Leaving Maine

July 16, 2006

Our Visit to The Compass Project:
On our last day, we headed down to Portland to check out what was happening at the Compass Project. It was about 2oo degrees in the city - I was sporting a good-size reggae-love hangover and my booty was tired from 5 non-stop hours of groovin' to Inner Visions the day before. I wasn't sure that hanging out with a bunch of inner city kids in a hot, stuffy tent was going to be all that much fun. They so proved me wrong....

The Compass Project is a community based project that teaches kids to build boats. Of course, they end up building so much more than a row-boat in 3 or 4 days. Every kid there (and some adults too!) went home with a boatload of team building skills, self-confidence and a sense of real hands-on accomplishment.

I saw kids as young as four years old standing on up-ended milk crates so they could sand and caulk their vessels. I chatted up one team - a mom and her two sons , 9 & 11 - and learned that the boys had received tools from mom at Christmas and she thought this was a great way for them all to learn how to use them together. Sweet idea, no? I'll have this picture in my head forever now of two grown men building a beautiful house for their mother some day...

The group of young ladies below called their group "Gurl Power" and told me that they were thinking about painting their boat pink. I thought that was a cool idea and suggested their motto be: "Pink Don't Sink!"

Notice that I am the same height as the members of 'Gurl Power'. (i'm the one with the hangover in case yur having a hard time finding me) They thought that was rather amusing and ripped on me for it. These are some cool chicas. I was tempted to hang around for a few more days to see them 'put in', but sadly enough, 495 south was calling my name.

When traveling, attempt to seek out & support these kinds of projects. In less than an hour, I felt like I really learned something about the lives of these kids and that memory will stay with me for a long time to come. Pink rules.
"The kids build the boat... and the boat builds the kids."

To find out more about TCP visit www.compassproject.org

Reggae, Mon...

July 15, 2006

Lili and Isaac The Cute Lobsterman @ the Reggae Fest, Darmariscotta, Me.

Did you ever have one of those perfectly magical summer days?...ya know....the weather is superb, the music is dead-on rockin', the herb is delish, the view is breath-taking and the company is sublime? Well, this day definetly was one of those days.

After 9 long days of lugging our gear around, jockeying vans, loosing keys, finding keys, getting lost, getting lost and then getting lost some more - (do you have any idea how freakin' big Maine is?) - packing coolers, setting up locations, breaking down locations, bitching each other out - (ok...I mostly bitched people out while other people either bit their tongues or rolled their eyes) - sweating our asses off, stressing over equipment, lights, booms and script changes...not to mention - sharing ONE bathroom between 8 people; we absolutely needed this day. Lo and behold...the sanity of the Tasty Planet crew was restored. (Pretty much).

Originally, the Damariscotta River Association's 'Reggae Fest' was not on our "to shoot" list. We were supposed to shoot some blue grass band at some unknown campground somewhere near White's Beach. Turns out that the band we want to interview (two 18 year olds and a 19 year old-psssfffttt) start getting squirrely-butt about 'copyrights' and 'intellectual property' at the last minute. WHAT ever. I had my ratty old copy of DownEast Magazine that I had been using as a pseudo production guide - and in the listings was the announcement for the Great River Basin Concert Series at the Damariscotta River Association - a land preserve - So I called up the dude running the show - Mark - who put me in touch with the lead singer from Inner Visions -Grasshopper- (fyi-the moniker comes from his habit of jumping around on stage during performances) - and they invited us all to the show. Mark -bless his soul- comped the whole crew, as well as three of my buds - Isaac, the cute lobsterman, Isaac's sternman -(also very cute) - Alex and Alex's beautiful girlfriend, Louisa.

The crew led by the ever-industrious and capable director of Tasty Planet - Adrian Nieves, aka 'A-Dawg' - went on ahead and set up the whole shoot, interviewed the guys from the band, plugged into their soundboard and generally made themselves at home before I decided to grace them with my presence - ok... so, I got a little 'lost' (read: lost in ganja-land) - I told you Maine was a big-ass state.

Turns out...this is like the most awesome performance I've seen in a long time. The music was so bloody smooth that we danced for the entire two and a half hour set without stopping once until the sun sunk into the mouth of the Damariscotta River. Truly a perfect day.

Inner Visions is so aptly named. We all got a massive dose of big West Indian style lovin' from Grasshopper, Ras Paul, Jupiter, Mr. Snooze and Hollywood. The band hails from St. John in the U.S. Virgin Islands where I have had the good fortune to spend part of my unencumbered youth scraping barnacles from boat bottoms, smoking rope and drinking too much cheap Cruzan rum. The music transported me directly back to the street festivals- called 'jump ups' down island - where the music is loud, the dancing is serious and the love flows like water. We were treated to tasty new selections from Inner Visions' latest CD - "Frontline" - as well as inspirational musings from Grasshopper - who as far as we can tell, is a reluctant prophet.

We wouldn't have guessed as we crossed the border from New Hampshire into Maine 9 days earlier how righteous this day would turn out to be. In the words of Isaac - the experience was "totally sick". Many, many thanks to Inner Visions, Mark and the Damariscotta River Association for their love and hospitality. Keep on rockin' the free world.

If you're any kind of reggae fan, you simply must check out their website: www.innervisionsreggae.com

To find out more about the Damariscotta River Preserve - log on to www.draclt.org

Farmer's Market/Church Supper

July 14, 2006

Wake up: 7 a.m.
Crew call: 8 a.m.

Up at the crack of dawn to shoot a farmer's market in Brunswick. We get lost on the way there and come across signs for a few church suppers which, conveniently, are on our list of things to check out.



The Farmer's Market:

The Chrystal Spring Farm in Brunswick sponsors a farmer's market that has been active for over 4 years and includes over 50 growers and producers of cheese, baked goods, organic produce, cut flowers, herbs, perennials, meats and poultry, jams and jellies and of course, pickles.

In 2004, the Brunswick-Topsham Land Trust, which owns the farm, partnered with Seth Kroeck and his family to manage a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) program on the property. The first year was a tremendous success. Seventy-five families joined the CSA in its initial year and from June through October enjoyed a fabulous array of organic seasonal vegetables, flowers, and herbs—fabulous in taste, variety, and freshness! Eggs, milk, and locally produced meats were also available. The goal is to provide for 150 shares in the CSA in 2005 and additional shares as the farm operation continues to develop.

Crystal Spring Community Farm states its mission simply but eloquently: it "strives to grow the highest quality organic vegetables for the Brunswick-Topsham area. Using sustainable methods of agricultural production to preserve and enhance soil quality and protect environmental diversity, our goal is to ensure the long term viability of food production, recreation, and education at the farm." The farm's produce is offered both at the Saturday farmers' market (open May through October from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.) and through membership in the CSA.

The idea of a CSA is that consumers share both the risks and rewards of farm production. A specific number of shares are sold before the growing season, ensuring that the farmer has capital at the beginning of the year to buy seeds and equipment for a known market of people. If it is a good year, everyone benefits with bountiful, fresh produce. If it is not, the risk is shared. The first year of the Crystal Spring's CSA has demonstrated how committed Seth and his crew are to producing plentiful amounts of nutritious produce for the CSA shareholders. More than 160 varieties of vegetables were planted in 2004, and that number will increase as the farm expands.

We think this is one tasty idea. Spread the good word and SUPPORT these markets please! This is one of the best ways to stay the disease of urban sprawl - if we don't use these parcels of land they'll wind up as Wal-Marts or strip malls....or god forbid, greasy, nasty fast-food joints.

When you travel anywhere, to any country, the very best way to get the gist of the local vibe is to check out the markets and shops. There's nothing like getting back home and ripping into a package of spice that you ferreted out in an off-the-beaten-path market or bazaar, or sweetening your morning tea with a locally grown honey! (Lili has been known to smuggle and horde smoked fish from Ireland, sausage from Austria, cheese and butter from France, lettuce seeds from Belgium, olive oil from everywhere and assorted spices, powders and roots from any number of island nations into the U.S. -Please! Don't ask where she hides this stuff!...she is always the popular girl at Customs.) You can feel good about these purchases because you know it's responsible consumerism... and so much better than a stupid tee-shirt.

The entire Tasty Tribe got to prowl the market looking for goodies, listen to beautiful violin music played by two local women, eat fabulous food, drink freshly squeezed lemonade and flirt with really hot bread bakers. Barak, nice crust by-the-way -wink-wink!

Lili loaded up for a picnic lunch which we had later that day at the beach. We had a smashing goat cheese & vegetable tart, an Afghani eggplant dish that was to die for, 3 or 4 different types of local cheeses, freshly baked baguettes and boules, and, of course, there was plenty of Maine wine & Geary's Ale to wash it all down. Do we actually get paid to do this???

Coming Soon: The Skinny on Maine Cheese - Are These Ingenious Cheesemakers Going to Kick Some French Butt or What?

Blog on and see Lii's review of the cheese-producing farms in the mid-coast region.



After a small post-beach siesta at the Bath house (our rental pad) - We loaded gear and headed to Orr's Island in search of the "Church Supper" that we tore by earlier that day in our mad rush. These suppers have been traditional Maine fare for more than 200 years. It's simple community food, where, most likely, you will end up being served by and seated with the person that cooked it. We were a little freaked out when we walked into the "Helping Hands" chowder supper in the basement of this pretty small church on Orr's Island. We kind of ducked in under the door, stood upright and then realized we were in a room filled with a whole lot of old folks. When I say 'freaked out' I don't mean it in a Stephen King sort of way, it was just pretty clear that we were 'from away' and under eighty... so we kind of stuck out. Not to mention, we're kind of an eclectic looking group. (Eclectic being a nice way of saying 'weird').

- check out the pix & profiles of the whole Tasty Crew.

The walls of the room were draped with crayola drawings and macaroni/paper plate artworks - these folks definetly supported local artists. Literally. To me it was a display as lovely and gracious as 'The Gates'.

We managed to negotiate our way through the line and to our scattered seats with out making huge asses of ourselves. If you've never done it before, it goes like this:

• get in line
• pay for your supper (usually between 6-9 bucks)
• get in the supper line
• talk about the recipes for all the choices you'll have - (we had a choice of: New England Clam Chowder, Fish Chowder, Corn Chowder and Seafood Chowder - which differs from fish chowder because it contains both fish and shellfish.
  
• grab a seat and make some tasty new friends

That was pretty much it. Painless. Within minutes the usual reserve of these marvelous New Englanders was gone and replaced with first hand accounts of World War II, the adventures of retirement and, now and then, a well-thrown jab or joke to a party at another table. A lone eight year-old girl circled the room tonging the diners with dinner rolls and busing the used paper goods from the tables. An hour later we were tucking into the home made - and I mean home made - desserts that all the 'church ladies' brought to the supper and sharing more stories as the tables emptied and re-filled with new supper-goers. We knew this stuff was exactly what we should be shooting for Tasty Planet, but we just couldn't do it. We felt that asking to drag in our gear would have been somehow sacrilegious. There are some things that are inexplicable and need to be experienced first hand. This kind of tasty love is one of those. We left with our bellies full and our spirits lifted. Long live the church supper. Do yourself a favor, stop in next time you see a sign - jump in line and grab a seat. You'll be livin' the tasty life in no time.

Friday

July 13, 2006

Friday was technically a day off, but I think everyone ended up doing a bit of work. We posted no less than 3 blogs that day while sipping lattes and wandering town in search of wi-fi.



That afternoon, the girls went shopping. They hit the Maine boutiques, bought bling rings, and ended the stretch at a local coffee house.

That night, half of the crew went to the Monsweag Roadhouse and the moustache party. Jenny and her husband Chris run the roadhouse in addition to 5 Islands Lobster. As reported earlier, Jenny does indeed rock. It was Dark and Stormy night at the roadhouse. As in the drink. We also sampled the purple hooter.

A big shout out here to Andrew Moore and AJ the bouncer who gave good interview.

At around 11pm we made our way to the Moustache party in Augusta. A variety of hand-made moustaches were on display.

(good party Kelly!)

A1 Diner/Martini Mix-Off

July 12, 2006



We arrive at the A1 Diner close to noon, in the middle of the afternoon rush. Monique and Simon are having a minor face-off over camera angles. Lili's stressing about time and money and getting in the way of lunch hour. Lili interviewed co-owner Michael Giverson about A1. Michael's father owned A1 prior to him. Michael moved out to LA for awhile and worked in the restaurant industry but became disenchanted and moved back to Georgetown to run the restaurant. A1 is an old boxcar-style diner. Michael co-owns the diner and A1-To Go with Neil Andersen. Neil showed us around A1-To Go which is a cafe/specialty market.



A1-To Go is housed inside of former pharmacy. When the pharmacy was closing, Michael and Neil decided to move in with an alternative eating establishment rather than give up the property to competition. They now command a bustling small town street corner in Gardiner with good taste and style.

Lili also interviewed Chef Kenneth Harrison who prepared a seared Ahi Tuna salad.



Kenneth is partly responsible for an eclectic menu that mixes classic diner fare with haute cuisine.



Kelly McGuirl, a waitress at the A-1, filled us in on her world travels and invited us to a moustache party on Friday night.

Leesh thought A-1 was doing alright because they had a nice Lebanese salad.



That evening Lili was a judge at the Maine Martini Mix-Off at Dennett's Wharf in Castine. The winner was the Castini.

Jenny Rocks!

Lili and Crew,

Thank-you so much for coming down today and taking the time to get to know Five Islands Lobster Co. We had a great time with the crew and hopefully you all had a good time as well.

Since we never discussed it at length, I'm curious to know when and where the final cut will be aired. Sorry if I didn't catch all the details. I really hope to see you and your family down again and good luck with your upcoming ventures.

Thanks again,
Jenny and Chris Johnston
Five Islands Lobster Co.
Montsweag Roadhouse

Lobstering

July 11, 2006

Wake up call: 2:30 a.m.
Arrive in Bristol: 4:30 a.m.

Lili never thought she’d wear so much orange rubber in one week.



We split up the crew today to capture more footage. Some of us rode out with lobsterman Issac Molt at sunrise to pull 100 traps over 5 miles of ocean. Normally he pulls around 600.

Lili was attacked twice by lobsters but she valiantly fought back and prevailed.

Her finger got chomped by a hardshell wild lobster. Issac said the lobster had good taste.

(video coming soon! Keep your eyes open.)

Meanwhile, the rest of the crew headed out to capture some exciting B-roll. They stopped for lunch at the Sea Basket resturant. Everything there is made to order. Nothing is frozen. Even the onion rings are made fresh to order. They also have yummy vegan soup, which they make fresh with grilled veggies. Delish.

Cold River Vodka/Azure Cafe

July 10, 2006

Today we went to the Cold River Vodka Distillery in Freeport where they refine potatoes. Lili had the exciting opportunity to scrub the insides of the fermentation tanks. Meanwhile, the rest of us wandered around the facilities getting B-roll. Joe the distiller took us into places that are normally off limits to the public.



Lili had an interview with the owners, Bob and Chris, in the souvenir shop. It was brutal in there with the lights on. If you notice they look shiny, that’s why. Anyway, it was a nice shop and the people there were awesome.

After the distillery, we headed back down the street and stopped for lunch at the Azure Café. Owner Jonas Werner greeted us and made sure that we were well taken care of. Simon had his first lobster. He said it rocked his boat.



The Chef, Chris Meyer, prepared Damriscotta and Winter Point Oysters with a garlic, onion, scallion, and nasturtium mignonette and Chandra, our bartender, prepared apple, blueberry, and Cold River Vodka martinis. The whole experience was absolutely amazing.



Maine Distilleries LLC
437 Us Route 1
Freeport, ME 04032
(207) 865-4828
coldrivervodka.com

Azure Cafe
123 Main St
Freeport, ME 04032
(207) 865-1237
azurecafe.com

5 Islands

July 9, 2006

Lili’s sister, Victoria, and Guy’s kids, Victoria and Zack, joined us today. We drove 30 minutes out to Georgetown to meet with Heidi Klingelhofer, the owner of 5 Islands Farm. Heidi sells local cheeses, wines, and organic whole foods. She put out a spread of fine cheeses and crackers and we shot an interview outside surrounded by flowers. She tried to convince us she was camera shy but she was amazing. Be sure to watch our pilot episode to see her. Heidi was knowledgeable about cheese, wine, and the fresh organic produce she sells. If you ever have the chance to visit her shop, make sure you do. You’ll love it, I promise.



After that we drove down the road to 5 Islands Lobster and talked to the proprietor, Jenny Johnston. She was pretty awesome. Jenny gave us a tour of the lobsterhouse and we ate lobster and haddock on the pier. Jenny’s father-in-law talked to us about the lobster market. We had a great time; the weather was wonderful and the air smelled fishy. There were these three girls selling sand dollars. One of them said “Maine is Great!” Leesha thought it was so original. We also had the best coconut ice cream ever.

Bar Harbor

July 8: Drove 4 hours to Bar Harbor for seal watching with Captain John Nicolai



Drove 4 hours back to Bath. Stopped at Angler’s Restaurant in Newport , drank beer and ate lobsters. Watched Rescue Me in the back of the mini van on the way back.

Greetings from Maine!

July 7: Drove 6 hours to Bath Maine

- 1 van, 1 pick up truck
- 4 cameras,
- 3 tripods
- 2 soft boxes
- 1 light kit
- 1 pod

That morning we realized that the van was missing the attachments that would hold the pod in place. This would mean hours sitting together in the vehicles, practically on top of each other, piled high with equipment. Mike actually built an attachment out of wood to solve the problem.

We left late and arrived in Bath at 9pm. On the way up we picked up another crew member off Craigslist. Dave called and said he wanted to get involved. Up until this point we didn’t actually have an audio guy so this was a tremendous relief.

The house in Bath is an old colonial style, 2 floors, 3 bedrooms, 1 bathroom, 9 people. Cora, the renter, greeted us with open arms despite the fact that Cora’s 5 children were home at the same time for the first time in 3 years. Lili guessd she was from Dublin and Cora gave us a tour of the house, broke the door knob off the laundry room door and told a few jokes, then Monique cooked eggs and Lili’s brother Guy brought beer.

End: 2 am:
Crew call: 9am

It's a lotsa fun.

Ad for tastyplanet.tv (Coming Soon!)

A big shout out to all our peeps.

We want to give a shout out to all the locations we visited on Wednesday, June 21. Thanks for sharing the Big Love.

Carmine's Restaurant
16 Main St.
Durham, CT 06422
(860) 349-5411



Fat City Cycle
70 N. Main St.
Middletown, CT 06457
(860) 347-9880



Javapalooza
330 Main St.
Middletown, CT 06457
(860) 346-5282



Nikita's Bar & Bistro
484 Main St # 1
Middletown, CT 06457
(860) 344-9378



Pedal Power Cycle & Fitness
359 Main St.
Middletown, CT 06457
(860) 347-3776



Lino's Market
472 Main St.
Durham, CT 06422
(860) 349-1717



and

Vecchitto Italian Ice
323 Dekoven Dr
Middletown, CT 06457
(860) 346-7301

(Image coming soon)