“Travels to a Different Time” : 29June1975: Stockholm, Sweden: Salvation Army All Over the Place!

I must admit civilized and advanced Sweden may offer the best milk I have ever had and guaranteed hot showers but everything feels sterile and lifeless after Greece and Yugoslavia where people may be poor but many are so lively. And anything you want you can buy which is a bit of a shock from the shortages of everything in Eastern Europe. There is simply not too much to get frustrated with. It is so much like home even much of the topography. Is it boring?

Up at 10:00 and off to the store for breakfast and while I ate I talked with a Pakistani guy and with some Canadians that had just arrived from Oslo. They had a shower and we headed out to a cheap place to eat called the Cooking School but could not find it. We ended up at a place the Pakistani guy knew which was a buffet and we all stuffed ourselves. We headed to a square where the young folks congregate. There were huge crowds of Japanese young folk. We just watched the people drift by on a warm spring day. The Germans and I headed off to Carrols for a milkshake. Stockholm is Americanized. Lots of processed plastic food and chain restaurants. After this off to the PUB department store steps to people watch. The Salvation Army was performing nearby. What is it with the Salvation Army here. They are everywhere. Do people in Sweden need salvation? They had their first Swedish meeting in 1878.

RKS Film: “The Smell of Money”: A Big Battle Against Big Pork Megacorp!

Elsie Herring was a resident of Eastern North Carolina in the United States that fought tooth and nail against the big pork processors in Duplin County. Her grandfather as a former slave purchased tracts of land in the county for farming purposes. The Big Pork Megacorps mushroomed in Eastern North Carolina in the 1980’s and pig wastewater spraying began just across from her property or rather on her property which through deed manipulation Big Pork claimed as its own. Pigs generate many feces and much urine and generate a lot of flatulence. The feces and urine are channelled into lagoons. Much of it is sprayed onto fields creating a dangerous toxic spray. Some of it “leaks” out so Big Pork says. It is a cheap way for disposing of pig waste for Big Pork but it is a huge nuisance making life unpleasant for residents. It poisons residents, groundwater and waterways.

As Peter Finch yells in the movie “Network” and has citizens yell, “I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to take it anymore.” Well the 1990’s saw residents in Big Pork contaminated areas fight back and eventually win massive multi billion dollar settlements against Big Pork. This documentary is a story of their fight.

One Smithfield Big Pork plant processes over 10,000 hogs a day. Truckloads of pigs pour into Eastern North Carolina leaving a trail of pig fumes. Not only that chicken farms compound the problem. Why is it that fisherman in lands adjacent to Big Pork start passing out? Why are so many residents becoming ill incurring massive legal bills?

North Carolina politicians on the whole favoured Big Pork as the biggest industry in North Carolina. Their unwavering support and callous disregard for Big Pork opponents is disgraceful. Big Pork’s opposition and harassment of opponents has labeled them the affectionate term “Pork Mafia”. Why is it the film crew in Big Pork territory was shadowed by no less than 5 police cars?

It was community activists that launched numerous class action lawsuits that wounded Big Pork. Perhaps the call to action intensified with Hurricane Florence in 2018 that killed millions of animals, flooded hog processing plants and caused 50 pig waste ponds to overflow with disastrous results.

Elsie died but the activism continues and Big Pork continues its way. As one Big Pork executive said the smell of pig shit is the smell of money.

One activist admonishes the American public for eating meat 24/7. Big Pork is fuelled by consumer demand.

I would be interested in a sequel dealing what if anything has changed after Big Pork lost so many class action lawsuits.

The documentary is part of Toronto Hots Docs Festival and can be seen at Hot Docs theatres on April 30 and May 3. It will stream (geoblocked to Canada) for 5 days commencing May 1st.

Directed and written by Shawn Bannon.

RKS Film Rating 88/100.

RKS Wine: Does Lions’ Circle Shiraz Roar or Meow?

The Plantagenet Lion’s Circle 2018 from Western Australia might roar, meow or perhaps even purr. Western Australian wines can be lighter than a Barossa or McLaren Vale Shiraz. Let’s see!

As for aromatics there is an earthy characteristic that on a blind tasting I might mistake this for a South African Shiraz. Notes of black cherry and blackberry. On the palate just above the radar tannins. It is no weak kneed 99-pound weakling as it has palate presence but does it have character? The influence of blackberry, blueberry and black cherry is knobbly kneed. This Shiraz has run out of gas and fails to impress. I hear a meow! I am beginning to conclude that Australian wines are overpriced and better value is to be had with the wines of Portugal, Spain and Southern France and for Syrah in Canada I’d go with Stag’s Hollow in the Okanagan, British Columbia!

(Plantagenet Lions’ Circle Shiraz 2018, Great Southern, Western Australia, Plantagenet Wines, Barker, Western Australia. $18.95, Liquor Control Board of Ontario # 15977, 14%, 750 mL, RKS Wine Rating 85/100).

“Travels to a Different Time” : 28June1975: Stockholm, Sweden: Seeing the King of Sweden and the Arguing Gay Boys

Up at 9:30 in my slum which at least has hot water in their showers. On my way to the supermarket to buy some breakfast supplies approached by yet another drunk of which there are many in Stockholm. I bought some bread, cheap meat and a litre of milk. The price was so outrageous I can’t write it down. I ate breakfast sitting on the edge of my bed and then walked into the city encountering a huge mob of people. I waited with the mob and then saw why so many people were there. I saw the King of Sweden. I split and walked around. Lots of small winding streets very narrow and full of expensive shops and restaurants. I checked a few restaurants to query if they had work but only one did and it was a waiter’s job and since I do not speak Swedish forget that! On the way back to my tenement I stopped for a lunch of a Big Mac, milkshake and fries for $3.50. How expensive! I could have the same in Montreal for $1.50. Back at three I washed some clothes and lamented the difficulty of living out of a knapsack. Next door are a couple of gay guys from United States asking each other the most stupid questions. A nasty blow out ensued. They left shortly afterwards. I left at 19:30 and bought some milk, bread and meat. Milk is the cheapest thing to drink at 35 cents a litre. I went to play harmonica along with a guy with a guitar from New Zealand. Off to bed at 21:30.

RKS Film: “Road Trip”: Cat on a Hot Tin Roof

Panah Panahi has crafted a clever film in the Iranian film “Road Trip”. It is a wonderful film and does not hand feed you. It is delightfully vague and I believe perhaps intentionally so or has Iranian autocracy hardwired Panahi as a matter of survival to be discrete? If you know the repression of Iranian theocracy it is unwise to criticize anything that can be perceived as a political attack. Just ask the political prisoners that have disappeared, been murdered or have been tortured or all three. If you are familiar with Soviet literature during the Stalinist era and possibly in the era of his successor Putin you may know by way of innocent allegory a regime could be lampooned and criticized with a smile. To do so requires skill and as akin to a cat on a hot tin roof not getting paws scorched.  Panahi is the cat on a hot tin roof with this film.

To gain an idea of repression in Iran you can see my review of the documentary “Nasrin” https://setthebarlifestyle.wordpress.com/2020/12/01/nasrin-dirty-rotten-you-know-whats/?fbclid=IwAR1vorUlI_jUqqRI4r-xySbPHa2judXpbQQHxX4FV-2EFjUJnWFtqcvU5N8

Initially I thought this might be a comedy. Father Khorso (Hassan Madjooni), mother (Pantea Panahiha) little brother (Rayan Sarlak) and big brother Farid (Amin Simiar) with their ailing dog Jessy are off on a road trip in Iran. After watching little brother motor mouth in a most precocious fashion to start the film I thought this might be an Iranian Griswoldian trip to Wally World.

Matters start to get off the comedic track when mother in a fearful voice exclaims that they are being followed on the highway. Why the paranoia? Is it simply because this is Iran or is there more than meets the eyes? More comments are made by mom and dad about a summons not yet being served on Farid and having to sell a house and car for bond? Then mention is made that once out of Iran photographer Farid will be successful and we’ll all be reunited? Then father is on the phone with Houshang who appears to be waiting for them. Father says Houshang is a stand-up guy and is to be trusted.

The family heads up from the desert into lush green hills and stops to buy a sheepskin for camouflage. Up they head to a remote meeting point where father says to Farid he should not forget that Houshang is waiting for him “on the other side”. Bingo! Big brother Farid is being smuggled out of Iran into Turkey. Why we don’t find out. But at the hand off point there are other families waiting to hear if their loved one has been successfully smuggled out. Does Farid make it?

This film is no comedy but rather a study in quiet desperation of which little brother has no real clue. Any joy on the trip is fabricated to mask misery. We do not know why Farid is escaping. That is purposely kept vague lest any reason critical to the Iranian regime be apparent. Even any direct reference to human smuggling is never made but rather implied. There is some reason why Farid is escaping. Has he committed a crime? Is he evading military service? Has he criticized the regime? Panahi as writer and director is a cat on a hot tin roof. It is up to the viewer to draw their own conclusions. As in Stalinist and Putinist times censors can’t catch all especially when there is no clear-cut jab criticizing an oppressive regime. Farid could simply be a criminal or trying to escape military service. Right?

Madjooni as father and Panahiha as mother give convincing performances and little brother (Rayan Sarlak) plays both the precocious and obnoxious card beautifully and unforgettably. Beautiful cinematography by Amin Jafari is pulling you to visit Iran.

You can see the trailer here https://vimeo.com/690585703

Currently playing in Canada and when and where see https://www.filmswelike.com/

RKS Film Rating 91/100. The film started its run in Canada on April 22 and will play at several theatres there. You can check out where at https://www.filmswelike.com/

RKS Wine: Inexpensive French Wine: Pays d’Oc

Generally speaking Southern France, particularly Pays d’Oc, can be a good region for inexpensive wine with quality a bit of a hit and miss but isn’t that the case for just about all wine regions?

The Gayda Syrah 2020 retails for $14.95 in Ontario. The Liquor Control Board of Ontario’s description in its April 16, 2022 catalogue says this wine is an astonishing value making it a can’t miss option. Forget the marketing hype and investigate on your own.

As for aromas the wine has a presence. Expect blackberry, black cherry and some spice. On the palate expect blackberry to rule hanging in there like a nearly expired monarch. The palate is coated pleasantly with richness that might be better defined but the sourness I am registering with so many red wines is thankfully not lurking in this wine. Short finish. Not a complex wine but there are no flaws. It can be quaffed on its own but as there is summer on my mind try with a Swedish Lindstrom burger.

Recipe: Beef Lindström Burgers

RKS Wine Rating 88/100. If you are comfortable with a simple but well-made wine well then this is a “can’t miss option”.

(Gayda Syrah 2020, IGP Pays d’Oc, Domaine Gayda, Brugairolles, France, $14.95, Liquor Control Board of Ontario # 392977, 750 mL, 13.5%, RKS Wine Rating 88/100).

“Travels to a Different Time” : 27June1975: Finally in Stockholm: This Country is Too Expensive!

Up early for a barely edible breakfast and hit the highway after yet another gruelling walk. Got a lift quickly with a fat and jolly truck driver from Germany who was driving in Sweden making good money at $120 a day. Finally a series of lifts to get me into Stockholm and found a dive for the absurdly expensive price of $4.50. This country is so expensive I think a job might help build up the cash. In bed exhausted at 11:30. Too tired to eat. My smoking career has ended as I lost my tobacco on the road.

“Travels to a Different Time: 26June1975: Almhütt, Sweden: The Home of IKEA!

A wasp buzzed into my tent at 08:30 and that certainly is more effective than an alarm clock. I whipped out to a nearby store for some bread, sliced meat and milk. I ate, packed up and split. A gruelling walk took me to the highway heading to Stockholm. In a moment a lift from a vegetable salesman in a blue SAAB. He drove fast but well. He told me how bad hitching was in Sweden. Thanks for the encouraging news. He dropped me off at a good spot and then a lift with a beautiful Volvo sports car. It is the P-1800 which is what Simon Templar drives in” The Saint”. A short lift took me to Almhütt at about 16:00 and as it looked like bad rain so decided to take refuge in a youth hostel. I got the last bed in a room with 6 beds. I had a long walk into town and mailed two letters at 45 cents each! And the usual heart attack at the grocery store with hefty Swedish prices. Three times more expensive than in Poland. I bought a litre of milk to drink on the return to the youth hostel. A somewhat strange dinner of scrambled eggs, weird meat, canned mandarins, bread and water. Fresh fruit costs an arm and leg. Met two Swedish freaks and had a wide-ranging discussion including the plastic nature of Swedish society and its conservative politics. Pooped off to bed at 22:30. IKEA opened their first store here in the 1950’s.

RKS Real Life: Bizarre Night at the Opera

Sometimes by default I find myself at the opera as I did last night. It was La Traviata staged by the Canadian Opera Company at the Four Seasons Center in Toronto. It is a beautiful venue.

We meet my former doctor in the lobby prior to the performance. I knew that he occasionally acts as the “house doctor” for patrons who may fall ill. In thirty years of doing this he has seen just about everything. We wished him a quiet night.

La Traviata sputtered onto the first intermission. It picked up steam close to the second intermission. It was actually quite riveting after that. And the torrid and tragic finish came with Violetta dying in Alfredo’s arms both in a heart rendering swan song. With four minutes left we hear shouts “Medic” repeatedly. The audience and the performers can scarcely believe what is happening as the drama now is off the stage! The curtains drop. The lights go on. We depart having a senior dog awaiting us at home due for a walk. A bizarre night at the opera. It is often quite a senior crowd so I suppose one shouldn’t be surprised. But with 4 minutes left! How can the performers start all over again after having built up so much momentum!

“Travels to a Different Time” :25June1975: Ystad, Sweden: Burgers with The Boppers

Up at 07:30 for a hot shower. So good! I needed to ask someone how to use it. You set the temperature and press a button and water shoots out of the shower head for about 40 seconds and stops. You keep pressing the button until you are done. It gives you time to soap up and it must keep energy costs low. For breakfast a can of Polish mackerel I brought over from Poland, bread, apple cake and a litre of cold milk. Very satisfying. I walked into town to an optician to get my lens placed back in my glasses. I also stopped in at tourist information to ask about working in Sweden which can be done if you obtain a work permit. It was a beautiful sunny day pleasantly warm. How sweet it is as Jackie Gleason used to say. I came home and sat in my underwear in the sun until 16:00 and then went to the beach. The water was freezing cold and it is understandable why the Swedes head to Greece and Yugoslavia for the beautiful warm water. There are all sorts of cabins on the beach so this must be a tourist site in July and August. Supper was soup, peas, cucumber and bread. When I finished some bored boppers came over and we finished off my small bottle of rum with some coca cola. Liquor is a staggering price over in Sweden so again another reason to head to Greece and Yugoslavia. Had some burgers with the boppers and asleep by 22:00.