vol. 8: august (& everything after...) ed.
“Being an artist means, not reckoning and counting, but ripening like the tree which does not force its sap and stands confident in the storms of spring without the fear that after them may come no summer. It does come. But it comes only to the patient, who are there as though eternity lay before them, so unconcernedly still and wide. I learn it daily, learn it with pain to which I am grateful: patience is everything!”
- Rilke, “Letters to a Young Poet”
Happy beginning of September to all my books-and-breakfast-loving friends. I am writing from my new hideaway in Montreal’s Plateau neighbourhood, where everyday I bike by old-school bagel joints Leonard Cohen once frequented, murals of Mordecai Richler, hard-to-resist patateries, young families gathered on picnic blankets in Parc Laurier, flower shops, and patisseries that make me wonder if I’m back in Europe…
As I’m living alone for the first time in my life (aside from opera contracts spent in apartment hotels), I’ve become somewhat obsessed with domestic life. Favourite Saturday activities include biking to the market to chat with friendly québécoise fermière-fleuristes about how best to care for dahlias, vacuuming, arranging bookshelves, or deciding where each piece of art/decor best fits in my new apartment.
Here are a few cultural entities (and a most memorable breakfast) that I’ve been enjoying since arriving in la belle province.
The Bear - I really loved this FX show about a chef in Chicago, the city I did my Master’s degree in. It was a beautiful meditation on grief and family/friendship but also really captured the spirit of that city: the rough edges, the humour and rich culture. Also a great watch for anyone who loves food and wonders how low-budget restaurants make things work.
A Very Nice Girl by Imogen Crimp - When one of my opera mentors handed me this book last month, exclaiming incredulously, “It’s about a singer!!” and I spotted the press quotations on the back comparing it to Meg Mason’s Sorrow and Bliss and the works of Sally Rooney, I had a feeling I’d like it. Much like Mason and Rooney’s books, this novel captures the way a romantic relationship can consume someone young and impressionable. It centres around Anna, a 24-year-old, talented opera singer (a light lyric soprano, to be precise), studying at a fancy conservatory in London, who enters into a relationship with a wealthy, 38-year-old man, which gradually takes over her life. Throughout the book, the repertoire Anna sings (Musetta, Manon, Rusalka) mirrors her grappling with jealousy, desire and the power imbalances brought about by gender and wealth. It’s captivatingly written and a total trip for anyone who’s studied opera.
Nordic banana bread:
Speaking of London… A few years ago, I was in that city visiting family and made my way to 26 Grains, a Nordic restaurant in Neal’s Yard specializing in my true favourite food, porridge. They offered a warm buckwheat banana bread served with butter, maple syrup and sea salt, which was something I would drool at the memory of for months to come. Last night, I realized my bananas were about to rot and decided the best favour I could do myself would be to make a similar banana bread to have ready when I woke up. This one is nutty, gluten-free, only lightly sweetened, and bright with orange zest - very different than the many other recipes I’ve tried. I had mine slightly warmed with my new Quebec obsession, maple butter.
100g buckwheat flour
100g ground almonds
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. sea salt
50g walnuts, finely chopped
4 ripe bananas, peeled and smooshed
finely grated zest of 1/2 unwaxed orange
seeds from 1/2 vanilla pod or 1/2 tsp. vanilla
4 tbsp. coconut oil
4 tbsp. honey (i used maple syrup)
4 medium eggs, beaten
preheat oven to 350F. grease a loaf tin and line with parchment paper. mix buckwheat, almonds, baking powder, cinnamon, salt & walnuts in a large mixing bowl and then fold in banana, orange zest and vanilla.
place the coconut oil and honey in a small pan and melt over low heat. let mix cool for a moment, then fold into the ingredients in the bowl.
stir in the eggs, a little at a time. pour into prepared tin, bake for 45-50 mins. or until golden and a skewer comes out clean. leave to cool in tin for a few minutes before turning out on to a wire rack.
NB: It turns out the recipe for 26 Grains’ non-gluten-free banana bread is online! Will try this one next time :)