There’s a poem that comes to mind, usually unbidden. I can be doing something completely mundane, and suddenly, there it is. And as I intone the words to myself, I get goosebumps.
The poem is “Bahnhofstrasse” by James Joyce, better known as the author of the great novel, Ulysses.… Continue reading
Mon Dieu! More accolades for the humble French baguette!
In 2022, the baguette was granted world heritage status, making it onto UNESCO’s “intangible cultural heritage” list, despite rising costs, closures of small regional bakeries, and other indignities suffered by the noble French loaf.
This year, the baguette joins the ranks of other French icons (Edith Piaf, the Eiffel Tower, Tour de France, par example) and is honoured with its own postage stamp!… Continue reading
Odin, the great Norse God, is often portrayed in art with two ravens perched on his shoulders. Huginn and Muninn, they were called. Odin had given them the ability to speak, so they flew around the world each day, returned in the evening, and told Odin what they saw.… Continue reading
One of my true heroes in the bread world is a retired baker named Jeffrey Hamelman. He was a professional baker for nearly 50 years and a competitor in international baking competitions. His book Bread: A Baker’s Book of Techniques and Recipes (initially published in 2004) has won awards and become the standard text on North American bread and baking.… Continue reading
Driving through “The Dip” brings back vivid memories of my first job out of high school. I set chokers for a small logging contract company outside Ucluelet on Vancouver Island. I was a “wet-behind-the-ears” homesick 17-year-old.
The scene at the Dip reminds me of that time: the amputated trees, the twisted stumps, the loose, disrupted earth ravaged by logs hauled over the ground, large rocks tipped over, and exposed cliff faces that were once obscured by proud standing trees.… Continue reading