I had the pleasure of interviewing Barbara Banfield for this spring’s Beach Studio Tour, always a popular event in this oh-so-artistic community. After we talked about her beautiful ceramic work, I posed the 5 questions.
1. Your favourite place in the Beach? – “I thinking walking ‘the peanut’.” The peanut?!? “Yes, it’s out at the end of Ashbridges Bay Park. That’s what we call it.”
2. What’s the last movie you’ve seen? – “A Separation. It’s an Iranian film that won Best Foreign Film at the Fox. It’s a bit dark, but good.”
3. Beer, wine, or whiskey? – “Scotch. I prefer a blended… with soda and ice.”
4. What are you currently reading? – “Last Night in Twisted River, by John Irving. It’s set in Northern Ontario.
5. Cat or Dog? – “Dog. We had a lab/border collie mix for the past 14 years. We just had to put him down, and it was very hard on us.”
6. Heels or flats? – “Flats. I don’t do well in heels. I was always too tall to wear heels.”
Jan Main has been the cooking columnist for Beach Metro News for 27 years. “I delivered my first column to the Y on Kingston Rd. hand printed. Then I graduated to faxing them over… now I email it in,” she said. Jan recently underwent a hip replacement, and said she id doing well.
1. Your favourite place in the Beach? – “There are so many of them. I like going to Kingston Road Flowers [966 Kingston Rd.]. With my first royalty cheque I bought a print of a painting of the store by Elizabeth Berry. I also like the far end of the boardwalk, down by Silver Birch or Kingswood. It’s more quiet with more of a community feel.”
2. What is the last movie you’ve seen? – “The Artist. I loved it.”
3. Beer, wine, or whiskey? – “All of the above! It depends of course what I’m feeling… or cooking… or eating.” Jan then told me that she uses whiskey in cooking. “It’s good for deglazing a pan… or making a sauce,” she said. I’m hoping it will appear in a future column.
4. What are you currently reading? – “With this surgery, people have been flooding me with books! I just finished reading Birds of a Feather by Jacqueline Winspear. It’s a mystery about a female detective just after the First World War. A recent favourite was Cutting For Stone by Abraham Verghese. He uses language beautifully.”
5. Cat or Dog? – “We’re great animal lovers in our family, and I do love cats. My daughter is at [the University of] Guelph completing her masters degree working with large animals, especially dairy cattle.”
6. Heels or flats? – “I prefer flats. They are much more comfortable… but it’s nice to have a pair of heels.”
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