Paul Thomas Anderson's Inherent Vice takes place during a period of great, decidedly un-groovy change, set in a sun-dappled 1970 in which the dreamy hippie lifestyle is gradually being consumed by, and absorbed into, the formerly square mainstream, pulled by undercurrents of corporate greed and communal adaptation. It’s a process that’s neatly summed up by the toxic relationship of barefoot PI protagonist Doc Sportello (Joaquin Phoenix) and his authoritarian tormentor/establishment foil Christian F. “Bigfoot” Bjornsen (Josh Brolin). Here, in a fitting moment for a character defined by several instances of massive consumption, the flat-topped detective wolfs down two helpings of American pancakes prepared in Japanese eatery. “They're not as good as my mother's” Bigfoot notes, “but what I really go for here is the respect.” From a tinny radio in the background comes another signifier of this process, by which American culture absorbs foreign items, then pressures or transforms them to conform to its own narrow sense of the exotic: Kyu Sakamoto’s 1961 hit Sukiyaki, which underwent a similar progression in its American renaming. As reflected by its Japanese title (“I Look Up As I Walk”), it’s an aching song about lost love / the failures of the anti-US protest movement, and has nothing to do with the traditional hot pot dish; the title is merely a slapped-on word that sounded catchy and Japanese. Look down as you scroll for a weird promotional video for this otherwise fantastic song:
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Heroes for Sale (William Wellman, 1933)
The bill of fare at 'Dennis's Poor Man's Club', a wholesome boarding-house serving hearty meals to the down and out. Some additional decorative color below: |
The coded language of snacks, sandwiches and seasonings, in NYC and beyond.
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