Category Archives: Lifestyle

Horace And Pete – Louis C.K. and Steve Buscemi Surprise Everyone

Crouch-Horace-Pete-1200No one saw this coming – no one. Suddenly there is a new web series with some of the best actors in the world and everybody is surprised.

Sometimes you don’t want to go where everybody knows your name. Sometimes it becomes oppressive — the history, the choking familiarity, the endlessly repeated fights. Sometimes you want to go just about anywhere else. But what choice do you have?

This is the theme of “Horace and Pete,” the mournful and — judging from the first episode — unshakable new series that the comedian Louis C.K. dropped without warning, Beyoncé-style, on his website Saturday morning. Written, directed by and starring Louis C.K. (with several famous friends), it may best be described as a “Cheers” spec script by Eugene O’Neill: a snapshot of a family — and a country — suffering a hangover decades in the making.

If that happy description is enough to make you want to pay the $5 download fee, you may want to stop reading now. Part of the power of the premiere episode comes from its unfolding without quite knowing what it is.

If you want to know more: Do not expect a laugh riot, though there are some rueful chuckles. Horace (Louis C.K.), the 50-something operator of a 100-year-old dive bar in Brooklyn, has the bedraggled look of a man who does not see many good days — and this one is going to be worse than most.

His business partner, Pete (Steve Buscemi), is acting erratically, having gone off his meds because of insurance troubles. Horace’s grown daughter, Alice (Aidy Bryant), resents him. And his sister, Sylvia (Edie Falco), comes with a lawyer to contest the ownership of the foundering bar, the implications of which end up spilling family resentments like cheap booze from a smashed bottle.
Louis C.K explains exactly what it’s all about – here

Japanese Green Tea Is the New Coffee

348sMore and more people are switching to Japanese green tea and are giving coffee a miss. The trendiest one is matcha. Matcha is the powdered Japanese green tea used in the famous Japanese tea ceremony. It has a very ancient history since it was brought from China by the Zen monk Eisai. Matcha is obtained by stone-grinding a tea called tencha to produce a powder. Matcha Latte anyone?

In the cool neighborhoods of Berlin and London you can see green tea shops opening up left and right. One we really like is Mamecha in Berlin Mitte. Check it out.japan-in-berlin-japanfestival-2015-Mamecha-IMG_9208

Vetements – THE Brand For Years to Come

6 19The label Vetements is the most radical thing to come out of Paris in over a decade. This is a bunch of crazy dudes. Demna Gvasalia is the head of a collective of 18 young fashion designers. The average age is early to mid-twenties. They speak roughly 13 languages between them – truly international. The brand was launched from Gvasalia’s Paris bedroom, the product of weekends and nights spent designing for the love of it. The antidote of Paris fashion. Almost rebellious – almost. Stores such as Dover Street Market in London carry the pieces. Most of the items are interchangeable for men and women. Anything goes. Gvasalia is now artistic director for Balenciaga. This is a bit of a surprise and worried some fans of Vetements. But don’t worry – Vetements will be stronger than ever and THE brand for years to come.25