I must say I'm really quite excited by the prospect of getting this Blog going. I wanted my first post to be a little bit about me and my thoughts on Food. No I didn't misspell, while it may be presumptuous I think of Food as the all important ingredeint of life. Not to compete with He who shall not be named, but really other than air and water, there is little else in life that is as crucial as Food. The best part of it all of course is that unlike air or water Food is more than just mere sustenance, it has the ability to transport us to far off places, to bring friends and family together, to nourish more than just the body. There is a beginning to one's adventures in Food, but there truly is no end to it.
I grew up, and still live, in the Lower Mainlaind of British-Columbia, Canada. An area known for the bounty of the sea as well as its close proximity to the Okangan Valley, the bread basket so to speak of this part of the country. While this had some influence on my food journey, where and when I lived didn't really start to impact me until I was a bit older. When I moved out of my parents house, to be precise. Before the momentous move that all of us (well most of us) embark upon, my Food culture was really that of my parents. Luckily for me it was a very rich one, as both my parents are French Canadian and I grew up in a home where food and its enjoyment was an important part of life. Some of my earliest memories are those of my parents waxing nostalgic about some of the long missed magical Foods of their youth in Quebec.
Being from the Lac-St-Jean region of Quebec my parents grew up with wild game, fresh wild blueberries stretching for miles across the plains of northern Quebec, chocolates hand made by Trapiste Monks, and fresh cheeses and curds from the local dairy. Of course this idylic pastoral scene isn't the only Food memory my parents passed on to me, they did of course grow up in the post war period where food become industrial even in the back woods of Canada. Many of their fond food memories were wrapped up in the processed foods of their day like a special apple cidre soft drink known as Cidre de pomme, and a bewildering number of processed individually wrapped cakes that were the French Canadian equivalent of the twinky.
Every trip back East meant a pirates haul of booty for my parents. Cases of the magical pop not sold outside of their little corner of the "la belle province", whole wheels and blocks of cheese, bags upon bags of curds, pate and all the requisite pate seasonings, envellopes of dry mixed marinades and gravies "a la quebecoise". I won't lie, as a plump little child I had my fill of these lovely treats, processed and otherwise, and I loved it all. In fact, my Food culture was very much that of my parents until I grew up, and like any parental influence things started to change and become more nuanced as I had new experiences of my own. My family gave me a love for Food and I hit the ground running.
With time, living in a multicultural city such as Vancouver, surrounded by various other Food traditions and with a naturally inquisitive nature when it comes to the cultures of others, I and some of my friends began to eat out in the classicaly ethnic style of our generation and our country. It wasn't where we would eat as much as what we would eat. The question wasn't whether or not we should go to this or that place as much as if we would be going out for Japanese, or Thai, or Mexican, or Vietnamese. I dabbled in the kitchn during those early days but mostly working on things that were know from home. Working from recipe cards my mother had lovingly prepared I kept to the Food of my youth when I was at home, but I ate ethnic with a vengence when I was out.
In the interest of keeping things short I won't go into the details of the next several years right now, but I will say that I became more and more adventurous in the kitchen over the years. Unfortunately for me and for many others, the simple nourishing essence of Food wasn't the only thing going on in my life. Having struggled with my weight since I was a child I found myself in my early 30's having lost and gained litteraly 100 lbs at a time on some serious yo yo dieting. Like many others my wonderful relationship with food had become a love hate nightmare. Food had become list of do's and don'ts, or shoulds and shouldn'ts, Food was becoming the enemy.
Don't worry audience, the story has a very happy ending (at least a very happy mid point so far). Nearly a year ago now I realized Food needed to become once more that wonderful thing that filled my belly and my mind with pleasurable sensations, good memories, and a feeling of satisfaction. I hit the kitchen with a vengeance and this time there would be no diet per se. Nothing, or very little at least, is totally off limits. I can open a recipe book or hit the internet and pick what speaks to me. If there is butter in it, so be it, is there white flour, don't gasp just eat it. All things in moderation combine with a little exercise and all should be well.
I won't lie and say that I have completely freed myself from the diet world, I am tracking what I eat in an effort to get an idea for how much I am taking in and how much I am burning, but that is a means to the end, Food has become once again a great thing that I can enjoy. Skinny or overweight, we all need to eat and the best way to do it is to pick those things we like and get into the kitchen. Michael Pollan writes that you can eat any junk food you like, as long as you cook it yourself. Jamie Oliver is preaching a Food revolution. pleading with his audiences to waddle themselves into the kitchen. I truly believe they are correct, that if we rediscover a proper relationship with Food by creating in our kitchens, our body will thank us.
In my case I am some 6 months into the process and have lost some 70 lbs. I eat when I am hungry, I exercise daily, I try to eat as many fruits and veggies and whole grains as I can, but I also eat meats such as duck and steak and I have no fear or butter or white rice. I love them, why shouldn't I eat them sometimes.
My goal with this blog is to share my exploits in the kitchen with any of you kind souls tolerant enough to read my foodie writings. To share with you the different recipes I am trying from cuisines both local and international, and how I am trying to better and continue my very own little food revolution. There are many things I do not know that I hope to learn about and share with you as I go. Wish me luck on my journey.
Besos to All
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