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northern signposts

INUVIK, NT

Method for determining whether you are teaching at an elementary school north of the Arctic Circle: the school secretary comes on the P.A. to announce that there are free caribou heads in the wood shop for anyone who wants them.

Of course, there are plenty of other indications. The wolves howling outside my window tonight, for instance. Or sharing my walk to school with an arctic fox. Following the white tip of its tail against the Rembrandt-like ground of its body, all in the faint morning light along the road on which I live, was astonishing and faeric, and terribly impressive.

Adventures of the palate seem to find you up here. One day I was handed a cup of boiled fish eggs and wild cranberries by a fellow teacher; the cranberries were delicious. I have had more success with other (less) fishy specialties like half-smoked grayling. The best ichthyo I've phaged thus far was fresh lake trout just barely sautéed with butter, salt, and pepper.

I also cooked a second caribou repast last week, using a less overpowering shitake mushroom and red wine reduction as sauce. I suspect that as I gain confidence, I will let more of the strong game flavours come through. To my surprise, strong game flavours were not in evidence when I tasted my first moose meat on Friday.

The photograph above presents the view from the far side of the hill near my house. Out there really is just over the next hill.

All the best.

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on the trail of...

INUVIK, NT

Twenty-four hours in and I had already butchered a caribou.

Walking home from school, I passed some neighbours unmaking three ungulates and stopped to watch. I soon noticed that the large teeth on their saw made for a difficult cut and offered my assistance. For anyone who has decried my Swiss Army knife's forfeit of a corkscrew for a saw, forever bide your tongue, as I rapidly made short work of all manner of bone and joint.

After the caribou were made cutlets and viscera-encrusted handshakes exchanged, my neighbours kindly proffered a slab of brisket for my troubles. I suppose that if, after four years of vegetarianism you plan to start eating meat again, you can't do much better than fresh game you've just cleaned yourself. So, in an amusing reversal, a vegetarian recipe became decidedly carnal. Madhur Jaffrey may not have been pleased with my adulterations, but I and my dinner companions were. Notch number one in the Northern culinary belt: caribou curry.

Currently, we're losing roughly fifteen minutes of daylight per rotation. It's like the advance of Mordor, only with snowmobiles.

Be well, friends.