Flavourful Saskatoon, October 31, 2016

Food Waste Film Night, Nov. 8
A screening of Just Eat It: A Food Waste Story will be followed by a panel discussion about making sure that healthy food doesn’t go to waste in our community at 6:30 pm, Nov. 8. (Funding for the rights to show the film was provided through an EcoFriendly Action Grant.)

Cider & Spanish, Nov. 15
Enjoy a glass of cider and learn some basic Spanish preparatory to your winter holiday during a two-week course at the Glen at Crossmount beginning Nov. 15.

Gourmet Blood Drive
Here’s an idea that might be fun to try in Saskatoon, maybe at the Saskatoon Farmers’ Market. The City of Tours, France, is holding a Collecte de Sang Gastronomique. Donate blood and 4 local chefs will provide a gourmet snack.

Pralines, Racism and Emancipation
New Orleans is famous for its pralines, which have an interesting history. “The praline itself is a French confection, named after César, duc de Choiseul, comte du Plessis-Praslin, who some believe had his cook devise an almond-studded candy to woo his various love interests.”

They travelled to Louisiana where pecans replaced almonds and they became “one of the earliest street foods in America, and a means for emancipated Black women to make a living during a time when civil rights weren’t even in the picture. . . . In essence, the praline vendors of that time were street performers: They all dressed the part of a "mammy," the pernicious stereotype of a comforting Black woman whose inherently maternal nature made her content in her servitude. The costume — long skirts, aprons, scarves, and tignons — signified a demented myth of the South, a romanticizing of slavery and reconciliation that was inherently racist. "It was shrewd marketing," Fertel says. ‘They knew their customers.”

The Secret to a Long, Healthy Life?
The inhabitants of Acciaroli, Italy, live remarkably long, healthy, sexually active lives. Researchers believe that it may be because they eat large quantities of rosemary. Rosemary has antioxidant properties; the oil is antimicrobial and has been shown to reduce anxiety and increase memory function. It may even slow the growth of cancer cells. Great reasons to add a little Mediterranean flavour to your food this week.

Flavourful Saskatoon is a weekly Monday feature. I also post articles about food that is good, clean and fair; travel; and books. You may also enjoy EcoFriendly Sask profiling Saskatchewan environmental initiatives and events.

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Photos of signs at Maison Corlotti, Bastia, Corsica