Category Archives: General

Love of tea

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Love of teaI realized lately that I have a lot of tea. An abundance of tea, actually. Boxes upon boxes housing at least a couple dozen varieties that I’ve managed to accumulate over my travels and from the trips and adventures of my friends and family.

It’s my love of tea that has led to this. A slow accumulation of many teas of all kinds. And the travesty is that I haven’t been drinking it lately as I’ve been on a road a lot.

So the obvious answer: I have to drink it. Now. And as of this week, I’m drinking a different kind every day. None of this waiting until I’m feeling a little under the weather or saving it for a rainy day. Yesterday was the first one: a jasmine tea ball.

These tea balls are a full sensory experience – aesthetically and visually pleasing, aromatic and calming to smell, mild in flavour, and if you listen closely, you might hear the leaves unfurling and small air bubbles being released. After all, it’s the air bubbles that push apart the leaves. Each beautiful little tea ball is crafted in a way where they are tied delicately together and dried. When you steep them, they slowly blossom. I love that. The aesthetic of the blossoming tea ball into a gorgeous floral pattern.

Here’s a short Vine video of the tea opening up:

Love fish? Help keep them around.

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Documentaries are a staple in our household. We watch them as religiously as some families follow their favorite sitcoms or catch up on the evening news. This evening, I finally got around to watching “The End of the Line“, based on the book by Charles Clover with the same title. If you haven’t watched it yet and are one for documentaries, I highly recommend it.

The documentary discusses the fishing industry and focuses on the current state of the health of our oceans – and more importantly, the expected degradation we can expect if we do nothing to change our attitudes and behaviors. Having gone diving in some local waters that have been depleted of ocean life and also others that are protected areas that were teaming with life, I have to say the documentary struck a particularly sensitive cord in me. What a shame if within our generation we saw some of our most beloved fish disappear into extinction and the waters look as barren as they already do in some parts.

Upon finishing the documentary, I went to the film’s website where they have more information about what the average person can do, and updated news links about the fishing industry. They also provide links to other sites that give listings of restaurants (unfortunately, mainly in the United States) according to a sustainability ratings, as well as recommended fish to eat and to avoid – based on current population levels. For a detailed pocket fish guide (PDF) of the recommended fish to avoid and eat, you can download it here.

I’ve included a summary chart of the top ten fish to avoid and to eat below, in case it’s of interest to you. I know it was to me.

Image from fish2fork.com

If you’d like more details about why each of the fish is listed in either the avoid or eat list, you can find the original chart on the The End of the Line website. Just select the fish you’re interested and more content will appear.

Locavore food share programs

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Photo credit: Culinarium / Ontario Artisan Share

I know. Hannah and I haven’t posted in a while. Our apologies on the recent radio silence. We had a number of serious personal events happen that have kept us away from Foodiologie. It may take a bit more time before we’re back on our regular posting schedule, but not to worry, we’ll be back soon. But enough about that, what of this locavore business?

Eating fresh and eating local is one of the things that means a lot to us. What it often translates into is how and where we shop, and what we put in our grocery basket: trips to farmers’ markets, finding small grocers that carry local produce, or just selecting locally grown foods from some of the larger grocery chains. A lot of times though, eating fresh and local also means eating at a higher cost and greater inconvenience. But all this is about to change, because Pietro, aka my husband-to-be, and I are joining a food share program through Culinarium in Toronto.

Food share programs are nothing new, but suprisingly, not too many people know about them, and even fewer participate. In reality, community food sharing is a significant part of human history. Only it’s far less prevalent in our big bustling cities, and complicated food production cycles nowadays – most of us are completely disconnected from the source(s) of our food. But we don’t have to be. Food share programs put our food and the farmers that produce it back into our frame of reference.

What’s great about the Culinarium food share programs are that you can choose the program that best suits you: produce-only, meat options, or even an artisan option where you can also get locally-made cheeses and pantry items like maple syrups, mustards, and oils in both meat and vegetarian options. The other benefit is that it’s affordable. The only difference is that you’re paying for your food upfront and securing your personal portion of food with the farmers you’re getting your food from. The farmer has secure orders before the harvest, and you get a gorgeous assortment of seasonal, local food products on a weekly basis when the time comes.

I can’t wait for my first basket.

For other food share programs across Canada, Food Share has a listing here. If you’re not from Canada, look for one in your area. Chances are, you’ll find one. They’re more common than you may think. Good luck!

For the love of food

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Food has always been a great passion and source of sharing and conversation for our family. We love to cook, bake, and explore new ingredients, but more than that, we love to eat. Over the years, the topic of starting our own food blogs has come up frequently for both my sister and I. This year, we decided, why not start one together and merge our ideas, thoughts, and opinions? The result, is Foodiologie.

Foodiologie will be a culmination of our philosophy around food: the idea of eating fresh, local, seasonal ingredients whenever possible. What we’ll share are observations, tips, and recipes we’ve enjoyed (or maybe even not enjoyed) or had success with.

Happy eating!