Author: Sharon Yeo

Sharon is an Edmonton-based blogger who has been writing about food since 2006.

Vancouver Day 2: Northern Voice Moosecamp

Early Friday morning, the four of us walked to the nearby Forest Sciences Centre for the “unconference” portion of Northern Voice called “Moosecamp.”

The facility is new, and as with all things sparkly, becomes an object of envy to those who know what it’s like with the Silverfish in CAB or the bunkers in the basement of Tory Lecture. The atrium in particular was breathtaking. Still, with the number of skylights in the common area, I was hoping for windows in the actual classrooms where the sessions took place.

Forest Sciences Centre atrium

The best thing about UBC – Starbucks right on campus!

Moosecamp by nature is ad hoc – topics are driven by attendee interest as garnered from the wiki on the website. When we arrived that day, organizers were putting the finishing touches on the day’s schedule. Although each presenter was given 30 seconds to pitch their session to the group, it was barely audible above the rustle and bustle of opening day excitement. So without a laptop, I had to select sessions blindly, as the descriptions were available only on the wiki, and some with limited detail. Perhaps I’m more traditional that way, but it was too last minute and chaotic for my taste.

Moosecamp schedule

At times, I felt like part of a cattle herd (or a moose herd?). The schedule only had one scheduled break besides the brief 45 minute lunch period, making it virtually impossible to digest the information discussed, get a coffee, or congregate. It made the day drag, and without a constant supply of caffeine, really uncomfortable.

At times, I did feel out of place. Nothing was deliberately exclusive (besides my inability to get online), but between acronym city, a fluency in the proliferation of Web 2.0 companies and services, code, and the incestuous network of attendees and presenters, it was a little overwhelming to say the least.

There were a few bright spots in the day, including two sessions I sat in on in the morning. The first was easily the most accessible to me, and focused on social media’s effects on cultural diaspora. The majority of the time was taken up by personal stories of roots, ethnic identities, community belonging, and increased engagement due to social networking. It reminded me of my English 363 class with this discourse on post-modern lines of thought regarding the fluid nature of identity.

Looking engaged (photo by Kris Krug)

The second session pulled some themes from the previous one, but instead of cultural groups, centred on online communities, in particular, how “communities” are defined (e.g. is active participation necessary? Consensus? Discussion?). Dickson didn’t enjoy this as much as I did, and though I agree that the topic was never fully dissected, and mainly talked around, I still marveled at the fact that everyone was so willing to contribute their thoughts on the matter. And really, the keyword record on the blackboard was pretty cool:


An observation from Moosecamp: multitasking, or multidistracting, which is rude in any other context is not only accepted, but encouraged. People were simultaneously blogging, e-mailing, IM-ing, uploading, and performing other computer-related activities during the presentation. Not doing so, or engaging only in active listening seems to become a sign of disrespect in some way.

By the end of the day, after yes, a session called “Mac Programming for Mortals,” and a “Geowalk” hour minus the “walking” part, I was ready to ship out. Megan felt the pain as well.

Not impressed

Thankfully, it was time for food. The Village (about a 5 minute walk from Triumf), had several non-chain restaurants we ended up sampling over the next few days. A Chinese eatery, University Village Restaurant (5778 University Boulevard), was the first.

We ordered the combination dinner for 3-4, and as you’ll see below, involved quite a bit of food. The meal was nothing exceptional, but because the pictures turned out well, that alone makes them worth posting:

BBQ Pork Fried Rice

Beef Chop Suey

Pineapple Sweet & Sour Pork
Almond Chicken

“Look Mom, I can use chopsticks!”

Next up: Northern Voice proper.

Vancouver Day 1: Getting Settled

As most of my faithful readers know, I went to Vancouver with a few friends this weekend, primarily to attend a blogging conference. Fortunately, we also had spare time to wander around and appease the perpetual tourist in me.

Mack, Dickson and I left Edmonton early Thursday morning, and with the time change, arrived in Vancouver before 11am. We then headed to the Trimf House on the UBC campus to check in. Although they didn’t have hairdryers available as claimed on the website, the accommodations were comfortable enough, with an expansive communal kitchen, coffee machine, and of course, wireless internet access. One inconvenience, however, was the fact that reception staff were only on hand Monday to Friday, so bookings and payments had to be made in advance. Moreover, it turns out they had a policy of not cleaning “occupied rooms” on weekends.

Guest room

Lounge area

Kitchen

After dropping our bags off, we took the bus to downtown Vancouver to have lunch. We ended up in the food court of Pacific Centre.

Enjoying my Pad Thai from Thai Express (where Mandarin seems to be the language of choice)

“Who are you looking at?”

While the boys took care of something, I wandered around Robson Street. Surprisingly enough, I didn’t end up buying anything (that day or any day). But I more than took care of a lack of material purchases in culinary expenses. For example, I finally indulged in something I didn’t get to do in Toronto – buying a hot dog from a street vendor. I must say, the vendor parked on the southeast corner of Burrard and Robson was exceptionally friendly, so much so that he must garner repeat business from regulars (or even tourists – Dickson ended up at the stand two days later). And yes, the ‘dog was worth all $3.50.

Assorted condiments

Later that night, we met up with Mack’s sister Kimmi and two of her friends for dinner. Swayed by a man in a toga offering a free appetizer, we chose to eat at Kalypso Restaurant & Ouzeria (200, 1025 Robson Street). I ordered the Lamb Souvlaki, and was pleasantly surprised that the meat had already been removed off of the stick (it may be less authentic, but perfect for those who don’t like to eat with their hands). While the lamb was tender, and grilled to medium rare as requested, the pieces also contained a lot of fat. Also, the “free appetizer” was misleading, as to eat the Hummus and/or Tzatziki, a few paid orders of bread were needed.

Dining room

Lamb Souvlaki (with rice pilaf, potatoes, and tzatziki)

Dickson, Mack & I

Before heading back to Triumf, Kimmi brought us to the controversial 2010 Olympic Countdown clock located near the Vancouver Art Gallery. To protect the timepiece from damage, the city has arranged for 24-hour security. Indeed, there was a yellow-jacketed guard next to the clock during our visit.

1085 days to go…

We returned to Triumf and waited for Megan to arrive. She ended up waiting at the Edmonton International for several hours, without apology from WestJet for the delayed takeoff. Thankfully, she arrived in one piece, and we tried to get some sleep in preparation for the headache called “Moosecamp.”

Theatre: “The Producers”

May and I attended the opening night showing of Broadway Across Canada’s The Producers:

“Based on Mr. Brooks’ Academy Award-winning 1968 film of the same name, The Producers , the new Mel Brooks musical is the story of down-on-his-luck theatrical producer Max Bialystock and Leo Bloom , a mousy accountant. Together they hatch the ultimate scam: raise more money than you need for a sure-fire Broadway flop and pocket the difference. Their “sure-fire” theatrical fiasco? . . . None other than the musical Springtime for Hitler.”

Like watching opera from The Met broadcast at a local theatre, I viewed this as an opportunity to experience a little New York in Edmonton. Unfortunately, the Jubilee was not exactly a Broadway venue. I was quite annoyed that for a show of this caliber (and expense!), the company couldn’t get past opening night adjustments. There really was no excuse for the ill-functioning sound system that fizzled out halfway through the first act, particularly when so much of the humor in this play arises from puns and sarcastic asides.

My mental comparison was the 1968 original film, which I happened upon late last summer on Turner Classic Movies. One of the best scenes in the movie – the drunken conversation between Bialystock and Bloom following the surprising success of Springtime – wasn’t duplicated. They did, however, recreate the dancing swastika visual (minus, sadly, the pink feather boas), with the clever use of a tilted wall of mirrors. Also, I have to give them credit for the absolutely hilarious “Little Old Ladies” number, chicken Adolf’s “Hail Hitler” moment, and Jason Simon’s breathless delivery of his jailhouse reprieve. I’m normally not a fan of musicals, but the songs as a whole (absent from the original) really enhanced the plot (so perhaps the problem has been the fact that I’ve been watching C-grade musicals all my life…).

At the end of the day, I don’t regret going, but I couldn’t help but think of the 8 Varscona pay-what-you-can shows I could have attended in place of one night at The Producers.

“Is it dark enough yet?”: Café Select

Before an 8pm curtain, May and I ducked into the downtown Café Select (10018-106 Street) for dinner. I went to the southside location for brunch on Mother’s Day last year, and wasn’t that impressed – while the restaurant had great ambiance, the wait for food was lengthy, and the portions were small. I was hoping dinner would change my impression of the eatery.

The dining room had the flavor of an upscale European bistro with gorgeous furniture (high-back leather chairs are a personal weakness of mine). However, the design of the space itself was slightly awkward, with an odd partition that ran down the middle of the room, and nooks and crannies that must have made it difficult for waiters operating on line-of-sight visibility to provide timely service.

The menu was impressively extensive (something I don’t smile upon in every instance, but with enough edible variety, I couldn’t complain). Though it was touch and go there for a while, in the end, nothing was standing between me and good old comfort food, which today manifested itself as a burger and fries (their version served with Coca Cola barbeque sauce).

It’s really a shame the cooks thought I had ordered a side of grease to go with my meal, because it would have been a great burger otherwise (the smoked apple cheddar was heavenly). The Coke sauce strangely tasted like anything but.

For some reason, the staff deemed it necessary to dim the lights twice! I felt like Steve in that episode of Sex and the City, where a candle was necessary to read the menu. In this case, I felt the reasoning behind dining ‘al darko’ could have been their desire to disguise the glistening on my plate.

Still, with the most polite (albeit softspoken) waiter I’ve come across in a while, and a Sangria that just about knocked me off of my feet (just ask May), I wouldn’t mind returning again to try the dishes I passed on this first time.

Happy Chinese New Year!

As customary, my family got together yesterday for a meal together on Chinese New Year’s Eve.

Hot pot!

This morning, my Mum and I went to the temple to make an offering to the gods (apparently done to counteract the bad luck expected during your year of the Zodiac). Was it ever chaotic. It did, however, make me wish I understood some of the traditions better; I honestly felt at times like a small child, needing the adults to explain certain things to me (though really, the fact that Cantonese was the language of choice didn’t help me much either). It also made me realize how lucky I was to belong to the Chinese Bilingual program, because an annual celebration, complete with firecrackers and lion dances, were a given. Now, out of school, I need to make the conscious effort to participate in such events.

Wishing everyone celebrating this weekend a Happy Chinese New Year!

Seatbelt Bags

A quick trip into Plaid Giraffe yesterday acquainted me with the novel Seatbelt Bags by Harveys. The line came about when a husband and wife, installing seatbelts into their 1950s Buick, decided to make a handbag out of the material. Out of demand, they ended up making more.

The bags are quite unique – the Laptop Bag in “Race Car Red” would make a durable yet stylish addition to an everyday business wardrobe.

But I think my choice would be the Carriage Baguette (shown below in “Champagne”) – the metal clasp makes all the difference to a timeless design.

Still, for an equivalent price of $200, it’d be quite easy to find a leather purse more widely recognizable. So I don’t think I’d be able to justify such a purchase…yet.

Theatre: “House of Cats”

After Murietta’s, May and I headed to the Varscona to check out the newest Teatro La Quindicina production, House of Cats:

“a hapless bylaw officer investigates a highly concentrated feline presence in a bungalow shared by two sisters and learns that in certain circumstances the lines separating what’s obsessive, what’s crazy, and what’s just plain fun can be deliciously blurred.”

A piece by Cathleen Rootsaert, I must admit my immediate bias against any Teatro premiere not penned by the venerable Stewart Lemoine. And while I do think it’s possible for a play to be both frivolous and entertaining (last summer’s Hey Countess! is a good example), House of Cats only exemplified the former. It was definitely a ‘madcap’ production, with emphasis on ‘mad.’

It was difficult to like the characters – while their actions throughout were reasonable, they were all so self-indulgent and contained within their individual existences that the entire script seemed like a pointless exercise. There were some good lines (e.g. after his explanation of blogging and WoW, the bylaw officer comments that, “Being anti-social isn’t what it used to be”), but most of the humor felt downright forced.

The bright spots included Jeff Haslam’s set – ornate, rich, and with more cat-nacks than I’ve ever seen in one space. Also, Leona Brausen’s nervous energy translated perfectly into the role of kooky sister Helene. She had by far the juiciest part, but she aptly demonstrated her comic timing and skill in exhibiting oddball tendencies.

Next up for Teatro: a new Lemoine in May!

Casual Elegance: Murrieta’s West Coast Grill

It’s no secret that I love brunch, so it’s probably a blessing in disguise that such meal selections are relegated to weekends only, as I’d likely be unable to resist eating out more often otherwise. And really, the food served at brunch isn’t that economical, as most of the dishes can be prepared for much less at home. Still, there’s nothing better than good conversation over a hot cup of coffee in a well-lit, buzzing dining room on a weekend morning.

When May and I decided to indulge in a late breakfast before a matinee on Whyte Ave, I jumped at her suggestion of Murrieta’s West Coast Grill (10612-82 Avenue). I had heard many positive reviews of this restaurant, and thought it was time I experienced it on my own accord.

The hostess led us into a bright dining area, lit by a wall of windows on the right side. With high ceilings, hardwood floor, and a beautiful upstanding wine cabinet, the room exuded a clean elegance. The tables were immaculate with crisp white linens, though I did find it curious that they chose a blue checkered cloth to accent the setting, as the pattern countered the rest of the chic decor.

Although we were given the option of ordering from the regular lunch menu, of course, we decided to choose a more conventional brunch dish instead. I went with the Cinnamon French Toast served with Berry Compote and Lemon Sorbet, while May opted for the Eggs Benedict with Salmon and Asaparagus.

The plating was beautiful – great color and overall presentation. We were both hoping for a bigger portion, but our selections were delicious – the lemon sorbet in particular was an interesting substitute for the whipped cream normally found atop French Toast.

Though the service throughout our meal wasn’t spectacular (our server didn’t split the bill as requested, and only refilled coffee when prompted to), we ended off with a nice surprise – a written Chinese New Year wish at the top of our receipt accompanied by a Red Pocket! Our server was of Asian descent, and though I’m sure we were targeted because we look Chinese, it was a gesture that obviously required some prior preparation. It was definitely a special touch that made our experience that much more memorable.

Murrieta’s – a noteworthy destination for brunch.

Dining room

Dining by the fire

Coffee Fixtures
Eggs Benedict with Salmon and Asparagus
French Toast with Berry Compote and Lemon Sorbet

The Cooking Chronicles: Lemon Almond Polenta Cake

I was inspired to bake this cake after watching the characters in Dinner With Friends consume it. But who knew one of the main ingredients would be so hard to come by? After an exhaustive search of many major supermarkets (for the record, the grocery manager at Save-On Foods had never even heard of it), and with the help of my Dad, I was finally able to get my hands on a package of polenta flour (coarse corn meal) at the Italian Centre.

Corn flour vs. Polenta
The recipe in the playbill was written in Imperial measures, which meant the extra step of converting the quantities to Metric, but after that, it was fairly straight forward. Though I should have left the cake in the oven for a few minutes longer than I did, and let it set in the pan before attempting to overturn it onto the cooling rack (oops), I was very pleased with the end product. The combination of a generous amount of lemon zest and lemon juice resulted in a nice, refreshing flavor, and the ground almonds supplied a great texture and crunch.

As I still have quite a bit of polenta flour left, I may, out of necessity, have to recreate this cake again.

Lemon Almond Polenta Cake

EDIT: the recipe, from the Dinner with Friends program, as requested,

1lb unsalted butter at room temperature

1lb superfine granulated sugar

2tsp vanilla extract

10oz ground almonds

6 medium eggs

4tbsp lemon zest

2tbsp lemon juice

8oz polenta flour

1 1/2tsp baking powder

1/4tsp salt

  1. Preheat the oven to 320 degrees. Grease and flour a 12-inch circular cake pan.
  2. Whip the butter and sugar together until fluffy and pale. Stir in the almonds and vanilla, followed by the eggs, one at a time. Add the lemon zest and juice, the polenta flour, baking powder and salt. Stir well together. Put the mixture into the prepared pan and bake in the oven for around 45 minutes. The cake should be firm in the centre and golden on top.
  3. Serve alone or with ice cream. Serves 10-12.