In the past few weeks, I seem to have been spending a ton of time in the Hollywood area. I’ve been to Hollywood and Highland twice in the past week, and drove with my parents through the area that will take me up to the Hollywood sign when I decide to be adventurous one day.
I realize that the Hollywood I know is extremely different than the one that people think of when they visualize it. When people who don’t know Hollywood think of, an image of glamour comes to their minds. It’s the one that’s unobtainable, where we stand behind the metal grates that separate us from them, not unlike last night, when I was walking through and watched “normals” eyeing the premiere of “Letters to Juliet,” with the bright lights and standout red carpet.
Then there’s the real Hollywood – the one that’s gritty and rough, yet people still flock to simply because… well, it’s Hollywood. It’s the one where people find their favorite stars on the Walk of Fame and pose in costumes as Wonder Woman, Mr. Incredible and even Snoopy. Last night, as I sat in Hollywood and Highland eating dinner, I watched as Freddy Kruger, Darth Vader and Jason were going to pick up Mongolian Barbecue.
The most interesting thing that I noted as I saw them take off their respective masks and sit to talk with each other is that they could never show that they were normal down below while people were posing with them. The truth is that it seems like people don’t really want what’s real. The fact that it’s unobtainable makes it all the more attractive.
I have noticed that people seem to be more than willing to do what it takes to make it big, even sell their souls and do horrible things. Witness Alexis Neiers, the star of “Pretty Wild,” who stole from people in order to get her own television show with her family, and is now is going to jail. They’re willing to starve themselves in order to be thin enough, have themselves taken advantage of by people in the industry or have people lambast them for being either too this or too that.
Hollywood, it seems, wants us to hide away what makes us uniquely us. It’s a cookie cutter world that many people don’t seem to fit into. If we were all to fit in Hollywood, the girls would all be size 2, the guys would all look like Justin Bieber, because that’s what seems to sell. And, if we were to listen to Newsweek, we’d all have to be straight or completely closeted – no openly gay, because then no one would believe you, right?
I remember that someone I knew once compared Hollywood – the idea of it, the concept of fitting in – to be a lot like high school. If you we’re perfect, the pressure was on you to become so. If you were strange, you were constantly gossiped about for trival things, like the shape and color of your glasses or whether you gained five pounds. The only difference? High school ended in four years.
I always wonder what would happen if I approached Hollywood, telling them that I’m kosher. Would they provide special food for me? Probably not. If I said I was a vegetarian, that would be one thing – half of Hollywood seems to be, so I’d fit right in. But the fact of the matter is that it makes me too different to actually be kosher – and actually identify me as Jewish (because even though Hollywood has a ton of Jews in it, they tend to be secular and frown down upon Jewish identity).
And then I realized that being myself is one of the most important things in the world to me. I never wanted a cookie-cutter life, and have anyone tell me who I have to be and who I can never be. I sought control over my own life, particularly over these past weeks, where I have explored the issue a lot deeper than I have in the past. I am so happy to carve my own path in this world, simply just by being who I am: young, broke and kosher. And if I get to Hollywood? They’ve got another thing coming.
So in honor of being a little bit different, here is my recipe for “oven-fried” BBQ chicken strips with sweet slaw. P’tayavon!
“OVEN-FRIED” BBQ CHICKEN STRIPS WITH SWEET SLAW
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
1 cup barbecue sauce
1/4 cup olive oil
2 cups of plain bread crumbs
1 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
¾ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
For the Slaw:
1 can corn
1 can black beans
1 red onion
1 cup grated carrot
¼ cup cilantro.
1 cup apple cider vinegar
3 tablespoons honey
Marinate boneless, skinless chicken breast strips in barbecue sauce and ½ cup olive oil, along with salt and pepper to taste. Combine plain bread crumbs with garlic powder, salt, pepper and ground cumin.
Meanwhile, combine one can of corn, black beans, red onion, grated carrot and cilantro in a bowl. Create dressing using apple cider vinegar, honey, salt and the remaining olive oil with a dash of garlic powder. Pour over ingredients. Allow several hours to marinate.
Roll chicken strips in breadcrumb mixture and place on a foil-covered baking sheet. Heat at 475 for 10 minutes. Serve on top of slaw.
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