Steeped in blood
When we last left off, after the fall of the Western Roman Empire, the region of Languedoc had managed to survive and prosper as a throughway for trade between Italy and the Iberian Peninsula. Under the benevolent Counts of Toulouse the area remained renowned for its wine and song—and a comparatively wealthy standard of living—up […]
Super Bowl XLVI
On the last play of the game, Patriots quarterback Tom Brady launched the ball into the Giants’ end zone. For a moment or two, it was up for grabs; however, it fell onto the turf, just beyond the reach of Rob Gronkowski, the whistle blew, and the Giants began to celebrate their second recent Super […]
An apple a day…
“You are what you eat.” Raise your hand if you’ve ever heard this from your Mom as she plopped a load of mushy, overcooked, canned carrots on your plate. I remember mumbling, “I’m a gaggy pile of barfy carrots?” To which Mom would reply, “Eat all of those carrots. They’re good for your eyesight. If […]
In Hannibal’s footsteps
Although our weekly travels have been taking us progressively farther north, I want to backtrack south this week to pay homage to a wine region that rarely receives due respect. The Languedoc-Roussillon wine area in France can be described as an arc from the mouth of the Rhône River on its east, to the Spanish […]
Pond hockey – part two
On the snappy cold mornings of the fifties and sixties, we thought nothing of heading out with our skates and sticks on our shoulders. For most of us, it was a short walk to the courtyard of the Hastings County Court House and Gaol. We did not realize it at the time, but we were […]
The baloney of coffee
First it was the introduction of the frothy drinks, complete with an explanatory wheel. Then it was the supersizing. Can there be any doubt? The venerable Tim Hortons franchise is slowly transforming itself into a Starbucks. Personally, I’ve always disliked the bitter taste of Starbucks’s coffee, and disdained the contrived Italian names they came up […]
The French connection
Think of an iconic white French wine and, most likely, the purity and sublime delight found in a glass of Chablis will come to mind. Chablis vines are grown on the extreme edge of vine cultivation. Their vineyards are located in the most northern area of Burgundy. They have more in common with the neighbouring […]
Where’s the honour?
I’m going to be completely honest, I had “tried and convicted” Mohammad Shafia, Tooba Yahya and Hamed Shafia the moment I heard the bodies of Zainab, Sahar and Geeti Shafia, and Rona Mohammad Amir had been found in the Shafia family car, submerged in the Rideau Canal on June 30, 2009. Maybe some of you […]
Shawn and Shawzeee!
Last Friday night, Andrew Shaw chased a puck into the Florida Panthers’ zone in the last minute of play in the third period. Panthers goalie Jose Theodore was on the bench in favour of an extra attacker. Shaw got to the puck but fired wide of the open net. He has been on target much […]
Scotch and haggis
Today is Robbie Burns’s Day, who is also fêted on New Year’s Eve when we sing Auld Lang Syne. This time every year those fortunate to be of Scottish heritage celebrate the “Bard of Scotland.” The festivities are centered around the piping-in of the haggis to the host’s table, closely followed by the address to […]