One of my culinary pet peeves – alongside overcooked pasta and raspberry coulis – is unwieldy sushi rolls. For the most part, sushi chefs here get it right, fashioning beautiful maki creations that are not only delicious to eat but easily manipulated given the most basic of chopstick prowess. And then, there are the pretenders, fashioners of those annoying oversized rolls that make up for in height by shortchanging you in width, almost paper-thin and nearly impossible to snag and transfer without completely losing their integrity and coming apart on the serving tray, your plate, and the surrounding table. Such was my experience last night at Ajisai, a tiny little Japanese restaurant right across from the clinic where Fondy and I had spent most of the early evening enroute to her eventual bronchitis diagnosis. Some very interesting-sounding rolls all around (top marks go to the mercifully tiny and tasty mackerel and shiso leaf maki) but for the most part is was almost impossible to pass judgment on the various creations with half the ingredients littering the table. And then, assuming I’d have better luck with the hirame nigiri, I popped the piece into my mouth and almost choked on the generous portion of wasabi concealed beneath the fish. Now I enjoy spicy foods but this was a near-lethal dose that had my eyes watering through the rest of the meal. By the time Fondy was finished her meal, I couldn’t get out of there fast enough. As it turned out, a little too fast as I had to backtrack and retrieve the rough forty pages of my script I’d left behind. Some Japanese waitress/Stargate fan almost scored a truly memorable tip.
I’ll shift things over to the mailbag in an effort to play catch-up, but just wanted to add a few pics. Those of you asking about my cat – I had one in Montreal that my sister adopted when we moved to Vancouver. Here are a couple of shots of the adorable (?!) Baby, and a shot of Andria with her own dogs Roxy (on the left) and Aspen (on the right).
Moving on to the Q&A –
Sarah writes: “Are we going to see any of the main cast out of their uniforms in season 4?”
Answer: Yup. Even Teyla and Ronon will don some atypical civvies in Miller’s Crossing.
Anonymous #1 writes: “Is this script the one for the first part of the mid-season two-parter? Have you named it yet? Are you going to write the second part of the mid-season two-parter? Or, is Carl Binder writing the second part?”
Answers: Yes. Yes. No. No.
Anonymous #2 writes: “Does NOAS stand for Notes On A Scandal?”
Answer: Nope.
Anonymous #3 writes: “Okay, this is where we’re getting mixed messages. Cooper says in an interview that she had to go and there’s nothing he can say to make her fans feel better, and now you’re saying there is hope…”
Answer: I’m not sure what you’re getting at. I’ve confirmed four episodes with a possibility for more. We never planned on having the character disappear for good.
Longwindother writes: “As a matter of curiosity, have you ever met J. Michael Straczynski(jms)?”
Answer: Yup. I met him briefly while he was up here shooting Jeremiah, and would occasionally run into him at the local comic shop and on Tuesdays at Virgin Records when new dvds were released. Don’t really know him but he seemed like a very nice guy.
Kalia writes: “So I wonder why tpb come to their decisions only to backtrack as soon as a few fans start complaining.”
Answer: A number of different elements came into play in Carson’s return. It wasn’t a simple matter of suddenly deciding to bring him back overnight. The possibility of his returning was set into motion as early as the back half of season three.
Tanis writes: “ Did you ever eat catalan food?”
Answer: No. I don’t think I’m even familiar with it. Do tell.
Anonymous #4 writes: “The new season began shooting in March, correct? So…..by this time, how many episodes for season 4 are “ready for air”?”
Answer: By this time? 0
The Suicidal Goldfish writes: “Hand on heart, do you anticipate a 5th season (or more!)?”
Answer: I’m the wrong guy to ask. Same time last year, I thought an eleventh season of SG-1 was a slam dunk.
Anonymous #5 writes: “What are the chances that we can see Dr. Katie Brown in season 4?”
Answer: Chances are excellent.
Anonymous #6 writes: “Honestly joe, which of the two shows draws the biggest crowd present days ( since the conception of Sga): SGA or SG1.”
Answer: Honestly? After we crunched all the first half numbers, we discovered that both shows averaged an exact same 1.68 rating.
Jessica writes: “Watching “The Return Part II” sparked a question about the Gate Bridge – what happened to it? Did Landry really blow it up or is it still there?”
Answer: More on the gate bridge in season four. Big happenings, big happenings.
Susan writes: “How long can David Hewlett keep his eyes wide open like that without them drying out?”
Answer: His record is 27 minutes and 12 seconds.
Foolishpleasure: “How many of those catchy quips on SGA were actually written, and what did he make up on the spot?”
Answer: Pretty much all of them were written by Martin Gero but, occasionally, Rick would give one his own personal spin.
Anonymous #7 writes: “So can you give us any more hints on joe f’s angsty shep script??”
Answer: Well, we spent Friday afternoon spinning it out and I must say we’re all very excited about it.
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