blackgirlwhiteboylove:

missavagardner:

Marilyn was a big supporter of the Civil Rights Movement. Ella Fitzgerald was one of Marilyn’s idols and a major inspiration. However, the Mocambo nightclub in West Hollywood, the most popular dance spot at the time, refused to let Ella perform there because she was black. Outraged, Marilyn told the owners that if they would let Ella perform, she would be there in the front row every time Ella was onstage. She did, and the two became friends.

According to the great Ella Fitzgerald:
“I owe Marilyn Monroe a real debt…it was because of her that I played the Mocambo, a very popular nightclub in the ’50s. She personally called the owner of the Mocambo, and told him she wanted me booked immediately, and if he would do it, she would take a front table every night. She told him - and it was true, due to Marilyn’s superstar status - that the press would go wild. The owner said yes, and Marilyn was there, front table, every night. The press went overboard. After that, I never had to play a small jazz club again. She was an unusual woman - a little ahead of her times. And she didn’t know it.”

Beautiful souls do beautiful things.

I wouldn’t call myself an expert in the world of food, but I would say that I’m pretty knowledgeable  for the average person. Although, start explaining to me what foie gras is and I might have to stop you. So when I tried to describe the Uni Green Tea Noodles (at Gaijin Noodle + Sake House) to a friend, I was surprised at my loss of words. It’s rich, it’s not really salty, but it isn’t any of the other three tastes either. It’s just really good.

When we eat food, we’re discovering and hopefully enjoying the tastes that we’re taking in. We all know the official tastes don’t we? Sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and….umami? If you’re like me, you’re wondering, “what the hell is umami?” Umami was discovered in 1908 by Japanese professor and chemist Kikunae Ikeda. Umami, derived from umai ”delicious” and mi ”taste”, is pretty much that taste that makes you say, “yum.” Imagine savory. Ikeda was eating a bowl of dashi when he became curious about the 5^th taste (FWI dashi can be compared to stocks and broth). Ikeda later discover that unami was coming from glutamic acid, common in fish, meats, cheese, and other aged and fermented products. So if you ever need a word to describe that mouth watering food that isn’t quite sweet, sour, bitter, or salty…holler at unami. 

This VHS was abused when I was younger I watched it so much.