Vegetable Japan

True Love

2012-01-23T13:39:00.001-04:00

Is there true love? Maybe. The closest I've come to it in relation to others is the love I share with my informally adopted children. I haven't found it with a partner and I'm sure that has something to do with choosing the wrong ones. And something to do with myself, if I'm honest, because I was brought up in a house with very bad models and I don't think I understood how to

Paper Cranes for Japan

2011-12-29T16:36:00.007-04:00

I've just come back from a visit to Japan via a blog written by Annie Donwerth Chikamatsu, who writes children's books as well as the wonderful Here and There Japan. Though she says her blog is aimed at children, I have found it to be the best place to visit to quell the homesickness for Japan that regularly rises with the passing of the seasons and the coming of the special

Every Fruitcake Has a Paper Lining

2011-12-16T12:31:00.004-04:00

This past week I made our family's traditional fruitcake, Nannie's Darkest Fruitcake, that I've posted the recipe for the last few years and put prominently at the top of the recipe picture list, in case any of you are so inspired. For the first time in awhile I made a double batch, enough for two large round cakes. I baked them up in springform pans with parchment or

Gift Yourself with Fuel

2011-12-09T15:57:00.013-04:00

Give yourself the gift of a great movie, free now on youtube. Fuel proposes the energy solutions we need right now. I just finished watching it -- you should too. My favourite quote from the film is, "When the people lead, the leaders will follow." - Gandhi

December Morning

2011-12-08T09:14:00.000-04:00

The weather has been strangely mild this week, raising fogs that soften morning views of the cove. We may have snow for Christmas, or we may not. But fog or snow, there will be beauty here in the place of my ancestors.

Mayor Peter Kelly Misses his Chance to Demonstrate Leadership with Occupy Halifax

2011-11-19T11:36:00.011-04:00

Great article at the Haligonia website by noted Nova Scotian author and journalist, Silver Donald Cameron. He says Mayor Peter Kelly missed the chance to demonstrate leadership when he evicted the Halifax Occupy camp on Remembrance Day after they had relocated willingly from the downtown Parade Square to facilitate the veterans' ceremony. (He chose to send in police and make arrests rather than

Makana Protest Song "We are the Many Not the Few"

2011-11-14T13:09:00.001-04:00

Finally a great protest song, performed as a surprise for the delegates at an APEC dinner, in Hawaii on the weekend. Way to go, Makana! This is a video of the song.

Writers Support Occupy

2011-11-10T14:41:00.000-04:00

At the Halifax Occupy Camp at the Grand Parade site-- copyright R.J.O 2011 by Francine Prose at occupywriters.com: As far as I can understand it myself, here’s why I burst into tears at the Occupy Wall Street camp. I was moved, first of all, by what everyone notices first: the variety of people involved, the range of ages, races, classes, colors,

New York Times article: what a "foreclosure mill" law firm thinks of the people they "serve"

2011-10-29T13:38:00.001-03:00

This opinion piece in The New York Times shows pictures of employees at law firm, Stephen J. Baum, dressed in costumes mocking those whose homes they facilitated foreclosures on. New York Times Op Ed by Joe Nocera: What the Costumes Reveal

Canada's "Silent" Bank Bailout

2011-10-25T15:23:00.005-03:00

You think things in Canada are so much better than the USA? That's what finance minister Jim Flaherty said this week in commenting on why the Occupy protesters in Canada have less to complain about than our American neighbors. After all, we all know we didn't bail out the banks like they did.

Global Day of Rage: Hundreds of Thousands March Against Inequity, Big Banks, as Occupy Movement Grows

2011-10-18T11:28:00.001-03:00

Global Day of Rage: Hundreds of Thousands March Against Inequity, Big Banks, as Occupy Movement Grows Excellent video coverage by Democracy Now News of the Occupy Movement actions last weekend around the world, including a segment from Tokyo.

Salt and Pepper Skillet Breads (Gluten free)

2011-09-15T13:25:00.001-03:00

If you've read any of my past posts, you know I love bread. Along with potatoes and brown rice, it's the foundation of most of my meals. It's hard for me to go for more than a few days without it, and I really prefer to eat some every day. I make Asian-inspired curries quite a bit, so I got thinking about a brown rice chapati that might taste good enough to eat with them as

August Poem

2011-08-20T15:18:00.002-03:00

On this early raft of light and time we run together, the seaweed maidens and I stretching and falling back on the bed of the sea lighted by a curdling sky Morning gathers, takes her shape the ink smudges on the page and we, the watchers, the floaters make a snapshot of these several moments when we were alive when something that we would not shift or alter created us.

No Nuts Banana Bread, Gluten-free

2011-05-20T11:20:00.073-03:00

Yesterday happened to be a Sunday, a day that in my grandmother's lifetime was traditionally marked by an after-church "lunch" of pie, cake or other sweets. The Baptist church proscribed work on that day and I think that was stretched to include housework, including cooking. We kids were okay with that. Sunday was the one day that the most you would have to do was wash a few dishes,

Spring is...

2011-04-16T13:14:00.002-03:00

First thaw. Tide pools. Open-water joy.

Canadian Red Cross sends $5,000,000 to the Japanese Red Cross for Disaster Relief

2011-03-23T15:19:00.002-03:00

Reposted from the Canadian Red Cross Website:"Canadian Red Cross Sends $5 Million to Japan Donated by Generous CanadiansOTTAWA March 19- 2011 - The Canadian Red Cross is transferring $5 million in cash to the Japanese Red Cross to support relief efforts following the March 11 earthquake and tsunami. The money will be used to support emergency health and the distribution of relief items to

Libya No-fly Zone Approved by UN !

2011-03-17T19:42:00.003-03:00

At last the No-fly zone has been approved, I hope in time to save some of the Libyan people. The vote was 10 countries for, 0 against, with 5 abstentions. Live feed of the statements following the vote here, taking place now. Also Aljazeera Live stream showing pictures of celebrations in Benghazi.

Canadian Red Cross supporting Japanese Red Cross with Donations

2011-03-17T12:01:00.003-03:00

According to an article, One of many NGOs to flood into Japan after quake returns to Canada early by James Keller, The Canadian Press,on the Winnipeg Free Press website, the Canadian Red Cross is sending money that they have collected on behalf of the Japanese relief effort to the Japanese Red Cross to support their efforts on the ground. The article states that $6,000,000 has already been

Canadian Red Cross - Japan Donations

2011-03-14T10:07:00.001-03:00

From The Canadian Red Cross page at: http://www.redcross.ca/article.asp?id=000005&tid=003http://www.redcross.ca/article.asp?id=000005&tid=003 Red Cross responds to massive earthquake in Japan.On Friday March 11, 2011, an 8.9 magnitude earthquake hit Japan. This has triggered 4 metre waves in Japan and tsunami warnings across the Pacific coastline, including British Columbia. Hundreds of

Canadians in Japan -- Phone numbers to Call for Information About Them and CBC's Live Blog

2011-03-12T06:48:00.004-04:00

Reposted from the CBC News website. Link to the article Canadians struggle to reach loved ones in Japan . "Canadians in JapanThe Department of Foreign Affairs says it is trying to determine whether any Canadians in Japan were affected by the earthquake. Friends and relatives seeking information on Canadian citizens believed to be in the affected area should call one of these numbers: 613-943-

Google Japan Crisis Response Page for the Earthquake/Tsunami

2011-03-11T14:59:00.001-04:00

For anyone wanting to provide information about people in Japan or see information others have provided you might want to try this page: http://www.google.com/crisisresponse/japanquake2011.html or From the same page: Local Japan Emergency dials: 171 + 1 + line phone number to leave a message 171 + 2 + line phone number to listen to the message My hopes and wishes for your safety and

Hypocrisy Now

2011-02-19T11:19:00.003-04:00

I came across an article this morning that juxtaposes two issues of concern right now -- the fight for democracy going on in Arabic countries for, among other things, the right to free speech and the worrying state of affairs in North America where we supposedly have this right, and the right to peaceful protest, but where in recent years government bullies have been abrogating this right, right

Happy Valentine's Day!

2011-02-14T15:45:00.000-04:00

To all who follow their hearts, wherever they lead, a most happy day to you! This little Fibrous Begonia blooms bravely on my mother's windowsill in the midst of winter.

THE 100-MILE INTERVIEW

2011-01-25T11:14:00.002-04:00

Re-reading THE 100 - MILE DIET by Alica Smith and J.B. MacKinnon in preparation for my move to the country next week -- packing books and a bit of free time leads to inevitable re-reading -- I found this interview with the very articulate and engaging couple at BookLounge.ca. Want to hear the voices of the inspiration for all things 100-MILE? Here you can.

Obama officials caught deceiving about WikiLeaks: Glenn Greenwald at Salon

2011-01-19T10:49:00.002-04:00

Interesting article about the discrepancy between the public and private talk of officials in the US about wikileaks. Greenwald says the only ones in danger are "wrongdoers in power".

Think Bradley Manning is Guilty of Treason? Read this!

2011-01-15T09:40:00.000-04:00

Bradley Manning and the Rule of LawFriday 14 January 2011by: Kevin Zeese, t r u t h o u t | News Analysis

Brother Sam's Bigger Brother?

2010-12-19T11:54:00.003-04:00

It just keeps on getting more fantastical. Now the U.N. wants to regulate The Internet. Can anyone think this isn't an attempt to guarantee that information on the scale of Wikileaks never again gets out to the people? The Internet works fine now. It's the only place where we can share news, our opinions, and get to read others' opinions without censorship. Why ruin one of the finest evolutions

Wikileaks, Cablegate, and Freedom of the Press

2010-12-16T14:51:00.007-04:00

I've been watching with interest and concern for the past week as Wikileaks comes under a maelstrom of mostly aggressive rhetoric in The United States - people in high places calling for the assassination of spokesperson Julian Assange for the publication of low-level “secrets” involving diplomats, government heads around the world, and some corporations. Why, Julian Assange is a traitor, they

Wikileaks Samba

2010-12-09T06:52:00.000-04:00

Of Fruitcake and Fruitcakes

2010-12-03T13:36:00.004-04:00

A little inconvenient truth from Marley With all the uproar over leaked diplomatic documents at wikileaks, and all those red-cheeked politicians who now want to declare people who tell the public what's happening behind closed doors "terrorists", with all the madness afloat in the chilling air, it might be nice to seek a little pre-Christmas refuge in making our family's

Water: For the Health of the Earth and its People - Us

2010-10-15T16:23:00.003-03:00

Photo courtesy of R.J.O. © 2010 There are so many things I could say about water -- how I love the ocean, how now the rain is falling outside my window greywashing the whole afternoon, soft, reassuring, how lucky I am to be in a country where safe water is just a few steps away. How much I am aware today that hardly an hour goes by that I am not cradling

Blog Action Day: October 15, 2010 - Water

2010-10-14T03:53:00.004-03:00

October 15 is Blog Action Day. This year's theme is Water, the single most important subsance on Earth. Water is life or death to every living thing. Yet it's not equally available to us all. Is that fair? Have something to say about that? Or a reflection on what water means to you? Join us. Blog Action Day 2010: Water from Blog Action Day on Vimeo.

Spiced Cranberry, Ginger, and Raisin Sauce/Jam

2010-10-09T10:52:00.002-03:00

With the Thanksgiving weekend already here, and none too soon, I'm putting up my version of cranberry sauce. Cranberry sauce has a long history as an accompaniment to the traditional turkey dinner here in North America, and after quite a few years of the same, although always good, sauce I started feeling that it was time to make some changes. Since I don't eat turkey and

Deerly Beloved

2010-08-24T00:37:00.001-03:00

Okay, so I couldn't resist the punny title, but it's accurate to say that I love, not like, deer. Since as a little tot, when my granddad rescued an orphan deer and brought Bambi home to stay with us for almost a year, until he was old enough to be taken away in a government truck to the Shubenacadie wildlife reserve, my heart has belonged to beautiful, soft-eyed deer. I used to feed him from

Japanese Pickled Ginger

2010-08-06T16:28:00.000-03:00

If you eat sushi or any other kind of Japanese food, you pretty much can't do without pickled ginger. It cleans the palate like a good sorbet would do if you were eating an European meal. It refreshes your mouth so everything else tastes better. And if you happen to be a ginger lover, it tastes great, too. The stuff you buy in Asian stores is always a deep shade of red.

Ginger

2010-07-20T20:59:00.001-03:00

Who knew you could grow ginger by breaking off a chunk of the fresh stuff, putting it on top of soil and keeping it moist? I read this somewhere and decided to give it a try. Now I have a beautiful and interesting plant that is growing roots underground (I hope). When I transplanted it, It separated from the mother root, and I'm trying to see if it will sprout another

Happy Mother's Day!

2010-05-08T14:36:00.005-03:00

Tomorrrow's breakfast in my mom's country cottage is predicted to be mild, sweet, and washed by ocean breezes. There may be a waft of green tea in the air, and a smack of dark coffee. Birdsong and new leaves will have brightened and softened the landscape and will certainly overshadow any hothouse flowers that dare to show up. For sure we will have a yarn or two about the old days

Spring Inspiration

2010-04-23T02:27:00.003-03:00

1. . 2. 3. Happy Earth Day, everyone.

Silky Squash Pudding (Gluten and Dairy-free)

2010-03-28T18:12:00.023-03:00

This pudding is simple to make and tastes like heaven. It's gluten-free and dairy free and yet it tastes as if it had both. I did use just a few organic free-run eggs. pretty necessary for custard. I sure wish I could make it vegan but haven't figured out an acceptable substitute for eggs, yet. It started out as Squash Pie, the same recipe that my grandmother made us for every holiday there

O-zoni in Nova Scotia (Belated Happy New Year)

2010-01-01T14:27:00.042-04:00

I wrote this post one month ago but had to delay posting it because I misplaced the USB cord for my new camera. Found at last, I've decided to put it up, even though it's late. I made a simple dashi by simmering konbu for awhile and adding some seven-herb powder from Japan that I've been hoarding, along with a bit of mirin and ume-shu. I "grilled" some firm tofu in a dry cast iron pan and I

Nannie's Darkest Fruitcake (Gluten-free) - 2009 Update

2009-12-23T13:33:00.015-04:00

Marugame, Japan - Rare Snow at the New YearI know the posts have been a bit thin lately but I'm hoping to change that in the new year, as the big news is that I'm finally in my own kitchen, after bobbing about in borrowed ones for over two years now, ever since I left Japan.I have a beautiful apartment, on the 4th floor of a small building with big windows, overlooking the Bedford Basin. It's a

Lazy Vegetable Pakoras (Vegan)

2009-10-28T05:15:00.037-03:00

This recipe is lazy for a few reasons. First, I adapted it from a recipe for Mushroom Pakoras that I found in Mangoes and Curry Leaves: Culinary Adventures Through the Great Subcontinent, the great cookbook by Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid, a husband-wife team responsible not only for this tasty offering, but a whole bunch of award winning cookbooks. Considering that the price, at about $40.00

Join the World at The International Day of Climate Action

2009-10-24T07:37:00.008-03:00

Where: Your community, or one near you. All over the world.When: Today, October 24th.Who : You, your neighbours, your children, your family.Why: Because you need to breathe.350 parts per million is the safe level for carbon dioxide in the atmosphere but we are now at 387 ppm and rising.350. org's action day has participants in lots of communities around the world who've organized fun events like

Susan Boyle: Wild Horses

2009-09-17T06:16:00.006-03:00

A singularly moving interpretation of the Rolling Stones' Wild Horses by Susan Boyle. For my mother, whose birthday is coming up and who loves her, and for me because sometimes sentimental is also sublime.

Julie and Julia

2009-08-30T08:22:00.036-03:00

There's a frisson in writing about the new film, Julie & Julia, that I've rarely felt lately. It comes from the confluence of the literary, culinary, and blogging worlds, three of my favourite things, and even includes omelettes, something that I've had a few words about here, that remain a mainstay of my diet, and even laid the foundation stone of my kitchen life. And, in case there is any

How to Be Me

2009-06-19T11:20:00.025-03:00

Collect yourself after a full day of teaching and hoist that backpack onto your shoulders, change into sneakers (if you ever changed out of them that day), and head down three flights of stairs to the downtown street where you work, then uphill to the central green spot, or Commons, that is the short-cut to your bus home. It is probably hot, so by the time you get on the bus you are sweating

Love Fool

2009-05-24T11:02:00.008-03:00

Love Foolosophy from Jamiroquai for pp. For this one you might need your dancing shoes, honey. Oooh.And one more, live from Abbey Road Studios, Travelling Without Moving:

Gluten-free Tempura

2009-05-12T14:36:00.030-03:00

I'm not quite sure why I have so few Japanese recipes posted. I suppose that when I was in Japan I assumed that most everyone could easily get Japanese food, so I concentrated on recipes that were mainly comfort food from home, or adaptations using Japanese ingredients. But now, after being away from Japan for just over a year, I definitely miss Japanese food. I got a bit of a fix with a

Hit the Carrot Trail Muffins for Earth Day

2009-04-22T13:05:00.024-03:00

Are they muffins or cupcakes? These days it's hard to tell the difference. Muffins in the popular chains have turned extraordinarily sweet and rich and many of them are large enough to fuel a charging lion. If lions were vegetarians maybe they would eat muffins. Makes sense to me.I know my family likes little cakes, by any name. My daughter has a special fondness for sweets. Though she could

Married with the Heart:

2009-04-16T10:22:00.021-03:00

The Music of Loudon Wainright III and Kate McGarrigleRecently I've been listening to songs from this irreverent, funny, earthy, and sometimes just plain touching American singer and prolific songwriter. Since it's spring, it's time for a little housecleaning of taste, a little exploration, a little sharing. This man's songs touch all parts available for touching; his music ranges all over the

Young Talent: Matt McKeown

2009-04-14T11:21:00.011-03:00

Young talent from Halifax, Nova Scotia, with a family connection. Matt wrote this song and performed it with his band in his last few years of high school. He's 19 now, 17 in this video, performing with his former band October Game, home to some very talented musicians. This year he's a working musician with his own jazz-influenced trio while he studies music at university. I think we may

Where in the World is Vegetable Japan?

2009-03-17T19:38:00.033-03:00

You might have noticed the lack of food here recently. I've been promising Thai recipes that haven't materialized. There have been no curries, no sweets, no pancakes, no breads. You'll be happy to know that I have been eating, but it's been more about ease and convenience than creative imagination. Tonight I had bread and peanut butter for supper. It was okay, but still it wasn't what I

From the Heart and Soul

2009-03-16T09:27:00.010-03:00

Sometimes the truth hurts, they say, and they're right. Behind the beauty of art lies a whole world of pain and suffering, whether it be the time and effort required to hone and re-write a poem, get the inspiration for and make a painting, sweat out writing and revising a book, or give birth to a song or symphony, and that might take a whole life of living first. The level of sensitivity that

Good News Sunday!

2009-03-15T08:22:00.015-03:00

Belo Horizonte image courtesy of wikipedia.As reported in Yes! Magazine and Treehugger by Frances Moore Lappe, there is a city that has actually declared food a human right and ended its own hunger. This is good news on Sunday or any day of the week.Belo Horizonte, Brazil, has found a way to ensure food security for its citizens and not even spend that much money doing it. About 2% of its

Jai Ho: May Victory Be Yours

2009-02-23T16:43:00.011-04:00

Last night I was watching the Academy awards and along with the rest of you rooting for a little film that is perhaps the best I have seen in years. Slumdog Millionaire is a rags to riches story that stretches itself away from formulaic Hollywood by its depiction of street children in Mumbai, and covers difficult themes such as child exploitation, torture and suicide. Yet throughout the film

Doraku Restaurant: Food From Home

2009-02-14T09:01:00.015-04:00

I wonder if there are any ex-pats in Japan now drooling at the memory of good whole wheat toast, black tarry and salty sweet licorice, turkey with cranberry sauce, a pile of mashed potatoes, a thick crusty and juicy pizza, or any one of a number of foods that to you spell comfort or "home".The list is certainly not exhaustive but it contains a few of the foods I craved in Japan that were hard or

Pete Seeger: Eighty Nine Years of Raising his Voice

2009-02-12T11:25:00.009-04:00

A few of you who've been reading here awhile may remember that I featured a post about Pete Seeger still performing and singing to kids in schools. If you watch this excerpt from the PBS American Masters series you'll see that he started out that way when his politics of peace made them the only audiences he could get.Pete knew what he was doing because those kids brought change to America.

Arundhati Roy: Come September

2009-01-24T11:56:00.011-04:00

Arundhati Roy is most famous for her 1997 win of The Booker Prize for The God of Small Things, but recently I discovered a speech called "Come September" that knocked off my socks, as we used to say, for its sheer bravery, courage and sense. There were not many people willing to say these things just one year after 9/11 and probably, though the air is starting to feel a little clearer and freer

Thomas Paine in The Rights of Man, (1791):

2009-01-20T14:41:00.004-04:00

"When it can be said by any country in the world, my poor are happy, neither ignorance nor distress is to be found among them, my jails are empty of prisoners, my streets of beggars, the aged are not in want, the taxes are not oppressive, the rational world is my friend because I am the friend of happiness. When these things can be said, then may that country boast its

A Substitute Life

2009-01-18T17:56:00.016-04:00

These days cooking is on the fly. Most days I spend hours haunting the online interface that lets me search for and accept substitute teaching jobs. Since there are limited jobs and a hungry mass of would-be teachers circling around Aesop (that's the interface's classical name) who don't want to be like the fox and only be left with sour/no grapes, there's not as much time for planning good

Happy New Year !

2009-01-01T11:56:00.008-04:00

Happy New Year to friends far and near!May 2009 find your spirit as strong as the ox, your patience as long as the gentle cow, and your heart as light as a calf in spring.Though this picture of black swans swimming in the castle moat in a very rare snowstorm was taken a few years ago in Japan at New Year's, it strongly mirrors the weather here in Nova Scotia as a blizzard has swept in for New

Nannie's Darkest Fruitcake (Gluten-free)

2008-12-15T15:55:00.030-04:00

This is the first time I've had the opportunity to make my grandmother's unctuous fruit-filled cake in many years. While I was in Japan I usually worked over the holidays, up until New Year's eve when we could look forward to a glorious week off, but even then some of the ingredients would have been hard to come by or impressively dear. Even here it is not an inexpensive undertaking to make the

We Three Kings

2008-12-14T08:47:00.010-04:00

Decorated the tree here last night, complete with Christmas music and a little christmas cheer.One of my favourite carols is one I used to sing in the church choir with my grandfather and grandmother. It was a small Baptist country church with stiff wooden pews and a glorious pipe organ. The bass section was only three or four men, so I could clearly hear "Bumpy's" voice. Hearing the carol

Thai Noodles - Gloriously Gluten-free

2008-12-08T10:48:00.037-04:00

Picture courtesy of The Cook's Thesaurus where you can find good descriptions and pictures of Asian Rice Noodles.Living in a household that is neither vegetarian nor particularly ecumenical in its tastes has been providing me with the opportunity to stretch my cooking in different directions. When in my own kitchen, I have learned to rely on dishes based on fresh vegetables, beans and grains,

Ray LaMontaigne Sings "a sweetly tortured song" of Winter

2008-11-23T10:12:00.021-04:00

Winter Birds from Ray's new album Gossip in the Grain strikes right to the heart. Ray's Winter is a farm widow with an angry plough, fallow fields, and a fox sleeping beneath the kitchen floor. And, perhaps not so coincidentally, Winter is placed on a farm suffering from neglect:"The stream can't contain such the withering rain,and from the pasture the fence it is leaning away.The clouds crack

Daybreak of Hope

2008-11-05T11:34:00.031-04:00

"Night's candles are burnt outand jocund daystands tiptoeon the misty mountain tops."*Last year in Japan in November when the fingerprinting for non-Japanese legislation came into effect, I took a walk on Konpira-san mountain where I tried to lift my spirits by taking pictures of a place I knew I would not walk again. There was a great deal of regret and sadness then, as there still is now.Yet

Gluten Free Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Ganache (Vegan)

2008-10-20T11:25:00.022-03:00

My grandchild, C., named after a famous opera heroine, is going to be 4 years old in a few days, and happily I am going to be at her party. I was in Japan when she was born and for the other three birthdays so this is a special one for me. Like many youngsters she seems to be captivated with fanciful outfits, and she's pretty stylish, thanks to the fact that her parents are artistic. My son is

Blog Action Day: Who's poor and hungry?

2008-10-15T12:46:00.038-03:00

FOOD BANK USE AMONG CHILDREN [in Canada]Percent of food bank clients who are children: 38.7 %Percent of households containing at least one child: 50.6 %Years since the federal government promised to eliminate child poverty: 18Change in the number of hungry children since then (1989): + 127,729 - From The Association of Canadian Food Banks, 2007 Hunger Count Report ( .pdf file).Canada's one of the

Blog Action Day

2008-10-08T12:11:00.007-03:00

This year Blog Action Day is October 15th. The subject is poverty. I'm posting the video as a call to any of you who feel you might have something to say on the subject. There are many kinds of poverty. One is lack of money or the things one needs to live. I can think of a few more, though, poverty of spirit being among them.But I'm not here to preach. I just want to listen to whatever you

Green Shift or Short Shrift?

2008-09-26T11:20:00.017-03:00

Many of you may know that Stephen Harper has called a Canadian election just about 45 days after it was announced, the shortest legal limit. Maybe he's hoping that people won't have time to mount campaigns or think about what we want from our government. I haven't been here for long so I can't speak about his record. What I can comment on though is what I've seen. Tasteless advertisements with

Preserve the Ruahines

2008-09-13T10:05:00.019-03:00

I've been thinking a bit how to frame this post. I wanted it to be moving, important and awash with pithy images that would make my readers swarm over to sign the petition to preserve the Ruahines mountains in New Zealand from the onslaught of what promises to be a great many monster-sized wind turbines. I'm not sure I'm up to that though, so I'll settle for showing you a few beautiful pictures

Goin Up to the City...

2008-09-09T10:45:00.006-03:00

I've moved from the 180-year-old quiet old house in the country to Halifax, a city that seems to be growing by leaps and bounds, swallowing what woods remain around the edges to feed big industrial parks with ever more monstrous stores and parking lots. Last Sunday I visited a stationery store called Staples, which might have been about half the size of my old neighborhood in Japan. And that

Gluten-free Flatbread: Introducing the "Chapita"!

2008-08-14T11:18:00.053-03:00

I've been promising a chapati recipe in my about bar for awhile now. I intended to put it up earlier but whenever I thought of it, I said to myself, just one more test batch should make them perfect. Of course, they never became perfect, but now I have a recipe that is close enough that I'm proud to put it up.I've said before that for the gluten-free crowd bread is one of the main wished-for

Rainy Day

2008-07-30T11:02:00.017-03:00

This morning it's not actually raining, but it is overcast and the sky is grey and banded with bright patches that give an air of indecision. Whether the sky will clear is now a matter of wait-and-see. It mirrors my mood exactly.Sitting by the bay window, looking through white lace, at the green and grey, I wonder what I might discover if I were the age of this child with everything new and all

Japanese Greens II: Spinach with Sesame Dressing

2008-07-19T14:51:00.038-03:00

Lately, since I've had a chance to unpack my cookbooks from Japan, I've been browsing through them and looking at the pictures and that has awakened a wave of nostalgia and a craving for some of my favourite Japanese dishes.Besides the cool salad greens that I spoke about in my last post, Japan has a wide variety of more fibrous greens meant for cooking and saucing. Japanese sauces tend to be

Beat the Heat with Japanese Greens

2008-07-08T09:35:00.034-03:00

Japan has a wide array of wonderful green vegetables. They are tasty, healthy and usually cheap. They can add a lot to your diet in the way of vitamins and fibre and help protect you from getting more than your share of the colds and flus circulating there throughout the colder months. In summer, they are great to give your body the stamina it needs to help it cope with the prodigious heat and

350 is the Only Number

2008-06-27T13:34:00.009-03:00

In any language, it's easy to understand the importance of clean air. 350 parts per million of CO2 is the goal for Earthlings' ability to breathe and function. Watch the video and then check out 350.org and see what the world is doing to get itself healthy.Wherever you live, whoever you are, they speak your language. Join the world.

Summer Solstice Concert

2008-06-21T09:53:00.020-03:00

Raise your glasses to the sun.Take a walk with your pet, family or a friend.Cook some real food and eat it consciously.Watch the conjunction of the moon and Jupiter. (Nova Scotia, 5:00 am in the night sky) or find other bright stars and planets with Astroviewer, a program that opens an interactive star map by clicking on a link (top left of the page) and can be customized to your location and the

Cormeal Pancakes with Dried Cranberries (Gluten-free)

2008-06-17T10:53:00.017-03:00

Here is the promised (in the sidebar) recipe for Cornmeal Dried Cranberry Pancakes to serve soaked in maple syrup or topped with your favourite sweet sauce. They are hearty and satisfying for campers or week-end brunchers, or any lovers of a bit of a bite and a chew at breakfast. If there are leftovers they can be cut up in wedges like cornbread and served as a snack or just re-heated and eaten

Toast (& Gluten-free Bruschetta)

2008-06-11T17:12:00.007-03:00

My favourite week-day breakfast, before I stopped eating regular bread, used to be toast and coffee. Nothing fancy there. Just tumble out of bed, roll into the kitchen, put the water to boil for coffee, and pop a double-slice of bread in the toaster.I was a little picky about the toast, though. It had to be made from a good heavy, grainy bread that would pick up some strength from being

Peppermint All-purpose Household Cleaner

2008-06-05T11:33:00.011-03:00

This is a recipe I've tested well. I've been using it in several variations for more than a year now and I wouldn't be without it. One of the first things I did when I got to this old house was make up a batch so I wouldn't have to use the commercial cleaners under the sink.Why do I like it so much?It cleans the sink, counters, kitchen table, toilet, bathroom tub, sink, furniture, stuff spilled

This Old House

2008-06-02T06:16:00.011-03:00

I'm still here in the country, in this old house, though I don't know how long I can stay. It's a kind of funny existence, being in a place that feels so much like home, yet living out of a suitcase and never knowing if I will be leaving in a few days or not.Unsettling, yet because the country is so easygoing and I'm here alone there is a kind of lulling rhythm that makes days pass as they should

Who's this?

2008-05-06T14:02:00.007-03:00

You're right. It's me, under a year old. I think I may be praying for a good life. Maybe I'm still praying.This week, through a tin-gold combination of fallen hopes and serendipidy, I've found a temporary home in the country. I may be here for only a week, but I have to tell you it's going to be one glorious one. I am in deep country Nova Scotia, in a tiny town, well more of a village, near the

Earth Lover: Emily Carr

2008-04-22T13:23:00.020-03:00

To be in British Columbia is to feel the power of growth. The great trees here, those that still stand, stretch eagerly towards the sky. Like a lover the sky bends to meet them. It is a love documented and described by one of the greats, artist Emily Carr. She was a talented writer too, of her life and travels and her studies in France and England in Growing Pains, her time as a reluctant

Spring Snow -- Lucy's 7-Word Challenge

2008-04-21T14:11:00.003-03:00

Spring. Snow. Bounce me over the mountains.

Here and There

2008-04-13T19:38:00.006-03:00

Here is Vancouver, a place described by many as "the most liveable city in North America", or something close. If so, I know I don't want to live in a city. Especially a big city.To me, fresh from a small city on the Island of Shikoku, it is frenetic, polluted, full of large cars whizzing people to urgent business, somewhere. People seem to be going back and forth and around with little sense of

Sakura Wine

2008-03-26T01:37:00.005-03:00

For those of you in Japan looking for a lovely mild wine of the season, try to find Sakura no Wain, " さくらのわいん", from the Shirayuki Company. It's the wine I mentioned in the account of my macrobiotic dinner. I tracked it down at the local supermarket and managed to get two more bottles to share with friends before the supply ran out. As delicious as it is beautiful, with a mild cherry-leaf flavour

"You can solve all the world's problems...

2008-03-17T22:39:00.009-03:00

in a garden." -Jeff Lawton.

Eating My Way Out

2008-03-13T22:33:00.011-03:00

One thing about leaving Japan, if you're a teacher, is that you will never leave hungry. Thanks to students and employers I have been treated so far to at least four dinners from a company banquet at a huge wedding hall to lunch with students at the neighborhood Indian restaurant, a dinner at a tony Japanese-Italian fusion place, and just leaving my stomach but not my memory, a home-cooked meal

Packing

2008-03-10T22:08:00.009-03:00

In the throes of packing, good-bye parties, and moving a life, so not much energy for posting for a few weeks but thought I would sometimes put up a few pictures I've taken here over the years.Here are the first. One late afternoon after class I took my camera to the local Castle and took some pictures across the moat as the day closed down."Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,And

David Holmgren: "Beyond Sustainability"

2008-02-28T20:12:00.007-04:00

I found a very interesting video interview with David Holmgren, who together with Bill Mollison developed the concept of Permaculture.What I found so good about this is his description of energy use as part of the evolution of humans on the planet and his idea for the lower-energy (at least from non-renewable fuels) available future as an opportunity for a positive direction into more

Cooking with Joy

2008-02-24T01:21:00.031-04:00

One of the best cookbooks in existence, the bible of cooking, is a big thick book with just a few illustrations, black and white pages, and a spiral bound spine. That last is important, because the book lies flat as you follow the step-by-steps of a recipe that is practically guaranteed to be delicious. The book, if you haven't guessed already, is The Joy of Cooking, a labour of love and

"Green Worm" Chirashi-zushi

2008-02-18T22:18:00.016-04:00

It's not really a recipe with green worms. That wouldn't be very vegetarian now, would it? See the previous post with the picture for an explanation. What looks like a little worm is really just a piece of cooked Mibuna, a Japanese vegetable. Please click on the name to see a picture and brief description.If you live here you can easily find Mibuna; its a mild-tasting crispy thin-leafed vegetable

Ketchup: Let's Get Jiggy With It

2008-02-13T07:50:00.018-04:00

Poma amoris. Pomme D'amor. Love-apples. Long thought to be an aphrodesiac. Why not?They make food sing and dance. Pizza arias, mozzarella duets, pasta sonatas, and ketchup jigs.Ketchup. Let's stop right there. I love ketchup, just like my Dad did. He even liked it on fried eggs, and I have to say I agree it's one of the best pairings around. Ketchup cuts grease, plain and simple.I could eat

Being Home

2008-02-11T04:19:00.000-04:00

When I think about living in Japan for so many years, 2 + 7 as of the beginning of April, I start to wonder whether this isn't as much my home as Nova Scotia where I grew up, or Labrador where I spent 12 years raising a family.I often wonder what home actually means. I'm not sure, but right now I think it means the place where I've lived, worked, set up a household and especially my kitchen,

Happy Birthday !

2008-01-31T02:30:00.000-04:00

To commemorate the birthday of Vegetable Japan and one solid year's worth of writing for me, a minor miracle if there ever was one, I offer this little recipe for the Best Tomato Sauce on the Planet. Now that's a big claim, I know, and maybe just a bit capricious since I haven't tasted every sauce in the world. But I have tasted quite a few, and even made a few hundred kilos, or close, when I

The Okara Chronicles

2008-01-24T20:00:00.001-04:00

The heroine fought her way out of her futon on the tatami, shuffling through the frosty cold to her unheated Japanese kitchen, where she warmed her hands by putting on the kettle for hot water to wash out the big soup pot, stored up on the highest wooden shelf. Next she rinsed out the small hemp cloth that she had found and carried with her across the world for its use in straining potions,

What Jack Didn't Grow

2008-01-15T20:56:00.000-04:00

Remember the boy who traded the cow for a handful of beans?I know we're supposed to think he was silly for trading a cow, which could give milk and butter and cheese, and possibly meat, for a handful of dry beans that couldn't make even a good-sized pot of soup.But if they had been just ordinary soy beans, and he used them as seed to grow more, and then saved the seed and grew a field of beans

New Year's Revolution - 3

2008-01-12T18:08:00.000-04:00

The old waythe way we did it beforewhen I was six, when I had no pursewhen I spun rock teacups under the porchand decorated with weedsmy sand-spread table.Continuing on with my Revolution Theme Mini Film Festival. I'm preparing to make a big step in the next few months, and now I'm in the brewing and stewing stage. Doing research on better ways to live and permaculture is really eye-opening. It

New Year's Revolution - 2

2008-01-10T20:26:00.002-04:00

I revolve to do it in pine-painted airsalted, with a side of mudgrit-raising clods of earthand resins to help me stickcloser to the sound of growing.Permaculture, according to Bill Mollison in an interview with Alan AtKisson in the In Context Journal, is eerie."I'm certain I don't know what permaculture is. That's what I like about it - it's not dogmatic. But you've got to say it's about the only