October 18

Jean-Claude Camille François Van Varenberg's Birthday
 

 
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.
 
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.
 

Moules Marinière
 
(Brussels
Mussels)
 

Ingredients
 
4&1/2 lbs scrubbed, bearded, mussels
8 shallots, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/3 cup chopped parsley
 
2 cups dry white wine
1/4 cup butter
salt and pepper


 
Instructions
 
  1. Place shallots and garlic a large pan with half the butter and wilt them for a minute or two.  
  2. Add the wine and bring to the boil.  Simmer for 15 minutes.  
  3. 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
  4. Scoop  out mussels with a slotted spoon and pace into heated bowls.
  5. Boil mussel liquid down for a couple of minutes and whisk in the remaining butter; check for seasoning.
  6. Add mussel liquid to mussels . Sprinkle with parsley and serve

© 2011 Gordon Nary and Tyler Stokes