Footnotes to a Conversation, October 3, 2022
Choosing a Restaurant
How can you recognize an environmentally sustainable restaurant? Look for short menus, lack of tablecloths, local beer on tap, paperless menus, and veg-forward dishes. [The Guardian]
Books – Lots of Books
The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle by Jennifer Ryan is a feel-good story about love and friendship in Great Britain during World War II. I particularly enjoyed the descriptions of daily life, whether it involved clothing coupons, rations, or bombing raids. A highly recommended read, as was her previous book, The Chilbury Ladies’ Choir.
I’m intrigued by a review of a book about tea and Chinese and Taiwanese mythology. A Magic Steeped in Poison by Prairie author, Judy I. Lin, “follows the story of Ning, a young girl from a rural area, living far from the politics and machinations of the capital, who is caught in a quest to save her family and to find the answers to the mystery of her mother’s death by poison … the book is elevated both by the richly detailed settings and the compelling tapestry of layered characters caught up in world-shaking events far beyond the scope of Ning’s quest or of the competition.” Ning uses tea to perform her magic – what an entrancing idea for someone who drinks as much tea as I do! [The Walrus]
Every so often a book comes along that blows apart so many long-held beliefs. We expect scientific research to be based on facts and logic, but we ignore the hidden assumptions that can unintentionally skew the results. Bitch: The Female of the Species by Lucy Cooke points out how often scientists have overlooked female birds and animals by focusing all their attention on the male species. They get a lot of things wrong as a result. I reviewed Bitch for EcoFriendly West.
I’m on the Radio!
EcoFriendly West is collaborating with Radio Canada Saskatchewan on a bi-weekly column on nature and the environment in Saskatchewan and Western Canada on the afternoon program, Pour Faire un Monde. The first episode was on Thursday, September 29, and is available online. [Radio-Canada Saskatchewan]
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.