HUNGRY GERALD

Yes, as HG has enthusiastically attested, Prince Edward Island is filled with very good things to eat. Sweet corn (Blum’s is the best); Colville Bay and Malpeque oysters; mussels, strawberries, blueberries; mustard pickles and condiments, jams and jellies (all natural and unsurpassed); Fenugreek flavored Gouda cheese. Breadworks provides baguettes and rustic loaves that rival anything in Paris. What has been overlooked is the excellence of local spirits, wines and beers. Gahan’s beers and ales have an extraordinary depth of flavor and rival any of the better known craft brewers in either Canada or the US. Newman Estate Winery and Matos Winery produce award winning reds and whites. HG (often to BSK’s dismay) enjoys strong spirits before and after dinner. And, here’s where PEI really shines. Myriad View Distillery provides three cocktail hour (or hours, in HG’s case) delights: Strait Gin (unique taste of botanicals); Pastis (a true taste of Provence); Vodka (smooth and pure). These three liquors are some of the best of their kind that HG has ever imbibed; HG believes that Myriad View would be much better known if they invested in proper graphic design so that their label’s beauty would match their product’s quality. Now, HG has discovered a great after dinner tipple (with a fine label to match!). It’s Bagaco, distilled by the Matos Winery. Colorless and potent, it’s distilled from pomace, the solid remains of grapes after pressing for juice. Pomace contains skin, pulp, seeds and stems of the grapes. Italians use pomace to distill Grappa, the French distill Marc and Portuguese distill Bagaco. HG’s favorite is Bagaco, smooth and strong. Provides a pleasant ending to a meal. Jaime and Heather Matos run the eponymous winery and distillery. Both were born on the island of Pico in the Azores (Acores in Portuguese). Their heritage is reflected in their delicious Bagaco.

Bright sun. Soft breeze chasing away mosquitoes. Sea waters warm with gentle waves. Perfect for swimming. HG’s family was off to various beaches while HG unfolded a beach chair on the secluded patch of beach in front of the HG/BSK home. Solitude allowed HG a naturist day. The mature chap swam, sunned and read without the benefit of a bathing suit. Between swims HG read Inventing a Nation: Washington, Adams, Jefferson by Gore Vidal. The title is a bit misleading since Vidal spells out the role of two other illustrious Americans, James Madison and Alexander Hamilton, in the “invention” of the United States. The book is slender but very illuminating, written with Vidal’s usual brio and containing many mordant comments about the lamentable state of politics and government in the land of the free and the brave. HG was struck by the fact that the ongoing battle between two factions–the “states rights”/anti-strong central government faction and the Federalist/strong central government faction–began at the very inception of our republic. The present day Tea Party is just a modern manifestation of a very old trend. Reading the book, HG was reminded that our founding fathers were not only brave (if the American revolution failed they would swing from English gallows) but remarkably erudite. They could think and they could write. Yes, we’ve slid downhill. Intellectually stimulated and physically relaxed, HG was ready for some big time feasting as dinner approached. Equipped with a sturdy glass of ice and Myriad Strait Gin (a flavorful spirit distilled on Prince Edward Island at the Myriad View Distillery) listened to Bill Evans jazz as Exquisite Maiko and Lesley R. prepared dinner. First, there were cups of SJ’s hearty haddock chowder (left over from an SJ-hosted dinner the previous night). This was followed by what could only be called Magic Time. EM served her unique scallop pancakes (scallops, cabbage, onions, flour, etc.). Crisp, juicy wonders. These were showered with bonito flakes and adorned with squirts of Japanese mayonnaise or Bulldog sauce (a semi-sweet Japanese condiment). There was more. EM flattened slices of pork tenderloin, dipped them in beaten egg and Panko, fried them in peanut oil. Yes, this is Tonkatsu, an HG piggy favorite. Greaseless and crackling crisp. HG likes them with Frank’s Hot and Sweet Chili Sauce and Matouk’s fiery West Indian Hot Sauce. EM prepared a big bowl of cabbage slaw, a slaw mixed with sesame oil, lemon juice, etc. Marvelous. But, impossible to reproduce because it is dependent on EM’s knife skills which EM utilizes to cut a head of cabbage into thread like filaments. Lesley R. backed up the slaw with an exuberant salad of sliced cherry tomatoes, sweet onion and basil dressed with good olive oil. Later, there was poker and for HG (who hates games) there was brandy with Peychaud’s Bitters. A perfect day.