells hosted a separate teen memorial for Debee's peers, there will be a separate teen reception on Feb. 12. Last year, her classmates asked for a chance to commemorate Debee on their own terms.

"The kids initiated it," said Gene Cornell.

"That was very comforting, as well, for us," his wife added. Many neighbors have also reached out to the Cornells in emotional support during this difficult year.

But a year out from Debee Cornell's death, her parents believe it is time to share her full story alongside her substantial talent.

"We've been very direct with the world and the circumstances of Debee's death," said Susan Cornell. "Maybe it will help somebody."

E-mail: shih@northjersey.com

You Have the Power

2008-01-28T12:13:00.000-05:00

Harnessing energy's healing powers

Monday, January 28, 2008

BY EVELYN SHIH

One week recently, Nancy Vislocki of Dumont went to the gym every day. She took yoga, pilates, aerobics and even weight training. Strange thing is, she hadn’t been to the gym in 17 years.

Vislocki was diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome 10 years ago, and with an inflammatory auto-immune disease called Sjögren’s syndrome five years ago. She shouldn’t have been able to drive to the gym every day of the week, let alone attempt lunges and presses.

But that week, “my energy level was so high,” said Vislocki. “That’s why I thought I could do all this stuff!”

Vislocki believes that dramatic change in her well-being was the result of two weeks of intensive treatments with energy healer Shoe-Zen Shin (known as Osamu Kamiyama when not healing). She went every other day to lie fully clothed on a table so that Kamiyama could briefly prod and pinch her problem areas, then infuse her with universal energy using his hands for the better part of an hour. She emerged relaxed, refreshed — and, miraculously, energetic.

Skeptical? Vislocki didn’t buy any of it, either, when she first heard of energy healing.

Hands-on treatment

Unlike massage therapy or chiropractics, energy healing does not involve a therapist manipulating muscles and bone structures with physical force. Instead, energy healers from various traditions put their hands on patients and, staying almost completely still for minutes on end, pass energy to the patient. The idea is that the patient suffers aches and pains from imbalances in his or her life-force energy that the healer can remedy.

Although life energy is a common idea in many Eastern medical traditions, it has been slow in coming to North Jersey. Even so, practitioners like Kamiyama are gaining credibility. Certain variations of energy healing, such as Reiki, have widely recognized certification standards. Healer and masseuse Renee LeBental of Wayne says that she has worked on patients from 8 to 80 years of age, from the overstressed to the terminal cancer patient.

“I love working on [the skeptics],” LeBental said, laughing. Over the years, she has offered 10 minutes of energy healing at the end of her usual massage sessions and has had a slow but steady conversion rate. At her Ridgewood practice, energy healing is about 30 to 35 percent of her work.

Yet energy healing of all kinds — Quantum-Touch, Chinese qigong and polarity treatment, among others — has had a difficult time gaining official recognition. LeBental and Kamiyama earned massage therapy certificates (although neither initially was interested in massage work) because the state does not offer licenses for energy healing.

It pays, however, to be a discerning customer. Even LeBental has met “inauthentic” healers whom she could not trust.

“You have to be careful,” she said. “There are a lot of people selling things that are questionable. … But I can say honestly that energy healing does work. I’ve had a lot of people come back and tell me about what it did for them, so I feel comfortable offering it.”

She’s not alone. Some North Jerseyans are such staunch believers in energy healing that they are taking matters literally into their own hands. Jocelyn Kahn, a Wyckoff energy healer trained in Reiki, Jin Shin Jyutsu, TAT (Tapas Acupressure Technique) and Quantum-Touch, offers a workshop in Quantum-Touch three times a year — and her January class was at capacity.

Beginners with no healing background take the weekend course and can do basic healing“by lunchtime the first day,” said Kahn. Quantum-Touch teaches a system of breathing and mental awareness that heightens energy in the practitioner and allows her to transmit it to a patient.

At monthly healing circles she holds at the High Mountain Clear Lake Zen Center in Wyckoff, Kahn guides the initiated in mutual healing sessions. One member of the group lies on a table, and all others place their hands on problem areas to give energy. Participants have health concerns ranging from stiffness and bad circulation to cancer recovery.

“The sessions give us a chance to practice,” said Roseanne Cavenna of Westwood, who has been doing Quantum-Touch with Kahn for two years. She isn’t a professional healer, but “I practice on family and friends whenever they have a rotator cuff injury or joint pain.

“Now, because they know it helps, they let me do it,” said Cavenna.

Find qualified healers

Despite anecdotal testimonials, finding a qualified practitioner is almost entirely experiential for the consumer. The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), a division of the National Institutes of Health, defines the forces used in hands-on energy healing as “putative,” or defying measurement.

“We rely on scientific proof without paying attention to our own gut feelings,” said Kamiyama. “But our brains are much more precisely designed than any man-made machines — MRIs, CAT scans, X-rays included. Oftentimes, science or medical testing cannot find problems until they are a certain size, but our brains can recognize it.”

Vislocki listened to the explanation, but did not get in line for a treatment when Kamiyama visited the chronic fatigue syndrome support group for a free demonstration last November.“People were saying, ‘Wow, I feel great! My neck was hurting, but now it’s not hurting me anymore!’” she said. “I was thinking, I don’t know … this all seems a little odd to me.”

Despite her misgivings, Vislocki had a terrible pain in her neck and shoulders when the healer visited the group a second time. So she decided to give it a try.

For a few days afterward, she waited for the pain to come back. It never did. That’s when Vislocki took the plunge: Kamiyama’s two-week intensive treatment. By the end of the two weeks, she had more energy than she knew what to do with — and a bunch of gym class coupons from a gym that was about to close down for good.

What followed was a manic week of exercise — and then a small crash as Vislocki recovered from the muscle pains. “I’m good, but I can’t take you back 17 years in two weeks,” joked Kamiyama.

E-mail: shih@northjersey.com

Vegetarians of the World Unite!

2008-01-28T03:52:00.000-05:00

A new leaf: Cheese souffle

Monday, January 28, 2008
Last Updated Monday January 28, 2008, PST 9:32 AM

Vegetarian recipes from recently released cookbooks:

"The Best International Recipe: A Home Cook's Guide to the Best Recipes in the World," by the editors of Cook's Illustrated (America's Test Kitchen, 2007).

Spanning the world within the space of 579 pages, this hefty collection is almost exhausting to look at. Notably, it teaches how to make world cuisine basics, like Mexican corn cakes, German spaetzle, classic Spanish gazpacho or even marinated Greek olives. It also includes vegetarian recipes from cuisines not known for being vegetable-friendly -- such as this cheese soufflé recipe from France.

-- Evelyn Shih

* Cheese soufflé

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch chunks, plus extra for coating dish
1/2 ounce Parmesan cheese, grated, divided
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup whole milk
4 ounces Gruyère cheese, shredded
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Pinch freshly ground nutmeg
3 large eggs, separated
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Thoroughly butter the inside of a 2-quart soufflé dish, then coat with about 2 tablespoons of the Parmesan.

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the flour and cook until golden. Slowly whisk in the milk. Bring to a simmer and cook, whisking constantly, until thickened and smooth. Off the heat, whisk in the Gruyère, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl. Whisk in the egg yolks until completely incorporated and set aside.

Using an electric mixer, whip the egg whites in a separate bowl on medium-low speed until they are opaque and frothy. Add the cream of tartar, increase the speed to medium-high, and continue to whip until they are thick and form stiff peaks. Working with one-quarter of the whipped egg whites at a time, gently fold them into the yolk mixture until almost no white streaks remain. Gently pour the mixture into the prepared soufflé dish and sprinkle with the remaining 2 tablespoons Parmesan.

Bake until the top is nicely browned, the center jiggles slightly and an instant-read thermometer inserted through the top side registers 170 degrees, about 25 to 30 minutes.

Servings: 3 to 4.

2008-01-25T16:09:00.000-05:00

Katie Couric's children's tale is told through music at NJPAC

Friday, January 25, 2008

BY EVELYN SHIH

WHAT: "Brand New Kid."
WHEN: 2 p.m. Saturday.
WHERE: Victoria Theater, New Jersey Performing Arts Center, 1 Center St., Newark; 888-466-5722 or njpac.org.
HOW MUCH: $20, $22.

What? You didn't know that news anchor Katie Couric wrote a children's book? A book that's been turned into a piece of musical theater for kids?

Don't worry -- you're not alone. Actor Zach Colonna, who plays the lead character in that musical, didn't know about Couric's authorial turn either. At least, not before he got the part of Lazlo Gasky in "Brand New Kid," which comes to the New Jersey Performing Arts Center Saturday.

"Most people were kind of surprised and kind of intrigued" to find out about the show, said Colonna -- including himself.

But Couric's topic is something that everyone can relate to. Lazlo is the new kid in town, and in the musical he tries to fit in despite being different from the other children. Colonna knows what that's like.

"My dad got transferred around a lot," he explained. "I went to five or six different schools as a kid. Even if you don't have an accent, or have different-colored hair, it's hard as a kid."

Unfortunately, Lazlo does have those things against him: He has a Hungarian accent and bleached white hair. Colonna worked with a speech coach to achieve the accent and had his hair dyed to fit the part.

He also went back in time 16 years. The 23-year-old actor had to revert to a second-grade behavior and thinking pattern to play Lazlo.

"You have to make sure you're not overanalyzing as an adult," he said. "You have to feel everything directly."

If you fail onstage as a children's theater actor, he added, you will have no problem feeling everything: "The kids are really responsive, and they'll let you know if they don't like it."

They also show when they approve. In a dodge ball scene during "Brand New Kid," the school bully falls down trying to get the ball and is ridiculed by the other children. "The kids just scream and yell, they get up on their seat to see what he looks like on the ground," said Colonna.

But Colonna's personal favorite is the cafeteria scene -- the cafeteria being "the scariest place of all" for a new student. Lazlo enters, not sure where he will be allowed to sit, and joins the lunch line. There, a jaded lunch lady serves some rather ungrateful children.

"The kids all come in and talk the same way to her," said Colonna. "They all want their food now, and they all want their french fries. And she tries to fight back a little bit, to make them eat healthier food."

Lazlo is the first child to ask for vegetables, which pleasantly surprises the lunch lady, so much so that she gives him the fries. "It's Lazlo's first conquest," said Colonna with glee. "He's the only one who actually gets the fries."

There are some advantages to being new.

E-mail: shih@northjersey.com

Hips Not Lying!

2008-01-23T22:54:00.000-05:00

Belly dancing boom hits North Jersey

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

BY EVELYN SHIH

The first thing you learn in belly dancing is the difference between up and down.

I went into the classroom at Thrive Fitness in Edgewater not knowing this basic language. Isn't belly dancing where you twist your belly to shake your hips?

But instructor Evanthia Savva (dance name Eve) soon put me right by her example. Standing on her left foot with the right arched onto the ball of the foot, she moved the right hip down on the beat. "Down, down, down, down," she repeated to the rhythm of the music. I quickly tried to imitate her by wiggling my tush.

"Up, up, up, up," she followed in the next sequence. For a second I couldn't figure out what she meant. Wasn't I already pulling my hip up and putting it down?

Controlled moves

Up and down, I realized by watching Savva and my classmates in the classroom's wall of mirrors, were the directions of hip thrusts. Savva didn't pull a Shakira motor-butt move so much as make distinct, controlled moves on the paced beat.

As I began doing it correctly, the metal ornaments on the hip scarf Savva lent me began to jangle pleasantly. We got fancy -- up, down, hip turn, down -- and even added right and left to the vocabulary.

And there it was: The mysterious Middle Eastern dance was as easy as basic cardinal directions.

It's also taking over gyms across North Jersey as a popular workout. "There was a kick back in the early '70s, and it died down," said Savva, who lives in Cliffside Park. "I think this is a bigger kick because it's all over the place in gyms now."

There weren't any men in Savva's class, although male belly dancing does exist, she said. It's a different style, and she directs interested men to different instructors who have a specialty in that area.

But for both men and women, the dance is a fun way to work on core strength. Halfway through the workout, I started to feel very warm, despite my tank top in winter. "It's a non-impact workout like yoga or Pilates," Savva explained.

Even so, beginners may feel it in the lower back if they do the moves with an improper posture. "The hardest part is, both knees have to be bent," said Savva. "People start feeling tired and start standing normal, but they're still doing the movements. ... When people don't bend their knees and push, they put a strain on their lower back and hips."

For some students, it's something that has to be learned over time. Others, especially those with a dance background, will pick it up rapidly through imitation.

Keeping arms loose

The second big challenge takes some time to overcome. "The arms actually take a very long time to learn," said Savva. "The stress and the tenseness show in your hands. Just keeping them up and looking normal is a big struggle."

In her class, Savva simply had us hold our arms "out of the way." The hip and leg movement are more basic and more important for the workout. For more intricate lessons in technique, Savva usually suggests taking a dance class instead.

"I just try to keep it fun," she said of her classes.

It was most certainly fun. Savva built a basic choreographic routine over the course of the hour that included turns, flounces and even some sexy shoulder shaking. In the end, my favorite part was a flute melody interlude that Savva called "the break." We stood on our left feet and did a hip rhythm on the up beat:

Up-down-down up-down-down. Right-left-left right-left-left.

I can now honestly say that I am, in fact, great at following directions.

E-mail: shih@northjersey.com

The Punk Vegan Bible

2008-01-21T22:55:00.000-05:00

Spicy tempeh nori rolls

Monday, January 21, 2008

Vegetarian recipes from recently released cookbooks:

"Veganomicon," by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero (Marlowe & Co., 2007).

The gals from New York City's cable access Post Punk Kitchen offer a new cookbook celebrating veganism. They've been featured for their vegan cupcakes, but this book is all over the map -- literally. The recipes incorporate different world cuisines, with dishes like risotto with a Thai lemongrass twist and Jamaican shepherd's pie.

-- Evelyn Shih

* Spicy tempeh nori rolls

1 cup sushi rice

2 tablespoons rice vinegar, divided

1 teaspoon sugar

1 ounce tempeh, steamed, cooled and cubed

2 tablespoons prepared vegan mayonnaise

1/2 to 1 teaspoon hot chili-sesame oil

4 sheets nori seaweed

1 scallion, white part discarded, sliced lengthwise into narrow strips

1 ripe avocado, peeled, seeded and sliced into 1/4-inch strips

In a 2-quart pot with a cover, combine the rice plus 1 1/4 cups cold water. Turn the heat high, bring the water to a boil, and stir the rice just once. Lower the heat to low, cover the pot and steam the rice for 20 minutes.

Empty the hot rice into a large glass or plastic bowl. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon vinegar and sugar, gently folding in the rice. Cover with plastic wrap, and let cool for 10 to 15 minutes. Wait until the rice is slightly warmer than room temperature.

Combine tempeh, mayonnaise and chili-sesame oil. Mash until chunky.

Fill a shallow cup with 1/3 cup water and a tablespoon of rice vinegar. Place a nori sheet on the bamboo mat. With wet hands, take a snowball-shaped handful of rice. Gently pat onto the bottom two-thirds of the nori sheet until it is less than 1/3-inch thick.

Place a small amount of the fillings across the center of your rice in a straight line. Aim for 1 1/2 tablespoons of tempeh, three strips of avocado and an even amount of scallion strips.

Using the mat, gently roll up that sushi starting from the rice-topped end. Try to keep your grip tight. When you reach the end, seal with a bit of vinegar water. Slice into 1-inch pieces with a sharp knife. Repeat, making three more rolls.

Yield: 4 rolls.

Per roll: 210 calories, 11 grams fat, 2 grams saturated fat, 2 milligrams cholesterol, 24 grams carbohydrates, 4 grams protein, 63 milligrams sodium, 4 grams fiber.

Aaron Goldberg Jazzes it up

2008-01-20T23:10:00.000-05:00

Jazz pianist Aaron Goldberg turns his focus to his trio

Friday, January 18, 2008

BY EVELYN SHIH

You may not have heard about the Aaron Goldberg Trio -- but jazz aficionados will have heard Aaron Goldberg. As a sideman, the pianist has toured with the likes of trumpeter and jazz preservationist Wynton Marsalis, saxophonist and jazz orchestra leader Joshua Redman and guitarist frontman Kurt Rosenwinkel.

Ten years into his game, Goldberg is ready to make his mark as a bandleader. For him, 2008 will be the year of the trio, and he kicks it off this weekend at the Jazz Standard. In an interview, he got fired up about his music, jazz tradition and even politics.

Q. Why do you feel that now is the time to focus on your trio work?

I spent the first 10 years of my full-time professional life as a musician on tour with various bands as a sideman. ... I love doing it. It's one way that I've grown as a musician and learned everything I know. On the other hand, I've kind of kept my own trio on the back burner. It's difficult to find time to play with the trio when you're touring with different bands, and to find time to write songs.

But it's also very difficult to handle the business side of being a bandleader. There are skills I had never cultivated in myself. It's just a lot of non-musical headaches you have to deal with.

Over the course of this past year or two, since the CD [2006's "Worlds"] came out, we've been working more, and we've been getting better. I'm also starting to believe we have something unique to offer that the world of jazz needs to hear. ... It is rare to find a band that's been together for so long in jazz.

Q. How long has your band been together?

Reuben Rogers [bass] and I have been playing together for about 15, but we met Eric Harland [drums] about nine, 10 years ago.

Q. You came from a jazz education background, having attended the New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music. Do you feel that jazz can be taught?

No one's born playing jazz. It has to be learned. Whether it can be taught in the classroom, that's another question.

Jazz schools as a whole do the music scene a service, in that they bring young musicians together to play together and meet each other. ... They create a culture of people.

But you have to learn to speak the language of jazz. ... The most effective way to learn is immersion.

Q. What was the idea behind "Worlds"?

The general idea of the album was that we'll take songs that come from different parts of the world -- from our experiences or knowledge -- and put them in a jazz context. We're playing real New York jazz in the way that we've learned to in the past few years.

Q. In 2004, you organized a jazz concert in support of John Kerry. Are you a very political person?

Now that I'm older and I'm watching people die needlessly everywhere as a result of egocentric and irresponsible decision-making, it's gotten me thinking about making my contribution.

Last time, we were relatively successful in making an overt political statement with the big concert. Even among the people who did it, there was trepidation. Is it OK to make jazz political? ... In the '50s and '60s, jazz was overtly political, but it hasn't been since then.

E-mail: shih@northjersey.com

Follow the Churches, Says Griffeth

2008-01-20T23:03:00.000-05:00

TV newsman finds the roots of his faith

Wednesday, January 16, 2008

BY EVELYN SHIH

WHAT: Book reading and signing.
WHERE: Barnes & Noble, 765 Route 17 south, Paramus. Call 201-445-4589 for more information.
WHEN: 7:30 tonight.
HOW MUCH: Free.

Once upon a time, Bill Griffeth thought he was a California boy. He thought he would never leave Los Angeles, where he grew up.

But times changed. Griffeth reluctantly relocated to North Jersey when NBC gave him a job offer he couldn't refuse 16 years ago. He became a Park Ridge resident, an anchorman for CNBC and a member of the Hillsdale United Methodist Church.

Little did he know that the move was actually a homecoming.

In 2003, a cousin still living in California sent him an extensive 45-page family tree. Looking closer, Griffeth realized that all the family roots led back to the tri-state area and New England, tantalizingly close to where he now lived. It had taken his ancestors 300 years to make it to the West Coast, and he had reversed the quest in a six-hour plane flight.

"One Sunday afternoon I dragged my wife and kids up to the Bedford, N.Y., area to go ancestor hunting," Griffeth says. He was searching for the whereabouts of his forebears, the Woolseys. The family car puttered toward a tiny churchyard cemetery.

When he stood at the entrance, Griffeth was stunned. The monument that dominated the cemetery stood before him, proudly proclaiming the name "Woolsey."

"Oh my goodness ... there they are!" Griffeth remembers thinking.

This was one of the "Aha!" moments that drove Griffeth on an obsessive journey into his family genealogy, a search that eventually led to his new book, "By Faith Alone." He will be discussing his book tonight at Barnes & Noble in Paramus.

The Woolsey family's religious character -- one ancestor, Elijah Woolsey, was a circuit-riding Methodist minister who established churches up and down the East Coast -- helped determine the course of the book. Griffeth hunted down a rare copy of Woolsey's journal from his 40 years on the road, published in 1845, and used it as one of his firsthand documents.

"While I acknowledge the ethnic heritage, I think the faith heritage has an even stronger pull for me now, in knowing the extent of their beliefs, and really what it did to motivate them," Griffeth says. He traced his ancestry back to Puritan and Pilgrim roots in England and the Netherlands for the book.

One notable ancestor was Mary Towne Estey, who was convicted and burned as a witch in Salem, Mass., during the famous trials.

"I put this book together as a reminder of our faith heritage and the role that faith played in the founding of our country," he says. "My family was not unique. They were part of a huge movement. Faith played a huge role in their lives, and in our history."

Griffeth grew up in the Methodist church, an active member of his youth group. Though he is a business journalist by profession and has written other books about business, "Faith is who I am," he says.

He will be sharing his experience of delving into faith genealogy at North Jersey churches in the Lenten season, beginning with the Pascack Reform Methodist Church in Park Ridge and the Grace United Methodist Church in Wyckoff. He'll even visit the Harmony Hill Methodist Church in Stillwater, founded by none other than Elijah Woolsey.

After the long ancestor hunt, what do his kids think of all this? They simply put up with their father's obsession because "they're teenagers," Griffeth said. "But I think there's maybe even a little bit of pride on their part now.

"They'll appreciate it a lot more when they get older, as we all do," he added. "We take it for granted when we're young, but you get to a certain point when that becomes important."

E-mail: shih@northjersey.com

Winter Make Up Tips

2008-01-20T22:59:00.000-05:00

Keeping a smooth complexion through the winter

Tuesday, January 15, 2008

BY EVELYN SHIH

On cold nights this winter, you're probably too busy snuggling in your warm bed to worry about the heating bill. But as you sleep, another insidious cost is creeping through the blankets and into your skin.

The cost of constant heating to your skin is moisture. And as any woman knows, dryness makes wearing makeup in the winter difficult if not impossible.

[Staff photo by Peter Monsees.]

New winter cosmetic products are always evolving to solve this perennial problem. What's more, skin-care products and beauty products are merging, spawning multitasking products like moisturizing foundation or tinted moisturizer. With all the options out there, there's no excuse to walk around with a dry and flaky complexion -- but we do.

"Many times, women don't change their skin routines" between seasons, said Debbi Hartley-Triesch, national director of beauty and fragrance for Nordstrom. "And your skin absolutely changes. ... Just like fashion, beauty does need to change with winter."

The change may be as simple as going to your favorite cosmetics counter, asking if they carry different moisturizers, then substituting a more nourishing cream moisturizer for your airy summer lotion to help your skin stay strong, she said.

"Working with creamy textures works well with drier skin," said Hartley-Triesch. "It gives you that pretty, dewy look you're trying to achieve."

Another option might be adding an extra moisturizing step to your daily regimen. You can do this with the Elemis Cellular Recovery Skin Bliss Capsules or other such moisturizing products, said Hartley-Triesch. CoverGirl celebrity makeup artist Molly R. Stern favors Elizabeth Arden's Cermide Gold Ultra Restorative Capsules.

For more severe winter-skin conditions, such as redness, blotchiness and irritation, it might be useful to try products that treat while covering up. The new Clinique Redness Solutions series aims to do that, hiding redness and irritations with green tinted creams and lotions. "With this line you get a system of products that work together to not only provide skin the daily care that it needs but also comfort the sensitivities that come along with highly reactive skin," said Dr. Tom Mammone, director of Clinique research and development.

If the weather is in flux, as it has been in recent weeks, it is particularly important to pay attention to your skin's needs. Even when the weather warms up dramatically for a few days, "you're still walking into heated rooms," said Hartley-Triesch. "Knowing your skin and what it needs is the best advice I can give. ... In my own case, I have more than one moisturizer in my bathroom anyway."

When applying moisturizer to your face, make sure not to forget your neck and dry parts of your back, said stylist Maxine Siegel. Siegel trains cosmetics representatives for Ahava, a mineral skin-care line.

No matter where you apply it, "always, always go up with application," she added. "But you don't need to tug. Your skin is sensitive, and it has elasticity. You want to maintain that elasticity, so don't pull on it, especially around the eyes.

"You're going up against the pull of gravity," she added. "Because gravity does not need any help."

Neither do your lips need any help getting chapped, cracked and flaky in the winter. Instead of trying to cover that up, Siegel suggests a gentle method for creating a cleaner cosmetics "palette."

"Pick up a really, really soft baby toothbrush, and use that gently to exfoliate your lips," she said. "Just brush the dead skin off, and you will have a beautiful palette to put your beautiful lip colors on."

Lip balm also helps, but if you apply only lipstick or lip gloss during the day, Hartley-Triesch has a good overnight fix.

"I would say to every woman that before you go to sleep, apply some lip balm," she said. "Just doing that every single night will help you prevent chapped lips."

Keeping your lips moisturized will be key in coming months, since bright lip colors are one of this winter's beauty trends.

"This is the time to go for it, and be a little bit more dramatic," said Hartley-Triesch.

You also can go for bold, metallic eye shadows, dark cream eyeliners and some of those lash-lengthening mascaras new to the market.

"We're seeing a lot of neat innovation in mascaras," said Siegel. "There are some great mascaras coming out with new technology in the applicator that are lengthening and thickening and making your lashes look really bold."

But keep in mind, she added, that you should only make a statement in one part of your face.

"If you're going to go for a bold eye or a bold lip, keep your other features simple," said makeup artist Stern.

E-mail: shih@northjersey.com

5 makeup tips you can apply

* Use a good coverup. Increased redness, often caused by windburn and nose-blowing, can be camouflaged with a good coverup, said stylist Maxine Siegel. Try something green-tinted if you know you are prone to redness.

* Make your days bright. Go with a brighter cheek and lip color than you typically wear, said Nordstrom's Debbi Hartley-Triesch.

She likes the Bobbi Brown Pot Rouge for creating a rosy winter glow. To get a natural look, suggests CoverGirl makeup artist Molly Stern, use less foundation on the cheeks so that you already have your natural undertone shining through when you apply blush.

* Try something new. Since you've lost your summer glow, you need a new foundation anyway -- so try a new foundation, suggests Siegel. There are many choices in powder and liquid form. Mineral foundations, said to be healthier for skin than synthetic options, are a growing trend.

* Pump up lashes, then let them rest. Longer, more luscious lashes are in this season, due to the presence of new mascaras with volumizing technologies.

But don't forget to wash off the mascara at the end of the day, warned Siegel. Leaving it on all night, especially if it is one of these powerful new mascaras, can cause lash breakage. Waiting for them to grow back may take a long time.

* Go modern. Contrast is the name of the game in winter makeup, said Hartley-Triesch. Just think of the shock value of a bright red lipstick against pale winter skin. The way to achieve contrast is to mix textures on your face: Try metallic eye shadows with creamy liner and a moisturized, dewy face.

Don't Be an Idiot

2008-01-20T22:57:00.000-05:00

A new leaf: Vegetarian recipes

Tuesday, January 15, 2008

Vegetarian recipes from recently released cookbooks:

"Complete Idiot's Guide to Being Vegetarian," by Frankie Avalon Wolfe (Alpha, 2007)

If you have a family member who needs persuading to try the vegetarian -- or even vegan -- diet, give him or her this highly readable tome. It's the equivalent of a vegetarian starter kit, with information about eating a balanced diet, the benefits of eating veggie and 92 recipes organized by occasion to get you started. Whether you're catering to kids with the recipe below, impressing company with stuffed peppers or prepping the veggie burgers for a barbecue, this book has tips for the taking. Most of the recipes are simple to make and easily relatable to meat equivalents.

-- Evelyn Shih

* Non-chicken nuggets

1 1/2 cups unbleached white flour

4 tablespoons nutritional yeast flakes

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

4 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1/2 cup water

1 pound seitan, cut in nugget sizes (see note)

2 cups vegetable oil

In a deep bowl, mix together flour, nutritional yeast flakes, pepper, garlic powder, parsley flakes and onion powder.

In a separate bowl, whisk Dijon mustard with water. Add 1/3 cup flour mixture and stir until batter thickens. Mix seitan chunks into the batter. When seitan is fully coated, mix into flour mixture and stir to coat all sides.

In a deep skillet, heat vegetable oil over high heat. When oil is hot, add battered and floured seitan cubes, and fry until crispy golden-brown. Use a spicy mustard or sweet and sour sauce for dipping if desired.

Servings: 4.

Note: Instead of seitan, you can also use firm tofu. Cut the tofu into chunks and freeze hours earlier, then thaw before using in the recipe.

Sony Reader Review

2008-01-20T02:00:00.000-05:00

Sony Reader lets you carry a library

Monday, January 14, 2008

BY EVELYN SHIH

During the holidays, I had a new weapon for staving off the boredom that accompanies family gatherings, and it fit neatly in a tan leather case the size of a grade-school chapter book.

Actually, it was 18 books, from the classic "Wuthering Heights" to the recent novel by Mohsin Hamid, "The Reluctant Fundamentalist." It was a minilibrary, which normally would have filled both of the tote bags I used as my overnight baggage and been quite a bit heavier. But I didn't go for a bricks-in-a-bag option.

I went for the 9-ounce Sony Reader, an e-book device that fit so snugly in my purse I hardly knew it was there. In 2006, before "Kindle" meant anything outside of a fireplace, Sony had launched its first Reader for electronic books. Although modest by the standards of general electronics sales, it boosted the e-book industry.

Last year, the Amazon Kindle was the new contender, pounding its gloves together, readying for the prizefight. But Sony was out with a new model, and what a slim, pretty young thing! I let my eyes do the choosing.

I installed the software with no problems and purchased books through Sony's eBook Library application via a USB cable, very much like an iPod syncing to iTunes. Because I didn't purchase the optional AC adapter, the USB was also my method of charging the device's lithium battery. A full charge gives you approximately 7,500 "page turns," according to Sony.

The first thing I noticed as I cracked open "Wuthering Heights" was that I got constant comments from friends and family. "What's that?" they asked.

"It's an electronic book," I'd say with a slightly patronizing tone. It's not often that I obtain a new gadget so early in its life that I actually get to explain its raison d'être. "You put a lot of books in it, and then you can read them anywhere."

Then, inevitably, they'd ask to "see." I'd demonstrate the buttons: toggles at the bottom left and the middle of the right side for flipping pages; the all-powerful menu button that could lead you from the page you're reading back to the Reader's main navigation page; the useful bookmark button; and the magnification button, which can set the font at three sizes.

"Oh," they'd say. "Is that all?"

Unfortunately, yes. That is all. In this age of multi-tasking machines - and people - the Reader does one thing, even if it does it well: It lets you carry books you want to read in a small package. The internal memory can hold up to 160 volumes, a limit I have yet to test; e-books cost anywhere from $1.99 to $20 through the Sony eBook Store. Sony boasts that there are more than 20,000 selections available, but it doesn't carry magazines or other periodicals.

The Reader, I realized, is a bit of a one-trick pony.

True, you can listen to music, especially if you add memory cards to the two slots at the top of the machine. But the Reader isn't primarily an MP3 player, and the number of songs is limited by the size of your memory cards.

You also can load photos, but -they will show only in black and white. The E-Ink screen technology, used in both the Sony Reader and the Amazon Kindle - because it simulates the visual effect of ink on paper --serves up only a monochromatic display. This is why graphic novels and other visually-based books are rarely turned into e-books.

That said, I did spend hours with my Reader. Whether I was by the fireplace, filling time on the train or falling asleep to the lullaby of prose, I was turning page by six-inch page. I covered ground and saved my favorite pages, although I bemoaned the fact that I couldn't draw my usual doodles on the margins.

I was satisfied with the reading experience. But was I as satisfied with the $299 cost of the Reader? Maybe. I'll need a few more vacations to make good on the investment. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go fill that extra space on my bookshelf with color photos of my friends and family.

E-mail: shih@northjersey.com

Howie Jones--Staying "New"

2008-01-13T09:16:00.000-05:00

Howard Jones revels in the challenge of an acoustic tour

Friday, January 11, 2008

BY EVELYN SHIH

WHAT: Howard Jones with Robin Boult.
WHEN: 7 p.m. Saturday.
WHERE: Florence Gould Hall, 55 E. 59th St., Manhattan; 212-355-6160 or ticketmaster.com.
HOW MUCH: $29.50.
WHERE TO HEAR: howardjones.com.

Howard Jones wants to serenade you up close and personal. This year will be the third time the British pop phenom of the '80s comes stateside for a January-February acoustic tour, hitting a circuit of small venues across the country.

"It suits the acoustic show," Jones explained. "It's very intimate."

In his performances, Jones -- who made his first big hit in 1983 with "New Song"-- goes back to his roots as a pianist and singer-songwriter. It's a relatively new turn in the career of a man who began by playing the synthesizer and who still does dance music.

"I like the challenge of pulling it off," said Jones. Stripping down to just a piano, guitar and his voice is "scary. But the frightening aspect of it keeps me feeling alive, like 'I've got to get this done.' " This Saturday, he'll be thrill-seeking at Florence Gould Hall in Manhattan.

Fans have stayed with him through the years as his performance style has changed, Jones added. "I realize that people stand in line because they like my songs," he said. "It doesn't have to be presented the same way I did them in the '80s."

Keeping his music fresh has been a continuous project. He recently collaborated with Dutch trance DJ Ferry Corsten, released his second piano solo album and even rewritten his hit song "Things Can Only Get Better" in the language of the computer game Sims 2, Simlish.

"Oh, that," said Jones with a laugh. "The guy who runs the whole [music] department at Electronic Arts [Steve Schnur] is a friend of mine from all the way in the '80s. I wouldn't have done it for anyone else, I think." But he did have a second consideration: his son, Jasper, is a Sims fan. "Wouldn't it be great if my song were in his game?"

Jones has a habit of writing songs for his friends and loved ones, which turned into the first and second volumes of "Piano Solos (For Friends & Loved Ones)."

"It comes down to giving someone a great present for a birthday or a wedding," he said. "I'd done three or four of them, and people really liked them, so I kept writing them." Fans were surprised by the instrumental turn that he took, but Jones has been a strong musician since the early days; he was Rolling Stone magazine's keyboard player of the year in 1986.

Now that he's working on a third volume of musical gifts, though, it's become something of a duty. "It's started to get to the point where it's like, 'Wait a minute, I haven't gotten one of these in a while,' " he said.

Sometimes, you can't hurry inspiration. His piece for his daughter Mica's 16th birthday wasn't complete until she was almost 17, but "it was worth it," Jones said. "I think it's one of the best pieces I've written."

E-mail: shih@northjersey.com

Art Moving Through Time

2008-01-13T09:00:00.000-05:00

Park Ridge painter focuses on life's precious moments

Friday, January 11, 2008

BY EVELYN SHIH

WHAT: "As Time Goes By: An Exhibition of New Artwork by Susan Frank."
WHEN: Artist reception 2 to 6 p.m. Sunday. Viewing hours 1 to 6 p.m. Thursday and Sunday, 1 to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday, through Jan. 27.
WHERE: Piermont Fine Arts Gallery, 218 Ash St., Piermont, N.Y.; 845-398-1907 or piermontfinearts.com.
HOW MUCH: Free.

When Park Ridge artist Susan J. Frank lost her father three years ago, she wasn't sure how to process it at first.

Eventually, she figured it out: Her sadness had to do with the fact that she continued to experience time, while her father did not.

"I realized that what was missing was the next moment," she said. "From one moment to the next: That's the essence of being alive."

She decided to turn her epiphany into art, because "I like who I am when I'm painting," she said. The results are the pieces in her new exhibit, "As Time Goes By." In long horizontal paintings, Frank portrays a scene she experiences in several vertical segments of time. Each segment represents what the eye sees at a different moment.

"If you were going on a walk and you were to look around you, you would see things sequentially, with things popping in and out of your vision," she explained. "... To me, life has a tempo."

In the past, Frank has been known locally for her interpretations of tales out of Judaism. It was her way of working through her mother's sadness during her childhood.

"My mother is a Holocaust survivor, and that's been a big part of my life," Frank explained. "I grew up with a mother who outwardly was very full of life and satisfied and happy, but I as her daughter knew that there was a tremendous sadness. As a young child, I really couldn't understand it."

One breakthrough piece for her was "I Dream My Mother's Dreams," a self-portrait in which she explores her mother's dreamscape. After working on that painting, she was able to move on emotionally and artistically, said Frank.

Nowadays, Frank works three days a week at Morristown Memorial Hospital and spends the rest of her time in her studio painting. Even when she goes on a trip with her family, she constantly is working on her art.

"My husband and I have a deal," she said, laughing. "When we go away, we go to someplace that's visually captivating. I always bring my paints, and he supports me.

"Sometimes he'll even carry the easel," she said.

Faux is the Way to Go

2008-01-08T15:04:00.000-05:00

Vegan fashion that's popular and affordable
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
EVELYN SHIH

Ten years ago, Kim Berndt of Edgewater decided to donate a pair of leather shoes. The seemingly unremarkable act was actually part of a significant lifestyle change. About a year later, she wore no leather on any part of her body. Neither did she touch silk, wool or down.

[left, staff photo of Kim Berndt by photographer Carmine Galasso]

Berndt is a vegan, and that doesn’t just mean she doesn’t eat meat. It means that in every facet of her life, whether she’s using soap, applying makeup or lazing on her couch, she uses no animal products.

“Vegans are like vegetarians who walk the walk,” said Allison Holoday of West Milford, vegan outreach director for the New Jersey Animal Rights Alliance (NJARA). “Instead of just being an eating habit, it goes into your lifestyle.”

You may be skeptical: That lifestyle sounds like a lot of hemp and hippie clothes. But according to Berndt, that was so 10 years ago.

Back then, “in terms of fashion, you were kind of trading in your sense of style for your morals,” she said. She had to buy some clunky shoes online from the United Kingdom and some “retro” clothing at the beginning of her transition.

But now “there’s some really fashionable stuff out there.” Not only are vegan fashions booming in Internet retail, but a walk through the mall will yield a wardrobe young and hip enough to satisfy the style quotient for conscientious fashionistas.

So far, so good

Finding fashion hasn’t been a problem so far for Ramapo College junior Julie MacDonald, who has been living vegan for only six months. A recent post-holiday shopping spree yielded two pieces from Bebe, a faux-shearling winter coat and a bright satin trench.

She’s discovered other cruelty-free accouterments at familiar mall stores such as Esprit, The Limited, H&M, Mandee and Forever 21.

“I find that it’s rather easy when you’re on a budget,” she said.

Nevertheless, shopping now involves reading a lot of fine print, MacDonald added. “It’s like when you go food shopping and you’re constantly looking at labels for non-vegan ingredients,” she said.

Certain stores, especially those targeted to the budget-conscious shopper, can be counted on to have no real animal products. Payless Shoe Source, for example, is a reliable source of man-made material shoes. Target, too, is a place to find non-leather footwear. When it comes to economizing, mass market manufacturers and vegans agree: Faux is the way to go. Synthetic materials from leather substitute “vegetan” to down substitutes Gore-Tex and Micro-fil have flooded the market.

But that’s not to say that vegan clothing is low-quality. As with fur, “real” animal products such as leather, down, silk and wool have traditionally been understood as luxury items or signs of quality clothing. Vegan clothing today has evolved to its own standard of quality.

For long-lasting shoes, Berndt’s favorite store is MooShoes in downtown Manhattan. An all-vegan boutique, it carries brands such as the U.K.-based Vegetarian Shoes and European Novacas (“no cows” in Spanish).

“I have a pair of boots from Vegetarian Shoes,” said Berndt. “They’re dress boots, but they’re so strong I kicked the ice off my porch the other day, and it didn’t hurt them at all.”

Vegan designers such as Canadian handbag creators Matt & Nat make original pieces specifically for vegan consumers. Niche needs have fueled the creation of faux-leather bomber jackets.

Icon and vocal vegan

But if you’re looking to make a fashion statement, look no further than icon and vocal vegan Stella McCartney. McCartney’s lines make no use of animal products and bring legitimacy to the vegan lifestyle.

“People feel like there’s almost a stigma” attached to veganism, said MacDonald. “Like when I make food and I tell people it’s vegan, they say, ‘Oh, that must be gross’ or ‘That must be weird.’

“But Stella McCartney is very well respected, and she’s a vegan,” she said.

Drawn to McCartney’s reputation, Berndt sought out outerwear she designed for Adidas and purchased a warm, fashionable winter coat. She calls it one of her best purchases last year.

It’s a myth, she adds, that there are no warm vegan coats.

“I think that’s a huge misconception,” she said. “Every year, there’s more and more new technology coming out … there are faux-down coats that are even warmer than wearing real animal products.”

E-mail: shih@northjersey.com

Reasons to go Vegan!

2008-01-08T14:51:00.000-05:00

Reasons not to wear animal products
Tuesday, January 8, 2008

OK, so you understand why fur could be offensive. But down and wool? New Jersey Animal Rights Alliance spokeswoman Allison Holoday explains why you might want to rethink wearing animal products.

* Leather: Contrary to popular belief, leather is not a byproduct of the meat industry, says Holoday. Instead, it's a lucrative industry all on its own, one that pollutes the environment with toxic tanning chemicals.

* Wool: Most of the wool used in clothing comes from New Zealand, where sheep farming practices are often cruel. Despite a four-season climate in that country, New Zealand farmers shear their sheep twice a year, so that many of them freeze during the winter. Many also engage in "mulsing," in which part of a sheep's buttocks is sliced off to rid it of a fly infestation.

* Down: Poultry raised for down are commonly raised in battery cages, where there is no room to turn around or even stand. The down, which comes from the breast area of each bird, is harvested with no administration of anesthesia while the animal is still alive.

* Silk: Silkworm pupae are boiled alive inside their cocoons in order to harvest the silk unbroken. According to NJARA, it takes 1,500 pupae to make 100 grams of silk yarn.

Soup Weather Means Soup Recipes!

2008-01-07T15:55:00.000-05:00

NEW LEAF

Vegetarian recipes from recently released cookbooks:

"New England Soup Factory Cookbook," by Marjorie Druker and Clara Silverstein (Thomas Nelson, 2007)

You might be tempted to assume, from the title of this collection, that it will be stuffed to the gills with seafood bisques and chowders. But don't turn your nose up at it yet: The authors take great care to include a chunky vegetable-only selection. Marjorie Druker, the soup mistress, exercises her creativity with a whole range of soups, including those inspired by specific dishes. The recipe below was inspired by Greek spanakopita. There are also mouth-watering versions of eggplant Parmesan and vegetarian chili to keep you warm on cold winter nights. Time to spice up the soup pot!

— Evelyn Shih

* Spinach, feta cheese and toasted pine nut soup

3 tablespoons butter

4 whole cloves garlic, peeled

1 large Spanish onion, peeled and diced

3 ribs celery, diced

4 large Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks

6 cups vegetable stock

1 cup white wine

½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

2 pounds fresh spinach leaves

2 cups light cream

1 cup crumbled feta cheese (save ¼ cup for garnish)

¼ cup pine nuts toasted (save a few for garnish)

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

In a stockpot, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, onion and celery. Sauté for 5 minutes. Add the potatoes and sauté for an additional 5 minutes. Add the stock and wine. Bring to a boil.

Reduce heat to medium and simmer until the potatoes are tender, 30 to 35 minutes. Add the nutmeg and spinach. Stir until the spinach wilts into the soup. Remove from the heat.

Purée the soup in the pot using a hand blender, or in batches with a regular blender, until smooth. Stir in the cream, cheese, pine nuts, salt and pepper. Return the pot to the stove and simmer an additional 5 minutes. Garnish each serving with crumbled feta cheese and a few toasted pine nuts.

Servings: 10.

That's Mrs. Hamrah to You.

2008-01-07T13:20:00.000-05:00

Shopping: Hamrah's in Cresskill

Monday, January 7, 2008

BY EVELYN SHIH

Hamrah's in Cresskill is a family-owned business, but don't go in looking for Mr. Hamrah. And don't look for his sons, either.

[Left, a vintage photo of Hamrah's from 1967]

Instead, ask for Lilli or Joyce Hamrah, the co-owners who helped their mother, Mary, start the clothing boutique in 1957. Back then, for a woman -- and a widow, to boot -- to start a business was nothing less than "shocking," Lilli says.

"You can't imagine how women were second-class citizens," Joyce adds. The Hamrahs lost their original location on Union Avenue when their first landlord decided he "wasn't comfortable selling the property to a woman in charge." Even the mortgage that the Hamrahs needed to build their new store from scratch in 1967 was hard to get.

"We were told, 'You're quite a big risk because you're Mrs. Hamrah and three daughters of marriageable age, not 'Mr. Hamrah and Sons,' " Lilli says. Mary, now in her 80s, is still involved in the store, although eldest daughter Suzanne has already retired to Florida.

Luckily, the Hamrah women persevered. They grew from a 1,200-square-foot store bursting at the seams to a roomy standalone building on Piermont Road. From an all-purpose clothing store that tailored children's and women's clothing, the store has evolved into a high-end designer boutique carrying labels such as Lanvin, Elie Tahari and Vera Wang. In 2007, it was one of two stores in New Jersey to be named a "Style Leader" by Harper's Bazaar.

It takes a lot to make success look this easy. The Hamrahs do all their own buying, whether that means rubbing shoulders with the American design elite or traveling to Europe to make specific orders.

"Whatever we buy, we own," Lilli says. "So we're careful what we buy."

Unlike department stores that also carry designer items, Hamrah's doesn't have a locked relationship with national manufacturers. That means they can't send unsold items back to the manufacturer, but they have extra freedom to choose designs that they know will appeal to their specific customers in North Jersey.

On the high end, the store carries conversation pieces like the black Redux Charles Chang-Lima evening coat for $1,800 and the Lanvin tent dress for $1,795.

But it also has a great sales section. On a recent visit, a $399 Nanette Lepore black tailored jacket with blue stripes was a bargain at $59.99. Items from Donna Karan, Lanvin and Max Mara were also marked down.

Hamrah's also carries midrange items, including a gold knit dress from Elie Tahari for $348, a Lorena Gandolfini woven mohair bag for $399, the Etro line of casual cruise wear, accessories such as $110 jet earrings and a resin necklace for $145.

But the real reason to go to Hamrah's, the owners say, is for the personalized service. "We grew up giving service and doing merchandising," Lilli says. "When we have events, our customers always come to tell us stories about merchandise that they've bought from us over the years. ... The fact that they remember -- that's the biggest compliment."

E-mail: shih@northjersey.com