Northerners traditionally lived off the land by hunting and fishing (many still do), and arctic specialties have now worked their way onto many fine-dining menus. Caribou and musk ox appear on almost all menus in the North and offer a different taste and texture for meat eaters. Good caribou, sometimes dressed in sauces made from local berries (wild blueberries or Saskatoon berries) tastes like mild venison and is usually cheaper than beef or lamb in the North. Musk ox is rather stronger tasting, with a chewy texture, and is often served with wild mushrooms. Arctic char is a mild pink-fleshed fish, rather like salmon but coarser grained and less oily. You won't find the mainstays of the Inuit diet -- seal and whale meat -- on most restaurant menus, but in outlying communities you won't have to look hard to find someone able to feed you some maktaaq (whale blubber and skin) or igunaq (aged, fermented meat, of walrus or seal). Bannocks, a type of baking-powder biscuit, and so-called Eskimo doughnuts, a cousin of Indian fry bread, are popular snacks to feed tourists. You'll have to decide how appetizing you find the delicacy known as Eskimo ice cream (akutuq), a mousselike concoction made of whipped animal fats (caribou fat and seal oil, for instance) and berries.
Vegetarians aren't going to find much to eat in the North. The traditional arctic diet doesn't include much in the way of fruits or vegetables, and green stuff that's been air-freighted in is pretty sad looking by the time it reaches the table. Bring your own dietary supplements if you have a restricted diet.
No matter what you eat in the North, it's going to be expensive. In towns like Yellowknife or Inuvik, a normal entree at a decent hotel restaurant will cost at least C$35 (US$35/£18); at outlying villages, where hotels offer full board, a sandwich with fries will run C$25 (US$25/£13). Chances are excellent that, for the money, your food will be very pedestrian in quality. In most towns, the grocery-store chain The Northern shelters a few fast-food outlets, usually the only other dining option.
Alcohol is banned or highly restricted in most Native communities. Some towns are completely dry: No one, not even visitors in the privacy of their hotel rooms, is allowed to possess or consume alcohol. In some locales, RCMP officers will check the baggage of incoming travelers and confiscate alcohol. In other communities, alcohol is legal but regulated to such a degree the casual visitor will find it impossible to get hold of a drink. In other communities, alcohol is available in hotel bars or restaurants but not in stores (or even by room service). Alcohol is a major social problem in the North, so by all means respect the local laws regulating alcohol consumption.
Accommodations are the most expensive day-to-day outlay in the North. Almost every community, no matter how small, will have a hotel, but prices are very high. You can save some money with B&Bs or home stays, which also have the advantage of introducing you to the locals.
