Bon Vivant | Spring 2017 Issue 04

BON VIVANT

The Perfect Dinner Party "DON’T TELL ME WHAT YOU ATE. TELL ME WHO YOU ATE WITH."

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2017

CONTENTS

feature

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Seeing Frank Ocean in Prince

welcome

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14

Whisky: No Longer Just a Man’s Drink

44

The Perfect Dinner Party

leisure

liter ature

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36

40

16

Wine on Tap

The Domestication of Dogs

cuisine

the arts

design

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18

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12

Paleo Diet

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liquids

Letter From the Editor

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

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feature

BON VIVANT

Buying Art in the 21st Century

22

Misty Copeland

The Dress: The Icon

30

Evolution of the Bathroom

Latin! Where Did the Language Go?

The Great Write North

cars

48

Editorial: BMW X5

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BON VIVANT EDITOR-IN-CHIEF PUBLISHER

Kayla Hepworth The Sutton Place Hotels

ART DIRECTOR

Chisa Hattori

GRAPHIC DESIGNER

Chisa Hattori

CONTRIBUTORS

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS

Allison Taylor Daniel Meloché Elizabeth Turner Emma Penney Jonah Joffe Niki Maretta Patrick Lok Salim Kassam Shaw Peters Sophie Brown

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Artimage Auto West BMW Boulevard Kitchen & Oyster Bar Dundurn Press Food & Wine Magazine Getty Images Hive Media Ilya Savenok Jonah Joffe NYC Dance Project Pexels Pixabay Restoration Hardware Sotheby's Time Inc. Unsplash

◆◆ Bon Vivant is published by The Sutton Place Hotels 310-1755 West Broadway Vancouver, BC V6J 4S5

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Telephone: 604.730.6600 Fax: 604.730.4645 Email: communications@suttonplace.com Website: www.suttonplace.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/suttonplacehotels Twitter: @SuttonPlaceHtl Instagram: @suttonplacehotels Advertising Inquiries advertising@suttonplace.com Editorial Inquiries editorial@suttonplace.com Copyright © 2017 The Sutton Place Hotels. No part of this publication may be reprinted without the written consent of the publisher.

For permission and reprint requests, please call 604.730.6600 or email editorial@suttonplace.com. Opinions expressed in Bon Vivant are those of the authors and do not reflect the views of the publisher or advertisers.

Bon Vivant is printed by MET Fine Printers in Canada, using the most environmentally friendly print process available.

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LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

S

urrounded by creative people is an absolute blessing, but it can also be quite intimidating. Feeding off talented writers and photographers allows me to see things in a different way, be it black and white or a monochromatic colour scheme; looking through various colour prisms provides a ray of light.

And then there’s the graphics department, or should I say, graphics genius. It is a onewoman show here at Bon Vivant, and the endless supply of ideas and designs appear as though they’re coming from at least a dozen people. It is this inspiration that saw this issue come to life.

From the discussions between Plato and Aristotle, to the letters of J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis, to the joint efforts of the impressive actors Sir Patrick Stewart and Sir Ian McKellen, collaboration and discourse leads to improvement and inspiration.

Some of the biggest movements in history stand out not for individual accomplishments, but for the way that innovators drew from each other to create their own individual works that reflected what they as a community faced. Looking at times like the European Renaissance, during the 14th through 17th centuries, and to what I would call the Technology Renaissance, occurring as we speak, teaches us about sharing ideas and building bonds.

But where does it begin or come from?

It starts with simple inspiration from design, nature, and love. It is this timeless beauty that creates new traditions along the way that in turn become our treasured memories.

Yours truly, Kayla Hepworth Editor-in-Chief

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cuisine

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EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL AUTHOR ALLISON TAYLOR

I

t is hard to picture mob bosses around the globe discussing their next shipment of olive oil, but many people believe the ancient olive oil business is the most corrupt in the recipe book.

It is important to understand that the production of true olive oil is a very labour intensive process. It is this process that justifies the high price tag for a good quality olive oil.

Tom Mueller, author of Extra Virginity: The Sublime and Scandalous World of Olive Oil, spent months in Italy investigating the subject, and what he learned will shock the most inexperienced foodie to the high level olive oil connoisseur. In short, there is a good chance that the olive oil you recently purchased at that high sticker price may not contain any olive oil at all.

First off, many producers still hand harvest or use nets to catch the ripe olive fruit which needs to be taken directly to be pressed.

Olives left on the ground too long become overripe, and, when pressed, yield a rancid odour and greasy aftertaste.

With the change in the world’s climate creating decreased levels of olive oil production for a few of the top countries along with an increasing demand for healthy fat alternatives, some suppliers have been forced to seek out additional ingredients to bump up their volume.

Although the industry is regulated, the rules are often broken, and it is becoming more challenging to catch the rule breakers.

Some bottlers of this antioxidant-rich oil will do anything to reduce the cost of production and then turnaround and charge the consumer as if it were real.

The olive oil industry is massive. The average Canadian consumes up to 1.5 litres of olive oil a year, which seems like a lot. However, European consumption dwarfs this number. For example, the average Greek will consume up to 125 mL (½ cup) per day or 26 litres per year. And as with many other industries, when there is a chance to make millions of dollars, the fraudsters will find it.

The first pressing, which makes ExtraVirgin Olive Oil, cannot involve any application of heat or chemicals. The second pressing is Virgin Olive Oil and is also required to be cold pressed. However, as you continue to press, less oil is released.

Therefore, producers will use a very high temperature to extract every drop of oil.

The third and final pressing produces Pure Olive Oil ― which is actually the lowest grade.

True olive oil will always be an expensive kitchen commodity because of its labour intensive production methods and basic economics of supply and demand. For that reason, it is extremely important to know what you are getting and that you are supporting those taking the time to produce a quality product.

Amongst the endless number of fakes and blends that make it through the lenient screening process, there are ways to ensure you pick an honest, delicious olive oil. →

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cuisine

Choosing the Perfect Olive Oil

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Olive oil hates heat, light, and air ― searching for the darkest bottle with a best before and / or harvest date is a great start.

Like wine, olive oils have different flavours and aromatic characteristics. Notes of fruit, pepper, tomatoes, and almonds are all typical characteristics of olive oil. However, the characteristics of an olive oil are all dependent on the cultivar and terroir. If you have the opportunity to sample the olive oil, pay close attention and look for those components, but remember that even the most experienced connoisseurs have been duped.

If you end up with an imposter, keep it to cook with and seek out a premium extra-virgin olive oil for vinaigrettes and uncooked dishes.

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Do not get too hung up on the country of origin. It was, in fact, the Italian police who led Operation Golden Oil in 2008, where they arrested 23 people and confiscated 85 farms due to fake oils. Also remember that Made in France is different than Product of France ― the latter only assumes the olive oil was bottled in that country and not, necessarily, that the olives were grown in that country.

If you spend more, you get more.

Unfortunately, in this industry, the $3.99 litre of extra-virgin olive oil is NOT the true, unadulterated good stuff. It is more often than not a blend or is not truly an oil produced from olives, rather a sunflower oil with chlorophyll added to it. ◆◆

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cuisine

PALEO DIET AUTHOR SOPHIE BROWN

R

ecently, a curious discovery was made inside a cave. In the French countryside, 1,000 feet into the earth, scientists found the ruins of two round structures made from meticulously stacked stalagmites.

Their purpose is unclear: shelter or storage, perhaps, or even spiritual or ritualistic.

To say they are man-made would be a misnomer ― dating back more than 175,000 years, these edifices were crafted by humanrelated primates: Neanderthals.

Existing 350,000 to 10,000 years ago, the colloquial caveman did not lead an enviable life, facing regular violence, cannibalism, and food scarcity. However, the discovery in the cave forces a reevaluation of Neanderthal culture ― the grunting, club-swinging trope of the caveman has been elevated by evidence of complex communication, construction, and social organization. This is good news for millions of people who defend their choice to mimic Neanderthal lifestyle in a very specific way ― their menu.

The Paleo diet has taken off in recent years as a regimen that cuts out grains, dairy, sugar, salt, legumes, and anything processed.

Bereft of carbohydrates and candies, dieters nosh on meat, fish, vegetables, nuts, and some fruit. Paleo devotees assert our contemporary eating habits, replete with fast, artificial food are genetically at odds with our hunter-gatherer ancestry. With the relatively recent invention of agriculture, our diets, and subsequently our bodies and brains, have become bloated with grains and sugars.

Public interest in the Paleo diet emerged after its adoption by the CrossFit community (a core strength and conditioning system) in the early 2000s. Eating Neanderthal-style means an increase in protein and nutrients, along with a decrease in glycaemic load.

Subscribers report better sleep, digestion, mental clarity, and weight loss. Critics point out that evolution did not halt 10,000 years ago, and our bodies have certainly adapted to the advent of agriculture and dairy consumption. From a sustainability

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standpoint, the Paleo diet is said to be environmentally degrading, due to high levels of meat consumption. It is a polarizing topic, with members of the science and nutrition community upholding both sides.

Does the Paleo diet truly reflect the Neanderthal menu? The answer lies in the fossil record which carries evidence of the caveman’s dinner table. The biggest factor in the Palaeolithic meal plan was sheer availability; Neanderthals ate whatever allowed them to survive and reproduce.

This included mastodon and mammoth, the great pre-elephants whose bones have been found with telltale carving marks from crude tools. Lemurs, too, whose current endangered status is owed in part to the Neanderthal penchant for lemur snacks.

Lizards and shellfish were also popular, as were wild plants and fruits.

Here is where modern and premodern diets divert. Recent studies have shown that Neanderthals did, in fact, eat plenty of carbohydrates, in the form of tubers and bark. There is also evidence that by the Upper Palaeolithic some early humans had learned to process wheat and barley.

Evolution scientists say the glucose present in these foods aided in the development of brain growth and stronger fetuses. Gluten was also part of some lucky Palaeolithic diets in the form of beer ― an 11,000 year old, seemingly well-used brewery was unearthed in Turkey. Neanderthal teeth riddled with cavities have also been found, showing they did not eschew sweets either; in this case, acorns and sugary roots.

It remains to be seen if new insights into Neanderthal complexity will lend credence to the Paleo diet. While it appears that today’s Paleo dieters are much quicker than their forebears to shun sugar and gluten (and loincloths), the concept remains the same ― make the most of the fare that is readily and naturally available. ◆◆

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liquids

WHISKY: NO LONGER JUST A MAN’S DRINK AUTHOR ALLISON TAYLOR

I

f women have learned any lesson in the past 50 years, it is this: We are not easily intimidated. We have seized boardrooms and bestseller lists, rocked the vote, and performed on stage. Yet pull out a bottle of whisky, and the result can feel like a 1950s time warp. Many of us stick to other drinks, or if we like whisky, timidly cling to one or two brands rather than risk our cool factor (and our wallets) trying something new. Our more astute palates make us ideal candidates for sampling the incredible variety and rich nuances of great whisky.

Whisky, Scotch, and Bourbon Associations focused solely on women have been created all over the world at all levels of connoisseurship. These programs were started circa 2010 after noticing that women were interested in learning more about the brown spirit, but their interests were not being taken seriously. Events have been hosted with the goal of providing women knowledge so they are comfortable tasting, enjoying, and buying a spirit that has been traditionally marketed and advertised to men.

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Much to the world of fascinating spirits delight, whisky’s popularity with women is on the rise, and, perhaps, it is because ladies are starting to better understand what kinds of drinks they like or, perhaps, it is because they have realized they should take a non-passive approach to having a smart cocktail. It is absolutely empowering to know what to drink, just as it is empowering to be independent and successful in the workplace.

So without further ado, here are a few tips for drinking whisky, like a lady, in a newly formed doors wide-open world of spirits.

Start with Whisky Cocktails A Whisky Sour is a great entry level cocktail. Sweet, sour, and refreshing ― you will most likely not even know whisky is in there! Have one, and you’ll be craving more.

Smell Your Whisky Take your time and sniff your whisky as you would a lovely glass of wine; a nice bottle will range from tropical fruit to caramel to crème brûlée. This will help you learn which aromas you appreciate more.

Order It with a Side of Rocks Water opens up the flavour molecules in whisky, and ice makes it easier to drink.

Toss a cube in, and watch the flavour develop.

Order the Good Stuff The more expensive the whisky, the more time it has spent in the distillation process ― and the more it has mellowed through barrel aging. Aged whisky is generally smoother and easier to drink.

Be Adventurous Ask for recommendations, talk to the bartenders, and try different types. There is such a wide range of this spirit coming from ALL over the world ― there is no chance of knowing your favourite if you do not try them all! ◆◆

MACALLAN 1824 SERIES THE THE MACALLAN 1824 SERIES

100% SHERRY OAK CASKS, 100% NATURAL COLOUR, A 100% MACALLAN The Macallan is known worldwide for innovation – a defining characteristic that sets this distillery apart.

Innovation is the driving force behind the distillery’s latest creation, The Macallan 1824 Series. A sophisticated collection of four unique expressions – Gold, Amber, Sienna and Ruby – that will redefine the way Scotch whisky is evaluated.

The 1824 Series brings together natural colour and exceptional sherry seasoned casks - two of The Macallan’s “Six Pillars,” the starting points from which The Macallan is crafted. Together these traits create a signature character, embracing all of the defining elements that make The Macallan one of the world’s truly great single malt whiskies.

Please savour responsibly. | www.themacallan.com

liquids

WINE ON TAP AUTHOR NIKI MARETTA

I

t is a drink that will never age in its timeless elegance ― though its age reflects just that. Rooted in its humble beginnings in picturesque vineyards, wine has remained a staple of the most elite palettes. A glass of wine is as sophisticated an addition to a gourmet meal as it is to an evening of unwinding.

There has been little room to shake up the wine industry and hardly much to improve.

The very process of wine production is established in its classic simplicity, and it is almost an affront to even shake its delicate core. Yet, for the first time in perhaps decades, innovation struck the notoriously stringent wine industry when screw top bottling was introduced into the market in the late 1950s. Originally considered a stamp of lesser quality, the production of uncorked wine has quickly become a norm that even seasoned wine enthusiasts have come to accept.

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Perhaps it was inevitable that the industry was due for another shake-up. With the beer industry seeing a revival, thanks to the boom in innovative craft breweries, wine saw its appeal slightly diminish. Suddenly, beer was hip, creative, and adaptable to any occasion. Easy to drink and consistently offering something new for every curious customer.

Introduced into the market just six years ago in San Francisco, wine on tap has understandably had a lot to prove to its market. Yet, it has done just that ― it has proven to be a fresh and sustainable way to package a product notorious for its short shelf life. Tapped wine boasts three major benefits: freshness, no waste, and quick delivery. Once the barreling stage is complete, wine is transferred into kegs, keeping the wine from being exposed to oxidation. The wine maintains its freshness and flavour for at least six months in kegs.

That means less dispersal and consistently better quality.

This trend in tapped wine has been steadily growing in Canada, primarily in Vancouver, with the opening of the popular Vancouver Urban Winery. Since its opening in 2012, this East Vancouver gem has quickly inspired a horde of restaurants and bars in the city to adopt this method of delivering quality wine to customers.

The production of tapped wine boasts endless advantages that favour both customers and businesses, and most importantly, the environment as a whole.

As this trend continues to grow, even the staunchest of wine connoisseurs are embracing its benefits. Just as cracking the screw top off a bottle no longer reflects the value of the product, the delivery of wine from a tap changes the way we should think of quality when we ask, “What’s on tap?” ◆◆

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the arts

AUTHOR PATRICK LOK

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the arts

Previous page: Richard Serra’s drawing Pamuk sold for $905,000 USD at Christie’s online-only auction in May 2014. Above: Three Studies of Lucian Freud is a 1969 oil-on-canvas triptych by the Irish-born British painter Francis Bacon, depicting artist Lucian Freud.

S

ince the practice of auctioning art first began in the courts of 17th century Europe, the pursuit of art collecting has long been an exclusive, lofty practice. The traditional auctioneer giants, Sotheby’s and Christie’s, have spent centuries atop the ladder, dealing in the cultural heritage of the rarest of art and antiques. While these brick-and-mortar monoliths may still boast the largest bottom lines when it comes to moving pieces (such as Pablo Picasso’s Les Femmes d’Alger ― the most expensive piece ever auctioned at $179.4 million USD), a new challenger has arisen: the online auction house.

While the global art economy has contracted in recent years, the online market is growing as much as 24 per cent, according to art insurer Hiscox, for a current total value of almost $3.3 billion. With the advent of Facebook and Instagram, there is a rapidly growing demographic of new, young collectors who are comfortable in the online space. In the last 12 months, one in five buyers under 35 years of age purchased their first artwork online. Notably, one in four online purchases are now made from a smartphone or tablet device ― art is now literally at your fingertips.

The old giants still remain at the forefront of high-end collectibles. Sotheby’s was the

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first company to exceed $100 million USD in online sales (2015), and following the old “if you can’t beat em” adage, collaborated with leading online retailer Artsy ― the #2 platform rated by buyers ― to present Input/Output, a showcase of painting, sculpture, and photography reflecting technological change and new digital mediums in contemporary culture. Not to be outdone, Christie’s, ranked #1, holds the record for the highest earning online-only sale ― Richard Serra’s Pamuk which cleared $905,000 USD in 2014.

In May 2016, two of the largest start-up platforms, Auctionata and Paddle8 merged to form “the global online leader in art, collectibles, and vintage luxury”. With a combined 800,000 registered users and annual sales of over $150 million USD, they have targeted the newly expanding midmarket ― pieces worth up to half a million dollars. With both of these companies having doubled their business over the previous year, one could argue that this more accessible moderate tier may now best represent the market’s appetite for growth.

In the words of David Zwirner, one of the world’s renowned art dealers: “(It’s) a new era of collecting online. There is a desire and confidence to purchase

from anywhere… at a moment’s notice, which benefits both buyers and sellers alike.” More recently, household Internet retailers, such as Amazon, have entered the fray with Amazon Art. As technology evolves, continuing to reduce the distance and friction between buyers and sellers ― not to mention enabling new products such as NeonMob’s digital collections in which you can propose trades with other users to complete a set ― the business of art collecting, likewise, continues to be transformed, making it easier for you to purchase that coveted piece from the comfort of your couch. ◆◆

Top: Pablo Picasso’s Femme Assise Sur Une Chaise from the collection of A. Alfred Taubman is displayed in Sotheby’s in London, England. Bottom: Pablo Picasso’s 1834 painting Les Femmes d’Alger is the most expensive piece ever auctioned at $179.4 million USD in May 2015.

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the arts

MISTY COPELAND AUTHOR SHAW PETERS

A new book from NYC Dance Projects, The Art of Movement, featuring Misty Copeland captures the stunning athleticism of ballet.

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F

ew icons epitomize American consciousness like the Barbie doll, to have a figure created in one’s likeness is a rare and coveted honour.

Belonging to an even more exclusive list are those named to TIME magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World. At the age of 33, Misty Copeland, a 5'2” ballet dancer from Kansas City, Missouri, and the first African American female to achieve the top rank of principal dancer at the most prestigious ballet company in North America, is the first to accomplish both.

As the youngest of four, Copeland’s story begins familiarly enough raised by a struggling single mother in California. As a little girl, Copeland was fascinated by dance, inspired by the music of Mariah Carey, and a biopic of Nadia Comăneci, the first gymnast in Olympic history to receive a perfect score of 10.0. Lacking formal training, she was named captain of her middle school’s dance team. At age 13 ― some eight years after ballet training typically begins ― her coach suggested that Copeland attend a free ballet class held at the local community centre.

Although initially apprehensive about her skills, within three months, Copeland was considered a prodigy, having reached en pointe.

As promising as her start was, Copeland’s journey almost ended before it began.

Although her ballet instructor, Cindy Bradley provided free lessons and clothing, the family was living in a single motel room, a two-hour bus ride from her school.

Copeland’s mother, Sylvia DelaCerna, decided the lessons should end, but her instructor offered to allow Copeland to move into the Bradley household. Over the next three years, Copeland would split her time between the two homes, rapidly garnering recognition and credibility with each award she won.

As a teenager, faced with pressure to quit dancing and return home, Copeland was caught in the middle of a legal struggle between her mother and the Bradleys. She filed for emancipation before eventually returning into her mother’s custody under the condition she could continue her studies.

In spite of these domestic challenges, at age 17, Copeland accomplished the remarkable feat of being accepted into the highly regarded American Ballet Theatre (ABT) program and moved to New York to pursue her dream.

Within the highly political world of ballet, Copeland faced an uphill battle.

She was criticized for having ‘the wrong bodyʼ, with her bust and feet deemed too

Top: Misty Copeland’s TIME magazine cover from 2015. Bottom: Misty Copeland performs in the Washington Ballet production of Swan Lake.

large along with overly muscular legs. In addition, she faced the racial undertones of a historically white-dominated art form. According to Laurie Woodward, one of the first black ballerinas: “(In the 20th century) choreographers and directors generally concurred that black bodies were unsuited to the lines of classical technique… and were largely barred from quality training and professional careers.”

In spite of these obstacles, Copeland shattered the mold, earning rave reviews with each performance and increasingly prominent roles. In 2009, she appeared in a music video for Prince and later joined him on a European tour. At age 32, and after 14 years with ABT, she was named the first black principal ballerina to the company.

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Copeland’s life story is a modern day retelling of the American Dream; her 2014 autobiography Life in Motion was a New York Times bestseller and is now being adapted into a Hollywood biopic. She was the subject of an uplifting 60-second commercial with athletic apparel company Under Armour in which a young girl offscreen reads a rejection letter outlining the reasons she is destined to fail, while Copeland leaps and spins about an empty studio. The video, which depicts the exceptional athleticism and strength Copeland was once chastised for, is titled I Will What I Want and currently has over 10 million YouTube views.

Misty Copeland’s journey from humble origins to the center of the world’s stage has captured the admiration of millions and transformed her into America’s sweetheart.

She boasts over a million followers on Instagram, has been profiled on 60 Minutes, and holds a resume of corporate product endorsements to make any pro athlete envious. She has been interviewed alongside former President Barack Obama and even authoured a children’s book, Firebird. Her Barbie doll ― part of a campaign titled You Can Be Anything ― quickly sold out online and is currently found on eBay for upwards of $200. Copeland continues to be an inspiration for young dancers as a mentor with ABT’s Project Plié, which aims to foster and encourage ethnic diversity in ballet. ◆◆

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"Other people's words are very powerful... you can't let them define you. Take what you think is going to help you and don't let it beat you down." – Misty Copeland

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leisure

THE DOMESTICATION OF DOGS AUTHOR SOPHIE BROWN

D

eep in the Soviet Union, a scientist named Dmitry Belyaev is playing with puppies. The year is 1959, and Belyaev continues to indulge his fascination with animal domestication, despite its outlaw by the science-suppressing state. His continued research, under threat of Stalinist retribution, reflects humankind’s long standing devotion to animal husbandry ― and, of course, to puppies.

The exact origin of the bond between human and pup is a muddy one. While it is agreed that today’s dogs are descended from wild wolves, there are different theories as to how they transformed from wild beasts to submissive pets. Recent DNA evidence has placed the domestication of dogs back 33,000 years ― before agriculture, written language, and permanent dwellings. It is easy to imagine early man, whilst hunting and gathering, scooping a wolf pup from a den and actively breeding out its wolfish qualities. However, wolves, even as puppies, are not easily subdued. Another

theory submits that wolves domesticated themselves; tamer wolves would be drawn to human encampments that promised food, scavenging their way into nomadic hearts and homes.

physiological and behavioural changes.

Evidently, the genes supporting submission and loyalty also produced floppier ears, shorter snouts, and a tendency to bark and whine.

The geography of early dogs is also contested. Some studies support a central Asian origin and a migration into Europe and beyond. Others claim the first species of domestic dogs could have come from any number of wolf-inhabited regions, arguing the extinction of certain species could have caused the genetic trail to run cold. More likely, the human-canine bond arose in many places at once, a theory supported by genome sequencing of wolf fossils worldwide.

Gradually, dogs diversified in appearance as humans bred them for specific traits, such as size, hunting, and herding. Breeding became more and more regimented, and by the 19th century, the bloodlines of dogs were carefully charted to ensure purity. Owning a purebred dog has long been a symbol of status; a thriving industry supports dog shows and kennel clubs to measure aesthetic and ability. Dog owners without a penchant for strict breeding find that, due to better genetic diversity, their mutts have fewer inherited health issues.

It is the furtive scientist Belyaev who unlocked the secrets of doggy evolution.

Prudently electing to work with foxes instead of wolves, Belyaev set to work domesticating the silver fox, Vulpes vulpes.

In findings he applied to canines, he saw breeding for tameness produced distinct

From Great Danes to dachshunds, each dog represents thousands of years of natural and artificial evolution, but above all, an unbroken timeline of the friendship between people and puppies. ◆◆

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design

THE DRESS: THE ICON AUTHOR EMMA PENNEY

Fashion fades. Only style remains the same.

The Dress: Fashions most influential garment.

The Givenchy. The Valentino. The Versace.

The McQueen. Each one of these names conjures up an image, a snapshot of an era, with an almost tangible memory attached to it.

Holly Golightly, standing at the window of Tiffany’s, with a pastry in one hand and a coffee in the other, wearing that unforgettable little black dress. Designed

by Hubert de Givenchy, whose House of Givenchy had launched nine years prior to the release of Breakfast at Tiffany’s; that iconic dress secured both Givenchy as an auspicious designer and Audrey Hepburn as a style eidolon.

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Classy is the original black.

Julia Roberts, winning her first and only Academy Award in 2001, wearing that classic black and white Valentino. Jennifer Lopez at the 2000 Grammy Awards in the palm print, leg and stomach-bearing Versace that we’re still talking about. The Duchess of Cambridge’s custom McQueen for her 2011 wedding to Prince William, and the figure hugging custom-made McQueen for her Maid of Honour, and sister, Pippa Middleton (also, still taking about).

The wedding dress is arguably one of the most iconic and influential dresses.

Following the spring of 2011, many bridal collections featured dresses echoing the traditional, yet modern, satin and lace dress worn by The Duchess ― which itself was an ode to Grace Kelly’s wedding dress, made

by MGM designer Helen Rose for Grace’s wedding to the Prince of Monaco in 1956.

The history of the white wedding dress is a fairly recent phenomenon in western culture. Prior to the Victorian era, brides wore dresses of all colours. It was Queen Victoria’s 1840 marriage to Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg that started the trend of the white wedding gown. Queen Victoria had English-made white lace added to the white satin gown and wore a matching long lace veil. The large white gown worn to this momentous occasion was quickly popularized, imitated, and changed the wedding gown as it was traditionally known. Forever.

Fashion allows you to be who you want to be.

The joy of dressing is an art.

Up until the 1900s, dresses had predominantly ― at least publicly ― remained floor length. While plenty of variations were made to the sleeve length and neckline over the centuries, it wasn’t until 1915 that the dress hemline began to change. And once it left the floor, it didn’t stop climbing.

Style is who you are without having to speak.

From Zelda Fitzgerald’s fashion changing flapper dresses in the 1920s to Katharine Hepburn’s bias-cut secretary dresses of the ’30s; Joan Crawford’s strong-shoulder peplum dresses of the ’40s; Coco Chanel’s post-war slim fitting tweed suit ― which continues to be featured on Chanel runways to this day; Twiggy’s mod miniskirts and Cher’s California hippie cool boho dresses of the ’60s; Diane Von Furstenberg’s infamous wrap dress of the 1970s ― there were, however, a lot of pants happening in the ’70s.

Joan Collins’ big shouldered, brightly coloured Dynasty dresses and Madonna’s corset tops and tutu skirts of the ’80s; Elizabeth Hurley’s Versace safety pin dress and Courtney Love’s silk and lace lingerie as outerwear in the ’90s; Gwyneth Paltrow’s pink princess Calvin Klein at the 2000 Academy Awards and Britney Spears’ denim dress at the 2001 VMAs, the 20th century saw the biggest and most influential changes in the dress and, subsequently, produced the most iconic styles as we know them.

Designers will continue to re-invent and trends will come and go, but the dress, no matter the style, will always remain an icon. ◆◆

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design

EVOLUTION OF THE BATHROOM AUTHOR DANIEL MELOCHÉ

W

hat is a bathroom? Well, it is a place where we get clean and ready for the day ahead. We bathe our body, we style our hair, and we brush our teeth all in the same place. This space has come a long way over the past century, from an outhouse in the yard all the way to a lavish spa inspired part of our home. Bathrooms, today, are our oasis of relaxation and have become a space that we have paid much more attention to with the use of materials, lighting, fixtures, and even the overall size.

Does size matter? It never used to matter as bathrooms historically were designed strictly for their function alone. Nowadays, we have taken the typical five-foot by sevenfoot shell and expanded the walls outward with the addition of a second sink, a free standing jetted tub, or most importantly, a large walk-in steam shower. Before we know it, the bathroom has taken over and has become a key space to retreat to after a hard day of work. With that said, size has also multiplied in to various bathrooms within the home. With us spending more and more time in our little spas, we require two if not three or more bathrooms depending on the number of people living in one space. From the powder room off the living space for your guests, to each private bathroom attached to the bedrooms, the desire to have your own refuge has grown immensely over the years.

What fixtures do you select? Plumbing fixtures have revolutionized the bathing experience over the past couple decades.

Previously, you were stuck to only a few different options of sizes and colours, where as today, you have unlimited possibilities of style, comfort, shape, and even finish.

Your selection has also changed in the way

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plumbing can be installed with the use of wall mount faucets, vanities and toilets, over-mount, under-mount, and vessel sinks, and even ceiling mount rain showers.

Installation can be a way to save space and create a unique statement. The fittings finish off the design of the bathroom, from polished chrome to the recent regeneration of brushed brass. Combining the function of the bathroom with the style of your home has never been easier to create a cohesive design.

How do you finish the bathroom off right?

What was formally known as a very sterile space with the use of clinical tile and minimal lighting has now become a space where you splurge and make a statement with your finishes and lighting selections.

The use of lavish marbles and ceramics adorning the walls and floors have become a staple in bathroom design. Bringing back geometric and bold wallpapers on feature walls have also been a great way to make a statement in a small powder room or a large en suite. To top off the bathroom, various levels of lighting have been added to create an ambiance that balances function and beauty; this can been seen in the lit vanity mirrors, recessed shower pot lighting, and the crowning chandeliers over bathtubs.

What was once a small box in the back of your home has been brought to the forefront as a room you are proud to show off. This has grown in multiples depending on the size of your family and home. We have made bathrooms a key area you can escape to for a spa experience of your own. These newly important rooms add value, comfort, and style to the place you retreat to at the end of the day. ◆◆

fe ature

SEEING FRANK OCEAN IN PRINCE AUTHOR NIKI MARETTA

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T

here are few forms of expression thought to be as sincere as music.

It is an art form that has united genders, races, and socio-economic classes. The industry has produced some of the most influential people in history and has continued to challenge cultural and societal boundaries.

He was an artist that embraced and successfully cultivated numerous personas throughout his half-century-long career in music. An innovative and unapologetically bold musician, Prince Rogers Nelson was one of the most high profile embodiments of the music industry’s sexual and racial revolution.

A pioneer of popularizing funk and soul to an unsuspecting mainstream audience, Prince’s diverse appeal has been instrumental to his continued legacy.

His public image boasted a blatant and welcoming raw energy that had previously been channeled by David Bowie, Mick Jagger, and Robert Plant. These artists blurred the line between masculinity and femininity, between submission and nonconformity ― all during a historically pivotal uprising against a divisive social coda. These artists were viewed as renegades and as pioneers of their time.

There had not been an artist within the African American community before Prince that so openly broke gender norms.

He embraced his many stereotypically emasculating characteristics, his penchant for frills, lace, women’s clothing, and his ultimately image defining feminine essence.

He took pride in his body ― as dainty as it appeared amongst his peers ― and he threw it around wildly and unabashedly in front of a crowd that ballooned into stadium audiences. And then there was his music, laced with taboo innuendoes that not only challenged but demanded personal interpretation from listeners. His image was rooted in the celebration of the body and the mind.

Despite the doors Prince opened for other artists, there had not been an artist of high profile that has taken the reign in further challenging the rap, R&B, and soul market’s male dominant roots. Until now. and bisexual men in the music industry.

A community so notoriously machismo and historically marred by violence and discrimination. An industry still stemmed in a masculine image even nearly three decades after Price broke onto the scene, Ocean’s admission to having once been in love with a man made headlines across the globe.

Prince was an African American man, small in stature and soft in features. Even during this cultural transformation, he was the underdog. He was an unlikely beacon of sexuality, yet he quickly grew a swarming female fan base. But more significantly, he was quietly breaking new ground for gay men of colour.

Unlike Prince, Ocean’s image is far from flamboyant. His music is smooth, and his voice is soft and crooning. His dress style is sharp and simple. In some of his music, particularly in the falsettos he incorporates into some of his songs, you can easily hear the influence of Prince in Frank Ocean’s music.

For a young Frank Ocean struggling with his own identity, Prince would become a massive influence not only personally but musically. The door was opening ― albeit slowly ― for African American gay

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With the untimely passing of Prince on April 21, 2016, Ocean wrote a heartfelt goodbye to one of his most pivotal idols.

He credited the artist for not only his musical influence but also his personal growth. It is not surprising that Ocean has been compared to Prince throughout his career. It continues to be a challenge for artists to separate personal identity with public image. The industry has never been one for quitters, but for those who seek and demand change and fight for their voices to be heard. Even when we lose a voice and personality as unique as Prince, we can see the lasting influence not only in new artists but also in the constructs of the music industry as a whole. ◆◆

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liter ature

LATIN! WHERE DID THE LANGUAGE GO? AUTHOR ELIZABETH TURNER

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Veni, vidi, vici: I came, I saw, I conquered.

the world from creation to the deification of Julius Caesar.

This was the famous message sent to the senate by Julius Caesar after his victory in the Battle of Zela in 47 BC, but it can be applied to the language it was written in as well ― Latin. After all, Latin, like Casear, has had its share of conquests and remains alive all around us, although at first glance, it might not be so obvious.

Medieval Latin | In association with the Catholic Church, Latin has been known as the language of mystery. In medieval times, European Christians were taught to see the mass as a symbolic re-enactment of Jesus’s life, his death, and his resurrection. The fact the peasant class could not follow Latin added to the mystique. Medieval Latin was primarily a medium of scholarly exchange and refers to the Church Latin used in the documents of the Roman Catholic Church liturgies. There is no clear consensus on when Late Latin ended and Medieval Latin began.

Romance languages such as French, Portuguese, Romanian, Spanish, and Italian were birthed by the Latin language and are spoken around the globe today.

In fact, Latin was the official language of Portugal until 1296 when it was replaced

by Portuguese; Latin was also the official language of the Vatican State in Italy up until 2014 when Pope Francis switched to the more practical Italian.

Origins

Renaissance Latin | A version of Latin popular in the 14th to 15th century that was used to describe the Latin promoted by the humanism movement. Ad fontes ― Latin for back to the sources ― was the adage of the humanists, and they fought to purge the Vulgar or Medieval Latin from the language and return to what they believed was its purer form. To them, their ideal was the ancient Latin of the classical Roman period, and they held Cicero’s prose and Virgil’s poetry in particularly high esteem.

The name Latin derives from the dialect spoken by an Italic tribal group named Latini that settled in Latium in the western region of Italy. Geographically, the Latium area radiated outward from the Tiber River and Rome, a city that today is recognized as one of the birthplaces of civilization.

For most of its history, the Latin language existed in two primary forms: Classical Latin (Sermo Latinus) used in Roman politics, literature, and law and Vulgar Latin (Sermo Vulgaris) spoken in daily life. The Latin that exists today consists almost entirely of Classical Latin, and Vulgar Latin evolved into the modern Romance languages approximately 600-800 years ago.

The Latin Influence From the Romans and their skills of conquering, organizing, controlling, and influencing, Latin went from being a local dialect to flourishing all over the Roman Empire and becoming the language of academia, the nobility, and the church.

Variations of the language Old Latin | The language used by the Roman monarchy up until the Late Roman Republic, approximately 75 BC. Classical Latin | Used by the Romans in what is known as the Golden Age of Latin from 70 BC to AD 18 covering the end of the Roman republic to the reigns of Augustus and Caesar. This type of Latin was a literary, written language based on the polished spoken language of the upper classes.

Julius Caesar’s direct prose, Commentarii de Bello Gallico, commentaries on the Gallic Wars, is one of the most famous classical texts of the Golden Age of Latin. The sophisticated Latin used by Caesar, an upper-class general, has long been taught as a model of refined Latin.

Classical Latin literary works include prose pieces by Marcus Tullius Cicero, one of Rome’s greatest orators; Virgil’s The Aeneid, the story of the Trojan Aeneas who travelled to Italy where he became the ancestor of the Romans; and poetry such as The Metamorphoses by Ovid, which chronicles

Vulgar Latin | An umbrella term covering the everyday dialects of the Latin language spoken from ancient times in Italy until the later stages of the Western empire. Vulgar Latin was the language of the soldiers, settlers, and slaves in the Roman Empire and it eventually evolved into the various Romance languages.

Late Latin | This form of Latin was the administrative and literary language of Late Antiquity, the period between the classical and medieval periods (AD 200 to AD 900) when the Roman Empire was crumbling. After AD 900, Late Latin was replaced by the Romance languages which endure today.

At one time, the Empire controlled lands from Cumbria (North West England) to Morocco (North Africa) to the Euphrates River (which flows through Syria and Iraq, joins up with the Tigris, and empties into the Persian Gulf). These territories later evolved into the Eastern and Western Roman Empires.

The influence of Roman church, government, and technology on the less developed regions under Rome’s control saw those states and regions adopt Latin phraseology in specialized areas like literature, philosophy, science, technology, church doctrine, language, plant and animal classification, medicine, and law.

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Notable influences

An Apparent Demise?

Latin lives!

Church Doctrine | While the Roman Emperor Constantine the Great reigned, AD 306-337, Christianity began to transition into the dominant religion. Constantine’s decision to stop persecuting Christians was a turning point for early Christianity, and with this decision, Latin influence gained a stronger foothold throughout the empire.

With the fall of the Roman Empire and the influx of barbarian tribes, communication in Latin dissolved and the offspring of Latin in the various regions grew, eventually evolving into the Romance languages of today.

All around us, the Latin language lives.

What we call purple evolved from purpurei in Latin. In the same vein, rose came from rosei, Saturday from Saturni dies, Sunday from Solis dies, and February from Februaris.

Language | The Latin influence on the English language has been vast. In the Middle Ages, the church borrowed from Latin for ecclesiastical use beginning with Saint Augustine of Canterbury in the 6th century and indirectly after the Norman Conquest of England, 1066, through the Anglo-Norman language.

From the 16th to 18th centuries, English writers created a massive number of new words made from Greek and Latin.

These were dubbed inkhorn terms as if they had spilled from a pot of ink. Some of these inventive words include: imbibe meaning to drink (alcohol) or absorb (knowledge) and extrapolate meaning to “extend the application of an unknown situation by assuming that existing trends will continue” (Oxford Dictionary). Most common polysyllabic English words are Latin in origin by way of Old French.

Plant and Animal Classification | The Linnaean system of plant and animal classification was heavily influenced

by Historia Naturalis, an encyclopedia of people, plants, animals, and things published by Pliny the Elder, a Roman author.

Medicine | Roman physicians such as Galen of Pergamon established the medical terminology of today which was derived from Latin and Greek words with the Greek being filtered through the Latin.

Law | From 1066, Latin was the language of formal records and statutes and was replaced by English in 1730. However, to this day, Latin can be found in countless words and phrases, such as ad hoc, bona fide, and et cetera.

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In 1053, all Latin churches were ordered to close in the Eastern Roman empire and in its capital Constantinople in response to the Greek churches in Italy having been forced either to close or conform to Latin practices.

The Christian Church felt that Rome and the Pope should be the mother and head of all churches. This was the start of what is known as the Great East-West Schism, when the Roman Church split off from the Church in the East. Constantinople remained the heartland of the Eastern Roman state until 1453 when the Byzantine Empire fell to the Ottoman Turks, and the schism still holds today.

The demise of Latin in non-Catholic branches of the Roman Catholic Church was also hastened by the Protestant Reformation in 1517 led by Martin Luther which supported the abandonment of Latin as the liturgical language in their denominations.

The changes that Protestantism brought have survived up until modern times; for instance, in Northern Europe, with the exception of most of Ireland, the countries are largely Protestant. In contrast, Southern Europe remains Roman Catholic, while in Central Europe, a tragic religious war took place from 1618-1648, the last religious war of its kind in Europe, and issues linger in that region to this day.

In the Western world, Latin was the lingua franca, the learned language of literature, philosophy, the court, and the church for more than a thousand years.

Today, around 800 million people (mainly in the Americas and Europe) converse in one of the Romance languages that descended from Latin.

So, where did Latin go? Nowhere. Latin, in its original form or in the guise of its linguistic offspring, can still be found all around us today. You just need to do a little digging. ◆◆

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liter ature

THE GREAT WRITE NORTH AUTHOR ELIZABETH TURNER

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The Hockey Sweater, a short story by Canadian-author Roch Carrier, was originally published in 1979 under the title Une abominable feuille d’érable sur la glace.

A

lthough a relatively young country, Canada has had a prolific literary output. It has been noted that within the body of work put forth by the northern nation, there runs several similar themes.

Over centuries, elements of Aboriginal, French, British, and a diverse population of immigrants have combined to create a distinctly Canadian culture, and the literature reflects this unique blend.

Standing the test of time, Canadian literature often captures a specific moment in history while other stories are instantly relatable because its characters, through superior writing or humour, remain as relevant today as when first published.

In the Canadian literary canon run, common subjects can be found from frontier living, man vs. nature, First Nations, identity of self and the nation, tensions between the French and English, regionalism, small town living, working class life, immigration, and, in recent years, multiculturalism. Many of the themes overlap as well; the result being a distinctive Canadian mix.

Colonial / Frontier Living Since Canada only officially became a country in 1867, some argue that literature written before this time should

be recognized as colonial. The work of two English sisters, Susanna Moodie and Catharine Parr Traill who first immigrated to Canada in 1832, produced works that would fall within this category. Both sisters recorded their frontier experiences, Moodie in Roughing It in the Bush (1852) and Life in the Clearings (1853) and Parr Traill in The Backwoods of Canada (1836) and Canadian Crusoes (1852); on the other hand, the third sister, Agnes Strickland, remained in England and wrote royal biographies, highlighting distinct differences between Canadian and English literature at that time.

Landscape / Survival Man vs. nature, with nature often portrayed as the enemy or divine force, is a common Canadian theme. The Diviners (1974) was Margaret Laurence’s final novel and is considered a Canadian classic.

The protagonist is a middle-aged writer, Morag Gunn, who lives in a farmhouse on the Canadian Prairies and struggles to understand the loneliness of her teenage daughter. The book touches on themes such as the prairie landscape, the Canadian immigrant experience (Morag ― is of Scottish heritage), displacement of the First Nations and Métis people, and the shared injustices of Canada’s colonial past.

National / Gender Identity Margaret Atwood’s novel Surfacing (1972) centers around the issues of national and gender identity partnered with the themes of separation and the Canadian landscape. The story is about an English-speaking woman in Quebec and her feeling disconnected likely felt by most English speakers in Quebec at a time when the province was aspiring to become an independent French-speaking nation. Capturing societal pressures and expectations felt by women, the novel highlights gender identity issues including fragmented women who then become whole. In the story, the narrator along with her lover Joe and a married couple return to her hometown to find her missing father.

While looking for clues into her father’s disappearance, she is confronted by her past thrusting her into a psychological breakdown in the forest.

Tensions Between the English and French William Kirby’s pre-Confederation book The Golden Dog (1877) is a historical romance dealing with corruption and the fall of New France into the creation of Upper Canada. The story draws on the province of Quebec’s history and provides insight into 19th century English Canada’s perceptions of French Canada’s past.

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A much later Canadian work, Roch Carrier’s The Hockey Sweater (1979) is a treasured children’s story about a young boy who orders a Montreal Canadiens sweater from the Eaton’s catalogue but receives a Toronto Maple Leafs jersey instead, their bitter rival.

Based on Carrier’s real-life experience, the novel parallels the linguistic and cultural tensions that exist between English and French Canada.

Immigration / Multiculturalism The protagonist in Margaret Laurence’s The Diviners, Morag Gunn, is of Scottish descent as is Dunstan Ramsay the narrator in Robertson Davies’ Fifth Business (1970), the first novel in his celebrated Deptford Trilogy. Telling the story of a man who has returned from World War I, decorated with the Victoria Cross, Dunstan Ramsay truly believes his neighbour is a saint.

An early paragraph in Fifth Business reads: Our household, then, was representative of the better sort of life in the village, and we thought well of ourselves. Some of this good opinion arose from being Scots; my father had come from Dumfries as a young man, but my mother's family had been three generations in Canada without having become a whit less Scots than when her grandparents left Inverness. The Scots, I believed until I was aged at least twentyfive, were the salt of the earth, for although this was never said in our household it was one of those accepted truths which do not need to be laboured.

Since World War II, multiculturalism has been a common thread in Canadian short stories and novels. Mordecai Richler’s

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The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz (1959), which was later made into a popular movie starring Richard Dreyfuss, tells the story of Duddy, a poor Jewish boy raised in Montreal whose only goal is to be somebody. The character of Duddy drew many themes from the author’s life who was born into an orthodox Jewish family in Montreal’s prewar immigrant neighbourhood.

Working-Class Life / Poverty The Canadian classic The Tin Flute (1945)

by Gabrielle Roy captures the experience of a family living in the slums of Montreal during World War II and their experiences in trying to overcome poverty and search for love.

Regionalism / Urban vs. Rural / Small Town Living Writing of this nature captures the relationship between urban and rural culture with the rural characters generally being portrayed as morally superior.

Stephen Leacock’s Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town (1912) would fit perfectly into this category. Leacock’s work is an enduring classic of Canadian humour that takes place in the fictional town of Mariposa, Ontario. The book has remained popular for its universal appeal and its small town archetypes.

Set on the Saskatchewan prairies in the 1930s, W.O. Mitchell’s Who Has Seen the Wind tells a story of a young boy, Brian O’Connal, struggling to come to terms with life and death, saw the backdrop of the Canadian prairies as a very prominent role in the book.

Anne of Green Gables, the 1908 work by Lucy Maud Montgomery, is the perfect example of regionalism, country life, and small town living as this story captures the childhood experiences of a young girl in rural PEI. The story begins when an 11-year-old orphan girl Anne Shirley is mistakenly sent to the farm of a middle-aged brother and sister. Anne, armed with her infectious personality, captures the hearts of her new family, her classmates, and the local town (which was based on the town of Cavendish, PEI, where Montgomery wrote the book).

No discussion on the theme of the small town in Canadian literature would be complete without the mention of Nobel Prize winning author Alice Munro for small towns are the settings for many of her short stories. Munro’s fiction is most often set in Huron County in southwestern Ontario and her work is sometimes classified as ‘Southern Ontario Gothic’ due to her comparisons to southern US writers, William Faulkner and Mary Flannery O’Connor.

Whether humorous, historical, or influenced by universal themes, all of these works captivate and entertain us with the end result being a broader understanding of Canada the country and what it truly means to be Canadian. ◆◆

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fe ature

THE PERFECT DINNER PARTY AUTHOR JONAH JOFFE

"Don't tell me what you ate. Tell me who you ate with." ~ Lennart Samuelson, Marcus Samuelsson's father

D

inner parties are a great way to get together with friends, but even better than that is they give you the opportunity to show off to your friends. Although it can be daunting to host a dinner party, while also trying to cook a meal for a large group, planning your menu strategically allows you to be organized before your guests arrive. When developing your menu, try and choose a variety of cooking methods to prevent a busy stove or an oven that is so full it can’t hold its temperature properly. The most important trick to making your dinner party look seamless is to not drive yourself crazy trying to use every trick you have ever learned watching The Food Network.

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Everybody knows that a party always ends up in the kitchen which is why you should think of a dinner party as your own personal cooking show. Showcase your abilities; have your ingredients on display for your guests but avoid as many last-minute preparations as possible. Do all of your long boring knife work before your guests arrive, slice your vegetables, mix your dressings, and have your meat marinating. Make sure to clean as you go ― it might seem like a huge pain while you’re doing all your preparation ― this will save you from a huge pile of dirty dishes at the end of the night.

And… once the guests arrive, let the show begin!

A nice fresh gazpacho packs a punch of flavour that can be prepared in the afternoon or a few days ahead. A vibrant, fresh salad under a nice piece of grilled meat is a great way to eat on a hot summer night. And what better way to finish off a night than with a delicious chocolate dessert. With the following three recipes, your guests will enjoy an evening packed with bold flavours, and you won’t be stuck slaving in the kitchen all night.

Tomato and Tomatillo Gazpacho Serves 6

½ pound fresh tomatillos, husked, rinsed, quartered 1 ½ pounds fresh vine-ripened tomatoes, roughly chopped ½ cup white onion, finely diced 1 fresh serrano chile, stem removed, keeping seeds 1 clove garlic 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar 1 teaspoon salt 1 cup water 2 tablespoons olive oil ½ cup chopped cilantro Lime wedges for garnish

Purée tomatillos, half of the tomatoes, and half of the onion with chile, garlic, red wine vinegar, and 1 teaspoon of salt in blender until smooth. Force the mixture through a medium sieve into a bowl, discarding solids. Stir in remaining tomatoes, onion, water, and oil. Refrigerate until cold, at least 2 hours.

Serve in a chilled dish. Garnish with chopped cilantro and fresh lime wedge.

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Grilled Tenderloin and Papaya Salad Serves 6

Marinade 4 cloves garlic 1 jalapeño 2 tablespoons soy sauce 2 limes, juiced 3 tablespoons honey ¼ cup peanut oil (any vegetable-based oil can be substituted) 1 ½ kilograms beef tenderloin

Papaya Salad 2 shallots, finely diced 2 Thai bird chiles, finely sliced 2 tablespoons chopped mint ⅔ cup rice wine vinegar 3 teaspoons sugar 3 tablespoons fish sauce 12 large red romaine leaves, cut into strips 1 bunch watercress 2 green papayas, peeled, thinly shredded 3 carrots, peeled, thinly shredded ½ cup chopped roasted peanuts, for garnish (optional) Cilantro sprigs for garnish Salt & pepper for flavour

Make the marinade: put the garlic, chile, soy sauce, lime juice, honey, and oil in a food processor and purée until smooth. Place beef into a small baking dish and pour marinade over it. Make sure to completely coat the meat. Cover and marinate in the fridge for one hour.

Preheat your grill to medium-high. Remove the beef from the marinade, and season with kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Grill your meat until medium-rare, 125F-130F. Should take between 10-15 minutes. Remove from the grill and allow to rest for 10 minutes before slicing into ¼ inch slices.

Make the salad dressing: whisk together the shallots, chile, mint, vinegar, sugar, and fish sauce. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, toss the lettuce leaves together with the watercress. Arrange the mixture on a plate. Toss the papaya and carrots in salad dressing and evenly distribute the mixture over the lettuce.

Arrange your steak on top of the salad and drizzle with some more dressing. Garnish with chopped peanuts and fresh cilantro.

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'

Dark Chocolate Pot de Creme Serves 6

8 ounces good quality dark chocolate (Valrhona is a good option) 1 ¾ cups heavy cream ½ cup sugar 4 large egg yolks ¼ teaspoon kosher salt 3 tablespoons icing sugar Oreo crumbs for garnish Fresh raspberries and blueberries for garnish Sea salt for garnish

Heat chocolate in a double boiler, whisking until melted. Add sugar and 1 ¼ cups heavy cream, whisking until smooth. In a small bowl, whisk your egg yolks together. Add a small amount of the chocolate mixture to your egg yolks to temper. Slowly add the yolk mixture into the double boiler (this will avoid cooking your eggs in the chocolate mixture). Continue whisking the chocolate mixture for seven minutes. Add the kosher salt. Strain through a small sieve to remove any possible lumps that may have occurred.

Divide the chocolate mixture among ramekins or small cups and refrigerate until firm, approximately 2-4 hours.

Whip the remaining ½ cup cream and the icing sugar with a mixer until soft peaks form. Top the chilled dishes with whipped cream, Oreo crumbs, fresh fruit, and a pinch of sea salt. ◆◆

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cars

EDITORIAL: BMW X5 AUTHOR SALIM KASSAM

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I

love the look of the BMW 3.0CS. It is one of my favourite vintage cars, and I think it simply looks amazing. Spiritually, it is the predecessor to the M 635CSi, the M6 in the 1980s, and it is also where the idea for the current M6 comes from.

When you drive these BMWs, you can chart the evolution of the car, not just visually, but also in the feel of how they drive; and when you are talking about BMWs, drive is everything.

The 2017 BMW X5 is an evolution of the initial car launch in the early part of this millennium, and when you have driven these cars as much as I have, you can truly feel the evolution. Believe it or not, I feel the 2017 X5 is as evolved as the 1987 635CSi is to the 2016 M6. The laborious steering and stoic but overly analog gauges are replaced with digital/analog instrumentation that looks very smart.

The fit and finish are both beautiful and are more luxurious than expected. The sport/ comfort/economy toggle button is fine, but the display of the transmission and the colour to match is gimmicky. With that said, I think people will like it. The HeadsUp Display is the greatest piece of display technology ever, and it is the most practical as well.

The steering is no longer tractor like as it always was, a bit heavy and a little dead in the center. This new hydraulic assisted steering is much more precise and enjoyable to drive.

The most entertaining piece about this car is the torque. BMW rates this rig at 0-60 in 6.8 seconds, but I recently bested a new Mustang GT at the light, and I know the car is likely running low 5s. Maybe it was the driver, but more likely than that, they have been very conservative in the performance specifications of the car making it a hoot to drive.

And that is the point, isn’t it? It is great that the 2017 X5 M Sport 3.5 diesel looks very close to the X5 M, but historically there was a poser downside to that. These diesels have a lot of grunt, they cruise amazingly on the road, and 1,200 kilometres to tank is pretty darn respectable, especially when you consider the driver has a heavy foot.

analysis and recommend an appropriate car. Ultimately, they ask me why I drive/ own the car that I currently have, and my answer is always the same. I like the way it looks, I like the way it drives, I like the way it makes me feel, and it is a great car. I am not saying this car was the best financial decision I have ever made; let’s be honest, none of the cars I have ever bought have been a sound investment except maybe the vintage 911s and, funnily enough, the 1987 Toyota 4Runner.

I really love cars; I like driving them, the way they make you feel, and where they can take you. A lot of people think cars are a device for transportation, and that is it. I completely disagree, and I think BMW knows that there are a lot of people out there, like me, that feel the same way. ◆◆

The car I test drove had the optional Bang & Olufsen sound system in it, but I am not sure if that was the right move as it is a $7,000 option. I am the guy who would spend money on a stereo, but that seems excessive.

When people around the office ask me what to buy, I always try and do a needs

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