Issue #42: Italian Adventures & Getting Lost
…plus who cares if the recipe doesn’t call for chocolate
Animals/update from Issue 37: “Berlin's newest pygmy hippo makes her debut, with a name inspired by a soccer star” on CTV News (read the article here)
Back in Issue #37 I linked to a story about a naming contest for a baby pygmy hippo at the Berlin Zoo. The contest is over and a name has been chosen! The baby has been named….drumroll please…Toni! She is named after soccer player Antonio Rüdiger, who has agreed to be Toni’s honorary patron.
Toni made her first public appearance with her mother, Debbie, on August 15. I can’t even handle the cuteness of the picture in this article. I just want to pick Toni up and cuddle with her all day!! Look at that sweet little face!
Food/funny sign: Bulk Barn’s chocolate section sign
I was excited to realize that we have a Bulk Barn closer to our new house than I realized! Several items that I needed were on sale so Jamie and I went this week. I headed over to the nut section to get peanuts, and unfortunately they were sold out (not surprising- it was a really good sale). However, it wasn’t a total bust because the nut section leads into the chocolate section. This sign hanging over the chocolate section made me laugh! It’s a good reminder that you never need a reason to buy chocolate! This is where I buy the chocolate wafers I mentioned in Issue #02. I didn’t get any this time but thankfully everything else on my list was in stock and I did find a few other treats too.
Television/travel/food: “Bobby and Giada in Italy” on Discovery+/Magnolia (watch the trailer here)
If you’ve been thinking “I’d really like some travel and food inspiration”, this is the issue for you! Jamie and I have watched a few food/travel shows lately and really enjoyed them. My travel wish list has gotten even longer! In Bobby and Giada in Italy, Bobby Flay and Giada De Laurentiis spend time in Rome and Tuscany. They have a good rapport and are an entertaining duo, and I love both of their passion for food. I’ve seen other shows with Giada in Italy, and her love for Rome and Italian food is contagious. Bobby and I have similar tastes in food (especially gelato!), and I’ve tried a lot of new foods because of recommendations I’ve heard him make in past projects. Fair warning: this show will give you a major craving for Italian food!
I’ve been to Rome and have always wanted to go back, and this show definitely reminded me of the beauty, history, and delicious food of the city. I was able to go on the trip thanks to an awesome professor. One of my swim teammates in university invited me to go with her to Europe for three weeks at the end of our first year. Her parents owned a BnB that specialized in international visitors, so she was going to travel in several countries and visit some longtime clients. The only catch was that she was done exams earlier than I was so would be leaving too early for me to go. I took a risk and asked my professor for my last exam if it was possible to write it a few days early. I knew it was a longshot, but I had one thing working for me. The class? Roman History. I explained that I had an opportunity to visit Rome and see in person so much of what the class had taught me, and thankfully the professor was very encouraging and agreed to schedule an early session for me. So thank goodness it was a class on something applicable to the trip or else I would have missed out! I’ve always wanted to go back to Rome but for some reason Tuscany just wasn’t high on my list. This show changed that! I’ve always heard that Tuscany was stunningly beautiful, and this show absolutely supported that!
Television/travel/food: Getting Lost with Erin French on Discovery+/Magnolia (watch the trailer here)
We recently finished watching Getting Lost with Erin French and really enjoyed it. I wish that there were more than eight episodes! Maybe I’ll get lucky and there will be another season. In this show, chef Erin French and her husband Michael embark on a cross-country road trip/food tour across the US. They took the trip during Erin’s off season for her restaurant, The Lost Kitchen, and used the trip as a source of inspiration and exposure to new and different foods. Erin and Michael really jumped into the trip and immersed themselves in whatever area they were in, and they stopped at some really interesting places. You could tell how excited they were to be on the trip and genuinely interested in learning about the food and people at each stop. I also enjoyed seeing how Erin would take what she’d learned at the end of the episodes and use it to influence what she cooked for her celebration dinners.
My favourite episode was their stop in California. I will forever be jealous of people who have an abundance of fresh local produce year-round! There have been multiple instances where I have drooled over a farm, only to see that it’s in Ojai. It’s an area that I’ve always wanted to visit so I was excited to see it was part of the California episode.
Television/food: “The Lost Kitchen” on Discovery+/Magnolia (watch trailers here and here)
The whole reason we started watching Getting Lost with Erin French in the first place is because last fall and winter we got hooked on Erin’s first show, The Lost Kitchen. It gives a behind the scenes look at how The Lost Kitchen restaurant is run, from staff meetings to recipe testing and menu planning. I’d heard of the show but hadn’t looked into it until last fall. Part of me thought it sounded interesting and exactly the kind of thing Jamie and I would like. The other part of me was concerned about some online reviews I’d read from people saying they found the talk about food pretentious. I love food, but I hate when people are pretentious about it. For the record, that doesn’t mean I don’t like upscale places. I’ve been fortunate enough to eat at some amazing restaurants, and my favourites are always the places where the attitude is as warm and welcoming as the food is delicious. You can be super upscale and not a total noob about it. I’m glad that we tried the show anyways because we loved it! And I didn’t find the conversations to be pretentious or snooty at all. If anything, I was surprised at how down to earth everyone seemed, given the success of the restaurant. I think maybe what read as pretention to non-foodie people comes across as deeply passionate about the intricacies of food to foodies. I’m just sharing my opinion in case you see those reviews as well! It is definitely a show for people who are serious about food, although I think people who are interested in the behind the scenes of any groundbreaking business may also enjoy it.
I loved seeing Erin’s passion for creating not only good food but an overall memorable experience for her guests. Her focus on hospitality is inspiring. As someone who loves dishware and setting a table before guests come over, I felt encouraged to try new ideas and continue to use that as a tool for making the people I love feel welcome in my home. Some of my favourite scenes were when she’d visit the local farmers who supply the restaurant to learn more about how the food is grown and how to best use it. I’ve lost count of the number of times that I’ve drooled over the aesthetic of the restaurant. I’ve paused multiple times so I could see the design details (and take note of the cookbooks on display!). If “upscale rustic with reclaimed wood and lots of candles” is at all something you’re into, I suggest Googling The Lost Kitchen for some inspiration pictures!
In order to get a reservation you have to send in a postcard. The postcards are randomly drawn, and they get thousands every year. We sent one in last summer. We didn’t this year because of moving, but maybe we’ll try again next year. I also have Erin’s book and have been meaning to read it for a while. I’m waiting until my brain isn’t so frazzled, but I’ve heard good things about it.
Wishing you a wonderful week and I’ll be back in your inbox next Sunday!
Lauren