Inuvik, North West Territories must have seemed the last bastion of wilderness remaining in Canada. Anyone who was anyone wanted to visit; royalty, prime ministers past and present, artists, writers and musicians all came to Inuvik, "Land of the Midnight Sun".
One year the Toronto Symphony came to town. They performed at local schools and auditoriums, did their best to experience the authentic north and a lucky few even managed to try the "blanket toss".
Before they climbed on board their plane to return to Toronto, the local people wanted to show their hospitality by sharing the bounty of the north with a somewhat traditional feast.
The menu featured such delicacies as arctic char, muscox, reindeer, caribou, moose meat and bannock. However, it was two other dishes from the menu that stand out in my mind. A friend of mine was a young head chef of the hotel where the dinner was to be held. He enlisted my help as I had been in the north longer and was perhaps a bit more familiar with local fare.
No traditional meal from the coastal region would be complete without muktuk or whale meat. Muktuk in its raw form has a thick blanket of white, rubbery fat covering the rather thin layer of meat. Traditionally the fat would have been eaten to help the human body fend off the cold. In these more modern times, some are reluctant to indulge in this aspect of the delicacy. So, we trimmed off most of the fat and proceeded to boil the muktuk untill it was tender. I cannot begin to describe the smell of cooking muktuk. No offense intended to the Inuit, but it is very nasty-smelling stuff. Served in chilled, thin slices it appeared quite innocuous looking.
To go along with the caribou, muscox and other wild meats I went to the bush and gathered wild cranberries. I had intended them as a garnish, cooked only slightly with sugar to give them a high sheen. They were actually extremely bitter.
The feast was laid out buffet-style with small signs indicating the contents of each dish. The wise locals barely touched the cranberries or muktuk but our brave Toronto Symphony were undaunted by bitterness or strong smell. They ate with gusto and relish and expressed their delight with everything.
I can only imagine what it must have been like on the long flight to Toronto with limited bathroom facilities.
Note: The Symphony continued their relationship with the people of Inuvik supporting the youth with musical instruments and teaching.
