Tag Archives: Scrunchions

The damned awful, most sorrowful part of this trip…

10 Thursday May 2012

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A very famous, overpaid (but ungrateful) sports commentator was asked about the best part of his now-over job with ESPN. His too-quick response was “Seeing it in the rear-view mirror”! Obviously, things didn’t go too well for him there. Not to worry though, both he and ESPN have gone on to greater things.

Bye Newfoundland!

For me, the worst part of this trip to Newfoundland was seeing it in my “rearview mirror”. In this case, that was the window of the plane taking me back to the states. I did not want to leave…ever. But…

In front of me was another round of developing many rolls of film, making a like number of proof sheets, and then determining whether or not I had achieved what I had set out to accomplish. I would have to look at the photographs taken over this two year period to see how it all shook out. This would take many months of work in which I would constantly be reminded of the adventures written about in this blog. Alas, no scrunchions, no Quidi Vidi brew, no chocolate covered crackers to help me on my way. Travel is so hard and boring!

As I have a fine and loud stereo in my darkroom, I would play, among all the rest of my musical selections, my newly expanded collection of Newfoundland music. So often that when I go to my next kitchen party, I would be much better equipped to participate. Not that my singing will have improved, not likely, but I’ll be able to choose from a much larger repertoire of what Oscar my friend from St. John’s refers pejoratively (a $ 1.00 word here!) to as “diddly music”. (I loved “diddly music”, but  when you grow up with something so prevalent as did Oscar, you’re not much impressed with it any longer.)

“Close the door! You’ll let out all the dark!” (Old photography joke.)

So my immediate course has been set out in front of me: hours of wet hands, inhaling semi-noxious fumes, singing/screaming at the top of my lungs “diddly music”. Yes b’y! That’s for me. Now we’ll see what develops. (Groan – another old photography joke.)

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In the rearview mirror…figuratively.

17 Tuesday Jan 2012

Posted by in Discovery, Fish, Photography

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A sportscaster once said of his departure from ESPN’s Bristol, Connecticut studio that the best thing about working there was seeing it in his rearview mirror. That is exactly the opposite of how I felt as I prepared to return home after two incredible weeks in Newfoundland. I wished it were still before me through the car’s windshield.

Those two weeks of traveling and photographing the people and the land had been an unbelievably transformative experience for me. As I got ready to leave, I was filled with joy, sadness, laughter, music, new knowledge and wisdom, cod and scrunchions, caribou, and the anticipation of seeing what I had photographed. Since this was shot on black and white film, I didn’t have the immediate luxury and instant gratification of digital photography. I had much work in front of me and several months in the darkroom before I knew what I had.

As I write this, looking at my notes, I see that I was already feeling a need to return…and I hadn’t even left yet. I was leaving new friends and a place that felt more like home than any other place I’d ever been. If I could, I would most definitely return. Maybe Thomas Wolfe had it wrong: maybe you can go home again.

Scrunchions and my new BFF.

12 Saturday Nov 2011

Posted by in Culture, Fish, Food, Newfoundland, Observations, Uncategorized

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Pretty much every culture has a way of maximizing their foods and recycling heretofore inedible scraps of food detritus. And if it’s a fancy restaurant, they’ll give it a posh name and charge dearly for it. How else could one explain veal cheeks? Please do not confuse this with cod cheeks; the concept is the same, the cost is not.

This leads me to the ubiquitous Newfoundland delicacy know as the scrunchion. These are small pieces of pork fatback, that might normally be tossed away, but are fried until rendered and crispy. They’re often used as a flavoring or even a condiment over other foods such as fish or potatoes or the local favorite fish and brewis. For those out there with a theological or Quebecois bent, they are often called orielles de Christ or Christ ears. I’m not certain I want to know why.

 

And this, at my first lunch in Newfoundland, was when I was introduced to scrunchions. I was meeting for the first time the photographer who I had befriended by phone the year before when doing my research. I visited his studio and what I thought would be a cordial introduction turned into a 3.5 hour lunch and discussion. We photographers can talk! What a genuinely nice guy and a really good photographer. We went across the street to a local pub to have lunch. And there was my first encounter with scrunchions. They were sprinkled over my fish and chips. The F&C: good. Scrunchions: like fine scotch – an acquired taste. They were different. And that’s all I’m going to say on that at this time.

My new acquaintance was soon to become my new friend. His help and guidance was invaluable. I might still be up there now driving around, dodging moose, looking for who knows what (and I’m not saying that’s really a bad thing up there) if not for his direction. His wife was just plain charming. We got on so well, we met for drinks later that evening. I was experiencing the unbelievable but natural hospitality of Newfoundlanders. This was going to be great.

Cod almighty!

05 Saturday Nov 2011

Posted by in Culture, Fish, Food, Newfoundland, Observations, Sea

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A one cent postal stamp.

This is the biggest fish story ever and it’s all true. Really. For over 500 years, cod reigned supreme in Newfoundland. Cod was so plentiful that it was thought that it would never run out. This fish was what the Newfoundland economy was based upon. It, as much as the sea, informed the culture.

And inform it, it did! Commerce for sure, music, comedy (the Codco comedy troupe), art, food (the number of things one can do with cod are staggering, see below, as are some of the ways it’s prepared!), the postal service, and currency (cod as actual currency, then as the coins and paper we’re used to. I’m not sure you would want to keep much of the original stuff in your wallet on a warm day though.). Coins were called by their value: a 25 cent coin was a 25 cent piece. Question: if a coin had a cod on it, could it be called a … oh, you fill in the blank. Postage denominations were varied as were the illustrations. There was of course the requisite cod as well as seals (the cute ones), dogs, various other now dead, possibly famous people, and naturally, the queen. Whether or not they all ate cod is up for debate, but one thing is certain: the cod had as respected a place in Newfoundland as the queen. If they did eat cod, the following may have been on their plates for Sunday dinner.

This could be called a tongue and cheek statement, but it’s really a recipe for cod tongues and cheeks. The cheeks and tongues are considered the most delicate part of the fish and simple to prepare after separating them from the cod proper. They are dragged through corn meal and then fried. Mmmm, good eating. Have them with a side of scrunchions too. Y’s b’y!