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G7 ministers will be exposed to seal pelts and meat when they come to Nunavut this week

Deal the seal: European countries are considering banning Canadian seal meat (Photo by Ville Miettinen)

When Governor General Michaëlle Jean tasted a bit of seal meat last May, she was pilloried by animal rights activists but praised by Rex Murphy for her “spectacle of empathy in action” and “imagination.” This week, that same brand of imagination is leaking into the G7 meeting in Iqaluit. On the eve of a European ban on seal products, the Canadian government is welcoming European finance ministers into a Nunavut legislature adorned with sealskin chairs and handing them plenty of seal swag (vests and mittens, mostly). Servers will wear sealskin hairpins and, at Saturday’s dinner, will be serving portions of—what else?—seal.

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The Dish

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January 18, 2010 | 9:35 am

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Rapper would eat pterodactyl in defiance of PETA, Iron Chef scandal at the White House, Guy Fieri gets NBC show

• Some commenters believe that the recent White House–themed episode of Iron Chef was rigged with fake vegetables. The items Mario Batali, Emeril Lagasse and Bobby Flay frantically picked from the White House garden were not the ones actually used during the cooking segment of the show. The Food Network explains that the production delay between White House filming and Kitchen Stadium (located in New York) necessitated the use of replacement veggies. If reality TV can lie about vegetables, does this mean that Jersey Shore could be trumped up, too? [Colbert Report]

• Kelis, the rapper whose milkshake famously brought all those boys to the yard, directs a MySpace blog post at PETA, which had written her a personalized letter about her love of fur. In the response, she is unapologetic about her pelt fetish and describes how she salivates over meat. The funniest moment is when she indicates that she would “eat pterodactyl if you found some and you told me it was meaty and delicious.” [MySpace]

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The Dish

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December 9, 2009 | 8:44 am

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London named world’s top vegetarian city, banning Christmas cookie decorations, more French wines under $30

Beware the bedazzled cupcake (Photo by Ilena)

• How safe are dragées, those weird decorative silver balls that often find their way onto desserts during the holidays? The FDA suggests that they should be used only for decoration, and they’ve disappeared from California after a lawyer argued that the silver could build up toxicity in the body over time. We couldn’t help but wonder who would miss the gaudy garnishes, but some are apparently enamoured with them. “I think Christmas is going to have to come to an end,” said one melodramatic caterer of California’s dragée ban. “How can we decorate cookies without those silver balls?” [Epicurious]

• London, England, has been declared by PETA to be the most vegetarian-friendly city in the world, beating out New York, Melbourne and even Mumbai. PETA cited London’s pantheon of meat-free restaurants and its variety of meatless ethnic cuisine as reasons why it trumped all other cities. The famously vegetarian Paul McCartney lauded the decision: “After 40 years of touring as a vegetarian, I’m proud to say that when it comes to eating, there’s no place like home.” [Daily Telegraph]

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The Goods

Required Reading

November 26, 2009 | 3:29 pm

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Christian Louboutin calls his customers ‘sluttish,’ Demi Moore denies Photoshop work, Toronto toy company takes on Barbie

The scandalous Demi Moore W cover

• Christian Louboutin, the man who made six-inch heels the norm, describes his shoes as tarty, saying women sometimes buy them to feel more “sluttish.” These customers include prostitutes, who the designer says wear his shoes because they’re “super-chic.” When that inevitable Pretty Woman remake is shot, Louboutin would be the perfect candidate to supply those “super-chic” thigh-high vinyl boots Julia Roberts wore. [The Times]

• Kate Moss is at it again. This time, the British model is being chastised for admitting that she tells herself that “nothing tastes as good as skinny feels,” a mantra frequently touted on pro–eating disorder Web sites. Sure, it was an incredibly stupid thing to say, but cut her some slack. She’s a well-documented cocaine user who used to date Pete Doherty. Clearly, her judgment wasn’t too sound to begin with. [BBC]

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Toronto International Film Festival 2009

September 16, 2009 | 3:09 pm

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MuchMusic VJ Sarah Taylor is vegan, but not like Pamela Anderson

Sarah Taylor at the PETA party

Last night, Tryst night club reeked of Axe body spray, imported beers were $7 and the hors d’oeuvres (fruit plates and crudités platters) were vegan. Ah, yes, another film festival party that had nothing to do with movies. This one was Toronto’s first-ever bash for PETA and was hosted by MuchMusic VJ Sarah Taylor.

A fashion show featured Canadian designers like Joeffer Caoc and cruelty-free clothing, including some takes on the lettuce bikinis PETA supporters often wear. Models looked they had stepped straight out of Maxim, enormous breasts and blond hair included.

We caught up with Taylor, who immediately asked us if we were wearing leather shoes. “Are you wearing fur?” she continued. We joked about having 12 mink coats at home but she didn’t seem amused. “I’m vegan. This is a cause I really believe in,” said Taylor. “I’m all about cruelty-free products.” When we asked if she was hoping to be Toronto’s Pamela Anderson (a huge supporter of PETA), she replied, “Looking down at my chest, I’d say no.”

The Dish

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July 9, 2009 | 9:51 am

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Camels as burgers, Jack Astor’s glory, McDonald’s goes green

Hump prey: Young camels are being turned into burgers (Photo by Robert Rybnikar)

Hump and grind: Young camels are being turned into burgers (Photo by Robert Rybnikar)

• Baby camel burgers will join the ranks of Japanese whale sandwiches on a list of exotic food that drives PETA members nuts. Customers of Hashi Meals (“hashi” means baby camel) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, say the burgers have a delicate taste, and experts say they’re low in fat. [Reuters]

• Sales at such mid-range casual chains as Jack Astor’s and Alice Fazooli’s are up seven per cent year over year, while high-end restaurants continue to struggle through the recession. We feel it’s our duty to remind Torontonians that a steak at Jack’s is $25.98, but the Summerlicious prix fixe at Batifole is just $25—and Lady Gaga won’t be blasting in the background. [Globe and Mail]

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The Dish

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July 7, 2009 | 10:17 am

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Seal meat on the rise, New Yorkers in the Junction, marriage linked to obesity

• Seal meat is the hot entrée at Montreal restaurants a month after the Governor General Michaëlle Jean horrified vegans by eating raw seal, proving that when it comes to good eating, diners are unmoved by cuteness. Perhaps PETA’s campaign to stop the consumption of fish—by renaming them “sea-kittens”—might actually backfire. [New York Times]

• Corey Mintz strives to prove that there are good Mexican restaurants in Toronto. His weekend review of fancy Frida, mid-priced Milagro and straight-up Rebozos reveals that authentic Mexican can be found at every price point. But while he made us crave citrus ceviche, we’d like to point out that all the restaurants he visited are all north of St. Clair. Luckily, Milagro has a second location in the entertainment district. [Toronto Star]

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The Dish

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May 28, 2009 | 8:29 am

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The city vs. Ossington, Michaëlle Jean takes heart, more kitchen nightmares for Ramsay

Halted hip-ocracy: Restaurants like Pizzeria Libretto were lucky enough to open before the city stopped issuing licenses (Photo by Ingorrr)

Halted hip-ocracy: Restaurants like Pizzeria Libretto were lucky to open before the city stopped issuing licences (Photo by Ingorrr)

• Due to an increase in noise complaints from residents, the city has put a year-long moratorium on restaurant and bar licences being issued to spots on the Ossington strip. Restaurants that applied before Tuesday at 2 p.m., like Paul Boehmer’s upcoming resto-market, are safe. [National Post]

• The backlash over Governor General Michaëlle Jean’s ingesting a raw seal heart during a traditional feasting ceremony in Nunavut has reached international levels. PETA used the words “blood lust” and “Neanderthal,” and a spokesperson for the EU Environment Commissioner called the event “too bizarre to acknowledge.” Elsewhere, New York gossip site Gawker called her “Canada’s Sarah Palin.” [CBC]

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The Dish

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February 4, 2009 | 11:07 am

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Pangaea honoured, grown-up kids’ food, Ontario’s mushroom recall

The delicious, salty kebab (Photo by Smeerch)

• The Ontario Hostelry Institute has announced that the owners of Yorkville’s Pangaea are the 2009 Gold Honourees in the category of Independent Restaurateurs. The award will be given at a Four Seasons Hotel black-tie gala in April. [Newswire]

• A recent survey by food standards officers has found that the average kebab contains 98 per cent of a person’s daily recommended salt intake and almost 150 per cent of the daily recommended intake of saturated fat. No wonder they’re so popular. [Reuters]

• Listeria strikes again—maybe. Fresh Obsession brand enoki mushrooms possibly contaminated with the bacteria are being recalled from Metro stores across Ontario as a preventive measure. [Montreal Gazette]

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