Food Mail is freaking rad and other such thoughts

I love food mail day. Fresh glorious food! We have had numerous requests for specific information about living up here and we are trying to do this. I thought Food Mail info would be helpful as we were very confused about the whole process coming up here due to a lack of information. For those who don't know what food mail is, keep reading. For those who do, skip a short paragraph.

This is my understanding of the program, however it could be quite wrong in some ways too, so be sure to look into it yourself if you need more info. Food mail is food shipping program that subsidized specific businesses who sell and ship food to remote communities. It is designed to ensure residents have access to nutritious food and stay healthy which saves the Canadian taxpayer in the long run I would suspect. Here is a list of the changes which they have recently made and the following items are no longer allowed. They are trying to encourage fresh perishable food is being shipped, not things that can be shipped on a sea lift.


 FOOD MAIL PROGRAM – NUTRITION NORTH CANADA

ALL PASTA NOODLES, SOUP NOODLES, LENTILS, RICE, ORZO, DRIED PEAS, KRAFT DINNER.
ALL CANNED GOODS SUCH AS FRUITS, VEGETABLES, SOUPS, FISH, PÂTÉS.
EAGLE BRAND MILK, TEA, COFFEE, WATER, TOMATO JUICE, V-8 JUICE, ALL THE MARINADES.
CAKE MIX, MUFFIN MIX, CAKE FROSTING, PASTRY DOUGH, PUDDING MIX OR PREPARED PUDDING, JELLO POWDER, BAKER’S CHOCOLATE, POP CORN.
CHEESE WHIZ SPREAD, JAMS, JELLY, COFFEE WHITENER.
CROISSANT, GARLIC BREAD, ALL DIPS, CREAM CHEESE, SOUR CREAM, CREAM, YOP, HARD MARGARINE, HYDROGENATED SOFT MARGARINE, SHERBET, ICE MILK, ICE CREAM, FROZEN YOGOURT.
FRENCH FRIES, SIDE BACON, WHOLE PUMPKINS.
DIAPERS, TOILET PAPER,  SANITARY NAPKINS, BODY SOAP, LAUNDRY DETERGENT, DISHWASHING DETERGENT, FABRIC SOFTENER, SHAMPOO, CONDITIONER, PRESCRIPTION DRUG

We use a company named marche central du nord.

So, we just had ours delivered tonight and here is what it looks like:

Food Mail boxes

Food Mail all unpacked

 Now this is a big meat order as we don't really like much of the meat that is available up here in the stores. It's expensive and most of the cuts include bones. This is not an average weekly order for us because we are trying to fill up our deep freeze (a very helpful thing, be sure to bring one up with you) just in case there is a time when we cannot get planes in.

This order includes about $600 in food and the final bill came to approximately $800. There are packing fees, freight and the goods and services tax. So, it does bump the prices but the veggies are very fresh and we can get goods that are not available up here like sausage and soy milk. mmmmmmm.

We received our Canada Goose Order and the coats are very nice but pricey! The sticker is $625 plus taxes each. Sadly Margot's did not fit well so is being sent back. The worst part is there seem to be none available anywhere right now until the company begins shipping there latest production run, which may not be for a while. Good thing she is working on building a traditional Inuit parka at her craft group. I must say though, I do love my new coat! It's a funny thing about the fur though, it's a bit like having our dog Kala wrapped around my head. The consistency and feel of the coyote fur is identical. Makes sense though as they are all part of the canine family. A local was telling me domestic dog fur makes a great fur for clothes as it repels water very well and is quite warm. Hmmm, I'll stick with coyote thanks.

Mr. Winter!

Gosh, electronics drive me crazy sometimes. I bought Margot an 8gb Ipod touch for her birthday after much to do (numerous problems with the credit card address). Well, it can't hold a charge and seems to be overheating during use. So, now we have to send it back. boohoooooo! A real stinker eh? Oh well, we'll get another one!

Oh, and one of the boys who was involved in the shooting with RCMP the other night, was actually registered in my class. I have never met him though as he has never come to school. We had some follow up meetings with the students and such today, but I am too tired to write about it. This is the sort of topic I need to be sure I am firing on all cylinders to talk about, and right now, I am like a v6 running on 3. I can't wait for this damn illness to leave me.

Take care all!
-Richard