Tour du Chocolat Passport

If you consider yourself a chocoholic, or at least somewhat of a chocolate enthusiast there is something you should consider investigating. Ciao! ChocolateFest 2013 is a month long festival presented by The Forks Market. 30 popular Winnipeg restaurants are offering at least one delectable dish containing the decadent ingredient for $7. The festival runs from April 1st to April 30th so there are only a few days left to try out the different chocolate concoctions available.

I decided to celebrate the festival last weekend with the the Tour du Chocolat that took place from on April 20th and 21st from 1pm-4pm. Unfortunately, this part of the festival only ran on the two days. For $7 one could buy a Tour du Chocolat passport from the Centre Court. This would allow them one sample of a chocolate containing specialty from the many food vendors at The Forks Market.

The Tall Grass Prairie Bakery ladies serve up some delicious cream puffs

The first thing I tried was a chocolate kirsch sour cherry cream puff from Tall Grass Bakery. A light, but rich tasting cherry chocolate cream was sandwiched between two light, fluffy, puff pastries that were slightly crispier on the outside. The top was then drizzled with a dark chocolate sauce and it was a very delicious, light, chocolatey treat.

A server from the Grass Roots Prairie Kitchen cheerfully scoops out chocolate chili molé samples

At the Grass Roots Prairie Kitchen the Tour du Chocolat offering was chili molé. This is a traditionally Mexican savoury sauce contains chocolate, but this particular dish has a prairie take on it because it also contained bison chili. I was a little hesitant to try it, because I could not imagine chocolate as an ingredient in a meat chili. However, it was actually very good and ended up being one of my favourite things I tried on the tour. The chocolate ingredient was not overpowering at all and actually gave the dish a nice sweet kick to the rich, spicy, savoury mix.

Chocolate fountain dipping station in Centre Court

The Centre Court also had three chocolate fountains flowing. One contained white chocolate, another milk chocolate, and the final one flowed with dark chocolate. A selection of fruits and marshmallows were available for people to try once dipped into the fountain of their choosing.

I went for a classic strawberry dipped in dark chocolate. The chocolate was warm, rich, and went perfectly with the freshness of a sweet, juicy, strawberry. This was one station people could visit a couple of times to try different chocolate and fruit/marshmallow combinations which was nice.

Chocolate covered bacon strips

Other offerings of the Tour du Chocolat included chocolate covered bacon (very good bacon I might add), chocolate rice pudding, stone-ground chili chocolate, a chocolate covered shortbread cookie, white chocolate cognac, chocolate banana smoothie, and chocolate espresso ice cream.

A bag was also given to participants to hold any chocolate swag that might be given out. Takeaways included foil wrapped chocolate bon bons, a sample of chocolate mint rooibos tea, and a chocolate scented incense stick.

Tour du Chocolat participants try out chocolate covered bacon for the first time

This was a great way to try out the different ways one can prepare chocolate. It is sometimes easy to forget what a versatile ingredient chocolate is. It was also the perfect way to experience many of the vendors that The Forks Market has to offer.

If the Tour du Chocolat takes place again next year I would definitely suggest checking it out. However, there are still a couple of days to check out other restaurants participating in Ciao! ChocolateFest 2013. It is a chocolate lover’s dream festival and will definitely open your mind up to new possibilities for one of our world’s confectionery favourites.

Check out all of the Ciao! ChocolateFest 2013 offerings here.

Bear Cub Bench, located at The Forks Market, #107

It feels a little unreal to be writing this, but this is my last official blog post of the school year. The first year of CreComm has almost drawn to a close. What a whirlwind of a school year it has been. Time to sit down, relax and take it all in.

I came across this bear cub bench just outside of the front entrance of the Forks Market. I thought to myself, “Wow, what a cute, well-crafted bench. This is probably the best bench in Winnipeg. Ding! Blog idea!”

The bench is actually a unique advertisement for the Two Rivers Souvenir Store just past the doors beside the bench. The store carries general Canadian-themed souvenirs including maple syrup, clothing, and animal carvings.

Bear Cub Bench

The bench features two wooden, chainsaw carved, baby black bear cubs crawling over it. One is rested on top of the back support while the other sites on one side of the seat area. The one on top has a slight smile to him, which makes the carving even more adorable. On the front side edge of the seat area is a small black, metal plaque. It says, “Bear Cub Bench, Timber Designs, Elma, MB”.

Big Grizz

A couple of feet away from the bench is a huge, eight foot, chainsaw wood carving of a grizzly bear standing up on its hind legs. This carving have a metal plaque identical to the one on the bench except it reads, “Big Grizz, Walter Keller, Elma, MB”.

Here is a video of Walter Keller carving a similar big grizzly statue in North Dakota. Read more about Walter Keller here.

Keller also teaches a chainsaw carving camp at Sandilands Forest Discovery Centre. Check out the website for more details of the event.

Bear cub on Bear Cub Bench

I think it is very appropriate that these bears watch over our Forks Market. After all, the great Winnie-the-Pooh is named after Winnipeg so it only seems fitting that they roam one of our city’s major tourist attractions and meeting spots.

I am glad I stuck with my original blog idea throughout the school year. The blog theme was to find lesser-known things in Winnipeg that contribute to it being one great city. I had the chance to share a few things I knew, but also discovered many thing I didn’t know about, which I will surely return to.

Keeping up with this blog has helped me appreciate the wonderfully unending, eclectic things, places, and people that give rhythm to this truly unique heart of a continent. The beat goes on.

Bear cub on Bear Cub Bench

The Crusty Bun, located on 1026 St. Mary’s Road

I have a new favourite bakery. The Crusty Bun Bakery is located on 1026 St. Mary’s Road and is known for its European style artisan breads and pastries.

Painted window decor

These are made on-site in their open-concept kitchen that invites patrons take a peek at the magic in the making, or the breads that are baking, going on inside.

Open-concept kitchen

The owners, Andreas Ingenfeld (Andi) and Friederike Brandt (Frieda), have travelled far and wide before settling down in Winnipeg. They were both born and raised in Germany and have lived and worked in Switzerland, Great Britan, and Japan. Ingenfeld is a master baker with 29 years of professional experience. His framed Master Craftsman’s Diploma from Germany is proudly displayed behind the front counter of The Crusty Bun.

Master Craftsman’s Diploma from Germany

The Crusty Bun’s atmosphere is bright, warm, and cheery, much like the bakers themselves. There is also a 30-seat café for people to sit down, relax, have a cup of coffee, some delicious food, and wrap up their meal with a mouth-watering pastry.

Café seating area

The place has a lunch menu including a daily homemade soup special and hot/cold sandwiches. When I was there, the soups of the day were gnocchi and vegetables, and chili chicken.

Be sure to try a heated-up Schnitzelburger. This is a juicy, breaded chicken fillet or pork loin, lettuce, and tomatoes, on a deliciously fresh, homemade bun.

Pork and Chicken Schnitzelburgers

The bakery makes its pasties in a very traditional way. They guarantee that the dough used in their baking has a 24-hour rest time. This gives their products a unique taste and is known as the “slow baking” method. Since The Crusty Bun uses this method of baking, no additives or preservatives are needed to keep their pastries fresh. In fact, their storage time can be quite long if treated properly. They bakery prides themselves on using solely quality, natural ingredients in everything they make.

Selection of specialty breads for sale and lunch menu

They hardest part about stopping by is deciding what to get. When looking at the delicious breads, buns, pastries, desserts, and sandwiches through the clear glass window, everything looks equally tempting. I can safely say that I left with a box full of different pastries to try out. Some favourites of mine that I tried include the salty pretzel, German Tea Cake (Prasselkuchen), and cherry streusel cake.

German tea cake (prasselkuchen)

I was graciously offered a free German salty pretzel to try. I was told by Frieda that this is one of their most popular items. I can definitely see why. The pretzel was handmade to form a perfect pretzel knot. The darker, crispier outside had gashes made in them to show the softer inside. This was a nice visual element of the pretzel which complimented its delicious homemade pretzel taste. The sprinkled sea salt crystals on top gave it a nice salty taste too. The pretzel would be great to try with some dipping sauce.

Rail Tracks

The German tea cake was very light tasting with an interesting mix of textures. The top was dusted with a powdered sugar which gave way to the crispy top layer and then a softer, flaky bottom layer. This would be a very nice pastry to accompany a tea or coffee.

The cherry streusel cake had the same crispier top layer as the German tea cake. I could taste a bit of cinnamon in this top layer. This was a nice combintation with the the generous layer of of real cherries underneath. The pastry was finished off by a light, spongy bottom cake layer.

Homemade jam

The bakery offers its own coffee beans in whole-bean form or ground. Their coffee is smooth, and has a nice, rich flavour and I would definitely recommend it.

There are also a variety of homemade jams available for purchase as well. Some flavours include, blueberry, mango, strawberry rhubarb, and kiwi.

Buns and pretzels

One of the unique features about the The Crusty bun is their highly efficient water system. The Elisa Water System “turns city water into spring water”. This is a very environmentally friendly way to use fresher, more natural, and better tasting water in the bakery’s dough, coffee, tea, and drinking water.

Another nice thing about the bakery is a drive-thru window for ordering must-have baked goods on the fly. Customers also have the option of calling ahead to reserve their favourite goods for pickup at a later time. Gift certificates are also available.

Cherry streusel cake

For a homey, European style bakery experience in Winnipeg, try some of the offerings at The Crusty Bun. May all your pastry dreams be fulfilled.

To find out more, visit their website.

Shakti, 194 B Osborne Street

Shakti gives people the chance to create their own sanctuary and bejeweled adornments.

Inside view of Shakti

A boutique store located in Osborne Village on 194 B Osborne Street, Shakti holds a vast array of wonderful things. Its main focus is jewelry making. It has a wide array of beads and jewelry making supplies available for purchase.

Iridescent pave beads

Shakti also carries a variety of statues, artwork, incense, lanterns, clothing, accessories, crystals and fossils, to make any place feel a little more Zen-like. With our fast-paced modern day society, most of us could use a little more serenity in our lives.

A table display of glittering gems

Shakti holds classes every couple of days to pass on the skills of creating different jewelry pieces. Some examples of classes coming up this month include, Tree of Life Pendants, Feather Earrings, and Organic Wire Wrapping.

Star lanterns light the way for Shakti’s customers

The store also welcomes larger groups to book private classes with them. This is a great idea for birthday or bridal shower parties.

A rainbow selection of stringed beads

Shakti’s staff make much of the jewelry for sale in the store. One of the workers was creating a beautiful beaded bracelet. One of the nice things about Shakti is if you break one of your favourite pieces of jewelry, the staff can repair or restring the piece for you.

An eclectic selection of brass charms

Whenever possible, the boutique sources its products from the artisans directly and aims to purchase from companies that support free trade. This is an added bonus when shopping from Shakti.

Some art prints available for sale

I feel like one could spend hours looking at everything in this store. There is so much to take in and admire. I certainly spent a while checking out everything. The quality of the products in the store is also very good, and priced at a great value for their quality. Most of their stock is even handpicked for refined finished.

A jewelry making staff member of Shakti

When browsing through Shakti’s merchandise, I heard a customer say to her friend, “This is a jewelry maker’s paradise!”

There is no doubt about it, Shakti is definitely one of the best places to find jewelry making supplies in Winnipeg right now, as well as unique, exotic, clothing, accessories, and housewares.

A selection of polished gemstone beads and pendants

So if you’re feeling a little crafty one day, or just feel like checking out some beautiful, hand-made, fair trade products, let Shakti’s wares inspire and enchant you.

For more information visit Shakti’s website here.

The Osborne Village Café

The Osborne Village Café may not be the first place one may expect to find finely crafted, healthy, and trendy dishes.

Early last month, the restaurant received a complete food makeover. With a new menu, new wait staff, and a new skilled chef, Leighton Fontaine, the place is definitely one to watch out for. See the new menu here.

The food also comes at a great value with the most expensive menu items priced at only $10. Fries and coleslaw can be added to any dish for $2.50. Soup or a side salad may be added as well for $3.50.

The location of the Osborne Village Café on 160 Osborne Street.

The decor of the Osborne Village Café is quite humble and this is a big part of its charm. It seems like the kind of place Guy Fieri would reveal as locally kept secret on the Foot Network television show, Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.

As we waited for our food, Survivor played on the TV in the background. It was later turned off to quietly fill the place with the sweet crooning sounds of Led Zeppelin and Guns N’ Roses.

Inside of the Osborne Village Café

I decided to try the potato and beet latkes breakfast option. Out came three potato latkes that were laced with thinly shredded beets and topped with two poached eggs. Beets are a great option as an ingredient in latkes and added a nice colour, texture and flavour contrast to the poached eggs. On top of the eggs was cooked spinach sautéed with white wine and a deliciously creamy dill crème fraîche sauce with just the right amount of dill in it. Brunoised red peppers were lightly scattered on top and added a splash of bright colour and refreshing flavour. The meal was also surrounded with a few slices of apples, cantaloupe, grapefruit, for a nice, balanced meal.

Potato and beet latkes

My date got the pulled pork sandwich which came in a very generous portion. The homemade fries were non-greasy, and had excellent taste with just the right amount of crisp. The pulled pork sandwich came open-faced on grilled French bread. The maple syrup BBQ sauce was a nice combination of smokey flavour sweet and distinctive flavour of maple. The pork itself was juicy, cooked well with had smooth, smokey flavour. The pulled pork was topped with a slice of sweet, roasted pineapple. The raisin-cabbage coleslaw was also some of the best coleslaw I have ever tried. The sliced cabbage tasted very fresh and was doused in a balsamic vinaigrette dressing.

Pulled pork sandwich with fries and coleslaw

I will be sure return to this gem of a restaurant and when I do I am definitely reordering the Jäger crisp. I knew I had to try this because the menu said that a traditional apple crisp came with a side of Jägermeister ice cream. I have never even heard of it before and knew I had to try it. It was very good. It had a subtle hint of Jägermeister’s complex spiciness with notes of cinnamon and caramel. This blended nicely with the cinnamon flavours of the apple crisp that comes with the dish. The apple crisp itself was warm and a very nice balance of brown sugar sweet, cinnamon spice, and apple tartness. It came lightly dusted with powdered sugar and the ice cream on top.

Jäger crisp

The Osborne Village Café is open from 8 a.m. till 8 p.m. from Monday to Saturday and 8 a.m. till 4 p.m. on Sunday. The breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert options and are available during all hours of operation which is nice.

There’s definitely a new heavy hitter when it comes to restaurants in the Osborne Village strip. Of all the restaurants I’ve been to so far, the Osborne Village Café comes as a the biggest surprise, and a pleasant one at that.

For updates on the Osborne Village Café check out their Facebook page.

Our province became a lot hairier in the last year. If you are proud of the hair on your face you might want to join the Manitoba Facial Hair Club (MFHC).

A Manitoba Facial Hair Club banner on display at the Festival du Voyageur’s Beard Growing Contest

I am glad to be the designer of the group’s logo which is based a drawing by one of the group’s founding members, Warren Lillie.

Lillie, known to his friends as Loaf, is easily recognized, and even a little bit famous, for his long, flaming-red chops. He has also participated and won awards in several beard competitions, including the World Beard and Moustache Championships in Anchorage, Alaska in 2009.

Warren Lillie resourcefully curls his chops using beer cans before the beard contest

During Festival du Voyageur, many members of the Manitoba Facial Hair Club participate in the Beard Growing Contest and raise pledges in support of the Heart & Stroke Foundation.

The 2013 Beard Growing Contest participant T-shirt image

The contest takes place at the Voyageur Trading Post and has three categories. These include the (Voyageur Beard) Wild and Wooly category, the Novelty (Groomed beard and/or moustache), and the Beard Growing Contest.

For contestants in the Beard Growing Contest, participants get an official baby-faced “before” picture of themselves in mid-December. They must then grow the hair on their face to the best of their abilities till the contest during Festival week.

A contestant in the Novelty Beard category

During the contest this year, members of the the Manitoba Facial Hair Club won awards in three categories. Lillie came in third place for the novelty beard category. Don McPhail and Cody Gabrielson came in third and second place in the Wild and Wooly category.

The group also participates in other events for charity. Last month, the group sent out a team to dunk themselves in frigid waters for the Polar Plunge in support of Special Olympics.  Lillie plans for the group to be involved in more charity events and facial hair competitions in the future.

Members of the Manitoba Facial Hair Club Cody Gabrielson (left) and Warren Lillie (right) won awards during Festival du Voyageur’s Beard Growing Contest

Dylan Fries, another member of the Manitoba Facial Hair Club, has been busy working on a documentary called, Men with Beards. He started filming the documentary in 2009 when he joined Lillie in an epic road trip to Alaska for the World Beard and Moustache Championships.

Dylan Fries (right) competes in the Wild and Wooly category of the beard contest

Men with Beards recently had a two-day screening at the Cinematheque. On its Facebook page it is described as a story about beauty and brotherhood. I have yet to see the film, but have heard many good things about it.

Unfortunately, people will have to wait a bit to see Men with Beards again. I highly suggest you donate to their Indiegogo campaign to get a digital download or DVD copy of the movie which should be released by next December. Depending on how much you donate, you will receive perks as well. The donation categories also have super cool names that reflect some legendary beards. These include The Zappa, The Lemmy, The Zeus, and The Super Wizard.

Manitoba Facial Hair Club member, Nathan Terin, proudly displays the icy blue Polar Plunge edition of the club’s shirt

Check out the Men With Beards Indiegogo campaign here.

The Manitoba Facial Hair Club meets the first Monday of every month at the Rose n’ Bee Pub on 61 Sherbrook Street. At these meetings they discuss club-related matters such as events, merchandise, and goals for the group. There is also karaoke and enthusiastic partying involved at these meetings. If you are proud of the hair on your face, or just a fan of grizzly men, you should definitely swing by and meet some awesome bearded fellows.

At the Rose n’ Bee the banner of the Manitoba Facial Hair Club proudly hangs and members are just as encouraged to let their freak flag fly.

All of the contestants in the 2013 Festival du Voyageur’s Beard Growing Contest

I cannot speak from experience, but apparently there once was a unique feature of the floodlights surrounding our city’s own Manitoba Legislative Building.

Something happened when someone stared at these lights. It was something called Purple City. I was once told that one cannot be told about Purple City. Instead they must figure out what it is for themselves. Driven by curiosity, I ended up Googling its definition.

Apparently when people stared at the brightly lit floodlights on the grounds of the Manitoba Legislative Building for about a minute everything in their vision temporarily turned to a shade of purple. I believe this is because the high power of the bulbs actually burned the retinas of viewers’ eyes.

This has been a decades-old tradition, usually among the younger set. Although, I have been told that they have since replaced these high powered bulbs so Purple City in Winnipeg may no longer be available to try.

If all of this is true, Purple City may have seemed like an interesting thing to experience, but I think I would choose to keep my retinas intact.

The Manitoba Legislative Building lit up with purple light
Photo from stardustandbuttercup.com

Affinity Vegetarian Garden

I’m the kind of person that loves a good buffet. I like being able to try many different things and pick my portions. A buffet allows people to fill their plate to the brim and go back for more once their plate is empty.

Unfortunately, this means that customers often get charged a lot to pay for the amount of food they could potentially eat. Many buffet lovers do not eat enough to get a good value from the often high prices of all-you-can-eat deals.

The buffet

For these types of people there is Affinity Vegetarian Garden Restaurant’s lunch buffet.

Chow mein with Shanghai style noodles

Affinity Vegetarian Garden is an understated downtown gem on 208 Edmonton St.  Since 2001 it has been serving up its Taiwanese-Chinese cuisine with an all-vegetarian (if not vegan) menu. The atmosphere is inviting, casual, and relaxing. Upon walking in, you are greeted by statues of the traditional maneki-neko, or “beckoning cat” waving you to come in with their upturned paws. The staff are always just as friendly and provide speedy service for patrons.

Stir fried chili eggplant

For light eaters one of the great things about Affinity’s buffet is they charge by weight. This means that you can have a very substantial lunch and be able to try many things at a very reasonable price. When getting the lunch for takeout I am able to fill up my Styrofoam container and pay around eight to ten dollars and try a little bit of everything. I’d say I eat an average amount so this is a pretty good deal. They charge by weight to prevent the wasting of food, which is always a good thing.

Tofu in black bean sauce

The quality of the food in the buffet is also very good. They offer up the standard fried rice, shanghai noodles, as well as many dishes you would be hard pressed to find elsewhere. There are usually a couple of battered, deep-fried options. When I went this week I tried the deep fried yam which was delicious, with a crispy, delicately spiced batter.

Steamed broccoli and cauliflower

I also really enjoy their chili eggplant. The eggplant is stir-fried and juicy and spiced with basil. It is not too spicy, but just spicy enough to add a little kick to the melt-in-your-mouth eggplant.

Their delicately steamed broccoli and cauliflower is also very good. The asparagus is delicious as well and comes sliced, in a light tasting soy-based sauce spiked with sesame seeds.

Crispy yam

There is even sushi. There are two sushi rolls available. One is avocado. The other one contains carrot, asparagus, a vegetarian protein, and carob seed. This one has a nice contrast of textures and flavours. They are both generously sized, and very fresh tasting.

Sushi

Actually, all of the dishes in this buffet are very fresh. Even though there are several deep fried options, none of them are greasy tasting. In fact, everything in the buffet tastes pretty healthy, especially since there is an abundance and wide variety of freshly cooked vegetables in most of the dishes.

Sliced asparagus

You can also add some flavour to your dishes with their very spicy chili sauce, sweet & sour sauce, and delicious wasabi sauce.

Sauce selection

Unlike many places that offer Oriental cuisine, Affinity does not use MSG in their food, they cook all of their food with purified water, and their green tea is imported specially from Taiwan.

My lunch which came to $10.01

Affinity’s lunch buffet is available Monday to Friday from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. If you go on a Monday you can even get an additional 10% off on all food for their Vegetarian Monday special.

A cute cat figurine greets customers at the cash register

Check Affinity Vegetarian Garden Restaurant out to experience some great tasting food at an excellent value. I definitely encourage you to try a little bit of everything from their no-fuss, fresh, and simply tantalizing Taiwanese-Chinese vegetarian buffet.

A Thousand Farewells by Nahlah Ayed

(This entry is for a journalism assignment.)

Nahlah Ayed’s A Thousand Farewells, is an engaging non-fiction memoir written about Ayed’s life. It illustrates her growing up in Canada, moving to live in the Middle East, moving back to Canada, and then returning back to the Middle East to work as a news reporter for the CBC.

I love the wonderfully descriptive language Ayed uses to put the reader right in the scene with her. An example of this is when Ayed arrives to the upscale Beirut neighborhood of Rabieh. She describes the sullen state of the place by saying, “The wide Corniche promenade was vacant but for a couple of old fishermen who must have lived through so many days like this they no longer felt fear. The public beach was deserted, the only movement that of the lapping waves and the faded Lebanese flags fluttering in the hot wind.”

I would have liked if Ayed gave readers a more personal look into her own life. In A Thousand Farewells she mainly gives readers an objective perspective, but as a journalist this is understandable. However, this is her own memoir. I think more insight into her personal relationships, opinions, quirks, funny and tragic stories encountered in her own life would have given the book added depth and helped us to identify more with her on a personal level.

However, I think one of Ayed’s main goals of this book is to help tell the story of the people of the Middle East so I can see why the focus is generally not on her. She also deeply immerses herself in her work, even losing a bit of herself in the process. She gave up a lot of her own life, even losing touch with those closest to her and having the stress of her job take a toll on her health, to be the best reporter she could be.

I think this book could have definitely benefited by having a small map of the Middle East and a family tree to help readers sort out any confusion they may have. Ayed goes to a lot of places and mentions a lot of family names that can easily get mixed up by the reader. I think this may be easier for someone to follow who is familiar with the Middle East. However, many of my classmates and myself included had trouble keeping track of the unfamiliar places and names in the memoir. Many people are visual learners and could benefit by having this visual aid to follow along with as Ayed describes different people and places she visits in her story.

A Thousand Farewells

What journalists can learn from this book is how their own cultural background can come in handy when working in foreign countries. Ayed uses her knowledge of the local language in the Middle East to her advantage when interviewing people and reporting on events in the area. Ayed said that unlike her journalist colleagues who did not have a Middle Eastern background, she was able to pick up subtle nuances from the people she interviewed. This gave Ayed a greater personal depth to her reporting and made her connect better people in the area.

A Thousand Farewells can be compared to Last Train Home by Lixin Fan, a 2009 documentary I watched on Netflix recently. It showcases the chaos that Chinese cities become every spring as 130 million migrant workers make the journey back to their home villages for New Year’s celebrations. This annual event is the world’s largest human migration and illustrates how China is in transition to becoming an industrial society.

The documentary focuses on one family who sees their daughter once a year. The family left their small town to work in a garment factory in Guangzhou for 16 years, while their newborn daughter, Qin, stayed behind. The daughter, now a restless teenager, feels resentful toward her parents and feels like they abandoned her. She wants to be free from small town living and school. Qin ends up leaving school to work in the city, against the wishes of her parents.

In A Thousand Farewells, Ayed’s parents, as well as many other families with a Middle Eastern background, feel it is important for their children to go back to where their roots are so that they do not lose cultural traditions and values.

Like Qin, Ayed was felt resentment toward her parents. Her parents moved their family, including Ayed, to the Middle East for a number of years. Ayed was used to her life in Winnipeg, where she grew up, a place she considered her true home. Both Ayed and Qin suffered from having an unstable home life.

Ayed witnessed first-hand the constant political unrest, bloodshed, poverty, societal problems, and poor conditions that people were living in. She even lived that way herself for a number of years. I believe that because Ayed had lived in both of these worlds and possessed a Middle Eastern background, she knew the true injustice going on in the Middle East and took it personally. It was because of this that she felt it was her duty to go back and help the people there tell their story to the rest of the world.

The back cover of A Thousand Farewells

Above all, A Thousand Farewells made me realize how sometimes the thing people need most is to be heard. Ayed gave up living in Canada, a place she considers to be her true home, to help achieve this for the people of the Middle East. The quote in the back of the books says, “People are not quotes or clips, used to illustrate stories about the war and conflict. People are the story, always.” Ayed made it her duty to try to do her part to help bring justice to this part of the world by giving people what they need most through her interviews with them. Most importantly she gave them a voice.

The ARTlab

Attention all Winnipeg art lovers. One of the best art shows to check out in Winnipeg is definitely the annual University of Manitoba School of Art Open House. This free art exhibit showcases the talents of students in the program’s different disciplines including basic design, drawing, painting, photography, sculpture, ceramics, graphic design, and video. Usually the open houses have run in April, at the end of the school term. This year they are changing things up a bit by having it a couple of months earlier. This particular open house is even more special because it marks the 100th art school open house to take place at the university.

The ARTlab

Once upon a time, I too roamed the halls of the art buildings, hauling my spray glue and matboard, large drawing papers, charcoals, clay, pastels, paints, and all the other random things you sometimes need when creating a masterpiece. Back when I took the graphic design program there was just the Fitzgerald building, the Art Barn, and the Sculpture/Ceramics building.

Tea Cup Chandelier

Now there is the gorgeous new ARTlab building on 180 Dafoe Road. This three-floored architecturally modern building is the newest addition to the School of Art buildings. This is where students’ work was showcased when I stopped by. Many students inside were still busily working away on different projects.

A student hard at work on a ceramic project

Be sure to check out the main day of the open house on Sunday, February 24 from 12 noon to 5 p.m. On this day family and friends, as well as the general public, are invited to check out the space. The Ceramic/Sculpture building and Art Barn will be open to the public only on this day. Work areas will be available for viewing in these buildings, but there will be no displays set up. However, there will also be the famous chili bowl sale in the ceramic portion of the Ceramic/Sculpture building. This sale involves picking out a one-of-a-kind, hand crafted ceramic bowl made by the students and then filling it with with hot, freshly made chili. So you can have your art and eat it too.

Michelle Plamondon’s chair sculptures

Upon walking into the building, and going down a few steps you see Michelle Plamondon’s sculpture for her Sculpture 1 class. Two chairs of the same shape face each other. These are not just any chairs. One is covered in black and white stripes and covered in glassy looking hand painted eyeballs in many different colour combinations, pupil shapes and sizes. The other is unpainted and definitely not made for sitting. It is covered in a rough, rock-like substance and pointed, coloured gemstone prisms. This chair was connected by an electrical cord. I believe the gemstones even light up when the cord is plugged in.

Freya Perron’s drawing project

One excellent example of a piece involving drawing was Freya Perron’s Drawing 1 class project. Beautifully high-contrast fragments of drawings of women of different ages were sewn into canvas along with pieces of lace. The end result was feminine, edgy, and thought provoking at the same time.

Shaylyn Plett’s geographical painting

Shaylyn Plett had an interesting piece for her Painting 1 class. The painting was technically done very well in a lovely palette of blues, violets, and earth tones. The piece looks abstract yet geographical, almost like we were looking down on a landscape from above.

Serge Gumenyuk’s digital photo series

I enjoyed Serge Gumenyuk’s Digital Photography 1 class photo series. In the photos people stand outside in different parts of the city at night staring at a video that is projected on the sides of different buildings. He has a playful sense of light in the photos and they have an almost otherworldly vibe to them.

Peter Tittenberg’s ceramic jar series

Peter Tittenberg, a ceramics major, had one of the best examples of ceramic work in the show. A set of three jars beautifully covered with shiny and and matte earth toned glazes were topped with three figurines molded into the likeness of people engaging in different sports. The one about to throw the curling rock is my favourite for sure.

McKenah Sobering’s sculptural piece

McKenah Sobering made a very cool sculptural piece for their Open Studio class. It was titled Project 1: Limitations – Conceptual evolution through material limitations. The mostly wooden contraption invites people to turn the lever towards them. This moves a row of plastic disks. The plastic disks in turn move a row of wooden sticks placed directly above them. These sticks have thin strings attached to them. The other end of these strings have small metal balls gangling from them that gently hit each other as the lever is turned. The project was meticulously assembled very well. When interacting with it, it was fascinating to see the wave-like movement of the wooden sticks and metal balls.

School of Art Open House poster design

If you want to see a free admission art show in different mediums, full of the talents of up-and-coming art stars, I would definitely recommend checking out the 100th School of Art Open House this Sunday. There is so much variety in this show it is almost guaranteed that everyone will see something of interest. Even if you are not into art, you may still be into chili.