AMY

I spent the first 18 years of my life on Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia, Canada. Food of all sorts was a primary interest for me from the time I was a very young child, and even in far eastern Canada, on a relatively sparsely populated island, I was introduced to a variety of cuisines and eating experiences.

I grew up in a Jewish family and enjoyed standard Jewish fare like brisket, rye bread, pickled herring, and matzoh ball soup. I loved my Nanny’s gefilte fish and chopped liver—begged for it, even! For more typical local flavor I’d visit my neighbors the Malloys, a family with eight children. Their kitchen was always full of what seemed like exotic foods, Scottish and Irish, so different from the food of my family. I particularly enjoyed their Christmas treat of plum pudding and hard sauce.