The "GAME is WILD"!

I would like to curl up on the sofa
in the library
and read all day.

but i've much to do!

such as ___

company's coming

moose & pheasant, TROPHIES of the "HUNT" will be served!

I'm very well prepared for the evening. Meats have been marinating, everything's ready! It's going to be a very long evening. If you've ever been invited to a "festive Italian dinner" (in this case, a Celebration of The Hunt) you will know that it's not unusual to have many courses served.

Each course is savoured and nicely spread out over the evening. And it's all about portion control so if it sounds like a lot it's up to the individual. What is lovely is that you have many tastes to experience throughout the evening.

Knowing the menu ahead of time allows one to be careful, leaving room for the next course!

Here's my menu:

Antipasto

prosciutto wrapped around bread sticks
calabrese giardineira
selection of olives
brie with Rothman's jalapeno sauce
pate & capers
rustic crackers

roasted artichoke hearts

roasted red peppers

~~~

Leek and potato soup

garnish with chives and a drizzled of white truffle oil.

~~~

Caprese Salad

fresh buffalo mozzarella, tomatoes, basil

drizzled with aged balsamic and pure virgin olive oil

cracked white pepper

~~~

Jumbo Shrimp

grilled and served in a garlic butter laced with fresh lemon zest

Italian parsley to garnish

~~~

Marinated moose steaks

Roasted mix of sweet onion, yams, red peppers and anise.

~~~

Roasted Pheasant

Asparagus spears

~~~

Fruit Bowl

Honey dew, cantaloupe, watermelon balls

blackberries, blueberries and raspberries.

~~~

Fire Grilled Polenta

Reggiano Parmiggiano

~~~

Dolce

Lemonade Iced Tea Sorbet

( I got the recipe here )

~~~

Roasted Castagne

Each course will be paired with a unique wine. 

Hope I didn't forget anything.

I have prepared some of the foods above before. You can find pictures of them on my flickr page

HERE.

Presentation of Self in Everyday Life. Polite to a fault: Canadians are world champs in a class of their own.

A few incidences have prompted me to write about politeness. In fact, I have so much to say on this topic it could become a mini blog series. Audaciousness is nothing new, not a newly invented behaviour of the 21st century either, but lately it seems popular and travelling in leaps and bounds! From politics to media to social networking sites.

Researchers have been studying this behaviour for years and we're still asking why some people are more boorish than others - uncultured, unrefined. I'll not address Kanye West , it speaks for itself. But I have been disturbed by the abhorrent behaviour of the "Tea Party" demonstrators parading around with racially scarring signs of Obama depicting him as an African witch doctor.(I refuse to link a pic of this). Then there is the ongoing conversation asking if this is racism or reaction to policy. My educated guess would be ______.

Last week Jay Livingston ( Montclair SocioBlog )wrote a piece mentioning an article written by NYT Op-Ed Columnist David Brooks. Because "sociology is more important than fitness', Brooks halted his run to observe some 'tea party folk' eating and listening to rap music at the Black Family Reunion Celebation where thousands gathered to celebrate African-American culture. I read the article and cognitive reasoning tells me...well of course, FOOD & MUSIC. Two basic needs of man that almost always bring people together. Feed me, love me and sing to me and we'll get along just fine.

This started me thinking-would Canadians act like the tea party protesters? After all we're considered to be one of the most polite nations in the world. I would like to think that we wouldn't. Let's face it, Canadians are so polite we're frequently mocked or made fun of. We generously supply comedians with great material. I know we're not perfect, but I'd like to think we'd be more respectful of each other especially to the leader of our nation.

Last year a home in Edmonton, AB had been firebombed - the bomber had gotten the wrong address, and the owners received a letter in the mail apologizing for the error. ( forensic experts promptly started scouring the letter for clues.) What kind of firebomber apologizes to his victim? A Canadian one.

At Toronto's Kensington market a thief ran off with a bunch of apples, police caught up with him as he stood on the corner waiting for the light to turn green. Truly Canadian!

The cliche that Canadians are polite is built on truth. We invented politeness. Canadian sociologist Erving Goffman invented the idea of “face”—as in “losing face” or “saving face” and just generally being alive to self-presentation—on which the politeness theory is founded. Most people think of politeness as ingrained good manners, civilized bearing, the “momma-brung-you-up-well” stuff. And true enough, Canadians have that kind of reflexive politeness in spades.

But if that’s all politeness were about, then Canada would be a nation of guide dogs or a nation of saints—impressively but inhumanly self-contained. Fortunately, we’re more than that. As these examples prove, the perception that Canadians are all blandly even tempered is misplaced. Our passions are plenty intense, they're just chased by this strong sense of decorum. Sometimes the decorum catches the emotion before it can even express itself, and sometimes it doesn’t.

There was a group of people waiting for a bus in a driving rainstorm. The bus finally came, and the driver slowed down. The people shook out their umbrellas and readied their change. And then… he kept going. Presumably, he thought the bus was full, but you could see there was plenty of room in the back half. “Bus drivers!” hollered one of the left-behind. “They’re all a**holes!” Then much more quietly, “At least some of them are.” That qualifier, to no one in particular, as if it came out of his own conscience directly into the universe: now that’s Canadian.

Politeness theory tells us there are two kinds of politeness: negative politeness and positive politeness. Negative politeness means taking pains not to put other people out (“I’m sorry to bother you, but I wonder if it’s not too much trouble if you could......) while positive politeness is about actually trying to do some good. Negative politeness gets all the press, especially in Merchant Ivory films. It was the very fuel of the British upper classes, and Canadians did inherit their share of it, for better or worse. But positive politeness—actually trying to be genuinely helpful—is the real goods. Grown-up behaviour. This is the component of Canadian innate actions that sometimes gets forgotten, but is essential to understanding us.

According to Goffman's biography, the Canadian who got the politeness theory rolling, wasn’t himself particularly “polite” in the first way. He was crusty, and as a professor he could be insensitive. But he was polite in the best sense; he respected people enough to tell them the truth: “Those pants need a restraining order from that shirt.” Or, “You have the gift of the gab; maybe you should rethink this plan to join the Trappists.”

Real politeness doesn’t starch a moment with ritual and etiquette. On the contrary: it’s a face-saving attempt on someone else’s behalf, and if it’s done right, it puts everyone at ease in the bargain. There’s a maybe apocryphal story about a formal dinner held for the Duke of Edinburgh during his tour of Saskatchewan some years ago. The meal had just ended when a waitress swanned up to the head table and said, “Keep your fork, Duke, there’s pie coming!” That’s the kind of politeness Canadians can claim with pride, however Momma raised ‘em.

****I am a proud, polite Canadian and probably more than ever now in light of certain recent events.
Resource:
http://mediacentre.canada

http://www.wikipedia.org/

The Goffman Reader

Photo: The Wedding