Nathalie Cooke dishes about Great Canadian Food

Great Canadian food may sound like a paradox to some. I must confess mea culpa. The dish that first came to my mind was poutine - not necessarily haute cuisine but a pretty good guilty pleasure once every blue moon.

If there is anyone who might know about great Canadian food, it would surely be Professor Nathalie Cooke from McGill University. Cooke (whose last name is so perfect for someone who researched and discusses the culture and history of cuisine) will be at our library this Thursday February 11th at 6:30 p.m. to unravel the rich culture, history and practices of Canadian cuisine in her lecture Great Canadian Food and Food Stories.

Cooke recently penned the book What’s to Eat? Entrées in Canadian Food History which takes an introspective approach to Canada’s food history and culture explaining how present day practices such as the slow food movement and buying locally are invariably linked to the past. As Cooke explains, the book primarily centres itself with: “what Canadians eat, did eat and what our meals tell us about ourselves”. She is also the Editor in Chief of Cuizine: The (e) journal of Canadian Food Cultures.

In her lecture, Cooke will share her zest for iconically Canadian cuisine and explain its origins taking her audience on a gastronomic, cultural and historical journey throughout the country.

Tickets are three dollars for this event and can be purchased either at the Main Circulation Desk or at the door the night of the lecture.

Look forward to seeing you there!

Beatlemania

We had a great free concert here this past Sunday at the Library. The concert was performed by the Beatles tribute band Day Tripper. Band members Danny Di Donato (Paul), Peter Grant (John), Jeremy Di Donato (George) and Joey Ayoub (Ringo) played a fantastic show and had lots of people dancing in our auditorium. We gave out all available rain passes for the event as we had to move the concert indoors due to rain. There were people from all ages in the audience and everyone seemed to have had a very enjoyable time. Thank you to everyone who came out for this event!

The Show Must Go On

It seems difficult to imagine the possibility of a year without an Oscars ceremony. Yet that was nearly the case this year with the writer’s strike waging for months on end. For those of you that are out of the loop, the Writers Guild of America (WGA) has been locking horns with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), for roughly 14 weeks now over contract negotiations. At the heart of the matter, are issues with royalties on Internet downloads and DVD sales and union jurisdiction over animation and reality program writers. Yet as of last week, it seems a temporary truce has been reached between the writers and the studio execs and the 80th Annual Academy Awards show will thankfully take place on Sunday, February 24th.

We here at the library always welcome the Oscars with open arms and were happy to hear that the show will in fact go on. There is always much buzz and chatter around here as to who will win or at least who deserves to win. A few of my personal favourites that are nominated in different categories this year are No Country for Old Men, Once and The Diving Bell and the Butterfly.

I must say that with the chilly sub-zero temperatures we’ve been experiencing lately, it’s quite nice to have something to look forward to at this month’s end. And the icing on the cake is that the always effervescent Jon Stewart, host of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, will be hosting once again. Stay tuned for more information on the Oscar contest, Oscar nominated DVDs and forthcoming displays our Audiovisual department has to offer you this Oscar season.

Weird Science

When I think back to my grade school days, I remember my absolute favourite part of science class was the hands on portion where we would conduct experiments in the lab. It was so neat to see every day household items such as baking soda and vinegar transform into something different all together. Eventually as I moved upwards from grade level to grade level, the experiments became more complicated but that spirit of newfound discovery remained the same.

In keeping with this spirit, the Children’s Department will be offering a Mad Science: Dry Ice Workshop on Sunday, January 13th at 3:00 pm. It is geared for children ages 7 to 12 and it will be nothing short of fantastic! Children will conduct experiments with smoke, color changing, boiling potions and fascinating gas explosions in a safe controlled environment. Spaces are limited therefore all of our young scientists are encouraged to register early (Cost is $5.00). So button up your lab coat and get ready for some fun in our Mad Science lab!

Concerts or bust!

It seems that not even inclement weather can keep our concert goers at bay. Despite the dreary weather yesterday a huge flock of you came to the library for the Musicians of the OSM concert. Our next and last concert for the winter season, The Three Sopranos, is from the Atelier Lyrique de l’Opéra de Montréal and promises to be just as delightful and well-worth the wait. Leticia Brewer, Caroline Bleau and Marianne Lambert and their chevalier servants will perform at the library on December 6th at 7:30 pm. On the program for the evening are works by Rossini, Cantalani, Bizet, Strauss and Puccini just to name a few. For only three dollars you won’t want to miss this performance- rain, sleet, snow or shine. And to all the brave souls who made their way to the library last night I just wanted to say thank you and kudos to you for your dedication to the arts!

Talk to the Hand

Ever wonder what a baby is trying to say?

Baby sign language is an increasingly popular form of communication among babies and parents that is thought to promote the development of language skills, reduce tantrums and create feelings of satisfaction and accomplishment amongst babies. For the first time, the library is offering a Baby Sign Language course with specialist Dianne Gallant M.Ed. This four week course is aimed at teaching parents and babies the skills they need to communicate with their hands. The course begins on November 23 and registration has just begun. For more information, click on the Children’s page of our website (www.elcslpl.org) and then click on the Babies link.

Garden delight

It finally feels like summer outside! I have been taking advantage of this consistent sunshine by eating my lunch outside on the benches behind the library. What some of you may or may not know is that this garden, where many of us sit and enjoy the sun, will be the setting for a free outdoor concert on Sunday, August 19th at 4:00 pm . If it rains the date will be switched to August 26th.

Joseph Milo will be conducting the Musicians of the World orchestra in the garden and it will surely be a splendid way to spend a lazy summer afternoon. The orchestra will be performing works by Mozart, Brahms and Rossini as well as other musical gems. So bring your hat, shades, sunscreen, chair or blanket and let the music sweep you away.

Wi-Not?

I recently joined the ranks and am now the proud owner of my very own laptop computer. Owning a laptop nowadays certainly has its advantages with recent technological advents such as wireless internet. And I am happy that our library is hip enough to offer this handy modern service -free of charge.

So last week I took my laptop on its very first “field trip” to the library for its first public wi-fi (popular acronym for wireless fidelity) experience. I logged on quite easily to the Eye-in (the library’s wireless sponsor) network and logged out just as easily when I was done. It was very easy and so utterly convenient! I see many patrons these days relaxing in armchairs or sitting at our study tables taking advantage of this free service and I encourage you to as well. My laptop and I were quite pleased.

Latin Gusto

I like to think of our library as more of a cultural centre as opposed to place where you just take out books. After all, we do house our very own art gallery with artwork from all corners of the world. We also offer history lectures, book clubs, author visits and language courses. And we even have an auditorium where we hold music concerts which brings me to my next point.

For those wishing to add a little Latin gusto into their lives, the highly renowned Venezuelan musical group Ensemble Çavana is performing at our library on Thursday April 26th at 7:30 pm. Tickets cost $3.00 and I assure you are worth every last cent so come on by!

Write on!

It seems only appropriate that our library would be the host of all things literary. After all, we are a library filled with a seemingly endless array of books right? Tomorrow on March 6th the Creative Writing course with Timothy Fain will begin with its new time at 2:00 pm. For those interested there is still room in the class and you have until tomorrow to register for the course so don’t miss out on a great opportunity to unleash your inner writer.

Then on Thursday March 29th author Bill Brownstein author of Schwartz’s Hebrew Delicatessen: The Story will pay us a visit as part of the Quebec Writer’s Federation: Writers Out Loud series.

And as if that were not enough, on Wednesday April 11th author Bill Conrod will be here to discuss his book entitled Memories of Snowdon in the 50’s for all those who wish to take a stroll down memory lane.

For more information on upcoming programs grab one of our Programs and Special Events brochures.

Winter Remedy

Winter is not my friend. I can never quite get used to the frigid temperatures no matter how much preparation I have. But I've discovered a program here at the library that makes things much better for me. The program is called Fireside Tales. I can’t think of a better way to pass a blustering cold Wednesday evening than to listen to a captivating storyteller while sipping hot chocolate in the library’s fireplace lounge.

I truly consider storytelling to be a beautiful but rather rare art form. During these past couple of weeks I have been transported to various parts of the world. Last week I listened to the very talented Moroccan storyteller Myriame El-Yamani and the week before I heard the Irish born Mike Burns tell his engaging and fascinating tale. At one point during a brief intermission I asked our storyteller Mike, whose back was close to the fireplace, if he would like me turn down the heat wondering if he was too warm. He looked at me and smiled answering: “There is no such thing as too warm”. I couldn’t have said it better myself. There are two remaining Fireside Tales programs on the 21st and the 28th of February. Come by and check it out for yourself. You won’t be disappointed.