This Valentine's, fowl is foul

Forget the admonition in MacBeth about "Foul is Fair." If there’s one thing all healthy paranoids (yes, nascent oxymoron) can be assured of this Valentine season, it’s that perusing the menu on that all-important date of tugging (or, if married, tug-of-war) heartstrings will be as intrepid a task as waltzing through a mine field or crossing a Baghdad thoroughfare. We may in fact, be outside the circle of chicken doom soup, but for some Filipinos, one can never be too safe or too sure!

Let’s see, you’ve had your eyes and taste buds set on this fancy dining place, have ordered the requisite bouquet or "oh-so-significant" single stemmed rose (cheapskate!), and as the waiter patiently stands there to take your order, all those health warnings flash in your brain, bringing with them a carillon of bells and sirens. The looming shadow of Avian flu stretches across your table and there goes the duck or chicken dish you had contemplated. Peking Duck gives you visions of "Peking… Duck! Here comes the flu" and any chicken course will bring back that image of all those dead chickens lying in some Thai poultry pen. Hmmm, could the chicken on my plate be part of that shipment that managed to find its way out of the Batangas port? Thailand, Vietnam, China… the list of countries reporting cases of Avian flu is going the same direction as the peso value against the dollar, with isolated incidents in Pakistan and Japan.

If you’re a true-blue/red carnivore, with steak on your mind, on the pink side or super rare; it’s the mad cow scare that will come to mind. Whether from Canada, Europe or the U S of A, it now seems that consummate safety can only come by ordering Tapa or Beefsteak Tagalog and enduring the stringy plank of local beef that’ll land in front of you.

Shellfish? Crustaceans? Mercury poisoning and bacteria ring a bell? With the "—ber" months gone the way of 2003, unless you’re blessed with intestinal fortitude, it seems one takes on the risk of spending your Valentine night squatting on the toilet bowl with every delectable morsel of your aphrodisiac oyster refusing to be digested normally.

At the rate things are going in this topsy-turvy world, even those on Atkins will be hard pressed to maintain a variety of choices come Asian mealtime. As with SARS, we can just thank our lucky stars that while so many other man-made and economic disasters seem to be endemic to the Philippine landscape, the health disasters that plague our neighboring countries have not made it to our shores. Happy Valentine’s meal!

Birds Of The Same Feather And A Live Mraz

I’ve always been one for the unconventional, quirky singer/songwriter; for example, I’ve religiously followed the career of Van Morrison, having had the fortune to watch him live in the mid-’70s while studying in England (his timeless original Moondance is still the only version for me, no matter what fans of Michael Bublé may say). In this age of mindless pap pop and the constant retooling of tired and proven formulas, it’s nice to stumble upon true originals or discover young artists who make the reverent nod to traditions or genres I was partial to.

Two years ago, it was Norah Jones that sparkled on the music scene, and as part of a tiny minority extolling her virtues, I felt exonerated when she swept the 2003 Grammys. Of course, as something of a music snob, I also felt I’d lost her to the general public. What I always felt though, was that there were three to four strong songs in the album that made her reputation, and that as a whole, it was uneven despite Arif Mardin’s participation as producer.

Well, the lady with the "voice of an old soul" is back, and given a special advanced copy of "Feel Likes Home" (Thanks, Twink and EMI), I’m glad to report that the new CD is worth the wait and fits like an old soft glove. Still mellow, but slightly more up-key, with varying tempos, the CD highlights the neo-country roots I always felt Norah was just bursting to express. Musical guests include Dolly Parton and two members of The Band. There’s even a Duke Ellington instrumental she’s put lyrics to (Melancholia).

If Norah is the "voice of an old soul," Joss Stone is the "new voice of old soul." I first got wind of this young talent on CNN’s The Music Room and was floored. With a husky voice that brings to mind endless nights on the road with nothing but whiskey and pack after pack of cigarettes to mark time, Joss brings us back to the vocal styling of those ’60s and ’70s soul, blues and gospel singers. Think of a young Aretha Franklin. So imagine my surprise when I discovered Joss is a white, 16-year-old English Rose, who grew up in the rural countryside of Devon.

Before she recorded her EMI "The Soul Sessions," Joss had never been to Memphis, Detroit or Muscle Shoals. But if you’re looking for an album that pays homage to all those classic Soul singers of a bygone era, check this out.

If you’re a fan of the diverse live music scene here in Manila, songs like Sleep All Day, The Remedy and You and I Both will be familiar tunes, staples of most of the better acoustic acts around. Surprisingly, some people presumed these were John Mayer tunes, not realizing they were penned and performed by that other young singer/songwriter – Jason Mraz. For my money, the more talented tune smith, though a tad less commercial.

He’s a genuine contemporary artist coming to Manila, and not another "flashback/revival" act. Jason performs at the Aliw Theater by Roxas Boulevard on Feb. 21. And thanks to the demand he’s generated, there’s also a special unplugged acoustic concert at Dish, Rockwell’s Power Plant on Feb. 20, Friday. A more intimate setting, it’s limited to some 700 theater-style seats. Call 898-1771 or 898-1824 to get tickets for this special show of Jason "upclose." Jason is the real thing, a talent who’s here to stay; he may Sleep All Day, but it’s Sing All Night!

(E-mail me at peopleasia@qinet.net)