Schuldig

Mitji—Let's Eat: Mi'kmaq Recipes from Sikniktuk by Margaret Augustine and Lauren Beck, copyright held by the Elsipogto First Nation, is a 2024 collection of recipes and foodways from the Sikniktuk region of what's colonially known as New Brunswick in Canada.

Normally, a cookbook wouldn't be something I read cover to cover, but this book takes a storytelling approach and has features on community members and information on Mi'kmaq foodways throughout it. The recipes are a mix of nostalgic for me (a lot of it similar to my grandmother's cooking) and brand new (rooted in ingredients or preparations specific to the region). They're all straightforward to prepare, and while some feature country meat that not everyone might have access to, the usual substitutions are easy to make.

Like the last book I read, this is divided into sections by season. If you're in spitting distance on the east coast of North America, this should feature some relevant in-season recipes. If you're not, there are still a lot of recipes based around staples available in many parts of the world—or they might just provide a glimpse into food traditions interestingly different from your own.

( An Excerpt - Blueberry Cake )

(I made a half-batch of this, and it was really good!)

Fandom 50 #23

Untitled Daisuke and Monty by Julia Stark
Fandom: Dimension 20: Cloudward, Ho!
Relationship: Daisuke Bucklesby/Monty LaMontgomery
Medium: Art
Length: 1 piece
Rating: SFW
My Bookmark Tags: slice of life, happy ending, established relationship, then and now, clothing, nostalgia

Description:

Two full-colour images of Daisuke and Monty, one in the present and one in flashback to their younger days. The first is fully saturated and features the two walking close together with Monty in the lead. Daisuke's hat is tipped forward over his eyes as he looks down with a faint smile and puts away his flask. Monty is watching him over his shoulder, likewise smiling and seemingly mid-conversation with him. Above them, larger and more faded out, is a memory of them sitting together decades ago, Daisuke speaking while Monty watches him with soft-eyed attention.

( Very Minor Spoilers for Episode 6 )
This piece is just so sweet. The whole "getting the band back together" element of Cloudward, Ho! has been right up my alley, and I like that their separation was more about losing something that was holding them together rather than a big falling-out that created any ill will. It's made for a great story so far about some highly competent older characters reuniting warmly with old friends and working well together because of their shared history.

I love how the artist has captured this. The flashback looms large over the two men, creating a sense of those past conversations fuelling their present ease with each other and shared direction. It spot-on conveys Monty's wonderful attentiveness to people and suggests a lot in imagining the usually laconic Daisuke so engaged in talking to him. As someone who loves the aesthetics of this season, I'm also very much here for the details in their outfits and the little ways they've changed over the years.