9: Nuit Thoughts
Plus: a new home for the online Toronto historical newspaper resources, and 90-year-old Thanksgiving suggestions
Scarborough Town Centre during Nuit Blanche
If I’m being honest, times have been trying around here lately, a rollercoaster ride of frustration, stress, and other fun things along those lines. As I’m writing this, I’m waiting to see if the last two months of computer files and related folders can be saved from a suddenly malfunctioning external hard drive—the one I store everything on and haven’t backed up of for ages (oops). It’s the topper I needed for a period where there have been family health issues, no end in sight to a labour dispute involving a major client, the overall anxiety everyone is experiencing right now, and things I didn’t need such as a car break-in (which, luckily, appears to have been a major disappointment for the perpetrator), etc.
Good times!
But not everything is doomy gloomy. There are promising developments on a few fronts. There’s been a lot of self-reflection on where I should take things from here, especially regarding my online presence. Taking better physical care of myself seems to be working.
***
A giant raccoon along Danforth Avenue.
One recent event I enjoyed was Nuit Blanche. This year I didn’t go downtown, sticking to three of the outer hubs (Scarborough Town Centre, Aga Khan Museum, and East Danforth), as I generally enjoy them more. Outside of the city core, Nuit Blanche feels like it is evolving into a community event, where participants enjoy the opportunity to be out and about. While there were discussions of what the art meant, it was more interesting to watch people interact, from children having a fun time way past their bedtime to neighbours catching up with each other. Add in stores open late, pop-up food vendors, and the occasional DJ/live music act, and you had an event that felt like an antidote to the grumblers who claim Nuit Blanche always sucks. It felt like the night had less publicity than usual when it came to the came to the core, but the outlying areas seemed to be doing just fine.
The exhibit that most caught my attention was Beyond the Soil, which was exhibited in the Old Navy wing of Scarborough Town Centre. Here’s the artist statement from Oddside Arts from the city’s official Nuit Blanche site:
Traditionally, quilts have been a woven source of record keeping passed down through generations. They have long been a way for African ancestors to gather with community, impart cultural knowledge, and pass down visual histories as meaningful fabric stitches. “Beyond the Soil” is a new media exploration of these modes of communication that merges and transforms the traditional practices of Afrodiasporic quilt making with the technologies available in modern society. For members of the Afrodiaspora, especially those who live in North America, familial lineage is a continual process of discovery. Thus, this quilting project elaborates on how we have made homes for ourselves in the midst of mass displacement and where those stories connect with others who came before. It does so through exploring textiles and patterns as modes of communicating creation stories, i.e., the way we come to be based on our storied histories of movement, discovery, and reflections on how we cultivate community. “Beyond the Soil” combines the tactile application of quilting practices with new media by incorporating digital design, 3D printing, and augmented reality.
The stories accompanying the quilt designs powerfully related the experiences of their designers.
Like any major event that’s been running for years, there is room for improvement. I still look to the one time I visited Montreal’s edition for how Toronto can do better. More side activities from participatory art workshops to a wider range of discussions. More performances in other genres from music to drama. The use of facilities such as CBC HQ for such performances. Landlords willing to allow more portions of the PATH to be used (though having seen how idiots trashed the Eaton Centre in the past, I understand the leeriness to do so). Volunteer guides on hand to help explain confusing art.
Overall, Nuit Blanche here seems to work best as a community event, and more neighbourhoods and BIAs should be encouraged to participate.
Curio Collection
Toronto Star Weekly, October 7, 1933.
As this edition comes out during Canadian Thanksgiving, and as back issues of Star Weekly are now available on Newspapers.com, it felt appropriate to dip into its back pages for some holiday dinner ideas. This child appears to be enjoying his tendon-less drumstick!
"A perfect Thanksgiving dinner," according to writer Jean Brodie, "is one that is simple to prepare and easy to serve, and when it happens to be a family reunion or one at which the guests are to be entertained the meal should not be an elaborate one. A meal that is simple, well-cooked, and nicely served - one that leaves the guests pleasantly satisfied and able to enjoy the remainder of the day instead of suffering from the amount of food from which politeness has forced them to consume should be the choice for Thanksgiving."
Headshot of Star Weekly food writer Jean Brodie, October 7, 1933.
Forget any newfangled food trends - Brodie believed that while "new recipes may be invented, the most enjoyable Thanksgiving dinner is one that is made up of real old-time foods - with crisp, brown turkey, seasonable vegetables cooked to perfection, several kinds of homemade pickles or relishes or pickled fruits, and golden wedges of pumpkin pie and spicy individual mince pies which have been made from the mincemeat which has been prepared for Christmas. A top-off of nippy cheese and crackers, and a huge bowl of rosy apples, pears, peaches, nuts, raisins, etc., is a fitting close to this harvest meal."
While dishes we still serve today are mentioned in passing, the recipes included in the article tend toward dishes that have fallen out of favour. Oysters are prominent in several of them, including an oyster cocktail (basically seafood cocktail sauce with some oysters tossed in) and an oyster bisque. Besides turkey, a crown roast of pork was suggested, simply seasoned with salt and pepper and garnished with paper crowns on each rib. Salads included a cucumber/almond/celery mix, and a concoction of grapes, apples, and nutmeats.
What’s New
I’ve launched a new version of my professional website with a new name: Jamie Bradburn Creative. I feel this branding better reflects the range of work I do. The site also includes the new permanent home of my guide to online Toronto historical newspaper resources.
Hire Me
Seeking a writer/researcher/editor for your latest project? I am always taking on new work. Beyond my historical niche, which often leads in surprising directions, I want to expand my horizons and explore new ways of utilizing my skills. I am interested in working on general projects in the corporate, educational, and non-profit sectors where clear communication and presenting solid facts is a must. Privately message me at jamiebradburnwriting[AT]gmail.com if I can assist you.
***
That’s it for this edition. See you next time!