CHEESE, ANYONE?
Cary has the distinction of hosting the only pimento cheese festival in the United States. Last Saturday was the 6th Annual Pimento Cheese Festival in the downtown park. I don’t know where previous years were held, but this park was the perfect venue. With live music, food trucks ringing surrounding streets, activities for kids, and, most importantly, an array of tables and tents where one could sample and then purchase tubs of pimento cheese, it was a happening place.
I like pimento cheese and some of the best I’d ever had previously was Cheese Louise’s version from Artisan Cheese in Sarasota, FL. Last week, I sampled five or so of the ten available, making the rounds and enjoying the mini cup of cheese with a tiny spoon or a cracker. Many versions included jalapenos in some form, often pickled. After all my sampling, I ended up buying a small container of Wendy’s Wicked which was the first one I tasted. The day was lovely, the park was nicely crowded, and it was a fun outing!
TV VIEWING
HISTORIC FIGURES: A DIPLOMAT & A SEER
Franklin (Apple TV+)
Franklin is an 8-part series about Benjamin Franklin’s time in France struggling to convince the French to support America in its war against the British. It’s based on a book by Stacy Schiff about untrained Franklin’s role as a diplomat. (Scholar Schiff is also the author of a biography of Cleopatra which received much acclaim and which I found fascinating.)
Here, Michael Douglas plays a very convincing 70-year-old Franklin—clever, sly, and still a printer at heart. Temple, Franklin’s teenage grandson, accompanies him. Initially awkward and inept, Temple settles in and becomes a keen observer on Franklin’s behalf. But these two also have their tussles, reflecting their different generational outlooks and Temple’s lack of worldly experience.
There are many characters, and it is sometimes hard to quickly know which French official or nobleman it is, and which side of the conflict he is on. Nonetheless, with close attention, the series offers an inside look at the strategies and machinations required to bring the French on board. We have watched through Episode 4.
Einstein and the Bomb (Netflix)
This hour-plus docudrama, Einstein and the Bomb, lays out key points in Einstein’s personal life and his theory of relativity. It brings together the events that led him to exit Nazi Germany for England, then the U.S., and how the threat posed by Hitler coupled with his scientific knowledge impacted his thinking and his activism. Starting in Princeton in 1955, Einstein reflects on his life, the aftermath of WWII, and reveals his doubts and sorrow over the use of the atomic bomb.
The film alternates between theatrical scenes and archival film, but all the words attributed to Einstein are his. It’s a powerful piece of cinema. One small annoyance is the flashes of numbers that precede the black and white historical film clips.
This film made me wonder whether leaders in this country are fully cognizant of the damage that would be wrought by a second term for Trump. Are our seers being heard? Recommended!
ADVENTUROUS EATING #3
LAOTIAN CUISINE: SAAP
Thanks to our son and daughter-in-law’s generosity, we had an extra incentive to try this hot new restaurant located just behind the Cary Downtown Park. SAAP, which means “yummy” in Laotian, is the latest venue for Laos native and now longtime North Carolina resident, Lon Buonsanga. Previously executive chef at a Laotian restaurant in Raleigh, he now owns his own place.
Located in a high-ceilinged open space with a bar on one side, SAAP feels contemporary and bright. It has received much laudatory press, and even early on a Friday night, the place was already busy.
The Chief Penguin and I ordered from the small plates menu section and loved everything we ordered! Between us, we shared excellent crispy spring rolls, tasty chicken satay skewers, and a new dish for us, crispy coconut rice with bits of pork to wrap in large lettuce leaves. We will return to try the curries and steamed fish. SAAP is open for lunch and dinner.
