The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, January 24, 1996 - B1

BOOKING IN ff

| PETER HEPBURN

Fine dining
T WAS Neil Gaiman’s charming
comic-book mini-series Death: The
High Cost of Living that
reintroduced me to that remarkable
French expression /’esprit d’escalier,

Sadly our language has no equivalent phrase.
We might translate it as ‘‘the spirit of the
stairs,'’ but this fails — woefully — to convey
what is an especially frustrating feeling. L’esprit
d'escalier refers to the situation where one
thinks of a good comeback too late to have the
desired effect.

Such was my situation recently when my Dad
phoned me up about something or other. I was
at work, a little to busy for barter.

So, of course, with blunt reference to my last
column, he starts to ask some facile questions
about sautecing lecks for mashed potatocs. And
I in iny haste, just said something like, ‘Uh
huh. Yeah, What do you want Dad?”

Several days later the clever comebacks sur-

faced in my conscious brain.
_ This was not quite a sterling display of funda-
mental respect fur one of my parents. 1 was dis-
lracted you see, Dad, I'm sorry. The rapicr-like
wit you so richly deserved was hovering over
Saucepans on the stove.

All of which somehow leads us to our topic:
cookbooks, I would wager that a good many of
us received them for Christmas. I did, as well a
book on garlic cookery. If you did receive such
a gift bold on to it. It will be useful.

You must realize that.many people simply
won’l cook, citing the difficulty of the undertak-
ing. The marvelous thing about cookbooks,
however, is that they’re designed so that the
recipes work,

Gather the ingredients; follow the instructions.
That's it. ,

After all, if people couldn’! create what the
recipes promised, wha would buy the things?

Aside from the obvious benefits of having a
cookbook or two at work, I’ve appreciated their
aid when having potlucks to attend. Which is to
say frequently. So it was for our mast recent
dinner that I managed a slight variation on the
roast leg of lamb in red chili crust with jalapeno
preserves fram Bold America Food by Bobby
Flay.

Just don’t be afraid of that cook-
book. Do more than gawk at the
Photographs. Crack that spine
and find it a home in your kiteh-
en.

And then there was the red yam flan from
Mesa Mexicana like the one I make in licu of a
birthday cake a few months back.

T honestly don’t know, however, what cook-
books the library has. Nor am J all that familiar
with the selection in local bookstores, I do have
some recommendations though.

There are the two previously mentioned,
Bobby Flay docs indeed have same bold ideas,
especially meal, poultry, and fish. I think it is
his chipotle scalloped sweet potatoes that I most
enjoy, though.

Mesa Mexicana is a simpler text. Written by
Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger, the book

‘has married Mexican peasant fare and modern

ingredients very successfully.

Mark Miller’s Coyote Cafe is an old favaurite
that holds a place of honor on my shelf. the rise
poundcake paired smartly with a raspberry and
red current sorbet al my twenty third birthday
dinner. Ah, but for that sweet tooth, I suggest
Emily Luchetti’s Stars’ Desserts, 9 fabulous
collection that emphasizes ingredients over
decorations. Try the blackberry sour cream muf-
fins, please,

The idea for Jeeks in the mashed potatoes is
probably loosely based on the garlic mashed
polatocs in Emeril’s New Orleans Cooking by
Emeril] Lagasse and Jessie Tirsch, Either that or

the turnip puree with sauteed shallots from

Danny Meyer and Michael Romano’s Union
Square Cafe Cookbook, Just use plenty of leeks

_and black pepper.

~ I'm not trying to convince you of a particular
breed of food snobbery here. You doubtless
have your own preconceptions. Just don’t be
afraid of that coakboak, Do more than gawk at
the photographs. Crack that spine and find it a
home in your kitchen,

And with any luck my Dad will have read ail
of this. It saves the inconvenience when next J
sce him of recollecting those childhood Sunday
momings when he would tell us that bumt pari-
cakes are good for the digestion.

. Internet talk

INSIDE SECTION B
COMMUNITY CRIS LEYKAUF
EVENTS B2 638-7283

Salut mon ami, ca va?

HOW DOES a teacher get his
students to practice their French,
communication and technology
skills all at once? On the intemet
of course.

Roy Vick’s grade five class at
Cassie Hall Elementary is using
the internet to write ta pen pals at
schools in Vanderhoof, Prince
George, the Sunshine Coast and
California, And they're writing
this e-mail in French.

It's part of a project called Tele
Colombian, a province-wide in-
itiative to get all French Immer-
sion students on the internet.

Vick started the project in No-
vember, and he plans to keep the
kids exchanging letters till the
end of the school year.

The classroom has two com-
puters — a Performa 580 and a
laptop mac, as well as a printer
and two lines to access the inter-
net, One line is kept open six
hours a day, through the Tele
Colombian project,

“We're probably the only
classroom in B.C. with two
hookups,”’ says Vick.

Vick keeps on top of his stu-
dents, making sure that when one
Teccives a letter, he or she writes
back within a few days.

Each child usually writes two to
threc letters a week,

“Gelting that first letter back
was pretty exciting,’’ he says,

The children write aboul music,
their teacher, their friends and
whal they got for Christinas.

This is the first time Caitlin
Westerman has ever had a pen
pal. She says wriling to her pen
pal has helped to improve French.
She also prefers pen pals who are
in the same grade as she is,

“Tt's easier to write to someone
my own age,”’ she say.

Sarah Hillert is using the inter-
nel to get closer tu her father. He
lives in Kamloops, and she
recently sent her first e-mail letter

to him.

*T write about the weather, and
if he had a good Christmas,’’ says
Hillert.

Vick has seen a big improve-

\ 3

PEN PALS — Caitlin Westerman keeps in touch with her Vanderhoof pen pal by writing letters in

French over the internet. All the French immersion students at Cassie Hall have three to four pen

pals they write ta regularly.

ment already in his students’
French writing skills,

‘AL first there used to be mis-
takes all the way through their
letters,’ says Vick. ‘Now there’s
just a few mistakes here and
there,’’ he says pointing lo a
handwritten Ietler nearly. free of
corrections. —

“I'd rather they did this three schools.

times a week, than have them
wrile in a journal and be bored,’’
says Vick, ‘‘This gives them a
reason to learn,”

Now that the students are get-
ting comfortable writing c-mail,
Vick hopes to start doing cal-
laboralive stories with other

His class would write a para-
graph or two, and four or five
other schools could add onto the
story. Then when it was finished
each student could have a printed
copy of the story.

Vick hopes to get this project
started by this spring.

MIGHTY MOE is looking for work. This proud Canadian retired

from running his northern campground more than a year ago,
and is now looking for ways to keep busy.

Willing volunteer

MIGHTY MOE just can’t get
enough to do,

The colourful and tenacious
northern character is relent-
lessly badgering local
volunteer coordinators for
things to keep him busy.

‘‘He basically wants to
volunteer eight hours a day,”’
says the Volunteer Bureau’s
Lovina Tyler,

Mighty Moe was a legendary
self-promoter when he ran
Mighly Moe’s Place — a
campground and RV park well
north of Dease Lake along the

Cassiar Highway,

He sold the business more
(han a year ago and moved to
Terrace,

Now he’s eager for things to
keep him occupied.

Tyler said they had a lot of
work for Moe before Christ-
mas — delivering Christmas
hampers and flyers, giving
people rides, and shovelling
driveways.

Anyone who can help put
Mighty Moe-to work can call

Lovina Tyler at 638-1330,

Around Town

Calling all artists

THE DEADLINE is approaching for entries into the Terrace Little
Theatre’s loga contest. The togo will be a new lock for the theatre
group, to go along with proposed new building,

Logos must be in by Feb. 15 and the entry fee is $5, which also
gets you membership in the theatre group. Enter as many logos as
you wish. The prize for the most unique/suitable logo will be a pair
of season tickets for the 1996/97 theatre season.

Drop your entry off in the mailbox outside the McColl Playhouse,

Cassie Hall pulls the plug

GOODBYE T.V. That’s the message Cassie Hall students are
sending oul January 22-26 during Pull the Plug and Reading
Awareness Week,

The focus of the week is to get students and their parents to pull
the plug on their tv, sets and become involved in alternate ac-
tivities.

To wake il casier for students and familics to break the habit, staff
at Cassie Hall have organized a whole week's worth of activities in
the evening, Reading, of course, will be included as an activity
every night except Friday.

On Monday parents and students are invited to either have Fun in
a friendly game in the gym, or take part in a treasure hunt, Tuesday
come down and take the chess challenge, There’s chess for begin- |.
ners and a lournament for the more advanced, That night also fea-
tures Readers’ Theatre. Everyone can get involved and take. part in
this unique kind of play.

The next-night come out and get introduced to the internct. Make
a new penpal! Local children’s author Brenda Silsbe will also be
reading. On Thursday, it’s games nighl, Come out.and play a game,
or exchange your puzzles and games and books, They'll also be
making bookmarks that night,

Pull the Plug week winds up on Friday night with a family dance
and karaoke, This night goes from 7-9 p.m., while events earlier In
the week go from 7-8 p.m.

Benefit shower

DOROTHY DERRICK and her two foster-daughters recently lost
their Lakelse Lake home and all their possessions toa fire, = 5
Now the Terrace Foster Parents in conjunction with the Elks Club,
are having a benefit fire shower for Derrick.
The shower will take place Jan. 30 at 7:30 p.m. at the Elks Hall at
2822 Tetrault Ave, Finger £oods are greatly appreciated.
Everyone is invited 10 come out and show their support,