Flavourful Saskatoon, March 4, 2019


Local Happenings 
Planetary Health: Connecting Food, People, and the Planet, Mar. 12 & 13 
This 2-day conference on Mar. 12 & 13 is designed to better understand our role in improving human health outcomes in a manner that is respectful to the Earth's ecosystems and inhabitants. The keynote speaker is Dr. Brent Loken, a contributor to the EAT-Lancet commission on healthy diets from sustainable food systems. Other topics include Indigenous perspectives on health disparities, healthy planet/healthy people, and resilient food systems.

Quality Wines under $19, Mar. 20 
Taste new-to-Saskatchewan, reasonably priced wines with Doug Reichel Wine Marketing at 7 pm, Mar. 20, at Metro Liquor.

Winemaker’s Dinner, Mar. 23 
Enjoy a 5-course dinner and wine pairings at Calories restaurant on Mar. 23 in the company of Dominique Hébrard, Chateau Trianon, St. Émilion Grand Cru.


Springtime Rêveries 
Spring has definitely arrived in southwest France with mimosa blossoms, flowering cherry trees, and fresh local asparagus. It may be a little more distant in Saskatoon, but preparations are underway. Kaleidoscope Vegetable Gardens has already seeded spinach and kale and Chain Reaction Urban Farm is preparing its high tunnel.

If spring makes you think of weddings, Foodcraft by Sarah has you covered with artisan marshmallows as favours or on trays.

What Do You Think? 
Setting up a Squash Growing Co-operative 
“Squashes and pumpkins are great because they're easy to grow, are a low input/ high output crop with very low maintenance and watering, and most importantly because they provide a good winter survival food. Starting a community cooperative to grow the squash just made a lot of sense.”

Reinventing Television Food Shows 
“As I consider the canon of Netflix’s food TV, a few themes come through. For all the talk of reinventing the genre, Netflix’s innovations sit on top of the hardy three formats that go back decades: travelogue, reality competition, instruction. This is not necessarily a bad thing: These formats hold up! It often cleverly remixes two or more of the genres together. They’re warm, sun-kissed, and generally uplifting, without ever stooping to cheap pathos.”


Food at SXSW 
It’s interesting to look at the list of food topics that will be discussed at South by South West next week: gastro diplomacy, revolutionizing food safety with blockchain, vote with your fork, and how to make a more inclusive world using food. Do they or will they represent trends? What impact will they have on the international food system?

Pasta is Popular Again 
There are line-ups out the door and 22-week waiting lists at pasta restaurants in the United Kingdom. What’s the appeal? Is it the price, a craving for the rustic dolce vita, the rise of vegetarianism, or a backlash against clean eating?

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 nature/environmental initiatives and events. 

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