Wanderlust and Words

Slow Food National Summit, Apr. 19-22  The 2018 Slow Food National Summit will be held in Saskatoon from Apr. 19-22. Themes include Indigenous food systems, slow food youth, food waste, adapting ourselves and our food to eat where we live, and biodiversity. Soul Foods  Soul Foods will be moving into the former liquor store on 20th Street. The owners say they are “looking for ways to serve every demographic in the neighbourhood, and hope[s] to work with local suppliers to find ‘really reasonable’ prices.” Redemption Roasters  Redemption Roasters run a roastery and barista training center at Aylesbury Prison, UK. Prisoners without skills or a job are 50% more likely to reoffend. Redemption hopes to counter that statistic with not only skills but help finding a job. “Just as our sourcing of coffee is ethical, we’re showing the whole roasting process can be socially responsible too. The result is a finely crafted cup of coffee that raises the bar for everyone.”...

My final week in Paris – and in Europe – was marred by a bout of the flu, so I was grateful to be well enough today to head into Paris to visit two art exhibitions at the Petit Palais. Paris is having a “cold snap,” but the sky was the most brilliant blue and there were early signs of spring – catkins on a tree by the Seine and early cherry blossoms in a sheltered courtyard at the Petit Palais. Across the street from where I’ve been staying in Vitry sur Seine, there is a cheerful display of yellow flowers. Can someone identify them for me? I’m very much looking forward to being at home in my own space with my own possessions. And a change of wardrobe will be wonderful! But a piece of my heart will stay in Europe. Many thanks to all the wonderful families who invited me into their homes as a guest or housesitter. I’m very grateful. Au revoir et à la prochaine! 

I visited some outstanding museums in Europe that definitely weren’t your standard, run-of-the-mill affair. MAS Museum, Antwerp The MAS Museum is located in Antwerp’s port area and highlights the city’s past, its river, and its port. The first thing you notice is its height. It’s over 10 stories tall with a panorama viewing station on the top floor and walls of windows on every floor. The museum is not only about the port – it’s part of it. Each floor has a different theme and is absolutely jam-packed with material to illustrate that theme – from –in-the-round videos of political leaders to toilets you can sit on (reading material provided). My favorite floor was Food and the City. Maps showed how food sources had switched from local to global. There were displays of food that had been imported through the port – and of the brawny port workers. And, at the other end of the process, there was a lineup of toilets through the ages. You couldn’t possibly absorb all the informat...

Good Food Slow Food Challenge, Mar. 4  The Good Food Slow Food Challenge from 2-5 pm, Mar. 4, will showcase CHEP's Good Food Box program and demonstrate how many people you can feed with good, clean, and fair food. It’s a fundraiser for Slow Food Saskatoon and CHEP. Canadian Craft Beer, Mar. 10 Sample some new Canadian craft beer on Mar. 10 at Co-op Wine Spirits Beer. Under our Feet, Mar. 23  Sask Organics is hosting Under our Feet on Mar. 23, a day-long conference with the latest research on soil health and weed management. Easter Cake Contest for Kids, Mar. 31  Kids are invited to show off their cake baking and decorating skills on March 31 at the Saskatoon Farmers’ Market. Food Renew  A group of Saskatoon volunteers wants to save and renew food that would otherwise be wasted. Nutrition Symbol Consumer Consultation Canadians are invited to provide input , by Apr. 26 , on the nutrition symbol to be used on the front of food packages. Ult...

It was late afternoon when I arrived in Ghent, Belgium, and it was dusk by the time I’d settled into my accommodation and started walking downtown. Perfect timing as it turns out as Ghent illuminates all its oldest buildings, turning the old city centre into a magical world after dark. The old buildings, along canals or tucked away in corners, were just as lovely in the next morning’s sunlight. Ghent has a long history of manufacturing wool and cotton cloth and shipping it out from its port, connected to the city by two rivers. At one point, it rivalled Paris in size and importance. Today, it’s a lively town with 70,000 students. I’m sure there were tourists in the mix, but they didn’t overwhelm the locals. I was grateful that so many people spoke English (the official language is Flemish) – from bus drivers to restaurant staff. I walked until my legs ached and could barely move (cobblestones!) and loved every minute of it.

I was only in Amsterdam for 3 days and it was a mixed experience, perhaps because I was tired and perhaps because I was expecting too much of myself. Spending 5 months living in Europe is very different from a two-week holiday. I may not see all the sights, but I have the opportunity to participate, at least to some degree, in the local way of life. I really enjoyed being located in the suburbs and seeing something more of the city than the central tourist areas. I was staying in a 6-storey apartment overlooking a canal and I loved watching hundreds of gulls circle above the water outside my window and the lights coming on at dusk in the apartments and canalboats. Living in a canalboat must be very different from living in a house or apartment. There was a very multicultural population and a huge market on the Saturday where I picked up all sorts of fresh vegetables – okra, green beans, and broad beans. I went for a walk on my first afternoon along a series of waterwa...

Seedy Saturday/ Sunday  Seedy Saturday/Sunday events are always a welcome reminder that spring is on the way. There are two events in Saskatoon this year on Mar. 10 and 18 , but be sure to check out the other events around the province . Pierogi Making with Chef Jenni, Mar. 6  Try your hand at pierogi making on Mar. 6 with Chef Jenni at The Local Kitchen. Middle Eastern Pizza  A visit to Rotterdam’s Markthal was one of my main reasons for visiting Rotterdam . The architecture is interesting, but the market itself is, unfortunately, disappointing. It’s all tourist fixings and quick lunch stands – not a vegetable in sight. I had lunch at a Lebanese restaurant (it had seating unlike most of the others!) and enjoyed the manakish , which the servers described as Middle Eastern pizza. Food Docs  “What the current glut of food documentaries and series proves, in its own backward way, is that the conversation has shifted from celebrity chefdom and heavy...

I was beginning to feel very comfortable housesitting in France and Great Britain, so I decided to stir things up a bit and accepted a 3-day housesit in Amsterdam. The only trick was I had an 8-day gap between housesits, so I added in some holiday days in cities I’ve always wanted to visit. First up was Rotterdam. A port city, Rotterdam was bombed heavily in World War II so there’s lots of exciting modern architecture – and I’m an architecture geek. I stepped out of the train station and was immediately blown away by the size and scale of the surrounding buildings. There’s also lots and lots of public art. Don’t get any mistaken ideas – this is a statue of Santa Claus! I took a boat tour of the port in the morning and was amazed by the size and scale of its activity. Let’s face it – I live in landlocked Saskatoon, where shipments are by truck or train! I’ll try not to bore you with facts, but 300 million tons of goods enter and leave the port every year with 32,000 ...

Clearcut Coffeehouse, Feb. 24  Clearcut Coffeehouse, Martensville, is holding its grand opening from 10 am-2 pm , Feb. 24. Napa vs Paso Robles, Feb. 24  Sample and compare California wines from the Napa Valley and Paso Robles at Co-op Wine Spirits Beer on Feb. 24. SK Leads Canada’s Organic Sector Saskatchewan is a key player in Canada’s organic sector with 29% of all certified organic land in Canada and 824 organic farmers. Food Central Cowork  Edmonton’s Food Central Cowork “is designed for people who have businesses that are within the realm of culinary, but outside of a traditional kitchen or restaurant, be it food producers and manufacturers, food writers, event planners, or non-profit organizers who need to keep costs low.”  When Healthy Eating is Undermined by Poor Health You need healthy teeth to eat healthy food. If you have dementia, meal preparation is a three-times-daily struggle. The same applies to anyone living with long-term illn...

Early spring flowers, sleepy ducks, and reflections along the River Welland in Spalding, Lincolnshire.

A few miles upriver from Appledore is the market town of Bideford . The town was a pleasant surprise and I didn’t have long enough to discover all its treasures. The Torridge River is still tidal in Bideford and the quays are lined with boats both old and new. In the 16th century, Bideford was Britain’s third largest port and there are still signs of its thriving past. The impressive bridge linking Bideford with East the Water (i.e. on the other side of the river) was built in 1535. There are plenty of independent stores in the streets behind the quay selling baked goods, fruit and vegetables, and books. Bideford’s market hall was built in 1884 and is referred to as the Panier Market as the farmers used to bring their produce to market in large wicker baskets. It’s a very pretty building, but it seems to sell primarily crafts rather than food. The Burton at Bideford Art Gallery & Museum was an absolute delight, and I could have spent much lo...