Monthly Archives: October 2007

Oct 16 2007

West Coast Eats

Over the years, I have significantly expanded my gastronomic comfort zone (and expanded my waistline at the same time). Once upon a time I’d worry about whether there would be things on the menu that I’d like, but now I feel pretty comfortable in most social settings.

My old fears came back on Sunday night when Eric, former board member, took us out for dinner in Victoria. We ended up at the Deep Cove Chalet, a former tea house on the coast that has a great reputation on the island as a destination restaurant. As I perused the subtantial menu, Eric decided that the chef should make us whatever he wanted for dinner. Not wanting to upset our host, I meekly agreed.

The first course was a huge chunk of cold foie gras with toast points. I know that for many people, foie gras is a decadent treat that is meant to be savoured and enjoyed. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get past the mental image of a poor goose with a tube stuck down its throat in a sadistic attempt to fatten the liver. I managed to choke down about half of the slab with the help of many sips of water.

I had barely recovered from the first course when the next challenge arrived – a big bowl of chanterelle mushrooms. I have never been a fungus fan, so the tangled mass of ‘shrooms was a real test. The small piece of black cod that accompanied it was quite good, though.

By the time the main course arrived, it was around 9:30 pm, which felt like 12:30 am for me. A big hunk of beef wellington is not exactly the type of light late-night snack I had in mind, but it was quite tasty. The dessert was old-school – a meringue nest with two scoops of ice cream and a gravy boat of warm chocolate sauce. They pretty much had to roll me out of the restaurant.

Last night my colleague and I went to Vij’s in Vancouver, a restaurant The New York Times called “Easily among the best Indian restaurants in the world”. It was a total change from the previous night – contemporary, hip, with a touch of the exotic. The servers looked like they were plucked from fashion magazines, and they stopped by several times to offer us tempting morsels of pakoras and madras frites.

The food was very good, although I wasn’t totally sold on my beef side ribs. Heather had their signature lamb popsicles, and it was easily one of the tastiest dishes I’ve ever tried. We walked back to the hotel in the rain in a futile attempt to burn off some of the excess calories.

I have already started worrying about lunch on Thursday, as one of our hosts is taking us for dim sum. I’ve only tried it once, and that was 10 years ago, but I still have a vivid mental picture of a chicken foot emerging from a little dough ball. I hope they’ll have plenty of water on the table…

Oct 13 2007

Rain, With Periods of Rain

I’m headed off to the West Coast tomorrow for a few days of meetings. It should be really interesting – we’re going to a couple of galleries, the Museum of Anthropology, a contemporary dance performance, and the opening of the Vancouver Writer’s Festival. I think we’re also going to check out a few notable restaurants. It’s a tough job, but someone has to do it.

I really love Victoria and Vancouver, so I’m pretty excited about the trip. If money were no object, then either of those cities would be at the top of my list of places to live. Granted, I’ve only been there a few times, and on a couple of visits I was lugging around a 60 piece orchestra, so my perception of what life is like there may be differ from reality. Still, it’s hard to beat mountains, trees, and water.

I have been spoiled with unnaturally nice weather on my previous visits – not this time. I just checked the forecast, and my stay in Vancouver looks like this:

Monday: 13C, 80% chance of showers
Tuesday: 13C, 90% chance of showers
Wednesday: 13C, 80% chance of showers
Thursday: 13C, 100% chance of showers, rain heavy at times

So, if you happen to see me on Wreck Beach this week, please keep the weather in mind when judging my, well, you know…

Oct 9 2007

Thanksgiving By The Numbers

Here’s a Harper’s Index inspired look at our long weekend…
Total distance traveled: 1,255 kmTotal hours spent in transit: 19Total waking hours spent with family: 24

Highways traveled: 2, 6, 7, 24, 57, 401, 403, 407, 416, 417

Total number of rest stops: 14

Rest stops at a Tim Hortons: 4

Rest stops at Starbucks: 2

Latest bedtime for the boys: 10:15 pm (Sunday)

Earliest morning for the boys: 5:45 am (Saturday)

Humidex reading at Rockton World’s Fair on Monday: 39 C

Temperature in Ottawa at that hour: 14 C

Number of times Aidan threw up after dinner at Lone Star: 4

Total number of pies purchased from road-side bakeries: 3

Rank of pumpkin pie on my list of favourite pies: Last

Total pounds of turkey and fixings consumed this Thanksgiving: 0

Oct 3 2007

Anyone Wanna Buy a Camry?

I took our 2000 Camry in for a regular maintenance check this morning. It’s been a great car, but at 7 years old and 133,000 km, I think the old girl might be past her prime.

When the dealer called me to review the problems they had found, I wasn’t surprised that it was a lengthy list. Actually, it was mostly small stuff – new sparkplugs, new sparkplug wires, flush the brake line, fix a little oil leak, etc. Oh yeah, and four new tires and alignment. Total cost: $2,151.34.

I almost laughed at the guy. That’s a lot of money. That’s like two new iMacs, seven new iPods, a whole new set of cymbals, or about a month of daycare for the boys. Needless to say, we opted to do nothing for the moment. I mean, what good are sparkplugs anyway?

We’ve been thinking about getting a new car for a while, so this really cemented the decision for us. Based on a careful examination of our current and future needs, our finances, fuel efficiency, safety ratings, and available colours, we’ve narrowed it down to two options.

Option 1: My choice is the Audi R8. It features a 4.2 L V8 engine that produces 414 hp. It goes from 0 to 60 mph in 4.0 seconds and has a top speed of 301 km/h. It is a total babe magnet.


Option 2: B likes the Mazda5. It seats six.

It should be an interesting negotiation.

Oct 2 2007

Skool is Hard

Well, we’re a couple of weeks into the great public school experiment, and I gotta say it’s tough. Not tough on A – he’s fine. It’s tough on me, which, after all, is what really matters.

Mornings are stressful. In the good old days, we dropped the boys off at the daycare whenever we felt like it. Now we’ve got to have A at school for the 8:30 bell. On mornings when he doesn’t want to have breakfast, get dressed, brush his teeth, or put on his shoes, it’s a little chaotic. (And it’s not a bell, it’s an electronic snippet of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9. Cheesy.)

I had no idea how lucky we were that the daycare provided snacks and lunch. Every morning we have to prepare three snacks and a lunch. Not only does the food have to be nut free, but it has to be healthy (no juice, please). I tried to sneak in some apple and cinnamon rice chips, but A was told they weren’t good school snacks. I was sorely tempted to send him in with a deep-fried Mars bar the next day.

Not only can’t I get lunch right, but in the first two weeks I’ve forgotten important events. First we forgot to send A to school with something on his show and tell day. He was not a happy boy that afternoon. Then today we forgot to put his library book in his backpack, leading to further embarrassment that will no doubt plant the seeds of some future social dysfunction. I’m just waiting for the day we forget his lunch and he has to scavenge scraps from the playground.

So, I thought Junior Kindergarten was going to be a big transition for A. It turns out it was a much bigger deal for his parents.