Author Archives: Francois Lachance
As the Crow Flies
Roger Deakin Wildwood: A Journey Through Trees “Cockatoo” ‘Suppose you couldn’t see a single tree. How would you find water?’ I asked Latz and Albrecht. ‘You would have to kill a wallaby or something, rub the meat with plenty of … Continue reading
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F R A N C O I S [fʁɑ̃swa]
A visit to the coffee shop. I know they will get my order correct and I dread how they will mangle my name. We are not in Montréal where “François” would be quite common. I usually pronounce and spell (sometimes … Continue reading
« Du beurre ! Donnez-moi du beurre ! Toujours du beurre ! »
The succession of the aphorisms here is like the judicious staging of the various courses of a fine meal. They satisfy by their simplicity. A good apprentice cook must be as polite without he dishwasher as with the chef. Success … Continue reading
Mixed Use Has a History
20th century BlogTO in a brief history of the gay village tells the story of the steps One iconic hangout was The Second Cup, which opened south of Church and Wellesley in 1984. The “Steps” at the front of the … Continue reading
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Streets – Pathways in Flux
The Toronto Public Library at the Bloor/Gladstone Branch hosted an event organized by University of Toronto, School of Cities. Where We Gather: Streets of Toronto featured a panel of speakers moderated by Matti Siemiatycki, Associate Professor and Interim Director, School … Continue reading
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Seeds Cast from a Train
This is set up by remarks by Jonathan Lethem about the anti-intellectualism of American culture: “even American arts culture has a very violent anti-intellectual streak in it.” Lethem’s remarks help us as viewers understand the poignant finale to The Polymath, … Continue reading
uncorrupted pleasure
It was Nigel Slater who put me on to Nigella Lawson. And How to Eat was acquired and it sat on the shelf until one day I turned its pages to see what the author might have to say about … Continue reading
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Doing the Math
The abacus handling. The moral calculus. The arithmetic serves the argument. Jonathan Safran Foer writes about food politics. https://www.theguardian.com/books/2019/sep/28/meat-of-the-matter-the-inconvenient-truth-about-what-we-eat Some argue that plant-based eating is elitist. They are either misinformed, or knowingly taking the favourite emergency exit of privileged, performatively … Continue reading
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The commercial meets the aesthetic meets the political
William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White Elements of Style, 3rd edition (1988) People vs Public The people is a political term, not to be confused with the public. From the people comes political support or opposition; from the public comes … Continue reading
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