During our tour we came upon a pond that was low on water and in the drying mud we seen the print of some ducks. Look close and you will see the little tracks left by the baby ducks.
Showing posts with label Food. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Food. Show all posts
Friday, August 3, 2012
Saturday, February 18, 2012
Friday, June 25, 2010
Rare Treat
I won't tell you how much this dish of blueberries, raspberries and blackberries cost but it was good. It's so rare to get fresh fruit it's like candy. Just add milk or creame and a spoonful of surger.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
The Whales and News
The Nunatsiaq News published one of my photos on their website. Don't know if that means it will be in the actual paper but still cool. First time one of my photos made it to a paper. Of course it's only the first time I've sent photos in to a paper. Go check it out.
Apparently it isn't up at the moment. All you can see is a description of the photo and my name but it was up earlier so it should be up again later. Or you can just go down the blog to an earlier post and the same photo is there.
Below are some photos taken Sunday from the beach. Not much left of the whale now.
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Apparently it isn't up at the moment. All you can see is a description of the photo and my name but it was up earlier so it should be up again later. Or you can just go down the blog to an earlier post and the same photo is there.
Below are some photos taken Sunday from the beach. Not much left of the whale now.
The skull is being cleaned so the Hamlet can display it. The skull is laying on its side and the upper jaw is attached.
Half of the lower jaw.
The area is getting smelly. Reminded me of the ranch house when my parents had foxes. I was at the site today and the carcass is down to just bone. The hunters were still carving this portion on Sunday.
A hunter cleaning a piece of the baleen.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Cape Dorset Whale Hunt
After a two week hunt in Cape Dorset the local hunters finally got a Bowhead Whale. It was caught at noon on Tuesday and was at the beach by 9:30 pm the same day. Butchering started immediately because even with a couple of loaders and a dozer they couldn't drag the 50 ton animal to the high water mark. Once the tide came in butchering was abandoned until low tide the next day. The photos below are from Wednesday.
My first look at the whale.
Most of the Muktuk has been stripped of the whale.
The tale is huge and a delicacy.
View of the head. The hairy stuff is the baleen. The white you see inside the mouth is the tongue.
Ummm, ahhhhh. You figure it out.
The fin is coming off. The black part is all head.
Kids playing in the mouth.
The whale is a big event in the community. Here is a bus unloading kids to see the whale.
My favourite shot.
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Duck Eggs
Michele had the opportunity to go boating with friends and she came back with some duck eggs. Mom used some of them to make donuts and after several taste tests they do taste different than using eggs from the store. But in a good way. An Inuk friend told Michele to try eating a couple after they have been frozen. Apparently it is like eating ice cream.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Beluga Whale Hunt - Graphic
The local hunters had a successful whale hunt a couple of days ago. When we went out to the site the day after not much was left. Just the remnants of the two Beluga whales and some square pieces of blubber.
I learned that if you step in the blubber and then walk from the snow back onto the rocks be careful. It's like having no tread on the bottom of your boots and they are coated in grease.
I learned that if you step in the blubber and then walk from the snow back onto the rocks be careful. It's like having no tread on the bottom of your boots and they are coated in grease.
Monday, June 1, 2009
IQ Day Continued...
Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit Day (IQ) turned out to be a cold, windy experience. Went to a different lake than I usually go to. This one had very little snow on the ice and you could see to the bottom. First time I ever got to see fish swimming by the hole. We were able to reuse holes already drilled making things much easier. Photos below.
Me holding the big fish. It was the largest until about an hour to go and Mike got one that was 1" bigger.
Close up of the behemoth. It tasted great. 
After laying on my belly for two hours looking down the hole I said "Screw this I brought a chair". The blue pad helped block the wind and let me be nice and cozy. They stopped making fun of me once I caught the above Arctic Char. I stayed at that hole all day while everyone else kept moving from hole to hole.
Shot of the some of the group and equipment at the lake.
More than fishing was happening and Mike got a goose.
Me holding the big fish. It was the largest until about an hour to go and Mike got one that was 1" bigger.
Close up of the behemoth. It tasted great. After laying on my belly for two hours looking down the hole I said "Screw this I brought a chair". The blue pad helped block the wind and let me be nice and cozy. They stopped making fun of me once I caught the above Arctic Char. I stayed at that hole all day while everyone else kept moving from hole to hole.
Shot of the some of the group and equipment at the lake.
Thanks goes out to Ken for the above photos.
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Worst. Meal. Ever.
Before we get into the review I would like to say that Michele and I made it safely to New Brunswick and are having lots of fun.
As many northern travelers know it is always an adventure to eat in a restaurant or hotel in any community in Nunavut and can lead to many colourful stories. In my food adventures no matter how bad the meal seemed there is always something that drags the experience out of the barrel and makes me think that this bad meal was a fluke. In the case of the Water’s Edge restaurant at the Nova hotel it was so bad that I left a big tip just for the shear amusement of the disaster and the story I had to tell. Let us begin.
ACT I – THE TABLE OF INVISIBILITY
Things started out bad the moment I walked in and realized I had left my wallet upstairs in my hotel room and had to leave to go get it. This was not an inconvenience since I was only standing at the “please be seated” sign for 15 minutes and no one had seated me yet anyway. So on my return and another 15 minutes of waiting (I was just turning to leave to go to a different restaurant) the “person who seats you” came to escort me to my table. I should have kept turning.
Lucky for me the “person who seats you” left a menu to occupy the next 30 minutes of my life. A note to anyone who runs a restaurant: If the area you are doing business in has three official languages (Inuktitut, English and French) try to have at least one of those languages somewhere on the menu to describe what you’re serving.
I watched the waiter and water girl walk by me and never once even looked in my direction and I was ignored when I said “excuse me” several times. Friends and family know that I am not someone who blends into a crowd and that I start losing my patience and good humour if left hungry to long. At this time I was just pushing my chair back from the table of invisibility when the “person who seats you” came by and asked if anyone had waited on me. Once again I should have done what the people on two other tables had done and leave but alas I decided to wait it out. The waiter finally appeared and described the special which I decided to order since I couldn't read the language the menu was in. Appetizer of Cesar salad followed by the main course of steak and potatoes and concluded with a desert. They used a fancy name for the main course but it was just steak and potatoes. I guess the fancy name is why they charged $50 for this meal.
ACT II – THE APPETIZER
Before the appetizer arrived the buss boy came over and offered my some water. If I had known it was the only glass I was going to get I wouldn't have drank it so fast. He also left a bowl of bread. I thought finally we can start and since I was very hungry I grabbed a piece and bit down on it. I immediately had to check to see if I lost any teeth. This bowl of bread had to have been around since Jesus was a cowboy. At least 10 minutes after this incident the appetizer arrived.
A Cesar salad is my favourite salad. It is the salad that all other types of salad look up to in envy. A Cesar salad can be played around with but must contain lettuce, croutons, bacon bits and Cesar dressing. Some would even say that parmesan cheese should be a must and I almost agree. A Cesar salad should also have a lemon wedge close at hand. What I was served was not a Cesar salad. It was a pile of lettuce with mozzarella cheese grated on top and drowned in Cesar dressing. NOTHING ELSE.
I was lied to on the first course of the meal. Every instinct was screaming for me to just pay for a portion of the meal and leave but I did not. The travesty continues with the main course.
ACT III – THE MAIN COURSE
After another long wait the main course arrives. At first look not to bad. The steak looked good the one lonely, diced potato was there and there was two pieces of broccoli floating in a sauce that looked like yellow bile. mmmmm I have eaten things that looked worse so I dipped a finger in and tasted it. Turns out it didn’t have a taste and its only purpose seemed to be to distract me from the mushy broccoli. The potato was undercooked with a couple of pieces hard and cold. At least the gravy was passable.
I was just about to cut into the steak when the bus boy started to clean the table beside me. The smell of Windex drifting across from the table is just what I needed with my meal. *sigh*. I had asked to have my steak cooked medium. When ordering steak at a restaurant be prepared for different than what you ordered because it all depends on the chefs idea of what medium is. I only asked the waiter to make sure the blood wasn’t squirting out of the steak. Well the blood didn’t squirt out so I can’t fault the cook for that but the steak should have been cooked on both sides. I don’t know how they did it but the steak was the consistency of boot leather. Trying to cut a piece of was like sawing through a 2x4 with a handsaw and it was like chewing bubblegum. I was so disappointed and disheartened that I didn’t even complain.
You will note that in the above paragraph I didn’t say chef I said “...fault the cook for…” I will explain that at the end of this review.
ACT IV – DESSERT
I stayed for desert because how can you screw up dessert in the north. Most of the desserts here are thawed and kept in a refrigerator until ready. This is not a bad thing because they taste great. In fact the desert I was served did taste great and there was nothing wrong with it except I had to eat if with a soup spoon.
Another note to all restaurants: If you are going to put out all the fancy silverware then you should leave it with the customer so they can use them. My waiter gathered up the forks and knifes and left me with a soup spoon and the dessert. I normally would have asked for the desert fork back but given the experience with the other courses I figured I was lucky to have at least the soup spoon.
ACT V - FINALE
The only part of the meal that was over quickly was the paying. The waiter was all over that. I spent a total time in the restaurant of around 2 hours. In act III I mentioned cook instead of chef because the next night over dinner at the Discovery Hotel I talked about the horrible meal I had and one of my table mates leaned over and whispered that the chef for the Waters Edge was in jail. My stomach turned several times because I couldn't figure out who would have been cooking.
The Discovery Hotel meal was excellent and much appreciated after the Waters edge debacle. For a review of the Discovery Hotel restaurant please go to the blog Qanuippit for this post. She has a better gift for words than I.
As many northern travelers know it is always an adventure to eat in a restaurant or hotel in any community in Nunavut and can lead to many colourful stories. In my food adventures no matter how bad the meal seemed there is always something that drags the experience out of the barrel and makes me think that this bad meal was a fluke. In the case of the Water’s Edge restaurant at the Nova hotel it was so bad that I left a big tip just for the shear amusement of the disaster and the story I had to tell. Let us begin.
ACT I – THE TABLE OF INVISIBILITY
Things started out bad the moment I walked in and realized I had left my wallet upstairs in my hotel room and had to leave to go get it. This was not an inconvenience since I was only standing at the “please be seated” sign for 15 minutes and no one had seated me yet anyway. So on my return and another 15 minutes of waiting (I was just turning to leave to go to a different restaurant) the “person who seats you” came to escort me to my table. I should have kept turning.
Lucky for me the “person who seats you” left a menu to occupy the next 30 minutes of my life. A note to anyone who runs a restaurant: If the area you are doing business in has three official languages (Inuktitut, English and French) try to have at least one of those languages somewhere on the menu to describe what you’re serving.
I watched the waiter and water girl walk by me and never once even looked in my direction and I was ignored when I said “excuse me” several times. Friends and family know that I am not someone who blends into a crowd and that I start losing my patience and good humour if left hungry to long. At this time I was just pushing my chair back from the table of invisibility when the “person who seats you” came by and asked if anyone had waited on me. Once again I should have done what the people on two other tables had done and leave but alas I decided to wait it out. The waiter finally appeared and described the special which I decided to order since I couldn't read the language the menu was in. Appetizer of Cesar salad followed by the main course of steak and potatoes and concluded with a desert. They used a fancy name for the main course but it was just steak and potatoes. I guess the fancy name is why they charged $50 for this meal.
ACT II – THE APPETIZER
Before the appetizer arrived the buss boy came over and offered my some water. If I had known it was the only glass I was going to get I wouldn't have drank it so fast. He also left a bowl of bread. I thought finally we can start and since I was very hungry I grabbed a piece and bit down on it. I immediately had to check to see if I lost any teeth. This bowl of bread had to have been around since Jesus was a cowboy. At least 10 minutes after this incident the appetizer arrived.
A Cesar salad is my favourite salad. It is the salad that all other types of salad look up to in envy. A Cesar salad can be played around with but must contain lettuce, croutons, bacon bits and Cesar dressing. Some would even say that parmesan cheese should be a must and I almost agree. A Cesar salad should also have a lemon wedge close at hand. What I was served was not a Cesar salad. It was a pile of lettuce with mozzarella cheese grated on top and drowned in Cesar dressing. NOTHING ELSE.
I was lied to on the first course of the meal. Every instinct was screaming for me to just pay for a portion of the meal and leave but I did not. The travesty continues with the main course.
ACT III – THE MAIN COURSE
After another long wait the main course arrives. At first look not to bad. The steak looked good the one lonely, diced potato was there and there was two pieces of broccoli floating in a sauce that looked like yellow bile. mmmmm I have eaten things that looked worse so I dipped a finger in and tasted it. Turns out it didn’t have a taste and its only purpose seemed to be to distract me from the mushy broccoli. The potato was undercooked with a couple of pieces hard and cold. At least the gravy was passable.
I was just about to cut into the steak when the bus boy started to clean the table beside me. The smell of Windex drifting across from the table is just what I needed with my meal. *sigh*. I had asked to have my steak cooked medium. When ordering steak at a restaurant be prepared for different than what you ordered because it all depends on the chefs idea of what medium is. I only asked the waiter to make sure the blood wasn’t squirting out of the steak. Well the blood didn’t squirt out so I can’t fault the cook for that but the steak should have been cooked on both sides. I don’t know how they did it but the steak was the consistency of boot leather. Trying to cut a piece of was like sawing through a 2x4 with a handsaw and it was like chewing bubblegum. I was so disappointed and disheartened that I didn’t even complain.
You will note that in the above paragraph I didn’t say chef I said “...fault the cook for…” I will explain that at the end of this review.
ACT IV – DESSERT
I stayed for desert because how can you screw up dessert in the north. Most of the desserts here are thawed and kept in a refrigerator until ready. This is not a bad thing because they taste great. In fact the desert I was served did taste great and there was nothing wrong with it except I had to eat if with a soup spoon.
Another note to all restaurants: If you are going to put out all the fancy silverware then you should leave it with the customer so they can use them. My waiter gathered up the forks and knifes and left me with a soup spoon and the dessert. I normally would have asked for the desert fork back but given the experience with the other courses I figured I was lucky to have at least the soup spoon.
ACT V - FINALE
The only part of the meal that was over quickly was the paying. The waiter was all over that. I spent a total time in the restaurant of around 2 hours. In act III I mentioned cook instead of chef because the next night over dinner at the Discovery Hotel I talked about the horrible meal I had and one of my table mates leaned over and whispered that the chef for the Waters Edge was in jail. My stomach turned several times because I couldn't figure out who would have been cooking.
The Discovery Hotel meal was excellent and much appreciated after the Waters edge debacle. For a review of the Discovery Hotel restaurant please go to the blog Qanuippit for this post. She has a better gift for words than I.
Friday, September 5, 2008
Price of Food
Couple of days ago I told Michele I would pick up the onion we needed for supper that night. So I went to the Northern and picked up a solitary onion. It looked lonely and forgotten and all I could think about was how good it would taste after I hacked it apart.
When I arrived at the check out the clerk looked me right in the eye and said "That will be $3.99 please." A look of horror must have crossed my face because her next line was "Will there be anything else?" All I could say was "I don't get paid until Friday!"
When I arrived at the check out the clerk looked me right in the eye and said "That will be $3.99 please." A look of horror must have crossed my face because her next line was "Will there be anything else?" All I could say was "I don't get paid until Friday!"
Monday, August 25, 2008
Grinnell Park, Iqaluit
On Wednesday last week I was at Grinnell Park in Iqaluit for a BBQ. The photos below are from the park. This was a great chance to meet counterparts in the different regions of Nunavut and to reaffirm friendships in a social setting. A good time was had by all who attended the BBQ.
The falls at the park were everyone fishes. The next two photos below are close ups of the falls.
The cabin were the food was prepared and a good place to get out of the rain sit down and socialize.
The rain came and went.
Last photos are of the Inukshuks located in the park.
Thursday, December 21, 2006
Power, Food and Bears.
It has been an interesting couple of days. We were without power for 12 1/2 hours on Wednesday. I got the day of work but with no power no fun. The temp here is starting to fall with day time lows getting to almost -30. Lets forget about the wind chill. We got our first food mail delivery. We order food from a company in Quebec and they mail us the food. The freight is subsidized by the government so the weight only cost us about .80/lbs instead of about $5 plus (approx). Rumor has it there was a polar bear in the hamlet Wednesday morning in the RCValley but all of us on the hill didn't hear about it until this morning. The northern lights were out in force again and again we forgot to take pictures. Sorry next time. The sunrise today was at 10:00 am and sunset was at 2:00pm give or take a minute. Until next time have fun.
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