Sunday, June 29, 2014

The 99 Cent Chef's Indian Summer Vacation - Video Series

Get ready for a flash flood of blog posts shot in Native Indian Country. When the Cheap$kate Tourist travels he's strapped with a couple of cameras and battery chargers and a whole lot of imagination. So, that means food-themed videos are heading your way this summer - it's an epic video series.

Monument Valley

It was a jam-packed drive that took us (including my wife, Amy) from majestic Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park on the Arizona-Utah border, to awesome Arches National Park in Utah, and ended up in a dirt-walled hogan at Spider Rock Campground near Chinle, Arizona.

Our Hogan in Spider Rock Campground

This hard-headed Chef even learned a few things along the way that I'll share with you over this summer.

Traveling in Indian Reservations and Parks and talking with Navajo guides and just regular Indians was a mind-expanding experience. There is a connection to Mother Earth and Father Sky, between the real world and the mystical world. It's a whole other way of looking at nature, loaded with artistry and meaning.


I'll feature video clips from one of our Navajo Spirit Guides, Don Mose (click here to get more info.) He's a guide for hire, teacher and medicine man -  we had the pleasure to tap his astute and deep knowledge, during a too short tour of Monument Valley. Plus he was not above acting out with this Cinematic Culinary Cutup, as you will see in upcoming blog posts and videos.


But don't worry, this won't be typical boring lecture/vacation slideshow stuff. You know me better than that, as my videos and observations are leavened with wit and outrageous flights of fancy. Along with all the gorgeous scenery, you'll have to put up with my mug peppered throughout the series, but it's all in good fun. Other videos will include: a Frybread Recipe, my Vision Quest with a talking coyote, and a colossal prehistoric Rock Lobster! I shot enough material for half a dozen videos, so keep checking back every week.

Frybread with Chili Powder

I'll start simple and short - a title sequence without titles. I think the French filmmaker Jean-Luc Godard did it first, I don't remember the film's name though, I just remember what a cool idea of using audio instead of opening movie type titles. Well, here's my version below.

Indian Summer Vacation - Video #1

Play it here, video runs 21 seconds.

My YouTube video link for viewing or embedding, just click here.

I'm not sure what the next post will be, as all this is being created right now, but do check back - as you know, where I go high jinx follows!

And click on any red type to view links about the word or phrase. Plus if you want a sneak peek of my videos as they come fresh from the fryer, just click on the YouTube link to all my videos here.

Indian Summer Vacation Series (click on any title below to see the blog post).




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