Neither Bieb nor Bard in Stratford, Ontario

The Bieb

The Bard

Canadians are big theater buffs if the Shaw Festival at Niagara-on-the-Lake and the Stratford Festival are any indication.  In Stratford with Canadian friends, we gorged on three performances in two days starting with Wanderlust, based on the poems of Robert Service (The Shooting of Dan McGrew and other works.) Service dreamed of the Yukon while toiling in a Canadian bank—got there in later years. The production is incredibly creative with a good score and excellent performances. Next day’s matinee brought Elektra by that laugh-a-minute guy, Sophocles.  This Elektra wears black pants, a white shirt, boots and a black cardigan; Clytemnestra first appears in a suit that would look right at home in Mad Men while the chorus is clad in drapey tunics and loose pants in muted colors. Why Orestes’ pal turns up in a Ninja suit and full length parka didn’t make sense to any of us, nor did the black garbage bags decorating the back of the stage. That evening, as the icing on the cake, we saw 42^nd Street, all toe-tapping, Busby Berkeley-esque fun and yes, the ingénue did go out a youngster and come back a star. All four of us love Shakespeare but his plays on offer didn’t fit our schedule or were ones we’d often seen.

The Avon River is a beautiful place to stroll, full of ducks, geese and swans.

Avon swan-keeper with charges

A swan keeper busy feeding her gang romaine lettuce, (“head lettuce has no nutritional value”),  told us that come winter, the birds are put into a barn with an adjacent pond as the river freezes so thickly it’s fit for ice hockey, another Canadian passion.  The Shakespeare Garden—our nod to the Bard– is pure delight even so late in the season.

Although Justin Bieber hails from Stratford, we missed all related sightings, even the star in the sidewalk marking his former hangout as a busker. Can’t say it was a huge loss.

Vegetarian Stew

At one night’s dinner at the Keystone Alley Café, my husband—not a vegetarian—loved a Vegetarian Farmer’s Stew described as including lentils, pulses, cous cous and spices. (Note: lentils are a kind of pulse so title doesn’t make perfect sense.) This isn’t that exact  recipe but it’s also a veggie stew.

Vegetarian Stew

2 tsp vegetable oil

1 cup chopped onions

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

3 cups water

2 cups potatoes (about 2 medium), coarsely chopped

1 cup dried lentils, sorted and rinsed (use regular lentils, no need for the fancy lentil de puy)

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

1/2 t ground cumin

1/2 t salt

1/4 t pepper

1/4 t ground mace

8 oz small, fresh mushrooms, cleaned. Cut each one in half

1 28 oz can whole tomatoes, with their liquid

Heat oil in Dutch oven (or fairly large, heavy pot) over medium-high heat.

Sauté onions and garlic in oil.

Stir in remaining ingredients breaking up tomatoes with a wooden spoon.

Heat to boiling; reduce heat.

Cover and simmer about 40 minutes, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are tender.  Check for seasoning before serving; it may need salt and pepper.

When you serve, nod to either Bard or Bieb, your call.