Wanderlust and Words

Local Food   Lee Helman, formerly of Truffles Restaurant in Saskatoon, is now operating the Vanilla Pastry Company and offers desserts made from quality ingredients. They look gorgeous and my sister in law raves about the dacquoise with its decadent combination of crispy meringue, creamy icing, and crunchy nuts.  Inclusivity  Le Corbusier’s design system had a major impact on the post-war world, dictating the size and shape of everything from door knobs to city blocks. Unfortunately, he used a 6-foot male as his model citizen, completely overlooking the needs of women, children, and people with disabilities. In the 1980s, the Matrix Feminist Design Co-operative stepped in with a different approach. “They weren’t promoting a feminist aesthetic, but a way of looking, listening and designing that takes account of people’s very different needs and desires , one that embodies 'the richness of our multiple ways of being in the world'.”  Leaving on a Jet Plane  If you...

“We live with mystery, but we don’t like the feeling. I think we should get used to it. We feel we have to know what things mean, to be on top of this and that. I don’t think it’s human, you know, to be that competent at life. That attitude is far from poetry.” – Mark Strand   Local News   Join Fair Trade Saskatoon for a talk by Tamara Stein on Fair Trade, Quinoa, Communities and Markets: The View from Bolivia from 12-1 pm, May 12, on Zoom.  Books  In my day-to-day life, I don’t give much thought to women’s equality. I live on my own, have my own income, and travel as I will (pre-pandemic!). And yet, women are discriminated against in so many subtle ways, from only testing new medicines on men to only recognizing male achievements. I am thoroughly enjoying reading Writing Wild: Women Poets, Ramblers, and Mavericks Who Shape How We See the Natural World  by Kathryn Aalto and discovering some amazing women writers and their perspectives on the natural world....

Food  “Politicians are still saying ‘my job is to make food cheaper for you’, no matter how toxic it is from a planetary or human health perspective,” said Prof Tim Benton, at Chatham House. “We must stop arguing that we have to subsidise the food system in the name of the poor and instead deal with the poor by bringing them out of poverty .”  Bread was introduced in Japan in the early 1800s, but it’s been made softer and sweeter to suit the local palate. Shokupan is a soft, fluffy white bread: “slices of varying thickness are used for fruit sandos, sandwiches filled with colorful diced fruit arranged in artful geometric patterns held together with cream.” Kashipan are “snack breads filled with various pastes and sweet creams.” Books  In a Syrian town under siege from Assad’s regime, a small group of revolutionaries found a new mission: to build a library from books rescued from the rubble. “These young Syrians cohabited with death night and day. Most of them had already...

The geese are honking on the river and I spotted some lovely patches of thick gooey mud on my walk this morning. Spring is on the way! Local Food  There are new vendors at the Saskatoon Farmers’ Market – and they’re bakers! Sentient Sandwich is selling plump, mini sourdough bagels, while Old Homestead Baking is selling loaves baked in a traditional 8x8 foot wood-fired clay brick oven.  I picked up some tasty goodies at Beppi’s Gelato this past week. They offer a wide range of Italian products from pasta and sauce to jam and candies – definitely worth checking it out.  Entertainment  My sister in law and I will be going to the theatre – in her living room – in April. Sparrow Theatre Company is a new (to me at least) Saskatoon theatre company. On April 3, they’re streaming A Killer Party , a murder mystery musical. Later in April, we’ll be watching One Hour Photo , a Vancouver Asian Canadian production hosted by Persephone Theatre . Having lived in BC, I’m very awar...

I began writing about food that was good, clean, fair – and local – in 2010 when I visited Victoria, BC, and was so impressed by the Island’s emphasis on local food. I wanted to explore what was happening in that area in Saskatoon and began interviewing and writing about Saskatoon food businesses and entrepreneurs. The first issue of Flavourful Saskatoon was published 10 years ago on February 17, 2011. That’s a long time and I’m ready to expand my scope. I’ll always care passionately about supporting local farmers and food businesses, but I want to share with you some of my other interests.  I’m a writer and an introvert so please consider these weekly postings as my conversation with you. They’ll cover an assortment of topics from art and books to food and travel. I hope you will enjoy it, but I also appreciate that I have changed my focus and some of you will no longer be interested – and that’s okay. And don’t worry – as you’ll see from today’s post, there will still be lots of ...

I admit! I have been overly optimistic when setting my monthly themes. It’s the end of January and 3 of my books about Portugal and tiles/mosaics are still unread, so I’ve decided to lower the bar this month.  Hodge podge is a Nova Scotian casserole that relies on seasonal vegetables to make a simple but delicious one-pot meal. It sounds like a great way for me to make use of some of the local root vegetables that are currently in my fridge. And I’ll try to do the same when making my book choices by emphasizing the books that are already on my bookshelves, both physical and virtual.  I am longing for tropical climates and lush, green gardens so I plan to read a travel book and a book of gardening stories. I’m also looking for some simple wisdom so plan to reread either Winnie the Pooh or The Wind in the Willows. I’ve found some gardening programs on Acorn TV and hope to explore history and evolution of the British garden from the 17th to the 20th century with Monty Don....

“It may be that you yourself are not luminous, but you are a conductor of light” – Arthur Conan Coyle, The Hound of the Baskervilles  Local News  CHEP’s annual Empty Bowls Fundraiser has gone takeaway and virtual! Each participant will receive a pottery bowl, locally prepared soup, artisan bread, and dessert to eat while enjoying an online program. Ticket price is $100 for a meal for two persons. A $50 tax receipt will be issued with each ticket purchase.  Both Dad’s Organic Grocery and Safeway are selling locally grown organic flour from One Organic Farm in Waldron, SK. At 40,000 acres, it’s the largest organic farm in Canada. One dollar from every product they sell goes to Charity: Water to support sustainable water projects.  The Night Oven Bakery has an ever-shifting spectrum of macaron flavours. This month it’s citrus time with Grapefruit Crème Brûlée, Orange Rosemary, Lemon Meringue, Key Lime Pie, and Pear Crumble.  Sunday night is lasagna night at Hea...

“The world is full of magic things, patiently waiting for our senses to grow sharper.” – W.B. Yeats   In the Kitchen  The Incas were the first grind peanuts , but John Harvey Kellogg was the first to obtain a patent for peanut butter in 1895. Kellogg promoted peanut butter as a “healthy alternative to meat, which he saw as a digestive irritant and, worse, a sinful sexual stimulant.” In present-day North America, peanut butter is ubiquitous and has even been used to test for asymptomatic Covid in testing for a severe loss of smell.  From tech-savvy grocery shopping to hard kombucha – Dan Clapson, Eat North, looks at food trends for 2021 .  Food for Thought  The French spend 2 hours and 11 minutes eating each day. Italy, Greece, and Spain aren’t far behind at 2h05m, 2h04m, and 2h02m respectively. Canada (1h04m) and the United States (1h01m) are at the very bottom of the list . The positions are reversed when you consider obesity – Americans are in 16th position, w...

“The potato’s dual status as a tool of the modern state and as an emblem of the historical agency of ordinary people”  Feeding the People: The Politics of the Potato by Rebecca Earle presents an overview of the history of the potato. But it does far more than that. Earle's analysis of the role politicians and economists play in directing our dietary choices applies today and to all our food options, not just the potato. It’s a complicated topic. On the one hand, we don’t like government telling us what to eat. There was outrage when the mayor of New York tried to ban the sale of extra-large soft drinks . On the other hand, we do want government to make sure our food is safe to eat (checking for and recalling products contaminated by listeria , for example). The interplay between politics, economics, and diet becomes even more complicated when examined from a historical perspective.  “Potatoes . . . are something like Spanish truffles, aside from being a bit bigger and not as ...

2021 – a new year that will hopefully include new travel opportunities. In the meantime, I’ll be combatting the cold and ice of January in Saskatchewan with an exploration of Portugal’s history and azulejos and a side serving of mosaics.  I visited Spain in 2009 and 2011 and was blown away by the ceramic tiles – from Valencia’s Estació del Nord , to the alcazares in Sevilla and Cordoba , to Gaudí ’s fantastical architecture.  It made me all the more eager to visit Portugal where the azulejos (ceramic tiles) have gained a world-wide reputation. Portugal’s azulejos date back to the 13th century. They can now be found throughout Portugal, both indoors and outdoors, in private homes and public buildings.  On my trips to Spain, I saw a number of really lovely Roman mosaics. The Palacio Lebrija in Sevilla had a large collection paving most of the main floor. Archaeologists have recently uncovered a large 5th century mosaic floor in the Cotswolds, which puts paid to the theo...

“Mounting an art exhibition is like putting on a play. Both have a director, producer, script, major actors and bit players. Gather six curators around a table with the bare outline of a theme, let everyone throw around ideas fantastical and practical, then write down the names of specific artists (specific paintings, even better), and the race is on. Add three to four years of searching out exhibits, requesting, loans, redefining themes, editing out works, making last-minute additions, preparing a 400-page catalogue and planning the installation, and the stage is set for opening night. Raise the curtain!”   Talking to a Portrait: Tales of an Art Curator by Rosalind M. Pepall is a fascinating look behind the scenes at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts . I’ve never really understood what a curator does when they organize an exhibit. I’ve assumed it was primarily online research and logistics, but it is so much more than that. Pepall spends years tracing down artworks and diligently ...

The children were nestled all snug in their beds, while visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads.” (A Visit from St. Nicholas, Clement Clarke-Moore)  Local News  The Jamaica Food Basket , across the street from the Scotia Centre, has a retail section, a bar, and a restaurant. They try to offer seasonal products like Jamaican mango.  In the Kitchen   An avocado a day keeps the doctor away – or so the researchers say. “ Avocado is an energy-dense food, but it is also nutrient dense, and it contains important micronutrients that Americans don't eat enough of, like potassium and fiber. . . . It's just a really nicely packaged fruit that contains nutrients that are important for health. Our work shows we can add benefits to gut health to that list.”   UNESCO has added the Berber dish of couscous to its Intangible Cultural Heritage list. “Despite major differences, Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia and Mauritania got together to highlight their shared love for the dish...

Ups and downs. Ferris wheels and merry go rounds! Happy Solstice!  “If there’s one thing I could wish for right now, it would be to have one of those horses from the merry go round – they were the most exciting thing to go on as a kid.” (Deborah Madison)  “And the seasons they go round and round and painted ponies go up and down. We're captive on the carousel of time. We can't return we can only look behind from where we came. And go round and round and round in the circle game.” (Joni Mitchell)  “What did I tell ya? There’s the whole world at your feet. And who gets to see it but the birds, the stars, and the chimney sweeps.” (Mary Poppins) See Also A European Advent Calendar, Part I A European Advent Calendar, Part II A European Advent Calendar, Part III

“Now winter nights enlarge the number of their hours . . . Let now the chimneys blaze, and cups o'erflow with wine.” (Now Winter Nights Enlarge, Thomas Campion) Local News  I made a donation to Food Not Bombs Saskatoon recently. Just a quick look at the polite requests for food on their Facebook group are a reminder that so many people don’t have enough to eat, and the situation has only become worse during Covid. "Food Not Bombs shares free vegan and vegetarian meals with the hungry in over 1,000 cities around the world every week to protest war, poverty and the destruction of the environment." You can make an online donation to Food Not Bombs Saskatoon at fnbsaskatoon@gmail.com You may be interested in the Covid-19 Resource Guide the Saskatoon group has prepared.   In the Kitchen  I’m delighted to learn from David Lebovitz that vegetarianism is becoming more popular in France. And his recipe for Faux Gras  with its mix of lentils, mushrooms, and nuts look...

We’re on the brink of an adventure, children. Don’t spoil it with questions.” (Mary Poppins Returns)  “Relishing this health, this singleness, I reach myself out along the surface of a crystal . . . how simple this motion, how free of life and death, how like a god’s in his changing!" (The Night Skater, Frederick Morgan)  “Isn’t it splendid to think of all the things there are to find out about? It just makes me feel glad to be alive–it’s such an interesting world. It wouldn’t be half so interesting if we know all about everything would it?” (Anne of Green Gables)  “Hello, Rabbit,” he said, “Is that you?” “Let’s pretend it isn’t,” said Rabbit, “And see what happens.” (Winnie the Pooh) See Also A European Advent Calendar, Part I A European Advent Calendar, Part II