Footnotes to a Conversation, December 13, 2021
Fashionable/Unfashionable
Red fife wheat had gone out of fashion in Canada. Fortunately, some dedicated farmers (such as Marc Loiselle) and bakers (such as Bryn Rawlyk and Clif Leir) have brought it back into the marketplace. In Colorado, a craft malthouse is taking advantage of a wheat that wasn’t suited to breadmaking. Ensuring crop diversity is important for many reasons.
“Losing seeds for good doesn’t just mean that we have less variety today. It could also mean that we have limited crops available in the future when climate conditions may demand different characteristics. Maintaining biodiversity will give us the best chance of a bright future for crop harvests. To do this, it is critical to support the people that breed new grains – as well as preserving current and ancient grains; those that grow them, and the researchers who catalogue and preserve seeds that just could make the perfect crop for a future farmer.” [Sourced]
Yours, Virtually
It’s almost impossible to find a general physician if you’re new to Victoria. One of the options is a privatized virtual care service. Is this a good option? What are the risks? The same issues apply to patients who are having problems seeing a doctor in person after virtual appointments became the norm due to Covid. Here is an interesting article about the pros and cons of virtual health care and some of the issues that are limiting quality health care in Canada. [The Walrus]
Just for Fun
First day of school for many North American children means new clothes, but in Germany children receive a large cone full of sweets and toys:
“On the surface, German school cones are a very simple gift: a large, decorated cardboard cone, filled with sweets, stationery and toys. But over the past two centuries, they have acquired a unique place in German culture, as a much-loved, deeply symbolic present from one generation to the next – one that carries a powerful cultural and psychological meaning. German parents patched together school cones during two world wars, in the rubble of post-war cities, and throughout the decades when the country was divided. In good times, the cones were filled with luxurious treats; in bad times, with potatoes, or nothing at all, and the cone itself would be the gift. To many Germans, they are the ultimate symbol of starting school, and entering a new phase of life.” [BBC]
There’s a secret library hidden inside a book in the central branch of Greater Victoria Public Library.
“Frankson hatched the plan for the zine-trading library, thinking it would be a way to seed culture, connect zine makers, and build a “centralized infrastructure to support the growth of that community.” They chose the public library as a host, as it was controlled for temperature and seemed like a good place to hide a book … Frankson did a fair bit of recon to pull off the reverse heist. They scoped out the stacks in search of the least populated area, hoping to place the fake book containing the zine library among books that were infrequently checked out (and therefore infrequently reshelved by librarians who might notice it).” [Capital Daily]
There’s big bucks in beauty contests, so you need to make sure your camel is looking its very best. And the result, in some cases, is fraud! Saudi authorities disqualified more than 40 camels in this year’s pageant because the camels had received Botox injections, facelifts, and other cosmetic alterations to make them more attractive. [The Guardian]
Footnotes to a Conversation is a weekly Monday feature covering an assortment of topics that I’ve come across in the preceding week – books, art, travel, food, and whatever else strikes my fancy. I also post occasional articles on other dates, including frequent book reviews and travel tales.
If you share my love of nature, I suggest you also read EcoFriendly Sask that I publish in collaboration with my brother, Andrew. Check out EcoFriendly Sask’s Nature Companion, a free nature app for Canada’s four western provinces.