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My company had their golf tournament last Friday. I was not interested in playing golf so, instead, I “snuck” out and went to watch The Dark Knight instead. Now, call me snob if you want but I wanted to watch it in the IMAX; in this case, the SilverCity Riverport. So, I went there hoping to catch the 12:30 p.m. showing but, alas, it was sold out. In fact, except for the 3:30 p.m. showing, which had only few tickets left, the rest was sold out. Wow! I guess that’s how they managed to make $155 million in the opening weekend. Anyway, I purchased my ticket and went for lunch. Now, it was just 11:45 a.m. so I had almost four hours (actually three and a little bit, as I wanted to be certain I could get a good seat. Long story but it has to do with almost-throwing-up-motion-sickness situations). What to do then? It was a bit cloudy but I took my chances and drove to Steveston Village. |
From the monthly archives:
July 2008
This entry is based on my trip to Kelowna on mid June 2008. My other entries on this trip includes:
Road Trip to Kelowna – Highway 3
Road Trip to Kelowna – Downton Kelowna
Road Trip to Kelowna – St. Hubertus & Oak Bay Estate Winery
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This is the third winery I visited on my second full day in Kelowna. At this point, the weather was starting to improve (see my entry for St. Hubertus). Wine-wise, Summerhill’s claim of fame would be the pyramid where the wines are stored for a period of time before they are sold and the fact their wines are organic. I am not sure if it makes any difference but… As for the wines themselves, unfortunately, I sampled red wines. Huh? OK, let me explain: I don’t like red wines in general (there are small exceptions). Based on the wines I have tasted and conversation with other people, it seem it is due to the tannins. I am not sure if this is true or not but, regardless, I tasted a Cabernet Savignon and skipped the rest of the sampling (as the rest of the sampling menu was red). However, the attendee noticed that and, instead, gave me something (not in the regular tasting menu) I could not refuse: ice wine! A bit of explanation here: unlike regular wine grapes, ice wine grapes are harvested several months after the regular harvest, when the temperature drops to -8C. At this point, the grapes are frozen and, as a result, the sugar is concentrated in the single drop of juice it can produce. (If the temperature rises above -8C during this process, it can’t be considered to be ice wine). After the “usual” fermentation process, the result is a sweet, somewhat “syrupy” drink. However, when you taste it, you would not believe it is wine! Now, because of everything involved in the creation of icewine (manpower, weather conditions, low yield), these are not cheap: a 375 mL bottle can be easily $50.00 (compared to a 750mL of wine for as little as $15). Of course, I am talking about young wines, not old ones. I also had lunch here which, in a way, was not spectacular. However, the scenery… Again, I will let the pictures do the talking. Comments appreciated! |
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 This picture was taken on the following day of my visit. |
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The vineyard is sometimes used as setting for weddings/receptions.
This picture and the next were taken the following day. I was worth dropping by again, as the light was a lot better..
This entry is based on my trip to Kelowna on mid June 2008. My other entries on this trip includes:
Road Trip to Kelowna – Highway 3
Road Trip to Kelowna – Downton Kelowna
Road Trip to Kelowna – Greata Ranch
St. Hubertus – Entrace big sign. Notice the blue sky – This was NOT taken on the same day as the others below!
This is the first winery I visited on my second full day in Kelowna. And something completely funny happened here: while I did not like Greata Ranch probably because I had tasted a lot of samples and was getting tipsy, I don’t think I enjoyed St. Hubertus too much either because it was too early (and hadn’t had any wine yet). Funny, eh? However, unlike Greata Ranch, St. Hubertus have some saving graces, (1) The scenery was a lot better and (2) I sampled Gewürztraminer, one of the wine types I like.
Disclaimer again: I am not a wine connoisseur and I don’t care about a lot of things people consider “important”. To me, it is personal preference. Having said that, the attendant mention about the fires in Kelowna back in 2005. As a result of the smoke, some of the grapes acquired a “smoky” taste. And, guess what? I could taste that! That’s why I asked for taste them separately and indeed, it was different. In the end, I purchased one bottle of Gewürztraminer.
St. Hubertus – Wine Store
As for the scenary, it was different from Greata Ranch. Despite of the clouds, I managed to take relatively good pictures – I think. As usual, comments about the pictures or comments in general are appreciated!
St. Hubertus – Shoot of vineyard
St. Hubertus – Shoot of vineyard #2
St. Hubertus – Closer shoot of vineyard
St. Hubertus – A somewhat… Odd shot?
This entry is based on my trip to Kelowna on mid June 2008. My other entries on this trip includes:
Road Trip to Kelowna – Highway 3
Road Trip to Kelowna – Downton Kelowna
Road Trip to Kelowna – Sumac Ridge
I was originally planning to put the list of wineries I visited in sequential order – the reason why Sumac Ridge was first. However, I soon realized that I might be a bad idea, as that meant the ones I enjoyed the most might be blogged first. So, I decided to shuffle them and blog the rest from the one I liked the least to the one I liked the most. As mention in its entry, Sumac Ridge is in the middle of the pack.
Caveat Emptor: I am not a wine connoisseur. I don’t care about wine pairing or Parker points or who knows what. I drink what I like. Once in a while, out of whim, I visit a liquor store and buy a bottle of wine (the only condition is that it has to be VQA – support your local economy!). If I like it, I make notes of it; if I don’t like it, well, too bad. As I mentioned in a previous entry, my tolerance for alcohol is very low. That’s why, if I drink, most likely it will be at home or at a friend’s place where I know I can stay overnight. Enjoying the wineries do not require you to drink, there are other things it can offer you though, like the scenery.
Greata Ranch – Building façade
Having said that, from my trip to Kelowna, out of all the wineries, Greata Ranch was the one that, well, I was disappointed the most. Now, I am not saying they are bad, instead, it might be the fact it was the last one visited on my first full day in Kelowna. In a way, expectations were high – or, at least, mine was high. Also, by now, I already sampled over a dozen of wines from other wineries and was starting to get tipsy. The winery offered us a couple of samples of white and, at least, one red (sorry, my brain was fuzzy by then). At this point, I would not have been able to tell apart a Sauvignon Blanc from a Chardonnay. OK, I don’t think I would have been able to distinguish them even if I was sober; at least I could tell a Chardonnay from a Riesling or a Gewürztraminer (the last two have a “fruitier” taste). However, what we sampled was not “memorable” by any means. I guess one of these days I will have to get a bottle from the liquor stores and double-check…
Exterior – Facing north
Greata Ranch – Winestore
Greata Ranch – Patio
Having said that, we go to the “other reason”, the scenery. Here is where Greata Ranch fails. Now, it is possible it was the day itself (it was a bit cloudy) but, regardless, the area looked a bit… *plain*. Agree? Disagree? Please let me know how can I improve the pictures!
Greata Ranch – Facing South
Greata Ranch – Vineyard
Greata Ranch – Another view of the vineyard
This entry is based on my visit to Kelowna back in June 2008.
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I am not really a drinker. The first time I tasted alcohol it was in my teens. I remember sipping a bit of rosé and fallen unconscious not long after. The following day, I had this big hangover. Because of that reaction, I did no had any alcohol until a bit more than a year ago. Yes, I still had a similar reaction but, at least, now, I feel tipsy with a glass instead of falling unconscious outright. When I chose to go for holidays back in June, one of my reasons to visit Kelowna was the wineries. Sumac Ridge was the first of several wineries I visited. Technically, Sumac Ridge is located not located in Kelowna, instead, it is in the Westbank, on the west side of Lake Okanagan. But, hey, I am not being nitpicky here. Fortunately (?), I was in a tour so driving was not an issue (remember, don’t drink/taste and drive!). The “tour” of Sumac Ridge included a visit to the vine crushing area, vats (did not take picture) and, of course, wine tasting. Since we were in a tour, we were given the chance to taste sparkling wine. After trying it, I will have to say it is overrated. Although not included in the tour, we were provided with sample of ice wine. Although it is a sweet dessert wine, I must say I like it! Out of all the wineries I visited, Sumac Ridge falls in-between. Now, it does not mean it was bad, instead, there were some better ones, specially the view. Of course, that also means more wineries in the queue! |
 Next to Sumac Ridge is a golf course. |
 Wine vats on the right side. |
 A casket and the vines in the back. |
 Out guide serving us sparkling wine. |
 Inside the tasting room. The placement of the bottles (serving as lamps) should spell an “S”. |
As far as I can remember here in Vancouver (but, then again, I have been here only that long), the Chinese night markets have been part of the summer activities. From what I have been told, the idea behind these night markets is to emulate the night market settings you might get in Asia. Whether this has been accomplished or not, I can’t say for certain, since I have not been in Asia for ages. But regardless, the event itself is fun.
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In Metro Vancouver, there are two main ones, Summer Night Market which “replaced” the Richmond Night Market (they are in the same location, the name is due to licencing issues since they are different operators) and Vancouver’s Chinatown Night Market. It is unfair for me to make a comparison between them: I only went to Richmond Night Market once (and that was long time ago) while have not been to the Summer Night Market. However, if the Summer Night Market is at least 75% of what the Richmond Night Market used to be, I can only say the following:
1) Size-wise, Richmond Night Market is way larger than Chinatown Night Market. Think something close to a big-box store size vs. one of the streets in the big-box store perimeter.
2) Transportation. The one in Richmond might be a pain mainly because Bridgeport (the closest major road) is not a major bus route. Driving is an option though it depends if you want to pay for parking ($5, can’t confirm, though) or you want to park for free but walk several blocks away. As for Chinatown’s, there are several bus routes passing nearby not to mention the Skytrain. This was the reason I chose to visit Chinatown Night Market rather than Richmond’s.
Regardless, there are two reasons I think people go there for two reasons: cheap/odd “stuff” and food.
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The cheap stuff, well, I will leave that to the reader and/or the visitor. Most of the merchandise available for sale can easily fit in the “if it is too good to be true” category. That does not mean they are all rip-offs either. For example, in one stand, there were “swords” and “axes” for sale. Obviously, they are not real weapons, more of a novelty. If they are, I am sure the Vancouver Police Department would like to have a word with them. Likewise, there is a ginseng stand. I can’t vouch for its quality but, from afar, it looked like the real thing, as they sold them in pieces rather than grounded. But, in other cases, who are we kidding? The fact they were preventing me of taking some pictures would have indicated me something. Anyway, I don’t visit the night market for this reason, I visit the night market for…
Food! I mentioned above I have not been in Asia for ages but in Panama, in some places of the city, you could find food street vendors. Now, it is a single stand, not a whole block like in Asia. But one thing I can say almost for certain: it is not gourment nor necessarily healthy food but it is down-to-earth tasty good eats. I remember getting out of University and, on my way back home, stop to grab some food. Depending on the stand, you could get chicken rice, potato salad, grilled chicken, patacones (a double-fried plantain chips), fried fish, etc. That was Panama; here, you will get more Asian fare – sort of. There were stands with noodles, (imitation for sure) shark fin soup, dim sum items like har gao and siu mai, takoyaki (a Japanese fare, pieces of octopus in a batter, served with mayo, okonomiyaki sauce and fish shavings) and bubble tea. In this visit, I had two items: corn cob (not Asian, but, hey, it is summer!) and grilled sardine. It was really tasty. Price of the dishes vary, in my case, each was for less than $5. |
 Wii vs WÜ???
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 Takoyaki! |
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Had grilled sardine. It was delicious!
Overall, it was a fun night. Depending on the night, there might have a stand with dances or other presentations. Because the place is relatively small, you can walk around in less than an hour (slightly more if you are in shopping mode). But, hey, why the hurry!
Are you going to have what?!
by KimHo on July 15, 2008 · 1 comment under: Comments
I think I watch more TV than I should. I have several books to read but, sometimes, I just want to be idiotised. On Tuesdays, one show I can’t wait to watch is Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations. To those who are not aware of the show, Anthony Bourdain, (former?) executive chef of Brasserie Les Halles, visits different locations across the globe and, in addition of providing some cultural background and display of the daily life, he gets to eat almost anything from fine dining to “delicacies” but, most importantly, local non-tourist fare. Forget certain travelling show with Rachel Ray (thumbs down) or Giada De Laurentiis (thumbs sideways), this is the real deal. Spam? Check. Live Octopus? Check. Snake heart? Check… Well, actually, I think this was in A Cook’s Tour (another former show of his) but, he had it, nonetheless. This is one of the reasons I like the show.
As for myself, when it comes to food, I think I can eat almost anything. Well, there are some exceptions; however, I think what I do not eat (Chinese salted fish, fermented bean curd, et al) are things most people won’t eat anyway. In the past, if my mother prepared something with these ingredients, my options were simple: either I ate it or I skipped dinner. No exception. That’s how I learned to appreciate some dishes like eggplants and bitter melon. OK, let me correct that: I learned that being able to have 3 meals a day (add or take depending on snacks I might have) was something I was taking for granted. Food is not only nourish to your body but also your soul and mind. And, in the case of dishes from other cultures, their background. If an animal was killed to feed you, make it worth by consuming everything possible. For vegetables, consider the time it took to grow and effort to harvest it. Of course, you can overindulge and, in my case, I ended up way overweight to the point of being a prime candidate of cardiovascular diseases. I am digressing here but, at least I can say I am more “stable” now.
Because of my Chinese background, I learned to appreciate lou mei type dishes, i.e, offal. Not a delicacy but the idea of eating everything is still there. Likewise in Panama, I enjoyed morcilla (a variety of blood sausage), fried chicken heart, gizzard, etc. When I came to Canada, this type of dishes was not available. OK, I lie partially. You could get lou mei in Chinese stores/butchers. You could also get pork blood or german blood sausage or chicken heart. But, it was not the same as it was sold in bulk/raw so you had to cook it. Cooking some form of offal can be difficult and tricky. That is why, whenever I am in a restaurant and I see offal type dishes, I jump into the opportunity to have some of it. Unfortunately, for my meal companions, reactions might be a really funny one…
Once, I went for lunch with a group of colleagues to a HK-style cafe. Our party included Korean, Indonesian, Filipino, Chinese and… A Caucasian. I will be blunt here and probably stereotyping him, we had a “white guy” in our party. I am not sure if he knew what he was up to before we went to this restaurant. I have the odd impression, had he known, he might not have joined us. Anyway, while browsing the menu, something caught my attention. So, when it was my turn, I ordered ox tongue. The “white guy” freaked at what I said. “Are you going to have what?!”. Again, I will be blunt here: He was the only one who freaked out. To the rest of us was just “normal”. Was it really that weird? To make sure I was not exagerating, we had other lunches. Eventually, I found out he did not even like “bone soup” (reality: good stock is made from bones and connective tissues) and did not know why we like chicken feet (or “dragon claws” as they are named in Dim Sum). In the end, everything boiled down to culture: since he is a steak-and-potato type of person, he was used to regular meat cuts. Offal? Not even with a stick… Of course, here is the loaded question: would he eat haggis? The answer was no…