Posted on March 1, 2013 under Storytelling with 5 comments

Happy Friday!
Those of you who have been following my blog, know that I have been doing a story exchange with a group of seniors every second Thursday. I go to their apartment building and we congregate in the common room. I take along a few of my stories and after reading them ( one at the start and one midway through ) the seniors get to tell their stories on a related ( or unrelated ) topic.

Last night was very interesting. I read a story penned by my brother Gerard called ” The Butcher of Marion Bridge “, a reference of his attempts to be a “gentleman farmer” many years ago. He raised chickens and described in vivid detail his first efforts at ” culling the flock”. The seniors loved it. The second story was my most recent offering on my blog. ( “Where’s The Beef?” ). Because this was a pun laced piece, I actually printed out copies for everyone so that they could see the spellings… to illuminate the puns. Of course, I went on about the tainted meat and at the end of the story, somewhat casually asked, if anyone had eaten horse meat. No one knowingly had (!) until one person from Holland piped up and said that they had eaten horsemeat during the German occupation of Holland in the 1940’s. It was pretty sobering listening to her accounts of that time in her life.

As much as this bi-weekly get together is about story telling, it’s turning in to a history lesson for me. Many of us are caught up with our technology and mobile devices. You might be surprised that you can learn a lot if you take the time to listen to the voices of wisdom.

Hope to have a new post for you on the weekend. Next week’s offering in The Casket and on my blog is about the sacrament of first Confession. It’s called ” I Confess “. Even if you are not a Catholic you will catch my drift!

Posted on February 28, 2013 under Storytelling with no comments yet

The number of food choices that we have today is staggering.  Go to any major city in the country these days and you can find restaurants that serve every imaginable food.  It is not unusual to have variety galore in small towns too, with national grocery chains now stocking their shelves with many products that are unpronounceable.   But it wasn’t always this way.  There was a time when meat and potatoes, with a bit of turnip and carrot for color, comprised the staple diet in these parts.  Throw in some salt cod on Fridays and we’re bordering on gourmet.

This occurred to me recently when I was the beneficiary of a mid- winter barbeque provided by friends. We were talking about the finer things in life like a good steak, premium baloney and corn beef and cabbage.  And speaking of beef, there has been a lot of talk in the news these days of beef products being sullied with a dash of horse meat.  I have been warned not to try this hybrid product as it could lead to a case of the trots.  Filly steak takes on a whole new meaning.  You may have to pony up a little extra for this delicacy.

Canada was once primarily an agricultural economy with most people living in rural areas. People raised their own beef, pork and poultry and grew their own vegetables.    Grocery stores didn’t carry a vast array of products because country people didn’t need a lot of extra help.  Besides flour, sugar, and the occasional bottle of rum, pretty well everything else was homegrown.  And when rum was too expensive, well they took matters into their own hands and made their own hooch.  Holy water, as it were.

I grew up in a big family and as far as I can recall, meat and potatoes was a daily ritual. We were “townies” so raising our own beef and pork wasn’t an option.  Once or twice a year, our parents would buy a side of beef or pork.  We were taught the fine art of wrapping the meat in brown paper, tied with a string and labelled with a magic marker… our first lesson in automation as we all stood around the kitchen table, each with a specific task as the meat progressed from one end of the table to the other.

Of course being Catholics, we gave the cows and pigs a break on Fridays and usually had some manner of fish.  Back then, the cod were plentiful and could be purchased for 5 cents a pound. Today cod is near extinction and is priced similar to caviar.  I can still see the salt cod sitting in a pot of water overnight to remove the remnants of the salt mines.  And every once in a while, a leg of lamb would appear on the dinner plate.  Ewe wouldn’t believe how much we enjoyed that. 

Later in my married life we raised chickens in town – causing quite a flap!  A six year hiatus in the county satisfied the kids’ 4H ambitions and we returned to town sans Aloysius, Grumpy and the harem.  Now, as the kids have flown the coop as well, we procure our meat from local sources.  “Buy less but pay more for it“ is my wife`s formula for sustainable communities.

My steak has been nicely digested but I must admit to being a bit hoarse.  I didn’t quite finish my steak.  I think I will get it tested.  If you see me pawing the ground tomorrow morning, you’ll know why.  Might have to do a gallop poll.  Take that, you neigh sayers!

Posted on February 28, 2013 under Storytelling with no comments yet

Good Morning,

A little later today I am going to post a story that was prompted by the recent news out of Great Britain about traces of horse meat being found in beef products. I happened to be at a mid winter barbeque when I heard the news which prompted this story. However, I must warn you that the style is a bit different. If you don’t appreciate puns or are a vegetarian, you might want to take a pass on this one. I shared this with a few people and the horse puns haven’t stopped. I didn’t realize how many puns one could make with a single reference.

Happy end of February!