Cooking With Ideas

Ottawa Dining

Ottawa is a delightful city, around 950,000 people, filled with lovely neighborhoods and more. I am spoiiled because I get to go there. The canal is delightful -- and for the first time I was there for tulip festival. The above is sort of an iconic Ottawa tulip festival picture, connected to the history of the tulip festival which is connected to the presence of the royalty of the netherlands in Canada during WWII and the fact that one of the royalty was born in Ottawa as a result. (Thanks to this site for the picture.) The brief walk we took among the tulips was itself worth the trip. The beds were huge and hte colors amazing. And, during the few days we were in Ottawa, we dined well.

First: We dined at Murray Street Charcuterie and Kitchen. This is one of our favorite places. At first, we risked really serious disappointment as the poutine is not gluten free. Hence, no poutine. But, we both ordered the duck confit. And, it was simply the best duck I have ever had in a restaurant and possibly ever. The confit was boneless, succulent, and the lentils it came with were so good I considered ordering a second whole meal. I knew I liked the place -- but wow. This was as amazing as the first time, when I had poutine for the first time -- and duck poutine at that. We had some nice cheeses for dessert -- and we left very very happy. I have reviewed Murray Street before (see here) but wanted to mention it again because this meal was also absolutely wonderful. (I am still touched that they include my earlier review on their website.) We sat at the bar -- and were very happy. This particular restaurant is not a place for vegetarians (of course) as it features meats and cheeses and the like - but, if you want protein in a meaty form -- and you want to smile a lot, this is the place for you. Also: their food is entirely Canadian -- and they have the mst humorous array of pig kitsch I have seen in ages.

Murray Street is, surprisingly (she said smiling) on Murray Street which is a burgeoning set of dandy little dining places. Here's what urbanspoon has to say:

Where else did we eat? Well, in our wanders we went to a place we had not been to before, Taylor's. And, again, we loved it. This was for lunch. Taylor's is a small-ish place, on Bank Street, and has a wonderful ambience. The food is also good -- really good. Perhaps most terrific was a gluten free dessert which we shared -- involving quinoa and an espresso marchmallow. Also equally wonderful was the daily soup. Not to mention the wine.   (is this where I had the tomato salad? Yes, it was. And it was delightful.)

Here's urbanspoon's view(s):

Somewhat thereafter we headed to Domus, one of our regular haunts. (For prior commentary on our delight at dining there, click here.) Wherever we dine, the soup to compare soups to is the soup at Domus. They are terrific. Invariably, they are silky smooth, and unexpectedly complex in their flavor profile. This time, we were amazed for a different reason-- and felt very silly for not having figured this out What? That Taylor's is a sister restaurant to Domus. Why should it have been obvious? The chef at Domus (and now we knew the reason for the name for our lunch spot) is John Taylor. Has always been John Taylor. So, not surprisingly, in addition to a dandy meal, we were able to get a . . . gluten free dessert. In this case, the cake was more or less the same, but the accoutrements were different. Dandy.  What else did i have? Toasted israeli couscous with rabbit confit as a starter and old fashioned chicken balloutine (wrapped in bacon) for my main treat. Both were wonderful. And neither is something I could ever imagine successfully making at home, one of my chief criteria for ordering in restaurants. Though some day I may try making a balloutine. I love that word.

Here's urbanspoon on Domus --

We also ate Thai. The place? Khao Thai. And yes, it is on Murray Street, almost directly across from the site of the amazing duck confit. It was actually poor planning that led us to this restaurant as we did not make reservations for our second visit to Murray Street and, of course, it was packed. So, off we went for Thai, having once been told it was a good restaurant. We ordered green papaya salad  and a green curry, along with some jasmine rice. I was on gingerale to drink. Hmmm. Anyway, the papaya salad was nothing to write home about; in fact, it verged on being bland. It definitely needed some heat and some fish sauce. Having said that, the green curry was actually sublte, well heated, and tasty. The ambience was ok; one thing I liked as a photograph of a huge buddha's hand, with a monk before it. And, the bathroom actually had a lovely set of flowers in it. (Perhaps most oddly, for Ottawa, where all bathrooms seem to be underground and far away, this one was neither!)

Here's urbanspoon:

And, finally, we ate at Urban Pear. We had seen it before, when visiting one of our other favorite Ottawa insitutions, Octopus Books. It is a totally great poltically oriented independent bookstore. Anyway, kind of across through the parking lot is a place called Urban Pear, which we have always been curious about. And, I have to admit it: I like the name. Anyway, despite being discouraged a bit by the bookstore folks, we headed off and had a dandy lunch there. We both ordered a porchetta sandwich, though one (due to the need to avoid gluten) came instead atop some "candied" red cabbage. Mmmmm. Not to mention a few cosmos on my part. Also, we had a lovely dessert which was a kind of take on lemon meringue pie -- the shortbread cookie went to me, and the lemon and meringue got shared. Quite lovely.

Also: the service was really friendly. Our waiter told us at some length about a place in Ottawa to obtain freshly made gluten free bread. We did not get there, but still, it was nice.

 Here's urbanspoon on urban pear:

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 And, here's a toast to Ottawa. Where the ramps and fiddleheads were in season, and the visit was wonderful.

Chiang Rai -- Cochrane Alberta

Cochrane is nearish to Calgary, Alberta and has one of the best Thai restaurants I have ever been to. Yep, Cochrane.  Located in a small strip like mall, Chiang Rai smells delightful when you enter and everything thereafter makes the place seem even better. We ate lunch there in late December, and were so pleased we've joined others in recommending the restaurant.

What did we have? We ordered papaya salad, pad thai and green curry with chicken. And each one of them was wonderfl in a different way.

Beginning with the papaya salad: one of my co-diners loves papaya salad and has been to Thailand. To quote her: "this is the best I have had outside of Thailand." And, she tries papaya salad nearly everywhere. It was tangy, and hot, and fresh tasting. In my view, it was the first time the tomatoes on papaya salad were not flacid, unripe, yucky things one skipped over but fully ripe, intergrated into the salad.

The pad thai was also delightful -- the sauce was dark and also quite distinct. Unlike some versions I have had, each noodle was separate -- rather than glommy gunky. It came with chicken, shrimp, egg and tofu, of course. It made me think of tamarind. And it made me smile.

Finally, the greeen curry -- wowzers. Thi sis what pushed it over the edge for me. The sauce was complex and green (yep, green curry) and there was just the rioght balance of meat and veggies. It may have been the best green curry I have ever had. And one of the three co-diners said: I wanna lick that plate. MMMMMMMM.

Price? Quite reasonable Three people, three dishes, about $35 canadian plus tip.

So: Chaing Rai. Try it. Here's what urban spoon has to say:

 

 

 

I'LL EAT MY HAT IN MEDICINE HAT - OR NOT

I have some favorites in Medicine Hat (thanks to wira.us for the picture of Medicine Hat's teepee) -- Thai Orchid where I had green vegetable curry, chicken satay, and pad thai (and here's their menu), Earl's which is a great place for dry ribs and martinis, Zucchini Blossom, Tim Horton's (I swear the coffee is better there, and this time I got addicted to the breakfast sandwich -- especially on an English muffin -- though what makes those darn things English I will never know). And Bee Natural on Dunmore Road which also sells honey and organic thises and thats, though I only had a coffee on my visit there. And yes, I did have a teen burger at A&W. But this time, I branched out too. Here are a few new places both worth a visit for lunch:

Cafe Caprice: This home grown place was recommended by a nurse in Medicine Hat and is just that -- a mostly lunch place, with an emphasis on home cooking, including their Thursday German days, with Borscht always and other treats most weeks. Not being there on a Thursday, we had chili, which was perfectly Medicine Hat (although as an Easterner I found it a bit bland and a bit meaty; on the other hand, I ate it very quickly and enjoyed it!). It came with nice cheesy toast, which I always like. They serve a very nice kuchen as well, made with farmer's cheese and apples. Mmmm. So good that a piece went along with us when we left. Plus, they were incredibly nice and the service was pleasant without being intrusive. All worth supporting, plus it is a woman owned business. Apparently hopping at lunch time -- more so than almost any place I have been in Medicine Hat.

Here's their menu! And their address? Right here:

501A 4th Avenue S.E. Medicine Hat
AB Canada
Phone: 403-526-8767

Prickly Pear Cafe: Located at 519 2 St SE Medicine Hat (403-580-5883), I have walked by (or driven by) the Prickly Pear a lot. And we finally tried it -- and liked it! I had a bowl of mac and cheese, one of my favorites, and have to say that it was terrific. The place has a bunch orf pre-prepared items in the front, from which one chooses, and then I suppose they get micro-waved? Anyway, this was cheesy in a very good way. The iced latte I ordered was milkier and a bit more blended than I prefer, not to mention that I forgot to say "no whipped cream" -- but on the other hand, the whipped cream was real and the coffee eventually tasty once I got it past my eyes. They also serve soups. We also noticed that they host music often -- and on some of those nights they do a dinner as well, though they are mainly a lunch place. Above the restaurant is a small gallery called the Sandfly Gallery and Gifts, with artwork by people from the area. 

In both places, the ambiance is friendly and open, and home-y. Just what I needed. And both will be places we will visit again. You should try them!

For other places to eat in Medicine Hat as well as a review of Thai Orchid, check this out. On Tim Horton's try here. And on others, including Earls, try here. All these are, actually, from Cooking with Ideas!

And, if you are interested in the Hat, try out this Medicine Hat blog. Or this discussion board of Medicine Hat eats at Chow Hound. Here's urbanspoon on Medicine Hat.There are more places to eat in Medicine Hat than meet the eye!

A Totally Great Whim

Some time ago, my main inspiration read a piece in the Globe and Mail about an event then upcoming at the Ancaster Old Mill Inn in, you guessed it, Ancaster (in Ontario). Never heard of it at the time.  Now I have and I am terrifically glad. (And no, there is not an inn involved.) On a whim, on our way from the Toronto Airport to Niagara on the Lake for a bit of the Shaw Festival, we dropped by the Inn for the launch of a cookbook written by their chef, Jeff Crump, and their Pastry Chef, Bettina Schormann. The best whim in years -- the food was great, the music swell and the cookbook (signed by both) has lovely possibilities. (And end paper send ups from the likes of Michael Pollan and Deborah Madison seem sincere rather than the usual industry folderol. [if forced to choose who I would be in an elevator with between these two, it is definitely Madison. Less polemic and equally if not more influential].) The event was a blast -- mainly people who lived right there in Ancaster, friends and family and loyal diners at the Ancaster Old Mill Inn, all eager to tell us how long they had known Jeff and Bettina not to mention the wonders of the food. And the two co-authors were endearing in the ways they revealed themselves to be moved by the event. Nice to see foodie kindness and fun not pretention.

Let's see, what did we have? First, of course, I had a watermelon martini, which involved pouring vodka through a watermelon. Pretty darn tasty ad a tad dangerous. And there was Inniskillin white wine. But, more importantly, there were several places to get food: (a) a vegetable display with "edible dirt" (and yes it looked like dirt) with absolutely beautiful vegetables (small beets, turnips, vari-colored carrots); (b) a from the sea sort of table ranging from oysters to a ceviche and salt baked artic char; (c) a meat table which had lovely ham (though my piece was a tad fatty), braised brisket, duck, sausage and more. (Oh, the smell of that meat cooking.) At each table there were some delightful sauces too -- including a very nice horse radish one that simply sang. All this does not even get us to the desserts -- which included profiteroles and homemade ice cream (surrounded by clouds of -- well, not smoke, the fog of dry ice melting). I think there was a cherry and a peach (with bourbon if I recall correctly). MMM. Not to mention one of the best brownie-like things I have had in years.

The coffee was ok. The food was wonderful. And, the event itself was a blast, as I said. The ambience too was appealing. The Inn is built (okay, this seems obvious as I start to write it, but trust me, it was lovely) over the running water that used to work the mill (and perhaps still does?). The appearance - and sound -- were just right, as was the somewhat rustic sense to the place. (And this despite the more suburban feeling crowded sense that has grown up around the mill.) Very nice.

The cookbook launched that night is entitled Earth to Table: Seasonal Recipes from an Organic Farm. Given this, of course, the event involved some hurrahing for the farmers involved too, the folks of ManoRun Farm. Though Crump and Schormann tried, they could not be persuaded to say anything though they were definitely present (and appear in the book in fine form). The book itself is beautiful and has a recipe for duck confit that does not involve duck fat. I have been threatening to make duck confit for nigh on a decade. Hmmm. Might this be the moment? Crump is a founder (I think) of Slow Food Canada. 

Here's the Earth to Table site. And for some reviews of the cookbook, check here or here or. . . here. (The first one is one of my new favorites in the contest for most fun food blog name, a context that wil never end since every time I get on line there are ore food sites with more entertaining names.) Wanna Youtube 'em? Try here. And hey, Ruth Reichl likes the cookbook -- in fact, she was instrumental in ensuring it got published. So, hey, check it out. 

I can't review the restaurant - but if the food at this event was even half as good -- well, it will be a great place to have dinner when we return. Meanwhile, here's what urbanspoon thinks:

MEAT: A Love Story

(Thanks to find.myrecipes.com for the lovely grilling picture!) Susan Bourette wrote this nonfiction romance (hmmm) about meat, which I received a while ago from my main inspiration for blogging (as a gift). A good read, this is actually more negative about a lot of things than a) its title implies and b) much of the nonfiction memoir-ish stuff that's out there. And this despite the cover also reading as follows: "Pasture to Plate, A Search for the Perfect Meal." I like the negative tone of this book. The author seemed not to be fooled and/or sucked in - whether by the evil meat packing industry of Manitoba where she began her journal (as a journalist pretending to need a job who tries working there for a very very brief period) or even at famous foodie joints like Blue HIll Farm. She journeys to a whale hunt (and fails to eat blubber), to a Greenwich village butcher where (surprise) she is not very good at butchering, a Canadian (quite testosterone poisoned) moose hunt, and to a Texas ranch. For a Canadian (who formerly wrote for the Globe and Mail), there's an awful lot of US here. And I say that as an American. . . . There is some utter stupidity here as well. For example, why oh why, if you were working on a book like this, would you wear a too-small pair of borrowed boots (your brother's?) when on one of these jaunts?  Like readers were surprised your feet hurt. Every once in a while something like this intrudes -- and makes you wonder. Otherwise this is pretty interesting and reasonably well written.  Not Apples to Oysters, but pretty good. And, frankly, she is not a vegetarian, though she wants to be on and off, especially after her brief employment by the meat packing industry. (By the way, Bourette does note that while the ambience was distinctly less sophisticated, the lack of sincerity in persuading new employees of the wonders of corporations was not that different than other places she has worked. Hmmm.) Despite this similarity (with which I concur), Maple Leaf went way down in my already pretty darn low estimation (as did all meat packing factories)after reading the relevant chapters.

A few bits to think about:

(1) Is meaty-ness linked to religiousness? Here's what Bourette writes: "Meat has always had mystical, even magical. elements, circumscribed by the laws of man and the divine. How else, then, explain the close association between priests and butchers -- the need for a priestly presence in the slaughterhouse?" (p. 44). (In this regard -- and on the same page -- she sides with Levi Strauss against more recent Catching Fire author, Richard Wrangham, reviewed here.)In this regard, BOurette's discussion of Inupiat whale hunting and blubber eating also raises issues of cosmology -- especially regarding reciprocity and respect, citing Charles Wohlforth, author of The Whale and the Supercomputer. There's some pretty darn funny stuff about Laura Bush on the same pages. . . (See Bourette, p. 82 and thereafter.) On Mennonites and Amish hunters in Texas, see page 130. Who knew? Somehow I thought they might not travel to Texas to hunt. But. . . And if you want to be reminded that religion is everywhere, see Bourette's citation of Joel Salatin's self description as a "Christian-conservative-libertarian-environemntalist-lunatic" on page 162. Religion everywhere.

(2) Yes, gender matters. Thus, for example, she notes that women's roles in the whale hunt are key (citing here anthropologist Barbara Bodenhorn as well as the men and women with whom she lives briefly while concocting this book. (see p. 91 or so). It's possible this matters to her early employment at Maple Leaf too, though one of the best equipped for the job, she does note, is a young woman (earning money to support her pursuit of a Ph.D.) whose background includes gutting bears on her family's hunting trips.

(3) Has food always been global? Well, maybe not. But who knew that the cowboy and related myths I held dear about the slaughter of the bison had so much to do with England's lusty desire for beef. (See pages 110 and following.) Maybe you knew. I did not!

(4) Does everything relate to k.d. lang? Yes. (and thus, maybe everything related to LGBT issues as well. . . ) since Bourette's discussion of Lang's vegetarianism appears in some detail here.As a side note, everything also has to do with kids; the famous Dr. Spock was also a vegetarian. (See pp. 116-117.)

Yes, this is a book about "carnivore chic," and "meat is the new black." But hey, it is so much more.

For an interview with Susan B., try here. For a totally unrelated article she did for the Globe and Mail, try here.

What Have You Been Reading Lately?

So, watch right here for reviews of a whole raft of books I have read lately. And thanks to etc.usf.edu for the picture of, yes, you got it, a raft, though not a raft of books. Here are some books for which reviews are coming up in the next little while:

Anthony Bidulka's Amuse Bouche (and yes, there is a bit of food and murder in this, subtitled A Russell Quant Mystery). It is the first in a series and set in Saskatoon (above the 49th).

Nicole Mones' The Last Chinese Chef, which is not at all a mystery but definitely a novel and definitely foodie oriented

Catching Fire by Richard Wrangham --the only non-fiction entry in this list -- which includes a full blown explanation for the origin of gender-based division of labor (and  he definitely does not does not agree with Claude Levi-Strauss). For a list of things by Wrangham, try here -- and for a Q and A with him, here. Yes, the latter is from Scientific American. And, unrelatedly, totally unrelatedly, it seems Levi-Strauss, according to the web, is alive. At 100. Hmmmm.

Places I Have Eaten Lately

I was above the 49th recently for a variety of reasons and, yes, I ate. (Above the 49th, you ask? That means: I was in Canada. Thans, by the way, to mapsofworld.com for the picture!) Anyway, I wandered through the Byward Market in Ottawa and purchased some lovely terrines (rabbit with hazelnut -- or was it pistachios?) as well as quail and pork with pear) and cheeses. Yep, cheeses from an international cheese place (as well as from a small place in the Gatineau). I also bought mustard and cornichons, crackers and. . . But I also ate in restaurants both in Ottawa and Montreal.  Here are a few comments on some of them:

Domus -- this trip, we almost did not make it to Domus, one of our regular spots, because we were having so many nice adventures in eating and in visiting Ottawa. We were off our usual routine. But, then, at almost the last minute, we decided to stop at Domus for lunch. I was hoping, I confess, for asparagus soup or ramp soup, but the soup of the day was a tomato concoction, something which I never really want to order. So, no soup this time, but very good lentil dal with chorizo. I had my usual 3 truffles for dessert. (For previous mentions of Domus here at Cooking with Ideas, click here or here.)

Black Cat Bistro -- this is a return of an Ottawa favorite of year's ago, where I had never been. The ambience was great, the food delightful, and the service amazing. Indeed, we had the son of the former owner (and now the returned owner. I had a sort of fancy reese's dessert: chocolate and peanut butter. Mmmm. Before that we had venison carpaccio and my fave: local asparagus salad.

Murray Street -- ok, this is one of our newer faves (and not just because they link to a previous review of their food here at Cooking with Ideas). It was cold and rainy, and there was a private party, which meant the only place to eat was out back. Thank god/dess they had a heater; despite the walk down the alley past the trash, not all together appetizing, the meal was worth it. We had: venison terrine, duck liver mousse, elk sausage; two cheeses; and pork belly in some sort of sauce. The pork belly was absolutely great. The duck liver mousse smooth.

Montreal: On a whim, off we went. (Thanks, by way, to genealogyforum.rootsweb.com for the flag!) The concierge sent us off to a restaurant in Old Montreal called Bonaparte where I had sole Meurniere, plated in a beautiful way and served with very nice vegetables as well as a creme caramel. I had a bit of a taste of the duck confit; I agree -- the best duck confit ever. A quiet and traditional setting, the wine I had was only ok (I went with the wine by the glass suggested by the waiter-- a chardonnay, which is not usually my choice).  For Fodor's reviews, click here or for some other reviews, click here.

SANTE

Sante is a healthy Asian fusion place above street level (yep, the second floor) across from the Rideau Centre and not far from the Chateau Laurier in Ottawa. A visit to the restaurant meant pho for several people and green chicken curry for several others. The pho (aka noodle soup) got very positive reviews from those who ordered it; I did not. I had the green chicken curry, which though plated in a surprising way, was pretty darn good. How was it plated? On a long, narrow, rectangular plate, with snow peas at one end, then (white) rice, then the chicken curry itself, and finally steamed broccoli. A sort of deconstructed curry, perhaps? Despite the plating, or perhaps because of it, the curry was swell. Light, with a bit of heat, and tasty. The pho came with some condiments, one of which was a bright green chili paste -- the owner (I think) assured you this was NOT made from Mexican chilies, but from Vietnamese chilies. (And, he informed us, that was his country.) Yes, the beautiful green condiment was fiercely hot. 

All in all, a lovely lunch, late on a cold day. Not my first pick in Ottawa, but it turned out to be quite good. The ambience is perfectly acceptable, with a bird's eye view of the shoppers on the street below and an equally nice perspective on the architectural details of the surrounding buildings. Plus, the art on the walls was fun. i particularly liked some black and whites of chickens as well as the more or less pervasive paintings of poppies.  Sante is, it turns out, also an art gallery. (For more on the gallery, and the artists exhibiting, click here.) And, it is more. What? A spa. When we reached the top of the stairway on our way into Sante, the aromas were not quite what we expected. It smelled incredibly spa-like -- by which I mean that tantalizing smell of massage and manicure and pedicure and relaxation I associate with such places. (For more on the spa, click here.) What had I expected? The odors of cooking. Yet, when we turned the corner into the restaurant per se, there they were -- the smells of curries, not at all marred by any intrusive spa scents. (How they manage that, I will never know. Air flow?) 

So: Sante. To your health! 

Address: 42 Rideau Street, Ottawa

Phone: 613-241-7113

Oh My God . . . Was That My Last Chance to Eat?

So, Gina Mallet wrote a book entitled Last Chance to Eat and subtitled The Fate of Taste in a Fast Food World. (For her blog, click here. You should go there for a variety of reasons, including her blog of February 10 stating that "local media are reporting" that Gordon Ramsay is opening a restaurant in Toronto. Or go here and read her views of Canadian artists in the National Post. Hmmm.) A 2004 book written by (if not obvious from what you just read) a Toronto-based writer, Last Chance to Eat chronicles in a quasi-memoirish way, the transformation of food and food ways from the author's parents' time to her own (yep, the present). ThingS have, surprisingly, deteriorated. By things, I mean taste -- but also smell, and all the sensory aspects of food. And, also, the cultures of food -- all sorts of aspects of enjoying food and dining on edibles that are, also and only inadvertently, wonderful for the world itself. But really, what do I mean by things?  Eggs. Bries. Tomatoes. Fish -- of various sorts, including the joy of fishing for wild salmon in Scotland. The peculiar Brit phenomenon called the Garden Marrow. More. All the while, taste per se seems to be disappearing. As the author moves through her life, and from site to site, her parents' world, and the worlds of her childhood and youth, drift away. While sometimes unintentional, taste goes as well -- for across her life time, industrial tomatoes and the loss of fisheries are matched by the imposition of new rules based on fear of bacteria, of proven-untrue-but-still believed horrors hidden deep within our food. The bloom of Brie -- bacteria. Dry aged beef? Bacteria. Eggs? Farmed salmon (it's a falsehood that reports said it was bad for us all). All sorts of media hype -- uncorrected once science reveals the falseness of hysteria. War-time rationing gives way to newer fears. And taste disappears. 

Is this my last chance to eat? Maybe, alas, our last chance has passed? Not to eat, perhaps, but to luxuriate in the tastes that Mallet recalls, or her parents knew, or we crave late at night when nostalgia (once a wartime diagnosis of yearning for home) and food mingle in our dreams. 

Apples to Oysters

A while back, I purchased Apples to Oysters: A Food Lover's Tour of Canadian Farms by Margaret Webb. I bought it at a great bookstore I was introduced to by my favorite Canadian, Octopus Books, in Ottawa. And everything I recognized in the book about Canada I know as a result of her. And I am grateful.

The read was wonderful. Not only is it a book about food (of course, I love that), and Canada (I love that), but it is, quite matter-of-factly, a book by a lesbian. (Or at least someone in a same gender partnership.) When did we get so matter of fact, I thought, as I read along about the author and her partner, Nancy? How wonderful. And then I thought: ok, this is one big difference between the US and Canada; they have a clue that this is a human rights issue and so even though they have their fair share of bigots, well, it is just different. Maybe it's catching?

The book is also wonderful for other reasons,including the smooth and articulate writing, and the wealth of juxtapositions. Scallop farming, I have to say, surprised me. Flax -- I knew about its role in bowel regularity and its healthy features, but I did not know that I may know this in part because I am influenced by Albertans who live right next to Saskletchewan where the transformation of flax to a marketable health food is saving some farmers. Canada is, it turns out, the leading producer of flax -- and was once (and apparently not any more) disproportionately constipated. Who knew? I did know PEI (aka Prince Edward Island)  mussels were a big deal, but the oysters (not really my thing), well, hmmm. Famously, it turns out, Colville Bay oysters.  And at they are most famously available at Catch in Calgary? (I have a vague memory of having been there once upon a time,many years ago.) I knew that the mere mention of "Alberta beef" seems to make some people drool, but I did not know how at risk the farmers and ranchers are, and how what the phrase means may be being saved by those who actually grass feed cattle in the southern foothills. I have, indeed, been tempted by the restaurant where Webb finds dandy Alberta beef -- again in Calgary -- River Cafe. I will go there before I die.  I knew that Sasketchewan is cold and Manitoba land locked, but not about pork in the latter or the sudden shout of blue that comes with the brief blooming of enormous flax fields in the former. And I know the taste of ice wine and was pleased for the paragraph about the decision that led to the creation of Henry of Pelham's Catherine Brut Rose (a sparkling wine from the Niagara region). And the cheeses, oh the cheeses. Yes, I have been to the market in Montreal and bought the cheeses. (Not to mention Kensington market in Toronto and . . . )  Descriptions of Yukon gold from the Yukon Territory were a reminder that sometimes a name is more than just an advertising gimick, though marketing is, indeed, key. Yes, I mean Yukon Gold potatoes. And depictions of hte effort to grow food well north of where it strikes me as even reasonable to try were inspiring. 

Just as I learned loads of wonderful things in this book about those who farm (and the author is a product of several generations of Ontario farmers, soon to lose their land and mourning that), I learned an occasional awful thing about industrial agriculture and its human consequences -- or was reminded of awfulnesses I vaguely recognized. Canada, it turns out, ranks well behind the US and Europe in farm support; see pp. 135-136. And there is what the author labels a day that "lives in in some infamy":
"when Environment Canada recorded pesticides raining from the sky across the provincial border [from Saskatchewan, the province Webb is discussing in the chapter in which this quotation appears] in the grain-growing belt, in Lethbridge, Alberta." (p. 144). The book, too, mourns the author's father, a victim of what she now suspects is the result of pesticide use, and was a puzzling dementia so a loss even before his death (after an autopsy, it turnedout to be Parkinson's dementia.) 

So Apples to Oysters is about both hope and loss. Woven through the farming and interviewing and eating and cooking Webb is offering readers a paean to the local, to the manyness and wonder that is Canada, and a serving of hope that the scourge of industrial agriculture will not demolish all that is beautiful and possible. The horrible realities and sadnesses, the backbreaking work of gardening and farming, and the risks, are never avoided or toned down. The book is a tour of the nation -- every province gets its due. And it is filled with recipes which remember the connection of farm to table. While not unduly romantic, the book is definitely about love. 

For most Americans, we know little about the world(s) above the 49th parallel. It is poorly reported here, we fail to learn about it in history classes or current events, and we assume all too often that those worlds are  just like the US -- and forget the complex ways our histories (and presents) are entangled. So, we should read this book. For Canadians, too, this will, I suspect, bring the bittersweetness of new knowledge, both sad and hopeful. Only part of that knowledge, of course, is about the many ways worlds are connected across the dark lines on maps. 

Read Apples to Oysters. Do.

For another review, click here or here or here. Yes, reviews from across the very nation she tours! And yes, skewed just a little bit toward Alberta. . . And the last one has the best quotation of all: Webb is the Stuart Mclean of Canadian food writing."