Hope in Montreal ...

A note on poverty ~

Communist Romania:

I have fuzzy memories of very long lines. Very early in the morning, poverty tends not to sleep in. Of walking hand in hand with my nanny, my pudgy warm fingers feeling very secure hers, bypassing the line because we had extra food tickets and my father happened to be an "important man"... "That's for Doctor Silaghi's house, let them through, hurry up!" ...

I remember looking at the people, my little child eyes taking them in. The defeated, hungry, wrinkled faces... flat eyes and bodies hunched over with flimsy arms pulling in flimsy jackets. The children were the most confusing to me. One child looking at another and wondering why the other one has to wait for hours for one loaf of bread and one sausage while the other goes right through. For many of those people who waited in that line, for hours and hours, there would be no food left when their turn came. 

Canada:

When we moved to Canada, we had nothing. My parents had to leave everything we had, back in Romania. These were the conditions of being allowed to leave the country. You leave with nothing.

When we arrived we lived in the poorest, worst neighbourhood in Canada, Flemington Park, Toronto. It was the only thing we could afford. My dad woke up at 3am every morning to deliver newspapers, very different from his medical office... My mother worked 18 hour shifts at the hospital just cleaning patients who had soiled themselves in the palliative unit, very different from her nursing office...

My brother and I were on Children's Aid, receiving clothes and toys from the government & going camping for the summers. Sometimes grocery aid. We are fortunate in Canada to have these programs. Poverty always takes from you. It lies. Tells you you are not worthy. Tells you that you can't. Keeps you hungry on so many levels so you almost believe it. It is a deceiver of the worst kind.
 

Hope in Montreal:

Even here, even now, this minute, a child is hungry. They don't have enough to eat. Not too far from you, kids go hungry and they need food. It is hard to believe but it's true. Table of Hope helps.

A little lighter:

                            

 

Table of Hope darlings. Table of Hope. TOH is an annual fundraising event that raises funds for Share the Warmth (STW).The event is a collaboration between Montreal restaurants sponsors and chefs that donate food, staff and time to take part in this amazing cause. Media personalities and celebs volunteer as ‘sous-chefs’. Mila Mulroney and Michael Novak have created the perfect avenue in which you can #eat2feed.

A must go to event in Montreal. This is fundraising at its most delicious.

 

Share the Warmth is a non-profit organization that delivers 4,500 food portions to 2,600 students/28 schools daily. STW manages food banks as well as offering after-school programs and annual scholarships to deserving students. Its mission is to serve individuals and families in need. STW gives out over 800 boxes of food each month, and provides meals for hungry students throughout the school year.

 

                                      

The awesome Co-Presidents: 

 

Michael Novak, Executive Vice-President, member of the Office of the President, and responsible for Global Government, Aboriginal and Economic Affairs at SNC Lavalin, has accepted to be honorary co-chair of Table of Hope 2013.  He joins Mila Mulroney who has been co-chair for 18 years! They totally rock.

 

Some highlights:

 

Celebrity Guest Chef: Ricardo.    

Ben Mulroney, E-Talk Daily, emcee the Patrons’ Cocktail.

Share the Warmth Childrens’ Choir premieres at TOH 2013.

Sous-chefs, Montreal celebrities, personalities and fashion designers

 

411:
 

WHERE: Exciting new venue! L’Arsenal, 2020 William/ Notre Dame

WHEN:  Monday May 27, 2013  

Patrons’ Cocktail 5:00 p.m. $ 200. (Photo ops)     General admission 6:30 p.m.  $125.00. 

 

BUY TICKETS:  www.tableofhope.ca

 

If you are not able to attend in person, any donations help tremendously.

 

Cheers darlings.

A lake where no man swims...

Come closer. There is a special place I want to tell you about. To whisper it in your ear, in fact. Come closer and listen well. Way up high on a mountain top, nestled in the great rock's nook, there lays a lake where no man swims.

Where fish and frog and bird and doe are kings of majestic castle. A lake where no boat roams. The water clean and sweet, perfuming the air with its mineral rich scent.

It was perfect.

Me and the Baobab ...

Do you remember Bugs Bunny, or Tom and Jerry or the Pink Panther or Snoopy? You do right?!! Okay, so remember when Bugs or Tom or Jerry or Pink or Snoopy used to smell the baking bread and would be roused from sleep and proceed to float, snaking along the cartoon wafty smelly thingie? Well, that is me right now. I am now, presently, right this very moment, starting to levitate - my body snaking  and coiling along the scent of freshly baking bread that is wafting, ever so tantalizingly, in here from the kitchen. Yes. I am baking bread. Heaven is in this moment.

 

Aaaanyhooo, do you remember in the previous post (this one) where I said I was going to be back with the during being away photos? From the being away? Well, um, I think ... I went ... may have gone, in fact ... a touch... flower crazy. Because, well ... almost all the photos seem to be of flowers.

 

With perhaps a tree or two. One cloud formation. A wave. An Axel. And a mangosteen! 



This is the sunset on the canal behind the condo, it was such a cool place to do yoga during my #365daysofyogaadventure. More on that adventure here for those of you who are interested...



Who can resist sunlight through trees  ...



Just look at this will you?!



Here we go with the flowers ...



These darlings are passion flowers. There is this really incredible tea that is made from this beautiful flower that is good for so many things.



Just hanging there ...just like that ...



Del Ray palms at the end of a lovely day ...



Me and the Baobab ...



There was so much energy and wisdom in this beautiful tree ...



Orchids growing on trees ... it was incredible ...



The intoxicating scent of these beautiful orchids was something to remember ...



More orchids ...



More!



I just couldn't help myself ...

 

Mid afternoon nap, breeze flowing through the open window, sun blazing in, golf magazine not far away ....



Clouds and a day moon ...



The ocean showing Axel love ...



One more cloud shot ...





And the mangosteen!




I am now going to try to find some other than flower photos ... And the bread recipe.

I'll be back ...



Away ...

I have been away for the last few weeks, dear readers. Really away. Away from home, from Napa, from family and friends, from you (thank you for all the love), from telephones, Internet, facebook, instagram, pinterest ... you name it, I have been away from it. It felt so good. I read three huge books, drank too much wine and got fat. Now I am home and my tan is fading away faster than ... well ... something that fades away super fast. But let us not think about that, yes? Right, so, I have some photos to share. Photos! Of pre-being away and during being away. Here are the first sets and I will be back this week with the rest. And a limoncello recipe with giant lemons. Happy Spring dear readers!

Pre-being away:

Yes, it was, and STILL IS, like this, here, in Montreal. Pretty, yes, but dear readers, let me tell you how you do not want this kind of beauty after 6 months!

More "beautiful" snow. Yes yes I know you find it stunning from your ocean view villa where you can feel the breeze on your skin and smell the ocean air while sipping Sancerre. I can see how you would.

 

I was busy with my beloved Chakra work.

 

My beautiful lovely and super talented friend made this. Like totally made it. By hand. With wax & moulds and stuff. The kick ass silver skull pendant...not the shirt. Here's where to find her ... and the skull pendant of all skull pendants.

 

I got funky with a giant bindi at my beautiful niece's birthday party.

 

There were Irises and Mimosas, because after all, one needs a bit of hope when one is buried under snow for 6 months.

 

There was some wine...

 

And figs, grapes and blue cheese ...

 

And goat's cheese and sage ...

 


And these completely massive lemons the size of my head to make limoncello with. Not that I made limoncello with them mind you. I just loved them so much I bought them just so I could look at them. Then I made lemonade.

 


There were also "regular" sized lemons and black grapes...with a fig or two in between ...

 

More flowers ... because ...well ... you saw the snow right?

 

The flowers and lemons together because ... well ... they are so matchie matchie! Can you see the size of those lemons dear readers?!

 

I woke up to some tulips ... March is flower month in our household...

 

This was "Today's view from the mat. #365daysofyogaadventure"

And then, one night...a few days before we were to leave, I became obsessed with the freesias on our table. This, was the result. Warning: you are about to see many freesia photos, from an obsessive insomniac. Continue at your own risk. Right ...well then:

     

 

 

Over and out.

 





In the land of bones, butter & pig fat...

Alright. I have a confession to make.

I was not sure if I wanted to talk about this here but I suppose it must come out because I am going to alter the way I eat for a while and therefore my recipes and slightly therefore, what I write about. Ish. For a bit.  For a bit!

People, my dear, sweet readers, my dosha is out of balance. That's right. I said dosha and out of balance. You have read it here first. My name is Oana, and I, am an out of balance Pitta.

You still with me? Hang in there... don't freak out.

For those of you who may not know (and most of you wouldn't, it is not something I normally talk about here) Ayurveda and the Healing Arts are a sizable part of my life. Like super big :). So since I'll be adopting a bit of a balancing style for a while, I'll be talking about it here, from time to time. Right here in the land of bones, butter and pig fat. 

I'll be saying things like bone water  (I've posted a great recipe here) and guna and lassi  (remember the don't freak out part) and, well, balancing and chakra and other such things. I hope you will still love me.

Oanapittabonewater

Time to dish.

Really awesome Soy Chai to soothe Vata

 

 

 

Here is what you need:

 

• Small handfuls each, of cloves, Asian dates & star anise
• A cinnamon stick
• 1/2 teaspoon of ground cardamon seeds, use a small handful of whole cardamom pods if you don't have ground
• 1 liter of soy milk, without carageenan if you can find it 
• Maple syrup to taste

 

Here is what to do:

 

1. You remember these extremely difficult instructions ... well, same thing here. I swear.

 

Once done, put on a big woolly sweater and socks, curl up with a good book or whatever you love to watch or whomever you love or whatever, and enjoy. It's awesome.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



This breath of deserts ...

 

It was cold that day in the desert. A teeth chattering kind of cold, and mine were. I was shivering as I stood to watch. Everyone had gone. The wind was blowing heavily across the landscape and the droplets had reached my face. All the way from the mountains, they were carried on the One breath. It was my first time in this place and it was not what I was expecting. I was not expecting to find myself alone and shivering, battered by wind and droplets, pulling my humble sweater around me for a semblance of warmth as I watched a rainstorm come in over desert mountains. I was not expecting to be unable to move, astonished and breathless at the exquisite beauty before me. Nor for the love that would ensue.

 

Yet, there it was.

 

There I was.

 

The clouds were heavy with rain and each moment they seemed to come closer, but never did. Everything came to life. The ground seemed to vibrate with energy, the plants reaching to catch droplets whirled by on the wind above them. Reaching to drink in this life that visits them once every ten years. The air smelled of wet stone and earth. Every inhale was filled with mist and lessons.

 

 

 

And then, as quickly as they rolled in...

 

 

 

 The clouds were gone. The rain, with them. And out came a brilliant, scorching sun. People with it.

 

 

 

 

Warming up stones for my grateful feet.

 



 

 

Breath of deserts

 

What finds you is freedom and oneness.

Newness where old eyes feared there would be none again.

Things you do not know

Cannot know here.

An alien on your own planet.

Beyond you.

Liberation from mind.

The beauty and burden of life, shared.

The certainty of hope.

The certainty of change.

Of transformation.

Breathe in deeply.

The moment is fleeting.

 

This breath of deserts.

 

- Oana Silaghi Bedikyan

 

 

 

Time to dish.

 

What. You thought you weren't getting a recipe?

 

So you know how I have been making tons of this bone broth? Well, we have to do something with all that meat yes?

 

Do this:

 

Pulled Turkey (or Chicken) Sandwich

 

 

 

Here is what you need:

 

• Lovely meat from your bone broth
• Cornichons
• Green Olives
• Mayo
• Lemon juice
• Matouk - hot sauce- the bomb
• Crusty Bread
 

Here is what to do:

 

1. Shred your chicken or turkey meat with a fork and mix with a generous amount of mayonnaise and the juice of half a lemon.
2. Dice the cornichons & olives finely and add to the mixture. Lightly toast your favorite bread, mine was a baguette, slather a tiny amount of matouk on the bread (any more and you are on your own, you've been warned) and dig in dear readers.