Jean-Claude Camille François
Van Varenberg became the
European Professional Karate Association's middleweight championship as a
teenager in a stunning upset vs. the former champion, Michael J. Heming. The
Brussels native then started lifting weights to improve his
physique, which eventually led to his winning a Mr. Belgium bodybuilding title.
Jean-Claude
moved to Hong Kong at the age of 19 to get a part in action films.
After failing to get any parts, he moved to Los Angeles to try his luck
He took English classes changed his name to
Jean-Claude Van Damme. While
going to casting calls, he worked as carpet layer, pizza delivery man,
and limo driver. He met Chuck Norris who got him a job as a bouncer at a
club. After five years in LA, Norris gave
Jean-Claude
a small role in the movie Missing in Action
(1984) He was next cast in No Retreat, No Surrender
(1986),
as the villain, Ivan the Russian. His breakout film was ther low-budget
film Bloodsport (1983) which became a US box-office hit in due in
part for the increased fad of kick-boxing and
Van Damme's on-screen nudity.
After learning that on-screen nudity pays, Jean-Claude
said "If you have a decent body why not show it? I'm very proud of my butt."
The new action star often appeared
nude in his subsequent films, including a lengthy scene in
Universal Soldier. The ever-buff
Jean-Claude
promoted himself as "the Muscles from Brussels" and
parleyed his Bloodsport notoriety to a series of more
successful films including Hard Target (1993), Nowhere To Run
(1994), and Timecop (1994) - the
latter grossing over $100 million worldwide.
Jean-Claude's famous butt was the subject of parody in the TV show
Friends, where , playing "himself", flirts with a main
character by announcing that he can "crack a walnut with my butt."
But as the interest in kickboxing and Jean-Claude's butt began to wane, his films began to flop and his next few films
went straight to video which is the graveyard for tired old butts.
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When one mentions
"Muscles from Brussels" in Brussels, no one
thinks of Van Damme, but rather of the Chez Leon on the Rue de Bouchers . Chez Leon serves a half a ton of mussels a day
in their landmark seafood emporium. Mussels or moules are the
national dish of Belgium and are in season from September to February. They
are served in a variety of ways, but the most common method is a
la marinère, which generally consists of white wine, shallots, garlic,
parsley, and butter. Pair them with
Timecop.
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Moules Marinière
(Brussels
Mussels)
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Ingredients
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4&1/2 lbs scrubbed, bearded, mussels
8 shallots, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/3 cup chopped parsley
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2 cups dry white wine
1/4 cup butter
salt and pepper
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Instructions
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- Place shallots and garlic a large pan with
half the butter and wilt them for a minute or two.
- Add the wine and bring to the boil. Simmer
for 15 minutes.
- Bring the liquid up to a fast boil again and
tip in the mussels. Put the lid on the pan for a few minutes,
shake the pan,
open and check all the mussels have opened. Discard the few that have not
opened
- Scoop out mussels with a slotted spoon
and pace into heated bowls.
- Boil mussel liquid down for a couple of
minutes and whisk in the remaining butter; check for seasoning.
- Add mussel liquid to mussels . Sprinkle with
parsley and serve
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