brasato

BRASATO AL BAROLO


BRASATO AL BAROLO

Sabato 10 Ottobre 2009





Per quattro persone



•800 g di carne magra della coscia di manzo



•50 g di pancetta

•50 g di burro

•una spruzzatina di brandy

•farina

Per la marinatura:





•1 bottiglia di Barolo non molto invecchiato

•2 o 3 carote

•2 costole di sedano

•1 cipolla

•le foglie di un rametto di rosmarino

•3 chiodi di garofano

•1 pizzico di timo

•1 spicchio d'aglio

•1 foglia di alloro

•1 pezzetto di cannella

•3 grani di pepe raccolti in un sacchettino di garza











Steccate la carne con qualche listarella di pancetta, mettetela in una terrina con le verdure tagliate a pezzetti e il sacchettino con gli aromi e le spezie; versate il barolo, coprite con un piatto e lasciate marinare (circa un giorno), coperto, in luogo fresco (non in frigo), rimescolando qualche volta.

In una casseruola soffriggete nel burro la rimanente pancetta tritata, poi rosolate la carne scolata e leggermente infarinata, versate quindi tutta la marinata e portate a bollore; dopo una decina di minuti togliere il sacchettino degli aromi, salate, coprite e portate a cottura a fuoco basso.

Togliete quindi la carne e tenetela al caldo, passate il sugo nel passaverdure, rimettetelo sul fuoco, addensatelo, regolatelo di sale e spruzzatelo col brandy.

Dopo qualche minuto di bollore versatelo sulla carne affettata e servite con polenta o purè

Il brasato all’amarone di Emanuele Verzini

I giornalisti de l’Italia del gusto hanno conosciuto, nel loro peregrinare d’informazione per ‘Vino in Corte 2008′ (promosso dalla Associazione San Briccio in Festa),Emanuele Verzini, nume tutelare di una enogastronomia, bar, gelateria,giusto nella piazza di Illasi (Verona).

Il nostro proporrà nelle giornate settembrine di Vino in Corte una antica ricetta di famiglia : il brasato all’Amarone. Ecco la ricetta :
Ingredienti :
800 gr. di coscia di Manzo, 150 gr. di sedano,
150 gr. di carota, 250 gr. di cipolla,
1 foglia d’alloro, 30 gr. di lardo macinato,
maizena, sale, pepe in grani,
1 bottiglia di vino Amarone,
estratto di carne, polenta gialla.
Preparazione :
Metti la carne, preparata per la cottura, in una terrina capiente e versa sopra il vino, le verdure tagliate a pezzi, la foglia d’alloro ed alcuni grani schiacciati di pepe. Lasciala marinare per 24 ore, voltandola di tanto in tanto. Al momento di cuocerla, toglila dalla marinata, falla sgocciolare, asciugala bene e legala con spago da cucina. In una casseruola sciogli il lardo ed il burro e, quando sono ben caldi, aggiungi la carne a rosolare avendo cura di salarla d di bagnarla con la marinata.Copri con un coperchio con l’estratto di carne.Lascia ‘pipare’ la casseruola a fuoco lento, per favorire la corrura ideale della carne. Se necessario allunga il liquido di cottura con brodo di carne bollente. Una volta cotta, leva la carne dalla pentola e passa al setaccio le verdure e il sugo, che rimetterai nella casseruola per farlo restringere. A tale proposito, se necessario usa della maizena per addensarlo, stemperandola con un goccio di vino tiepido. Servi il brasato affettato, accompagnandolo alla salsa servita molto calda e alla polenta calda.

paris

I was in the 7th arr. near the D'Orsay museum last Sunday taking some photos and had a hankering for a good sandwich. It's like a ghost town in Sundays in August in this upscale arr. where everyone is on vacances, so finding a place to have a sandwich was like trying to find Lindsay Lohan or Amy Winehouse clean and sober. I was whizzing along on the rue du Bac on my Velib when I screeched in front of the Eric Kayser boulangerie because it was open. Eric Kayser is rated one of the best boulangeries in Paris by many critics and food blogs. They had a surprisingly good lunch deal- a sandwich, pastry, and soft drink or coffee for only 8.50 euros. I carefully studied the oh-so delicious selection of sandwiches in the case and the Comté cheese and Bayonne ham « Puerto CacaoLa Mélodie du Bonheur »Where to Find the Best Steak Frites in Paris

Alec Lobrano has been writing about the food in Paris for over two decades, and was the Paris correspondent for Gourmet magazine. When his book, Hungry for Paris came out, I immediately opened to page one and read it cover-to-cover. He’s one of the best food writers of our generation and each chapter tells the story of one of his favorite restaurants in Paris. And now, as a result, whenever someone suggests a restaurant for dinner, I’ll pull my copy of his book from my shelf and see what Alec has to say before I confirm.





We recently dined together on steak frites and I was thrilled when he agreed to write up a guest post with his favorite places for steak and French fries in Paris to share with you. He not only did that graciously, but included notes about what cuts of meat to expect in a French restaurant, which many visitors will certainly appreciate. And for vegetarians out there, he listed a healthy alternative, too!



You can read more of Alec’s Paris restaurant reviews and recommendations at his site and blog, AlexanderLobrano.com, which I read religiously. Not only is Alec a wonderful writer, he’s a terrific guy, and I hope you enjoy his company as much as I do…-David



In Paris, Where’s Le Bœuf?



According to one of the cordial waiters at Au Bœuf Couronée, one of the last old-fashioned steakhouses in the Paris’s old slaughterhouse neighborhood La Vilette in the 19th arrondissement, they haven’t been so busy in years.



Pour quoi? It seems that these trying times have a lot of people craving meat and potatoes, or as the French would have it, steak frites, that infinitely Gallic and profoundly consoling combo of steak with fries or some other form of spuds.



If you’re one of them, I’m happy to share my favorite steak frites addresses in Paris (vegetarians please skip to the last paragraph), but first a couple of pointers.





Though you see more and more Irish, German and Brazilian beef on Paris menus, the French product is infinitely better in terms of both taste and texture, with the best French beef labeled according to where it was produced. The most common premium labels are Coutenance (Normandy), Charolais (Burgundy), Salers (Auvergne) and Aubrac (Auvergne). (And for the record, the best French beef I’ve ever eaten came from a little town called Bazas in the Aquitaine region. I still remember every morsel because it was so full of flavor and had the perfect texture, midway between tender and nervous; you can try it at the Café Restaurant Indigo, 25 rue Fondespan, Bazas, Tel. 05-56-25-25-52).





Many people are unfamiliar with the French lingo for various cuts of beef, so here’s a miniature glossary:



The most common French cuts of beef are the entrecôte, rib steak, the faux filet, which is roughly equivalent to a sirloin steak, and rumsteak, rump steak. Many Parisians also love bavette, skirt steak, and onglet, flank steak.



The two tenderest cuts are the filet and châteaubriand, a thick filet steak, but my favorite is the côte de bœuf, which is a thick on-the-bone rib steak, usually served for two, and full of juice, flavor and texture.



So now let’s eat!



Le Bistrot Paul Bert



This crowded and very popular place is one of my favorite bistros in Paris, and they serve an excellent entrecôte, which is a little chewy as the best ones usually are, and first-rate frites. The dark-horse reason to come to this charmer, though, is that they serve the best Paris-Brest (choux pastry filled with hazelnut butter cream) in town.



18, rue Paul Bert (11th)

Tel. 01 43 72 24 01.

M: Faidherbe-Chaligny or Charonne.

Open Tuesday to Saturday.







Au Bœuf Couronné



I love the almost somnolent calm of this 1865 vintage restaurant at La Villette, and even though it’s a trek to get here the beef is excellent and the accompanying potato choices make you swoon–the pommes dauphine are crispy nuggets of deep-fried mashed potato and choux pastry with just a whiff of nutmeg, the pommes soufflé, twice-fried potato slices that swell to become round and puffed like a twin pair of the world’s best potato chips but better and the frites are all à tomber par terre (drop dead good).



188, avenue Jean Jaures (19th)

Tel. 01 42 39 44 44.

M: Porte de Pantin.

Open daily.



La Bourse ou La Vie



After working as an architect, the owner of this popular bistro near the Bourse, or old French stock exchange decided on a new career catering to carnivores, and now he’s serving up one of the best steak frites in Paris. I find the slightly bawdy atmosphere of Bankers and brokers whopping it up at noon amusing, but you might prefer dinner, when it’s much quieter.



12, rue Vivienne (2nd)

Tel. 01 42 60 08 83.

M: Bourse.

Open Monday-Friday.



Café du Commerce



When it opened in 1921, this three-level restaurant with a plant-bedecked central atrium and some art-deco allure, was a bouillon, or a place people went for a fast, cheap feed, including its signature pot au feu. With the arrival of new owners Marie and Etienne Gerraud in 2003, the quality has soared but prices remain reasonable, and they now serve excellent oysters, onion soup, œufs mayonnaise and superb Limousin beef. Go for the faux filet or the bavette, both of which come with a small golden mountain of some of the best frites in town.



51, rue du Commerce (15th)

Tel. 01 45 74 03 27.

M: La Motte Piquet, Emile Zola or Commerce.

Open daily.





La Maison de l’Aubrac



I’m not wild about the antic rustic baroque décor of this place, and the 8th arrondissement isn’t my usual stomping ground, but I ignore the fussy cut velvet seats for a chance to tuck into their superb Aubrac beef–the côte de bœuf here is epic, as is the faux filet, and both come with aligot, that irresistible Aubergnat specialty of potatoes whipped with cheese curds and garlic until they have the texture of molten latex. A great address if you’re jet-lagged, because it’s open twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.



37, rue de Marbeuf (8th)

Tel. 01 43 59 05 14.

M: Franklin D. Roosevelt.



Le Severo



Though this little place on the Left Bank has become pricey and the service can get a little perfervid, all will be forgiven when your steak arrives. Owner William Bernet used to work for the Boucheries Nivernaises, one of the best butchers in Paris, and the man knows his meat. I always go for the faux filet and a nice bottle of Vacqueyras.



8, rue des Plantes (14th)

Tel. 01 45 40 40 91.

M: Alesia or Mouton-Duvernet.

Open Monday-Friday.



Le Voltaire



This Left Bank beau monde favorite feels like a rather rarified little club, and it is, but the service is surprisingly friendly and the vieille France food is vastly better than most of what you find in other overtly fashionable Paris restaurants. The filet costs an arm and a leg (€44), but it’s magnificent meat and the accompanying fries are terrific, too.



27, quai Voltaire (7th)

Tel. 01 42 61 17 49

M: Rue du Bac.

Tues-Sat.



And one for vegetarians :



Bob’s Kitchen



For years, vegetarian restaurants in Paris have been stuck in a sort of 1968 time warp of straggly spider plants in macramé baskets and menus that were more wholesome than delicious. Now Mark Grossman, owner of the popular Bob’s Juice Bar, has opened a casual restaurant that resets the dial with delicious dishes like veggie stew, made with quinoa and garnished with eggplant, pumpkin and sweet potato. The curried lentil galettes are terrific, too, and they serve a great selection of fresh juices.



74, rue des Gravilliers (3rd)

Tel. 09-52-55-11-66.

M: Arts et Metiers.

Open Monday-Friday 8am-3p, Sunday brunch 10am-4pm

sandwich on country sourdough bread called my name. It was quite hearty with lots of the strong cheese and buttery smooth ham and I could barely finish it. I had just enough room for the luscious, gooey apricot and pistachio tart. Quite satisfying, I say this is a super bargain especially for the quality of the food, considering the same formule at the Cafe Carlu was 9 euros. Other formules included a quiche and salad for 10 euros, and plat and dessert 15 euros. The service was exceptionally nice and warm and the young waiter spoke English, even though I kept speaking French. Still don't have that accent down. « Brown BreadA Visit to Rungis »Paris Restaurants


101 comments - 10.01.2010





I’m just finishing up my Paris Chocolate Tours with guests this week and we’ve had a terrific time visiting everywhere from Rungis market to watching the talented confectioners at Fouquet work their sweet magic.



Because several folks were spending a couple extra days in Paris, I made up a list of some places to eat they might enjoy, that aren’t stuffy or too-expensive, but places I like very much for a variety of reasons. So I thought I’d share the list here as well.













Chez Dumonet

117, rue Cherche-Midi (6th)

01 45 48 52 40



Great classic French food—and huge portions! Order the crisp duck confit and the Grand Marnier soufflé for dessert. One of the few remaining classic French bistros that maintains high quality standards. Although dishes are huge, half orders are available.







Bellotta-Bellota

18, rue Jean Nicot (7th)



Wonderful Spanish hams including the Jambon Ibérique Pata Negra, the black-footed pigs of Spain, the dine on wild acorns. The ham is sublime and goes great with the other Spanish appetizers they serve at this casual restaurant. Do try lomo, the tenderloin of the pig, and the pickled garlic, which is nutty and crisp.









Les Cocottes

135, rue Saint-Dominique (7th)

01 45 50 10 31



This casual hot spot doesn’t take reservations, but the hearty food served in Staub casseroles is worth the wait. Of course, prime dining times are when it’s the most crowded so try to go in off hours.







Da Rosa

62, rue de Seine (6th)

01 45 21 41 30



I am transfixed on their lovely raisins in Sauternes, but the Pimandes, almonds dusted with spicy pimente d’Espelette, are a favorite treat as well. Good place for ‘grazing’ menu, which include four types of Spanish ham, plus you can have Grom gelato from across the street afterward. What’s not to like?







Le Timbre

3, rue st Beuve (6th)

01 45 49 10 40



Every time I eat at Le Timbre, I wonder why I don’t eat at this petit restaurant more often. It’s very small (hence the name, which means “the stamp”) and features very fresh food. Last time I ate there, a French gastronomy club had taken over the restaurant for lunch and were enjoying themselves immensely. And so was I.







Ma Bourgogne

19, place des Vosges (4th)

01 42 78 44 64



On corner of historic place in the Marais. Order the €35 multi choice menu; the steak frites are reliable, as are the foie gras and bleu cheese salads. The key word is ‘reliable’ and the food, and service, get mixed reviews. However the steak tartare here is deservedly popular, as is the glace Bertillon for dessert. A good address since they’re open every day of the week, for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Service is classic French; no reservations or credit cards.







Bistro Paul Bert

18, rue Paul Bert (11th)

01 43 72 24 01



Very good small bistro which has gotten popular in the last few years due to lots of American press. Excellent desserts, including a huge Paris-Brest; a ring of pastry filled with hazelnut-praline cream, which I’m sure no one has ever been able to finish on their own. But it’s hard to go wrong with anything here. You can order from the fixed price menu or split a Côte de Boeuf (steak for two, which they will not cook further than medium-rare), which includes house made frites.

Le Louchébem

31, rue Berger (1st)

01 42 33 12 99



In Les Halles, a classic old-fashioned steak place. The food is standard French, ie: no surprises, but this rôtisserie is fun and lively. Outdoor seating. (Which often means smoking tables next to you.) But if you want to sit amongst French people tearing into rare steaks, this is the place.







A la Biche au Bois

45, avenue Ledru-Rollin (12th)

01 43 43 34 38



Terrific bustling place with honest French fare. Order off the pre-fixe €25+ menu, and be sure to get frites. In the winter, game appears frequently on the menu, served in chipped casseroles, with plenty of rich, meaty sauce.







Chez Denise/Tour de Montlhéry

5, rue des Prouvaires (1st)

01 42 36 21 82



Open 24/7 (closed on weekends) this very old restaurants has copious portions of food. Go hungry. I recommend the brochettes d’onglet (beef) and the cool house Brouilly poured into bottles from the cask resting on the bar. I take guests here for the classic Parisian bistro experience.







Josselin

67, rue Montparnasse (14th)

01 43 20 93 50



A popular crêperie—and lots of fun. Be sure to order a pitcher of cider, which is normally drank from bowls. If this one is too crowded, try their petit branch at 59, rue Montparnasse. Order the ‘complete’, with ham, cheese, and a sunny-side up egg. And if you like buckwheat, order a ‘galette’ (crêpes are made with white flour and those made with buckwheat are called ‘galettes’). Their lunch special for €10 includes a lunch and dessert crêpe, plus a beverage.







Le Verre Volé

67, rue Lancry (11th)

01 48 03 17 34



This tiny wine bar has great food, up by the Canal St Martin, a very hip neighborhood. Generous plates of charcuterie and etc, in this tight little wine bar. A recent remodel has expanded the facilities of the kitchen. Diners choose a bottle from those on the wall and pay a €7 supplement, or pick from their chalkboard list. Can be hectic at times, especially on weekends.







(All restaurants, except Josselin and Ma Bourgoune, require reservations. Places like Paul Bert are very popular any reservations may need to be made a few days in advance.)





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On a Side Note:



I’d never heard of a shop that required ‘pre-authorization’ to purchase something from them. But leave it to Ladurée take the cake, so to speak. I always begin my Paris Chocolate Tours at Ladurée, because of their historical significance and guests are always interested in their famous macarons. They have a no-photo policy indoors, which I respect because they’re a private establishment and have the right to decide what they allow in their shop. Yet last year, one of my guests took from picture outside, of their decorated window, and a salesclerk raced over, wagging her finger, and mouthing the words, “Non!” So I found out the no-photo rule extends to the sidewalks and streets outside.



It’s likely a company policy and one can’t fault employees for doing what they’re told, but I found it extremely odd that a shop would shoo someone away in a public space for doing what, I believe, is completely legal and benign.



Before I go in to a shop, I stay outside with guests because it’s best to give them any information and my shopping tips outside, so as not to disturb the other customers and because shops are busy doing business and I don’t want to interfere. So when we enter a shop, such as Ladurée, I advise folks not only about their no-photo policy, but also how to best to make their purchases so that we’re not holding up the rest of the clients. (I once had a salesperson give me a nice box of macarons for being so helpful, which was a lovely gesture, and the host of the restaurant when I started leading tours would always give me a taste of a new macaron to try.)



So I was startled this week when we walked in to Ladurée, and the saleswoman told us that we could not come in without ‘pre-authorization’. I’ve been in that store perhaps two hundred times with guests, without any problem whatsoever, so was stunned to be told that we weren’t permitted to visit. I can understand if I had fifty people with me, but we travel in a small group and not one other bakery, candy, or confectionery shop we visited ever has a problem with us. And in fact, they were all incredibly welcoming, including Pierre Hermé, Patrick Roger, and John-Charles Rochoux.



I wrote Ladurée a letter expressing my dismay (a French friend said when I recounted the story, “That’s the French for you..and they won’t do anything”) but something in me refuses to believe that a solid company that was proud of what they offer would be so unwelcoming to visitors. It’s truly sad when one of the great classic pastry shops of Paris discourages customers and guests.



I’m not sure what this new policy means for Ladurée, and I do hope they respond because I would like to feel welcome in their shop and continue to advise readers to go in there. But at this point, I’ve crossed Ladurée off my list. -David





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Cafe Carlu

Cité de l'architecture

1 Place du Trocadero, 16th arr.

Metro: Trocadero

Open Wednesday to Monday

http://www.citechaillot.fr



Eric Kayser

18 rue du Bac, 7th arr.

Metro: rue du Bac or Solferino

Open Tuesday to Sunday, 7AM- 8PM

http://www.maison-kayser.com/

POLISH

The finish is very different in the 3 pairs that I have: the two pairs of patent black ones are a bit "sprayed on"
















but this mainly affects the heel area, where the "paint" has peeled off a bit. But not a problem.





















In contrast, I bought the tan brogues and they look very pale and new when shipped, but I have been able to add









sheens of (burgundy, black) polish to give them a more nutty, aged look. This shoe is also wider, has a softer leather









and is more comfortable. So I get the feeling they are a different model/maker altoghether.





















I have some cheap Chelsea boots from London with rubber soles, but you should look at RM Williams yard boots









if you are serious about footwear. They are the best, will last a life time (I am told by every wearer I have met) and









look the business.

Motto - "Disgracing Britain?"




"Serving the Treasury, not the Public?"



Which country in the EU stops its citizens and questions them when they leave their country of domicile?


The silly things they say. After visiting his notaire a returning shopper was told "you spent 8 hours in France after visiting your Notaire and didn't return immediately?" Unbelievable but true. They seem to think we mustn't shop or make good use of a day across the channel. More



November 2009 (27th) - Welcome to Algirdas Semeta the new Commissioner responsible for Customs matters. We will be lobbying him hard on your behalf. We will be contacting him shortly. What would you like us to tell him? Let us know.






"Came back from a 2 day business trip last week along with my wife and was stopped by customs and had all our wine and baccy taken from us and most importantly they seized my car, which was worth quite a bit. We only had the guide lines for both and not a boot full!.
Because i had been before and bought before then we are criminals and apparently are selling the goods, i have an import and export company and that was why we were in France and Belgium, but that made no difference. We were held in seperate rooms for nearly two hours and asked a million questions, mainly on how many ciggs we smoked. It made no difference,they were having our goods and that was it. Another couple also had there goods and car seized at the same time. This practice is just disgusting,they are like others have wrote before a law upon themselves, so smug and you can tell that they are laughing at our expence. I could write a lot more about what happened, but people beware - we only had a carrier bag of baccy and lost the car for that. I went on a legitimate business trip and need to go again next week, but i have no car now! Keep up the campaign to stop this happening to genuine shoppers and travellers."



2008 - European Parliament cuts guidelines? No they did not!



Customs priorities (from their advertising)








If you have been stopped by British Revenue & Customs please e-mail the Commissioner, Algirdas Semeta (), with copies to his Head of Cabinet (laurs.norlund at cec.eu.int) and the Director General for Taxation (robert.verrue at cec.eu.int), as well as your local MEP.



Gone to Court to get your goods back? - tell us how you got on.



European Court judgement concerning internet purchases of wine and tobacco (23rd November 2007)



The sort of e-mails we get about HM C&E



Our advice is simple - stick to the guidelines.



day-tripper.net is a web magazine devoted to the interests and rights of British Citizens shopping in other E.U. Member states. We deplore the actions of HM Revenue & Customs and the New Labour Governments campaign of intimidation, which goes against the very Treaties we have signed, guaranteeing free trade and movement of goods and people between member states.



Warning



If you have travelled recently please bear in mind if shopping, that should HMRC stop you and find tobacco on you, they may assume that you bought tobacco on all your previous journeys. NO EVIDENCE NEEDED!



Illiterate nonsense from C&E advice centre (. . . I can confirm there is no reason for you to purchase goods on the continent and bring back to the United Kingdom

venezia

 

A  film, Flags of Our Fathers, directed by Clint Eastwood and produced by Steven Spielberg opened in America on 21st October, 2006 . The film, based on the best selling book of the same name, tells the story behind Joe Rosenthal’s iconic photograph Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima and tragic story of the five US Marines and one Navy corpsman who raised the flag.








Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima by Joe Rosenthal





On February 19, 1945 US Marines invaded Iwo Jima, an eight square mile volcanic island in the South Pacific. The battle for the island lasted a month and was the bloodiest and most vicious of the Pacific War. Nearly 30,000 Japanese and American soldiers died in the battle for Iwo Jima. Five days after landing the Marines captured the high ground of Mount Suribachi on the southern end of the island. A small US flag was raised on the summit but commanders ordered that it be replaced by one that could be seen from the beaches below.



Associated Press photographer Joe Rosenthal (http://www.iwojima.com/raising/lflagg.gif) and two Marine photographers Pfc. Bob Campbell and Sgt. Bill Genaust were on the way up the mountain when they met Marine staff photographer Sgt. Lou Lowery coming down. Lowery told them that the flag had already been raised but it would be worth the climb anyway for the view. When the trio reached the summit they saw a group of Marines attaching a second flag to a piece of old water pipe. Rosenthal thought of trying to get a picture of the two flags, one coming down and the other going up, but he couldn’t line it up. (Campbell got this picture http://www.iwojima.com/raising/lflagk.gif ). Rosenthal, who was 5ft 5 inches tall, put his camera down and quickly piled up some rocks to stand on. He set the aperture on his Speed Graphic camera at f-8 or f-11 and the shutter speed at 1/400th sec.



But he nearly missed the shot. “Out of the corner of my eye I had seen the men start the flag up. I swung my camera and shot the scene.” Sgt. Genaust was three feet to the right of Rosenthal and captured the scene in colour on his movie camera (Genaust was killed in action nine days later). Rosenthal shot one frame only but didn’t know if he got the picture. To make sure he had something worth printing he set up a “gung-ho” picture of the group Marines standing under the flag (http://www.iwojima.com/raising/l721flag.gif). He hurried back to the command ship, wrote the captions for the eighteen photographs he had taken that day and shipped the film off to the military press centre in Guam. He was not to know then that his photograph taken on top of Mount Suribachi on 23rd February, 1945 would become the most famous photograph of World War 2. When he heard a few days later about the sensational impact of his picture back home someone asked him if the picture was posed. Assuming that the “gung-ho” picture was the one that had caused the sensation, Rosenthal said “sure”. Out of this reply grew the misconception that the flag raising picture was posed. Genaust’s movie confirms that the picture was not posed.
ersion http://



When President Franklin D. Roosevelt saw Rosenthal’s picture he ordered that the men who raised the flag be found and returned home to take part in a country wide fundraising war bond tour. Only three of the six soldiers were alive; Ira Hayes, a Pima Indian from Arizona, (on the left in the picture), John Bradley from Wisconsin (second from right) and Rene Gagnon from New Hamshire (mostly hidden behind Bradley). The three men were feted as heroes and received adulation wherever they went on their whirlwind tour of 32 cities across the US.



But Bradley and Hayes did not think they were heroes. Hayes hated being on the tour. He asked how he could consider himself a hero when 5 men out of his platoon of 45 survived and 27 men in his company of 250 escaped injury or death. Hayes suffered from serious survivor guilt. He asked to be sent back to the front lines, stating “sometimes I wish that guy had never made that picture”. Hayes became an alcoholic, a drifter and a loner and died after a night of drinking and gambling on the Reservation ten years after the Iwo Jima picture. In the intervening years he had been arrested for being drunk and disorderly a total of 51 times. He was 32 years old. Like Hayes, John Bradley also refused to accept the hero status and after the war he refused to talk about his experiences. He kept is secrets up to his death in 1994, after which his son James Bradley, who knew almost nothing of his father’s wartime experiences, spent four years interviewing the families of the flag raisers. Together with Ron Powers he wrote the best selling book Flags of Our Fathers on which Eastwood’s based his film.







Meanwhile, the men who raised the first flag on Iwo Jima and who were photographed (http://www.iwojima.com/raising/lflagi.gif) by Lowery, were forgotten as the glory was heaped on the men in Rosenthal’s picture.





Rosenthal’s picture won the Pulitzer Prize in 1945, the only one given in the same year that the picture was taken. Ironically the U.S. Army and Navy had rejected Rosenthal as a military photography because of his poor eyesight. Instead he joined Associated Press and was sent to cover the Pacific War. The picture brought Rosenthal acclaim but not overwhelming success. After the war he spent most of his career as a workaday photographer at the San Francisco Chronicle until he retired in 1981. He said “It might have been any photographer, or perhaps, it might have never been taken, but it was myself. And so, in a sense, I stand for whoever would have, or would be in a position to have taken a picture that gets such a good response.” But, when asked once if he would rather that some other photographer had taken the flag raising shot, he shot back: “Hell, no! Because it of course makes me feel as though I’ve done something worthwhile. My kids think so - that’s worthwhile.” While the picture brought Rosenthal fame it did not bring him a fortune, at least in monetary terms. “Every once in a while someone teases me that I could have been rich. But I am alive. A lot of the men who were there are not. And a lot of them were badly wounded. I was not. And so I dont have the feeling someone owes me for this.”