The Next Great Combo

The other morning at breakfast, I asked Boy1 what he wanted with his cereal. “Peanut butter,” he answered.

“You can’t put peanut butter on your cereal,” I replied.

“OK—watermelon.”

“Sure, watermelon,” I responded, starting to cut it up.

“With peanut butter on it,” he added.

“What?!”

“I want peanut butter on my watermelon,” he said, matter-of-factly.

“You can’t put peanut butter on watermelon,” I told him.

“Why not?” he asked.

Good question… why not? (He settled for an English muffin to go along with the watermelon, btw). What makes peanut butter not go with watermelon? The taste? Have you ever tried it? Me neither. So how could we judge beforehand? That got me thinking…

Remember those Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups commercials from the 80’s? Where someone would be eating peanut butter straight out of a jar in some public place (because, you know, people really do that), and someone else would be eating a chocolate bar, and some “random” accident occurred where the two would collide? Then the public peanut butter jar eater would say, “hey, you got chocolate on my peanut butter,” and the chocoholic would say, “hey, you got peanut butter on my chocolate!” Then at the same time, they would both taste the results and say, “YUUUUMMMMM! What a combo!”



OK, long explanation when I could have just said my conversation with B1 convinced me to look for the next great combo for taste bud euphoria, along the likes of well-known achievers eggs and bacon, peanut butter (a very team-oriented flavor) and jelly, milk and Oreos, etc. As Remy the Rat in Ratatouille says, “Each flavor is totally unique, but combine one flavor with another, and something new was created… there are possibilities unexplored!” It’ll be a work in progress with endless possibilities but I believe the next great combo will be found.

But first up? The obvious… Peanut butter and watermelon.

Sweet and creamy individually… even somewhat of a healthy combo together… (btw, my wife thinks I should be devoting my time to more productive things…).


Alrighty then, here we go.

Hmmm… you know, it’s actually not too bad. The sweet taste and wet crunch of the melon hit before the peanut butter did, which then took over as the stronger of the two. The aftertaste seemed a little fishy though—not fishy like suspect, but fishy as in coming from the sea. Weird, I know.

Though tolerable, it definitely wasn't the perfect combo. Peanut butter may be fruit-friendly (such as with apples or the fried PB and banana sandwich Elvis made famous), but I wouldn’t highly recommend this pairing. Just as a side note, if you ever want to try this yourself, steer clear of the crunchy peanut butter. Peanut pieces are fine to eat. Watermelon seeds… well that’s a different story. It'd be hard to tell the two apart.

Until next time…

FAITH ON FILM: Children of Men

Kicking off the so-called Faith on Film Festival is one of my favorites: the film adaptation of P.D. James’ Children of Men.

As a warning, though, this is not a movie for the easily offended. Still, Children of Men is quite a feat. You can go on and on about its cinematography, the action sequences, the seven-minute cut-free take of a frantic run through an urban battle zone, the recurrent symbolism of background minutia, and of course, the fine acting performances by Clive Owen, Michael Cain and Julianne Moore. But it's the message of sacrifice and the sanctity of life that's so incredibly illustrated. The dark, futuristic setting where no human has been born in twenty years for reasons undiscovered has the U.K. government initiating a holocaust of sorts with non-British segments of the population, elitists valuing preservation of the arts more than human lives, and no one caring a thing for their neighbor. Underground revolutions brew violently in guerilla-styled attacks against the imperialists while the rest of the fragile society clings to little more than apathy and whatever intoxication methods available, seemingly intent to fade away into mankind's extinction.

Yet in the end (spoiler alert), each segment—oppressed victim, soldier, rebel, bystander—is completely awestruck at the sound of a newborn's cry, the first in nearly two decades. Humbly, the warring crowds part sides as the mother carries the little miracle between them. Then, in the blink of an eye, anarchy ensues once again.

I also love Clive Owen's every-man who's lost his faith and reason for living, stuck in the doldrums of a meaningless, hopeless existence, until he discovers the one who can literally save humanity. Instantly, he finds his purpose, letting nothing stand in his way to shepherd them to safety. It consumes him, and a handfull of others, regardless of never even really knowing the mother--but that matters little with what is at stake. In the end, blood is shed to the ultimate degree, a sacrifice made on behalf of another so that new life is made possible.

Too bad not many saw this film—if you didn't, go rent it. Just be cautioned it’s not for everyone (my wife did not like it) because of the excessive violence, f-bombs and a grueling childbirth scene. But it’s amazing, not just as a piece of artwork, but also because of the messages of hope, life and sacrifice it contains. Definitely not a positive, happily-ever-after story—in fact, to say it was bleak would be a gross understatement. But so is saying it's a good flick. Based on its overall theme and message, Children of Men is, without a doubt, a glaring representation of faith on film, and gives a heavy dose of discussion fodder.