Category: Delights
Croatia: See, Feel, Enjoy
By Veselko Grubišić Ambassador of Croatia “On the last day of the Creation, God desired to crown His work, and thus created the Kornati Islands out of tears, stars and breath.” When describing my country, I often borrow this famous quotation made by Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw when he visited the Kornati archipelago off [...]
Wine from under the Tuscan sun
For most of us, the mere mention of Tuscany easily stirs up romantic imagery. We see the rolling hills. We feel the warmth of the Mediterranean sun. We walk the narrow streets of ancient fortified towns. However, besides inspiring daydreams, the true power of Tuscany is its strong sense of authenticity. This is particularly seductive [...]
A little Frank Lloyd Wright in Rockcliffe
Although their house wasn’t built to be their official residence, the feeling that they are home in Finland permeates the atmosphere for Ambassador Charles Murto and his wife, Ritva. They are completely comfortable in the California redwood house overlooking McKay Lake in Rockcliffe, a house actually built in 1953, but as modern-looking today as it [...]
Jamaican cuisine: A delightful tangle of cultures
Joyfully vibrating to the beat of reggae, Jamaica is a lush tropical island paradise and, understandably, a popular tourist destination. While exploring the culinary history and culture of the island, I also learned of its uniqueness and delighted in the evolving historical puzzle that became more complex with each wave of new arrivals to [...]
The war of 1812: A native hero named Norton
Canada is a country so vast that too often, it seems, our history is lost inside our geography. A striking example is our country’s First Nations, whose long, rich history is well-preserved by them, but seldom gets the same attention on a broader scale, even when their stories affect us all. Consider Mohawk chief John [...]
Opium as product and policy
Thomas Dormandy, a retired British pathologist who knows whereof he speaks, has a great deal to tell us about opium as well as morphine and heroin, the two even more powerful painkilling drugs derived from it. His exhaustive, but not exhausting, new book, Opium: Reality’s Dark Dream (Yale University Press, US$40), is a splendidly informative [...]
Morocco’s exotic cuisine
Morocco’s culinary roots can be traced back to nomads, known as Berbers, who lived off the land. Subsequently, traders and conquering nations introduced a myriad of food customs, but the most profound impact came with the 7th-Century Arab invasion, which brought a wide variety of exotic spices (cumin, cinnamon, saffron, ginger and caraway). Today, the [...]
A short, chilly history of Canadian winters
How often in winter do we cringe at hearing the dreaded question, “Is it cold enough for ya?!” True, it is a conversation opener, and we Canadians do speak volumes about our weather. In Canada, winter is a part of our community to the extent that it defines us in the global consciousness. It also [...]
A welcoming Korean residence
Two large, fierce haetae guard the entrance to the stunning stone residence of Korean Ambassador Cho Hee-yong and his wife, Yang Lee. The strange creatures sitting on their plinths in front of the large circular driveway serve a purpose. In traditional Korean mythology, they are said to discern good and evil, prevent natural disasters and [...]
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