So, I want to write about my travels through the eyes of an eater. I made a point of trying things I wasn't likely to get anywhere else (at least not easily), even to the point of initiating small protests within the group of where we should go, and what we should eat for dinner. (For example, I refused to eat at Boston Pizza - it's lousy food at the best of times, and I could eat there any time I wanted. I didn't travel to Yellowknife to do the same old thing. Luckily, I ended up having some company, and wasn't subjected to the blandness of a "dinner for one," which I was decidedly prepared to subject myself to.)
Yellowknife, being farther north than most Canadians have ever been, has access to a menu different from what I am used to. I have never leaned to the carnivorous end of the spectrum, but wild game and fish are the most seasonal, and regional foods in the North. Reading a travel guide, someone in our group stumbled upon a restaurant, The Black Knight Pub, that served caribou burgers for something like $15.95 a piece. This was the most expensive pub burger I have ever laid eyes on, but I instantly decided I must eat this! Caribou was new, and it was food, and I was in Yellowknife, and it had to be mine.
We arrived at the restaurant after a long day of meetings. I was tired, a little cranky, but I was going to eat something new. Excitement was bubbling over as I anticipated caribou, and I didn't even open the menu.
"We're out of caribou" said the waitress when I confidently placed my order. "How about bison instead?" she finished. No caribou?! A brief and mild panic rushed over my hungry belly, but I quickly agreed. I had never eaten bison, I was in the north, and caribou wasn't available. At least it wasn't beef.
Caribou, I'm told is tender and delicious, and a knife isn't necessary. I have one more excuse (among many!) to head north at least one more time in my life.
Bison, when prepared for a plate, looks like beef (photo left). I half expected it to taste just like beef, but of course, it didn't. It wasn't as heavy as beef, though it was gamey-er, and so delicious. I chewed slowly, and tasted every bite while I thought of snow and ice and where this animal had been in its life.Aside from the land mammals, Yellowknife is also known for its fish. It sits on the northern shore of Great Slave Lake and the territory resides on the Arctic ocean. Fish, therefore, is a large part of the northern diet. The day before we left, we were told by a regular visitor to Yellowknife that the very best place in all of North America to get fish and chips is a little shack in the old part of the city called Bullocks Bistro. I chatted with the cook for a little while, and was informed that they serve nothing but the freshest -- they fish year-round, through holes in the ice and when they run out of the catch of the day they don't have any back-up stock. Their arctic char is fished off the northern coast, and is flown in. It's similar to salmon in look and in taste, but smoother, a little less flaky, and softer. It was absolutely wonderful.
Had I spent more time there, I would have loved to eat more. (Arguably, I would have had to.) But we soon headed to much different climate, with different taste-ular sensations ready and waiting.
Olympia, WA was a wonderful place. We arrived with rumbly tumblies, and went searching for food. We found more than food. We found beer.A local brewery in the heart of the city was an excellent introduction to the west-coast food scene. An American friend of mine once pointed out that while living in Canada, one thing she missed was the abundance of local breweries. I understand why.
The brew at the right is the India Pale Ale. What intrigued me about the menus description was its mention of the words "lush floral aroma" and "distinct citrus flavour." The taste was true to this description, and the subtlety of these sensations almost took me by surprise - a beer could be flower-y, citrus-y, AND beer-y. Food is amazing.
Eating in restaurants for a week is tough. But believe it or not (and judging from the subjects covered thus far in this post, perhaps "not" is the more likely suspicion), I didn't just eat pub food and drink beer. While in Seattle, I had a fabulous time exploring the market, and seeing how creative people are with food. Let me share this...
This photo (left) is only a small corner of this open-air shop at the Pike Place Market in Seattle. The makers, I'm sure, had fun stringing specialty food like hot and spicy peppers, aromatic herbs and flowers, and bitey garlic on these beautiful strands. They hung from the ceiling, and customers had to dodge and duck as they strolled through in admiration.We also saw cheese being made in a huge "open vat" (see photo below) at Beecher's Handmade Cheese shop. Had I not been travelling, I would have likely spent a small fortune there. The milk is pure, the cows untreated with hormones and antibiotics, and visitors (or for the more enthusiastic we could use the term "spectators") can witness the process. I've become mildly obsessed with the cheese making process and am still trying to figure it out. (I've managed to commit myself to learning how to make cheese, and then actually doing so by the end of April.) I gaped and gawked until I had to pry myself away.
(When sharing these photos with a friend who is equally as excited by food as I am, she was not so much excited with the cheese making process, but more with the size of the vat. She explained that she gets extremely excited about over sized kitchen equipment. It's on of her endearing qualities, really.)I used to travel excited to take photos. I now travel excited to take photos of food. The world is a big place with lots of variety, and I've got a long way to go to get even a small taste of all that is out there. Next on the list...France?
No comments:
Post a Comment