Flipper flap
Haute seal cuisine gets a boost from Jean's nosh
When I was a little girl, one of the most exotic items in my mom's closet / my sister's and my dress up wardrobe, was a seal skin coat. It was a slippery silvery grey with irregular black patches, and came with a matching clutch and jaunty cap. Other than being used as a costume to stage one of my marathon play-pretend sessions, the coat rarely saw the light of day. I think perhaps the only time my mother wore it was to have her picture taken in it to send back to my grandfather. You see, he had caught those seals, skinned them, and sent the skins to a friend to have matching coats, clutches, and jaunty caps made for each of his girls. Understanding that, those ensembles survived in closets across Canada for years. Understanding the flack that would be taken for wearing them in public is what relegated them to the closet in the first place.
It is fashionable to preserve certain ways of life, while simultaneously forcing others to change with the times. Many of the arguments I have heard from proponents of a ban on sealing include a caveat for what they define as "traditional" hunts. For them, I have two questions. Why does the Newfoundland hunt, dating back to at least 1723, not qualify as traditional under such a definition? Why, despite it being the most important industry in late 19th and early 20th centuries, does it not qualify as a way of life worth preserving?
Comments
Oh yeah, I remember that coat! I think it is possible Mom wore it once in Germany. I actually remember when she put it on to get her picture taken! There were a lot of pictures then of a lot of nifty outfits. Remember the black polyester 1-piece bell bottom pantsuit with the "diamonds" on the front? I think you may have recycled that as a halloween costume. There was a also a 3-piece ensemble in green and white (polyester, of course) - skirt, top, and jacket and I made Mom promise never ever to throw it away because it was so pretty and I wanted it when I grew up. When she wore it, it made me think of springtime.
Good lord, what is Bobbin going to be making fun of in my closet when she's my age? I can only imagine :-) And what if anything will she ask me to save for her for when she's big? Hehe... probably all the fancy dresses that already don't fit me.
Posted by: heather at June 5, 2009 03:47 PM
Bobbin will undoubtedly make fun of my wardrobe that you wear ;-)
Posted by: Tim at June 6, 2009 12:49 AM