Murchie's on the block · Friday November 9, 2007 by colin newell
In 1975 I got one of my first introductions to specialty coffee via Murchie’s of Victoria. My Brother-in-law bought me a bag of Dark French coffee. At 15 years of age, I was in for a bit of a shock. This was not what I was accustomed to… but it would set the wheels in motion for what would be a future endeavor for me.
Coffee. Coffee, coffee, coffee.
Here in the 21st Century, the old Murchie’s firm is now on the block… for sale… to the highest bidder I guess.
But why?
The Receiver-manager of Murchie’s Canada blames the firm’s demise on increasing material and labor costs.
Right. In a red-hot economy where everyone is doing terrific thank-you very much, we can blame labor and material costs.
Let me see. The raw materials, Tea and Coffee can still be purchased for cheap (if you bypass the Fair Trade options — much as Murchie’s has me-thinks) and then you mark them up 200 to 400%. The result: Profit.
Labor costs are at something of a historic low in B.C. – the minimum wage being something under 9$/hour.
So. What is the real deal here?
I think Murchie’s have been sitting on their hands for so long and have entirely lost touch where specialty coffee has gone in the last decade. Visiting a Murchie’s today is like jumping onto an episode of the Time Tunnel. For you Gen-Xer’s, it means that Murchie’s lives within a temporal time bubble – somewhere in the late 1800’s. They are out of touch with modern coffee commerce and the new reality of better coffee served by people who know coffee.
Murchie’s: I wish you luck!
Comment [6]
Andrea and Colin's Shrimp Risotto · Monday November 5, 2007 by colin newell
5 cups chicken broth
3/4 cup dry vermouth
6 tablespoons butter
1 to 2 tablespoons minced garlic
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon tarragon (optional)
100 grams uncooked medium shrimp, peeled & deveined
1/2 cup finely chopped purple onion
1 1/2 cups arborio (risotto) rice
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup sour cream
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
Prepare chicken stock with 1/4 cup vermouth.
Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add half the garlic and crushed red pepper and sauté for 30 seconds, then add shrimp. Sauté until shrimp begin to turn pink, about 2 minutes. Add remaining 1/2 cup vermouth. Simmer until shrimp are just cooked through, about 2 minutes. Do not overcook shrimp or they become tough. Drain shrimp, reserving cooking liquid.
Melt remaining 4 tablespoons butter in heavy large saucepan or skillet over medium heat. Add onion and remaining garlic; sauté until onion is pale golden, about 4 minutes. Add rice and stir to coat, about 2 minutes. Add 1-2 cups broth mixture. Simmer until liquid is absorbed, stirring often. Continue adding broth mixture 1/2 cup at a time, stirring often and simmering until liquid is absorbed before adding more, about 20 minutes total. Don’t “drown” the risotto!
Add sour cream.
Cook until rice is just tender and creamy, about 5 minutes longer. Add a final shot of vermouth. Stir in reserved shrimp cooking liquid. Add shrimp. Add Parmesan. Remove from heat.
Stir in 2 tablespoons parsley into risotto. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to plates. Sprinkle with remaining tablespoon parsley.
Makes 4 servings –
Serve with Pinot Noir or similar Red Wine.
Comment [3]
Being Canadian - visit the ROM · Thursday October 25, 2007 by colin newell
I am Canadian. You have heard it before.
But what is a Canadian? And how do we differentiate ourselves from the other noble members of the North American community?
Well. It is in our art.
For one thing.
And if you live in Toronto, or can get to Toronto – make sure you visit the Royal Ontario Museum for Canada Collects .
Canada Collects – The treasures of a Nation celebrates the passion of Canadian collectors and their vision of a young Nation.
Assembling some of the most iconic historical Canadian artifacts in the country, Canada Collects is certain to strike a patriotic chord among many visitors.
From an early 1709 Hudson’s Bay Company map of the Hudson’s Bay and Straits, to the 1982 Proclamation of the Canadian Constitution Act, the exhibit touches on many aspects of the country’s political and social history. Other notable Canadian items include Lucy Maud Montgomery’s original manuscript for Anne of Green Gables (1905), Walter S. Allward’s powerful maquette, Justice (c. 1925-1930) for the Vimy Ridge Memorial, the first Canadian maple leaf flag (1965) and Pierre Elliott Trudeau’s birchbark canoe (c. 1968)
Having been on the Planet (and in Canada) for the duration I can attest to seeing the new Maple Leaf flying over my elementary school in 1965. I stood in a field at Beacon Hill Park in 1968 with my parents and sisters as Pierre Elliot Trudeau addressed a blossoming liberal nation.
Canada Collects runs until January 8, 2008. I will be there in June 2008 celebrating my Canadian heritage on the streets and in the cafes of Toronto – but this is not a reason for you not to attend!
For more details on the event, download this pdf
Too dangerous to fly - Too innocent to arrest 3 · Monday October 15, 2007 by colin newell
The U.S. government has angered Canada’s airlines with a proposal to order them to hand over personal information about passengers who take flights that go south over U.S. airspace en route to sunny destinations.
Although the planes wouldn’t take off from or land on American soil, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security is proposing that Canadian carriers send passenger manifests up to 72 hours in advance of departures to popular winter escapes such as Mexico and the Caribbean.
Uhm. Uncle Sam? Get stuffed.
No, seriously. Get stuffed.
The U.S. does not have a right to our personal information and should not get any cooperation on this issue. It is as simple as that.
We already have a no-fly list that was largely cooked up by the current U.S. administration and swallowed in obsequious genuflection by a largely conservative Canadian government.
No. A thousand times no!
Our American brothers and sisters would be well served to get onside with us on this – as it is the case that many open-minded Americans now travel to a free Cuba via Canadian shores. Those brave souls would then be under the scrutiny of a hawkish and hegemonic bureaucracy.
Save us.
