Customs and Cooking

I took a break this week from cooking and watched as my wife expertly made Potato latkes (potato pancakes) for our family. Recipe found at: "Second Helpings, Please!" (Norene Gilletz, Roslyn Brown and Rae Wander. "Second Helpings, Please!", B'nai B'rith Women of Canada, Montreal, 1968.) Grate 6 medium/large pared potatoes and drain well. Blend together with: - 1 small grated onion - 3 eggs - 1 teaspoon of salt - 1/4 teaspoon of pepper - 1/4 cup of flour - 1 tablespoon of oil - 2 teaspoons of baking powder In a frying pan, preheat oil until sizzling. With a spoon, scoop the potato batter and place in oil. Brown on both sides. Makes about 24 latkes. Enjoy with apple sauce or sour cream or dare I say ketchup. As everyone celebrates the various holidays during this festive season, please allow me to wish all of you a very happy, enjoyable, safe and healthy holiday. I will be taking a bit of a break and will hopefully have new posting in late December or early Ja...

Some key phrases and songs from specific movies always remain with you. One such song is from the 1965 classic, "The Sound of Music". What I would like to focus on is "to start from the very beginning, a very good place to start." "When you read you begin with A B C" "When you sing you begin with Doe Ray Me..." As the song continued... "La a note to follow sow". "Tea I drink with jam and bread". "and that will bring us back to doe!" I interpret this to mean that with every adventure, task, and vision, something or another will almost always bring you back to where you started. The finish line in a race is usually close to where the race started. The trip that one takes usually ends with one coming back to the originating location. One might call this back to basics or ensuring that a review takes place. (See Blog about Review at https://customsandcooking.blogspot.com/2021/04/review.html ) With Customs, there is also ...

Mistakes happen. The question is how is one to handle them? Also, is it possible to actually benefit from mistakes? I remember an issue that I was involved with. The feedback received was: - A mistake occurred - Time was taken to identify the mistake - The reason the mistake happened was discussed - Steps were initiated to correct the mistake - A system of checks were set up to ensure that the mistake does not repeat itself - Apologies were verbalized and ownership of the error was properly undertaken Whether it be with Customs or cooking, it is not the actual mistake that is the primary focus but how the mistake was handled. How one embraces the mistake! Similar to perseverance. See Blog posting:  https://customsandcooking.blogspot.com/2021/08/perseverance.html  Time and time again, I read articles, social media posts, etc. about how mistakes can be viewed as positive because it becomes a learning journey. The trouble arises when a mistake has either not been used to become b...

There are the obvious foods that do not go over well for some, if not most, individuals. Broccoli, brussels sprouts, sardines, and bruised bananas are some prime examples. What about the following? Have you ever tried... - A peanut butter sandwich with mustard instead of jam or jelly - Pancakes with maple syrup and cottage cheese - Fresh bananas with chocolate syrup Although, I have never tried a peanut butter sandwich with mustard, I am told from a very reliable source that it is quite good. The pancakes with maple syrup and cottage cheese is something that I have often. The maple syrup livens the taste and the cottage cheese provides some protein and a cool texture. My kids don't like banana splits but they very much enjoy a treat of bananas covered in chocolate syrup. Go figure... All to say...  Don't knock it until you try it! There are similar aspects of trying things from a Customs consulting perspective. - Has an organization made a proactive effort to review historical ...

  Patience can be found in every aspect of Customs and compliance. For example... Obtaining an Advanced Customs Ruling for HS or origin determination purposes, from the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), can usually take 90 days or longer. From a business perspective, this is quite cumbersome as the supply chain continues to move (even in today's environment) pending the outcome of the ruling application. Submission of claims to Customs also can have a turnaround time of about 90 days (sometimes longer). This can affect cash flow, business decisions, inventory controls and other aspects of compliance. Even during conversations with Customs officials, it is strongly encouraged to be patient and calm. Customs verification officers, Border Services Officers, Policy Officers, etc. are all mandated with tasks and jobs that the business community may not know about or understand. Having dealt with many officers, it always is appreciated when we, in the business community, try to und...