Flavourful Saskatoon, November 23, 2020
“When the world turns upside down, the best thing to do is turn right along with it.” (Mary Poppins)
Local News
I enjoyed vegan spring rolls, tomato pad thai, and chocolate tart from the Odd Couple restaurant on Saturday. I’m so grateful that they offer a delivery service. They’ll be offering a vegan set dinner for two inspired by Hong Kong street food in December (omnivore version is already available).
In the Kitchen
“The ancient Greek author Herodotus told his readers that cinnamon was brought to Arabia by large birds who used it to build nests high in the mountains. To harvest it, he explained, people tricked the birds into flying large joints of oxen into their nests, which broke under the weight of the meat.” A silly story, but Europeans had no idea where cinnamon came from and put enormous effort into searching for it in South America.
In the Garden
Four Indigenous women explain why they think it’s important to save seeds: “We need to take those seeds back into our own hands and grow them and make them more resilient to where they’re being grown.”
In Syria, the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas has gone to great lengths to continue to preserve and share seeds, including unique varieties of chickpeas, lentils, and alfalfa.
“A growing movement of gardeners, food activists, landscape designers, urban planners and others is encouraging us to think edible when it comes to public green space. Flowers are pretty, they say, but if those blossoms become apples or zucchini, isn’t that even better?”
Food for Thought
Businesses are being forced to find creative ways to continue operating during Covid. It’s really tough and I have a tremendous amount of respect for those that are trying to protect their staff and customers while still making enough money to stay in business. However, I’m not sorry to see Noma switching from serving elaborate 18-course dinners costing over $500 to a handful of people to selling burgers at a reasonable price to thousands of people. They will continue to employ the same quality ingredients and high standards.
Daydreams
I posted a review last week of The Unfinished Palazzo: Life, Love and Art in Venice by Judith Mackrell. It’s the story of three women who lived their lives with passion and intensity.
I enjoyed a walking tour of Rue Daguerre this week on France with Vero – an excellent escape from Covid and winter – I salivated over the fromagerie windows! There are lots of other videos, mostly in Paris but some in the other regions.
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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