Toronto Jan/Feb. 2014

Editor’s letter
Let’s Celebrate!
January
“The year began with lunch.”
So opens Peter Mayle’s gloriously gastronomique, politely
raucous tale A Year in Provence about life in the French countryside
through the eyes of recovering Londoners, a perfect read
for anyone negotiating life with another culture, which, these
days, is most of us.
The book is as hard to turn away from as an action flick and
pumps me full of wonder, laughter, galloping goodness and
gusto for the craft of writing. Each chapter features one month;
seasons and the natural world have as much personality in
Southern France as Mayle’s neighbour, Massot, the semi-militant,
maniacal recluse who believes he’ll sell his shack for millions to
the right tourist, if he’ll ever let one get within 100 metres. A Year
in Provence would wither without the age-old, mystical connection
of people to their food and the terra firma that provides it;
daily bread warrants daily celebration. And antics.
Our food articles this edition fill me with similar giddiness,
perhaps more so since their magic, to me, stems from a different
galaxy: an army was saved, an important battle won and a city
renamed when a nourishing plant capable of melting snow was
discovered. (“Tonifying Winter Soup,” page 118) Glutinous rice,
stronger than cement (as it turns out), has lasted for centuries as
exterior walls. (“Hakka Lei Cha,” page 114) The hospitality of the
Hakka people, an ethnic group who left their homeland 2,200
years ago and still call themselves “guests” wherever they live,
revolves around their food and circles into consciousness every
Chinese New Year when families become guests of one another
in ongoing celebrations.
Shen Yun Performing Arts members like the sparkling Kexin Li
on our cover won’t be at home to celebrate — they’ll be bringing
the house down in venues around the world until late spring.
We’re honoured to welcome them to Canada in January and
can’t wait to see their 2014 backdrops, costumes, choreography,
and orchestra. Read about what led Li to finally find her heart’s
path on page 40, “Butterfly Wings.”
We at Taste of Life have another reason to party this season: we
curated and executed Build Your Dream Home, a luxury home
show unlike any in Canada, together with more than 30 top BC
companies. Luxury home buyers and the industries that serve
them connected in multiple languages amidst custom-designed
and handcrafted show homes. We can’t wait to tour the real
dream homes that come about in the wake of the event. Pioneering
ideas alive with the spirit of design are our gift to you starting
on page 80, “Build Your Dream Home.”
May the Year of the Horse bring you charging good fortune and
tables full of freshly harvested food.
Sincerely,
16
Brett Price, Managing Editor