#FoodwaysFriday - When Historic Places Meet Food: Yellowbelly Brewery and Public House

Exterior of Yellowbelly. Photo by Katie Harvey. 2017.

Yellowbelly Brewery and Public House is located on the corner of Water Street and George Street in downtown St. John's. It is a three-and-a-half storey brick and masonry building with a mid-pitch gable roof.

Constructed circa 1847, just after the fire of 1846, this is one of the few buildings that survived the Great Fire of 1892. Known as Yellow Belly Corner, this building has much historical significance in the area. It was traditionally a commercial premises, with the main floor being used as a business, and the second floor as a residence.

Main floor of restaurant. Photo by Katie Harvey. 2017.

According to local folklore and oral history, Yellow Belly Corner was named for the "Yellowbellies", who famously tied strips of yellow cloth around their waists. The "Yellowbellies" were one of the various Irish factions, including the "Wheybellies" from County Waterford, the "Clear-Airs" from County Tipperary, the "Doones" from County Kilkenny, and the "Dadyeens" from County Cork, who would meet and fight on this site. Following their victory, King George III cried, "Well done Yellowbellies."

Yellowbelly is a place that I frequent often. A group of friends and I went for happy hour last Friday. The place was bustling, as summer fades and people attempt to drink in those final few days of sunshine. On this particular visit, we ate chicken wings, wood fire pizza, burgers, fries, and of course, beers.

Yellowbelly is unique in that it is one of the few craft breweries that exist in St. John's. They have a variety of beers that they are well-known for including: Wexford Wheat, St. John's Stout,  Fighting Irish Red, and Yellowbelly Pale Ale. They also typically brew a seasonal beer that is available for a limited time.

Yellowbelly is a lovely place to visit when exploring the heritage district of downtown St. John's. It's great to be able to sit in a building that has such a rich history, while eating some tasty food and sipping locally brewed beer.  

-Katie Harvey

#AdaptingHeritage Forum 2017 - Introducing Jillian Gould

Jillian Gould is an associate professor in the Department of Folklore at Memorial University.  Her interests include public folklore, ethnography and fieldwork, Jewish culture, biography, foodways, and the culture of aging. In the public sector she was Education Coordinator at the Eldridge Street Project (now Museum at Eldridge Street) in New York City, and also has completed projects for the Canadian Museum of Civilization (now Canadian Museum of History), and the Ontario Jewish Archives.

At the forum, Jillian will be participating in the panel titled Stories From Here where she will discuss the recent Folklore Department's Bay Roberts Fieldschool. If you would like to hear more about Jillian's work, you can listen to our Living Heritage podcast episode with her by clicking here.

Forum on Adapting NL's Intangible Cultural Heritage will take place on October 25 and 26. The cost of registration is $75.00, and $18.75 for post-secondary students. For full program details click here. To register click here.

Tales from Afar - The Frogs in the Bucket. #FolkloreThursday

"Tales from Afar: Old Stories from New Residents" is a project to share traditional stories which have come from away, created by the St. John’s Local Immigration Partnership and the Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador. This is one of the tales we’ve collected so far. You can learn more about the project at our Adapting Heritage Forum Oct 25th.

The Frogs in the Bucket

As told by Antje Springmann

I’m going to tell you about a couple of frogs. Now these frogs—it was about three hundred years ago, and these frogs found themselves in the larder of the pasture. And there was a bucket of milk, and they fell into the bucket of milk. And they couldn’t get out, because there was nothing for them to catch their feet on. They couldn’t touch the bottom, so they couldn’t jump back out.

So both of them were swimming and swimming and trying to stay above the surface of the milk. And it was very, very hard work. And one of them said, “What’s the point? We’re going to drown anyway.” So he gave one last gasp, and sank beneath the surface of the milk.

But the other frog would not give up. And he kicked, and he pushed, and no matter how much he was ready to lose hope, he kept kicking and pushing, all night long.

And then in the morning, when the sun started to rise, and it just was creeping over the edge of the pail of milk, he suddenly felt something under his feet. And he realized that from all this kicking, he had churned the milk into butter. And there was a big lump of butter at the bottom, and that’s what he used to push himself out of the bucket. So the moral of the story is that you don’t give up, and that all of your hard work will come to something in the end.

Antje Springmann was born in Peine, Germany. At age two, she moved to Vöhrum, Germany and then emigrated to Canada at age twelve. Her mother was lured by a German book titled “Canada: The Land of Unlimited Possibility." The family first lived in Toronto, moved to Calgary, and ended up in Newfoundland. Image from Inspirational Stories.


How can I share a story?
Stories can be submitted in written form, or participants can sit down with a collector and record a spoken version of their story. To share a story, you can:

• Email ich@heritagefoundation.ca
• Call Dale Jarvis at 1-888-739-1892 extension 2, or 
• Fill in the online form here: https://goo.gl/forms/QWmJY9haiyItAeop2

#AdaptingHeritage Forum 2017 - Introducing Kathi Stacey

Kathi Stacey is the Executive Director for the tourism Destination Management Organization for rural Eastern NL, operating as Legendary Coasts of Eastern Newfoundland. Kathi’s work profile includes 20 years’ combined experience in post-secondary education, tourism product development, community/economic development, as well as, organizational and event planning.  She is currently serving her 6th year as a member of the Board of Directors of The Rooms Corporation where she held positions as Chair of both the marketing and strategic planning committees. After completing two years in cultural/heritage development and event planning with the highly successful Cupids 400 2010 Celebrations, Kathi began work with the Eastern DMO in January 2011.

At the forum, Kathi will be moderating a panel called Stories From Here.

Forum on Adapting NL's Intangible Cultural Heritage will take place on October 25 and 26. The cost of registration is $75.00, and $18.75 for post-secondary students. For full program details click here. To register click here.

"Folklore Lives Here" - Memories of Growing Up in Bay Roberts

Mix of Bay Roberts locals and folklore graduate students gathered at SUF Hall. Photo by Katie Harvey. 2017.

Last Thursday, The Heritage Foundation, in partnership with Memorial University's new folklore graduate class, hosted a memory mug up at the Society of United Fishermen Hall in Bay Roberts.

The evening was filled with stories of berry picking, Christmas concerts, bonfire night and childhood games. The event was focused on memories of growing up in Bay Roberts and places of significance in the lives of locals. We drank tea and snacked on various cakes, cheeses and fruits while discussing community memories.

The event served as a means of introducing the new folklore students to some of the community members. The class will be continuing their work in Bay Roberts for the next two weeks; interviewing locals, and living in the area while attending classes and conducting fieldwork.

Having a snack. Photo by Katie Harvey. 2017.

At the end of their fieldschool, on September 28 at 7:00pm, at the Society of United Fishermen Hall in Bay Roberts, the folklore students will be hosting a presentation on their work in the community. The event is open to the public and will be free of charge. 

If you have memories to share of growing up in Bay Roberts, feels free to contact ich@heritagefoundation.ca or call 1-888-739-1891 ext. 2.

-Katie Harvey

Fishing Stage in Freshwater. Conception Bay, 1995

Fishing stages in Freshwater, Conception Bay. This photograph was taken in 1995 and is part of the slide collection of the Baccalieu Trail Heritage Corporation.

Call for Informants - The Newman Building

I'm conducting some research on The Newman Building located on 1 Springdale Street, St. John's. If you have any memories of the building, or know someone who does, please contact katherine@heritagefoundation.ca or call 709-739-1892 ext. 6.

#AdaptingHeritage Forum 2017 - Introducing Lori McCarthy

Lori McCarthy grew up in the small fishing community of Bauline, of about 200 people, on the east coast of Newfoundland and Labrador. The traditional foods of her childhood feed her passion to tell the stories of her province through its people, culture and food. Out of this passion she started Project NL Food, a province-wide endeavour to visit various communities and speak with generations of people that hold their culture close to their heart.  Lori also owns and operates Cod Sounds, a company which is devoted to celebrating the province’s unique foods with travellers and locals alike through hands on experiences like beach boil-ups, mussel picking and berry picking.

At the forum, Lori will be participating in the panel called Heritage in the Landwash – Safeguarding Coastal Traditions where she will discuss her work with Cod Sounds. If you would like to hear more about Lori's work, you can listen to our Living Heritage podcast episode with her by clicking here.

Forum on Adapting NL's Intangible Cultural Heritage will take place on October 25 and 26. The cost of registration is $75.00, and $18.75 for post-secondary students. For full program details click here. To register click here.

#FoodwaysFriday - When Historic Places Meet Food: Mallard Cottage

Front facade. Photo by Katie Harvey.

Mallard Cottage is located in Quidi Vidi, a historic and quaint fishing village just outside of St. John's. Mallard Cottage is an eighteenth-century Irish style cottage with a low-hipped roof and centrally located chimney. It is one of the oldest wooden buildings in North America, and has been recognized as such by National Historic Sites of Canada.

The building was a private residence and home to the Mallard family from the late 1700s until the 1980s. After the Mallards left, Peg Magnone took ownership of the property and operated an antique shop from the premises. In 2011, Mallard Cottage was purchased by Todd Perrin, his wife, Kim Doyle and Stephen Lee, and has since been transformed into a restaurant. They modernized the cottage as per necessity; adding plumbing and electricity, but they were careful to remain true to the historic nature of the property. 

Main dining room. Photo by Katie Harvey.

Head chef and owner, Todd Perrin, prides himself on cooking with locally sourced meats and produce. He cooks traditional Newfoundland dishes by using local ingredients. They have a garden where they grow produce for the restaurant, and they do a lot of in-house butchery. Todd explains: 

"I’m a lover of Newfoundland, I’m a lover of Newfoundland food, I’m a lover of old buildings, and wood, fireplaces, all that stuff. So, basically, Mallard is a representation of all the things that I like . . . I wanted people to feel like they weren’t going to a restaurant. I wanted people to feel like they were coming to my house for dinner. So that idea of comfort . . . everything is just where it is because the guy who owned it, that’s where he wanted to put it, and that’s what this place is." 

The ploughman lunch. Photo by Katie Harvey.

I've eaten at Mallard Cottage on various occasions for both brunch and supper. One of my most recent visits, I had the ploughman lunch (pictured above) which consisted of ham, devilled eggs, homemade bread, coleslaw, cheese, mustard and turkey vegetable soup. We ate sitting by the fire, drinking coffee from locally made pottery mugs, feeling as though we were visiting an old friend. A trip to Mallard Cottage is worth it for the architecture alone, and the delicious food is the icing on the cake. Speaking of cake, be sure to check out their cake table when you visit. 

Cake table. Photo by Todd Perrin.

-Katie Harvey