July 2021 Newsletter

Life In Mexico

Here’s how to download your COVID vaccine certificate from the official Mexico website!

We were able to get our second Pfizer doses in San Miguel de Allende. That allowed us to qualify for our official government documents.

First, we went to the following website.

https://cvcovid.salud.gob.mx/

We typed in our CURP (permanent residency) numbers and they automatically emailed us printable copies; we took the files to a print shop where they made us laminated, wallet-sized certificates.

A big thank-you to the medical technicians and government officials of Mexico for a splendid job!

Recipe

The Meal that Napoleon Ate Before Every Battle!

Who knew that Chicken Marengo would be the Emperor’s Lucky Charm?

When Napoleon and his troops defeated the Austrian army in Marengo, Italy, he sent his chef in search of ingredients for a dish worthy to celebrate the victory. He put together a treat so tasty that the superstitious Emperor insisted it be served before every battle. The recipe is easy to make, very delicious, and good luck to anyone who eats it!

Ingredients

1 chicken, cut into large pieces

1 Tsp of butter

1 Tsp of olive oil

½ cup of mushrooms, sliced

½ tsp of nutmeg

Salt and pepper

1 Tsp of flour

1 cup of red wine

1 cup of broth

1 cup of tomatoes, chopped

Parsley, chopped

1 lemon.

Directions

Sauté the chicken parts and mushrooms in butter and olive oil.

Add seasonings and flour. Stir in broth, wine, tomatoes and simmer covered for 30 minutes, until chicken is done.

Transfer to a serving dish, garnish with parsley, and squeeze lemon on top.

Enjoy!

The Paris hotel where a German Army general refused Hitler’s order to burn the city to the ground.

The Hotel Meurice, host to guests ranging from Elizabeth Taylor to Kanye West, was once the HQ for German High Command during the occupation of WWII.

Built in the early 19th Century, the Hotel Meurice has occupied a premiere spot across from the Louvre Museum for almost 200 years. In 1940, after the Germans occupied Paris, the German Army set up headquarters in the luxury hotel and ruled over the city for four years.

When the Allies burst through the outskirts in August, 1944, General von Choltitz and his staff retreated to the hotel, where Hitler demanded he destroy Notre Dame, the Eiffel Tower and Montmartre. Choltitz refused, and the city was saved!

MOVIE REVIEW: THE GRADUATE

How did the scene where Dustin Hoffman grabs Anne Bancroft’s breast stay in the film?

While running through a dress rehearsal for the scene where Mrs. Robinson (played by Anne Bancroft) seduces Ben (Dustin Hoffman) in a hotel room, director Mike Nichols motioned to Dustin to approach Anne from behind and caress her.

Deciding a little improv was in order, Dustin walked forward, reached over Anne’s shoulder, and cupped his hand over her breast like a naughty schoolboy!

Mike fell to the floor laughing. Dustin, fearing that he would lose it on camera, turned and began banging his head against the wall.

Anne, who was preoccupied with a stain on her blouse, turned her head toward Dustin with an expression of bewilderment – what the f**k are you doing?

The scene was so priceless that it stayed in the final cut!

That’s not all that is memorable about this movie, however. Filmed in 1967, the theme – alienation between generations – resonated with audiences throughout North America.

Benjamin’s family lives in a suburban LA McMansion decorated with morose clown portraits. Disillusioned by the shallowness of his prospects, he flails hopelessly for meaning in life.

In a turn on traditional power relations of promiscuous sex, the vulnerable young man is seduced by an experienced older woman. Fearful of following in the footsteps of his parents, Benjamin finds uneasy solace in her arms – until he meets Mrs. Robinson’s daughter, Elaine (Katherine Ross), and falls deeply in love.

This doesn’t, of course, go over well with Mrs. Robinson. To the mournful strains of Simon & Garfunkel, the wheels quickly fall off the entire charade, leaving Benjamin in the ditch. The movie ends in a wonderfully dysfunctional climax in which Elaine flees her wedding and escapes with Benjamin on a rusty old municipal bus.

Written by Buck Henry (Get Smart), and directed by Mike Nichols (who won an Oscar), this is a wonderfully scripted, directed and acted film that maniacally races through a kaleidoscope of genres, from romance and comedy to satire and melodrama, with barely a beat in between. It is entertaining, thought-provoking and, after over half a century, still stands the test of time.

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