Footnotes to a Conversation, July 8, 2024

“Do not fear to be eccentric in opinion, for every opinion now accepted was once eccentric.” – Bertrand Russell

Location, Location, Location

Where do you find a magical tree; an elongated, raised concrete slab, or a moon-like setting? Location scouts search the globe for the perfect setting for a movie or television series, but it’s not always glamorous. Sometimes they’re looking for a depressing office or a grotty toilet. And sometimes, they fake it: “The moon ended up being a chalk quarry on the South Downs … The Maldives was a hotel in Heathrow that had a swimming pool with palm trees all round it. With a bit of help from the lighting department, to give some scorching sunshine, we managed to cheat that one.” [The Guardian]

Intrepid Travellers

“The world is as rich as it ever was. Any belief less is cowardice and self consolation … Don’t be a tourist or a disappointed explorer; be something else. Have a reason for each place you go - or better still, have no reason at all. But be sure to avoid that unhallowed middle ground: the week off work with a list of someone else’s recommendations, the expedition that attempts to claim someone else’s heroism … Assign yourself highly personalized and esoteric errands … Embed yourself in odd institutions, real or invented … Pursue some private fantasy and share it with no one. Delight in the surreal ease of shedding your identity continuously.” [Shore Leave]

Suitcase Wines

“Okanagan winemaking is not just a story of pioneering farming practices but of immigrants journeying to new homes with a piece of their heritage tucked into their luggage.”

When Joe Busnardo immigrated from Italy to BC, he immediately recognized the Okanagan’s wine-growing potential because it looked like home. “He wanted to bring 10,000 vines, but the federal and provincial governments said no. They allowed him to import two cuttings of 26 separate varietals in 1968 … By 1972, he had more than 120 different varietals planted on the property … The Serwo family brought German vines carefully wrapped in a damp towel in their luggage when they moved from Germany (where they grew grapes) to Canada in the late 1960s. There are also Chenin Blanc vines around the region that can be traced to other suitcases and intrepid travellers.” [Modern Farmer]

Miniacs

Imagine a miniature boar’s head pie on a platter with a green apple in its mouth. Admire a summer picnic with “glistening olives no bigger than a needle’s eye, elegantly cut ham sandwiches (crusts off), and a mound of potato salad with chives drenched in dressing.” Purchase a jar of Marmite smaller than the tip of your little finger or lilliputian Yorkshire puddings. You’ve entered the mesmerizing world of ‘miniacs’, tiny models of edible and inedible food. [Vittles]

Award-Winning Mysteries

The Crime Writing Association has published a list of this year’s award winners. I’m keen to read Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Sutanto and Black River by Nilanjana Roy. Or maybe I should read The Maiden by Kate Foster, Death Rocks by L.J. Ross, or Voices of the Dead by Ambrose Parry? Which ones would you choose? [Waterstones]

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, check out EcoFriendly West, an online publication encouraging environmental initiatives in Western Canada, and Nature Companion, a free nature app for Canada’s four western provinces.