Podcast
Transcript of the podcast:
Introduction
- [Nonsensical theme music plays] (Elliott, 2023).
- Hello, I am Clark Elliott and welcome back to the Nonsensical podcast, a place where we educate our viewers with a new and random topic every episode.
- Don’t forget to buy tickets to my live show in November, tickets are on sale at nonsensicalpod.com
- So, how are you? Are you doing good today? I hope you are, now let's begin!
[Sizzling sound effects] (CLEREMTV, 2021)
- Today’s episode delves into the topic of Canadian food history, as we focus our attention to the life of Jeanne Anctil, as she made many contributions to Canadian society and food history.
- I will begin the episode by introducing you to Anctil, discussing her early life, education, career and her cookbook, “350 cooking recipes”.
- So, why are we talking about Jeanne Anctil? Why is she so significant?
- Anctil's life and work are significant as she not only challenged traditional gender roles, but also played a crucial role in advocating for women's education, home economics, and nutrition. In this podcast, we'll explore her important contributions that have left a lasting impact on food history and women's autonomy in Canada.
- But first, who is she?
- Jeanne Anctil is a French-Canadian woman who was born on December 27th, 1875, in Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pocatière, Quebec. She is best known as a teacher and principal of Montreal Écoles Ménagères Provinciales, or the Provincial Housekeeping School (Fradet, 2005). This would be a time in her life where she made most of her contributions to food history, but we’ll discuss more on that later on. Lastly, Anctil can also be known as a speaker and an advocate for women's education.
Early life
- Anctil was born and raised in La Pocatiére, Quebec, and when she was 11 years old, she attended a convent school from 1886 to 1893 (Fradet, 2005). She would have been apart of a Catholic sisterhood, being educated by nuns for most of her upbringing into adulthood
- I think it's really interesting to note that she was the second-youngest out of 12 siblings in her family, that’s pretty crazy (Driver, 2008).
- We can assume that attending the convent solidified her religious beliefs which influenced her later works.
- It is also known that Anctil worked as a private tutor for a family before she began teaching (DeMarco, 2011).
- Though, there is not much explained about her early life, until she was requested by the founders of Provincial Housekeeping School to learn abroad in 1904.
- But, just before I talk about her career, I should explain how the school came to be as it relates to Anctil’s advocacy efforts.
- So, in 1902, a group of forward-thinking, French-speaking middle-class women made it their effort to not only assist the men in their lives, which were often their husbands, but to play an active role in solving the financial and social issues of their community.
- They established the women's section of the Association Saint-Jean-Baptiste de Montréal, and their goal was to actively contribute to addressing the societal challenges of the time (Fradet, 2005), most of the time there were financial.
- This captured the attention of Joseph-Xavier Perrault, who, in 1904, gave a special invitation to these women. He saw the potential to establish a school dedicated to household science, right in Montreal, and the women embraced the idea with enthusiasm.
- What is interesting about this school particularly, is that 2 other schools opened around the same time, however this school was specifically made to be secular (Durand, 2011).
- The school had a clear purpose, though. It aimed to provide accessible, public classes in home economics, nurturing skills that would empower individuals, mostly women, to manage their households effectively. Moreover, it aimed to train teachers who could spread this valuable knowledge further, like Anctil, which will be discussed later.
- The schools did share one thing in common, their goal, which was to educate women in the household, while also promoting the traditional French-Canadian Catholic family model, where men assumed the responsibilities of farming and women supported them as devoted wives and mothers (Durand, 2011).
- These objectives made sense at the time since more and more women were joining the workforce and spending less time at home. As a result, there was a growing demand for education that would equip them with the skills necessary to manage both their professional and domestic lives effectively (Durand, 2011; Fradet, 2005)
- Now we will get into how Anctil became a teacher:
- In 1904, Anctil was requested to study abroad in Paris, France, and later in Switzerland, becoming one of the first French Canadian women to receive a European education in home economics (DeMarco, 2011; Fradet, 2005).
- She returned to Montreal in 1906 to become co-principal of the Montreal Provincial Housekeeping School with Antoinette Gérin-Lajoie, a woman who joined the same courses as Anctil did abroad.
- The women's section of the Association Saint-Jean-Baptiste de Montréal, mentioned before, eventually turned into the Fédération Nationale Saint-Jean-Baptiste, which Anctil actively participated in (Fradet, 2005).
- The Federation aimed to provide women with more education opportunities while preserving the concept of complementary roles in society, or as we know today as traditional gender norms. However, this organization was influenced by feminist ideas and a sense of social responsibility, driven by a desire for equal rights (Fradet, 2005).
- So, while these women wanted more freedoms and accessibility in society, they supported this change by playing into gender roles.
- This could be seen ironic but I think it was a very smart move for women to get their foot in the door for their own autonomy.
- The Federations first meeting was held in 1907 and was complemented by a lecture Anctil gave on the importance of teaching home economics.
- When World War 1 occurred, Anctil’s job changed to giving weekly lectures in rural areas of Quebec, attracting the interest of a large number of women in the province. As the Provincial Housekeeping School grew in popularity, they shared their knowledge to other schools throughout the province (Fradet, 2005).
- This was important to Jeanne Anctil, as she didn't just teach household science; she actively advocated for its inclusion in formal education.
- This can be exemplified by her letter of concern about the government's stance on home economics in schools, criticising the Premier’s lack of attention to women’s interests to have access to knowledge and education, specifically in home economics (Fradet, 2005).
Cookbook
- Now we are going to turn to the cookbook Jeanne Anctil made:
[Gas stove starting sound effect] (CLEREMTV, 2021).
- Anctil would go on to make a cookbook called 350 Recettes De Cuisine, or, “350 cooking recipes”.
- The cookbook was published in 1912 by Librairie Beauchemin Limitée, but I was lucky enough to get my hands on the 1924 reissued version which contained many illustrations and photos throughout the book.
- In the first pages, you'll find that this cookbook was registered in accordance with the Act of the Parliament of Canada in the year 1915 by Miss Jeanne Anctil, Montreal, at the Office of the Ministry of Agriculture in Ottawa, giving this book an official stamp of approval.
- This fascinating culinary artifact has an illustration on the back cover of it, depicting a crest that features Jesus standing over Canadian maple leaves and a beaver. Underneath reads “ne me blasphémez pas” or, “don’t blaspheme me,” likely relating to not disrespecting God, representing the values of religion that the government and Anctil liked to advertise.
- This illustration seems very literal, depicting Jesus standing on symbols of Canada, connecting religion with being Canadian, which is appropriate at the time
- Taking a look inside the book starts with the table of contents, but it is not your typical list of recipes as it’s structured almost like a textbook. The cookbook was structured to start with a preface, followed by cooking terminology, and the 350 recipes divided by soups, entrees, meats, sauces, vegetables, salads, eggs, pastries and desserts and finished with a fine cuisine menu. This cookbook has everything you need.
- In the preface, Anctil says, verbatim, “Through this little book of recipes, more than one wife will regain royalty in her household, more than one husband will regain lost good humour. We will be surprised that we can eat so well with so little money and that it is quite easy to cultivate our palate without exhausting our purse” (Anctil, 1924).
- Now, I think it's interesting to note that the majority of the recipes are desserts, broths and soups, and then vegetables, which aligns well with the goal of the cookbook. Which is to eat as well as you can on a budget. The book also advertises that it is not just about food but about reinvigorating lost feelings in the household, advertising a healing aspect to cooking.
[Chopping sound effect] (CLEREMTV, 2021).
- The goal of the cookbook also relates to the Fédération Nationale Saint-Jean-Baptiste, as it promoted women's rights by educating women at home, and fit the objective of alleviating financial burdens, and in this case the burdens are associated with cooking.
- Anctil then explains what cooking is and its significance, emphasizing that cooking is the skill of preparing food. It involves the ability to select the ingredients that form a dish, distinguish their attributes, both good and bad, and conform to hygiene standards to ensure the conservation of others' health (Anctil, 1924).
- So, for example, when she was talking about the type of meat: game, she included that it is a delicious meat but it is less digestible and not for children with illness (Anctil, 1924).
- It’s also argued that this cookbook supports the working woman, as she can spend less time worrying about what to cook and rather focus on work (Durand, 2011).
- The book moves on to entrees, meats, and even includes photos of sewing rooms and exhibitions, providing a glimpse into the domestic life of the time. There are even photos of kitchen sets, showing the reader how to organize kitchenware.
- Her recipes were very detailed and informative as well, like a users manual. She teaches the reader to cook using specific measurements (like lbs, cups, and time) supported by illustrations.
- Jeanne Anctil passed away on December 4th, 1926, in Montreal.
- But, as her life drew to a close, Anctil was still advocating for women’s education, as she was establishing a curriculum focused on "maternal pedagogy” (Fradet, 2005).
[Chopping sound effect] (CLEREMTV, 2021).
Conclusion
- I find Anctil’s cookbook as a delicious reminder of the ever-evolving roles of women in society, representing the resilience and determination of women in the early 20th-century.
- Jeanne Anctil is a remarkable figure in Canadian history, through her determinism she helped lay the foundation of home economics in Quebec, supporting women's education and rights throughout her life. Although the Montreal school perpetuated traditional gender roles and norms, the opportunity given to women to learn in a secular space was of great importance for that era.
- Thank you for listening and sticking with me through this episode, I’ll see you next time on the Nonsensical Podcast.
[Nonsensical theme plays] (Elliott, 2023).
