What's Andrew Eating? Episode 1

Malcolm McTavish was born of Scottish immigrants in the Lower Lakes region of the Canadian Shield. A proud a spot as any for the son of Sheep Herder. Honest, hardworking folk that ner had a bad word to say of anyone.

Up early each day, Malcolm would take William; the family Border collie out along the beach of Lake Ontario and let him round up some of the geese that frequented the park close to the house. He loved to hear them honk and watch them scuttle along in front of William, who was weaving this way and that. The sun always felt warm on Malcolm's face. Didn't matter if it was mid December as the temperature dipped below freezing or during the humid lazy days of July. On days when there was school, William would follow Malcolm and be there when school was out to walk him home again. It was a grand life. Malcolm played hard with his friends and even tried out for Shirling believing the shear danger of the sport would win some affection from the girls. Unfortunately the game never really caught on and was cancelled after the first game when the opposing team captain had to be rushed to the hospital from snake venom in his eyes. 

After school, chores were completed and then homework which usually kept Malcolm busy until supper. It was a grand life and he treasured every minute of every day...well to be honest except supper. Supper was always something filling, never fulfilling. Malcolm loved his Mom, no question but he was tired of tatties and mince. Malcolm longed for something just a little different.

Then one day while he was down at the beach something strange happened. A warm gentle breeze carried with it something Malcolm knew was going to change everything. He knew the smell of backyard hamburgers and hotdogs no no no. this was something different. A tingling overwhelmed Malcolm's olfactory senses and he had to stop, head lifted in the air like his faithful companion William did whenever there was a beached fish warming on the sand.

This was no regular fish, certainly no fish Malcolm had ever smelled before. 

 

This was a Beer marinated pan seared Sable fish with smashed new potatoes, oven roasted heirloom tomatoes and sautéed pea shoots with double smoked bacon vinaigrette. 

Malcolm was overcome. He had to find where this new heaven was coming from. At the edge of the park, at the edge of the paved pathway that led all the joggers and cyclists towards the down town lived Andrew. It didn't take a long time for Malcolm to introduce himself to Andrew. And although he never asked, (his parents brought him up never to ask) he hoped - oh how he hoped that one day Andrew would invite him to stay. Until then, he was quite happy just to know that something else existed out there. And so he dedicated himself to taking up a diary and following Andrew's pilgrimage to his great culinary manifesto.

He called it, “What’s Andrew eating?” Malcolm’s world was changing.