Whenever I go to the States, or someone from the States comes up to visit me or someone in my circle of acquaintance, there’s always the question: “Do you want anything from the States?” or “Would you like me to bring you something from Canada?” Sadly, no fresh fruits or vegetables, thanks to restrictions at [...]
Apparently broccoli-cheese soup is one of those things that everyone except me has tried, or at the very least heard of. Up until this week, I’ve been living in a broccoli-cheese soup-free bubble, utterly ignorant of the pleasures that awaited me. I was fully aware of the wonderful marriage that is possible between broccoli and [...]
I’d like you to meet the man in my life. His name is Pierre, and he loves to bake. For breakfast, he’ll make delicious pancakes or waffles, and for dinner he makes a mean pizza. Most often, he keeps things simple: a loaf of fresh, homemade bread. All he asks in return is a little [...]
It was my birthday last weekend. And a very happy one at that! My family’s never made a very big deal of birthdays. I haven’t had a party in many years, and for the five years before this have celebrated by being in long rehearsals for various plays and concerts. For the most part, it’s [...]
It’s been a very bad year for maple syrup. Temperatures across the northeast have been mild, diminishing the sap flow of maple trees and therefore syrup production. In Montreal, we’ve been pretending not to notice. The stands at the market are still there with their towering stacks of syrup in cans, offering tire d’erable sur [...]
Once a year, the parishioners of a small New England church transform from a group of friendly, mild-mannered Presbyterians into a fiercely competitive series of opponents. Once a year, lines of division cut deep across the congregation: deacon confronts deacon, the Sunday School Teacher is pitted against the pastor’s wife, even members of the same [...]
Another thing about March is that is a month full of questions, especially for those of us tied to an academic calendar. What am I going to do this summer? What am I going to do next year? Am I going to look for a new apartment, or stay in the old one? What am [...]
March is such an odd month. It feels desperately like it ought to be spring, but somehow there’s a blizzard and it’s -16°C outside. There are some good things about this: it gives you a chance to squeeze in all those snowball fights and skating parties that you’ve been meaning to have but never quite [...]
Whenever I remember to make crackers, I always wonder why it’s taken me so long. Then I vow to make them more often, to experiment with lots of new recipes, to play around with toppings and spreads—and inevitably forget again. I think I’ll make it a March resolution to stop forgetting. I doubt it will [...]
