By Kim McCullough
At-home travel is all the (mandatory) rage these pandemic days. One way I’ve found to visit other cities and countries is through books. The places I’ve discovered in novels and creative nonfiction have not quite eased the restlessness that health restrictions have brought, so I was excited to see these two very different books in my review queue.
Each book took me on a different journey-one visual, one culinary-but both provided a welcome escape from inside the increasingly claustrophobic walls of my western Canadian home.
The first is Canada Above & Beyond, a beautiful and expansive book of aerial photography by George Fischer. Fischer captures the majestic beauty of Canada’s varied regions with a sharp-eyed, rare vision. The photos in this stunning book both ignite the desire to travel and sate it. Unique perspectives in these photographs capture the enormous beauty of Canada’s landscape and a haunting sense of inconsequentiality in the face of massive mountains, towering buildings, and endless waterways. Photos of fields and tundra and forests are a beautiful reminder of how nature triumphant and breathtaking nature can be; it is a clarion call to visit these places as soon as we are able to once again travel at will.
The second book that took me away from crushing boredom was Atlantic Seafood: Recipes from Chef Michael Howell. Before the pandemic, reading recipe books was purely imaginary escapism for me, but over the past year, I found myself actually attempting recipes as a diversion. This book of fish and seafood recipes, written by a Nova Scotian chef who focuses on local sourcing and sustainable fishing, transported me back to a past vacation in Nova Scotia, where fresh fish and seafood are plentiful.
Once through the opening section on Chef Howell’s history and credentials, he shares what he’s learned about ethical eating. Only then does he move onto the necessities for a rookie cook like me: the basics of cooking seafood and basic terminology. As a result, before I even cook a thing, I’m more knowledgeable and confident in my ability to cook fish.
Though the recipes seem daunting at first, most ingredients are easily sourced, and the directions are clear and concise. The biggest challenge is finding quality seafood in landlocked provinces. Howell often adds notes on techniques or tips to help guide even the most novice of chefs through the process.
By the time you finish the sections on sustainability and sauces, you’ll have enough fish-preparation prowess to impress your future guests. The recipes themselves will elevate your meal to a whole new level. When guests are once again allowed in for dinner, any recipe in this book would make a delicious, celebratory choice.
These books will resonate with readers and cooks long after pandemic restrictions ease, but in the meantime, they provide an enjoyable, wishful foray into the world beyond our own front doors.
Thank you, Nimbus Publishing, for the complimentary copies in exchange for honest reviews!