Poverty in Malawi

I ventured out late this afternoon for another International Week session titled, “Gender, Education and the HIV/AID Pandemic in Rural Malawi.” Presenting were Dr. Anne Fanning, a retired physician, and Rachel Maser, who just recently returned from a ten-month volunteer stint in Malawi with Engineers Without Borders.

Dr. Fanning began the session with a whirlwind twenty minute PowerPoint presentation meant to provide a framework and overview of the factors involved in poverty, including the necessity of infrastructure, good governance and access to education. While the content was there, I wish there had been more time for depth – her spiel can best be likened to a Blender Blaster of statistics, charts, graphs, maps and fact lists. I think she may have made some assumptions that the audience was more familiar with the material than we actually were (or, it may have just been me), and breezed through it without a pause. It’s evident she’s extremely knowledgeable (she is one of the leading experts on TB), so I can only hope to be able to hear her speak again on a future occasion (an exasperating fact – though condom use is not as prevalent in Africa as it should be, Dr. Fanning noted a statistic that an able-bodied, sexually-active man in Africa only has access to an average of fourteen condoms a year).

Rachel also referred to PowerPoint slides, and on them included many pictures she took while in Malawi. Working through EWB, but with an organization called ActionAid, her objective focused on girls’ education. One of her projects while there involved organizing a day where young girls were able to listen to positive role models working in professional jobs, and then job shadow some of those women on the following day. She came away with the sense that more had to be done to change the perception that the domain of the female was in the home. One interesting point – Malawi, at least in the southern part of the country where she was stationed, is quite well connected by cell phone. She talked about how the technology was revolutionizing the way people did business. For instance, a farmer could receive a text message with the current market price for grain, and then decide whether or not a trip to town would be worth it.

In all, it was great to be able to hear perspectives of those who have worked and lived in the field.

Warm and Inviting: Free Press Bistro

Dickson and I met up after work today for a quick bite to eat. He insisted on something “warm” (what can I say? He’s an articulate one), and I suggested the Free Press Bistro (10014-104 Street).

Until recently, the restaurant belonged to the Original Fare collective, a group of independently-owned eateries in the city. The following is an excerpt from an interview with Natasha Shekhter-Chapman, one of the proprietors of Free Press, distributed in the November 2006 Original Fare newsletter:

“Our concept is to do non-processed panini’s. What I found with panini’s is that most of them are processed, generic food. Whereas here the chicken is roasted, the pork is pulled. Everything down to our desserts we make here. For us it is about non-processed, unique, healthy, incorporating all different aspects of the world. You look at our menu and we’ve got Thai and Vietnamese, and then we have the French, the Cajun, kind of all over the world but combining them all into a very basic thing. Everybody loves sandwiches.”

I’d been there once prior, almost a year ago, on a similarly blustery day, but wasn’t too impressed with the food at that time, however. Just a stone’s throw (okay, maybe more like a punt) away from Bay Station, it’s in quite a convenient downtown location.

The restaurant was cozy and inviting, and even more so as the dimmed lighting brought out the warmth in the earth toned walls. Non-obtrusive vintage newspapers accented the dining room, a theme continued on their colorful menus. While I wasn’t a huge fan of their furniture (clunky metal and tacky pink), the calming ambiance somewhat made up for it.

To start, we ordered the intriguing Chip Butty, an apparent spin on a British pub classic, with fries and mozza grilled between Ciabatta bread. For our main plates, I went with the Chicken Parmesan (breaded chicken, tomato sauce, mozzarella), while Dickson chose the Free Press Club (chicken, lettuce, tomatoes, bacon).

The Chip Butty came soon enough, and my, it may be my new favorite sandwich. The combination of french fries and melted cheese encased in crisp Ciabatta tasted heavenly and had it been served with gravy instead of a lemon dill aioli, it could have been considered a ‘poutine sandwich.’ Come to think of it, perhaps I should add a panini grill to my kitchen wish list.

As for our entrees – the chicken in mine was a tad on the dry side, but using ketchup for dipping, it wasn’t too noticeable. The star of the sandwich was indeed the bread. Dickson wondered if they baked it on-site. Based on their interview excerpt above, I’d hope so. Lastly, the fries were of the shoestring variety (which I normally dislike), but I didn’t mind them on this occasion.

While I’m happy to say I had a good experience this time around, I may have to return to see if they can remain consistent with both the service and the food.

Restaurant interior

Cool menu

Chip Butty with Lemon Dill Aioli

Club Sandwich (with a dollop of ketchup because Dickson couldn’t wait to dig in)

Chicken Parmesan

Culinary Q & A with Dickson

Occupation:

Day: Evil Overlord
Night: Math Tutor

What did you eat today?

Breakfast: Kellogg’s Corn Flakes
Lunch: Sticky rice.
Dinner: Instant Noodles.
Late night snack: Kellogg’s Corn Flakes

What do you never eat?

Raw meat – especially fish

What is your personal specialty?

Beefy Cheesy Pasta – now with tomatoes!

What is your favorite kitchen item?

Oven/Microwave

World ends tomorrow. Describe your last meal.

Appetizer: I’ve never cared too much about appetizers so I’m just going to say Chicken Salad and today’s soup!
Main course: A 12 oz kobe beef steak, lobster dipped in melted butter, mash potatoes with greens smothered in gravy. Extra salt.
Dessert: Creme Brulee and Apple Pie from Joey’s

Where do you eat out most frequently?

I like to give equal patronage to the various restaurants around town so every few weeks I rotate. My rotation so far:

Tokyo Express
Pagolac
Denny’s
Garden Bakery
All Happy
Denny’s

Current Rotation: Sam Wok

What’s the best place to eat in Edmonton?

My two favorite dishes are steak and pho. So I’m going to have to vote for KEG and Doan’s (though I’ve just been told King Noodle House has the best pho in town so my vote may change).

If you weren’t limited by geography, where and what would you eat?

International House of Pancakes. What can I say? I’m an expensive eater 🙂

But really, I don’t think I’ve travelled enough to give this question a thoughtful answer.

Dickson cooking up his specialty
(it also happens to be his birthday today – Happy Birthday!)

One person’s junk…

Who knew? I read an article in the Edmonton Journal today about a new collectibles phenomenon – Starbucks gift cards. From the piece by Shannon Proudfoot:

“BucksCards.com, a website devoted to collectors of Starbucks gift cards – by far the most popular and lucrative on the market – reports that two anonymous collectors recently paid more than $2,000 each for cards that carried no balance but were produced in limited quantities for employees or contest winners.

“‘Gift cards are like stamp collectibles or coin collectibles – just a modern version,’ says Margaret Li, a collector from Vancouver who uses eBay to sell of duplicates or unwanted cards.

“The food news for Canadians is that on the Starbucks gift card market, the little guy may have the upper hand: there are vastly fewer of the ubiquitous coffee outlets in this country, so Canadian designs are more rare and valuable.”

The website provides some interesting tidbits on misprints and other things to look for in collectible cards. It also highlights rare cards issued in countries around the world – I think it’d be a neat idea to pick up such international variations as travel mementos instead of the more commonplace postcard.

I’ve actually kept every card I’ve purchased or received, but for a different reason – I’m a sentimental pack rat. Still, it’s reassuring on some level that there is a market out there for seemingly irrelevant, disposable pieces of plastic.

It’s a Fashion Revolution: Uniform Sizing

I read an Associated Press article reprinted in the Edmonton Journal on Friday about a program women everywhere have been holding their breath for – standardized sizing across merchants.

“Spain’s government has reached an agreement with major fashion designers, including the owner of the Zara chain, to standardize women’s clothing sizes with the aim of promoting a healthier image. Designers such as Cortefiel, Mango, El Corte Ingles and Inditex, which owns Zara, agreed to take part in the program, which was announced Tuesday.

“The program, designed by the Health Ministry, will also prevent those companies from using window displays featuring clothes smaller than a European size 38 (10 in Britain, 8 in the United States). They will have five years to phase in the change.”

Imagine – shopping for yourself, or for loved ones, and not having to guesstimate sizes. And the end of the line for the “sizing up” marketing strategy, a tactic that exploits self-esteem shopping for those who marvel at their sudden ability to wear a smaller size.

I hope this movement hits North American shores soon!

Ronald Wright: “The Traps of Progress”

After months of self-flogging as punishment for missing Stephen Lewis’s keynote address in 2006, I made sure to take time out of my regularly scheduled workday this afternoon to attend Ronald Wright’s opening lecture for the University of Alberta’s annual International Week.

Wright’s address was excerpted from his award winning Massey Lecture, A Short History of Progress. Drawing extensively from history and in particular, literary references, he provided an overview of the human population explosion, with the dire warning that the earth cannot sustain growth at such exponential levels.

In all honesty, a forty-five minute talk can only be expected to skim the surface, and Wright didn’t have the time to go much further than the exposition of facts and quotes spanning two millennia. Because of this, I ended up paying more attention to his oratorical style.

No doubt, Wright has an ear for language and cadence (for example, a clever insertion of the descriptor “softened” following a sentence on Viagra), and as expected of a novelist, had many quotable phrases (e.g. “the new religion of the bottom line”). Still, I was a little disappointed that he mainly read from the page, and hardly wavered from his written word.

Following his speech, there was a brief Q & A session. He had an interesting response to the question probing for his opinion on how many people the earth could reasonably sustain. He harked back to the days before the steam age, and estimated that only up to two million people could live comfortably, without the great variations in wealth and poverty that we have today, and utilizing only environmentally pure technologies. This connects back to an article I read in the Globe & Mail recently about reducing our “ecological footprint.” According to a model created by William Rees, an ecological economist, Canadians are living and consuming resources as if the planet were 20-25% larger than it actually is.

At any rate, I am glad I had the opportunity to be exposed to Wright’s perspective on the global issue of sustainability.

Random Weekend Notes

I watched Little Miss Sunshine over the weekend. It’s easily the funniest movie I’ve seen in recent memory. Steve Carell was hilariously dry, and Paul Dano, the silent, Nietze-reading adolescent brother, had me in pieces with his looks of eye-rolling indifference.
Had a brush with a fake designer bag – bought what I thought was a Diane Von Furstenburg Rolling City Bag from Winners on Friday. But something didn’t feel right. I scoured the internet for evidence that this black and white heart-pattered weekender was authentic, but found no trace that this color scheme existed. And knowing that Winners has carried replica merchandise in the past (fake Seven for All Mankind jeans, for example), I promptly returned it today.
Visited the Old Strathcona Farmer’s Market on Saturday while I was in the neighborhood. It was as lively and bustling as I remembered. Most of the produce there were winter vegetables (carrots, squash, potatoes), but I did pick up a jar of organic strawberry jam that will come in handy when I make Linzer cookies later this month.
While on Whyte, I also stopped by The Plaid Giraffe (10340-82 Avenue), an affordable gift and jewelry store on the Avenue. Though I’m not much of a jewelry person, I couldn’t help buying a Lavishy 1 inch circle necklace. I figure it’ll tide me over until I have the means and the opportunity to buy the Adina version.

Quietly Authentic: Sushi Wasabi

Following the play, Annie and I went to Sushi Wasabi (5714-111 Street) for dinner.

Tucked away in the Lendrum strip mall, I was somewhat surprised that such a nondescript eatery could draw the constant patronage that it did that night. And this led to one of the downsides of the restaurant – because of the table demand (and limited seating), we weren’t able to dawdle and chat as long as we would have liked.

Annie assured me that their food was very authentic, which explained to some degree their higher-than-average prices. Thankfully, I managed to find something on the menu that didn’t involve raw food or fish – the Shichmiyaki Chicken (chicken marinated in Teriyaki sauce served with bean sprouts). I also ordered a side of Miso Soup. Annie opted for the Bento Box, which also came with Miso Soup.

Before our food came, the waitress brought hot towels for us. I felt like I was on a Singapore Airlines flight! It was nicely refreshing. Our soups arrived shortly after, which I found less salty than Kyoto’s version. As for the chicken – it was definitely better than Mikado’s beef equivalent. Lightly fried, then cooked with Teriyaki sauce, the morsels were delightfully crispy and delicately flavored. And though the portion size was fair, on hungrier nights, I’d likely order an appetizer for good measure.

With great service and good food, I can see why Sushi Wasabi is so popular and in such high regard.

Restaurant interior

Miso Soup

Bento Box

Shichmiyaki Chicken

Theatre: “Sexy Laundry”

I met up with Annie on Saturday afternoon to watch Shadow Theatre’s Sexy Laundry at the Varscona Theatre. From the website:

“Armed with a copy of Sex for Dummies, Alice and Henry check into a trendy hotel with a mission to jumpstart their 25-year marriage. Time has taken its toll; kids, stress, and gravity have all had a detrimental effect. This once-loving couple has hit their fifties and the marriage blahs. Will Alice and Henry survive the test of their relationship…or even this weekend?”

I became especially interested in seeing the play after reading a pre-production interview in Vue Weekly with Coralie Cairns, who said, in regards to one of the themes of the play, “Any time you know someone well enough, you almost just stop listening to them, and start looking for the markers, hearing what they say without actually listening to what it is they’re saying.”

Yes, this issue was addressed, but perhaps one of the greatest weaknesses of this play was the fact that it tried to tackle too many issues, including, among others, self-image, career, work/family balance, fantasies, aging, and of course, the meaning of marriage. As a result, the play felt scattered, unfocused, and like a wrought emotional rollercoaster. More than Dinner with Friends, I was exhausted by what seemed like two hours of straight yelling. While everything felt very realistic – the dialogue, communication, and the actors’ familiarity with one another – I can’t say that it was enjoyable to watch two people go from rational to frustrated to tender without any time for the viewer to reflect on what was said (there was no intermission in this production either). Though I tried to empathize, I found that I couldn’t relate to what the characters were going through, and thus, couldn’t bring myself to the point where I was invested in the outcome of their weekend. Essentially, watching this couple air their dirty laundry got tiresome.

As for the acting – Cairns was fabulous, and really brave. The end scene had her in fishnets, hooker boots, a leather mini and a stomach-bearing leather print top. It was a necessary costume, to visually demonstrate her desperation and vulnerability at that point, but I’m sure not every actress would be so willing to display her flaws. Glen Nelson did a good job in the role of Henry as well, the proud and sarcastic family man. However, I did find his character’s tendency to interrupt conversational flow jilting and rather annoying.

The set was surprisingly sleek and polished, and unusually sophisticated for the Varscona stage. Designer Trevor Schmidt made good use of circular pieces (linking to Henry’s last metaphor of ‘coming home’) – with the bed, table, lighting, and of course, three large mirrors, hung so that they provided a visual reminder that the audience was literally reflected on stage.

Though I may not have enjoyed the play as much as I thought I would, Annie liked it. I’m sure she’s well on her way to becoming a full-fledged theatre convert.

2007 Ice on Whyte Festival

On Saturday afternoon, I headed to the 4th annual Ice on Whyte Festival.

Had I been better prepared with a hat and scarf to combat the wicked windchill that day, I would have stayed longer, but as it was, I snapped a few pictures and ran for indoor cover.

All of the carving competitions had taken place the weekend previous, so this weekend was a time for wanderers to marvel at the sculptures. In addition to the individual displays, there was a castle, and even an ice movie screen where films were shown every evening.

However, the crown jewel for me was the ice slide. For $1, I was given a small piece of plastic to sit on, and instructed to hug my legs at the top. I would blame my long wool coat and boots for what happened, but in reality, I am rather uncoordinated to begin with. Needless to say, I didn’t end up in a sitting position at the end, and even hit my head on the bottom. When I brought the board back to the slide creator, he deadpanned, “You are the worst slider I have ever seen,” and asked if I was okay. Yep, it was pretty embarrassing, but so much fun. If it had been warmer, I may have had another go.

This was my first time at the Festival, and next year, I’ll be sure to monitor the forecast to head out on a warmer day!