This is a little project that Dave and I worked on a few years ago. Dr. Chatman is a UBC professor of music. He wrote Earth Songs in honour of UBC’s Centenary.
Category Archives: Random Musing
Fontaine Sante Hummus: The Best Commercial Hummus on the Planet.
Those of you who know me, know the love affair I have with hummus. Particularly the hummus that my mediterranean friends make over on Commercial Drive . Well, I’ve tasted a new hummus that is rivalling the love I have for my Mediterranean friend’s fresh homemade hummus (which trust me is amazing).
The hummus that has recently captured my interest is mass- produced. I know. Gasp. But it’s true. I first tried it when I was in Ontario visiting this summer. I bought it at Loblaw‘s and Planet Organic. I travelled home with four containers knowing full well they would be gone by the end of the week.
I looked high and low in Vancouver and the only place I found it was Planet Organic way over in Coquitlam. I had to drive all the way from North Van to the bowels of Coquitlam to get my Fontaine Sante Traditional hummus. Sacre Coeur. What makes this hummus so special? Who knows because at the end of the day every hummus is pretty much made of the exact same thing so it’s anyone’s guess why they all turn out so differently. But I have tried and have also made a least a hundred different varieties of hummus and this is without question the best.
It strikes a perfect balance of flavours with a certain piquant I’m not sure what but it’s delicious. This hummus dominates. Due to love of local I’ll always buy from my guy on Commercial but if I come across this anywhere I’ll buy it and I’ll buy lots.
Filed under Random Musing, Recipes
Anthony Bourdain Versus Jonathan Safran Foer on Q: Should we eat meat or not?
Have a listen and join the debate. I am an admirer of Jonathan Safran Foer (somewhat less so of Anthony Bourdain) but they are interviewed here on CBC’s Q by Jian Ghomeshi on the issue of should we, should we not eat meat. I personally think Jonathan takes the argument hands down but that’s just me. Have a listen and let me know what you think.
“Just before Thanksgiving this fall on Q, writer, chef — and vocal critic of vegetarianism — Anthony Bourdain squared off with author — and vegetarian — Jonathan Safran Foer. (You can hear that below.) And now, hot on the heels of holiday roast beasts, it’s your turn. Meat eaters: Were you persuaded by Jonathan Safran Foer’s case against eating animals? Vegetarians: Did Anthony Bourdain influence your thinking?
And share your favourite holiday food traditions and any creative solutions to the vegetarian/meat-eating dinner-table divide!
Filed under Random Musing, Recipes
My Great Reads 2010
I started 2010 out with the ambition of reading 100 books this year. Like all great plans mine was waylaid by the exigencies of life. I did, however, still manage to read some great books.
My top reads this year are:
1. My absolute favourite read this year is Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann – a great literary read that uses an interesting cultural device to tell an expansive and wonderful story.
2. Brief Interviews with Hideous Men – David Foster Wallace – Wow, I found this book to be a breath of fresh air. It’s very literary but it breaks free from the usual storytelling devices and then on top of that it contains some really amazing stories. It’s changed the way I believe people can write about things.
3. The Elegance of the Hedgehog – Muriel Barbery – This is just a wonderful read. Written by a French writer it explores unlikely friendships within the quagmire of the French class system. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll want to read it again.
4. infidel – Ayaan Hirsi Ali – I don’t read very much non-fiction but I thought this offered a glimpse into a world I know very little about. It makes me want to know more about women and Islam.
5. Freedom – Jonathan Franzen – Because he tells a great story that speaks to our times. And he gets bonus points for making me laugh.
6. Loving Frank – Nancy Horan – A great story about Frank Lloyd Wright‘s lover Martha Borthwick. It’s one of those books you can’t put down.
7. Room – Emma Donaghue – Well there’s no question that this is a creepy story about a woman who gives birth to a little boy while she is enslaved in a small room for seven years, but wow does Emma Donoghue ever create a singularly believable voice for young Jack.
8. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Annie Barrows and Mary Ann Shaffer – I’m a sucker for any books on war and this one is a great read. I’m now eager to travel to Guernsey now that I know it exists.
9. Mansfield Park – Jane Austen – I completely immersed myself in Ms. Austen’s world when I was reading this. What a testament to the durability of great literature.
10. Tuesday’s With Morrie by Mitch Album – Because this book helped me understand dying better and that’s something I needed to learn about this year.
I’m starting next year’s list which includes:
Irshad Manji – The Trouble with Islam Today
Sea Sick – The Global Ocean in Crisis
Malcolm Gladwell – Blink and What the Dog Saw
I would love to hear from others any recommendations you might have for fiction or non-fiction that I can put on my ‘must read’ list.
Thanks,
Tess
Filed under Book Reviews, Random Musing
Brief Interviews with Hideous Men: David Foster Wallace Book Review
I’ve been wanting to read David Foster Wallace for a long time and finally read Brief Interviews with Hideous Men. I’m not going to lie. This isn’t an easy read and there were times when I wanted to throw the book across the room. This is no ordinary collection of stories and reviewing David Foster Wallace is intimidating in itself. He has an impressive intellect and a virtuoso command of language. And truthfully, that’s what keeps you going. Just when you think you’ve had enough of his linguistic experimentations or his penchant for pursuing the darkest corners of human nature with mathematical precision, you find yourself picking up the book (from wherever you’ve thrown it) and reading on. Continue reading
Filed under Book Reviews, Random Musing
A woman of a certain age needs purple boots and good wine
I’ve decided that I’m going to start embracing nicer things in life. Maybe it’s part of the overall grieving process but life really is short and it feels good to eat great food, drink good wine and own an outrageous pair of expensive purple boots. I’ve always been a bit of a scrimper and a saver (still am) and I’ve never been averse to partaking in a glass of boxed wine here and there (okay regularly) but I was inspired by the Whole Foods Online Wine Tasting and have decided to expand my wine universe.
For no other reason than the label caught my eye and the description below the wine described it as having a full bodied taste with hints of blackberry and chocolate with a dash of vanilla. $22.95 for Seven Oaks 2008 J. Lohr Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignon. Now that’s expensive for a cheapskate like me. But as part of my new life credo I bit the bullet and brought it home to enjoy along with Diane Clement’s macaroni gratin we made last night.
Now there is no question that I’m a wine rookie. So what did my unseasoned taste buds tell me? Ohmigod. It was exactly as described. Will I drink it again? Absolutely. Next will be Valley of the Moon Syrah. Thanks life for treating me so well.
Filed under Random Musing, Recipes
My first (online)wine tasting with Whole Foods
Well, I’m quite excited. I went with my Whole Foods wine tasting list to my local liquor store to purchase a bottle for the tasting. I’m sticking with red this time around mainly because Dave prefers red to white. Out of the 5 bottles of red selected the only one they had was HeculA Monastrell Bodegas Castano. Most of the wines on the list are in the $20 range so I was thrilled to discover that this one was under $15.00. The lady at the liquor store said this wine was one of the ‘best kept secrets’. I’m very excited. It’s breathing right now and so am I:)
Go to the TweetChat room set up for this event (tweetchat.com/room/wfmwine) to tweet directly. Taste, tweet and follow along with Whole Foods Market wine buyers and other wine enthusiasts at @WFMWine and #WFMWine.@WFMWine and #WFMWine
Filed under Random Musing, Recipes
What a smart idea! Whole Foods First Ever Twitter Wine Tasting
I just read Mashable which listed Whole Foods along with Starbucks (History Channel and a few others as well) as being at the forefront of using social media to create conversation and drive sales. I LOVE this idea….and will be tweeting and tasting!
Whole Foods Market® unwraps its Top 10 Holiday Wines
AUSTIN, TX (Nov. 4, 2010) – ‘Tis the season to stock up on your favorite sparklers, winter whites and ripe reds to take the winter chill off without breaking the holiday budget. Whole Foods Market (NASDAQ: WFMI) has once again scoured the wine world to find some of the best wines for around $20 or less for its Top 10 Holiday Wines program.
Whole Foods Market invites shoppers and wine enthusiasts to taste and tweet some holiday cheer during its first-ever Twitter Tasting on Wednesday, November 17. Starting at 7 p.m. EST, national wine buyers Doug Bell and Geof Ryan will taste six wines from the Top 10 Holiday Wine list, providing tasting notes and insights about the wineries and winemakers. In addition, Whole Foods Market and Snooth.com are partnering to offer a contest to win a VIP trip to California wine country. Continue reading
Filed under Random Musing
Surviving Gluten-Free While Traveling: Karan Smith
Just wanted to pass on this article I found in the Globe and Mail by Karan Smith on traveling gluten-free. Here goes:
Salade niçoise. Steak frites. Pistachio macaroons. There are delicious things you can eat in France, you just have to do your homework and ask a lot of questions, says Janet Dalziel, president of the Canadian Celiac Association.
Sure, you may not be able to devour the classic croque monsieur, says Dalziel, who visited Paris last year, “But look carefully and you may be able to find the traditional crêpes from Normandy that are made with pure buckwheat flour or the socca from the south of France, which is a soft, pizza-like dish made from chickpea flour.” Continue reading
Filed under Random Musing, Recipes
Condofire 