by Sue Hodgson –
For most of my early life, I was largely unconscious when it came to food, eating whatever was in front of me based purely on taste. Taste lingers far longer in the mind than it does on the tongue, and anyone who remembers special family dinners can attest: food memories rarely exist in a vacuum. They are intimately tied to where you had that unforgettable bite and the personal connections you made. I can honestly say that most of the memories that are really vivid for me have been surrounded by food in some ways.
Over the years I became more interested in the nutrition aspect of food. Growing up we always ate well, but we likely ate too much. I guess with age you begin to have a closer relationship with food and become more aware of your choices and how they affect your health. Being connected to your food, celebrating it, knowing it and choosing it deliberately, is surely the first, and an essential, step to being connected to your life. But food offers more than just sustenance. Eating and having a relationship with food is the one thing that we all have in common, and the food we enjoy and share with others creates connection between people.
When the country shut down in March, kitchens, markets and tables around the world went quiet. With that in mind Seaside Magazine is so excited to share some of our food connections in this issue. Firstly, our photographer Janis Jean’s farm-to-table photography workshop (pg 12) at Bullock Lake Farm on Salt Spring Island. The workshop is intended to inspire a photographic story that connects people, and the food on their table, to their local farmer; wherever you are! And regardless of how you like your tomatoes, Courtney Thomas from Quince Café (pg 20) gives us three new ways to use the beautiful red bounty available at this time of year. In Behind the Scenes (pg 32), Deborah Rogers visited Level Ground Trading and learned how connection with growers is fundamental to their product.
Food nourishes us physically, but it also has magic about it; sharing food creates a bubble in the hectic stream of life that helps us to pause and connect. Enjoy this month’s delicious issue – bon appétit!
