I have a curiosity and passion for iconic Jewish foods. I've previously blogged about New York and Montreal bagel, Toronto blueberry buns, and chocolate babka. The egg cream is another iconic creation from New York. For those not familiar with this drink, there is no egg or cream in it. It's sometime called a chocolate … Continue reading The Egg Cream: A New York Jewish Icon

The Galapagos Islands are situated in the Pacific Ocean about 1,000 km from the Ecuadorian coast. This archipelago and its immense marine reserve is known as the unique ‘living museum and showcase of evolution’. The archipelago is composed of 127 islands, islets and rocks, of which 19 are large and only 4 are inhabited. 97% … Continue reading My Incredible Trip to the Galapagos Archipelago

In the 10 days since Elon Muck took over Twitter, there has been a tremendous amount of angst, rumours, speculation. Little is known about his plans for the platform other than his sometimes bizarre tweets and interviews. Musk loves being provocative so it's difficult to know what the future really holds for the app. I … Continue reading The Future of Twitter Under Musk

Preston McPherson thought he could save his troubled Canadian dairy farm by growing marijuana, but his problems were only just beginning. With the help of his brother-in-law and local police sergeant, Ferg, he signs an agreement with a cannabis distributor, Green Fields, but money is still tight. When a greenhouse break-in sends Preston deeper into … Continue reading The Story Behind Deep Into The Weeds

After releasing my first book The Road Ahead, a political satire, many were surprised that my next book was a science fiction story. Loved Mars Hated The Food is a story about Dix Jenner, a self-proclaimed slacker, who is the first chef to live-and maybe die-on Mars. After an explosion kills his colony companions and … Continue reading The Story Behind Loved Mars Hated The Food

Memorial constructed at the site of the former Bedzin synagogue Hitler almost succeeded in making Poland judenfrei. The Germans murdered ninety percent of Polish Jews. Most of the survivors chose not to return. They really had nothing to return to. My father harshly criticized Poles for their anti-Semitism. His anger reflected Poland in the 1930s. … Continue reading My Impressions of Modern Poland

I've previously written about bagels and Toronto blueberry buns so I had to mention the babka. Part bread, part cake, and totally delicious: babka is among the most iconic Jewish sweets  and a common fixture at the dessert table of religious celebrations. For millions of people, the Jewish babka was introduced into the American consciousness by … Continue reading Jerry Seinfeld: “You Can’t Beat a Babka”

In 2016, I published my first novel, THE ROAD AHEAD. I never had ambitions to be an author like many of my writing friends. I didn't have a fine arts or literary background, but I did enjoy reading. So, the book release came as a surprise to all of my friends. When it all started … Continue reading The Story Behind My First Book

Most query rejections look something like this: “I didn’t connect”“just not for me” orno response at all (which means no) This is not helpful and I've seen many writers on Twitter complain, can’t they just tell me what’s wrong? Just a sentence or two. How long could that possibly take? One minute? Well, it will … Continue reading Why You Don’t Get Feedback From Agents

When I was a child in Toronto, a favourite treat was blueberry buns (shtitzlach in Yiddish). Until I was an adult, I never realized that these treats were unique to Jewish bakeries in Toronto. The blueberry bun is to Toronto Jews what smoked meat is to Montreal Jews. A blueberry bun looks like a Pillsbury … Continue reading Toronto Blueberry Buns: A Hidden Treasure