There are still people out there (dads) who dismissively call Game of Thrones, one of the biggest commercial and critical hits in television history, the “dragon show.” But it’s obviously much more than that, just as another HBO series, Lovecraft Country, has higher ambitions than being known as the “monsters show.” The 1950s-set horror drama is about racial inequality, police brutality, and being Black in Jim Crow-era America.
And also “really f*cking cool” monsters.
“We have the ghost story. We have the adventure, the Indiana Jones story. We have the mystery story. We have the sci-fi story,” showrunner Misha Green told Entertainment Weekly about Lovecraft Country before praising the special effects team for the digital beasts they worked on. Originally, she wanted to put a dragon into the show, but that proved to be too expensive (no wonder Daenerys went from three dragons to one), so she and the team came up with a replacement monster that looks “really f*cking cool”:
“The idea that there’s not just one monster. I didn’t want to wait till the end of the season to see some big effects. I wanted to start in episode one and keep building from that.”
Episode one will also have an “extremely frightening” scene involving a small-sundown town Massachusetts police officer threatening to lynch three Black people if they don’t cross the county line in time. “The slow chase is probably the most tense thing I had experienced,” Da 5 Bloods breakout Jonathan Majors said. “You see a cop car, it could be a hearse. So that sequence was extremely frightening… You want the tension. But when it all came down, when it was all over, we had each other. And that’s a great theme in the [show]: that this family is so tight.” Lovecraft Country premieres on August 16.
While whiskey remains king in the spirts world, over the past few years enthusiasm for high-quality rum has increased substantially. There’s a pretty good reason for this and it should be obvious to whiskey fans. This sugarcane-based spirit — which is undergoing the same barrelling revolution as bourbon — is well suited for the whiskey drinker’s palate and complex enough that there’s a whole subculture for would-be geeks to dive into.
As with any booming industry, it’s not all gold. Though you have more high-quality rums readily available than ever before, you’ve also got a few duds to wade through, too. We’re talking about overrated bottles that get poured more than they deserve. This isn’t about putting brands on blast. Think of it as more of… an education, at the hands of bartenders. A reminder that you don’t have to always grab the bottle you immediately recognize.
Here’s what a handful of bartenders called out as their picks for the most overrated rums on the market.
Diplomatico Reserva
Nestor Marchand, director of food and beverage at Plunge Beach Resort in Lauderdale, Florida
Diplomatico Reserva. This rum is not very complex for a premium brand. It gets a lot of praise, but the flavors aren’t on par with the high price tag.
Captain Morgan Cannon Blast
Shawn Brown, general manager of Wine World in Miramar Beach, Florida
Captain Morgan Cannon Blast. Compared to others at this price point, it lacks complexity and depth of flavor. At 70 proof, it won’t go as far in mixing cocktails. It seems more like a gimmick than a serious bottle.
The Kraken
Reniel Garcia, bar director of Havana 1957 on Espanola Way in Miami
The Kraken — The quality has dropped lately, while the others around it have improved. I don’t know how much sugar is in this rum, but it is very, very sweet.
Pyrat
Seamus Gleason, bartender at Hotel Jackson in Jackson Hole, Wyoming
Pyrat. It’s way too sweet. Drinks more like a cheap cognac and that’s really not what we’re hoping for with an aged rum.
Popularly used for mojitos and other rum-based cocktails, Bacardi Spiced in my opinion has been overrated for many years. It’s very harsh, dry, and tasteless.
Captain Morgan Spiced Rum
Kurt Bellon, general manager and beverage director at Chao Baan in St. Louis
Captain Morgan is the brand called for when folks are looking for a generic rum and coke. Its marketing has positioned itself as the spiced rum, but I certainly don’t think it’s the best-spiced rum out there.
Bumbu
Tim Wiggins, co-owner and beverage director of Retreat Gastropub in St. Louis
Bumbu “rum” is one product that is incredibly misleading and overrated. It is marketed as “craft rum” when in reality it is a liqueur. It is a flavored liquid that is at best a bastardized version of rum. It’s truly unfortunate that it has become so popular.
Starts with a B and rhymes with “the party.” The rough aftertaste is rivaled only by Absolut. To be fair, their 8 year is actually very nice [We argee!].
Writer’s Picks:
Malibu
Sure, if it’s the first alcohol you ever drink, you might enjoy the cloyingly sweet flavor of Malibu mixed with cola or pineapple juice. But if you actually drink rum, this stuff will make it feel like your teeth are going to fall out. Sure, it’s technically a liqueur, but it still has a rum base and is called rum — both of which are insults to the dynamism of this spirt.
Myer’s Original Dark
Part of the appeal of Myer’s Original Dark is that its fairly cheap and it’s a blend of nine different rums of various ages. But for more refined palates, it’s a little too sweet because of the addition of extra molasses after distillation. Not a bad bottle to have in your collection, but certainly overrated.
Over the weekend, it was made clear that Juice WRLD’s new album, Legends Never Die, is a smash. The posthumous release debuted at No. 1 thanks to the biggest first week for an album this year. The album isn’t done making waves yet, though. Billboard, as it does on Mondays, revealed the top 10 of its Hot 100 chart, and of the ten tracks on the July 25-dated chart, five of them are by Juice.
As might be obvious, this isn’t something that happens all that often. In fact, Juice is just the third artist in the chart’s history to pull it off. Most recently, Drake scored seven tracks in the top ten (the all-time record) on the chart dated July 14, 2018. The only artist to do it before that is The Beatles, who did it twice, on April 4 and 11, 1964.
Four of Juice’s top-ten songs — “Come & Go,” “Wishing Well,” “Conversations,” and “Hate The Other Side” — make their debuts this week, which is good for another record. Four simultaneous top-ten debuts ties the all-time high mark: Lil Wayne did it on October 13, 2018, and Drake did it first, on July 14, 2018.
Elsewhere on the chart, DaBaby and Roddy Ricch’s “Rockstar” remains at No. 1 for the sixth week.
Being a black woman in America can be difficult and exhausting and it often takes an emotional toll. Las Vegas Aces star A’ja Willson knows this all too well and wanted to share her experiences in a powerful essay published in The Players’ Tribune titled “Dear Black Girls.”
Wilson starts off in reminiscence of a poem or lyrics to a song that will be a black girl anthem.
“This is for all the girls with an apostrophe in their name. This is for all the girls who are ‘too loud’ and ‘too emotional.’ This is for all the girls who are constantly asked, ‘Oh, what did you do with your hair? That’s new.’ This is for my Black girls.”
The 6’4 forward is from South Carolina shared details of her heartbreaking first experience with racism while in the fourth grade after being invited to a birthday party by one of her white friends. Wilson was told she had to stay outside at the party because her friend’s dad didn’t like black people.
While this left her deflated and alone, the Aces’ star player knew that is what many black people have experienced in some form or another in their lives. It was valuable to her to learn about that painful reality at such a young age. Wilson also believes that black girls [women] are often stereotyped or silenced when we want to be heard. Words like “Loud,” “Angry” and “Ghetto” are thrown out there, she says.
“We’re a double minority,” Wilson proclaims. “It’s like the world is constantly reminding us — You’re a girl and you’re a Black girl.”
Difficulties of being the only black person in specific settings are all too familiar. The burden of being the only one is astronomical at times and leaves us with a range of hurtful and angry emotions. To be a black woman and stand up and let our voices be heard is very important. We can be smart, talented, and qualified but still, it’s not enough.
It is our responsibility to let little black girls know they are enough regardless of what society thinks of them. It is our responsibility to continue to speak up for one another. Sometimes we have to be the voice of the voiceless and stand up for what we believe in. As alone as Wilson felt being the only one in a majority white elementary, it was comforting to her to see a familiar face daily that looked like her. It was the school lunch lady that brought her a little excitement daily, which she wanted to note to show that examples can come from anywhere.
“You don’t have to be a WNBA player or a politician or a celebrity to have an impact on someone else,” said the WNBA All-Star.
Like the majority of black women and other women of color, Wilson just wants to be heard — all the time. “I don’t want to have to be UNAPOLOGETIC for you to hear me.”
HBO has big plans for its streaming audience this August.
A handful of new series and feature films are slated to debut on HBO and HBO Max this month with highlights including the premiere of the genre-bending Lovecraft Country and the conclusion to the network’s latest prestige drama, I May Destroy You, over on HBO. On HBO Max, the newest player in the streaming game, Seth Rogen’s comedy film An American Pickle has plans to be the platform’s first original film, drawing on a beloved short story from New Yorker author Simon Rich.
Here’s everything coming to (and leaving) HBO and HBO Max this August.
Lovecraft Country, Series premiere streaming 8/16 (HBO)
Jonathan Majors and Jurnee Smollet-Bell star in this adaptation of Matt Ruff’s literary achievement. The 10-episode series follows Atticus Freeman (Majors) and Letitia (Bell) as they take a cross-country road trip from Chicago through 1950s Jim Crow America in search of Atticus’ missing father. Along the way, they battle racism and monstrous creatures that even H.P. Lovecraft would balk at. We’re not sure which is more terrifying.
An American Pickle, Film premiere streaming 8/6 (HBO Max)
Seth Rogen pulls double duty in this comedic undertaking which marks the first feature from the new streaming platform. In it, Rogen plays Herschel Greenbaum, a 1920s-era immigrant who falls into a vat at the pickle factory and wakes up 100 years later, perfectly preserved thanks to the brine. He goes in search of family and finds Ben Greenbaum (also played by Rogen), a tech guy who couldn’t be more different than the offspring that Herschel had hoped for.
I May Destroy You, Series finale streaming 8/24
Michaela Coel’s excellent drama series ends its run this month. The show has held nuanced conversations about sexual assault and its aftermath over its first season, blending tough conversations with appropriately dark humor and Coel’s signature voice. It’s one of the best shows of 2020 and we have high hopes for how she’ll end this story.
Yusuf Hawkins: Storm Over Brooklyn, Film premiere streaming 8/12 (HBO)
HBO’s latest documentary tells the story of Yusuf Hawkins, a black teenager who was murdered in 1989 by a group of young white men in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn. The tragedy, and the official response to it, revealed racial tensions that had been simmering between Black communities and the NYPD for decades, and though it happened over 20 years ago, it feels even more relevant to what’s happening right now.
Coming To HBO And HBO Max In August:
Avail. 8/1 10,000 BC, 2008 All the President’s Men, 1976 Altered States, 1980 Awkwafina is Nora from Queens, Season 1 Bad Influence, 1990 (HBO) Barefoot in the Park, 1967 Barkleys of Broadway, 1949 Batman, 1989 Batman & Robin, 1997 Batman Begins, 2005 Batman Forever, 1995 Batman Returns, 1992 The Bear, 1989 (HBO) Bee Season, 2005 (HBO) Before Sunrise, 1995 (HBO) Before Sunset, 2004 (HBO) Biloxi Blues, 1988 (HBO) Blade Runner: The Final Cut, 2007 Blue Crush, 2002 (HBO) The Candidate, 1972 Carefree, 1938 The Change-Up (Unrated Version), 2011 (HBO) Chariots of Fire, 1981 Contact, 1997 The Dark Knight, 2008 The Dishwasher, 2020 (HBO) Driving Miss Daisy, 1989 Elf, 2003 The First Grader, 2011 (HBO) The First Wives Club, 1996 Flipper, 1996 (HBO) Flying Down to Rio, 1933 Flying Leathernecks, 1951 Fool’s Gold, 2008 Fracture, 2007 The Fugitive, 1993 The Gay Divorcee, 1934 Get on Up, 2014 (HBO) Go Tell It on the Mountain, 2004 (HBO) Grace Unplugged, 2013 (HBO) Hard to Kill, 1990 Harley Quinn, Seasons 1 & 2 Highlander: The Final Dimension, 1995 (HBO) Highlander IV: Endgame, 2000 (HBO) The Hindenburg, 1975 (HBO) Hours, 2013 (HBO) House of Wax, 2005 House Party, 1990 House Party 2, 1991 House Party: Tonight’s the Night, 2013 How to Be a Player, 1997 (HBO) Idiocracy (Extended Version), 2006 (HBO) Interview with the Vampire, 1994 Jeremiah Johnson, 1972 Jim Thorpe: All-American, 1951 Jojo Rabbit, 2019 (HBO) Kung Fu Panda, 2008 Kung Fu Panda 2, 2011 Leprechaun, 1993 (HBO) Leprechaun 2, 1994 (HBO) Leprechaun 3, 1995 (HBO) Leprechaun 4: In Space, 1997 (HBO) Leprechaun: Origins, 2014 (HBO) The Long Kiss Goodnight, 1996 The Lost Boys: The Thirst, 2020 (HBO) The Lost Boys: The Tribe (Unrated Version), 2020 (HBO) Love Field, 1992 (HBO) Lovelace, 2013 (HBO) Lying And Stealing, 2019 (HBO) The Marine (Unrated Version), 2006 (HBO) Martha Marcy May Marlene, 2011 (HBO) Marvin’s Room, 1996 (HBO) Maverick, 1994 Monkeybone, 2001 (HBO) Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium, 2007 (HBO) Murder at 1600, 1997 The Mustang, 2019 (HBO) My Blue Heaven, 1990 My Sister’s Keeper, 2009 Nell, 1994 (HBO) New Year’s Eve, 2011 (HBO) Ocean’s Eleven, 2001 On Dangerous Ground, 1952 On Golden Pond, 1981 (HBO) Phantom, 2013 (HBO) Pi, 1998 (HBO) Raise the Titanic, 1980 (HBO) Roberta, 1935 Romeo Must Die, 2000 Savages (Unrated Version), 2012 (HBO) Say It Isn’t So, 2001 (HBO) Serendipity, 2001 Skyline, 2010 (HBO) South Central, 1992 Spy Game, 2001 (HBO) Steven Universe Movie, (2019) The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle, 1939 Striptease, 1996 Swing Time, 1936 They Live by Night, 1949 Things Never Said, 2020 (HBO) Three Days of the Condor, 1975 Time Bandits, 1981 (HBO) Top Hat, 1935 Two Minutes of Fame, 2020 (HBO) Walk the Line (Extended Version), 2005 (HBO) Wedding Crashers, 2005 Without Limits, 1998 Yes Man, 2008
Avail. 8/2 I’ll Be Gone In The Dark, Docu-Series Finale (HBO)
Avail. 8/3 HBO Asia’s Invisible Stories
Avail. 8/4 Mob Psycho, Season 1 Promised Neverland, Season 1 Puella Magi Madoka Magica The Swamp, Documentary Premiere (HBO)
Avail. 8/6 An American Pickle, Film Premiere Doom Patrol, Season 2 Finale Esme & Roy, Season 2B On The Trail: Inside the 2020 Primaries, Documentary Premiere (CNN)
Avail. 8/7 Habla Now, 2020 (HBO)
Avail. 8/8 Richard Jewell, 2019 (HBO)
Avail. 8/9 Perry Mason, Season Finale (HBO)
Avail. 8/11 Hard Knocks ’20: Los Angeles, Series Premiere (HBO)
Avail. 8/12 Yusuf Hawkins: Storm Over Brooklyn (HBO)
Avail. 8/13 Infinity Train, Season 3 Premiere
Avail. 8/14 Carmen Y Lola (AKA Carmen And Lola), 2020 (HBO)
Avail. 8/15 Birds Of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn), 2020 (HBO)
Avail. 8/16 Lovecraft Country, Series Premiere (HBO)
Avail. 8/18 Looney Tunes, Batch 3 Smurfs, Season 2
Avail. 8/20 The Fungies, Season 1A Singletown, Season 1
Avail. 8/21 No Quiero Ser Tu Hermano (AKA I Don’t Want to Be Your Brother), 2020 (HBO)
Avail. 8/22 Queen & Slim, 2019 (HBO)
Avail. 8/23 Mia’s Magic Playground
Avail. 8/24 I May Destroy You, Finale (HBO)
Avail. 8/27 Ravi Patel’s Pursuit of Happiness, Docuseries Premiere
Avail. 8/28 Seneca, 2019 (HBO) Steven Universe Future, Season Six
Avail. 8/29 The Way Back, 2020 (HBO)
Leaving HBO And HBO Max In August:
Leaving 8/25 Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1, 2010 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, 2011 Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, 2005 Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, 2009 Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, 2007 Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, 2004 Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, 2001
Leaving 8/28 Mr. & Mrs. Smith (Director’s Cut), 2005 (HBO)
Leaving 8/31 42nd Street, 1933 A Perfect World, 1993 Adam’s Rib, 1949 Along Came Polly, 2004 (HBO) Cabaret, 1972 Dumb & Dumber, 1994 Full Metal Jacket, 1987 Good Will Hunting, 1997 How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, 2003 (HBO) John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum, 2019 (HBO) Kill Bill: Volume 1, 2003 Kill Bill: Volume 2, 2004 Love Actually, 2003 (HBO) Magic Mike, 2012 Megamind, 2010 Misery, 1990 Monsters Vs. Aliens, 2009 Mystic River, 2003 National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, 1989 Pee-wee’s Big Adventure, 1985 Sesame Street Presents: Follow That Bird, 1985 The Adjustment Bureau, 2011 (HBO) The Spongebob Squarepants Movie, 2004 (HBO) Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride, 2005 Unforgiven, 1992 Veronica Mars, 2014 You’ve Got Mail, 1998
We ask for and expect very little from Taco Bell. For the most part, we simply want them to keep doing what they do well. And yet… they insist on regularly changing their menu. Usually by making additions. So it came as a bit of a shock when it was announced that the taco chain — and home to the super-secret Enchirito — would be making some substantial changes to their menu this August, exactly a year after their last big menu revamp and the changes would be all deletions.
“Beginning August 13, we will be simplifying our menu to streamline operations,” Taco Bell said in a statement. “This evolved menu approach comes after months of analyzing the new way we are running our restaurants. With safety top of mind, we want to ensure an easy and faster ordering experience for our guests and team members.”
The changes coming to the menu are actually pretty substantial and include many fan-favorites. On the chopping block are Taco Bell’s Grilled Steak Soft Taco, 7-Layer Burrito, Nachos Supreme, Beefy Fritos Burrito, Quesarito, Spicy Tostada, Spicy Potato Soft Taco, Cheesy Fiesta Potatoes, Triple Layer Nachos, Loaded Grillers, Chips & Dips (why?), and the breakfast menu’s Mini Skillet Bowl. A $1 Beef burrito and a $5 Grande Nacho Box will be the only additions.
Taco Bell promises that the “simplified menu and innovation process will leave room for new fan favorites” and indicates that the cut items may reappear on a limited-time basis. Of course, Taco Bell is still holding strong on not adding a plant-based taco to their menu, a terrible call on their part.
Here is one last goodbye to some of our favorites!
You’re probably aware that the Snyder Cut to Justice League is coming with a massive runtime (a topic that’s currently being recirculated in various reports and old tweets). It could be a four-hour director’s cut or maybe a six-chapter limited series, we really don’t know yet, officially, from HBO Max. However, Snyder has issued definitive word on how his version of the movie will dance around Joss Snyder’s theatrical cut, as well as how this might impact the future of the DCEU or retool what has happened already.
It’s a valid question, given that Snyder’s Man of Steel and Batman v. Superman helped plot out the DCEU as we know it, but in short, any modifications that take place with Snyder Cut shouldn’t really impact the DCEU at all. While speaking to Beyond The Trailer host Grace Randolph, Snyder reassured everyone that he’s not out to rewrite DCEU happenings that took place after his Justice League departure. Instead, he simply wants to finish the movie that he set out to make. Via The Playlist:
“Frankly, the DC cinematic universe has branched like a tree and blossomed and grown in amazing and great ways. But for me, where [‘Justice League’] falls, I believe that it really sort of represents its own path. It’s kind of separate now from the DC cinematic universe continuity. And I think that’s a good thing.”
It definitely sounds like Snyder’s filled with nothing but gratitude to be able to bring his Justice League vision to fans and has no intentions to disrupt the rest of the DCEU. All he wants to do is tie a bow on his chapter, given that he stepped down from finishing production when his daughter, Autumn, took her own life in 2017. Of course, Joss Whedon was hired to complete the movie, and Ray Fisher has made no secret of his distaste for what allegedly transpired on set following Snyder’s departure. As for Snyder’s perspective, he’s confining his talk to the project itself.
The Snyder Cut doesn’t have an official release date from HBO Max yet, but it’s all happening. You can watch Snyder’s full interview with Beyond The Trailer below.
Ty Dolla Sign’s animated lyric video for his new song “Ego Death” is an appropriately psychedelic trip, matching perfectly with the song’s blend of driving house, arena rap, and over-the-top drug references. Projecting the lyrics on a field of stars, the imagery sees animated avatars of each of its performers acting out the lyrics and morphing into cartoonish caricatures.
The animated versions of each entertainer capture their personalities as well; Ty looks sanguine and stoned, Kanye is hectic and hyper, and FKA Twigs even does the martial arts that inspired her recent stage performances. Director/animator Emonee LaRussa perfectly captures their essences for an experience that heighten the initial art and feels a lot like imitating Ty’s character in the video.
Unfortunately for fans of Ty, the video still gives no hints to the eventual release dates of any forthcoming projects. His last full-length, Beach House 3, landed in 2017, so he’s definitely due for another sometime soon. Meanwhile, Kanye teased a release date for his own upcoming project, Donda, but deleted the tweet and instead seems to have put his focus on his political-campaign-as-promotional-tour, which has received a less-than-enthusiastic response.
Watch Ty Dolla Sign’s “Ego Death” lyric video above.
Ty Dolla Sign is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
From the outside, Olympic athletes seem like high-precision machines built for the sole purpose of absolutely dominating the competition. But they’re not machines, they’re human beings. In the new HBO documentary The Weight of Gold, superstar athletes like Michael Phelps, Shaun White, Lolo Jones and others get candid about life after winning the gold in hopes that younger athletes will be prepared for the crushing lows that lie ahead.
In a sobering new trailer ahead of the documentary’s release at the end of July, The Weight of Gold reveals a rarely discussed aspect of life as an Olympic gold athlete. After getting the gold, many of these seemingly invincible competitors find themselves asking, “Is this all there is?” and often spiral into a long-lasting depression with sometimes tragic results. In an effort to warn aspiring athletes who are currently dedicating every moment of their lives to the pursuit of the gold, Phelps and others hope to establish a norm of eliminating the stigma around mental health as a “sign of weakness” and giving the next generation the mental health resources that they never had.
Here’s the official synopsis:
In a typical year, more than 3.6 billion people globally tune in to watch the Olympic Games. What most of these viewers don’t know is that just like one in five Americans, many of these Olympic athletes similarly face serious mental health challenges and struggle to find the necessary support and resources. The Weight of Gold seeks to inspire discussion about mental health issues, encourage people to seek help, and highlight the need for readily available support.
A moment of escapism isn’t the worst thing in the world right now. With the possibility of international travel in 2020 growing slimmer and slimmer, a good food and travel show might be our only chance to live out our collective wanderlust. We need a reminder that there’s a great big, messed up world left to explore. And it’s fun to salivate over all the food we might eat whenever our next explorations come.
The backdrop of COVID makes the arrival of the second season of Street Food a very welcome addition to the food show streaming world. This round of episodes centers on the vast-ranging cultures of South and Central America, and is titled Street Food: Latin America. The general concept is the same as the previous iteration of Street Food — Chef’s Table-style cinematography paired with a more accessible fare.
After truly enjoying the first series, I was excited to dive in, but my optimism was measured. Profiling food in a massive region that contains the descendants of European colonialists, modern-day East Asian migrants, and Indigenous communities is a tall order. It was refreshing to see the show wrestle with this in a frank, clear-eyed way. From the outset, it was clear that we wouldn’t just be focused on the cuisine of the conquerers and Indigenous people weren’t there simply to be toil in the kitchens of the rich. This is a show about the food of the streets — it has to be created for and by the common folk in order to succeed.
As with its first run, Street Food: Latin America shines brightly by not hiding from difficult truths. The series opens with Argentina. In the introductory narration (after the cold open), food journalist and author Silvina Reusmann plainly states: “We’re more similar to Europe than other Latin American Countries. There aren’t many Native people.” She then goes on to to explain how “that population” was “almost decimated” by the Spanish conquests, stopping short of assigning any blame to the post-colonial Argentines who finished that genocide in the late 1800s.
Though Ruesmann’s statements don’t extend to the continued implications of colonization, they do offer a clear step forward in the recognition of the forces that shaped Argentina’s dominant culture and set the stage for an honest look at Beunos Aires street food as, primarily, the food of European migrants (who make up the majority of the population). Italian-descended stuffed pizzas and Spanish empanadas bolster the episode, but the real thrust of the story is chef Pato Rodriguez’s stacked tortilla Espagnole. It’s a massive baked Spanish omelet of egg, fried potatoes, ham, and mountains of cheese. The sort of decadent dish that usually gets relegated to Instagram.
Netflix
As the Argentina episode reveals, the heart of Street Food remains intact in season two. This is really the story of the people — mostly women — who strive and work hard every single day to provide food for everyone. This ideal shines the brightest when highlighting Indigenous women like Emiliana Condori. Condori is a member of the Indigenous Cholita community of La Paz (a mix of women from various Indigenous nations of the Andes) who work primarily on the streets as vendors. Like all Indigenous peoples in the Americas, Condori and her fellow Cholitas have faced generations of genocide, discrimination, and poverty. Still, Condori carries on by selling papas rellenos — a deep-fried mashed potato ball stuffed with meat and eaten with spicy salsa.
The episode starring Condori is built out by focusing on other Cholita women working on the streets selling foods that have come to define them through their family histories and Indigenous cultures. Placing the final episode of the series in contrast to the season opener truly brings into focus the vast issues still facing the Americas when it comes to Indigenous and colonial communities and the gulf that still remains between them — even when those communities exist in close proximity to each other.
Netflix
While Street Food gives varied voices a chance to shine, it steers clear of ever being laborious or didactic. There’s plenty of food porn fun packed into the episodes. Plus they each clock in at around 30 minutes, making them a breeze to watch.
The Brazil and Colombia installments of the series focus on Afro-Caribbean food cultures and reveal how each dish is truly unique and of its time, while still being influenced by pre-Hispanic foodways. In the Bogota episode, chef Luz Dary Cogollo walks us through her Afro-Caribbean roots on Colombia’s Caribbean coastline and shares how she transports that foodway down to Bogota, which is landlocked. Her signature dish, ajiaco (a pre-Hispanic Taino soup), had become a staple of the Colombian street food and cafe scene long before she started cooking, but Cogollo’s own version of the dish feels like a synthesis of everything Street Food wants to represent. It’s the past and present in a bowl — traded across cultures and finding new life in the hands of a skilled chef.
The aesthetics and storytelling on display in Street Food: Latin America are nearly unparalleled — this is the Chef’s Table crew after all. Each story is truly engaging and educational while also making you salivate for all of the food itself, and wish that you could travel once again. It’s a tightrope to do all of that while respecting communities and cultures that produce the food without ever getting tedious. The fact that the series pulls it off without losing bingeability is its ultimate marker of success.
‘Street Food: Latin America‘ premieres its full season on July 21st, 2020 on Netflix.
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