Footnotes to a Conversation, June 23, 2025

“I’ve been absolutely terrified every moment of my life—and I’ve never let it keep me from doing a single thing I wanted to do.” — Georgia O’Keeffe

A Leader Leads the Pack

Introducing sushi in 1986 Pakistan was risky, but it worked because it was exclusive, something people could brag about. “There had been no advertisements for Fujiyama, and for those six weeks, the only way to get in was with an invite; these began to land in the homes and offices of the city’s bankers, businessmen, doctors, and other members of Karachi’s elite. By the new year, the restaurant was so busy it had waiting lists. There were now two kinds of people in the city of six million: those who had tried sushi and those who had not.” The owner used to say that “Rules are made for fools, and donkeys and mules, and children in schools … Who makes the rules? You and I. Who can amend the rules? You and I.” [Vittles]

Book Influencers

In the 1940s, the British borrowed books; they didn’t buy them. The Book Society, established in 1941, sought to change that by offering a monthly book subscription. With its opulent headquarters and members’ room, its exclusive bookplates, and newsletter, it stood out from more commercial operations and was run by larger-than-life literary celebrities. “Just as the internet behemoth Amazon would, some 70 years later, quickly become essential for publishers, the society, with its large numbers of pre-orders, enabled the industry to increase print runs, find new customers and create bestsellers.” [The Observer]

Avian Adoption

What does the future hold for a short-legged Canada gosling that has been adopted by a pair of long-legged sandhill cranes? “In a small pond in Madison, Wisconsin, a pair of sandhill cranes is raising a baby Canada goose as their own. The combination appears to be only the third confirmed instance of such a cross-species adoption … However, an unusual sighting in Alaska in 2011, when a Canada goose was seen living with and behaving like a crane, suggests this kind of adoption may have happened even earlier.” A pair of Canada geese have tried to reclaim their chick, with no success. [Smithsonian Magazine]

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.