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Appetite for excess
by CHRISTOPHER HUTSUL
May 9, 2007
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/serv...509.wxlbohedonism09/BNStory/lifeFoodWine/home
Joe Dias and five of his friends are gathered around an old electric heater in an uninsulated Kensington Market studio, trying to keep out the cold and waiting for the warmth of the Scotch to kick in.
They're drinking Talisker, a peaty single malt as rugged as a Scottish coastline. It gives off a fire-pit perfume that swirls around the drafty Toronto den where Mr. Dias, a film and TV set dresser, and his friend Gian Hofer, who is currently between jobs, tweak road bikes for fun and relaxation.
They refer to the cluttered studio - which is dressed with yard-sale oil paintings and roadside furniture, and equipped with vintage stereo gear - as "the living room," but it resembles something closer to an urban tree fort.
Mr. Hofer opens a package of nougat. It's a European brand -- hard to find in Canada. He cycled across town to get it, he tells us. Someone points out that the sweet, crispy treat brings out a hint of toffee in the scotch. Or was it nuttiness?
Like the artists, actors and gypsies labelled bohemians in 19th-century France for appearing to embrace a life of poverty, this accidental collective of bike couriers, film workers and odd-jobbers are men of relatively scant means. Yet here they are, indulging in the world's premium offerings.
At some point, the non-rich - artists, students and renters - developed a taste for expensive food and wine, and the bohemian hedonist was born: the bohedonist.
They express no desire to own houses or luxury cars, but can pontificate about fine chocolate, artisanal cheeses and Berkshire pork with a tone of connoisseurship usually reserved for the snobbish - and wealthy.
For her recent 30th birthday, Amber Gertzbein enjoyed high tea at the Windsor Arms before moving on to dinner at the upscale haunt of Toronto's moneyed classes, Scaramouche. But Ms. Gertzbein is no trust-fund baby. She's a secretary at the University of Toronto. She's twice been unemployed in the last five years - but never stopped shopping at boutique grocery stores.
"I would rather pay a few dollars more for pristine produce ... than have to sift through the picked-over, bruised and banged-up bananas at No Frills," says Ms. Gertzbein, who also has a soft spot for pastries from Frangipane on Madison Avenue.
"I currently have a bit of savings, and an RRSP I try to contribute to, but sometimes you just need a chunk of truffle pecorino."
Young people of moderate means are describing themselves as foodies, organizing dinner-party clubs and gossiping about the hottest new restaurants at a time when Canadians are bigger spendthrifts than ever before.
According to a Statistics Canada report, Canadians are saving less, spending more and accruing more debt in the process. They are spending 19 per cent more in full-service restaurants than they did in 2001.
According to a recent poll conducted by the Strategic Counsel for The Globe and Mail, 40 per cent of 18- to 34-year-olds spent between $50 and $99 the last time they had dinner for two. Eleven per cent spent between $100 and $149.
Although the word bohemian originally described an inhabitant of Bohemia, its colloquial usage has come to represent an individual who has chosen an arty, cultured life over one of material gain.
In the mid-Nineties romantic comedy Reality Bites, Ethan Hawke's bohemian character attempts to woo Winona Ryder away from a yuppie antagonist, suggesting all they need is "a couple of smokes, a cup of coffee and a little bit of conversation."
Add a frosty bottle of Veuve Clicquot to that list, and you'd have your bohedonist mantra.
Foie gras is Michelle Holtzkener's culinary weakness. The EMI staffer has been renting a downtown apartment for seven years. She wants to own a place some day, but for now she's content to be at home with her $40 cheese slicer and a chunk of La Sauvagine, a Quebec cheese that she describes as "better than a down payment."
"I love eating," Ms. Holtzkener says. "I love the way good food makes me feel. I love the idea that - when it's prepared properly - food is art."
Ms. Holtzkener and her friends routinely engage in long e-mail strings debating where to make restaurant reservations. During the meal, they snap pictures of the wine bottles for future reference. In the days following, they share their impressions of the experience in more e-mails.
"I know I can't eat like that every day - I can't afford to," Ms. Holtzkener says. "But in the grand scheme of things, dropping $100 on a really fantastic meal once in a while is both justified and dignified."
So how does the bohedonist afford these indulgences?
"Hooray for Visa," says Queen West art scenester Julia Burton. The former director of Park Gallery has recently diverted a considerable chunk of her budget to dining out. The exact amount is "too shameful to say."
"I guess I could be practical and eat pasta and steamed veggies and put all that money in an RRSP, but then somehow life would be less thrilling without the debt and tasty treats," she says. "Food is generally my biggest indulgence."
Scotch aficionado Mr. Dias sees good value in expensive treats. "It is a luxury, absolutely, but unlike some people I know in my age group and income bracket I don't get a lot of, say, name-brand clothing. I wouldn't go out and buy an Armani shirt or a high-end pair of Nike Jordans for $200."
To see value in something as fleeting as a glass of premium whisky may seem impractical - perhaps even un-Canadian - but John Mastroianni, general manager of gourmet grocer Pusateri's in Yorkville, says when it comes to spending money on high-end food and drink, attitudes are changing. He believes we're catching up to our European counterparts.
"There's always been a passion for wine and food in Europe, while we've always seemed to be more materialistic," Mr. Mastroianni says.
"But now we're seeing more food fanatics ... people who enjoy all types of food and are becoming quite versed in these products. When you think back a few years, you didn't have as many people talking about chocolate. Now you've got people spending hours talking about chocolate."
Back in Mr. Dias's bike shop, comments are being etched in the Scotch ledger. The Talisker is well received, but it can't dethrone Johnnie Walker Gold, which continues to reign with a score of 9.5 points out of 10.
Perhaps it will be dethroned at the next tasting byKnappogue Castle, a $65 Irish whisky. To find it, Mr. Dias will have to cycle past his local LCBO in favour of the more amply stocked Summerhill location. It's a long, cold bike ride, but well worth it.
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