Canada Today: Questioning a Writer’s Ancestry, Bologna Dogs and the Galloping Gourmet

View in [Browser] | Add [nytdirect@nytimes.com] to your address book. [The New York Times] [The New York Times] Saturday, January 14, 2017 [NYTimes.com/Canada »] [Questioning a Writer’s Ancestry, Bologna Dogs and the Galloping Gourmet] By IAN AUSTEN [The Canadian author Joseph Boyden at the Edinburgh International Book Festival in Scotland. After nearly three weeks of silence, Mr. Boyden defended his claim to indigenous ancestry this week in two interviews and a news release.] The Canadian author Joseph Boyden at the Edinburgh International Book Festival in Scotland. After nearly three weeks of silence, Mr. Boyden defended his claim to indigenous ancestry this week in two interviews and a news release. Russell G Sneddon/Writer Pictures, via Associated Press  Joseph Boyden is a writer whose three novels are based on indigenous themes and characters. He has won [More news and information about Canada.]’s top literary award, the [Scotiabank Giller Prize], has had one of his books selected as [a must-read for Canadians] and has become one of the country’s best-selling and best-known authors. That celebrity has also made Mr. Boyden a prominent spokesman for indigenous people. About three weeks ago, long-held skepticism within the indigenous community over Mr. Boyden’s claims of native ancestry became a topic of broad public debate after an [investigative report] by the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network. Mr. Boyden responded this week. But [I found] that his continued claim to having at least some native ancestry seems to have only further fueled the criticism. [A view of Plaza St.-Hubert, home of Montréal Plaza.] A view of Plaza St.-Hubert, home of Montréal Plaza. David Giral for The New York Times Anniversaries Canada turns 150 this year while Montreal is celebrating its 375th anniversary. In Travel, Ingrid K. Williams suggests [five places to visit] in the dynamic island city. They’re all around Plaza St.-Hubert, the commercial drag of the fast-transforming Petite-Patrie neighborhood northwest of downtown. Captive There was a time when the public profile of Kevin and Julia Garratt was limited to owning the top-rated TripAdvisor destination in Dandong, China: Peter’s Coffee House. Christian aid workers from Canada, they had moved to the gritty city to provide aid to orphanages and a school for the disabled in neighboring North Korea. Then on Aug. 4, 2014, the Garratts were snatched up by China’s Ministry of State Security. That was the beginning of what would become just over two years of detention and interrogations for Mr. Garratt. Dan Levin [met with the couple] in Mississauga, Ontario. He found that their story “provides a rare glimpse into the workings of China’s opaque state security system. Their interrogations may also reveal clues about the vast reach of China’s global espionage network and the lengths to which the Chinese government will go to protect it.” Processed Fish have been the economic foundation of Newfoundland for centuries. But when Newfoundlanders sit down at their tables, there’s a very good chance that bologna will be served. It doesn’t matter if it’s breakfast, lunch or dinner. Here’s an extremely basic recipe from Kevin Phillips, the author of “The Bologna Cookbook,” which I didn’t include [in my article] on this sometimes unheralded protein: Boil quarter-inch-thick slices of bologna for 15 minutes, roll them up “as tightly as you can” and place in hot dog buns. Garnish with mustard. Although I have not tested it, Mr. Phillips assures me that it’s delicious. Bouncing Balls One of the hottest training aids in professional sports came out of Jocelyn Faubert’s optometry research laboratory at the University of Montreal. NeuroTracker, the video game created by Professor Faubert, is supposed to increase cognitive agility. Teams that use it include the Vancouver Canucks, the Atlanta Falcons and Manchester United. While Zach Schonbrun [found that the system has many believers], he also discovered that its critics “call the program digital snake oil. They believe that sports teams, desperate to gain any edge, might be buying into a gimmick.” The story includes a simplified version of the game. Galloping In 1969, a new kind of cooking show emerged from a television studio in Ottawa. Graham Kerr made cooking fun and filled with excess. “The Galloping Gourmet” became a hit. Kirk Johnson wrote that “he laughed uproariously at his own jokes, and told Americans that cooking at home did not have to be particularly sophisticated or difficult.” Mr. Johnson [caught up with Mr. Kerr,] now 82 and living in Mount Vernon, Wash., and found that while he was still cooking, kitchen hedonism was long in his past. Here are some articles from The Times over the last week, not necessarily related to Canada and perhaps overlooked, that I found interesting: — Wildlife officials warned that unless there is significant action to avert global warming, [polar bears will disappear]from much of the Arctic. — The bad news: [A robot may well take your job]. The good news: A long time may pass before that happens. — Norway has become the first country in the world to begin switching off FM radio. It will [operate only digital radio]. — “From a single gust of wind, [Clare Hollingworth] reaped the journalistic scoop of the century.” A native of Windsor, Ontario, Ian Austen was educated in Toronto, lives in Ottawa and has reported about Canada for The New York Times for over a decade. Follow him on Twitter at [@ianrausten]. HOW ARE WE DOING? We’d love your feedback on this newsletter. Please email thoughts and suggestions to [newsletters@nytimes.com]. LIKE THIS EMAIL? Forward it to your friends, and let them know they can sign up [here]. ADVERTISEMENT FOLLOW NYTIMES [Facebook] [FACEBOOK] [Twitter] [@nytimes] Get more [NYTimes.com newsletters »] | Get unlimited access to NYTimes.com and our NYTimes apps for just $0.99. [Subscribe »] ABOUT THIS EMAIL You received this message because you signed up for NYTimes.com's Canada Today newsletter. [Unsubscribe] | [Manage Subscriptions] | [Change Your Email] | [Privacy Policy] | [Contact] | [Advertise] Copyright 2017 The New York Times Company 620 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10018