Lots of troll fuss this week. It must be said that the news has been good for them.
Planned abandonment of the third link in Quebec, or rather, sacrilege for the devotees of the pickup and the solo car: a third link entirely devoted to public transport, until its probable cancellation altogether. Revealing of the name of the victim of Harold LeBel, the Mayor of Longueuil Catherine Fournier, and celebration of his immense courage. But not only. Some radio hosts criticized him for his quest for justice… There was also Musk who “took off” the personalities on Twitter, accused the CBC of being a state media, before retracting himself. Elonese armies live from a 24/7 party on Twitter. Basically, it was a rich week for the pissed off the jar. Extremists of all stripes have not run out of fuel.
And in the midst of all this noise, a page has turned. Ricardo Larrivee presented his last daily TV show after 21 years at Radio-Canada, but above all, in the homes of Quebecers. I’m going to talk about Ricardo here because for me, this man – and this brand – is a barometer of the intimate state of Quebec.
In the media landscape for three good decades, he has built an empire (recently absorbed by the Sobeys group). His friendly face literally governs what a large number of Quebecers eat every day. Look for a bolognese or stew recipe; invariably, the algorithm will send you back to Ricardo. Its position is essential.
It is a brand, but above all a first name. A friend of all, familiar with his presence on TV, where he grew up cooking with us, gradually, not denying his values: family and education.
He has always campaigned for better culinary literacy, from childhood. The democratization of cooking is its commitment. He has contributed to putting forward a cuisine that is concerned with current issues, accessible, simple and not intimidating. Ordinary, but with a twist. He is rich, but modest. He’s the good reliable guy. Never confrontational, but firm and determined.
His cuisine is a metaphor for the state of mind of Quebec, a barometer of our collective moods. His two books on the slow cooker, in the 2010s, were incredible successes. They propelled the sale of these small household appliances inseparable from that era, and the soft-eating kitchen. The slow cooker has the effect of making all foods soft and perfectly digestible. It extinguishes the colors and mixes the flavors. It’s effortless: you throw everything into it pell-mell and six hours later, a chicken tagine with dates or a lasagna emerges!
Tender and soft food, culinary refuge, cuddly toy for the taste buds. The Quebec of those years was post-post-referendum, lethargic and liberal. When maple spring comes in 2012, part of the population experiences the awakening of youth as a shock. The slow cooker is like a symbolic refuge, a gustatory comfort.
In the 2020s, and particularly with the pandemic, social fractures are widening, tempers are heating up; Quebec is at BROIL. Ricardo senses it! He throws To the plate!, where food transitions to crisp, searing cooking. He captures the torrid air of the weather and transposes it into the kitchen. It’s fast, raw, totally of its time.
And recently, while Quebec was going through collective trances in the face of immigration, it published To eat together, a unifying book on hospitality and the joy of sharing. Through his recipes, Ricardo invites us to open ourselves to the table of others, to question ourselves, to mix ourselves. Its most popular recipe resembles what we are becoming, flexible and open: a general Tao tofu…
Seemingly untouched, Ricardo talks about his company. It has changed our habits, and even our values in the kitchen. It is the main source of our daily culinary success.
Even if a whole generation of chefs, from Pinard to Marilou via di Stasio, have made us evolve, few do so on such a domestic, trivial basis. He understood Quebec’s appetite.
This is why politics is never far from food politics. Involved in the food component of the LAB École, he dabbled in politics through the gang. His association with Sobeys, the handover of his program to the next generation – Isabelle Deschamps Plante –, his involvement with young people suggest that he is not about to go away, but his popularity and his intuition of this that is Quebec make him someone who is certainly very courted. He already masters the ingredients of Quebec soup. It remains to be seen which political party tastes the most stewed…