I am so very happy that I have absolutely no idea who those people and films are (except of course for Snow White as a typical gory fairytale and Disneyfied cartoon).
Other than working, I made some mujadara early this morning (many possible spellings and pronunciations), that incredibly cheap and easy, and strangely addictive, Middle Eastern mix of lentils and rice. I wasn't happy with my mujadara before - it is because the lentils I used were too "good", French-style (but Canadian-grown) Lentilles du Puy, wonderful in salads. You need a lentil that will turn a bit mushy, like plebean brown or light-green lentils, though not the red ones either, which are the above deprived of their skins, and far too mushy for this dish - they are good for purées and soups.
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Mujadara-51100640This recipe has no spices or herbs whatsoever, in part because it is also being used to make puréed baby food. My friends from the Levant add some aromatic spices - cumin, coriander, cardamom etc and sometimes a bit of hot pepper, but it is not usually a "hot and spicy" dish - you would add heat and other garnishes upon serving - think green herbs, finely-chopped tomatoes, raw mild onion (such as red onion or little green onions) etc.
You will easily find more regional variations at wikipedia and doing an online search.
I took a break around noon and cycled (a VERY SHORT distance) to Jean-Talon Market to meet a friend who was buying flowers and herbs there. We had coffee and discussed a friend of mine who is doing dog rescue and spay/neuter in Oaxaca, where she has retired, and a friend of hers who has retired to Cuba and is doing the same for cats (but also dogs).
Every puppy a wanted puppy! Every kitten a wanted kitten!
It was raining gently as I ran a couple of errands afterwards. Now it is raining harder, but such a warm tropical rain! It is falling most romantically through the wall of green leaves in front of my office window.
