A Foodie's Foray in France
Update
Monday, 28 April 2008
The recent lack of posts can be blamed on a few things.
First, I have had very little free time with work deadlines and house guests. Second, what free time I do have has been split between a rewarding and indulgingly time-consuming email correspondence with a fellow foodie and friend in Barcelona (as I plan to impose myself on his life for a week come Thursday) and a fitness routine that will in no way get me beach-ready by Thursday. Turns out the exercise routine is no match for 11 pm pizza, pints of beer, cheese and other delectable indulgences that I seem unable to live without. Oops.
Otherwise, or rather, overall, life has been good. Friday and Saturday night I had a friend staying with me from Pakistan and we ended up going out dancing with some Canadian and American friends. It was his second time ever in a bar and we had a riot as he taught us dance Pakistani moves and we tried to explain that a techno-remix of Edith Piaf’s “La Vie en Rose” and “Come along and ride on the fantastic slide slide…” song is not really normal dance-club fare… although I suspect it probably is in France.
We also cooked together which proved rather interesting. He had never made tomato sauce and I learnt that in Pakistan they tend to cook pasta noodles well beyond al dente (to mushy consistency). I had a hard time convincing him of the merits of the non-mushy spaghetti.
Sunday turned out to be a beautiful day here in Paris and all the locals shed their ironic smirks and black attire for tank tops and beach blankets that they lay down on any available spot. The park in front of my house was full of young, hip Parisians soaking in the welcome rays. I sat, rather nerdly, on a park bench with my laptop, a report, and SPF 30. I lasted a mere 30 minutes before heading back inside. It was simply too hot.
In the evening, I took a French friend to the We Are Scientists concert. He has taken me to an opera and a contemporary play that attempted a post-modern analysis of the increasing banality of the French family life. I figured an Indy-rock show would round out the mix nicely. Unfortunately, I did not realize when I purchased my ticket online that I had to go to a store to pick it up. I assumed that the confirmation number would allow me to “confirm” my reservation at the venue…. But no. Turns out you must pick up the tickets elsewhere because the venue does not have the technology to support the distribution of online ticket sales (despite the fact that I bought the tickets off their website). The manager of the bar was pretty nice about the whole ordeal but was unable to get me in for the price of one ticket as he (understandably, but somewhat confusingly given that it is 2008) had no way of proving that I had not already picked up my ticket at the ticket store (which, by the way, is closed on Sundays).
I must say that I do not regret paying for two tickets as the show was pretty great. The boys in the band have perfected on-stage charm and their performance was solid. Off to another show on Tuesday that I am looking forward to and then...SPAIN. WOOT WOOT.
Reflections on the need to read things carefully (or … why I should never read and try to respond to personal emails while at work)
Friday, 18 April 2008
Yes, it is true, I am a FaceBook and email addict. I find myself logging in far more often that necessary, in the off chance that someone has written me, updated a status, tagged a photo, poked me… I am quite good about checking these sites quickly and then getting back to work and I (predominantly) use my lunch hour to respond to people. So, often my lunches play out as follows: Pick up a salad at “Sur le Pouce,” (I usually get the Fraicher D’hiver, a delightful mix of endives, beets, walnuts and Gruyere with a balsamic and grainy mustard sauce), saunter back to my desk, write a blog, catch up on food news, undertake necessary FaceBook duties, reply to emails and provide feedback on the various food projects I am still semi-associated with back in Canada.
Needless to say, I have to work fast (especially because I still have no home internet access).
So anyway, a funny misreading of an email this week reminded me of the importance of paying careful attention to what I am reading.
I am heading to Barcelona for the first 2 weeks of May and have been corresponding with a friend because we are planning on undertaking a few hiking adventures and culinary escapades. Anyway, he was explaining what he did for work and mentioned that he was in the process of “growing [insert the name of a crop that can be used in the production of textiles]” which he went on to explain was a specific type of business (one that has absolutely nothing to do with farming). He then stated that he hoped I was not disappointed with his current pursuits. My selective mind neglected to pick up on the industry he mentioned and I assumed he thought I was disappointed that he was farming a non-edible commodity. So, I respond that indeed I am “a HUGE fan of [said crop] for clothes and as an alternative to traditional wood products (floors and furniture), although carpenter friends tell me it is hard to work with.” I continue “we need to dedicate more productive land to growing food but we also need to find sustainable solutions for “everyday” things and from what I understand [said crop] is far more sustainable than cotton or wood harvesting when everything is taken into account (CO2 emissions, labour, nutrients take from the soil, labour, rate of growth and rejuvenation).”
Yeah… hummm…so anyway, upon re-reading the original letter, I realized the only agricultural component of his business is the name, which can (and is, effectively in his case) applicable to other ventures.
I was pretty embarrassed and had to write back and explain my rather strange departure into the world of sustainable fiber production. I am pretty one-track-minded at the moment. Luckily he is a foodie and took my farm-focused rambling with a grain of (organic, kosher, fairly traded) salt.
PS- DAIM is my new favorite chocolate bar (my colleague Mark just gave me a bite of his). It tastes like a Score bar, which reminds me of my dear friend Natalie who I just reconnected with yesterday after a couple of years of distance. La vie est belle and interconnected in funny ways.
You can take the girl away from the coast...
Wednesday, 16 April 2008
Well, not much to report.
The persistent stream of house guests is starting to wear away at me. I had planned a series of “alone” days but these were quickly taken up by friends whose plans to stay elsewhere had fallen though. I feel very lucky to have such great people in my life, and I am happy to share my apartment with people. However, I feel like a few days of tranquility are necessary for me to stay sane and to keep up with my food work.
The revolutionary root veggie opera was wonderful. I adored every minute of it.
Work is wearing away at me. I feel colossally unproductive and recent conversations with old colleagues from home makes me really miss the proactive, people-focused part of my old work life.
Sad……
I am trying to dedicate myself to a serious sports routine and I am really enjoying it. Half way through my 45 minute spinning class last night I realized I was giddy (and I was actually the only person smiling in the entire room). I guess the joy comes from the endorphins but I also spend a lot of time reflecting on how lucky I am that my body lets me be active and how much joy I get from being active.
Is that painfully "west coast"?
Speaking of the coast, I am desperate for some outdoor adventures. Concrete jungling doesn't quite cut it.
FRESH AIR... ahhhhhh
World Food Crisis: Canada needs to step it up
Wednesday, 16 April 2008
Context
Since the 1970s, the cost of agricultural commodities has steadily decreased. This drop can be linked to agriculture subsidy policies forwarded by OCED countries. Now, after years of decline, agriculture community prices (in real terms), are increasing. Indeed, the global costs of food has increased 20% since 2006.
Two factors distinguish the current shift in prices from others. First, the price rallies are expected to last longer. Second, the price increases are affecting all major food and feed commodities.
To put the increase in context, commodity prices (again, in real terms), are comparable to highs experiences during the Asian crisis in the mid 1990s and are lower than 1970 levels.
A shift away from subsidy policies coupled with resource constraints (water) and a slower diffusion of existing and new technologies could restrain the growth of food supplied as world demand continues to increase. In this context, it is unlikely that food commodity prices will drop to the lows of the last two decades.
In low-income countries and those facing food defecate, a rise in food costs presents significant social problems and will undoubtedly negatively impact the balance of payments for these countries.
Developing nations could not compete with subsidized agriculture in OECD countries and consequently, investment in agriculture declined leading to agricultural dependence. As subsidies decrease there is the potential that higher commodity prices could trickledown to the farm level leading to positive impact on food production and rural economies.
A report released in April 2008 by the International Assessment of Agriculture Science and Technology for Development (IAASTD), a group sponsored by the World Bank, FAO and WHO, concludes that food trade liberalization in developing countries can hurt attempts to alleviate poverty and is likely to damage the environment.
Sixty governments, including Brazil, India, China and France, have approved the report. Australia, Canada and the US are to submit their reservations later this week and the UK has yet to offer a response.
Understanding the rising food prices
1. Low levels of world stock
2. Crop failures
3. Rapidly growing demand for grain-based bio-fuel production supported by subsidies
4. Shifts in agriculture policies of OECD countries
5. Strong economic growth in developing countries and expanding world population
6. Agricultural markets are increasingly linked and intertwined with non-agricultural markets (e.g., energy, manufacturing)
7. Climate change and resource constraints (notably water)
Since the 1970s, the cost of agricultural commodities has steadily decreased. This drop can be linked to agriculture subsidy policies forwarded by OCED countries. Now, after years of decline, agriculture community prices (in real terms), are increasing. Indeed, the global costs of food has increased 20% since 2006.
Two factors distinguish the current shift in prices from others. First, the price rallies are expected to last longer. Second, the price increases are affecting all major food and feed commodities.
To put the increase in context, commodity prices (again, in real terms), are comparable to highs experiences during the Asian crisis in the mid 1990s and are lower than 1970 levels.
A shift away from subsidy policies coupled with resource constraints (water) and a slower diffusion of existing and new technologies could restrain the growth of food supplied as world demand continues to increase. In this context, it is unlikely that food commodity prices will drop to the lows of the last two decades.
In low-income countries and those facing food defecate, a rise in food costs presents significant social problems and will undoubtedly negatively impact the balance of payments for these countries.
Developing nations could not compete with subsidized agriculture in OECD countries and consequently, investment in agriculture declined leading to agricultural dependence. As subsidies decrease there is the potential that higher commodity prices could trickledown to the farm level leading to positive impact on food production and rural economies.
A report released in April 2008 by the International Assessment of Agriculture Science and Technology for Development (IAASTD), a group sponsored by the World Bank, FAO and WHO, concludes that food trade liberalization in developing countries can hurt attempts to alleviate poverty and is likely to damage the environment.
Sixty governments, including Brazil, India, China and France, have approved the report. Australia, Canada and the US are to submit their reservations later this week and the UK has yet to offer a response.
Understanding the rising food prices
1. Low levels of world stock
2. Crop failures
3. Rapidly growing demand for grain-based bio-fuel production supported by subsidies
4. Shifts in agriculture policies of OECD countries
5. Strong economic growth in developing countries and expanding world population
6. Agricultural markets are increasingly linked and intertwined with non-agricultural markets (e.g., energy, manufacturing)
7. Climate change and resource constraints (notably water)
Root veggie meets opera
Tuesday, 8 April 2008
Funny how I am so completely enamored by this city, and this country, yet I remain nostalgic for all things “Canadiana” : CBC, pancakes, CanLit and Canadian bands.
This weekend we made sushi and drank mojitos served in a salad bowl. I cheaped out on soda water and as a result our first batch tasted as though we had dumped baking soda into the mix. At one point we considered experimenting with vinegar and creating “Volcanic Mojitos.” We later decided that was probably a bad idea.
It is next to impossible to find ice in this town and freezers are too small to store ice. Turns out can can call a place and have ice delivered. We thought of putting in a request at the fish market but just like volcanic mojitos, we quickly decided against it: fishy mojito may have been worse than sodium-bicarbonate ones.
We danced until the lights were turned on, and then kept on going. We meandered home, made our way up the 4 (but really 5) flights of stairs, taking care to make as little noise as possible in the noisiest way- SHHHHHHH. Some stayed up, slouched in chairs until the 5h30 metro opening, but the rest found spaces to sleep. After a short and restless two hours, we collectively set about making a breakfast of hash browns, mushrooms and pancakes. It was delicious.
Tonight I am off to see an opera by Jaques Offenbach, 19th century French composer and an originator of the “operetta.” The opera is “Le Roi Carotte.” At first I was dubious but I think the fact someone was able to find an activity that combines my interest in food and politics/revolution with my love of opera can only be a good sign.
In this opera:
The main character, the disolute monarch Frivolinus, stands for Emperor Napoleon III. He is deposed and succeeded by a carrot-become-human and its plebeian followers beet-root. Here the roots (radix) are symbols for radicals (haha.. loving it?). The exiled prince travels through space and time, visits Pompeii before it was destroyed by the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius, and learns from the ants the meaning of hard work. Meanwhile Carrot's regime has proven to be worse than his predecessor's. After another revolution, the prince regains his throne and Carrot and his vegetables are swallowed by the earth.
Review to follow.
This weekend we made sushi and drank mojitos served in a salad bowl. I cheaped out on soda water and as a result our first batch tasted as though we had dumped baking soda into the mix. At one point we considered experimenting with vinegar and creating “Volcanic Mojitos.” We later decided that was probably a bad idea.
It is next to impossible to find ice in this town and freezers are too small to store ice. Turns out can can call a place and have ice delivered. We thought of putting in a request at the fish market but just like volcanic mojitos, we quickly decided against it: fishy mojito may have been worse than sodium-bicarbonate ones.
We danced until the lights were turned on, and then kept on going. We meandered home, made our way up the 4 (but really 5) flights of stairs, taking care to make as little noise as possible in the noisiest way- SHHHHHHH. Some stayed up, slouched in chairs until the 5h30 metro opening, but the rest found spaces to sleep. After a short and restless two hours, we collectively set about making a breakfast of hash browns, mushrooms and pancakes. It was delicious.
Tonight I am off to see an opera by Jaques Offenbach, 19th century French composer and an originator of the “operetta.” The opera is “Le Roi Carotte.” At first I was dubious but I think the fact someone was able to find an activity that combines my interest in food and politics/revolution with my love of opera can only be a good sign.
In this opera:
The main character, the disolute monarch Frivolinus, stands for Emperor Napoleon III. He is deposed and succeeded by a carrot-become-human and its plebeian followers beet-root. Here the roots (radix) are symbols for radicals (haha.. loving it?). The exiled prince travels through space and time, visits Pompeii before it was destroyed by the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius, and learns from the ants the meaning of hard work. Meanwhile Carrot's regime has proven to be worse than his predecessor's. After another revolution, the prince regains his throne and Carrot and his vegetables are swallowed by the earth.
Review to follow.
The PCE (Parisian cliché-effect). Or, Why I love Paris
Friday, 4 April 2008
Why does everything that happen here feel so undeniably cliché?
Cliché:
Ahh, gay Paris… Potentially lovely moments become so quickly cheapened by the PCE (Parisian cliché-effect).
And undoubtedly, at some level (albeit, not a very deep one), experiences seem so much more intense or, perhaps, just more lovely given the history of the city, the energy, the ambience, the… je ne sais quoi…
Cliché:
| 1. | a trite, stereotyped expression; a sentence or phrase, usually expressing a popular or common thought or idea, that has lost originality, ingenuity, and impact by long overuse, as sadder but wiser, or strong as an ox. |
| 2. | (in art, literature, drama, etc.) a trite or hackneyed plot, character development, use of color, musical expression, etc. |
| 3. | anything that has become trite or commonplace through overuse. |
Ahh, gay Paris… Potentially lovely moments become so quickly cheapened by the PCE (Parisian cliché-effect).
· Romantic first kiss distracted by the Eiffel tower or Notre Dame
· Lining up for bread seems played out (by the way, bread is one of the few things the French will actually line up for)
· Wine consumed a dusk on a terrace with girlfriends makes you feel touristy
And undoubtedly, at some level (albeit, not a very deep one), experiences seem so much more intense or, perhaps, just more lovely given the history of the city, the energy, the ambience, the… je ne sais quoi…
Yet another reason to eat local? or is it?
Thursday, 3 April 2008
Soya is present in an estimated 60% of processed foods. I tend to stay clear of such foods but in a never ending quest for a nutritionally sound diet, I do fall back on soya for protein (especially edamame and miso (yum)). But, just like all things I love (think coffee and chocolate), the industrial farming of soya is having devastating impacts for people and communities.American soil scientist Dr. Andrew McClung, who first showed that the ecologically biodiverse savannah of the Cerrado region of Brazil could grow profitable soybeans, was awarded the 2006 World Food Prize in 2006. Interestingly, Environmental groups, such as Greenpeace and the WWF, have suggested that soybean cultivation in Brazil, has destroyed huge areas of Amazon rainforest and is encouraging further deforestation.
Just south, Argentina is struggling with similar realities.
A recent article in EarthTimes illuminates that soy farming in Argentina provided economic security and development potentials:
The changes to the main street in an Argentine village on the humid Pampa is astounding. The number of shops has tripled, people consume like they rarely did in the past, and there is a constant flow of sports utility vehicles and new cars.
"Soya!" people cheer in explanation.
The runway at the little village airstrip had never been so well- marked. A dense spread of intensely green crops reaches almost up to its hangar. Every free square metre is put to use, including the sides of roads.
"Soya!" people say.
Ploughs march pitilessly on the jungle of the Yungas in the north-western Argentine province of Salta. They churn under everything in their path.
"Soya," the answer now comes with a tone of regret.
Within a few years, soya has become Argentina's star crop to the point that it has taken over half the country's cultivable land, about 16.6 million of the 30.4 million hectares devoted to agriculture in the South American country and made Argentina the world's third-largest producer of soya after the United States and Brazil.
Close to 95 per cent of Argentina's crop is exported. The plant has become one of Argentina's main sources of foreign currency and a cross-border phenomenon - as well as the basis of an economic, social and ecological debate.
All this gets to us to an interesting question that demands serious reflection: At what point do we engage in local food politics? Ok, it’s a bit of a leap, but bare with me. There is no doubt that our industrial food system does not feed people, as originally promised. The quality of food has decreased. Autonomy and sovereignty over food and mode of production has decreased, leaving a small number of people in charge of/ responsible for our lives. Yet the reality is, our food policies have radically shifted national and local economies and consequently communities and bailing on these economic relations when the going gets tough seems equally irresponsible.
I was asked this question at my thesis defense and I was unable to provide an answer- of rather, there is no (simple) answer. For example, Kenyan farmers depend on organic exports but I personally have trouble valuing the organic-ness of a crop that is flown halfway around the world, that takes valuable water-resources away from areas that struggle against drought, that take arable land to develop export markets that have little trickledown effect for local people and leave less and less land for local food production, thus creating an import-dependency. But, undeniably, Kenyans, in the immediate, are experiencing some economic gains from the export of such commodities.So do you forget food miles, do you forget the Kenyans, do you try and find a happy medium? (Obviously, the answer involves radical shifts in the economic order and in food consumption patterns and more people out growing food in more sustainable ways….right…).
None of this is new, indeed these debates have been going on for ages now but there are no simple solutions and they require constant reflection and consideration.
Zimbabwe: Hopes for a Move "From Opposition to Proposition" (allAfrica.com)
Thursday, 3 April 2008
Trying my best to keep up with what is happening in Zimbabwe.
For an interesting, often crass and humorous take on Zimbabwe politics, check out “robmugabe”’s profile on Twitter CLICK HERE. (For those of you out of the loop on the Twitter-thing, it is an online “service for friends, family, and co–workers to communicate and stay connected through the exchange of quick, frequent answers to one simple question: What are you doing?”)
From allAfrica.com:
A leading commentator in Zimbabwe has sounded a note of caution after the country passed a political milestone that saw the opposition win control of the lower house of parliament in weekend elections.
This marks the first instance in which parliamentary power has passed to the opposition since Zimbabwe gained independence in 1980, and the question now is whether the presidency will follow suit.
Results announced in a trickle by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) over the past three days show that the larger faction of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), led by former unionist Morgan Tsvangirai, won 99 seats in the 210-seat lower house, while a splinter group of the movement gained 10; the Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF), the former ruling party, won 97 seats. An additional seat was captured by an independent, leaving three seats still to be contested.
From The Economist:
WHATEVER the final outcome of Zimbabwe’s curious general elections at the weekend—and it remains possible, despite indications of a big win for the opposition, that President Robert Mugabe will refuse to relinquish power—it has produced some significant changes. Even before the voting took place on Saturday March 29th Mr Mugabe must have felt less comfortable in State House than at any time before in his 28 years in office. An old ally from the ruling ZANU-PF party, Simba Makoni, had defected to run as an opposition candidate. New election arrangements, established under pressure from neighbouring South Africa, had allowed the main opposition party, the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), to campaign more freely in rural areas that were long dominated by Mr Mugabe’s party. In addition polling stations were told to post results in public once counting in each constituency was complete.
Trust in instrincts 2.0
Thursday, 3 April 2008
To continue with yesterday’s reflection: I also find it strange that the qualities that I initially find annoying, frustrating and unappealing often evolve into characteristics that attract me to the individual in the end. Humph
Rue Volta
Wednesday, 2 April 2008
Last night I drank Guinness out of tiny glasses with colleagues before tackling a selection of MSG-ladden delights, in a road named after the man who invented the battery.
I waited for my dinner companion at Place de la République, while others waited in soup lines. Plactic bowls warmed the cold hands of the Parisian poor. They ate the watery offering, standing in the steet. Most ate alone. This stands in stark contrast to French eating norms which dictate communality and togetherness at meal time. That said, very few of the people were French.