Ask Sydney

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April 18-24, 2007

Dear Sydney, I had a falling out with my sister a couple of years ago. I think of her daily and worry about her, but I stop short of e-mailing her because she’ll demand an apology from me before resuming our relationship. I don’t feel I have anything to apologize for, but I’m sure she doesn’t think that’s the case. Even if, just to make her feel justified, I did swallow my pride and apologize, she would constantly bring up the incident that triggered our falling out and would use it to indicate proof of what she regards as my fallibility and “instability.” My life has been peaceful for the last several years without her constant haranguing and complaining, but my heart aches for her and what I know is her lonely, friendless state. I’m worried she’ll die alone and unloved, but at the same time, I don’t want the hassles having a relationship with her implies. Should you always try to reconcile with a sister just because she’s family? Sometimes I feel that just because we were born into the same family doesn’t mean I have to take her verbal abuse and that I have any responsibility for her.–Sad Sis

Dear Sis: Being related by blood doesn’t guarantee closeness or compatibility. However, the nature of your question indicates that you don’t have the sort of detachment that would justify a complete disconnection from your sister. Some feel no attachment to siblings whatsoever, in which case, why would you endure verbal abuse, stress and the misery of a dysfunctional relationship that does nothing but drag you down? But you say things like “my heart aches” and “I’m worried,” which indicates that your sister means more to you than you might want to admit.

Life is short. Why risk perpetuating this alienation over a little pride-swallowing? Don’t e-mail her. This mode of communication is too quick, and it’s too easy to blast comments back and forth without really giving them thought and consideration. Instead, send a letter with a thoughtful gift. Let her know that you care for her, that you’re sorry for this falling out, but that you want to start fresh, without the need for either one of you to grovel and beg forgiveness. Think of it this way: If she were to die next week, would you regret your estrangement? If the answer is no, then maybe you’re just feeling guilty out of a sense of duty, and it’s fine to let things be as they are. But if the answer is yes, consider reaching out, no matter how much of a hassle it might be.

Dear Sydney, I’m a doctor. When I began working, I failed to mention to my co-workers that neither of my children has vaccinations. What began as a small omission on my part has started to haunt me. Choosing not to vaccinate was a huge decision, made even harder by the atmosphere of being an MD, not to mention seeing every worst-case scenario possible in a hospital setting. Now that I’m becoming friends with some of my fellow doctors, it feels awkward to me that I haven’t told the truth. For one thing, I have to be privy to doctor conversations where parents who haven’t vaccinated their kids are being criticized, at which point I feel obligated to keep my mouth shut, even though I am one of those “irresponsible” parents. Is it my duty to admit to my decision in order to clear the air and then just take the flack like any other parent would have to? Or should I continue to pretend that our shots are all up to date, thereby keeping the peace and avoiding judgment?–Renegade Doc

Dear Renegade: Vaccinating your children is a personal decision, and the fact that you are a doctor does nothing to lighten the burden of this decision. You are a parent first, a doctor second. And as a parent, it’s often better to keep the vaccination decision to yourself. Why deal with other’s judgments on the matter? You’ve done your research, and it’s up to you and you alone to decide what’s best for your kids. I understand that it could be uncomfortable to listen to your doctor friends bash the anti-vaccine sector which you are secretly a part of, but because vaccines are such a personal issue, you are under no obligation to share this information. People who don’t vaccinate learn pretty quickly that this is not good cocktail party conversation. It’s better just to keep it to yourself. What your doctor friends don’t know won’t hurt them. Sleep easy. The health of your children is your only concern here, nothing more.

Dear Sydney, my mom writes a column. Unfortunately, we share a computer. This means, whenever she wants to write her column, I can’t play my computer game. I am very deeply depressed that she takes the computer away from me when I am most wanting to play, when she could work on her column later. Why does she always get first choice? Sydney, could you please answer this problem? Just because I’m 11 doesn’t mean that she should have all the rights to take the computer from me. It’s the family computer.–Mad at My Mom

Dear Mad: This dilemma sounds disturbingly familiar . . . Who gave you permission to go online? And who taught you how to Google? A parental oversight, obviously. However, I do understand your frustration. Having one computer for the family can be a pain. But by being conservative with your computer purchases and having only one in your household, you are doing good things for the future of the planet! While this may not mean much to you now, it will in about 15 years.

The reality is, parents have first dibs on just about everything except food and dessert. I know this may seem unfair to you now, but when you grow up, if you choose to have children, you will soon realize that you just can’t give them everything they want all of the time, because if you do, you will end up living in a tent on the side of the road because your kids have bankrupted and exhausted you with their demands. Your mother’s deadline takes precedence over your computer gaming (that means it’s more important). Now, if you have a report due for school, and it’s due the next day, and she has two days to finish her column, then you have a good reason to demand your turn over hers. But seeing as playing games does not pay the bills, it doesn’t count for much.

Of course, writing a column doesn’t pay the bills either, but still, it falls into the category of work, not play. The only way to resolve this situation is to stop spending all of your money as soon as you get it and start saving. Then you can buy your own computer. But remember, even if you do, your mom will still be able to tell you when to get off. That’s called parental rights. You don’t get free of those until you move out.

‘Ask Sydney’ is penned by a Sonoma County resident. There is no question too big, too small or too off-the-wall. Inquire at www.asksydney.com.

No question too big, too small or too off-the-wall.


Letters to the Editor

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April 18-24, 2007

What’s ‘Ouch’ in Italian?

I just finished reading in San Francisco (News of the Food, “Italian’s Take SF,” April 11.) The article, besides being insulting to Italians, showed a complete lack of knowledge of Italian wine and culture. The man must have been inebriated on high-alcohol Zinfandel or some 15.5 percent Cabernet before he “tasted” wine at the event. Though I was not present at the Italian Wines 2007 event, I cannot believe that he “tasted” only one offering that he found acceptable.

Is Mr. Bland a real person? What experience does he have “tasting” Italian wines, or any wine for that matter? Toward the end of his anti-Italian diatribe, he describes the one wine he liked as “like a Zinfandel of softened pepper notes over a foamy sweetness of blueberry pudding.” This gives the only telling glimpse as to Mr. Bland’s “tastes.” It seems he does have a fondness for high-alcohol, overripe, fruit bombs.

I am an Italian American who has been a professional chef in Sonoma County for over 22 years. Besides cooking for Sonoma County wineries for over 10 years, I cooked in Italy for two and a half years and was the chef and owner of Santi Restaurant in Geyserville for five years. Most of the Sonoma winemakers who dine at Santi order Italian wines. I guess that they feel that they can learn something from a country with a few hundred years of winemaking history. I submit that Mr. Bland still has a lot to learn about wine. Opening his mind will do wonders for his learning process.

Franco Dunn, Healdsburg

What’s ‘Ouch’ in Hip-Hop?

Gabe Meline’s article (Critic’s Choice, April 4) exemplifies the need for the media to sever the connection between rap music and hip-hop. The editor’s ignorance of the genre demonstrates the Bohemian‘s need for informed and competent researchers. In essence, the underground hip-hop community deserves an apology for the inaccurate classification of Zion I and Grouch as hyphy. Both artists promote social consciousness through intelligent and poetic lyrics. They have worked to bring intelligence to the corporate and media-corrupted genre disguised as “hip-hop.” Their music is the antithesis of hyphy, or what some would label the “Bay Area Minstrel Show.” In actuality, hyphy endangers a movement that artists like Zion 1, Grouch, the Roots, Nas, Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Aceyalone, Living Legends and others are fighting for their lives to protect and resuscitate.

Allison Frenzel, Santa Rosa

What’s ‘Ouch’ in Opera?

I disagree with David Templeton’s review of the opera Cavalleria Rusticana which was performed at the Cinnabar Theater (Critic’s Choice, “Hit and Miss,” March 14). He seems to consider the opera a waste of time and devoid of memorable music. How wrong can he be, or does he not know any better?! The chorus melodies have been dancing in my memory since I saw the performance. Also, I remember being at a double bill performance of Cavalleria and Pagliacci at the San Francisco Opera when Placido Domingo sang the title roles in both operas. The performances were outstanding.

How can anyone forget the beautiful intermezzo from Cavalleria? Of course, Mr. Templeton does not have to like all operas, but his criticisms should be valid.

Willard D. Bristol, Santa Rosa

What’s ‘Ouch’ in Social Commentary?

Peter Byrne’s views and mine generally coincide, but (The Byrne Report, “Marketing War,” April 11) jostled me some. He claims that we the people “have been psychologically conditioned to accept unpardonable acts of violence as moral imperatives.” He is implying, as I see it, that we are made of vastly impressionable emotional and intellectual plastic, and so are easily molded by a fiendishly clever media and governmental and war propaganda programs, which is why violence and war are endemic.

World history, however, suggests that the first resort of humans everywhere when confronted by social problems is the assertion of power (“I’ll teach you to talk back to me,” “Kill the infidel,” etc.). In other words, especially adroit propaganda isn’t needed. We bring a readiness to accept and employ violent acts along with us when we look at, listen to or read anything.

I wish Byrne was right, actually. Solving world violence problems by changing media programming would be so much easier than the long, daunting task of changing human nature. Contrary to the conventional wisdom, the latter is possible, but the first step in any successful modification strategy is identifying causation.

The “enemy” is still us.

Don McQueen, Constant Reader, Santa Rosa


Morsels

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April 18-24, 2007

To move past standard Earth Day fare, try the exotic “world street food” menu paired with local wines at the first-ever Green Valley Earth Day on Sunday, April 22. It’s a dual celebration, because effective April 23, Green Valley of the Russian River Valley becomes an official wine appellation, one of the smallest in Sonoma County. Eight Green Valley wineries–De Loach Vineyards, Dutton Estate, Dutton-Goldfield, Emeritus, Hartford Court, Iron Horse, Marimar Estate and Orogeny–are hosting this wing-ding in both high and green style. “It’s the Tiffany of Earth Day celebrations,” laughs spokeswoman Dawnelise Regnery. Rather than Tiffany blue, this event is done up in environmental green, with a detailed eye for treading softly on the earth.

The food by Iron Horse chef Christopher Greenwald will be homegrown or come from within a 25-mile radius. Power will be supplied by a portable solar energy unit. Choices for transportation to the event include walking up the oak tree- and vineyard-lined property, riding in a horse-drawn wagon or being a passenger on a biodiesel van. Utensils will be biodegradable. Everything used to prepare and stage the event will be either recycled or composted. The prize in a paperless raffle will be $4,000 worth of energy from PG&E.

Net proceeds benefit Laguna de Santa Rosa Foundation, National Geographic Society, Rainforest Action Network and the Leakey Foundation. Each will have informational booths at the event, and National Geographic is bringing in a team from Washington, D.C., including TV host Boyd Matson. Other honored guests include State Parks commissioner Caryl Hart, San Francisco Chronicle environmental writer Glen Martin and eco-entrepreneur John Scharffenberger, founder of Scharffen Berger Chocolates (samples served at the celebration). Eat, drink and be green, saving the world one glass at a time on Sunday, April 22, at Iron Horse Vineyards. 9786 Ross Station Road, Sebastopol. 1pm to 4pm. $50-$250. 707.887.1507. . . .

Putting the emphasis on those who make local vintages possible, Benziger Family Winery will donate 100 percent of its April 22 tasting room profits to Vineyard Workers Services, a nonprofit dedicated to improving the quality of life for local farmworkers. “Their reverence for nature and connection with the vines continue to inspire me,” Mike Benziger says of his vineyard team. 1883 London Ranch Road, Glen Ellen. 707.490.2739.

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Sweet Therapy

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Sweet Therapy

There is a kind of national stress, during war years or times of recession, and there are all kinds of personal stresses, large and small, which are powerfully lessened after just a few bites of a favorite candy.” So pronounces food historian Francine Segan, attempting to explain the recent rise in websites devoted to nostalgic candies from the ’40s, ’50s, ’60s and ’70s, and the sudden proliferation of old-fashioned candy stores like Northern California’s Powell’s Sweet Shoppe chain.

“When you are in your own kind of personal crisis,” Segan says, “and you want something to make you feel better, a single candy bar–if it’s the right candy bar–or a couple of bites of some Flicks or Mary Janes, while not solving our problems one bit, can make you a feel a tiny bit better. Sometimes, that’s enough to make a big difference in our lives.”

It’s no accident that Segan names Flicks as one of those blast-from-the-past flashpoints that can sometimes act as a kind of new-fangled candy therapy. Those conspicuously odd-shaped, foil-wrapped tubes crammed with waxy, chocolate-flavored plops of chewy brown gunk–dubbed Flicks because they first appeared at the candy counters of movie theaters in the ’60s and ’70s–are one of many candies that once cluttered the metaphorical candy counters of baby boomer childhoods, and have recently staged a nonhostile coup against our high-speed, cell-phone-battered, wartime attentions.

Along with Fizzies (those sugary tablets that turn a glass of water into soda pop) and those little multicolored dots glued in neat rows to wide strips of paper, Flicks represent a recent trend in the resurgence of old-fashioned candy, a trend that has as much to do with the current state of international uncertainty–and our need to find some quick, effective, low-cost comfort–as it has to do with our long-established national fondness for sugar.

“Sweets are cheap. They’re quick and easy, and they’re legal,” laughs Segan, a sought-after expert on the history of food and a big deal on TV these days, from The Early Show to the History Channel to the Food Network. A professor at Sarah Lawrence and a bestselling author and lecturer, her recent book, The Opera Lover’s Cookbook, has been nominated for a James Beard Award in the category of best book on entertaining.

“Sugar is a quick high,” she notes, “and that sugar rush is very appealing. We know that the senses–smell, touch, taste–bring us back very quickly to a happier time. Munching on a Mary Jane, or whatever the candy was from your childhood, is a quick and easy way to provide yourself with a sense of comfort. Not everybody can make that macaroni and cheese the way Mom made it, but a Mary Jane is always going to taste like a Mary Jane.”

That’s a major part of the whole candy trend: the stuff tastes exactly like you remember it, even if that isn’t necessarily a gourmet taste. Flicks, Idaho Spuds, Circus Peanuts–for all the warm-and-cozy wonder they impart–are actually gross. That’s a key part of the equation. In a world where people and institutions let you down, you can rely on the candies of your youth, including the disgusting ones.

According to Segan, there is a definite national trend toward more candy consumption in America, with chocolate in particular on the rise, and the resurgence of nostalgic candies is a part of the picture, with high-end, urban-centered chocolate cafes another slice of the MoonPie. From a historical perspective, sugar and candy consumption always goes up during times of war and national stress, Segan asserts; anyone remember Farrell’s ice cream parlors? That was the Vietnam-era version of today’s online retro candy sites and old-fashioned candy stores.

“More and more people are able to surf and Google,” Segan says, “and baby boomers are finding all sorts of fun things online. They’re going retro, looking for their roots, reestablishing their youth. From what I’ve seen,” she adds, “the consumption of candy, particularly nostalgic kinds, is a natural side effect of living in a world where everything is in a state of change and uncertainty.”

For evidence of this trend, look no further than downtown Petaluma. Within a five-block radius, there are at least four shops (or should we say “shoppes”?) at which nostalgic candy is proudly on display. Lombardi’s barbecue on the Putnam Plaza has racks and racks of candy where the chips and pickles used to be, and a few years ago, they established themselves as the go-to spot in Sonoma County for Harry Potter candies, from ice mice to chocolate frogs.

Across the street, at the eccentric Jungle Vibes emporium, owner Wayne Morganthaler keeps a number of high-end chocolates on display in a retro-looking glass candy case next to racks of flashback candies like Pop Rocks and Gummi Worms. Around the corner, on Western Street, inside the Winsome Lass Old Tyme Candy store, a one-time antique store that successfully jumped over to the retro-candy band wagon a couple of years ago, giant slabs of cardboard-thin taffy stand alongside jars of Mary Janes and peppermint sticks.

Two blocks south, in the new Theater Square complex, the newest in the growing Windsor-based Powell’s Sweet Shoppe chain opened to throngs of expectant candy-lovers lining up all the way down the courtyard on the store’s pre-Easter opening day. With Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory playing endlessly on a large, flat-screen TV and a display of vintage Candy Land board games hanging in evolutionary succession near the courtyard door, Powell’s does for candy what cathedrals do for God.

While Segan stands firm in her view that candies and sweets always grow in popularity during times of national stress, there is another explanation for the recent rise in weird candies from the distant past. Could it be that candy is and has always been too important to give up, no matter how hard-hit we become?

“People eat candy all the time,” assures Michael Powell, founder of the Windsor-based candy store chain, which currently boasts more than a dozen stores in three states, with many of them (Healdsburg, Petaluma, Novato) located in the North Bay. “In times of uncertainty,” he says, “people stop doing a lot of things they consider to be extravagances–but they never stop eating candy. What happens during those times of uncertainty is that people go back to their favorites, and for a lot of us in our forties, those favorites are the candies we remember eating as kids.”

The first Powell’s Sweet Shoppe opened in Windsor a mere three years ago, after Powell spent years of research into so-called recession-proof industries. As part of his studies, he discovered that while many consumable products and industries come and go, candy has pretty much always held steady. Even when the idea of candy and sugar is under attack from agencies decrying candy’s impact on childhood obesity and diabetes, or when nutritionists spread the gospel of low-carb diets, the candy industry just addresses the issue and comes out with sugar-free candies, low-carb candies–whatever it takes to keep on keeping on.

While Powell as yet makes no claim on the national rise in the number of people seeking out Mallo Cups, Chick-O-Sticks, GooGoo Clusters and Space Food Sticks, he is more than willing to take credit for some, if not all, of the recent candy craze in the Bay Area

“If there really has been a rise in candy awareness in the North Bay over the last three years,” he says, “if stores are suddenly stocking more candy–especially candies from the ’60s and ’70s–then I’d say that’s directly because of the impact of Powell’s Sweet Shoppes.”

Being that candy is, essentially, a food, Powell has been amused by a trend within the trend: that of folks buying candies merely to look at the old familiar packages.

“Honestly, I think a lot of people buy this nostalgic kind of candy without ever intending to actually eat it,” he says. “They come into the store and they say, ‘I’m just looking, I’m not really a candy person,’ and then $8 later, they’ve bought things I’m not convinced they intend to eat, things that brought back such good memories they couldn’t not buy it.”

Powell’s Sweet Shoppes are at 322 Center St., Healdsburg, 707.431.2784; 879 Grant Ave., Novato, 415.898.6160; 151 Petaluma Blvd. S., Petaluma, 707.765.9866; and 720 McClelland Drive, Windsor, 707.836.0808.



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First Bite

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“Wow, you think this is so good because we’re so hungry?” my friend asked. Four of us had just spent a sunny Sunday afternoon hiking from Green Gulch to the beach. We were ready for some hearty grub and suds in a place that had a warm atmosphere but wasn’t too elegant for grubby hikers.

We settled on Rafters Grille and Brewery in downtown San Rafael, an airy, woody brewpub with a relaxed vibe. Rafters is refined and quiet enough to have a conversation without raising your voice, but not stuffy. A jazz quintet, fronted by a woman who sounded a bit like Norah Jones, played in the corner (on other nights the pub features rock, soul or Latin music). On warm days, most of the front wall slides open, giving the dining area the feel of a streetside cafe.

Our server, who was friendly and didn’t make us feel out of place in our sweatshirts and shorts, quickly brought the first round. We quaffed a well-balanced and quenching amber ale that had traces of caramel. The beer was just right: rich with malt flavors but not heavy or overly carbonated. The first one went down so easily, I had to order a second to accompany my chicken pesto pizza ($11.95 for a 10-inch pie).

The pizza was generously layered with slices of chicken, sun-dried tomatoes, spinach and mozzarella. The pesto stood out, its bright basil flavor enhancing the other toppings. The crust was nicely toasted, not brittle, just chewy enough to sink my teeth into. As hungry as I was, it was too much to finish.

My friend had a guacamole burger ($12.95 with avocado, bacon and pepperjack cheese), which she described as “very juicy.” I had a few of her fries, which for me are a litmus test; they were served scaldingly hot (as they should be), nicely browned on the outside and fluffy on the inside.

As the evening wound down and we became sated, we returned to the question: Is Rafters’ food as good as it seemed, or were we just famished from hiking? The clear consensus is that Rafters is the full package with great beer and satisfying food. And here’s the rare part: it’s a Marin restaurant where you can have a big plate and a pint in a comfortable room for under $20. I’ll be back.

Rafters, 812 Fourth St., San Rafael. Open daily from 11am for lunch and dinner. 415.453.4200.



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Season Greetings

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Season Greetings

the arts | stage |

Short shakes: The Marin Shakespeare Fest kicks off with the Bard ‘(abridged)’ this July.

By David Templeton

For those of us who feel their pulses quicken whenever someone asks them to turn off their cell phones and consider becoming a subscriber, spring is one of the most exciting times of the year.

This is the time of year when we theater lovers can begin to dream of plays to come, to anticipate and make educated guesses about those rare dramas and old musicals and fresh comedies that will be launched before us next year. This is when many North Bay theater companies make their final decisions, take deep breaths and publicly release the lineup of shows for the upcoming season, in this case, the 2007-2008 season. The fact that most theater companies don’t begin their seasons until the fall does not curb the enthusiastic uproar we feel when theater folk begin to announce their future plans in April and May.

In the 2007-2008 season, Santa Rosa’s ever-evolving Sixth Street Playhouse will finally drop its dual identities as Actors Theatre and the Santa Rosa Players and just be the plain old Sixth Street Playhouse. The recently announced schedule of plays looks to be another somewhat safe balance of new and old musicals, original plays and fresh spins on old classics.

That said, Sixth Street has also announced something unexpected: a brand-new second venue, a smallish studio theater, to be constructed in the adjacent dance center. The studio will be devoted to the kind of small experimental shows that Actors Theatre (can we still say that name?) originally made its reputation with.

Next, executive director Beth Craven will chase the ghost of Tom Joad in John Steinbeck’s Grapes of Wrath, and in a co-production with the Sonoma County Repertory Theater, Ken Sonkin will direct Jason Robert Brown’s super-popular two-person musical The Last Five Years (which the Rep will also stage as part of its current season). The rest of the main-stage lineup includes Ashman and Menken’s Little Shop of Horrors, David Mamet’s seldom-seen, turn-of-the-century lesbian drama Boston Marriage, the classic Depression-era musical 42nd Street and the relatively new comedy Leading Ladies by Ken Ludwig (author of Lend Me Tenor, Moon Over Buffalo and Shakespeare in Hollywood).

In the intimate, new black-boxish studio theater, Sixth Street will offer a separate “studio series” of plays, including Becky Mode’s one-person comedy Fully Committed, Robert Reich’s political comedy Public Exposure and two other works yet to be announced, one of which is expected to be another David Mamet piece.

Now in the hands of new artistic director Jasson Minadakis, the Marin Theater Company has been tinkering with its 2007-2008 schedule, but at last report, Minadakis’ first season as the guy who chooses the plays will begin with John Kolvenbach’s offbeat romantic comedy Love Song. The year continues with John Strand’s cross-dressing swashbuckler Lovers and Executioners, the West Coast premiere of Kenneth Lin’s philosophical drama . . . ,” said Saïd, a mounting of Tennessee Williams’ Streetcar Named Desire and with two other plays yet to be decided.

“Yet to be Decided” describes some of the plucky Ross Valley Players upcoming schedule, which opens May 11 with Steve Martin’s adaptation of a German play, The Underpants. In another example of inter-theater talent sharing, Sixth Street’s Argo Thompson will commute to Ross to direct Fully Committed, opening July 13, before bringing the same show to his house.

Porchlight Theatre Company launches Enchanted April June 22 at the Marin Art & Garden Center and the Marin Shakespeare Festival blasts off this July with the always-popular Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged). (Note: this show opens on the same day as the Sonoma County Repertory Theatre’s outdoor production of The Bible: The Complete Word of God (abridged).) The rest of the festival is filled out (in so many ways) by simultaneous productions of Shakespeare’s Henry IV parts one and two, featuring Stephen Reynolds as the rotund con man Sir John Falstaff.

Talking of Shakespeare, the eccentric and innovative Shakespeare at Stinson Beach, is being forced from Stinson Beach after 14 years due to a disagreement with the town regarding portable toilets, or something. SAS director Jeffrey Trotter recently announced that the company will be moving to the outdoor amphitheatre in Novato’s refurbished Hamilton Air Force base; beginning mid-August, the only show to be announced so far, will be Twelfth Night, fitting enough given that Shakespeare’s funniest comedy is all about being displaced.

With no announcements as yet from Sonoma County’s only Equity company, the Pacific Alliance Stage Company holding forth at the Spreckels Performing Arts Center, likewise for the mighty Cinnabar Theatre in Petaluma (about to open its own version of Enchanted April), we jump back to the Sonoma County Rep, one of two North Bay companies that follows a January-to-December season instead of the traditional fall to summer approach. After this summer’s Shakespeare Festival in Ives Park (pairing the reduced Bible show with the enduring let’s-go-be-hippies-in-the-forest comedy As You Like It), the Rep will rip into a Northern California premiere, the new stage adaptation of Mitch Albom’s bestselling Tuesdays with Morrie.

The North Bay’s other January-August company is Napa’s Dreamweavers Theatre, getting ready to give us Edward Albee’s fantastical Seascape beginning in June, followed by yet another production of David Auburn’s overburdened Proof (Monte Rio’s Pegasus Theatre opens the same play this weekend). Rounding out the season is Ivan Menchell’s Cemetery Club and the little seen Answers by On Golden Pond‘s Ernest Thompson.



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News of the Food

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April 18-24, 2007

We’ve all seen the boring admonition a thousand times: “Instead of sour cream, substitute yogurt for a low-cal alternative.” But yogurt, that low-fat diet standby, that sugared-up supermarket slurry, is also vulnerable to the advancing forces of gourmet artisanship. Yogurt has another side. A richer, woollier side.

Bellwether Farms, Sonoma County’s family-run sheep-milk creamery, is poised to release a sheep-milk yogurt. That’s likely to pique interest, at the least because sheep are cute and woolly. And, as it turns out, there’s more than novelty to sheep dairy products.

For all the reasons that goat has long been touted as the alternative milk, sheep milk is even better. It’s higher in nutrients, protein and other solids. Although 50 percent higher in fat, the fat globules are smaller, almost “naturally homogenized,” as Bellwether’s co-owner and cheese maker Liam Callahan puts it. Sheep’s milk may be tolerated by some people who can’t digest other milk. And it’s mild tasting, an incentive to those for whom fine goat products are just too . . . goatee.

For this to be available in our own backyard is rare, indeed. There are a handful of sheep dairies in the United States, mainly in the east. Bellwether has no samples yet on hand, but a cup of New York’s Old Chatham Sheepherding Co. yogurt, found tucked away in a Whole Foods dairy case, proved to be rich indeed, with a distinct tanginess. It’s said to be something like a Greek-style yogurt. Bellwether will make plain and vanilla, as well as natural fruit flavors with strawberry, blueberry, and blackberry preserves sourced from Oregon.

Look for Bellwether Farms yogurt some time later this month or in May. Because of the vagaries of nature, the Callahan’s 200 ewes didn’t lamb for three months, thus had no milk, so they are now busy restocking their San Andreas and Pupate aged sheep cheeses. www.bellwethercheese.com.

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News Briefs

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April 18-24, 2007

Not so grateful

Firefighters stopped a blaze that destroyed a mobile home on American Canyon Road April 13, but neighbor Frederick Arritt, 64, wasn’t appreciative; he was arrested on felony assault charges for punching a fire captain. The blaze began inside the home of Mike Wilson, who was severely burned attempting to stop it with his bare hands. When Wilson ran screaming outside, someone called 911. Firefighters and police responded, finding Wilson’s home and car almost completely engulfed. Next-door neighbor Arritt was spraying the conflagration with a garden hose. “He started yelling obscenities at the officers and said he could put it out himself,” recalls American Canyon fire chief Keith Caldwell. Firefighters repeatedly asked Arritt to leave, but he refused. He became verbally abusive, then hit a fire captain on the side of the head. Wilson’s burns were treated at Queen of the Valley Medical Center, and Arritt was arrested and booked into Napa County Jail. “It’s just one of those unfortunate events,” Caldwell notes. “It’s only the second time we’ve had something like this happen in my 31 years as a firefighter.”

Jobs well-done

Seamus Ramsey and Chris Throp, who rescued a four-year-old boy from a burning vehicle in January, are among 11 people being honored April 25 at the Real Heroes Breakfast by the American Red Cross Sonoma and Mendocino Counties. Those being singled out as deserving thanks and praise include Sebastopol police officer Dennis Colthurst, who spent months getting help for a family of nine neglected children; Marjorie Davis, 85, who founded and runs Fawn Rescue; Salt Point State Park lifeguard Osh McNulty, 21, who made two lifesaving rescues in one day; and Army Pfc. Caesar Viglienzone, who died Feb. 1 in Baghdad.

Lost labyrinth

Marin County Open Space District rangers stirred up a controversy recently when they removed the small stones outlining a circular labyrinth at the top of Oak Manor fire road near Fairfax. So far, 448 people have signed an online protest petition calling the labyrinth path, reportedly constructed in 2004, “a landmark, public meeting place, sacred space and object of natural beauty.” Ron Paolini, deputy director for the open space district, says man-made structures are routinely removed from the district’s lands, which are kept as natural as possible. A complaint about the labyrinth prompted district rangers to visit the site, remove the rocks and plant native grass seeds covered by straw. “We basically manage the land for the resources. That’s our role,” Paolini explains. He says the district has not received the petition about the labyrinth. “I’m sure our management will look at anything that comes in.”


Wine Tasting

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Even with Battlestar Rancheria looming above, the town of Geyserville retains a rural Western character. Tractors chug down Highway 128, past the men’s haberdashery and hardware store. If the local deli sells artisan truffle oil, they must be keeping it under the counter. Here, in the historic Bank of Geyserville building, you’ll find the Meeker Vineyard tasting room. Given a flexible chronology, you could easily picture Black Bart hanging out here, casing stagecoaches. In fact, it looks like Meeker has only lately traded places with green-visored clerks. To buy your wine, step up to the original teller window. Behind that is their jumbled office, and the wine, of course, is in the vault.

You might expect Meeker to be more slicked-out, what with its big-time Hollywood origins (co-owner Charlie Meeker is a former movie executive). But that’s clearly not the case. Almost seems like the work of zonked-out, hoary ex-hippies. It formerly operated out of a tipi on what is now Bella Vineyards. The quirky labels feature images of, for instance, John Lennon as a walrus playing billiards with, um, zombie Elvis from the crypt? No, it’s hound-dog Elvis. But make no mistake from these quips and nudges, we love the Meeker vineyard.

Here’s why: the tasting was free, efficient and wry. We found the 2003 Mendocino County Syrah ($28) very agreeable, vanilla cola and a bite of fresh cherries. Not much like other California Cabs, the 2002 Mendocino County Cabernet Sauvignon is light, with a hint of sweet sherry. Drier, bigger, more Cab-like, the 2004 Winemaker’s Handprint Merlot ($36) has chewy fruit and a couple of goopy handprints. The 2002 Barberian is a dry super-Tuscan style built with Barbera and Zin. There’s an inoffensive Chardonnay ($11), and the silky 2004 FroZin dessert wine ($24), which leads one’s nose into the depths of a pungent, dark wine cellar.

The real treat was actually one of the starters, a wine so gorgeous it’s hard to believe it’s that cheap and easy (it’s topped with a screw cap). To echo the tasting sheet, the liquid energy of the 2003 “Rack ‘n’ Roll” Zinfandel ($14) swirls in the glass like revelers in a rock-concert crowd. On acid. Whether it’s phenolic acid or volatile phenols that wildly broadcast heady aromas of jammy fruit, I couldn’t tell you. Call a fermentation scientist. The point is, untamed by oxyphobic squares, these are the seductive vinous scents that flirt with misadventure while promising paradise, and give you that million-kilowatt smile. You can take that to the bank.

(The walrus wasn’t Paul) at the Meeker Vineyard, 21035 Geyserville Ave., Geyserville. Open 10:30am to 6:00pm, Monday-Saturday; noon to 5pm, Sunday. 707.431.2148.



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American Movie

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American Movie

April 18-24, 2007

I‘ve been sitting at the counter of Mr. Mom’s cafe in Petaluma for three hours. The crossword puzzle in front of me is a giant splotch of ballpoint ink in 19 layers. I’ve discovered 12 new ways to scratch my head, and my coffee cup has been refilled eight times. My mind is racing but my body must stay still. I figure I’ve got about an hour of inward motionlessness before I can get up and leave.

So goes the crash course I received in the world of independent filmmaking, having agreed to appear in Darwin Meiners’ feature film Fairfield, Idaho.

OK, OK, it’s not really a starring role. There are no awards for Best Guy in the Background with His Head Turned Away. But Meiners assures me that if I want to truly understand the experience of shooting a movie, there’s no other way but to jump right in. And sit.

The setting here is down-home. Country music plays on the stereo while a frizzy-haired waitress in a pink sequined T-shirt wipes down the counter. But surrounding a vinyl booth in the corner are Meiners and his crew clustered around film cameras, light filters and boom mics. Producer Jeremy Moore rushes around between takes, shooting Polaroids for continuity, while director of photography Jon Lohne and production manager Steve Aja try to rescue a fizzled microphone cord with gaffer’s tape.

It’s not exactly an expensive-looking set, until one of the actors pulls some props from a duffel bag: a gun, a bag full of white powder and an enormous wad of bills, all twenties. It must be $5,000, at least. Sensing my surprise, Meiners leans over and lets me in on one of the resourceful tricks for shooting a film on a threadbare budget.

“We needed a bunch of money,” he whispers, “so we Xeroxed it. If we get pulled over on the way home, we’re fucked.”

The modus operandi for making Fairfield, Idaho has been this exact sort of do-it-yourself approach. But with no budget or formal film training, Meiners and his tireless crew have produced a film of remarkable depth and impact. The film premieres April 21 in Santa Rosa.

Fairfield, Idaho opens with a slow pan across an empty field of tall, dry weeds. The camera closes in on a white house, and while the sun sets, a quiet moment is allowed to hang, suspiciously. What breaks this opening silence sets in motion the story of Dayton Miller–his distressed relationship with girlfriend, Maddie, his desire to be a hero and, overridingly, his belief that because of what happens in the white house, he is shackled with a family curse from which there is no escape. When we meet him, he is completely broke, behind on the rent and drowning in a sea of alcohol.

In a last-ditch attempt to salvage everything, Dayton–portrayed to boozy perfection by Paul Hoffmann–raids his estranged mother’s trailer. A wide-angle lens and an effective score provided by the Velvet Teen’s Judah Nagler give the heist an added Rififi-like tension. Dayton is looking for money, but when he ransacks the trailer, he makes off instead with a large bag of crystal meth.

The story that unfolds of Dayton’s quest for redemption achieves a maturity and subtlety rarely seen in no-budget independent film. Even when nothing very much at all is happening onscreen, the viewer feels the tense state of mind of the movie’s characters. Flourishes of focus and angle act as a cracked window into Dayton’s scrambled conflict, and montages abound for a sense of time and atmosphere.

In rounding up a serviceable cast, Meiners has found some unknown gems. As Maddie, Larissa Kasian is excellent, particularly in her pleading with Dayton to return the meth and come home. In these scenes, Hoffman’s natural detachment works perfectly. (“You just said that you loved me, and I just said that I knew I was wrong,” he tells her in the middle of a heated argument, hoping to settle the issue. Ah, the logic of the jilted male.)

Of course, those who live locally will find plenty to recognize, including Grizzly Studios owner Roger Tschann as Dayton’s drug-dealing friend Kyle. Tschann literally drops into the frame to counter Dayton’s festering psychosis with his wise-cracking composure. Two bumbling hit men come into play, and in a dingy hotel room the conflict builds to a nail-biting climax.

Fairfield, Idaho will undoubtedly be applauded at its premiere this weekend. But Meiners is hoping for a different kind of reaction.

“If someone could get in an argument about what the ending means,” he hopes, “that would be awesome.”

Darwin Meiners, 36, has dark brown hair and a lean, healthy gait. A jack-of-all-trades songwriter, promoter, husband, company vice-president, father, singer, guitarist and now filmmaker, he embodies the ideal of accomplishing anything simply by putting one’s mind to it. By turns insightful and sardonic, he talks with an almost impossible confidence, even when addressing his own limitations.

Prior to Fairfield, Idaho, Meiners had made exactly one feature film, an over-the-top secret-agent kung-fu zombie farce called Lance Sterling: Off the Case. He’ll be the first to admit it was intended solely to amuse. “Instead of trying to hide the fact that we had bad actors, bad lighting and a bad story,” he recalls, “we just made it even more apparent by embracing our weaknesses.” The movie looked as if it cost a few hundred dollars to make.

Though Meiners had made short films before, filming Lance Sterling gave him an itch for something more serious and dramatic. He immediately announced a new project, and had started writing a screenplay, recruited a dedicated crew and assembled a cast in less than six months. He still had no money.

“We’ve all seen multimillion dollar movies that are just horrible,” figures Meiners, sitting in a homemade studio in his Santa Rosa garage during a final cut of Fairfield, Idaho. “So it seems like if you get good people–actors, writers, crew and artists–then it’ll be way better than if you get a bunch of money.” Between Meiners and Moore, the project was entirely self-financed, with the exception of two “investors” worth $100 each (one of them was Meiners’ dad). “That’s how I know I’ll probably never be a ‘real’ filmmaker,” he insists. “I don’t like asking people for money.”

With nothing but raw talent, the crew began a weekly regimen of writing, shooting, rewriting, shooting, editing, shooting, mixing, editing and finalizing. The process accumulated its share of sticky situations–a motel owner required bribe money for the use of a dilapidated room replete with real black mold on the walls and an all-too-real discarded hypodermic needle on the floor; makeup artist Dustin Heald applied bloody contusions to an actor who had inadvertently passed out from whiskey. But the toughest obstacle, Meiners says, was realizing what he had gotten himself into.

“I was so unprepared to answer questions from professional actors,” he explains. “You have to find these ways to evoke emotions and portrayals from people without actually asking for it. I had no clue, no idea, and then I had to do it on the spot. And it was really hard. It was totally hard.”

The other down side to having just a four-man crew, Meiners says, is that his own creative flow was often disrupted during shooting to keep everyone on task–acting, he jokes, as “the class clown and the principal at the same time.” But he never felt like throwing in the towel on Fairfield, Idaho. “I just felt like this was a good story,” he insists, “and I wanted to see it through.”

Meiners hasn’t counted up the receipts yet, but he estimates that the 76-minute film cost about $5,000. Nightmares of dealing with Hollywood agents and attorneys are not on his radar; instead, he mentions the enthusiasm he’s received from the chamber of commerce in the actual city of Fairfield, Idaho. The film will hopefully screen at eventual festivals, but as of yet Meiners has no plans to even release it on DVD.

“I’d be happy to show it one time and never show it again, to be honest with you,” he says. “Some people play poker on the weekends, some people play golf. We make movies. It’s just what we like to do.”

‘Fairfield, Idaho’ premieres on Saturday, April 21, at the Roxy Stadium 14, 85 Santa Rosa Ave., Santa Rosa. 7:30pm; $10 advance tickets only, available at the Last Record Store in Santa Rosa and at www.fairfieldmovie.com.


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April 18-24, 2007 Not so grateful Firefighters stopped a blaze that destroyed a mobile home on American Canyon Road April 13, but neighbor Frederick Arritt, 64, wasn't appreciative; he was arrested on felony assault charges for punching a fire captain. The blaze began inside the home of Mike Wilson, who was severely burned attempting to stop it with his bare...
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April 18-24, 2007I've been sitting at the counter of Mr. Mom's cafe in Petaluma for three hours. The crossword puzzle in front of me is a giant splotch of ballpoint ink in 19 layers. I've discovered 12 new ways to scratch my head, and my coffee cup has been refilled eight times. My mind is racing but my body...
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