I loved this one, especially (that is, I love them all, or most of them anyways, as they say in certain parts of the country, but this one - well, you know...). But speaking of "which," what do you make of the bit in John Donne's 'The Good Morrow,' which I and many another true lover believes was written expressly for them, where he says "Which watch not one another..." This troubles me slightly every time it's encountered. "Which watch? - John, dear..." and there he sits arrested, whispering it to himself as I do, hearing that small sizzle, muttering some ancient curse and rushing on in his creative fervor, leaving that small hot stone for us to trip on, every time. I think I know what you make of it - you leave it alone, you let John be John and love him anyway - but this column gives me a chance to bring it up among like minds.
I think American Christians would be better off meeting in caves these days, Garrison, and "It is Well with My Soul" would sound awesome in Mammoth Cave, KY. Here in Cincinnati, we have a grand church turned into an outstanding microbrewery...I think God is pleased with the change. Thanks for your post! Deano in Cincy.
Welcome to Michigan. Holland, Michigan is a lovely location to land for your show. The west coast of Michigan is transforming into the social and cultural center of the “Mitten State”. The east coast of Michigan is the industrial giant of the state. Many cultural and social events still happen in the Greater Detroit area along with the history of this region but the west coast area is catching up fast.
Canada you claim is the next area of concern for intrusion by illegal infiltration. Canadians would have seemingly unfettered access to our United States of America and yet the Maple Leaf country, an independent sovereignty of the Great British Empire, “God Save the Queen” still has a prospering and vigorous populace. They stand proudly with hand over heart while admiringly watching their ecologically friendly imaged flag and sing,
“O Canada!
Our home and native land!
True patriot love in all of us command.
With glowing hearts we see thee rise,
The True North strong and free!
From far and wide,
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.
God keep our land glorious and free!
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.”
We Michiganers have lived amongst our Canadian neighbors all our lives. They work, shop, play, marry, receive medical services and die here in this Great Lake State just like the rest of us. When asked to come and make this “Home of the Brave and Land of the Free” their home most will tell you “ Much Obliged but No Thank You”.
Thanks for that (from Canada). Interesting that our anthem is mutable, and that "all our sons' command" was...simply...removed/changed. Totally agree with that. But the American anthem, and its third verse (I think) that indicts escaped slaves, has always concerned me. Where's the brave legislator who will suggest a change?
Hard-line-right-of-center West Michigan becoming the state's social and cultural center? When pigs fly. Southeast Michigan--which includes Detroit and Ann Arbor, among a dozen other, smaller towns--has been and remains the cultural center of Michigan. Also, we don't vote for Dump down here.
Garrison, I am delighted to hear about your show and that others are scheduled in 2022. I am an observer from a distance but it seems to me that doing those PHC style shows is what you are best at doing. You just walk out on stage and start talking, then have a song or have a familiar song with new and different words.
You "retired" from PHC several times but you are still at it. You are luckier than many people. You have something to do that you are good at, and something you like to do, and something that people will pay money to come see/hear.
I am with you on singing. Years ago we would go to gatherings where large groups (30-50 people) would sing hymns and gospels songs. And these were people who knew how to sing and how to sing the parts: soprano, alto, tenor, bass. It is such a great experience being in a big group singing great old hymns and songs. But we could not gather a large crowd today.
In those days we had singing and music in the public schools.
You spoke of the decline or Protestantism. That is obvious in the terrible decline of church music. But also in decline related to beliefs and politics. Some churches have become adjuncts of the republican right wing. Some of them are more interested in Donald and the "gospel" according to Fox than they are in our Lord and the real Gospels.
It sounds naive but I think that as we go through life -- what we look for is what we find.
There are a lot of bad people and bad things in the world. Our job is to be on the look out and avoid said bad people and stay away from bad things as much as possible. But when we encounter good things and good people then we should stay close to them and celebrate and enjoy them as much as we can.
That is why I do not listen to Fox and why I did not listen to Rush (the old bloviator in chief) during his lifetime. Some people say that NPR is pretentious. Well Fox is pretentious and sanctimonious and malicious and some other things. But those are just my opinions; obviously many other people feel differently.
Remember and enjoy the good; forget about the bad. Life is too short to spent it angry and upset about things that happened in the past and that we can't change way.
I'm not a religious person, but I agree 100% with your thoughts and concerns about churches and Christianity. Pretty sure the message of the gospels has been very seriously lost on the far Right. It's very sad, as despite my leanings I think Churches fill a real need and purpose. Take care.
Thanks for your comments. Like everything else, most churches have changed a good bit over the last fifty years. When I was young most people went to church on Sunday and then came back next Sunday. Now, while some people still follow that schedule, there are many people who go to meetings and classes or evening suppers at church during the week. Many churches now have "fellowship" or activity buildings where people can exercise, in some place, swim, or otherwise engage in different activities. Eating, whether in the coffee and donut time on Sunday morning or the suppers during the week, is a large part of church activities.
One thing that characterizes many church people, especially older people, is fear of the unknown. Many don't know any immigrants and Alabama has relatively few immigrants but they are anxious about immigrants; the same with Muslims or LGBT people. They don't think that they know any but they see them as something to be fearful of. Of course, they tune into the right wing media and have their worst fears confirmed and become even more fearful.
A lot of the gospel message gets lost in the eating and fellowshipping and fund raising and worry about the "state of the country."
Indeed. I was raised Catholic: morning mass 6 days a week, taught by nuns and then Christian Brothers. Mom in the church auxiliary, always engaged for fund-raiser bazaars, bingo nights, whatever. Even church little league and bowling league for the adults. So I know about church community and certainly don't knock it.
I might sound too critical of church. There are many genuine and fine people in churches and many churches which do good. Like any organization there are all kinds of people there and some of them have their own agenda and it might not be centered on the gospel message.
Growing up in the rural South, church was the main social gathering place for many people and I liked music and at that time most churches did lots of singing. I play the piano a little and always enjoyed playing the piano with people singing. With the advent of praise music and praise bands, congregational singing is very much in decline.
Speaking about an enormous influx of border-crossers - almost half a century ago, during the Vietnam conflict, the influx ran in the opposite direction! I worked with a woman whose husband disagreed with the Draft, so they lit out for Hamilton, Ontario. There was quite a significant "ex-patriate" community there, until the conflict was resolved. I suppose, if we looked at the history of our two neighboring countries, there have been sporadic flows of folks going one direction or the other. That would even include some Keillors who went to Nova Scotia, if I remember correctly. It's something that I think both our nations can be proud of, an international boundary that has been at peace for most of two hundred years, now, and has welcomed each other's citizens as friends and residents!
I enjoyed the medley in the last paragraph! As a "counterfeit alto" who has trouble hearing the pitch in that range, I infiltrated our company's choral group. When we sang from Cats " If you touch me, then I'll understand what happiness is," my spirit would take off soaring! The thought of that touch still sends me into ecstasy!
This is it, Folks! This is the place to be - GK and Friends - if you want a pick-me-up for the day! Our Beloved Host has plenty of LOVE, and it's just what we need! Thanks SO, SO, SO Much!
Indeed: speaking as a Canadian...there were about 50,000 came north during the Vietnam War, over 20,000 of them to BC. Many settled in the Kootenay region, where Russian Doukhobors (a pacifist religious group) had settled 50+ years before. I know a few resisters, and they've added immeasurably to our cultural fabric here. Take care.
Finally!! Finally!! A subject I, a born and bred (and if it's bannock - bread) Canuck can intelligently (as opposed to my other comments) opine upon. On the bacon - yes, Canadian bacon is round, but a lot of us, in covert groups, eat American bacon - we gather in bacon strip clubs, actually. And we DO have a South - it's called the U.S.A. No one said it better (and I mean this kindly) than Robin Williams, who said "being a Canadian is like living above a meth lab".
Sending our angry Canucks down to you keeps us ahead of the game; after all back in the '60s and '70s we got over 50,000 of your draft dodgers. They've added immeasurably to the Canadian fabric. Now we're sending you the cranks. A double gain to us, methinks.
And the vowels: yes, we DO use more letters. (Not sure, actually, why the U.S. has "T" in the alphabet, when I routinely hear American interviewees speaking of 'inneresting events', or 'winner temperatures'). And, yes, we CAN identify you easily; we just work "harbour" or "labour" into the conversation and immediately spot you by your lack of "u"s. It's easy, eh?
And, sadly, it's not just the songs that are being proscribed: think of Christmas movies. "Home Alone" - no, unremitting violence. "Polar Express" - no, an obvious example of child abduction. "It's A Wonderful Life" - no, too Christian, for a start, and a flagrant example of paternalistic male hegemony. Sigh.
All the best from the Frozen North to you all for the best Season that we can salvage from the omicron variant. As Lincoln said of the Civil War - this too shall pass.
A question: Is the term "Canadian bacon" even used in Canada? I seem to recall that in Canada, "bacon" refers to regular bacon, and what Americans call "Canadian bacon" is called "back bacon."
Hah! Indeed, you're right. I'm not a big bacon fan (the smell and promise ALWAYS exceeds the actual experience) but do eat if from time to time (eg. when I want to shorten my life: 1 strip = 2 minutes off your life.) but even at that I doubt 5% of my bacon consumed is "Canadian" bacon. And why must the most familiar Canadian association in Americans' minds be connected with pigs? One could take offence (except, sorry, we're Canadian - you step on MY toes and I say "sorry").
And, yes, you're absolutely right - "back bacon" here in The Great White North.
But: there IS something; one of John Candy's funniest movies (and that says a lot) is "Canadian Bacon". Maybe just for Canucks, but the Canadian gags and digs are hilarious.
Take care. BTW: what that inside knowledge, do they realize you're a mole?
I love Canada and, like you, I don't eat much bacon. As a kid I was served "Canadian bacon" occasionally, and I always thought "There's no way that Canadians really call this ham 'bacon'." In other words, I assumed the Canadian in Canadian bacon was like the French in French fries. Now I know that its origins really are Canadian and that it really is a kind of bacon. Poutine, on the other hand, I have always considered Canadian. I wonder what a good poutine costs in minutes of life . . .
I also think of movies when I think of your country, because Canada has made more than its fair share of good ones (calculated based on population, not land area). I will have to look for Canadian Bacon.
The pandemic has prevented me from visiting Canada, something I try to do every year. I've already had my booster shot, but with random PCR tests being given at the border, I don't want to risk booking something and then being quarantined. I don't even know how it would be handled. Not that I blame Canada for being wary of letting Americans in, given how the pandemic and the vaccines have been politicized here. I know some of that politicization has seeped across the border, but at least Erin O'Toole has stood up to the anti-vaxxers in his party, to a degree.
All the best from down here where the pendulum is swinging dangerously in the direction of Gilead.
Your country amazes me: half seems as reasonable and good-hearted as you, but the other half...
I've read a great deal of your history, civil war etc, have visited Gettysburg, and often think...what if the war had ended differently? Seems you really have two republics anyway.
And the poutine: bang on. First time I was in Quebec (I live in BC) I found the first poutine stand I could and gave it a shot. Yes, definitely takes time off your life- probably more than cigarettes.
Take care, thanks for the note, all the best for the Season, and stay well.
Wonderful piece. Loved it! Wanted to let you know that only Americans call Canadian bacon, Canadian bacon. As a Canadian-born American here's the skinny for you.
Which and that...love that too!
Wendy Rankin, Portland, Oregon
What is Canadian Bacon ??
Canadian Bacon is a misnomer.
The only place they call it that is in the United States.
Just as they don’t cal Philly Cheese steak in Philadelphia, or Buffalo Wings in Buffalo.
Why is it called “Canadian” bacon ?
Canadian Bacon probably got that name says because in the mid 1800’s there was shortage of pork in the United Kingdom and they imported the meat from Canada.
They would cure the backmeat in a special brine, which the Canadians call peameal bacon, because they would roll it in ground yellow split peas to help preserve it.
The English smoked it instead, and this new concotion was just referred to probably as
Canadian Bacon, The Amreicans like it and brought it back to the states.
So if you went to Canada and asked for Canadian bacon what would you get?
If you were in Toronto and asked for Canadian Bacon you would probably get something
called Peameal bacon . This bacon is from the loin of the pig as opposed to most bacon which is from the belly. Especially in the United States. The loin is the part that they make pork chops out of, so they
just remove the bones.
In Canada, the back bacon is not smoked or pre-cooked. It is almost always the lean, boneless pork loin of the animal.
The loin is then pickle-cured and rolled in a fine golden cornmeal. Which is ironic, because another name for Canadian Bacon is “Pea meal” bacon, which has to do with the fact that the cured pork loin is rolled in some sort of fine meal.
It used to be that the manufacturers would dry and grind yellow peas into a meal and pack it around the meat to help preserve it. When Cornmeal became more plentiful they made the switch but the ‘Pea meal’ name still stuck.
Doug, I knew the part about it not being called Canadian bacon in Canada. I just lifted the rest from the internet, hence the many spelling errors etc. Now we all know too much! WR
Thanks! I sang along with you even though my 77 year old voice cracks. I’m grateful for it still working, if less on key. Being grateful helps in looking on the bright side!
I have far-sighted vision and I can see all the way to the back row of a crowd. But don't look down on me - an Alabamian. Being an Alabamian is Well With My Soul! And I could sing all those songs you sort of cryptically threw in here for your resolution...which is a very good one. Let's Keep On The Sunny Side!
I love this. Funny, warm, generous, tongue-in-cheek. And right on the money, too.
I loved this one, especially (that is, I love them all, or most of them anyways, as they say in certain parts of the country, but this one - well, you know...). But speaking of "which," what do you make of the bit in John Donne's 'The Good Morrow,' which I and many another true lover believes was written expressly for them, where he says "Which watch not one another..." This troubles me slightly every time it's encountered. "Which watch? - John, dear..." and there he sits arrested, whispering it to himself as I do, hearing that small sizzle, muttering some ancient curse and rushing on in his creative fervor, leaving that small hot stone for us to trip on, every time. I think I know what you make of it - you leave it alone, you let John be John and love him anyway - but this column gives me a chance to bring it up among like minds.
I think American Christians would be better off meeting in caves these days, Garrison, and "It is Well with My Soul" would sound awesome in Mammoth Cave, KY. Here in Cincinnati, we have a grand church turned into an outstanding microbrewery...I think God is pleased with the change. Thanks for your post! Deano in Cincy.
Welcome to Michigan. Holland, Michigan is a lovely location to land for your show. The west coast of Michigan is transforming into the social and cultural center of the “Mitten State”. The east coast of Michigan is the industrial giant of the state. Many cultural and social events still happen in the Greater Detroit area along with the history of this region but the west coast area is catching up fast.
Canada you claim is the next area of concern for intrusion by illegal infiltration. Canadians would have seemingly unfettered access to our United States of America and yet the Maple Leaf country, an independent sovereignty of the Great British Empire, “God Save the Queen” still has a prospering and vigorous populace. They stand proudly with hand over heart while admiringly watching their ecologically friendly imaged flag and sing,
“O Canada!
Our home and native land!
True patriot love in all of us command.
With glowing hearts we see thee rise,
The True North strong and free!
From far and wide,
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.
God keep our land glorious and free!
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.”
We Michiganers have lived amongst our Canadian neighbors all our lives. They work, shop, play, marry, receive medical services and die here in this Great Lake State just like the rest of us. When asked to come and make this “Home of the Brave and Land of the Free” their home most will tell you “ Much Obliged but No Thank You”.
Thanks for that (from Canada). Interesting that our anthem is mutable, and that "all our sons' command" was...simply...removed/changed. Totally agree with that. But the American anthem, and its third verse (I think) that indicts escaped slaves, has always concerned me. Where's the brave legislator who will suggest a change?
Take care.
Thank you for pointing this out! I'd never heard it before.
Amazing, isn't it? Hiding in plain view.
Hard-line-right-of-center West Michigan becoming the state's social and cultural center? When pigs fly. Southeast Michigan--which includes Detroit and Ann Arbor, among a dozen other, smaller towns--has been and remains the cultural center of Michigan. Also, we don't vote for Dump down here.
Please come to Cincinnati!
Enjoyed your column very much.
Garrison, I am delighted to hear about your show and that others are scheduled in 2022. I am an observer from a distance but it seems to me that doing those PHC style shows is what you are best at doing. You just walk out on stage and start talking, then have a song or have a familiar song with new and different words.
You "retired" from PHC several times but you are still at it. You are luckier than many people. You have something to do that you are good at, and something you like to do, and something that people will pay money to come see/hear.
I am with you on singing. Years ago we would go to gatherings where large groups (30-50 people) would sing hymns and gospels songs. And these were people who knew how to sing and how to sing the parts: soprano, alto, tenor, bass. It is such a great experience being in a big group singing great old hymns and songs. But we could not gather a large crowd today.
In those days we had singing and music in the public schools.
You spoke of the decline or Protestantism. That is obvious in the terrible decline of church music. But also in decline related to beliefs and politics. Some churches have become adjuncts of the republican right wing. Some of them are more interested in Donald and the "gospel" according to Fox than they are in our Lord and the real Gospels.
It sounds naive but I think that as we go through life -- what we look for is what we find.
There are a lot of bad people and bad things in the world. Our job is to be on the look out and avoid said bad people and stay away from bad things as much as possible. But when we encounter good things and good people then we should stay close to them and celebrate and enjoy them as much as we can.
That is why I do not listen to Fox and why I did not listen to Rush (the old bloviator in chief) during his lifetime. Some people say that NPR is pretentious. Well Fox is pretentious and sanctimonious and malicious and some other things. But those are just my opinions; obviously many other people feel differently.
Remember and enjoy the good; forget about the bad. Life is too short to spent it angry and upset about things that happened in the past and that we can't change way.
Best wishes to one and all.
I'm not a religious person, but I agree 100% with your thoughts and concerns about churches and Christianity. Pretty sure the message of the gospels has been very seriously lost on the far Right. It's very sad, as despite my leanings I think Churches fill a real need and purpose. Take care.
Thanks for your comments. Like everything else, most churches have changed a good bit over the last fifty years. When I was young most people went to church on Sunday and then came back next Sunday. Now, while some people still follow that schedule, there are many people who go to meetings and classes or evening suppers at church during the week. Many churches now have "fellowship" or activity buildings where people can exercise, in some place, swim, or otherwise engage in different activities. Eating, whether in the coffee and donut time on Sunday morning or the suppers during the week, is a large part of church activities.
One thing that characterizes many church people, especially older people, is fear of the unknown. Many don't know any immigrants and Alabama has relatively few immigrants but they are anxious about immigrants; the same with Muslims or LGBT people. They don't think that they know any but they see them as something to be fearful of. Of course, they tune into the right wing media and have their worst fears confirmed and become even more fearful.
A lot of the gospel message gets lost in the eating and fellowshipping and fund raising and worry about the "state of the country."
With Kindest regards.
Indeed. I was raised Catholic: morning mass 6 days a week, taught by nuns and then Christian Brothers. Mom in the church auxiliary, always engaged for fund-raiser bazaars, bingo nights, whatever. Even church little league and bowling league for the adults. So I know about church community and certainly don't knock it.
All the best.
I might sound too critical of church. There are many genuine and fine people in churches and many churches which do good. Like any organization there are all kinds of people there and some of them have their own agenda and it might not be centered on the gospel message.
Growing up in the rural South, church was the main social gathering place for many people and I liked music and at that time most churches did lots of singing. I play the piano a little and always enjoyed playing the piano with people singing. With the advent of praise music and praise bands, congregational singing is very much in decline.
Best wishes
Garrison as a x Iowa farm kid I have to take exception to 3 wire pig fence - cows yes - pigs no - just a nit -
Please come to Pittsburgh! Or State College. Would love to see you!!!
Speaking about an enormous influx of border-crossers - almost half a century ago, during the Vietnam conflict, the influx ran in the opposite direction! I worked with a woman whose husband disagreed with the Draft, so they lit out for Hamilton, Ontario. There was quite a significant "ex-patriate" community there, until the conflict was resolved. I suppose, if we looked at the history of our two neighboring countries, there have been sporadic flows of folks going one direction or the other. That would even include some Keillors who went to Nova Scotia, if I remember correctly. It's something that I think both our nations can be proud of, an international boundary that has been at peace for most of two hundred years, now, and has welcomed each other's citizens as friends and residents!
I enjoyed the medley in the last paragraph! As a "counterfeit alto" who has trouble hearing the pitch in that range, I infiltrated our company's choral group. When we sang from Cats " If you touch me, then I'll understand what happiness is," my spirit would take off soaring! The thought of that touch still sends me into ecstasy!
This is it, Folks! This is the place to be - GK and Friends - if you want a pick-me-up for the day! Our Beloved Host has plenty of LOVE, and it's just what we need! Thanks SO, SO, SO Much!
Indeed: speaking as a Canadian...there were about 50,000 came north during the Vietnam War, over 20,000 of them to BC. Many settled in the Kootenay region, where Russian Doukhobors (a pacifist religious group) had settled 50+ years before. I know a few resisters, and they've added immeasurably to our cultural fabric here. Take care.
You make me happy!
Finally!! Finally!! A subject I, a born and bred (and if it's bannock - bread) Canuck can intelligently (as opposed to my other comments) opine upon. On the bacon - yes, Canadian bacon is round, but a lot of us, in covert groups, eat American bacon - we gather in bacon strip clubs, actually. And we DO have a South - it's called the U.S.A. No one said it better (and I mean this kindly) than Robin Williams, who said "being a Canadian is like living above a meth lab".
Sending our angry Canucks down to you keeps us ahead of the game; after all back in the '60s and '70s we got over 50,000 of your draft dodgers. They've added immeasurably to the Canadian fabric. Now we're sending you the cranks. A double gain to us, methinks.
And the vowels: yes, we DO use more letters. (Not sure, actually, why the U.S. has "T" in the alphabet, when I routinely hear American interviewees speaking of 'inneresting events', or 'winner temperatures'). And, yes, we CAN identify you easily; we just work "harbour" or "labour" into the conversation and immediately spot you by your lack of "u"s. It's easy, eh?
And, sadly, it's not just the songs that are being proscribed: think of Christmas movies. "Home Alone" - no, unremitting violence. "Polar Express" - no, an obvious example of child abduction. "It's A Wonderful Life" - no, too Christian, for a start, and a flagrant example of paternalistic male hegemony. Sigh.
All the best from the Frozen North to you all for the best Season that we can salvage from the omicron variant. As Lincoln said of the Civil War - this too shall pass.
A question: Is the term "Canadian bacon" even used in Canada? I seem to recall that in Canada, "bacon" refers to regular bacon, and what Americans call "Canadian bacon" is called "back bacon."
And of course, my question appears to have been answered before I asked it, below!
Hah! Indeed, you're right. I'm not a big bacon fan (the smell and promise ALWAYS exceeds the actual experience) but do eat if from time to time (eg. when I want to shorten my life: 1 strip = 2 minutes off your life.) but even at that I doubt 5% of my bacon consumed is "Canadian" bacon. And why must the most familiar Canadian association in Americans' minds be connected with pigs? One could take offence (except, sorry, we're Canadian - you step on MY toes and I say "sorry").
And, yes, you're absolutely right - "back bacon" here in The Great White North.
But: there IS something; one of John Candy's funniest movies (and that says a lot) is "Canadian Bacon". Maybe just for Canucks, but the Canadian gags and digs are hilarious.
Take care. BTW: what that inside knowledge, do they realize you're a mole?
I love Canada and, like you, I don't eat much bacon. As a kid I was served "Canadian bacon" occasionally, and I always thought "There's no way that Canadians really call this ham 'bacon'." In other words, I assumed the Canadian in Canadian bacon was like the French in French fries. Now I know that its origins really are Canadian and that it really is a kind of bacon. Poutine, on the other hand, I have always considered Canadian. I wonder what a good poutine costs in minutes of life . . .
I also think of movies when I think of your country, because Canada has made more than its fair share of good ones (calculated based on population, not land area). I will have to look for Canadian Bacon.
The pandemic has prevented me from visiting Canada, something I try to do every year. I've already had my booster shot, but with random PCR tests being given at the border, I don't want to risk booking something and then being quarantined. I don't even know how it would be handled. Not that I blame Canada for being wary of letting Americans in, given how the pandemic and the vaccines have been politicized here. I know some of that politicization has seeped across the border, but at least Erin O'Toole has stood up to the anti-vaxxers in his party, to a degree.
All the best from down here where the pendulum is swinging dangerously in the direction of Gilead.
Your country amazes me: half seems as reasonable and good-hearted as you, but the other half...
I've read a great deal of your history, civil war etc, have visited Gettysburg, and often think...what if the war had ended differently? Seems you really have two republics anyway.
And the poutine: bang on. First time I was in Quebec (I live in BC) I found the first poutine stand I could and gave it a shot. Yes, definitely takes time off your life- probably more than cigarettes.
Take care, thanks for the note, all the best for the Season, and stay well.
Wonderful piece. Loved it! Wanted to let you know that only Americans call Canadian bacon, Canadian bacon. As a Canadian-born American here's the skinny for you.
Which and that...love that too!
Wendy Rankin, Portland, Oregon
What is Canadian Bacon ??
Canadian Bacon is a misnomer.
The only place they call it that is in the United States.
Just as they don’t cal Philly Cheese steak in Philadelphia, or Buffalo Wings in Buffalo.
Why is it called “Canadian” bacon ?
Canadian Bacon probably got that name says because in the mid 1800’s there was shortage of pork in the United Kingdom and they imported the meat from Canada.
They would cure the backmeat in a special brine, which the Canadians call peameal bacon, because they would roll it in ground yellow split peas to help preserve it.
The English smoked it instead, and this new concotion was just referred to probably as
Canadian Bacon, The Amreicans like it and brought it back to the states.
So if you went to Canada and asked for Canadian bacon what would you get?
If you were in Toronto and asked for Canadian Bacon you would probably get something
called Peameal bacon . This bacon is from the loin of the pig as opposed to most bacon which is from the belly. Especially in the United States. The loin is the part that they make pork chops out of, so they
just remove the bones.
In Canada, the back bacon is not smoked or pre-cooked. It is almost always the lean, boneless pork loin of the animal.
The loin is then pickle-cured and rolled in a fine golden cornmeal. Which is ironic, because another name for Canadian Bacon is “Pea meal” bacon, which has to do with the fact that the cured pork loin is rolled in some sort of fine meal.
It used to be that the manufacturers would dry and grind yellow peas into a meal and pack it around the meat to help preserve it. When Cornmeal became more plentiful they made the switch but the ‘Pea meal’ name still stuck.
Speaking as a Canadian infrequent bacon-eater, you know WAY too much about bacon.
Doug, I knew the part about it not being called Canadian bacon in Canada. I just lifted the rest from the internet, hence the many spelling errors etc. Now we all know too much! WR
Canadians DO have a South to look down - it’s US.
Good one!
I enjoyed the column and the comments people have made on it. I made a comment on singing on the page where the video is.
Thanks! I sang along with you even though my 77 year old voice cracks. I’m grateful for it still working, if less on key. Being grateful helps in looking on the bright side!
I have far-sighted vision and I can see all the way to the back row of a crowd. But don't look down on me - an Alabamian. Being an Alabamian is Well With My Soul! And I could sing all those songs you sort of cryptically threw in here for your resolution...which is a very good one. Let's Keep On The Sunny Side!