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T in March, 2018. TM


Summer Solstice: Magical Tales; Shakespeare; and Yum-Yum!


by Ellie Schmidt of Santa Rosa, CA. ~ eschmidt@upbeattimes.com


he United Nations pub- lished its annual World Happiness Report back In case you


missed it, Finland toppled Nor- way for the top spot for real hap- piness. What a surprise! Con- sidering that it is a freezing cold, oſt en dark and rather gloomy place most of the year, perhaps they get special joy in their lusty saunas. Surely it must be an incredible joy for them around the time of the Mid- night Sun. Summer solstice occurs June 21st. T e magical experi-


ence of having the sun still shin- ing at midnight must be exciting and awe inspiring. Given the rich, treasure trove of Finland’s folk tales collection called T e Kal- evala, a national folk hero is Leminkainnen. He has many adventures and trials. But, a very good set of lines to re- member is in one of their many “Runes” or magical, poetic lines: “May there al- ways be a sun in the sky. May there always be love in the world…” Hmmm. T e Finn- ish folks have something spe- cial there. –And, Rune XXV is completely concerned with great beer! Shakespeare gave us his fabulous Midsummer Night’s Dream and a young Felix Mendelssohn wrote brilliant, ethereal music to embellish the experience of witnessing it. Many versions have been made, the best of which was probably the ultra-extrava- gant Hollywood Bowl outdoor version under the direction of Max Reinhardt in 1934. T en, in 1935, because of movie mogul Jack Warner’s persistence, Rein- hardt created his grand fi lm of it, starring Olivia de Havilland as Hermia and Mickey Rooney as


Puck. Rich with remarkable cin- ematography, in black and white, the shimmering eff ects were mag- ical, a fairy tale captured. Not all of the other versions captured so much of the mystical, fabulous tale. Amazon made a DVD of that 1935 production issuing it in 2007. It is still sell- ing briskly and really worth the purchase. In 1935, Mickey


Rooney, then age 15, broke his leg skiing, disrupting the expen- sive fi lming sched- ule.


Gossip writers


reported that Jack Warner “threatened to kill Rooney—and


then break his other leg!” –Now how could a place like Holly- wood compete with Finland to be a happy country? Olivia de Havilland became a legendary


T at’s your common sense leav- ing your body.” But, it has a happy ending when all the couples at- tend their great combined wed- dings feast in Shakespeare’s play. Perhaps they chose to serve some “bouche amuse” (delightful small items that “make the mouth hap- py”) at their banquet, accompa- nied by fl owing Champagne! Seems everybody knows what


“crepes” are. Ah, but there are hundreds of variations on that delectable idea of a pancake. T e French are fond of using a fl at kind of 10 inch pan dedicated to making their thin crepes. Not easy to fi nd.


Germans adore


their “Pfannkuchen.” T at is oſt en baked pouring all the batter into a good, oiled, steel roasting pan with sides at least 2 inches tall. T en, the nicely, golden brown, puff ed up huge pancake, kind of a cross between a traditional over- sized “popover” and a “fl an- nel” cake is placed on a plat- ter and dusted liberally with a storm of “cinnamon sugar” (a mix of fi ne granulated sugar and ground cinnamon). Slic- es are cut and usually served with sides of applesauce and lingonberries.


But, getting back to our reference to the impressive Finno-Ugric, magical, mys- terious “runes.” It turns out that Hungarian is not on the list of “Indo-European” lan- guages (the way English, Ger- man, French and Persian) are.


So, take a deep breath


fi lm favorite and is still a busy, ac- tive, beautiful lady living in Paris, France, age 101.


Best to remember the magi-


cal spirit of love conveyed in that fi lm. An old maxim helps: “You know that tingly little feeling you get when you love someone? –


and discover that Hungarian pancakes rule: “Palacsinta!” (pah-la-chin-ta). Revealing the secrets of at least seven generations of my family, here is how these marvels are done. T e main secret is that it takes practice to make the fi ne,


thin


little pancake. Best to do that pri- vately, --fun, and tasty to eat the “mistakes.” T e smaller 6 inch size pan, lightly oiled, is a whole


... continued on page 30 Believe that life is worth living and your belief will help create the fact. ~ William James


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UPBEAT TIMES, INC. • June 2018 • 5


©Upbeat Times 2014


UPBEAT TIMES, INC. • June 2018 • 5


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