As part of Algonquin’s new Indigenous Cooking course, students have received free cookbooks about native cooking.
It started as something innocuous.
“No one eats traditional now,” said Hélène Cayer, the woman responsible for giving away several cookbooks to Indigenous students.
This was something she sought to rectify. So, she gathered up many old books and while working with Indigenous Cooking course manager Wes Wilkinson, has worked to ensure students receive a cookbook they can call their own.
One of the major factors in her decision to give away the books, said Cayer, was the fact that many of the students coming to the course did not have many resources where they came from.
“It’s amazing that many of us are living in third world conditions in this country,” said Cayer, who is Algonquin herself.
Included in the bundles Cayer gave away with the books was sage, a plant of cultural significance to the Algonquin people.
“I didn’t smudge the books myself,” said Cayer, “but the students were given that ability.”
“We’re going to change the lives of 15 people at a time,” said Cayer.
