I have a mad love for martial arts movies of all kinds. Last night I enjoyed watching the animated movie "Kung Fu Panda," starring the voice talents of Jack Black, Dustin Hoffman, Angelina Jolie, Lucy Liu, Jackie Chan, Seth Rogan, David Cross, Randall Duk Kim, Ian McShane, and the incomparable James Hong. I also love animation, and this movie did not disappoint: Great characters, strong story, lots of humor and a meaningful message. The animation itself was stunning, with a variety of animals (panda, tiger, mantis, snake, crane, monkey) performing human martial arts moves named after them with precision. Yay for anthropomorphism!
Foodies will want to make sure to check out the extras that come with the DVD. None other than Alton Brown makes an appearance, making a swift reference to Iron Chef America (which he hosts on the Food Network), and then introducing the talented Mr. Yip of Los Angeles, who demonstrates the amazing skill of creating dozens of Chinese noodles completely by hand. (In the story, Po the Panda's father is a noodle maker, and this appears to be Po's destiny as well).
I've seen this skill demonstrated before, and it still seems like a magic trick to me. Handling the dough like a combination pizza maker and taffy puller, Mr. Yip turns a large, pliable glob of dough into multiple strands of spaghetti type noodles. I wonder if I could find someone to teach me how to do that? Leave a comment if you know of any resources or teachers I could tap.
There's another extra for the foodies on King Fu Panda: In another segment, a young girl demonstrates the proper use of chopsticks, while Alton Brown again narrates points of skill and etiquette.
Of course there are the expected extras featuring the actors, computer artists etc.
I came away from this movie entertained, but also reminded of something important. As a food blogger, I sometimes wonder if I've got what it takes to distinguish myself among the literally thousands of food blogs out there in blogland. Really, does the world need another food blog? Watching Kung Fu Panda I realized that I am also struggling to achieve the "dragon scroll" of excellence. And like Po's father the noodle maker, I also have a Secret Ingredient that makes my blog like no other. If you have similar questions about your own creative pursuits, Kung Fu Panda cooks up an answer that is as nourishing as it is entertaining.
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