There are so many factors that go into a good food item like the three things mentioned above.
Roasted Tomato, Goat Cheese, Olive & Basil Tart. $6.99 slice
Besides dinner… there’s breakfast, lunch & snack time. What appeals to you at one time might not at another.
Like when you crave a simple but well made grilled cheese sandwich or clubhouse and another time something totally different like chicken pot pie (which I personally never crave but some people do).
TEAS
Sometimes you come across something you see regularly in almost every restaurant or coffee shop but something looks different about it. It somehow looks fresher, more appealing and makes you want to bite right into it. I had that experience recently at Coco et Olive on Main street. I was going for a simple latte and mid-afternoon snack but looking at all the goodies at the counter made it a challenging situation to choose only one thing. At times like this you have to make a difficult decision. You order something, take another thing home and decide to come back again and again to try everything you never thought you wanted. See what I mean?
Best lemon bar & a great vanilla latte
Coco et Olive Cafe – 3707 Main St.
Across the street you’ll find Liberty Bakery – 3699 Main Street
These pastries look so yummy. Liberty used to be in my neighbourhood (it was called Elsie’s then). They moved away and I couldn’t find them for ages until I came across the bakery by accident on Main Street. I spotted the buttercream & mocha petit fours I love and used to buy regularly in their window.
Mordecai Richler at Wilensky’s. Order a “special” with cheese, pickles and a soda. It’s still the same.
The original book would grab anyone’s attention. It was bright red and had infamous burlesque stripteaser Lily St. Cyr on the cover. Inside was filled with information relived from the good old days of a wide open city that I heard about from my parents who recollected them. My dad wasn’t from Montreal originally (he was born in Russia and moved to Manhattan before settling in Montreal) and my mother’s parents were from Ireland although she grew up in Montreal. My dad especially had a lot of stories – I’ll just leave it at that.
Replacement
City Unique was written by WilliamWeintraub (who began his career as a reporter for the Montreal Gazette in the 1950’s) and who was a friend of my uncle (who used to write a column for the Montreal Gazette). Weintraub looks at all aspects of life in Montreal in what Mordecai Richler called “an engaging, evocative book about Montreal’s prime-time.”
After reading this intriguing book back in Vancouver, I mailed it to my mother’s friend in Montreal who I was sure would appreciate and relate to all the insider innuendos. Unfortunately when I phoned about a year later to retrieve the book (which was an original signed copy) she had no recollection of ever having received it. It was on loan from my cousin. When I phoned to reluctantly tell my cousin the news (that he wasn’t getting his book back) I joyfully received another copy in the mail. Maybe not an original signed version with the same cover but, thoughtful and cherished nonetheless.
Leonard Cohen looking like Al Pacino here.
About City Unique: Review from Amazon.com
Lily St. Cyr
Montreal in the 1940s and ’50s was Canada’s largest, most vibrant and colourful city. It was even more pulsating than New York. No one could foresee that political and economic factors would cripple the city and send it into a long decline. William Weintraub, writing with insight and affection, brings the Montreal of his youth vividly, entertainingly and wittily to life in this remarkable book. The Montreal he describes was a city with two communities, English and French, who lived separate lives. They met along the dividing line that was “The Main” – St. Lawrence Boulevard and the nearby streets, where gambling joints, bordellos and night clubs prospered, and where striptease artiste Lili St. Cyr became the toast of the town and gangsters raked in profits while the police looked the other way. It was the Montreal of the colourful, charismatic mayor Camillien Houde within the repressive and corrupt Quebec of premier Maurice Duplessis.
I think this book speaks to anyone who grew up in Montreal especially those with adventurous parents who were involved and active within the community. You might not have personally known everyone mentioned but you have heard their names. To me, it was extremely provocative and noteworthy. And things have settled down since…but it will never be the same!
This is what a real “smoked meat” sandwich looks like.
Available on Amazon.com
Wilensky’s, Bens, Ruby Foo’s, Schwartz’s – are Montreal Institutions.
What makes this city the most unique in Canada:
1) Montreal is an Island.
2) Montreal is built on a Mountain.
3) Home to the largest Jazz, Fireworks & “Francofolie” (French Music) Festival.
4) Habitat 67 – created by Israeli-Canadian Architect Moshe Safdie, is a structure unlike any other in the world. I didn’t say it was nice looking, just unusual.
5) Montreal has one of the largest underground networks in the world. You could literally live underground.
6) The Metro system is one of the best and definitely Canada’s busiest.
7) Enormous Art & Graffiti Culture.
8) Great Shopping and still has the most Stylish Women in all of Canada (maybe North America and possibly the world).
Spoiler Alert: there is no such thing as the “perfect breakup.” There is however a better, nicer and more diplomatic way to deal with someone you plan to break up with. It’s all in the handling of the situation. First and foremost, Compassion is key. First you’ve got to let the person down easy (you never know if they’ll throw a tantrum, get violent, or worse, start crying uncontrollably). You never know these things so it’s best for the “breakor” to let the “breakee” know how terrific they are, even though you’ve just met someone more terrific and moved on at the blink of an eye. It’s also a good idea to let the “breakee” know that you’ve been going through your own difficulties…because you don’t want to make yourself look good at this point. Make the person you want to leave feel that they’re better off without you which could end things faster… even though that’s messed up.
Now; a more sensitive way would be to sit the person down and tell them the news face to face, but failing that, there’s always e-mail or texts. Worst case scenario, a simple post-it-note will do the trick (but get the 4×4 size). Remember, the goal is to try to end it ASAP. And don’t forget to make a closing remark in the order of “we should get together sometime.” Yeah; sooner or later the truth comes out.
REALITY BITS. Trying to keep it real…
In spite of disconcerting situations such as a friend who suddenly and unexpectedly turns their back on you with no explanation,
Or worse, someone you thought could turn out to be a life partner decides to dump you for someone else….although you didn’t realize it because they were so good at making it look like they were doing it for your best interests. Then you finally woke up to the realization that they weren’t being considerate of your situation at all, only trying to end it as quickly as possible (with no opportunity to discuss possibilities) in order to begin again with someone they apparently just met. It hurts to know you were not only dispensable but not so special to them after all. And you held this person in such high regard. If they tell you it’s important that you know that they met someone else then yes, it is important that they tell you, especially if you think you’re still in the relationship. Maybe they were faithful while they were with you, keeping in mind they were intimate with you as recently as a week before they were with someone else. To you intimacy is meaningful. You might have been intending to make a lifetime decision and they saved you from doing so just in the nick of time. You thought you were a perfect match? But there’s a damn good chance they would have broken up with you later on anyway.
So look out for those who project onto you what they themselves will ultimately do.
A wise woman I know once said of someone who openly flirted with her husband “if she can catch him, she can keep him.” Which translates into something like: why worry about someone taking away something that is so easily transferable?
And that girlfriend; is keeping it real!
WAIT…I have to share the all-time “Best in Breakup” story. A friend of mine was on a date with her boyfriend at a restaurant. Said boyfriend went to the bar to order a drink and met someone while at the bar that he was very interested in getting to know. When he returned to the table he told my friend he remembered meeting this woman years ago at a party and was interested then, so now he didn’t want to ruin his chance….even though he was already on a date. Without a word of a lie he told my friend this strange woman was the “woman of his dreams”. Let’s give him credit for at least sitting down in person to tell her. But as it turns out this dream woman was happily married. Craazzy right? He spoke too soon without knowing anything about her while ruining his present relationship. Some guys!!!
Do you have a breakup story to top this? I didn’t think so.
*indicates a warning signal that something is wrong. You may have overlooked something or chosen to ignore it. example: nice to you one minute, very cool the next. You chalk it up to a bad day……you know what I’m talking about.
Aside from a proper diet, enough exercise and less stress there is the process of creating art, which in itself is proven to be very therapeutic and therefore healthy. It keeps the mind busy and helps fight depression. It could be ART for Arts sake or you can tell a story through your art. This is exactly what young Canadian veterans in Afghanistan have been doing to help tell their story and bring something positive out of a traumatic situation.
A friend of mine first told me about this because she took her son to an opening at the Foster Eastman Art Gallery downtown Vancouver in early February to view works from different mediums such as paper mâché, watercolour & photography diaries by these veterans. They werevery moved with the work and the project.
Helping them heal along the way…Squamish master carver Xwalacktun (Rick Harry) helps young veterans carve a Vancouver Tribute Totem Pole. It’s part of a project aimed at telling the stories of the veterans—their tours in Afghanistan and the challenges they face once they return home.
Xwalacktun leads a carving lesson as participants in the veterans tribute-pole project observe. Photo: YOLANDE COLE
“With men, if they’re busy with their hands, they tend to talk more,” local businessman *Foster Eastman tells the Straight in an interview at his studio. “I mean, we’re not here to offer therapy, but I think if it happens, great. It’s almost like a side effect.”
Xwalacktun has been leading the veterans through the traditional First Nations process of creating a totem pole, beginning with the healing song he performed before they began carving. But the materials of this monument aren’t exactly conventional—the tribute pole consists of two coffins.
The caskets symbolize the 158 Canadian soldierswho died in Afghanistan, and the fact that many people who struggle with depression feel like they’re “trapped in a box”, according to Eastman.
Tim Laidler carves the surface of a tribute pole being created by veterans. Photo: YOLANDE COLE
This isn’t the first time the artist has worked with veterans. His previous project resulted in the creation of the Lest We Forget CANADA! mural last year. The 162-panel tribute to Canadians killed in Afghanistan, which raised $120,000 for the Veterans Transition Network, will be kept by the Canadian War Museum as part of its permanent collection.
The process of creating the mural became very therapeutic for the veterans involved, Eastman notes, as the soldiers began to talk about their experiences to civilians who participated in the project.
“The doctors that were treating a lot of the veterans noticed great improvement in their mental well-being,” Eastman says. “So of course it became therapeutic, but that’s not what our intention was. We were just doing art. But it did kind of happen naturally.”
The success of the mural led to Eastman’s current initiative, which is part of a project funded by the Movember Foundation. In addition to the tribute pole, a group of veterans is working on a theatre production with UBC professor George Belliveau.
Once the pole is raised at the end of April, it will tell the stories of the veterans through the carved military ranks across the front, such as captain, lieutenant, and private.
The pole will also display a tribute to the soldiers who didn’t return, with each of their first names carved into the surface of the caskets.
“This is a great project to really bring forward to people to understand where these young people came from in their journey in wartime,” says Xwalacktun. “This is bringing people out and being able to share while they’re working, so it’ll help them grow and heal.”
The tribute pole will be raised at Studio 1398 on Granville Island on April 30, May 1, and May 2.
*Foster Eastman is a local businessman who enjoyed an unlikely debut as an artist last summer at theGordon Smith Gallery of Canadian Art with his exhibition inspired by Mao and the Cultural Revolution.
Other Eastman works to be on display:ghostly silhouettes of Afghan women in burkas cut out of Canadian “guerilla advertising” posters, a series of AK-47s cut from Archie comics—a transformation of familiar objects into sinister instruments that brings the war home in a visceral way. The mural, to be unveiled on April 16, encompasses photographic prints showing Afghan widows in mourning, a funeral procession for a Canadian soldier and a poignant image of a soldier holding a young Afghan boy’s hand, as well as the Pams.
Source: Maclean’s Magazine & Georgia Straight – From Kandahar to Canada:
Other previous blog posts to do with natural therapies for the soul:
kon tiki opened its doors in 1958 and closed them in the early 80’s.
A once familiar signage
It began in Montreal when I accompanied my parents to a place called the kon tiki lounge. My dad didn’t drink but my mom liked to order a cocktail with rum & fruit juice in a hollowed out coconut. I had a Shirley Temple in a pineapple topped with a maraschino cherry and always an umbrella. The room was dark and exotic that had lagoons with running water, palm trees and blue, green and red lighting. It felt so grown up and indulgent. So when I moved to Vancouver one of the first things I did was pay a visit to Trader Vic’s at the Bayshore hotel. The chain was not nearly as intimate and they didn’t bother to fill up a pineapple but the cocktails were still tropical style.
In Palm Springs recently we visited a place called Bootlegger and the Tonga Hut. Bootlegger is very tiny, very tiki like and dark but the thing about the Tonga Hut is they have a secret room. I won’t tell you how to find it (it’s very cool) because then it wouldn’t be a secret. My friend disappeared in a flash behind a secret wall – that’s all I’m saying. I came across a website that explains Tiki Culture (yes, it is a culture onto itself). THIS IS IT:
The Tiki Lifestyle. Island Living. Retro Life. What is it all about?
Bootlegger, Palm Springs
Matchbox, Palm Springs. Okay, it’s not tiki but they have a firepit.
Well, it’s pretty simple. It’s all about living the goodlife the way the cocktail set did back in the day. Historically and geographically, Tiki is defined by Polynesian culture.
People who are into Tiki Culture, or the “Tiki Lifestyle” crave an escape from the fast-paced lives we live. We want to know we have a special place, whether physical or in our minds, where we can go to get away from it all. For many of us, it’s our own little Tiki Bar set somewhere in the corner of our home. For some of us, it’s the Tiki Bar down town or on the beach. For a lucky few, our entire lives (including our homes and businesses) are 100% Tiki with that distinct mid-century retro look and feel. Source: http://tikiloungetalk.com
It’s really hard to pass up trying something new when you’re a lipstick addict.
I spotted, sampled and bought a tube of GOSH Velvet Touch Lipstick because the colour choices were so pretty. The company, based in Denmark, is a young and innovative cosmetics firm that also sells bath, body and fragrance products. Founded in 1945 as a pharmaceutical company, GOSH quickly moved into the cosmetics industry and now their products are sold in more than 75 countries throughout the world. I found it at Shoppers Drug Mart.
Review: due to a high concentration of colour pigments the lipsticks give an intense and lasting colour. Contains Vitamin-E to soften and help protect against free radicals. Packaging is nice.
Did I just put the words sneakers and style in the same sentence?
Vans in all the right shades
It seems so. I’ve been drawn more and more to these adorable sneakers that look good with capris and rolled-up or cut-off jeans. These are not the same as running shoes (ones you use to actually run in), they’re meant for walking and comforts sake. A Sneak Peek:
My Vans slip-ons that go with everything
Superga platform hearts
This doesn’t mean that I’ve given up on shoes with heels, it’s just that the styles I’ve stumbled upon are so cute and practical that I feel like buying several pairs.
Something is happening to me. Lately I’ve found myself twice in the downtown Vans store considering the sunflower pair and the silver glitter lace-ups but I ended up walking out (literally) with Van Doren limited edition 80’s slip-ons. They’re a bit abstract and kind of Warholish. I also like the Italian Superga leopard, houndstooth, linen, metallic and perforated leather pairs. This is worrisome. I hope it’s just a phase like the Reebok cool-girl hightops I used to wear in red, black and bubblegum pink – a period that fortunately did not last for very long. Because looking back they were not all that flattering.
Superga LeopardSuperga Annabel Floral Platforms
Until this is over I’ll just enjoy my casual lifestyle knowing that I can always slip on a pair of high heels to go out for dinner or dancing. Mind you, recently I’ve even been wearing flats to dance tango. Is this something I should be concerned about? It’s good to diversify right?
What do you think about the latest crop of sneakers – will they be replacing regular flats?
Talking about Austin Texas and barbeques yesterday got me thinking about mouth watering ribs. Of course you cannot beat barbequed ribs for the best smoky flavour but I just made an amazing batch of ribs that were completely baked in the oven – while still maintaining a smoky flavour. That’s right! Even I was surprised at how delicious they turned out. I first rubbed them all over with a homemade tex-mex dry rub which I provided the link to below (from a previous blog post) but you can always improvise.
3 -5 lbs pork ribs (I used baby back ribs)
3 or more tablespoons dry rub (use your favourite and add a smoked sea salt as part of your seasoning – Trader Joe’s makes an excellent one).
1 cup barbeque sauce (this time I used Stubb’s Hickory Bourbon but there’s a link at bottom for a good one made from scratch).
DIRECTIONS
Pre-heat oven to 300* F.
Season all sides of the ribs with the dry rub of your choice.
Using a 13x9x2 baking dish (or most likely a larger 15x11x2), place the rib slabs *meaty side up into the pan but make sure not to over crowd. I usually put the baking dish (or pan) right on top of another slightly larger pan/dish that has at least a half inch of water in it. This helps tenderize the ribs and keep them from drying out. You can always try it without but this seems to work better.
Cover the baking dish with foil and place on center rack of pre-heated oven. Bake for approximately 2 1/2 – 3 hours (depending on the size of the ribs you are using).
Remove the ribs from oven and drain any grease from dish; reserving the foil.Slather with your favorite BBQ sauce and return the dish to the oven (un-covered) for an additional 30 minutes.
Once done, remove the ribs to a platter, loosely tent the platter with the reserved foil, and allow to rest for 10 minutes. (This step is important — the resting period gives the ribs time to re-distribute their juices, just like a steak would).
Enjoy!
*other recipes call for you to first place the ribs with the bone side facing up – until step #5 when you put the barbeque sauce on at which time you flip them over to the meaty side up. I’m just telling you this but the way I did it (above) turned out to be excellent.
WHY AUSTIN?A friend of mine will soon be visiting Austin Texas, and knowing that I’ve been on several occasions, asked for a few recommendations of places to go.
Although things can constantly change in this unique capital city I’ll be talking about the mainstays. Everyone who visits Austin leaves with something great to say. If it’s not the legendary live music or vibrant arts scene then it’s the inspiring cuisine or stunning outdoor settings in this effervescent city. There’s not much not to like.
the Elephant Room
Music in many forms is everywhere in Austin. You can find Musicians playing everywhere from festivals to underground clubs and even grocery stores (like Whole Foods). I listened to exceptional live jazz at a cosy little bar called “the elephant room” and live rockabilly at the Granddaddy of all local music venues, the Continental Club. So much fun.
Food – I have sampled some of the best bar-b-que, tex-mex (naturally) and eclectic bistro fare in this town. I provided links to a couple of previous posts of two places I thoroughly enjoyed – a noteworthy barbeque pit and a restaurant owned by Sandra Bullock. I haven’t been to Franklin barbeque but apparently it’s one of the top places to go. Can’t imagine it being much better than the rustic setting & live music that Salt Lick offers, but that’s the word on the street.
For Tex-Mex there’s Güero’s Taco Bar. They have an amazing salsa bar & hand-shaken margaritas in a landmark building with a patio. Since discovering this place I haven’t gone anywhere else for Mexican in Austin. They have the bestchile relleno I’ve tasted to date.
Bess Bistro
There’s so much more to discover but if you only have a few days you can start with these suggestions.
Whenever I have an unusual animal sighting I tend to look up the spiritual meaning. I’ve had experiences with hummingbirds, owls and dragonflies.
photo: d. king
And not necessarily under normal circumstances, several times it was in uncommon ways and no, I was not under the influence of drugs or alcohol. So here is what I found to do specifically with meanings from our own First Nations people & those of the Pacific Northwest:
BEAR – The Elder Kinsman. He teaches the legends and dances. The Bear is the symbol of strength and is always respected and treated as a high-ranking guest. EAGLE – The Eagle is a symbol of power, of knowledge and prestige. The Eagle also represents friendship and peace to all. We are lucky to have a pair of nesting Eagles in our neighbourhood. FROG – The Frog is the voice of the people and a symbol of innocence, stability and communication. He is also considered to be good luck. HUMMINGBIRD – The Hummingbird is a joyful messenger and a symbol of health. When a Hummingbird appears, healing will follow. Come on little Hummingbird…where are you now? RAVEN – The transformer. The creator. He placed the sun and moon in the sky so the world would have light and also put the trees on land and fish in water. This magical creature opened the clamshell to release man. He is known for his knowledge. SALMON – The Salmon is the life source and the provider of food for all animals and humans. When salmon are seen in pairs, it symbolizes good luck. WHALE – The Whale is a communicator and highly regarded guardian of the sea. Whales travel together and symbolize long life. WOLF – This positive symbol is very family oriented. Wolves mate for life and share all responsibilities. Wolves are known as the land equivalent of the whale. THUNDERBIRD (not the car) – This mythological creature is the most powerful of all the spirits. He lives in the mountains and has lightning sticks under his wings. He rolls the thunder, and when he blinks his eyes, lightning flashes.
Source for meanings: Lattimer Gallery, Vancouver
Links to a few of my encounters:
I saw an owl one night at Kits beach while out walking my dog – a first.
Like when you crave a simple but well made grilled cheese sandwich or clubhouse and another time something totally different like chicken pot pie (which I personally never crave but some people do).
I was going for a simple latte and mid-afternoon snack but looking at all the goodies at the counter made it a challenging situation to choose only one thing. At times like this you have to make a difficult decision. You order something, take another thing home and decide to come back again and again to try everything you never thought you wanted. See what I mean?
Coco et Olive Cafe – 3707 Main St.
These pastries look so yummy. Liberty used to be in my neighbourhood (it was called Elsie’s then). They moved away and I couldn’t find them for ages until I came across the bakery by accident on Main Street. I spotted the buttercream & mocha petit fours I love and used to buy regularly in their window.
Girl Who Would be KING on Life, Style and INSPIRATION. 
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