I was raised in a village in Nova Scotia, called Pointe-de-l'Église. But it's also known as Church Point. You see, I grew up in a french-speaking community, in an anglophone province, hence the two names. The community is called Clare, which is also its municipal designation. It's also known as la Baie Sainte-Marie, or the french shore, which is the name given to the series of french-speaking Acadian villages that dot the shoreline in the area between Digby and Yarmouth.
Is that as clear as mud? Good. I'll just call it home for now.
Participants in the Tintamarre, an Acadian tradition where participants gather together to make as much noise as possible, to remind the rest of the world that Acadians are still here.
Suffice to say, I recently went home to visit my family, participate in the 60th anniversary of the Festival acadien de Clare, which is the oldest Acadian festival in the world. I had the chance to go picking fruit in my parents' orchard, and even go fishing for mackerel. You can see the best bits of the trip over on Steller.
A crab apple tree in my parent's orchard.
But I also went there to do some work for an upcoming project, an audio documentary that will be podcast in the next few months. I can't say much more than that, but stay tuned. I'll keep you posted.
I also had the chance to visit my old alma mater, Université Sainte-Anne, Nova Scotia's only francophone university. It was there that I ran into Sébastien Dol. Sébastien and I were both students at Ste-Anne, and his father was a professor in the science department at the time. When I ran into him, he suggested he take me out to go foraging for mushrooms on the campus, a habit he picked up from his father.
Sébastien Dol spent many a day in the woods as a kid. But he wasn't always playing hide-and-go-seek with other kids. He was usually out with his father, seeking out edible wild mushrooms that grew in the area. In the latest episode of "Assis Toi", Sébastien recounts tales about his father, and how they bonded while foraging for all sorts of local mushrooms.
"Assis Toi" is a radio series that airs on Information Morning and Island Morning on CBC Radio in the Maritimes. It tells stories about the kinds of relationships that people have with food.
For more info on "Assis Toi" and its producer, Simon Thibault, check out:
http://simonthibault.com
http://twitter.com/simonathibault
You can hear more about Sébastien in this episode of Assis Toi, which you can listen to via streaming over at CBC, or you can download the podcast on iTunes.
A few weeks ago, I did an episode of Assis Toithat featured author Lindsay Cameron Wilson talking about cookbooks. It appears that episode may have struck a chord with people, as Lindsay and I were invited to be on Maritime Noon, CBC Radio's noontime call-in show for Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island. The subject: your favorite cookbook.
It was great to hear people tell their stories of their favourite cookbooks: how they came to be in their possession, what they have cooked from them, and so much more. What struck me the most was how many people brought up the Purity Cookbook, a simple, homey book that started out as a promotional item that - at least according to the callers - shaped their kitchens in more ways than one. Many thanks to Jonna Brewer and Polly Leger for inviting me to to come onto the show.
I'd been buying tofu from this guy for a while now. Heck, I'd even written about it in The Coast. But I never really thought about the work that went into it. Or who else ate his tofu.
Inspired, I contacted Pay to see if I could interview her to talk a little more about her parents, her relationship with tofu, and the relationships that people have forged with her Dad because of his tofu.
Last summer was filled with cakes and cookies, cocktails and beer, vegan food and sea urchins, washoku-style meals that harkened back to family, and a look into how cancer can affect the appetites of those we love.
A little hint of what is to come this summer: (clockwise) A tale of tofu, two types of beer, and a little bit of Asia via the Annapolis Valley.
That’s what you got to hear about - and more - on “Assis Toi”, a summer series about food that airs on CBC Radio in the Maritimes. Once a week, “Assis Toi” introduces listeners in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island to people who have special relationships with food, and the stories found within.
This year, I’ll be posting hints about upcoming stories on Twitter and Instagram using the hashtag #assistoicbc. There will be photos and short videos of the people you’ll soon be hear on your CBC local morning show.
For example, here’s a quick peek at the first episode of Assis Toi, with Joy Hillier, from Fudgelicious.
