Mexico, and Europe.     Unfortunately, according to Coyle’s daughter Ellen, the magnitude of business grew beyond her father’s ability to control. “As is so often the case with inventors,” she said, “he was no match for the sharp practices of big business and their even sharper lawyers. The Coyle carton made several millionaires but Dad was not one of them. We lived comfortably but not affluently.” Coyle continued his egg carton manufacturing business until the advent of molded and plastic egg cartons. Coyle died in New Westminster, B.C. on April 18, 1972, just shy of his 101st birthday. His 1911invention of the centre-folding egg-carton survived until his death and then quietly died with him. by: Fergus Tomlin, Bulkley Valley Museum Director Joseph Coyle and his egg carton machine in Los Angeles ( February 1924)   An Invitation Do Unto the Soil   Memories of Family and Food   Egg - ceptional Inventor Joseph coyle Guest Musings Trevor’s Musings From the Publisher EGG-CEPTIONAL INVENTOR JOSEPH COYLE (1871-1972) Back to top Back to top Back to top Back to top From the picture you might assume that the Colonial Hotel was just another old building. Not so. You see, I arrived in 1958 at the tender age of 6 months, and for the next 6 years it became my home and playground; its colourful inhabitants contributing to the place where some of my fondest memories of family and food were formed.    Built in 1884, it housed much more than its 50 rooms. There were two, full-sized kitchens, one on each of the upper floors. At different times, throughout the many years, it also housed a restaurant, beer parlour, tea room, beauty salon and even horse-boarding for customers, who wished to park their 4-legged transport while enjoying their stay.  The hotel passed through many owners. The original owner Charles Desormier held onto it for only two years.  Second owner,  Alex Mclean, ran it for six years—apparently trying to attract customers by chaining a bear to the front lawn. And on it went, through a series of owners never quite achieving the grand reputation of either of its competitors the Dominion or Cosmopolitan. Prohibition forced it to convert to a boarding house, which it remained until William and Helen Bey, my Grand parents, purchased the boarded-up building in 1948 and reopened the hotel.    My recollections start somewhat abruptly at three years of age when my grandfather, to whom I was very attached died. With only a grade four education, my grandmother, whom by then I called mom, took care of me and her own children in that hotel from 1960-1972. She was kind, strong, and fiercely competitive.    Scaling the flight of stairs from street level to the second floor lobby, I experienced the character, color and energy that the Colonial provided. Life for me was an adventure. The ethnic diversity was panoramic; Chinese, Portuguese, English, French . . . the list was long. Somehow though, even with all the cultural differences the problems arising were few. Most of the folks were very mature, or should I say senior. The permanent guests, Mrs.Sharp, Gilbert, Toomuchi, and Salt pork were included in my daily rounds. No one there was rich, but Joey, the family dog, and I were always the benefactors of much generosity; a nickel, a candy, a bone and even a hand made paper airplane. The upper kitchen, used by guests was always busy. The aromatics produced here could be complimentary or shockingly displeasing. Salt pork, as his nickname suggests would cook a frying pan of bacon. Then Toomuchi, the Chinese rail labourer, would cook his favourite fish, adding to the smoke, which would necessitate opening all the upper floor windows.    Joys were simple. Family working together, cooking, canning, growing and searching for good food was a way of life. There was always a vegetable garden at the back of the hotel near a gigantic maple tree and there always seamed to be someone tending to it; my aunt Jeanette, my grandma, or even one of the full time residents. The garden was the place to pullout weeds or a cigarette, and then sit and relax. When the canning took place we processed lots of fresh food. Often we drove to Vernon to visit Baba to retrieve precious fruit from the orchards. The pantry was always full of jars of jam, fruit, and vegetables. While food was always available it was understood that every one show up for supper, because that is what family did. Laughter and the conversation of the day's experiences, and planning for future activities were discussed at the dinner table. Fresh bread, cookies, pies and cakes would suddenly appear among many other Ukrainian favourites in grandma's magic kitchen. All home-made from whole ingredients. MEMORIES OF FAMILY AND FOOD by Trevor Gagnon Picture compliments of Kamloops museum 249 West Victoria St. Kamloops An Invitation    Many of life’s most powerful memories are associated with food. It ties people to their history, brings families together, and often is the focal point of a celebration.  As a descendant of a long line of European agriculturalists growing, cooking and sharing food have always been at the centre of my values. One of the earliest photographs of me, shows a diaper- clad, 2 year old running through our backyard garden having snatched a prized tomato for an afternoon snack. Within weeks of being hired as a waitress at 14 years of age I had wormed my way into a busy Greek kitchen where I felt comfortable, solidifying a behind the scenes position for which I would have never been hired.    In my early twenties, an interest in plants combined with an over- active mind steered me back to the garden where I discovered my Zen. A garden judges no one. It merely reflects the natural consequences of actions and of life. Sometimes the actions are yours; enrich the soil, pull the weeds. Sometimes they are beyond your control; lots of sunshine, too much rain. But such is life. Do what you can, take care of what you have, aim for quality over quantity, share your abundance.     Not everyone wants to garden, and not everyone likes to cook. But I have never met anyone who didn’t like a well prepared meal. But herein lies the problem.  Urbanization has disconnected us from the source of our food and from much of its preparation. We have lost our food consciousness. We eat far too many products that no longer resemble any of their ingredients. We do the hokey-pokey with nutrition by processing it out and then putting some of it back. We call it “fortified “. Artificial is  so common that advertisers find it necessary to brag about products that contain "real" this or "natural" that. Shouldn't everything we eat be real and natural?    When I was a kid, I watched in disbelief science fiction films that depicted people consuming pills-ejected from a steel box on the wall- instead of eating meals. Welcome to the future!    Don’t get me wrong. I have no desire to go back in time to where 80% of my time would have been used to grow, prepare and preserve my own food. I feel fortunate to be able to buy things that I couldn’t possibly grow or produce myself. I like coffee in the morning, parmesan on my pasta, and I have a weakness for almonds and chips. I appreciate the convenience of my slow-cooker, bread machine and deep freeze.    Throughout my life, I have witnessed all sorts of food fads and inventions. Some don’t last long. Others go out of fashion, only to return 20 years later. Sometimes it’s just a longing for the good old days.  But occasionally, a renaissance is the result of realizing the honest-to-goodness value of something and having the sense to pull it back before it disappears altogether.  The renewed interest in gardening, buying locally and eating natural, whole foods tells me that we are aware of how dangerously disconnected we are from our food supply, and that we need to increase our food conscious. The revolution has begun.    The Garlick Press invites you on a journey. Search for your spatulas and pick up your pitchforks. Discover the benefits of getting "back to basics". Speak to the producers, distributors and preparers of your food. Plant a tomato on your deck, a garden in your yard or a plot in your community.  Don’t be afraid to get dirty. Experiment, learn, eat well and create memories. by Diane Parker       Grow Food. As Much As Possible. Eat Well.    In 1962, Rachel Carson an American biologist, writer and ultimate maverick spoke to the masses about the use and effects of chemicals on the natural environment in her book, Silent Spring.  Her work, which was both disturbing and enlightening, laid the groundwork for what would eventually evolve into an environmental consciousness. In it she said, “[The] soil community, consists of a web of interwoven lives, each in some way related to the others—the living creatures depending on the soil, but the soil in turn a vital element of the earth only so long as this community within it flourishes.”    As a geographer and gardener I interpret this statement as being about more than just dead leaves and crawlers in the soil. It is a statement about life in general, about the earth as an entity. All is connected; all of us dependent on something else. The past affects the present and the present affects the future.  Some things die so that others may live.    Carson’s concerns were ones of sustainability. As I write this note on April 22, the day that marks the 40th anniversary of Earth Day, I think about the concept of sustainability because that’s really what earth day is about. How can we balance our current needs without jeopardizing the ability of future generations to meet their needs?  The key word here is needs. And have we . . .do we, confuse them with wants?    Nature –excluding man—is a closed system that keeps itself in balance. It is the master recycler, using  everything that is produced, but never taking more than what is needed. There is no waste.    In this issue, I address the health of soil. It is the substance from which all life, not of water, springs. Human health is dependant upon the health of our soil. We must look after it, if we want it to look after us. If you want to do something good for the earth and yourself, grow a garden. When you compost you will be producing something wonderful with your organics and reduce the amount that goes to the landfill.  You will reduce the energy that goes into storing, irradiating and transporting and processing industrialized food products.  And, you will likely eat more vegetables as you walk to your garden instead of driving to the supermarket.  It may even make you feel connected to something greater than yourself as you stand in the midst of your garden and reflect in awe of being able to partake in creation. by Diane Parker Grow Food. As much as possible. Eat well. Do Unto The Soil