CHIANG MAI THAI COOKING SCHOOL

THANK YOU,_______________________
Helene Falardeau is my big sister, and my friend. It is a great honour for me to peak to you about Helene today.

“Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be”
so wrote Abraham Lincoln.
My few and humble words about Helene are going to be about her contributions of happiness to this world, not a confirmation of the sadness in our loss- even though this now is the stark reality. My hope is these words will reflect some of your thoughts and wishes this day.

You might wonder, when talking to Helene about some of her adversity- how could she be so positive and create such an aura of happiness throughout her last four years and how she kept on going with such a remarkable attitude.

I wish to recognize helene’s courage and her continuous ability to
Be positive, and encourage all around her to stay focused- no negativity allowed, ever.
Also at this time, I also recognize Tom’s, and all
The Gibson’s/Henault”s …………..present, for their
Incredible contribution to Helene’s life. My sister
Ann and I will be eternally grateful for your love, respect,
Help you’ve given Helene.


Helene and cooking. If there are people here who have not experiences
Her incredible meals she prepared, I am truly sorry.
How she learned to cook and entertain is beyond me. She did not learn it from her mother. In the early years, dinner on Isabella,
Were virtual feasts. My partner, John everyt ime, (and I mean every time) would slap his thigh and announce, “this was the best
Dinner ever. He was right every time.

During, what a call the solo years, my john dead, and helene
Single. The dinners got better, the entertainment got better and
Terry got better. What wonderful Saturday nights.-

And on a date, now lost to history, came one of the most
Important dinners of my life. Helene premiered
The Peppy cheese casserole. How that casserole changed so many of our lives.-----(hand out the recipe)---Cook it, think of Helene,
It may change your life.

Then she left me, for Tom and Nelson. Who was Nelson?, I had never heard of Nelson. But I got to love Nelson and Tom. (not in that particular order, of course)

Helene always doodled. Ever since I could remember. In Nelson,
Her gift flourished. How amazed I was, am of her talent. Her creativity, subject matter, boldness, use of colour. I still am in awe.

As we sit around her art, we are actually sitting with her, and
She with us.

Finally, Helene loved sincerity and she respected where you
Were in your life.

To get back to Lincoln “Most forks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be” I can almost hear Helene saying right now, in all humility
“this is fine-I enjoy a celebration, thanks to all of you for making my life so rich and full. Now let’s get on with it, and be happy.

Organic Ontario Wild Rice, Swiss Chard, Smoked Tomato and Bacon Vinaigrette ($26)

Instead of the cod, the others at our table defaulted to ordering the pickerel, of which our server said was a personal favourite. Interestingly enough, he also mentioned that Globe was one of two restaurants in Toronto serving pickerel, perhaps from a certain source (I didn't catch), but I found that claim a little strange (we subsequently ended the evening at Pangaea for dessert, where we observed a pickerel course in their evening menu – a completely coincidental event for us to visit the only two restaurants in Toronto serving this fish in a row!). :P
The dish was cooked well (as opposed to well cooked), where the mild flavours of this fish were juxtaposed against the hearty bed of wild rice, bitterness of sauteed swiss chard and the grassy pea shoot topping. I enjoyed the smoked tomato and bacon vinaigrette to the side of the dish as it added a bit of pucker, full smoke flavour and richness to an otherwise clean tasting dish. I know that the other companions who were set on the cod were a tad disappointed as this dish didn't satisfy their desire for rich meatiness (I pre-warned them. ;) I know I strategically ordered this dish to follow my richer gnocchi course).
Another interesting item that JL wished to note was the fact that I had two filets of pickerel on my plate, where as he and MS both received only one filet. I mentioned that their one piece was perhaps larger than mine (but we all secretly agreed that even given that fact, I probably still had 45% more fish than either of them). Could this in any way be related to the fact that upon seating at our table, our server questioned whether I had been to Globe before as he thought he recognized me. I assured him that that could not be the case, however he might have mistaken me for a friend (who is also female and Asian) who also photographs her meals (and who had incidentally visited Globe a couple weeks prior). Could this be in any way related to the portions of fish I received? Was it just a coincidence? Am I just lucky? Do I look like I eat a lot (I did finish everything without a hitch)? Perhaps we will never know. ;)