Revisiting an old story
We got a food parcel today from Canada.
Along with a recipe book my cousin had included some typical products which “are characteristically Canadian and little harder to come across in England.”
So here was the tin of maple syrup, Maple Ice Wine Sauce, a packet of Maple tea and a collection of maple sweets and chocolate covered raisins.
And of course within minutes of opening the package I tried the sweets opened the wine sauce and pondered on making a maple tea.
It was a smashing idea made all the better for being unexpected, and it got me thinking about food from abroad and how such parcels bring you closer together with family far away.
Back when families were crossing the Atlantic or taking that even longer journey to new lives in Australia and New Zealand the arrival of parcels must have been a powerful link to all that they had left behind.
One group of letters I came across from a family who left Manchester for Kansas in the 1880s constantly refer to news from home, commenting on the political fortunes of Gladstone and the Liberal Party, the merits of Home Rule and the excitement of the arrival of a piano shipped via Liverpool which was none the worse for the long sea voyage.
In the same way I am fascinated by our recent food parcel particularly because they have come direct from Canada.
These are not Canadian goods repackaged in some warehouse north of Slough but just as they came off the store shelf in Ingersol Ontario.
And I get the same mix of feelings when we have been visiting family in Italy and come home with the odd item.
So I rather think there are some stories here about food, migration and how we keep close to our families.
Now people travelled more often and much further in the 19th century than we are told in those school history books.
Even in the early 19th century there is evidence that some people were regularly travelling back and forth between Britain and bits of the Empire.
That said for most who undertook the trip to Canada, or Australia it was for keeps, a variation of that old theme “you make your bed and you lie in it” so anything that reminded them of home must have been fallen on eagerly cherished and then saved.
Much as I shall savour our food parcel.
Picture; parcel from Canada, Andrew Simpson courtesy of Chris, Andrea, Josh and Justin, 2014 and the Harland Family in Canada in 1913 from the collection of Jean Gammons
We got a food parcel today from Canada.
 |
| "a package of maple products from here in southwestern Ontario" |
So here was the tin of maple syrup, Maple Ice Wine Sauce, a packet of Maple tea and a collection of maple sweets and chocolate covered raisins.
And of course within minutes of opening the package I tried the sweets opened the wine sauce and pondered on making a maple tea.
It was a smashing idea made all the better for being unexpected, and it got me thinking about food from abroad and how such parcels bring you closer together with family far away.
Back when families were crossing the Atlantic or taking that even longer journey to new lives in Australia and New Zealand the arrival of parcels must have been a powerful link to all that they had left behind.
One group of letters I came across from a family who left Manchester for Kansas in the 1880s constantly refer to news from home, commenting on the political fortunes of Gladstone and the Liberal Party, the merits of Home Rule and the excitement of the arrival of a piano shipped via Liverpool which was none the worse for the long sea voyage.
 |
| The Harland family in 1913 in Canada |
These are not Canadian goods repackaged in some warehouse north of Slough but just as they came off the store shelf in Ingersol Ontario.
And I get the same mix of feelings when we have been visiting family in Italy and come home with the odd item.
So I rather think there are some stories here about food, migration and how we keep close to our families.
Now people travelled more often and much further in the 19th century than we are told in those school history books.
Even in the early 19th century there is evidence that some people were regularly travelling back and forth between Britain and bits of the Empire.
That said for most who undertook the trip to Canada, or Australia it was for keeps, a variation of that old theme “you make your bed and you lie in it” so anything that reminded them of home must have been fallen on eagerly cherished and then saved.
Much as I shall savour our food parcel.
Picture; parcel from Canada, Andrew Simpson courtesy of Chris, Andrea, Josh and Justin, 2014 and the Harland Family in Canada in 1913 from the collection of Jean Gammons
No comments:
Post a Comment