“The Penniless Pensioner: Misaligned, Maligned but Marvellous”: Chapter 18: Mind Numbing Law School at the University of Cote St. Luc: Learning the Tricks of the Trade

Back home in Bombay my relatives were chattering non-stop about my next step in life. It was MEDICINE, LAW, ACCOUNTING and COMPLIANCE! I could have lived a life of idle luxury with my wealth but the voice of my late father incessantly advised improve yourself and society by your actions. I could not see how my idleness would do either.

Having nothing much better to do I applied to the University of Cote St. Luc Law School in Montreal in their 4-year National Programme which would result in obtaining an LLB (common law degree) and BCL (civil law degree). I was accepted.

So it was 4 more years in Montreal this time instead of the Presidential Suite at the 4 Season’s Hotel in Montreal it was an “executive room” at the Cavendish Congress Centre Hotel in a Montreal suburb Cote St. Luc. This necessitated a 20-minute bus ride to the campus. Food was much more basic in my new digs. I ate many a meal at the Ben Ash Restaurant in the nearby Cavendish Mall. I developed a fondness for Cote St. Luc Bagel Bakery blueberry Danishes and pickled eggs at the Robert Burns Tavern.

Day one at law school witnessed a friendly and encouraging talk by one of the professors who said look to your left and right and amongst the three of you only one will graduate. So supportive and nurturing. What devils had I got myself caught up with? The professors liked to demean students although a lot could be said about students demeaning professors. That professor with his fly open. The hot shot professor who flew in from Quebec City to give lectures on “Being an Effective Tool for Megacorp Profitability”. For his exam he overloaded students with so many questions no one finished that exam causing a bit of mass trauma. He later joked about it saying this is the stress you will have to live with in practice so get used to it. Nice man.

Being an “artsy fartsy” graduate it was difficult initially to be treated like a receptacle for judicial decisions. Were they good or bad? That was not important. The trick was to reduce all judgements into four sentences and memorize all those sentences and spew them out. The critical mind was not necessary or appreciated.

The competitive atmosphere fostered the aims and ambitions of the cutthroats. Many of the most successful students had limited intellectual ability. They were excellent regurgitators. One shocking incident involved 4 students. I saw these students give a wad of cash to some faculty employee who passed along a large brown envelope in return for the cash. It no doubt was meant to be secretive but word soon circulated about a bribery to obtain advance copies of several final exams. These students were award winning model students! I wonder why! One was eventually arrested for homicide and one other became the Minister of Justice of Quebec.

So after 4 years I did indeed graduate so it was off to indentured servitude called articling.

RKS Spirits: Glenfiddich 12-Year-Old Single Malt Scotch: Memory Lane and Scotch Schizophrenia

Glenfiddich in the scotch world is a tried, true and tested name. The scotch was matured in Oloroso Sherry and Bourbon casks. Glenfiddich has been family owned and run for five generations and counting quite like the Symington’s Port dynasty in Portugal’s Douro Valley.

As memory serves me I recall early experiences with spirits aboard a now defunct charter airline based in Kennedy Airport in New York called Overseas National Airways. There were quite often southern church groups flying on my flights and they would be hollering at the stewardesses (as they were then referred to), “Hey Honey another 7 and 7!” I figured out that this was 7 Up and Seagram’s 7 Rye Whisky. Rest assured in the 1970’s on these charter flights it was the hard stuff and beer (unfortunately predominately Budweiser).

Having this memory on an Air Canada flight this September from Athens to Toronto I ordered a Johnny Walker Black Label Scotch over many rocks as its duration is extended and changes its character as the ice slowly melts. It makes the time pass. I took a walk up the aisle to investigate what passengers in steerage were drinking. Mostly warm beer as airlines, except for Lufthansa, do not understand what a cold beer is. If any spirits were being consumed in the aisle I walked down I didn’t see any scotch. I did see some rum and cokes and the ever-popular Bailey’s Irish Cream. No shouts of “7 and 7 Honey !” The point being scotch was not in heavy demand. Of all the people I know only one appreciates scotch. Wine rules the day but of note in the past few years there has been an attempt by some spirit producers to market the fact that Millennials are now enjoying spirits although based on my observations in Europe the young folk are happily imbibing cocktails. Patio crazed Millennials here in Canada seem thirsty for craft beer, a step up from Bud.

Is scotch a drink for fuddly old men? If so what a shame. Many single malt scotches are complex and multi layered spirits and several blended scotches are not far behind. Single malt scotches are a product of one distillery and aged for a minimum of three years in oak. Blended scotches can be whiskies from more than one distillery.

Good blended scotch and single malt scotch can be served neat , with water or on the rocks. Over the rocks might be the best way to see a schizophrenic side to scotch. As the ice melts and the volume of water increases the scotch takes on different personalities. So with the Glenfiddich why not try it in the three different serving styles.

 Glenfiddich 12 Neat

Aromas of apricot, peach, tangerine and butterscotch. On the palate a glowing warm burn coats the mouth with a long finish where the short flames settle down into embers gently warming the palate. So Glenfiddich 12 as far as aromatics go is intriguing as a wine can be. On the palate a certain spiciness pervades with notes of Seville orange marmalade, honey and sticky toffee with a gentle woodiness folded up nicely in the glow of the aftertaste.

Glenfiddich 12 Over the Rocks  

Ice used should be from filtered or spring water. Chemicals in tap water such as chlorine and fluoride will distort the taste of the scotch. The ice will chill down the scotch and give it a different character. Best to avoid the term “dilution” and perhaps say it alters the taste profile. Large cubes will slow down the volume of melted water. What water does is tone down the intensity of the spirit. The Glenfiddich 12’s aroma does alter with ice as suddenly ginger wafts up to the nose and the woodiness retreats as water tends to supress ethanol molecules and the flavours extracted from wooden barrels. On the palate the alcohol burn is almost eliminated with the scotch becoming a far gentler creature. The length of the finish decreases. I like my martinis shaken vigorously and never stirred. I like my scotch with ice. You can adjust your consumption speed as the ice melts.

Glenfiddich 12 with Water

Water added is a constant addition to the glass unlike ice that increases water volume as it melts. It is remarkable how a few drops of water mellow the scotch aromatically and from a flavour perspective. The warm glowing burn retreats substantially.

However you consume your scotch Glenfiddich 12 is a high quality scotch. Why not give yourself a treat and buy a bottle and give it a taste, neat, over ice or with a few drops of water. You may surprise yourself as to what serving style you prefer. In fact you may discover a style that wins you over Glenfiddich 12! You may decide you have been missing something very special for all these years.

(Glenfiddich 12 Year Old Single Malt Scotch, $69.95 Liquor Control Board of Ontario # 12385, 750 mL)

RKS Film: “Last of the Right Whales”: Despair and Hope

“Last of the Right Whales” is a documentary about the perils North Atlantic right whales face and what is being done to save them from extinction. It is bound to enthrall viewers yet cause some emotional trauma. The drone photography is nothing but spectacular and sickening when watching right whales entangled in fishing ropes or hacked by propellers thrashing about in distress.

“Last of the Right Whales” will have its world broadcast premiere to kick off the 62nd season of Canadian Broadcasting Corporation’s The Nature of Things on 6January2023 at 21:00 hours on CBC television and at CBC Gem. If you can’t access those the documentary has participated in 16 film festivals and 28 coastal tour events and will be further circulating around the globe.

You will learn about how boat traffic and fishing gear is threatening these curious, intelligent and peaceful mammoths. You may find their suffering extremely difficult to watch perhaps unbearable for many watching a fishing gear entangled right whale thrashing wildly.

It is always easy to tear into the fisherman but credit the documentary for letting one of them speak about the issue and explain that fisherman are part of the problem but they may also be part of the solution. Some attempts are being made to reduce the use of ropes by commercial fishermen. Speed limits have been imposed in the Gulf of St. Lawrence to avoid collisions with whales

You will hear from conservationists, scientists, veterinarians, fishermen, writers and citizen scientists working on the problem in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, the Bay of Fundy, The Gulf of Mexico and Cape Cod.

There are a few uncomfortable moments and emotional ones but as one scientist says we can’t rely on the government alone. The solution is with all of us and understanding the problem is a start for many viewers.

If only the documentary could advise viewers how they can be part of the solution.

Director and producer is Nadine Pequeneza.

RKS Wine: Red Wines with Roast Turkey?

Yes, you can pair red wine with roast turkey with or without cranberry sauce being on the side. While a white wine might shrivel with cranberry sauce anywhere near it a red wine just might co-exist with cranberry sauce better than a white wine would. But full-bodied red wines such as a Zinfandel or Cabernet Sauvignon might be an ill-advised match as they would overwhelm both white and dark meat and the vegetables. Go with a light red such as a Gamay or a Pinot Noir. If you select a Pinot Noir you might do better with a more entry level one with a bit of traction to it. I am sorry but elegance and roast turkey are not bedfellows.

So I am thinking a 2020 VQA Niagara Peninsula Pinot Noir from Cave Spring might be a perfect match at $22 at the Liquor Control Board of Ontario. It has aromas of cherry, strawberry, beet juice and milk chocolate. It does have some tannins to it perhaps more indicative of an entry level Pinot Noir. The fruit on the palate is discrete so it will not overpower the meat nor the vegetables. This Pinot Noir is substantially superior to those Ontario Pinot Noirs in its price range. It is well made, modest with just enough tannins to perfectly match your turkey and all the trimmings.  

American readers have a choice of many Oregonian Pinot Noirs while European readers may happily settle for a mid market Burgundy.

(Cave Spring 2020 Pinot Noir, VQA Niagara Peninsula, Cave Spring Vineyard, Jordon, Ontario, $21.95, Liquor Control Board of Ontario # 417642 750 mL, 13.5%) 

“The Penniless Pensioner: Misaligned, Maligned but Marvellous” : Chapter 17: A Big Shot with a Bachelor of Arts: What Next?

I breezed through my Bachelor of Arts programme at McGill University so the question was what is next? When I was in the midst of my political science studies I noted the hordes of political science students slavishly busting their butts day and night in search of high grades to enable entrance into the hugely competitive law school admissions stream. Poor buggers I used to think. What came to me naturally they struggled with like a matter of life and death. Political science was the Golden Brick Road to law school these intellectually starved waifs thought.

Well as a rich bastard I could have lived a life of luxury anywhere in the world but I had these visions of my father Paneer who pulled himself up from poverty to establish a huge commercial enterprise albeit it was founded on dealing hashish to Indian monks and tourists.

I applied to McGill Law School and was accepted with my high marks and Indian ancestry that led to an advantage those law school administrators could exploit internationally. I rejected my acceptance to their dismay and delight of those ragged band of political science students who dreamt of what I rejected.

My choice was to work for a year in Montreal and write a novel. So I accepted a position as a casting assistant for the Connie Blue Talent Agency in Montreal to place, as I was told, leading talent in the emerging Canadian movie industry.

Connie was a throaty chain-smoking lesbian and Joc her “fronting husband” (another homosexual) ran the agency which was a two-bit supplier of underwear models for discount chain Zellers and Woolworths. I think their poufy dog really ran the agency while they were fornicating with “friends” in the backrooms of the agency. There was their lead talent an anorexic Russian who had the talent and body but was “overburdened” by cocaine. So it was a fruitless job for me. One day in my best Parisian French I dealt with a client and that French I used was mocked by Connie. I said, “Fuck Off you shit” and walked out the door.

So I focused on my novel for 6 months writing around the clock on a 1935 typewriter and it was called “Pirates of the Aegean”. It was filched from me into a stolen nowhere novel by the theif and picked up by Hollywood. The criminal pirate was the thief who stole my novel. He never was seen after his vacation to Bombay. My friends saw to that.

So what was next?

RKS Wine: Flapping Around on the Wild Side with Roast Turkey: Lambrusco!

Lambrusco’s reputation was in the crapper for many years as overproduction and lack of quality control kicked Lambrusco in the head. But it is trying to mount a comeback over the past few years. We see so little of it here in Ontario but what I have tasted in the last 5 years has been inconsistent. At times it is foxy and grapey then it can verge on hearty excellence still with a grapey influence. If I can make a comparison if you like a well-crafted Foch or Baco Noir you might appreciate a well made Lambrusco.

Can a Lambrusco dance with this bird?

As Christmas dinners are looming many poor turkeys will be living their last moments now. To complicate supply chain issues (an excuse to hike up prices) there is in certain parts of Canada avian flu causing culls of poultry stock. Can a Lambrusco be a match for roast turkey and all the trimmings?

Let’s try this Settecani organic Lambrusco in our Lambrusco and Turkey saga. Somewhat vacillating between dark red and purple in colour the grape influence on the nose is there but it is restrained and dignified and quite pure. There is some cherry, prune, black plum and smoke as well. On the palate a moderate acidic bite as can be expected of a sparkling wine. Quite a decent concentration of blackberry and black cherry. A short finish.

There are some out there that swear any wine matches turkey based on an erroneous assumption that tastebuds are rattled by pre dinner libations. I have never subscribed to that philosophy but there is no need to cower over your wine selection with a roast turkey. Being a gravy man, I love all my turkey and Brussel sprouts, squash, mashed potatoes, and stuffing swimming in pools of gravy that a slightly oaked Chardonnay or a Portuguese Encruzado can compliment with ease. As for red wine perhaps something on the light side such as a Pinot Noir might do well with a turkey. A full-bodied red wine will ruin both the wine and the turkey. The Lambrusco here has red wine fruit to it but discrete and the acids in it will match dark meat and cranberry sauce if you are partial to that bizarre condiment. It will also co-exist peacefully with white meat and even better with the crispy wings and legs.

I will be a happy camper this year with this Lambrusco. I consider it somewhat like a high-class Baby Duck that is mocked by many Canadians who are too young to realize that is what their parents were drinking. And of course, being a good host, you’ll have a bottle of white wine open as well. But with COVID encircling us for far too long live on the edge and try this Lambrusco!

Ontario residents note there is a huge LCBO inventory of this Lambrusco so it still has frightening power to the masses. I see a big reduction in price in early 2023 so it may be time to stock up for Thanksgiving.

(Settecani Lambrusco Grasparossa di Castelvetro D.O.P., Cantina Settecani, Castelvetro, Italy, $15.95, Liquor Control Board of Ontario # 29944, 750 mL, 10.5%, RKS Wine Rating 91/100).

RKS Wine: Canadian Pinot Noir: Westcott 2018 Pinot Noir VQA Vinemount Ridge

The centre of excellence for Canadian Pinot Noir in my humble opinion would be the Okanagan in British Columbia with highwater producers such as Meyer Family Vineyards, Mayhem Wines and Oak Bay. Ontario is a bit inconsistent in the Pinot Noir domain but there is Clos Jordanne that is consistently good. I have given up on low budget Pinot Noirs from Burgundy still hoping for Ontario Pinot Noir success stories.

With that Ontario great hope in mind we try a Wescott 2018 Pinot Noir from Niagara.

Aromatics of raspberry, cherry, beet juice, strawberry and a light dusting of mocha. On the palate the wine is light handed and restrained in comparison to Okanagan Pinot Noirs which are a bit more concentrated flavour wise on the palate. Light handed as to tannins and acidity which are both in the background as it should be with a Pinot Noir. There is cranberry, Portuguese roasted almonds, Obidos cherry liqueur with a little rift of charcoal. Short finish.

The wine would cruise nicely until the end of 2024 improving slightly in the bottle. It would suit a charcuterie platter with Iberian smoked ham and soft cheeses such as Oka and St. Nectaire or Morbier from France. For a more substantial match it would do well with a truffle pizza, mushroom Wellington or a mushroom ragout.

This Pinot Noir would suit Morbier cheese from France

The $31.95 price tag may seem a bit steep but in the Ontario price range for a quality Pinot Noir it is fair and gives the finger to French Burgundies at this price point. At the end of the day far leaner than Okanagan Pinot Noirs but do we clap and say this is Niagara terroir speaking?

(Westcott 2018 Pinot Noir VQA Vinemount Ridge, Westcott Vineyards, Jordan, Ontario, $31.95, Liquor Control Board of Ontario # 427500, RKS Wine Rating 90/100).

RKS Wine: The Great Turkey Compromise?

A good many of you out there will be having turkey over the holidays and that begs the question what wine to pour. That query could lead to a PHD thesis. Given the trusty or rusty if you prefer match the colour of wine with food then turkey is almost entirely white meat so white wine of course? Ooops but what about the dark meat? And what about those loving their cranberry sauce where white wine will be a sour experience!

Given the white meat and accompanying vegetables with my beloved gravy I say a white like a Chardonnay or Encruzado might do the trick. Lest you be muttering what is this turkey (pun intended) talking about I can suggest a compromise of a rosé!

One top choice for Ontario residents if they can find it would be a Featherstone Rosé from Niagara. Readers with good access to French wines why not a Mas des Bressades from the Costières de Nîmes? It is not quite red nor white but a bit of both. On the nose the fruit is “light” with watermelon, strawberries, raspberries and yes a smidge of cranberries. On the palate the fruit is light as well with some bing cherry, pepper and raspberry. If I can be so bold I would say this rosé is 70% white and 30% red.

Being an obstinate type my choice for a roast turkey with bread stuffing, Brussel sprouts, green beans, mashed potatoes and butternut squash in ankle deep pools of my gravy would be a lightly oaked Chardonnay or a Portuguese Encruzado from the Dão region. I have travelled to Portugal many times but not over Christmas but turkey there is in the shadows. I think the big festive Christmas dish is Bachalau a cod casserole if I can bastardize such a wonderful dish by calling it a casserole where a light red would be a spectacular match based on my consumption of that dish.

Stay tuned for “Turkey Meets a Wild Red” soon which is by the way not a flog for cheap American bourbon!

Mas des Bressades Cuvée Tradition, 2021 AOP Costières de Nîmes, France. A blend of Grenache, Syrah and Cinsault.

RKS Film: “No Bears”: Jafar Panahi Weaves a Great Film

“No Bears” is Iranian director Jafar Panahi’s latest film. Panahi has been a thorn in the side of the Iranian regime for years and is prohibited from leaving Iran. He has previously been arrested, charged, placed under house arrest and prohibited from making films. “No Bears” was filmed secretly in Iran. In “No Bears” Jafar Panahi weaves an intricate film innocent and amusing on one hand yet threatening and frightening to an increasing degree as the film progresses.

Panahi plays himself as a director in a village called Jaban proximate to the Turkish border. Since he is prohibited from leaving Iran he must direct the film being shot in Turkey remotely. It appears as if the film being filmed in Turkey is a documentary about husband Bakhtiar and wife Zara both Iranians who have escaped to Turkey and are seeking to enter Europe with false documentation. Zara has been imprisoned, beaten and tortured in Iran.

Panahi receives regular discs with shoots of the film in his role as a virtual director. He has rented a room in the rural village from Ghanbar (Vahid Mobaseri) and becomes involved in a village dispute about villagers Gozal and Soldooz who are in love with each other to the chagrin of the Yaghoob family who through some tradition involving a cut umbilical cord believes one of their sons is to marry Gozal. A nine-year-old boy says he has seen Panahi photographing Gozal and Soldooz which would prove their “dishonourable” relationship. Panahi denies ever taking the photo and offers to give the villagers a disc from his camera that would prove his assertion he never took the photo. The situation escalates quickly. As one villager tells Panahi townsfolk worry about authority and country folk about superstition. This strange situation might be amusing initially until it turns deadly.

His film in Turkey is imploding due to Zara’s unwillingness to leave Turkey without her husband Bakhtiar who is having difficulty obtaining a false passport. That story ends tragically.

Nothing in the film really amounts to an explicit criticism of the regime as that criticism is buried deep in the film which at first glance seems to be the telling of two stories but lurking below that is a ripping criticism of life under the Iranian regime including:

  • Lack of freedom of expression
  • Harassment by political, security and civilian authorities of those considered a threat to the regime  
  • The relentless flow of those seeking to flee Iran many via human smugglers
  • Confessions extracted as a matter of show lacking a grounding in reality
  • Fear instilled by lies
  • The willingness to blame foreign elements for domestic problems
  • Being driven from your own homeland by desperation

As one villager warns Panahi as he is walking the streets of the village one night be careful because there are bears on the street. The villager shortly after recants telling Panahi there are no bears in the street as that is simply a story made to scare us as our fear empowers others. So true of many countries both past and present and not simply Iran.

You can see the trailer here https://vimeo.com/765806753 . The film opens a Canadian theatrical run on December 23.

RKS Film Rating 96/100.

RKS Literature: Passage of the Day: Charity and the Day of Reckoning at the Gates of Heaven

“And you whose immortal soul opened a money changing shop: you sit on the threshold, plunge your hand into the sack, give alms to the poor, lend to God. You keep a ledger and write: I gave so many florins for charity so and so on such and such a day, and at such an hour. You leave instructions for the ledger to be put in your coffin so that you will be able to open it in front of God, present your bill and collect the immortal millions…”

Nikos Kazantzakis: “The Last Temptation”: 1961