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...

Aging  “Me first, I’m older” was an unexpected perk when they started rolling out the Covid vaccine. Age hopefully brings wisdom, but it also brings aches and pains, grey hair, and age spots so I particularly enjoyed this poem from Home Body by Rupi Kaur .  “give me laugh lines and wrinkles  i want proof of the jokes we shared  engrave the lines into my face like  the roots of a tree that grow deeper  with each passing year  i want sunspots as souvenirs  for the beaches we laid on  i want to look like i was  never afraid to let the world  take me by the hand  and show me what it’s made of  i want to leave this place knowing  i did something with my body  other than trying to  make it look perfect”  Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder “Gardeners in Singapore are dazzled by the dandelion and desperate to get hold of its seed s.”  Monique Martin is exhibiting her hand-made dandelions in Saskatoon. S...

“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....

Local News  I plan to try some of the cleaning products produced by Nikihk , a local Indigenous company that got its start distributing household cleaning kits to First Nations communities to prevent the spread of Covid. They have 7 different cleaning products, 6 of which include scents of plants and herbs which are significant in Plains Cree usage.  The Saskatoon Public Library is offering an archival slideshow on Saskatoon homes from sod houses to boom-time mansions from 4-5 pm, May 6, on Facebook and ongoing on YouTube.  Food  I’m going to give tea-flavoured rice a try. Here’s a recipe for green tea rice with loads of green vegetables .  It’s time to start adding fresh herbs (from Bergamot & Basil ?) to your dishes. Here are 17 ways to use mint – from mint pasta to mint julep as well as a spicy herb and noodle salad and a lemon thyme and leek tart .  Anas Attasi, author of Sumac: Recipes and Stories from Syria , wanted “to show the world a side of ...

Women  In 19th century Great Britain, the artists and scientists were expected to be men. And yet, women found a way to contribute. Margaret Rebecca Dickinson produced a remarkable collection of dried plants and detailed wildflower watercolours that became a valuable addition to a natural history museum’s collection. Do take a look at her work as we wait impatiently for spring flowers in Saskatoon!  Our Bodies, Ourselves was first published 50 years ago. It was influential in the lives of so many women , myself included.  Food Equality  Reinventing Food Banks and Pantries: New Tools to End Hunger by Katie Martin is aimed at people working in food banks who want to improve the system: “ What if our success is measured not simply by the pounds of food we distribute but by the reduction in people who need our services? Or the number of people who are connected to additional services? Or the number of people who make fewer trade-off decisions between paying for foo...

“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  Saskatoon’s Core Neighbourhood Youth Co-op is accepting orders for wooden garden boxes.  Jane’s Walk Saskatoon is organizing virtual and/or self-directed walking tours for Jane’s Walk 2021 on May 1.  Bread   A depression and a dictatorship in Portugal shaped its bread , transforming local grains and loaves to a nutritionless industrialized product. “Just as it is intertwined with Portugal’s political and economic history, bread has also mapped human progress and it survives as we survive. Bread can be as fragile as our own democracies, as Portugal’s grains have proven. I only hope that after years of austerity, the country looks towards a brighter future, full of much better b...

“In Just-spring when the world is mud-luscious the little lame balloonman whistles far and wee and eddieandbill come running from marbles and piracies and it’s spring when the world is puddle-wonderful” – e e cummings   A Taste of Spring  What food symbolizes spring for you? For me, it’s probably fresh, locally-grown spinach (and rhubarb). By winter’s end, I’ve had my fill of root vegetables (I do try to eat local) and am longing for greens. But in other parts of the world, spring may be something else entirely – mangoes in Mexico City , kumquats in Greece , or fresh goat cheese in Provence (Oh, yes, please!). And each of these foods has a history and a story to tell that surely influences its flavour.  Another early spring crop is radishes, but they’ve never been one of my favorites. I’m planning to try the roasted radish lemony chickpea pasta in this set of 12 unusual radish recipes , but I’m not so sure about the cinnamon ice cream topped with radishes.  Creativi...

Food & Wine  This would not go over well in Saskatchewan! The town of Glastonbury in the UK has pledged to go completely vegan by 2023. “While locals will not be compelled to adopt a vegan diet, shops and hospitality in the town will no longer be permitted to sell animal products , so determined carnivores will have to travel elsewhere to purchase meat and dairy. The keeping of livestock within the town will also be prohibited, as will meat barbecues.”  Food is one of the more obvious ways that we connect with our heritage, but it can be difficult for newcomers to find the fruits and vegetables that were available in their home countries. It’s exciting to see newcomer farmers growing and selling foreign food . Leslie Wiser “primarily grows vegetables that come from her Asian and German-Polish Jewish heritage on 1.5 acres in Sebastopol, California. This includes ingredients such as bitter melon, Chinese bald head mustard and Southeast Asian herbs that many of her customer...

Food  “Hot cross buns, hot cross buns, one a penny, two a penny, hot cross buns” Well, they’re not quite that cheap at The Night Oven Bakery , but they are certainly delicious and organic. Night Oven is also selling sour cherry walnut challah on Apr. 2 and 3. If you believe English folklore , you’ll be happy to learn that a hot cross bun baked and served on Good Friday will not spoil or go mouldy for a full year and will protect against shipwreck, fire, and illness.  Herbs  If you’re eager to purchase herb bedding plants, you’ll be glad to learn that Bergamot & Basil will be set up at various locations this spring, including the Saskatoon Farmers’ Market.  History  There were rumours that Dhaka muslin was woven by mermaids, fairies, and ghosts. Or perhaps it was woven underwater. It was all the rage in 18th century Europe, although it inspired alarm as it was so fine it was almost transparent. Dhaka muslin and the plant from which it came disappeared enti...

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...

Local News  Two Saskatoon women have started a new business, Bergamot & Basil , and plan to sell the most interesting variety of herb bedding plants around. The list of herbs they hope to sell is long and exciting (5 kinds of mint, 5 kinds of basil, epazote, huacatay). Lemongrass is already planted and sprouting.  Saskatoon Seedy Saturday has gone virtual with online gardening workshops and presentations from Mar. 20-27.  I’m looking forward to celebrating the spring equinox with a Middle Eastern/North African dinner from Nest Saskatoon . Nest has been supporting refugee settlement in Saskatoon since 1997. Art & Architecture   The pandemic has created a once-in-a lifetime opportunity to reimagine our built environments – if we care enough (and dare enough) to take it [comic]  Travel  This cartoon speaks for itself.  Food   30 brilliant condiments to liven up your meals. I’m not sure how many of these are available in Canada, but I’m s...

Local News  The Saskatoon Heritage Society is hosting an online auction . You have until March 7 to place your bids on items ranging from books and ornaments to heritage items.  Persephone Theatre is hosting an online performance of 1 Hour Photo , “the story of Mas Yamamoto, a man whose life was swept up by the major currents of the 20th century. From growing up in a fishing village on the banks of the Fraser River, to being confined at a Japanese Canadian internment camp during World War II, to helping build the Distant Early Warning Line in the Canadian Arctic during the height of the Cold War.”   Art & Architecture  I love bright colours and am intrigued by innovative architecture, but when is it too much of a good thing? Do we really want a football stadium in the shape of a giant lotus flower ? How much bright paint would you want in your home? I’m not sure I could handle Tamsin Chislett’s home : “She is standing in her kitchen, beneath a canary yellow steel...

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 ...

Local News  The first episode of Jenn Sharp’s Flat Out Food docuseries launches on Feb. 24 on Citytv.  In the Garden  A California teenager has helped install seed libraries in all 50 states .  In the Grocery Store  Alicia Kennedy explains why she only eats natural peanut butter . The addition of palm oil or hydrogenated vegetable oil in standard peanut butter is convenient because it prevents separation and extends shelf life, but it is environmentally unsustainable: “What we take from the planet and don’t give back has consequences, even when we’re talking about something as seemingly trivial, as seemingly classed, as peanut butter. These small choices, these differences of a dollar or two, are meaningful.”  I’m a huge fan of beans as a cheap, sustainable source of protein, so I’m delighted to discover Slow Beans , a group of Slow Food bean farmers who are dedicated to safeguarding legumes as an agricultural priority and increasing their consumption....

“The mind is like an umbrella – it functions best when open.” – Walter Gropius   Local News    There’ll be an old-time outdoor dance at the Saskatoon Farmers’ Market from 12-2 pm , Feb. 13 and 20 .  Longing for bagels and cream cheese? Check out The Bagel Shop at 200 Avenue B South (old location of Little Bird Patisserie). I’ve heard it’s owned by the group that also operates Congress Beerhouse and a few other Saskatoon restaurants. It may be winter, but Our Farm is still providing Saskatoon with fresh, organic greens. You can pick up their microgreens at Dad’s Organic Market or enjoy during a meal at Calories or Citizen Café.  I was so sorry to hear that Collective Coffee ’s last day of business will be Feb. 28, 10 years after they opened in 2011.  It’s winter, we’re in the midst of a pandemic, and there are so many hungry people in Saskatoon. I donate on a regular basis to both the Saskatoon Food Bank and Food Not Bombs Saskatoon . Here are some ot...