1000 Tastes of Toronto- Luminato 2012
One thing leads to another when it comes to food
festivals! Happened especially when the
food was created by chefs that are all known around Toronto foodies, and the
culinary delights are coming from their best childhood experiences .Luminato 2012
in The Distillery’s 100 Tastes of Toronto, had it all. Susur Lee , the renowed chef and cook
book writer ,owner of two of the infamousely expensive Lee Restaurants on King,
prepared mini vegetarian spring rolls burgers. Tom Fillippou, Executive Chef at
PC Cooking School , prepared pooled pork sandwiches, the chefs at The Street
Bakery served an assorted basket of macaroons , Dufflet Pastries served melted
marshmallow on chocolate brioches ...The Mill Street Brewery served their
Organic Beer in assortments of blonde lager, coffee or dark malt , all cold and foamy .
Most of the ingredients for the foods were supplied by PC
(President Choice Corporation) , one of the biggest sponsors of the Luminato
2012 Festival , and L'Oreal was the another big sponsor, advertising heavily all
over the media their involvement with the event.Seems like the perfect marriage
of health and beauty , so why worry ? Hmm, let's think again!
For once ,the malpractice of Foods Corporations crushing
small farms and farmer's families by
forcing them to buy genetically modified seeds , are very disturbing news of
Canadian agriculture .
And secondly , what about L'Oreal scary anorexic and
photo “enhanced “ models, advertising cosmetics tested on animals?
Both these
thoughts had let me less "hungry" for the 1000 Tastes of Toronto than
planned , so I decided to have an organic beer from the Mill Street Brewery on
my way back to the studio.
Just when I was thinking my happy decision will get me
more optimistic about the whole event, I heard , loud on the speakers , an
interview taking place live in The Distillery with the organizer of the event ,
German born Jorn Weisbrodt( engaged to
Canadian musician Rufus Wainwright and living now in Toronto ).
With the European ,typical ,American hatred , he was bashing the " American Art
Corporations" , for "crushing " everything around.
Really , Jorn? Like we need outside corporations to hate,
we don't have PC and L'Oreal, our own demons to blame, we need American ones?
Our Canadian
corporations or the Europeans ones are better
? Just because you ,grew up in hatred indoctrinated Europe doesn't mean that we
Canadians are as anti- American as you are !
Look around you carefully,
because 50% of the tourists
buying foods around you, or visiting Luminato Festivals in Toronto are , yes, from the USA
not form far away "old Europe "!
You are here to
talk about your job as an art director of a Canadian art festival and not
bashing the USA !
As Canadians , we
frankly, have much more in common with our southern neighbour -the
English speaking, emigrant country , peaceful for 200 years ... - the US,
that you so love to bash, than with Old Europe that drove us all Canadians here,
to make a new country over the ocean !
I am sipping from
my beer – which is one of the few strictly veggie and organic
foods around, with minimal carbon print-
and I am looking around at the
people who smile absent at the " nationalist disturber" , does
anybody have energy for the "eloquent orator" to question or
challenge him?
The sun is strong, the beer is tasty, I guess nobody is
up to the task of explaining to him that 80% of our trade is with our neighbor,
the USA , and we are obviously happy with it!
"Alice in Wonderland" Acrylic on Canvas 30"x40"
We are more than
economically sound and lucky than if we were to deal with any other neighbors.
So I am leaving the busy crowds , heading to my studio
passing an endless array of happy dogs, kids in strolls , grandparents with
preschool grandkids without front teeth, ...all hazy from too much food and
drinks .
The next thing I know is that up there ,in my Studio #211 , my Boston visitors await , they were coming from the Picasso Show at AGO and
eager to speak about art .Young and educated , these Americans
are the only ones really
interested in art , a wonderful couple .And I secretly and
luckily hope they didn't hear the
shameful ranting outside !