kellyegan:

I wish Kate Beaton was my twin.

(Hark, A Vagrant!) 

Oh, Jo Go!

Please Ignore Vera Dietz by A.S. King

Oh man, this book is so heartbreaking, but with the sense that this type of heartbreak is a daily reality in people’s lives.

I think I posted this on tumblr already, but it’s a good day to post it again.

Inspired by Van Mag’s 101 things to taste before you die list http://vanmag.com/foodanddrink/08oct/Food.shtml, here’s my own personal list of good things to taste and eat. I was gonna focus on Vancouver, but I’ll cheat a little and go across the world too. Will I reach 101? I’m not too sure, but I’ll give it a try.
 
1. Chicken or beef curry from Mui Garden (5 locations - Richmond, Main St. in Van, Victoria St. in Van, Coquitlam)
2. Chicken wings from Phnom Penh in Chinatown
3. Butter beef from Phnom Penh in Chinatown
4. Vietnamese subs from Au Petit Cafe on Main St.
5. Xiao long bao from Ning Tu on Kingsway, Burnaby or Dinesty in Richmond
6. Sashimi/Sushi (Crab loves papaya roll is good…any sushi from there is good, very fresh fish) from Sushi Garden on Kingsway, Burnaby
7. Cinnamon bun from Solly’s near Main and 22nd
8. Steamed lobster rice from Ho Yuen Kee on Fraser
9. Steamed ginger milk custard from Ho Yuen Kee on Fraser
10. Seafood pancake from Hanwoori on Kingsway and Imperial (alternately from Jang Mo Jib on Robson or the one in Richmond)
11. Moules et Frites (Mussels and French Fries) from Salade de Fruits on 7th Ave.
12. Belgian liege waffles from Patisserie le Beau on 2nd and Burrard - kernels of sugar inside. kernels of sugar.
13. Sandwiches from Patisserie le Beau on 2nd and Burrard, you can try the brie and chicken liege waffle sandwich or just one of the old fashioned baguettes (recommend chorizo).
14. Honeycrisp apples (I had several in Halifax - I don’t know if they’re on the west coast though)
15. Smoked meat sandwiches from Schwartz’s in Montreal (I once ate three of them during a week long trip to Montreal)
16. Latte from Cafe Artigiano
17. Sa mai pudin - Baked tapioca pudding from Sun Sui Wah on Main St.
18. Dimsum from Sun Sui Wah - ha kaw, rice roll with the chinese doughnut in the middle, chicken feet, duck tongue, those bitter melon balls filled with the black sesame filling (although they’ve stopped making it)…many things.
19. King crab with enormous amounts of garlic from Sun Sui Wah (only for v. special occasions…since it’s expensive).
20. Yogurtworld in California
21. Mangoes from the Philippines (will only be the best if you’re actually in the Philippines….not the imported kind, although that’s better than nothing :)).
22. Sisig from the Philippines - very heart-attacky. Various cut up pig parts boiled, broiled and fried up on a sizzling plate. Yum yum!
23. Pan de sal from the Philippines - fluffy bun, it’s a simple pleasure, only good when freshly baked and hot from the oven. In the Philippines, this could cost you around 1 peso each (approx. 1/40th of a Canadian dollar)
24. Pancit Palabok from the Philippines - rice noodle dish with thick shrimp sauce topped with shrimp, hard boiled egg, green onion, crispy stuff
25. Marbelous or cranberry oat cookie from Blue Chip Cookies at UBC
26. Gelato from Italy - I’ve heard that Florence has the best.
27. Halo halo from the Philippines
28. Gamjatang (spicy pork back bone stew) from Hanwoori on Imperial & Kingsway, Burnaby
29. Liang pi (spicy cold noodles with intestinal stuff) from Beijing - street food that I was willing to experience food poisoning for…repeatedly.
30. Patat friet (french fries in the Netherlands) - served with mayo and other condiments such as ketchup, curry, onions, etc.
31. Burger with fries and chili mayo at the Henry House, Halifax - you could choose the Ultimate Burger, which has a pineapple ring in the center, just like I used to do.
32. Chicken shish taouk wrap from Tarboosh, Halifax - roasted meat wrapped in a pita with lettuce, tomatoes, and pickled turnips. The thing that makes it extra good and perhaps not as “authentic”? The inclusion of french fries inside the pita. It’s yum.
33. Tri-tip shawarma from Zankou Chicken in Orange County, CA - Slices of Grilled Steak Served with Hommus, Tomatoes, Onions and Sesame Sauce.
34. Mocha from Cuppa Joe’s on Broadway and Main - yummy, properly steamed foam, chocolate whipped cream (chocolate whipped cream!) and fresh chocolate shavings. Mmm.
35. Hot torta subs from Duffin’s Donuts on Knight and 41st. Super cheap ($3.95) sandwiches with hot peppers, avacodo, lettuce and your choice of fillings like chorizo and egg (recommended), chicken, beef machacha on fresh home-baked buns. I haven’t actually eaten a donut here. Not much atmosphere but that’s what you get for reasonably yummy food at super cheap prices.
36. Taho from any man who yells “TAHOOOO!!!”on the streets of the Philippines (and balances two giant metal cans connected by a string on his shoulders). Sweet soft tohu with a malty sugary syrup and sago (tapioca). Is better than it sounds.
37. Ebi Mayo from Guu, downtown Vancouver
38. Croquette from Guu, downtown Vancouver
39. Tea leaf salad from Mandalay in San Francisco
40. All you can eat sushi from Mister Sushi, San Diego http://www.yelp.com/biz/mister-sushi-san-diego - even though it’s all you can eat, it’s fresh, good quality sushi and there’s quite a bit of variety.
41. Ice cream from Bi-Rite Creamery, San Francisco http://biritecreamery.com/- organic, handcrafted ice cream with a lot of different flavours to choose from. I had toasted coconut and salted caramel. Mmmmm.
42. Chicken salad with strands of jellyfish and crispy wonton skins - Koon Bo Seafood, Fraser St., Vancouver
43. Shaved ice dessert - Ice Keki, Hawaiian Gardens, California - with toppings like ice cream, mochi (tiny rice cakes), condensed milk, fruity pebbles
44. Szechuan cucumbers/lamb from Golden Spring Szechuan in Richmond - I didn’t realize until I was telling a friend the name of this restaurant that it might have other connotations. Apparently, the literal translation of the Chinese name is Little Szechuan - which sounds better to me. It seemed like pretty authentic Szechuan food to me. By the end of the meal, everyone was red and sweaty and looked like they were ready to explode. But the food was also super yummy as well as being super spicy. Just make sure you order enough white rice and keep the tea flowing.
45. Peach Mango pie from Jollibee in the Philippines and a few cities in the States, I don’t think there’s a franchise in Canada yet. Mmm mmm good. Mangoes (my favourite fruit) + peaches (my…4th or 5th favourite fruit) + pastry + deep fried = tasty fried fruity goodness
46. High tea at Secret Garden Tea House on West Boulevard and 41st. Devonshire cream, raspberry jam and scones. Very civilized. Drink your yummy tea with an extended pinky finger and then stuff your face with scones, cream and jam.
47. Mr. Jones burrito from Budgies Burritos, Vancouver, BC - Home of cheap n’ huge burritos. Be careful - everything’s vegetarian, so I have not yet tried the veggie ground round or the tofurkey (i.e. fake meat) burritos but I have tried the Mr. Jones burrito, which has rice, beans, cheese, salsa and lettuce. Simple, but filling and the burritos are huge. The Johnny O’s burrito (Mr. Jones w/ avocado and jalapenos) isn’t bad either. The place itself is filled with art and hipsters. dinehere.ca says service isn’t good, but they’ve always been nice to me.
48. Whole Foods cooked/raw food buffet. There’s stuff like the trendy quinoa, chicken and apricot tagine as well as food like poached egg - which are all things I don’t know how to cook. Plus according to the website, “all of the ingredients are natural or organic and as many as possible are locally grown.” However, make sure you watch your portions and don’t just dump a little bit of everything in your bowl because you want to try everything; it adds up to a lot of $$ if you’re not watching your portions ($2.99/100g).
49. Carnitas tacos from La Taqueria - I read a blog that said that the foremost “flavour of these tacos was the taste of oil.” Carnitas is pork confit with pickled red onion, so I understand that there’s bound to be fat and oil. But what’s in the midst of that fat and grease? Flavour. In the form of yummy pork goodness. And cilantro.
50. Tea smoked duck from Dinesty in Richmond - it’s easy for this dish to be overly dry, but there was still a lot of moisture and tea-smokey flavour in this duck.

bardabus:

New York November 10, 1958 

Dear Thom:

We had your letter this morning. I will answer it from my point of view and of course Elaine will from hers.

First — if you are in love — that’s a good thing — that’s about the best thing that can happen to anyone. Don’t let anyone make it small or light…

I’m pretty excited about this.

But I don’t have a red toque, a housecoat, or a beard, nor am I willing to spend money on these items (well, maybe the toque since I don’t have a toque and my head gets cold sometimes.) Will a swarm of hipsters attack and devour me? Or will they just sniff disdainfully and ignore me? I’ll leave you to decide which is the more likely scenario.