Luso Life 009 by LusoLife

Nº 009

spring ‘21

doing it ourselves

NEW APPROACH. NEW DEPARTURE.

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TRAINING TORONTO

Since 1978, LiUNA Local 506 has provided “Just-In-Time” and “Custom” training programs to meet the challenging needs of our members and signatory employers. Proudly and proactively we work together with labour, management, government and community service associations to promote health and safety in the workplace, while meeting the growing training needs of our various industries. Each year we continue to develop top quality, comprehensive, up-todate specialized skills & safety training through certification, retraining and apprenticeship programs.

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Our clients include State & Main, Harvey’s, Swiss Chalet, and the Gama brothers. When Daniel and his brother Paulo started their welding business, they needed cards but weren’t certain on a colour. We ran a test print with all of their options and applied a soft touch laminate to give them a matte velvet finish. Their decision? We want them all! PRINT | DESIGN | CREATIVE SOLUTIONS

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The swallow (andorinha in Portuguese) is a migratory bird that always returns home to nest. In 1891 Portuguese artist Rafael Bordallo Pinheiro produced a set of ceramic swallows which were quickly integrated into Portuguese homes. Over time the swallow has become a symbol of love and hope, especially for those with family that emigrated out of Portugal.

C RE ATIVE DIRE C TOR David Ganhão a r t / d e s i g n DIREC TOR

The views expressed throughout Luso Life belong to the respective authors, and do not necessarily represent the views of the company and team.

Noah Ganhão

A DVERTISE

A DVERTISING DIRECTOR

info@lusolife.ca

José M. Eustáquio

C ONTA CT

P H OTOS

lusolife.ca info@lusolife.ca

Julia Dantas Noah Ganhão Mike Neal George Pimentel

DISTRIB UTION

Cover Noah Ganhão W ORDS Madalena Balça Inês Carpinteiro Julia Dantas David Ganhão Noah Ganhão Emily Gilmore Stella Jurgen Mike Neal T r a n s l at i o n s Inês Carpinteiro

If you would like to carry Luso Life, write to info@lusolife.ca SUB SC RIB E Luso Life is released four times per year. To subscribe, visit lusolife.ca/subscribe Price: $10 CDN Published by MDC Media Group Manuel DaCosta, President. Printed in Toronto. ©2021 Luso Life. All rights reserved. All material in this magazine may not be reproduced, transmitted or distributed in any form without the written permission of Luso Life.

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Contents 24

Beauty by Julia Can you make money “doing makeup” online? The answer is yes.

A mesa do avô Chouriço is a staple in Portuguese kitchens. This smoky sausage can be purchased at stores across the world, or you can do what we did and gather up some friends to make it yourself!

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A moment in history The pandemic has been an opportunity to get creative documenting this surreal moment. The Canada COVID Portrait project gives people across the country a platform to share this art.

Confronting Portugal’s racist past Portugal has done a fantastic job of glorifying and justifying it’s colonial past, convincing the world that it is not a racist country. The reality however, is that being so unaware of one’s own racism ultimately makes you more racist.

Doing it ourselves A couple girls reflect on what the deal is with all of these funky trends and DIY culture suddenly skyrocketing. From tile tables and flower rugs to squiggly mirrors and candles... what are you missing out on, what’s next and how can you get into it?

Pieces of us We all see canned fish as something different; a healthy meal option, a delicious snack, something totally disgusting... to us, these cans are beautiful works of art that contain a century of history.

48 hrs in Mumbai A city that makes The Big Apple seem as small as Toronto.

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Beyond the gummy From running a food truck to MasterChef Canada to catering weddings, the one thing that takes Danny Raposo higher than other chefs is his use of hundred-year-old family recipes... the cannabis just helps.

Portrait Geraldine, Kay, Reggie, Hilda, Cyril, Pius, Lenus, Alice, Monica, Bertha, Leona, Audrey, Pauline, Esther, Patrick, Lawrence, Clarence, Marilyn, Philip and Lorraine. 20 names for 20 kids! Number eight is my nana, Alice.

WORDS & photos: julia dantas

BEAUTY BY JULIA

Beautifully navigating the pandemic

ver the last year, people of all walks of life and industries have experienced very difficult circumstances in one way or another. This is especially true for those of us in the beauty industry. Personal care services have been shut down in the Toronto area for over 300 days during this time, and it’s no secret that the industry is hurting.

With that said, I wanted to take the time to provide some great ways that artists in the beauty industry can bring in different streams of income. Heeyyy! I’ve got ya, sis! The first option is to go virtual. While you may think that transitioning your skills online will be difficult, it can actually be really fun! There are so many ways to run things virtually through zoom, facetime 20

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etc. A great example of this is offering 1 on 1 makeup lessons for your clients. Reach out to your email list or advertise your lessons on social media to get the word out about your new online service.

what you’re talking about! Once the info is there, use Canva to design it to your liking and then advertise it on your socials. Just like that, you have a whole new stream of income!

As a makeup artist you could also create a guide for a specific makeup look. Online PDF guides are a great way of using your knowledge to bring in some extra cash while you can’t actually be doing makeup for your clients. If you’re primarily in the bridal industry you may choose to create a guide for ‘Wedding Beauty Prep’. In the guide, explain to your client exactly what they should do and purchase for flawless makeup on their big day. You could charge anywhere from $5-$35. This doesn’t have to take too long to write and should come fairly naturally—remember that you know exactly

Offering a discount or exclusive flash sale that is too good to turn down may seem obvious but is often overlooked. A large discount is a great call to action that will encourage clients to act quickly. For example, you could offer a 25% discount on all bridal services, or a ‘buy one get one free’ deal. By doing this, you can make more sales which actually generates more money than you would have at full price. The great thing with this method is also that you will earn quick cash and get new faces into your world, which could mean returning clients and more income in the future.

Have you ever thought about teaching others? Starting a virtual class on makeup sanitation practices is a great way to share your knowledge. If you’re in the beauty industry, then you already know exactly how to clean your kit, disinfect your products, and make sure things do not get cross-contaminated. But guess what? Someone just starting out in the industry OR the average gal or guy might not know these things. To teach people about sanitary practices, you could set up a ‘Sanitation 101 Masterclass.’ For a class like this, you could charge anywhere from $5-$15 for a 1 hour lesson. Throughout the class you could explain exactly how to disinfect your kit and the products that you recommend using for this. Think of it this way, if you get just 30 people at $15 to sign up, that’s $450. And if you do two classes, that’s $1000! This is something that you could also turn into a PDF guide and sell to other artists. Artists who often deal with brides can create a digital ebook or video explaining the timeline for all beauty related steps leading up to the bride’s big day. This may cover booking vendors, beauty trials, getting nails done, booking a spray tan, facial and planning beauty services on the big day. Most brides are super anxious on and leading up to their wedding, so a guide that helps prepare and get organized is surely appreciated. Another great way to get some money coming in is by teaming up with a photographer and offering a great discount. While you are losing some money on the sale price, this will be made up for with your booking numbers. Bonus if you can take some great pics! I used to do this all the time when I was in a pinch and wanted to make some fast cash. I would call this the ‘Ultimate Glam Experience’. You could advertise it by saying “Get makeup, hair styling, and headshots

for just $500, regular value $3000!”. You can split the income in half between you and the photographer. If you can bang out 5 of these, that’s $1250 right there! This would be advertised for when services are permitted, but you could take a deposit to secure the booking like any other service. Providing a virtual shopping experience is a great way to generate income while also engage with followers more intimately. Promote an exclusive 1:1 consultation with your clients and/or new customers and do a 30-minute facetime consultation to talk about your client’s needs. For example, some brides are eloping due to Covid and can’t bring along their makeup artist. If that’s the case, you could discuss what their goals are for their wedding, then put together a shopping cart for them to buy all the products you think would best fit their needs. You could also put together a step-by-step guide explaining how to use each product to custom fit their ‘ask’. You could charge anywhere from $50-$200 for this. Book 10 people for this and you could be $2000 richer. Do you have a specific skill? People will pay to learn from you! Let’s say you work in bridal and you know a ton of other makeup artists in the bridal industry. But what if you are also amazing at SFX makeup? That’s a BIG DEAL! You could easily offer 1:1 lessons to your friends and followers, demonstrating a specific SFX lesson (cuts, bruises, zombies etc). People always love upgrading their skills or learning a new one. Just because it might come easy to you, doesn’t mean it’s easy to do! Have you ever thought about reaching out to brands for sponsored social media posts? Though this one might be a little scary to think about, brands are actually a lot more willing to pay you for ‘sponsored posts’ than you may realize. I started getting paid on social media

when I had about 4k followers, and now I have 37k followers and get pretty good revenue from sponsored posts. Regardless of if you have 1000 or 100k followers, what matters is that you take action. My best recommendation is to ASK! Pitch yourself and just SEE what happens. In my 8- week online course, I explain exactly how to pitch yourself to a brand and negotiate rates. And guess what? Two of my recent graduates have landed paid brand collaborations and they both have less than 3k followers! To be successful in this, make sure that you reach out to brands that have the same target audience as you, then give them a really good pitch on why you have something great to offer them. You don’t know if it could happen unless you try! Lastly, much like Instagram and sponsored posts, affiliate marketing is a great way to earn extra income ‘passively’. There are a ton of brands that will give you a custom affiliate link then give you commission on your sales. You could use your email list, Instagram, or even just tell your friends and family about the product and make extra money this way. Some brands will give you anywhere from 10% - $40% commission. I actually even have an affiliate program for my courses where I get students to authentically talk about my program and then they can make money! It’s a win-win for both the brand and the affiliate! Overall, the important thing is that you try to diversify your income streams (pandemic or not). Creating products or services that allow you to make money without having to work on an hourly basis can help to give you more security & financial independence. Hang in there, you got this! @juliadantasbeauty

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O Ç I R U O H

DY O B O N E S NDS WITH S E I R U F S ALA CA AKE E D M B

AV Ô’ PHO S: TO AR S: M N A

ID GANHÃO V A D : RDS O W INIO GANHÃO M R E H SA, U O ES HER SHOP O D C T Ã U H INO 'S B N N L H VE GA : JO A , R H LIE TO I OA P BR UP S O T ND EA M

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we’ve learned anything in the past eight editions of Luso Life, it’s that Portuguese culture revolves around food and community, and when it comes to melding the two, nothing quite compares to the camaraderie felt when making chouriço. In rural Portugal, it was common for families to join forces every winter to butcher the pig and make chouriço, preserving the meat so it could be eaten year-round. As a child, I remember visiting Portugal and staying with my grandmother, Brizida, whom the grandchildren called “mãe” (mom)… to this day. I’m not sure if we did that because we were so smart that we saw her as the matriarch of the family, or we were simply parrots mimicking our parents and too young to realize “avó” was the correct word for grandmother. Mãe Brizida lived in a tiny three-room stone house—her bedroom, a front room decorated with dozens of photos of her family and a kitchen with a stone, wood-burning oven as the focal point. By the time I started hanging around, she had purchased a small gas stove for day-to-day cooking, but the oven was still used to bake broa (corn bread) and to smoke chouriço. Decades of smoke lived in those walls giving her home a distinct aroma that to this day brings me back in time whenever I smell homemade chouriço. That’s when the saudade kicked in; that desire to travel to Portugal or at the very least taste one of the stowaway chouriços that Mãe Brizida would sneak into our luggage when our vacation ended. LUSO LIFE

In North America, chouriço has a bit of a culinary identity crisis. Many people think it’s Spanish… and the confusion is natural, both countries have a pork sausage with similar names but the spices and curing process is different so let’s be clear chorizo (cold cured and heavily spiced with paprika) is from Spain while chouriço (smoked and loaded with garlic) is from Portugal. In a Portuguese home, chouriço sneaks it’s way into many of our meals. It replaces bacon next to our eggs for breakfast, at lunch a few slices are dropped into our caldo verde (the famous green soup), at dinner it makes it’s way into our cozido à Portuguesa (Portuguese boiled dinner) or a savoury arroz de pato (duck rice) and when you have a few guests over, nothing is more impressive than pulling out your assador de barro (a clay cooking vessel), adding some Aguardente (Portuguese distilled alcohol—essentially moonshine) and setting it aflame at the table to grill chouriço à bombeiro. When we decided to feature the chouriço as our Mesa da Avó feature, I turned to three friends who have been making the beloved sausage together for many years—os avôs Armando Brito, Avelino DeSousa and Herminio Ganhão. Using a simple recipe they brought with them from Portugal, the team enjoys the yearly ritual of buying meat, butchering it themselves, seasoning and finally smoking them in a custom built smokehouse. 30

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armando had built his own brick smokehouse, which we used for smoking our chouriço.

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When I ask why anyone would go through so much trouble to make sausages that are readily available at many grocery stores, the answer is simple— they want to ensure it’s done their way. When I saw these guys at work however, I realized there was more to it; the social aspect. With the world in varying states of lockdown, os avôs had each made their chouriço separately but when approached to make a batch for Luso Life, they were more than happy to roll up their sleeves, mask up and get to work. It was an excuse for three friends to get together and share some quality time. From beginning to end, the three took turns telling stories and jokes while laughing hysterically at tales I can only assume they’d heard a hundred times. Once the work was done, os avôs moved outside to the barbecue, where they ended the afternoon by taste testing homemade wine and chouriço each had brought from their private collections.

Ultimately, it was this sense of community that led us to take our photoshoot one step further and donate this delicious batch of chouriço. With the team secured, we went to work getting meat and casings donated from John’s Butcher Shop in Toronto. The next step was finding someone who could find good homes for the chouriço… enter Toronto social worker, José Dias. Since August of 2020 Dias and a small group of volunteers have been running a program called Meal Bank out of Casa do Alentejo Community Centre, cooking and delivering hot food to neighbourhood families that have been affected financially by the pandemic… And with this, the circle was complete. From its humble beginnings in homes all over Portugal where communities would help each other make chouriço for the year, to three friends meeting up for some laughs and donating their time to help feed members of their community in Canada. pão de milho (corn bread) and wine are staple companions to the chouriço and served as the ideal lunch snack

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chouriço a bombeiro: place 50ml of alcohol at bottom of dish (aguardente or isopropyl alcohol with a touch of brandy). score the chouriço at 2cm intervals and place on dish. light the alcohol with a match and cook until crispy–not burnt), rotating occasionally

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40-50 chouriços

Chouriço Minhoto 12 kgs of pork butt/shoulder

preparing the meat

1.5 liters red wine (white works as well)

Cut the meat into small cubes between 1/4” and 1/2” and drop into the basin.

200 g of coarse salt 1 cups of garlic cloves halved hog casings (ask butcher for the right amount based on the pounds of meat you’re using) equipment large, deep basins (for marinating and holding the finished sausages) a roll or two of twine sausage stuffing funnels needle and colourful thread

Add wine, salt and garlic between the meat dividing evenly between the basins. Mix everything together until the salt dissolves. Ensure meat is evenly seasoned. Cover and place in refrigerator or cold cellar (if you have one). Let it sit for 3 days, mixing every 12 hours (morning and night). It’s important that the meat remain somewhat wet, so if necessary add a bit more wine. Once a day, take out a few pieces of meat and fry them in olive oil to check the salt. It should be savoury but not too salty. Add more salt if needed, or if it’s too salty, add some more wine. preparing the casings Soak the casings in three or four changes of cool water and lemon to remove the packing salt, then rinse the inside with warm water (you can let the water run through the casing). Cut casings into 50 cm (20 inch) lengths. stuffing Cut twine into equal lengths.1 Remove all the garlic cloves from the meat. Tightly fasten the string to one end of the casing. Insert the other end of the casing into the sausage stuffing funnel and hold with one hand. Use your other hand to stuff the casing with the pork mixture. Use a needle to poke the casings to remove any air pockets.2 Use the twine to tie the two ends of the casing together, closing the open end in the process. (Use those fancy knot tying skills you learned in Boy/Girl Scouts) Tie a knot at the top of the string for hanging. smoking This can be a challenge. You will need a spot where you can light a medium fire that will create lots of smoke underneath the sausages. We were more fortunate since Armando has a brick smokehouse he built.

traditional tip 1: wrap the twine around the circumference of a plate over and over, then cut.

Place the chouriços onto a stick and hang the sticks in the smoker, high enough above the fire so that the flames don’t reach the sausages. You don’t want them to cook—low heat, lot’s of smoke. Smoke for 24-48 hours. Bring sausages indoors and hang to let them dry for three days.

traditional tip 2: add a long colourful thread to the needle so you don’t lose it in the meat. 36

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storage Short-term: store sausages in a cool dry spot. Long-term: vacuum-seal and freeze.

WORDS: Stella Jurgen

PHOTOS: George Pimentel

A MOMENT IN HISTORY

Canada COVID Portrait

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t is through beautiful and tough moments that we celebrate life. Over the past year, George Pimentel, a local boy who also happens to be a renowned celebrity photographer, did just that.

When COVID-19 hit Toronto, it was clear that a crucial chapter was going to play out in his life and that his love of photojournalism would soon became more important than ever. To George, documenting this catastrophic event was imperative, so camera in hand, he took to the streets of Toronto where he witnessed scores of sad and heartfelt moments. His goal was to take a digital snapshot of each situation, freezing these moments in time—what it was like to go to the supermarket; to visit the sick in hospital; to see someone suffering in a nursing home; and the diligence and devotion of the front line workers. In other words, portraits of real people surviving chaos. This is how the COVID-19 photo essay started. His black and white photography, which can be viewed on Instagram @georgepimentel1 includes his first COVID fashion show, empty churches, some unreal conditions and adaptation to this weird situation. Quickly the idea snowballed and the Canada COVID Portrait was founded. An initiative with a mission to document how the pandemic is impacting the lives of Canadians through a visual archive of images that portray this transformative moment in history. The project, which as George puts it, “is open to anybody with a cell phone who wants to convey what they’re going through in COVID times,” received over 5,000 submissions nationwide.

George and his team curated a selection of images capturing change, showing solidarity and hope. Large-scale black and white prints of this collection were exhibited outdoors at Toronto’s Harbourfront Centre capturing the attention of dignitaries and the public. “It was so great to have the Honourable Elizabeth Dowdeswell, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario come to visit our outdoor exhibition at the Harbourfront Centre, it’s a beautiful and touching way to share our stories” George wrote on his Instagram page. In the eyes of George Pimentel, we are all celebrities that are making a difference in this moment in history. canadacovidportrait.ca LUSO LIFE

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WORDS: Inês carpinteiro

ILLUSTRATION: david ganhão

CONFRONTING

he Age of Discoveries is perhaps Portugal’s greatest point of pride. If on one hand we admire the journey through the unknown and the conquest of new lands, on the other we ignore or romanticize the dark side of colonialism. In the 15th century, Portugal initiated the transatlantic slave trade, and in a period of 400 years, kidnapped, expatriated and enslaved about 5.8 million people from Africa and Asia to Brazil.

The idea of race was created to establish a hierarchy and to legitimize treating select groups as inferiors. Gomes de Zurara (a Portuguese chronicler from the Age of Discovery) created the concept of sorting people into groups—not yet referred to as races—while writing Prince Henry the Navigator’s biography. Some consider that Zurara invented the “African race” when he described the people being sold at a slave auction in Lagos, Portugal. Despite varying in language, ethnicity and skin colour, he combined all of them into a single group who needed to be saved by the “civilized Europeans.” This concept of race led to the justification of transatlantic slavery—not only was it an opportunity to cement the country’s status as a global power and increase its wealth, but it was a moral obligation needed to spread Christianity and modernization through the world. Over the years, Portuguese leaders have tried to preserve this air of superiority. Under the dictatorship of Salazar (1932 to 1968), prevailed the theory that the Portuguese colonialism was exceptional and more humane than that of other countries. When the Portuguese World Exhibition was held in Lisbon in 1940, Salazar used the opportunity as a pretentious act of propaganda. Lusotropicalism promoted the idea that the Portuguese empire was a single political unit that was spread across multiple continents, was multi-racial, and where reigned a peaceful co-existence between different people and cultures. The way Portugal recalls historic facts refers to the impression that the country had a crucial role in civilization, fighting primitivism and contributing to the development of those communities. Here lays the idea they have been perpetuating—a benign colonialism where Portugal was the good guy. However, a different reality was on display in the colonies. Indigenous subjects of Portuguese rule had an inferior status and were considered less civilized. The only way for non-whites to gain access to education and other privileges in the colonies would be through renouncing their own culture, assuming Catholicism, learning the Portuguese language and customs, to reach the status of “assimilated”. Exploitation and forced labour were a daily and normalized reality in the colonies. 48

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Portugal was one of the first countries to implement slavery and one of the last to continue reaping its fruits. While the world was acknowledging the dark reality and the pain they had been inflicting, Portugal was holding tight to its colonies. In 1960, during the independence movements, Salazar ordered the construction of the Padrão dos Descobrimentos (Monument of the Discoveries) to keep the ideals of that time alive. Located on the Tagus River in Lisbon, the monument sits in front of Rosados-Ventos—a massive compass rose—a gift from the apartheid regime of South Africa to the Portuguese dictatorship. Just over 40 years ago, Portugal was at war trying to repress the independence movements of African colonies. Leaving Angola, Mozambique, Cape Verde and Guinea Bissau in a state of devastation after almost 20 years of war, massacres and subjugation, followed by the repatriation of the Portuguese who lived in these countries. Labeled as retornados (those who have returned), they too were subjected to discriminatory acts. Despite proclamations that Portugal is not racist, but simply has racism in it—can a country that for centuries viewed certain races as inferiors, manage to have a new vision today? In Portugal’s legislation, in its courts, in its healthcare and education systems, there is no racist content—even the Constitution prohibits manifestations of racism—this is where those who do not want to consider their country bigoted support their theory. However, the legislation also bans gender discrimination, but Portugal remains a sexist country, where women struggle against economical and social subordination, and where domestic violence continues to be one of the country’s prevalent social issues. Therefore, it is not enough to look at legislation to understand what a society really experiences. In spite of right-wing politics considering this issue to be a sensationalist coup from the left, the discussion has been intensified with the rise of the far right and the Black Lives Matter movement. Portugal is a country bathed by the Atlantic, with a great climate, a rich history, incredible cuisine and hardworking and respectable people—some would call this paradise, but it’s not… yet. The periphery of large cities continues to show their evident poverty, where minorities are marginalized and where contact with the police often goes wrong. This is where people are often placed in the same bag, if one steals, they are all thieves, at least in the view of André Ventura, the leader of the far-right party Chega. His rise in popularity is proof that racism is alive and well in Portugal, that intolerance is settling in and that today, the values of democracy are falling.

According to a study by European Social Survey, more than 60% of Portuguese people express racist beliefs. However, from 2009 to 2018, the Minister of Justice did not register any condemnation for discrimination. Racism is even present in the Portuguese language. Expressions that are often used without being totally aware of their connotation—phrases like “am I black?” when we feel ignored or neglected. So, what can we say about a country that criminalizes racism, but does not condemn it? In the case of Cape Verdean student Luís Giovani who was killed in late 2019, beaten violently by a group of young people, the prosecutor’s office accused the seven suspects of qualified homicide but concluded that the crime was not racially motivated. In 2020, an Angolan-Portuguese woman was beaten by a police after an argument that stemmed when she forgot her daughter’s bus pass. The following month, two Brazilian women were attacked by the police outside of a nightclub. It’s true that it can be debatable whether these cases had racist motivations, however, in that same month, Moussa Marega, a footballer with FC Porto, walked off the pitch in the middle of a game with Vitória de Guimarães after their fans shouted racist insults against the athlete. A few months after that, came another case that became the ultimate tipping point in this series of conflict and indignation; the murder of black actor Bruno Candé. The actor was shot four times at point-blank range, in broad daylight, on a busy street in the outskirts of Lisbon. Witnesses stated that three days earlier, he had been threatened by the aggressor, who reportedly uttered several racist insults. “Go back to your land! You have your whole family in the senzala and you should also be there!”— a reference to the colonial era slave quarters. The murderer was Evaristo Marinho, 76 years old, who had completed military service in Angola between 1966 and 1968. In prison, he has reporedly bragged that, “In Angola, I killed several like this [referring to Candé]”

These are some of the many examples. Whether Portugal is a racist country or not is a topic open for discussion, but one thing is certain, Portugal has been a country tolerant of racism. Until recently, Portugal has failed to present an objective view of historic events. There has never been an explicit reference, memorial or monument recognizing the millions of lives that were impacted by slavery. On the contrary, there are numerous monuments and statues dedicated to navigators and missionary priests responsible for the conversion of Africans and Indigenous peoples to Catholicism, or the soldiers who fought in the colony wars. Finally, in 2017, the Djass Afro-descendent Association (NGO) won a popular vote for public funds, giving the opportunity for black people to tell their story—what they lived and resisted. The funds were used to design “Plantation – Prosperity and Nightmare” a monument by the Angolan artist Kiluanji Kia Henda. It intends to raise people’s awareness, empathy and reflection on questions of slavery, colonialism and post-colonialism. As Kiluanji Kia Henda highlights “The modern world would not exist if it was not for enslavement. The modernity you see here was built on the backs of black people. It’s important that there is awareness about that.” The memorial is installed in Campo das Cebolas, Lisbon and will be officially unveiled this year. Composed with rows of black aluminium sugar cane, each three meters high, this piece symbolizes a tragic past but, hopefully, a prosperous future. History has been partially presented and taught in schools through a Eurocentric vision. Portugal has been ignoring part of the story because it goes against their national identity. It’s fundamental for all Portuguese people to amplify and empower the voices of the past so we can learn from them. It is not about imposing guilt, but about reflecting on our past and creating the road we want to take into the future.

PORTUGAL’S RACIST PAST LUSO LIFE

WORDS: emily gilmore

PHOTOS: Noah ganhão

diy-ers: emily gilmore, monique ermes

with the flower rugs, tile tables and foam mirrors? We’re bored! Nearly a year homebound will really change how you feel about your space. I discovered my love of maximalism and all things colour. White walls can be jazzed up through a simple change of bedding—who knew?! I swapped my white sheets and duvet for mint green sheets and a lavender comforter. Spending so much time at home I realized how important it is—especially as a creative person— to love your space. Nothing compares to the feeling of being instantly energized by your surroundings. I love painting my walls. I love it so much that in the last 22 years, I have painted them 8 different times. The last time was white… on top of the preexisting white from the time before. I justified it by telling myself that some of the 2014 blue was coming through and making it a cold white but perhaps I just wanted to paint. I think I may have even shrunken the square footage of my room a tad—worth it if you ask me! From pink-fairy-princess-kingdom to plum-grown-up-preteen to 2013-one-direction-posters and now mature but still fun twenty-something white-but-add-colour-everywhere, me and my room are in an endless tango. One day we hate green and hoop earrings the next day we can’t get enough! Maybe it’s Gen Zs form of commitment issues? But it’s not too serious, it definitely isn’t a crime if you like minimalism on Monday and maximalism on Sunday. Besides, that’s where our dear DIY comes in… because we can’t seem to make up our mind we decide to make what’s occupying our mind. LUSO LIFE

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DIY: Do It Yourself. A phrase traditionally reserved for Pinterest Moms—women over 40 who use Pinterest to craft or upcycle any item in their home—or anyone crafty enough to attempt making something themselves. In 2021, to DIY has grown into something else; it is a badge of honour among Gen Z; a right of passage if you will. If you’re confused as to how this phenomena shifted from a laughable hobby for moms to the backbone of teen culture; I have 2 words for you; pandemic and TikTok (or boredom or curiosity… take your pick.) With the world in shambles and no glimmer of hope in sight we resorted to the only natural conclusion; making our own light. Creating things that spark joy even in what *feels* like the darkest of times. And an easy entry point for so many of us was (for better or for worse) joining the world of TikTok, making it easier than ever to find our communities (or for our communities to find us). Maximum 60 second videos oversimplify carefully constructed creations and now your average Joe with a hot glue gun is on the scene. Some of the hottest DIYs right now are chunky rings, kitschy phone beads and just about anything crochet. As a fellow Gen Z-er (if that’s something people say) I have succumbed to all of these trends and loved every minute of it. I’ve come to learn that it’s the process that reels you in with DIY. It’s the time spent crafting the object and the excitement of it all coming together that you fall in love with. Yes, having a handmade ring at the end of it is great, but our affinity for DIY culture extends beyond the item. Being a Pinterest loyalist and longtime fan of The Sorry Girls (Toronto’s original DIY badasses), the reintroduction of DIY culture was natural and long awaited. As DIYs shift from being tacky and impractical to being cool, useful and maybe still a bit tacky (but now tacky is trendy), some of the biggest projects over the past year are the foam mirror, the tiled table and the ICONIC flower rug. LUSO LIFE

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Where do the TikTokers* get it from? That’s simple, really. Designers. But designers are no longer these out of reach figures whose work is only on display for those with wallets that can afford it. They are on Instagram and TikTok. Everything is; the runway, magazines, homes—it’s all there on display and for a certain group, there for the taking.

TikToker Someone who scrolls through TikTok (or rather watches as TikTok scrolls for them). Someone who insists they will only show you one video, until 60 minutes later they realize it’s been a few more than was promised. Someone who disappeared for several of the last 12 months until re-emerging with a new energy on all social platforms sporting baby tees, bucket hats and low rise jeans. By the time you read this, they will most likely be onto the next phase of their fashion chronicles so do not expect to receive that depop order soon enough to actually be with it.

For many designers in 2021 this is both a blessing and a curse. The platform that assists in popularizing their creations is the platform that promotes dupes and detracts from the original. It just takes the right person to see or wear an item and it’s suddenly viral—a complete game changer for anyone creating anything. I’ve discovered some of my most treasured pieces from half way across the world through Instagram, making my closet better travelled than I am (especially now!) With this access however, comes the inevitable replicas. The major culprits are big name, fast fashion corporations who will take absolutely anything deemed on trend and this SUCKS. Now you also have your average girlnext-door learning how to crochet that sweater so she doesn’t have to drop the $230 you’re charging for the original garment. This equally sucks but for a different reason. Now, to ME this can be harmless and not a breach of DIY etiquette—keep in 58

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mind that I’m not a small business owner whose livelihood depends on sales. Where these Jane Doe’s go wrong is when they copy the design in its entirety and decide to sell it for a cheaper price. The casual reseller is profiting off of stolen ideas and presenting them as their own. This thrusts the designs into the mainstream, watering them down and opening them up to more theft as the demand has increased with consumers only concern being for the cheapest price. Again, this is where TikTok comes in. Videos can quite literally blow up overnight, meaning the “DIY Resin Ring Tutorial” you posted inspired by a small business, now has 1.8 million views and 1.8 million people realize they don’t need to support that designer! I guess it could be said that this is a grey area in DIY culture as most don’t make a tutorial with the intention of helping build a business off of it. So what’s the solution to this? Truthfully, I don’t know… is there even a solution? Is this something that will ever go away? All I know is that I will continue to DIY for myself and draw inspiration from my favourite designers. Maybe the trick is to not focus on imitating but emulating. I think I may have just solved all of the worlds problems with that one! Kidding, but you get the idea, inspiration; good, imitation; not so much!

So what are you missing out on? Well, if you’re like me, it’s the badass answer of “Oh, I made it myself.” (all coy) To which the response is usually one of the following; “OMG so cool!” “Can you make me one?” “Wow, how long did that take?” The correct answer to all of the above questions is always “Thank you! It was inspired by !” I’m sure you saw that one coming after everything we just learned! DIY culture is about having fun and experimenting! It’s about doing things for yourself! It’s the latest and greatest form of instant gratification, I PROMISE! Who needs Instagram likes when you can get validation from your own knitting skills?! AND with DIYs you’re in control of the completion; no more checking the tracking info on your package nine times a day. It really lives up to the hype! Farewell besties! I hope you learned a thing or two and that you walk away from this magazine with an itch that only a DIY can scratch. Or (at the very least) you enjoyed your time reading this! I feel like I need to sign off by revealing the next big trend, but as I said earlier, I’m no trend forecaster! HOWEVER, I usually am pretty early to the game! My walls were white 22 years ago… before it was cool! My last piece of advice; paint your walls, tile your tables, foam your mirrors, bend your candles and add beads to sh*t with your friends! Because who cares! Nothing matters and everything is better when you can say you did it yourself (even if it’s a little ugly!)

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ould h s I d e r I figu s e y b d o re y go a m e r y e a s H I IYs… D Before y a w e t a me g o s h t i w ted r leave you a t s u o y o get t s v a f y some of m

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c l ay

r i n g s :

what you need: polymer clay (oven bake clay), maybe, if you’re feeling crazy, old beads or rhinestones and 15 minutes (maybe polymer sealer too if you want to make sure your pieces don’t crack) how: have fun! roll out the clay and measure it to your fingers, make a funky shape & add in some fun beads! bake it and add a top coat and you’re officially hot!

f l o w e r

r u g :

*warning this method is extremely slow, attempt at own risk. what you need: latch hook, rug canvas, 2 colours of acrylic yarn, scissors & time how: sketch your design on the rug canvas, cut your yarn to the desired length (pls watch a youtube video on the best way to do this) and start hookin’ & latchin’! although this method takes forever she works really well and is perfect for those of us who don’t own a rug tufting gun!

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WORDS: Madalena Balça

PHOTOS: Noah ganhão

canned fish

Pieces of us The fish passes from hand to hand, in a journey of wisdom and taste that’s as old as the process of food preservation itself, discovered by Frenchman Nicolas Appert in the early 19th century. The technique requires the hands of many people—mostly women, and on the production line we usually find several generations from the same family. Machines also assist in the canning process. Often, in the final stage of canning, experienced hands are brought in to wrap each can, with a mastery that time and repetition has helped perfect.

both sides of the conflict that ravaged the world. By 1920, more than 400 factories spanned the country.

pantry—canned sardines, marinated eel, squid in tomato sauce and maybe a spicy tuna.

After World War II, with no troops to feed, sales fell sharply. Other problems such as overfishing and the entry of North African competitors caused many companies to fail. According to the National Association of Canned Fish Industry, only 20 canning factories remain in Portugal today.

Portugal’s canning industry carries the most weight on the scale of national exports. About 70% of production leaves the country and each can takes more than just fish with it. It requires the art of preparation which is anchored in experience and more recently, it takes our extraordinary ability to turn difficult situations around.

Spreading the message of its health benefits was a decisive step. Raising the Omega-3 flag and the flag of other healthy components that nobody really remembers by name, (... vaguely) but we all know that we need, is a very important detail. Realizing the growing appetite for healthier products, the industry adapted, offering products preserved in water and featuring low salt content.

Since we also eat with our eyes, innovation in packaging design was crucial. Be it the revival of vintage designs, commissioning visual artists who have their art printed on cans or with social inclusion projects such as “Miúdos especiais com muita lata” (which loosely translates to “Special kids with moxy”), where Comur, one of Portugal’s oldest canning companies challenged a group of autistic children to illustrate a special edition of cans. All this has led to the opening of boutiques that look less like stores and more like rooms displaying a sliver of Portugal’s history.

It was at the beginning of the 20th century, with the outbreak of the First World War, that the Portuguese canning industry reached its peak. Each can represented nourishment for soldiers on 64

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Innovation and communication. This would be the key to success.

Innovating recipes and demonstrating the simple fact that in order for you to become a true Gourmet Chef, you need a few fundamental ingredients in your

Innovation and communication helped this sector of the economy rise from the ashes and transform itself into something highly profitable, dynamic and quite beautiful. These pieces of us have taken on the role of ambassador for Portuguese culture, of excellence in terms of fish and now more than ever, of innovativion.

p i n ha i s

costumes portuguezes

pinhais & cia, limited

portugal house

matosinhos, pt

est. 1920

porto, pt

est. 2017

conservaspinhais.pt

@theportugalhouse

collection of cristina da costa

collection of cristina galrão

ingredients: 3-5 sardines, tomato sauce (homemade secret recipe)

sardines, refined olive oil, salt

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f aya s

i love portugal

sociedade corretora lda

i love portugal

ponta delgada, pt

est. 1913

vialonga, pt

est. 2012

corretora.com.pt

iloveportugal.com

collection of cristina galrão

collection of cristina da costa

tuna, sunflower oil, salt

sardines, olive oil, salt

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arte nova

lata

estórias portuguesas

lata

aveiro, pt

est. n/a

toronto, ca

est. 2019

loja.aveiroemotions.com

latafish.com

collection of carlos oliveira

collection of cristina da costa

tuna fillet, olive oil, salt

sardines, water, salt, soya oil, chilli pepper, tomato LUSO LIFE

cego do maio

comur

cego do maio

comur

póvoa de varzim, pt

est. 2012

murtosa, pt

est. 1942

cegodemaio.pt

comur.com

collection of carlos oliveira

collection of ashlie bandeira

ingredients: tuna, water, salt

sardines, olive oil, salt

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luças

risonho

luças & ca., lda

cofaco açores, industria conservas

matosinhos, pt

est. 1920

lisboa, pt

est. 1961

lucas.pt

cofaco.pt

collection of cristina da costa

collection of: cristina galrão

tuna, casa s. miguel extra virgin olive oil, salt.

ingredients: tuna, vegetable oil, salt

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words & PHOTOS: Mike Neal

PHOTO JOURNAL

48 HRS IN MUMBAI I remember visiting New York City for the first time after completing my first year of university. I had lived in Toronto for a year at that point, and at that time Toronto was the largest and busiest place I’d ever been to; Until I visited New York. The crowds were larger, the architecture was grander, the streets were louder and the atmosphere was more energetic. Every block I walked through was mesmerizing, and every neighbourhood I visited reflected character and perspectives I doubted I’d be able to find anywhere else. As someone who enjoys city life, New York City was the Holy Grail, making Toronto look almost like a small town in comparison. A year later I was fortunate to have the opportunity to spend a couple of days in the city of Mumbai, in the Indian state of Maharashtra. I never have an easy time explaining Mumbai to people who are unfamiliar with it. Despite how attentive, aware, and intrigued I was of my surroundings throughout my stay, it’s impossible for one to become familiar with the city after only a day or two. When I returned to Canada and people asked “What was Mumbai like?”, I had a hard time putting into words just how amazing of a place it is. I could honestly go on and on, but the answer that would often resonate with people the most was “Mumbai makes New York look like Toronto.”

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BEYOND photos by noah ganhão words by david ganhão

THE The compound is just after the dinosaur and across the street

GUMMY

When someone tells me they voted for Trump or Ford because “he speaks my language… He’s a regular dude and I can relate to him,” red flags go up. I don’t want the guy who’s leading my country to be a regular dude… My friend Frank is a nice guy who I’m sure thinks he has the country’s problems all figured out… but he shouldn’t run for office. I want the smartest person possible running the country…the person who carried a briefcase in high school and spent their lunch hour in the library reading up on world economics. Regular dudes should be sitting next to me at a picnic table sharing some great conversation while enjoying a beer, some great food and maybe a joint… enter Danny Raposo—the regular guy who cooked my food today.

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On a sunny March afternoon, we drove out to Danny’s compound, not entirely sure of what to expect. We were given the address and told the house was “just after the dinosaur and across the street.” Sure enough about 4km up Highway 6 in rural Hamilton, we saw a T-rex coming up on our right side. We pulled in the driveway and were greeted by Jonathan and Fernando, a couple of members of Danny’s team, and a chicken (to be fair, the chicken didn’t actually greet us, she just wandered around the property). We walked over to the food truck where we met the man himself who was already prepping for the shoot. “Hey, nice to meet you. I’m going to make a little appetizer. Do you guys like octopus?” Danny may be a regular dude, but he’s also very professional and all business, which is why this MasterChef Canada contestant is considered one of the world’s leading cannabis chefs. As he starts to cook, he talks us through all the steps, while also giving us some business background and casually slowing down at all the right spots for us to take photos. “I love, love, love the kitchen. I love food. I’ve been cooking my whole life, like literally. My dad is a chef who worked at the Imperial Room downtown at The Royal York and also owned his own restaurant. As a kid, I grew up in a kitchen. Everybody, in my family cooks except for my brother Fernando” (Fernando owns the chicken). I was curious how one goes from having a father working as a chef at the Imperial Room to catering with cannabis. “I had accidents and was prescribed Percocet and other painkillers. Later, I was introduced to cannabis and found it helped.” Over time, he was able to replace the big Pharma opiates with something natural. “I did away with the pills. Once I realized this was working for me, I decided to make it a career. I was working construction at the time and I left that world to get back in the kitchen full-time.” Out of the gate, Danny opened Big D’s House of Munch—a very cool retro Airstream food truck which is now wrapped in green and white and working for Wahlburgers. “When I sold to Wahlburgers, I couldn’t do anything food related for four years, so I planned. I got these two food trucks built and now we’re ready to launch. Soon, you’ll be able to order online and your food will be available for takeout or we will deliver to these little areas around here like Waterdown. Carlisle, Millgrove and Rockton because there’s no Uber Eats. I figured, I have this trailer and I’m going a little stir crazy—I guess we all are—and I want to do something. Around here you have a lot of the chain restaurants serving all that garbage, so why not give people stuff that’s fresh. We smoke our own bacon, make our burgers from scratch... everything is fresh. Let’s just say, I’m not grinding down old burgers to make chilli or using old chicken for sandwiches. I understand that’s it’s cost effective, but nobody is coming to me for a two-dollar hamburger.” 86

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“WE’RE USING OLD SCHOOL SCHOOL DISHES. YOUR VER STILL BE GOOD… JUST NOT

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L RECIPES TO CREATE NEW RSION OF MY RECIPES WILL T QUITE AS GOOD AS MINE!”

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(Back in chef mode) “So really quick. I’m just gonna throw some sesame seed oil, a bit of pimenta moida (ground pepper paste), some fresh garlic, sea salt, some smoked paprika and I’m just going to mix this in.” Danny says he doesn’t mind sharing his recipes because they cannot be reproduced—a bold statement but I quickly realize where he’s coming from. “Many of the ingredients I use are recipes I got from my in-laws like pimenta moida and chouriço. Hundred-year-old recipes that have been passed down from mother to daughter until they ended up in my hands. I wish I could say they’re mine, but they’re not.” Danny even takes from his son-in-law’s Italian grandfather, using his recipe to make giardiniera (pickled vegetables), which makes an appearance in the octopus recipe. “We’re using old school recipes to create new school dishes. Your version of my recipes will still be good… just not quite as good as mine!” (Back in chef mode) “So I’ve toasted the bread and I’m just gonna take a little bit of this. It’s bruschetta antipasto mix. It’s got a bunch of different things—red peppers, celery, carrots, onions, broccoli, pickles, garlic, corn—it’s got almost everything in here.” The conversation switches to catering. Danny tells me how cannabis chefs in Ontario can cook for your private event but are not permitted to supply the cannabis. “Basically, that would make me a drug dealer in the eyes of the law. If you want cannabis in your food, it has to be yours, so right now I’m working with a few different dispensaries. You go in and legally buy your cannabis. I’m outside and you bring it to me. I press it to make the oil, you order the food, I put it in then I sell it to you. I’m not giving you any weed, I’m just providing a service.” (And again he goes back to chef mode) This will not take long at all—about a minute to cook. A lot of people make a mistake when it comes to octopus. They cook it to the point where it becomes rubbery—now the octopus is like a shoe.” (And then out again) “We’re hoping to be doing quite a bit this year, or as soon as everything gets back to normal—weddings, parties, private events” My knowledge of cooking with cannabis is pretty limited—I know some people make brownies, others love gummy bears and the phrase “cannabis infused” is always floating around. Danny is quick to point out that most chefs aren’t infusing 90

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anything. “Sauce droppers. Many chefs take the concentrate and put it on top of a meal then call it infused—it’s not. Even though most of the good stuff is in the buds, I use the whole plant. The roots alone have so many nutrients and vitamins, so we steep them to make stock, juices and teas. I decarb the leaves which opens up the cannabinoids and converts them from a THCA to a THC, which I grind to make flour that I use to make fresh pasta. I experiment with everything.” As we eat the octopus (ridiculously delicious—no shoe sole here), Danny explains the art of cooking with cannabis. “We can infuse anything—Portuguese food, Canadian, whatever you want…and if we’re catering an event and you want regular non-cannabis food, that’s cool too.” “When we cater an event, we put you on a roller coaster ride. Let’s say the event starts at five o’clock. We start with a few mocktails, which are non-alcoholic cocktails, infused with THC or CBD—usually spritzers or punch, and we serve hors d’oeuvres, like this octopus. Each hors d’oeuvre will have five to ten milligrams of THC. We’ll do that for about an hour. So you have five or six of those and a couple of drinks and 45 minutes later, you’re feeling pretty good. Then we sit you down and hit you with the first course. Most of it is CBD with just a touch of THC, so what happens is the CBD will counter the THC and bring you down. The second course brings you back up and then the third will bring you down again. You’re getting about 50 milligrams per dinner—that’s spread over 4 hours. At our events, we have canna doctors or influencers come in to educate our guests and we always have licensed paramedics on site.” You’d think with the food delivery running weekdays, and the private parties and weddings on Saturdays, that Sunday would be a day of rest at the Stoner Chef Compound, but no. Danny, plans on hosting a private market every Sunday where people can come, have brunch, listen to music, shop from handpicked vendors and get educated by different speakers—someone talking about body & bath bombs, rubs and topicals one week I will be out there talking about food the next week and after that we may have a doctor.” By the end of our conversation, for a short minute, I was convinced Danny Raposo should run for prime-minister. We got in the car, waved goodbye, started driving back down Highway 6 towards home and I saw Mr. T-Rex. His arms were way too tiny to carry a briefcase… no wonder they went extinct—I blame bad leadership.

Serves 10

Octopus Crostini with Vegetables marinated vegetables

marinated vegetables [prep: 25 min | cook: 10 min | chill: 3 hrs]

3 celery ribs, sliced

Place 1” of water, celery, carrots and green pepper in a large saucepan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, covered, until crisp-tender, 5-7 minutes. Drain. Transfer to a large bowl; add artichokes, mushrooms and olives.

3 large carrots, sliced 1 medium green pepper, sliced 1 can water-packed artichoke hearts, rinsed, drained and quartered 1 jar whole mushrooms, drained 3/4 cup sliced ripe olives 3/4 cup olive oil, (cbd infused) 1/3 cup white wine vinegar 2 green onions (white parts only), thinly sliced 2 garlic cloves, minced 1 1/2 tsp sugar 3/4 tsp pepper

In a small saucepan, whisk oil, vinegar, onions, garlic, sugar, pepper and salt; bring just to a boil. Pour over vegetables; toss to coat. Cool to room temperature. Stir in pimentos and parsley. Refrigerate until serving. grilled octopus [prep: 7 min | cook: 15-17 min] In a large bowl add octopus, pimento moida, garlic, black or white pepper, salt, olive oil, Italian seasoning and mix well. Set aside for 5 minutes. Make sure that your bbq is hot enough to sear the octopus. Med/High. Use a paper towel with oil to rub on the bbq grill and let cook for 7 minutes or until almost crisp on the outside. Flip and cook for another 5-7 minutes. Remove octopus and cover for 5 minutes. While you are waiting for your octopus to cool off. Take your 1/2 cut French bread and add olive oil, salt and pepper to taste and fry bread on a pan till golden brown. Remove it from pan and set aside.

1/4 tsp salt

Take bread and add vegetables antipasto than add grilled octopus, add arugula with a splash of balsamic vinegar.

1 jar pimento strips

Bob’s your uncle. You’re done. Enjoy!

2 tbsp minced fresh parsley grilled octopus 3-4 large octopus legs 1 large french loaf, cut in 1/2” slices 1/2 tbsp pimento moida 1 1/2 tsp fresh minced garlic 1/4 tsp salt 1/4 tsp black or white pepper 2 tbsp of olive oil (thc infused) 1/2 tsp italian seasoning 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar 1 cup arugula

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TORONTO MISSISSAUGA NORTH YORK LONDON HALIFAX ST. JOHN’S Benefit Plan Administrators Limited is a financial services company dedicated to providing leading edge professional administrative, custodial, consulting and Trust Management services needed by our clients today and into the future.

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Benefit Plan Administrators Limited would like to wish all the hard working members and their families Happy Holidays.

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You provide the dream. I’ll do the rest. Selling homes in Canada + condos & villas in Portugal

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For a FREE home evaluation or any real estate INFO call

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Well Trained. Highly Skilled Labour. Simply the Best, since 1903. When a community is built from the ground up, there is no labour force on the planet, better skilled to get the job done right the first time. LiUNA members and retirees made a commitment to their careers, which means a commitment to our communities. A commitment to build the BEST schools, airports, hospitals, office buildings, tunnels, power plants, roads, bridges, low rise and high rise housing in the country. When the work is done, LiUNA members and retirees continue to live, play and grow in their communities, with the guarantee of a pension that is also....simply the BEST!

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Keeping cars looking and running great since 1973 Full service auto repair and body shop for all domestic and import vehicles Full interior and exterior car detailing services Specializing in BMW, Mercedes Benz, Audi, Volkswagen, Volvo, Dodge, Nissan and Porsche

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Words & Photo: Noah GANHÃO good apples

Portrait

Geraldine, Kay, Reggie, Hilda, Cyril, Pius (pictured above), Lenus, Alice, Monica, Bertha, Leona, Audrey, Pauline, Esther, Patrick, Lawrence, Clarence, Marilyn, Philip and Lorraine. 20 names for 20 kids! Number eight is my nana, Alice. She was born and raised in a small town on an even smaller province, PEI. She has a kind smile, a do anything for you personality and is a do-it-yourself kinda gal. My nana is undoubtedly one of my favourite people in the world. She has many quirks; my favourites being her pronunciation of the letter “H” *haych* and the way she completes every task like she’s in a rush (except driving!) I used to think my nana’s kindness was a trait exclusive to her, mainly because her sister, Monica (#9)—who I’m also close with—is a take no shit kind of lady. For the record, Monica is very kind, she just has a fun brashness to her! For a long time I never thought much of my nana’s siblings “down home.” I only knew old stories or bits of conversations over the phone. It wasn’t due to a lack of interest on my end—I used to beg her to bring me along in the summer but we could never seem to align our dates. It wasn’t until just after my 21st birthday that I had the pleasure of really meeting the rest of the family . My parents, older brother, boyfriend (hi Noah) and I drove to PEI. I had the pleasure of meeting Geraldine, Kay, Cyril, 114

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Pius, Bertha, Leona, Patrick, Lawrence, Clarence, Marilyn and Philip; eleven of the good apples. Each of them with stand out qualities, like Cyril’s craftsmanship or Pius’ wit or Lawrence’s humour. Each of them reminding me of her. I don’t know if it’s the way they were raised or the island itself but each of my nana’s siblings carry the same kindness and compassion. It makes the idea of meeting these people so late in your life even tougher to deal with—I could’ve had more nana’s this WHOLE TIME! Better late than never. An expression that always comes to mind when I think about my trip “down home.” It’s crazy to think about the years I spent as just a photograph on a fridge and the years they were just names and numbers to me. 21 years apart and one week together can change everything. Marilyn, number 18, feels familiar and warm, she especially reminds me of nana, just a bit more daring! And Lawrence, number 16, can make a good thing bad and a bad thing better. He hurts to be around—usually just because we’re laughing so hard. Although I never was lucky enough to meet my great grandparents, I feel like I know them. I like to think that my nana and her siblings each carry pieces of my great grandparents in their personalities. And for my sake, I sure hope the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.

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