Iceberg tea: A northern specialty
'It's good for the soul, that's what I always say'
Residents in the northern Quebec community of Kangiqsujuaq are looking forward to a special treat this winter.
They'll have enough iceberg water to last this whole winter, thanks to an ice chunk that broke off during freeze-up this fall.
Lucassie Nappaaluk lives in Kangiqsujuaq, which has a population of about 600 people. He says icebergs often come close to the community, but it's rare that they come into the inlet.
Usually, people snowmobile to an iceberg to get a chunk, bring it home and then melt it for tea or coffee. But this year, Nappaaluk says the village's loaders brought the ice chunks right into the community.
"There are pieces of iceberg in just about every corner of our streets," he says. "Because the ice makes really good water."
The water from icebergs is often used to make tea or coffee and is much preferred over tap water.
"It's good for the soul, that's what I always say," says Marty Kuluguktuk, the assistant senior administrative officer in Grise Fiord, Nunavut's northernmost community. He says this fall chunks of ice were dragged from the beach to parts of that hamlet by ATV.
"Plus, you know that you're drinking few thousand years old of water that's been frozen in time and more pristine."
Kuluguktuk says some tourists have found a new souvenir in the Northern treat: some visitors like the iceberg water so much, they want to bring some home with them.
"If the flights are OK and the connections are good, the weather is good. I've seen a couple times iceberg chunks as part of their luggage when they go out."