The last month or so has found me both very busy and more introspective than usual. In my recent efforts to create better work-life balance, I have found a new joy in embracing the time away from the Internet to better focus on the task at hand, whether it’s billable client work, scrubbing the kitchen or playing Lego with my kids. Along with work-life balance, I also struggle with blog-life balance. I often feel guilty both for spending too much time blogging and for not spending enough time at it. I am coming to accept that it’s just the way it is: there is a time to blog, and a time to step away from the blog and just live your life.

Today, we have more data than ever on what ‘ordinary’ people are thinking and doing, because we are now all able to leave our mark on the Internet. But as ever, this fails to account for a great many meaningful moments that never do get written down or uploaded to YouTube. And that’s OK too. I think that we risk becoming spectators of our own lives if we are too focused on Tweeting every thought and photographing or videotaping every milestone.

On the other hand, in some aspects of my life I find that I gain a great deal by taking the time to reflect on my thoughts and experiences and write them down. As I explain my thinking to others, I understand it more fully myself. Blogging, Facebooking and all the rest can be wonderful ways to connect with people and explore ideas, but what really matters is your experience in the world and the impact your life has on others.

One thing I love about the New Westminster social media community that has emerged over the past few years is that it isn’t just an online echo chamber. Over and over I see examples of people making friends (who they actually do see in person as well as online), businesses winning customers, our City engaging citizens and all kinds of ordinary people coming up with great ideas to make our town a better place to live – and organizing themselves to make it happen.

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The Lamb on the Quay boardwalk. Photo: Laura Schneider.

The other day I noticed a bunch of Canadian geese down at the Fraser River Styrofoam patch. Why, I wondered, would they prefer to toddle here rather than fly south for the winter? More importantly, I wondered why was no one cleaning this mess up.

The area in question is home to a bunch of stray logs that get jammed into a small grassy, muddy alcove making it a perfect catchall for all kinds of debris.

These logs, which look natural and quite fetching tangle themselves up with those nasties; large pieces of Styrofoam, their offspring chunks and worst of all those pellet sized eggballs that are near impossible to pick up.

I think we all know that Styrofoam is bad and unsightly on our shoreline, but why is it so bad?

Well aside from those crumbling little eggballs that birds and other wildlife seem to find so tasty and then get sick from because it blocks their digestive system which ultimately causes starvation, new research shows that contrary to popular belief, plastic and its chemically gassy, blown-up sibling Styrofoam may actually be breaking down in as little as one year, if the conditions are right.

So the good news is that plastics may be breaking down in no time; the bad news is that these plastics may be releasing all their unpronounceable and potentially toxic chemicals in to our water system a whole lot sooner than we thought.

Well thank goodness none of us drink from the Fraser.

Garbage bagged in a one-person, one-day cleanup at the Quay included about 15 pounds of waterlogged Styrofoam, plastic and glass bottles, cigarette butts, newspapers, a mountain dew box, plastic bags, rope, drink caps, tampon applicators, both paper and plastic, tons of those little wrappers that cover mints you get when you leave the Boat House and, oddly, a coconut. Photo: Laura Schneider.

And as an aside… why don’t we recycle Styrofoam? As it turns out, no one wants to. Apparently, it can’t be made into much except plastic lunch trays and packing material and it costs a lot to do that. Additionally, the pollution generated by making these lunch trays etc. is far more than making them from scratch.

So anyway, back to the garbage patch that my dog Lamb and I have been walking past for years. It’s interesting because it changes. I’ve seen some really big stuff in there. I once crawled down to investigate an industrial cooler that was about three quarters the size of a refrigerator. My mischievous self wondered if wasn’t big enough to contain a body or some other nastiness.

Anyway this stuff does occasionally appear and surprisingly disappear, but not often enough for my liking. So today I put on my boots, a warm winter coat and red rubber gloves. I grabbed my rake, garbage bags and the Lamb and off we went to clean the mess up.

Lamb in tow, I tossed her over the rail, in order that she may have a good spot for supervising. The idea being that if I fell in or hurt myself she’d sound the alarm.

Once down there you become aware that it isn’t just Styrofoam, it’s all kinds of stuff. And in keeping with the recent Queensborough Shoreline Clean Up initiative held this past September, I think that it’s really important we document my findings.

Here is a list of what I found: lots of Styrofoam, about 15 water logged pounds worth, plastic and glass bottles, some of which were alcoholic and surprisingly still contained remnants inside, cigarette butts, newspapers, a mountain dew box, plastic bags, rope, drink caps, tampon applicators, both paper and plastic, tons of those little wrappers that cover mints you get when you leave the Boat House and of all things a coconut, which I left there.

The interesting thing is that many of these items start to look like natural detritus, which I think, is a plus, to some degree. A while back I was in Hawaii taking pictures of shoreline garbage, which is virtually unnoticeable until you get close. In part because wave erosion, salt and sun convert it to look like everything else in the environment. What a coup.

Again, back to the Quay… so a few people walked by and asked what I was up to, in fact, one person took photographs, as if this was something amazing or covert. I explained that I was taking half an hour out of my day and putting it toward my own personal community initiative. I was going to pick up garbage and report my findings.

In closing, I would like to challenge all New Westmintonians to make their own community initiative. Find something to do that gives back to the community and report back. I’d love to hear from you.

In the words of Noam Chomsky

“We shouldn’t be looking for heroes, we should be looking for good ideas.”

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The Urban Food Revolution: Changing the Way We Feed Cities, by Peter Ladner, a former Vancouver City Councillor, is a book on my to-read list. I’ve been told by a few friends that it is a great book, and I’m looking forward to getting into it.

Our reliance on industrial agriculture has resulted in a food supply riddled with hidden environmental, economic and health care costs and beset by rising food prices. With only a handful of corporations responsible for the lion’s share of the food on our supermarket shelves, we are incredibly vulnerable to supply chain disruption.

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Photo by Raul Pacheco-Vega

Here’s the longer version:

In case you haven’t heard of the restaurant, Wild Rice is a recently opened tenant in River Market, overlooking the Fraser River. They’re open for lunch and dinner 6 days a week (Tuesday through Thursday: 11:30am to 10pm, Friday & Saturday: 11:30am to 11pm, and Sunday: 11:30am to 10pm) and offer simple, fresh and modern Chinese fusion “family style”; that is, share plates large and small you can share with your dining companions that come in no set order and in their own time as they are prepared by the kitchen. It’s the second location of the same name – the other is on Pender on the edge of Gastown in Vancouver – and much has been glowingly written about Wild Rice’s menu and service since the first location opened in 2001.

Chef Todd Bright offers dairy free fare and many gluten free and vegan options. Many of the ingredients have been carefully sourced from ethical, local, small scale producers by owner Andrew Wong, and this attention to detail is reflected in the prices on the menu. This is not the least expensive restaurant in town, although there are definitely bargains to be had – the lunch time truffle salt and szechuan pepper tofu with braised mushrooms, water chestnuts and fresh peas served in a bowl on rice may very well be the most perfect comfort food of all time for only $10.

My favourite items so far? Besides the lunchtime salt and pepper tofu which will keep me coming back with regularity (a fuller variation is also on the dinner menu at $13), I’d pick the seared albacore tuna with ginger shallot daikon, black vinegar reduction and toasted sesame seeds ($14), maple hill chicken kung po with twice cooked peanuts, local broccoli, rice noodles ($19), turnip cake with shiitake mushroom, smoked tofu and pickled vegetable salad ($7), and the vegetable spring roll with seasonable local vegetables, ginger soy dip ($8) for the top of my list.

My least favourite? Although I enjoyed the flavour of the hot and sour soup, I wasn’t “in love” with it – the broth to veggie ratio seemed high on the broth side and it just didn’t blow me away the way I was expecting it to. I have one other minor quibble: while their great local craft beer is well priced at $5 a sleeve, I find their per-glass wine prices a little high for New Westminster at $8-10 for a 6oz glass. (Update: Thanks to Wild Rice for the correction – their wine is 6oz not 4oz! )

Family-style modern Chinese fusion isn’t for everyone (one friend tells me “this isn’t real Chinese food”) but it is a type of eating I personally love. Like tapas style dining the now defunct Orange Room tried hard to capture but didn’t quite nail, I love sitting down with a group passing plates back and forth, and experiencing little bites of many kinds of food.

Photo by Raul Pacheco-Vega

All in all, however, Wild Rice has so far lived up to the hype, and I find the unpretentious and cozy atmosphere welcoming and comfortable. The staff are top notch, happy to make recommendations, and know the exact right moments to appear and disappear. Two thumbs up.

But really, the point of this review isn’t about the food or the service – both well documented as being above average and star quality – as much as it is about how Wild Rice’s choice to set up shop in our community has changed what going out for a meal means in New Westminster.

For a very long time, the choices for a fancy dinner here in our city have been twofold for me: reliable chain eateries with predictable everything, or independently owned crapshoots that might be awesome or might be horrific from one visit to the next.

I don’t want you to get me wrong – there are a number of places I frequent and enjoy and heartily recommend (and many of them we’ve written about at length here on Tenth) in our city. Places like Okonomi Sushi or the Dublin Castle consistently impress me with their food quality and freshness. And while I can be spotted at Boston Pizza, White Spot, the Keg, and even The Boathouse, they are… well, predictable. The variables are not about the food; the variables in these familiar places are more environmental: service, parking, and how clean the bathrooms are. It becomes less about the sum, and more about the parts.

New Westminster News Leader editor Chris Bryan and I talked about the shift a few weeks ago when we talked about the Newsmaker of the Year - the feeling that New Westminster is once again becoming a golden city like in the early days of our province. Wild Rice is a part of that shift for me and has managed to completely change the game by capturing the essence of the experience I always want to have when I head out for a meal cooked by someone else without me having to leave my town. Wild Rice offers the trifecta of awesomeness – inventive food that surprises me, gracious staff who are able to be invisible and available at the same time, and decor and ambience I can’t get at home.

Simply? You should go.

Wild Rice is located in the River Market at 810 Quayside Drive. For reservations or info, call 778-397-0028 or find them online or Twitter or Facebook. 

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The New Westminster News Leader recently announced their Newsmaker of the Year as Pilothouse, a New Westminster based real estate developer responsible for, among other things, the 8 West project at 21 Eighth Ave, and the project at 258 Sixth Street that sold out in a ridiculous 42 minutes.

I had a brief conversation on Twitter with Chris Bryan after their issue came out with the announcement, and he said they chose Pilothouse as a symbol of a shift of perception by outsiders.

To me, however, a “newsmaker” is someone or something that gets everyone talking, creates a degree of controversy, and is found not just in the local biweekly papers, but also is heard around water coolers and at coffee shops, read on blogs, and talked about over the fence with neighbours. A “newsmaker” is more than a symbol – they’re something tangible and impactive, and don’t go away quietly. Newsmakers are catalysts. I also like to think that the top newsmaker in a community is something or someone that brought people together, not divided them.

With that in mind, here’s my picks for Newsmaker of the Year, plus two Honourable Mentions.

Newsmaker of the Year:

United Boulevard Extension

Never have I seen an issue be more hotly discussed in coffee shops, in the letters to the editor, at residents’ association meetings, at preschool, at work… you name it. The UBE had everyone talking, and it was something to behold that as a community, we sent a resounding loud messages to Translink that NO, New West did NOT want this, thank you very much, and building it just “because the funding was there” wasn’t good enough. I am so pleased at how well council listened to the residents, talked about it, and thought about their unified and firm response. I am filled with pride at how the UBE changed the way some people see transportation issues in the community, and that, for the most part, the discourse was respectful and pleasant. The UBE wasn’t just a symbol – it called people to action. They attended meetings, wrote letters to government and the media, and they talked neighbour to neighbour about how this was going to change our community in the long run. It is because of this unifying call-to-action that the United Boulevard Extension is my pick for the Newsmaker of 2011 in New Westminster.

Honourable Mention # 1:

The Westminster Pier Park

Like the UBE, the Pier Park provided a lot of conversation. But unlike the UBE which brought most of us together, the Pier Park became (and still is) a community divider. With headlines screeching about Toxic Blobs, and a continual steady stream of letters to the editor, you either love the idea of taking an old brownfield, adding in some provincial, federal, and municipal dollars, and reclaiming it as a community park, or you think it is wasteful, pointless, and if some of the claims made this past year are to be believed, downright dangerous. The Pier Park also became an election talking point in the mayoral race, and it was dubbed (maliciously or amicably, depending upon who was doing the dubbing) “Wayne’s Wharf”. The Pier Park still hasn’t gone away, especially now as we are nearly completion of this park and I expect things will heat up once more as that day comes. A candidate for Newsmaker 2012, perhaps?

Honourable Mention # 2:

The James Crosty Election Machine

I think James Crosty is an energetic and dedicated volunteer for the issues and groups he supports. I like James and I applaud anyone who dedicates their personal time to serve in their community. But I didn’t agree with Crosty’s tactics in the recent election. I thought he was negative most of the time and evasive the rest, and I didn’t like the choices he made to market himself. But despite not liking how he ran his campaign, I think his campaign was the most spirited of any mayoral candidate, and he tried the hardest of all the candidates combined – mayoral, council, and trustee. He was the first out of the gates to seek media attention with his antics, he continuously tweeted and inserted himself into every conversation and media outlet he could, and he steadily and constantly appeared in every issue of the local papers for months. He was catalytic. When his bid to run the city was denied, he closed up the election machine (his website has been almost completely removed, and a plain message of thanks and congratulations put up in its place) and Crosty, in essence, has gone dark. Support him or reject him, the James Crosty Election Machine was an all-or-nothing newsmaker in our city in 2011.

Looking to the future

There are so many issues we face in our city, that the task of choosing a newsmaker isn’t easy. Hume Park Elementary, the inactivity on the construction of the new schools, whatever Translink is going to propose to replace the UBE, trucks on Front Street, traffic, the continued stranger danger occurences… the list can be endless.

I’d like to invite anyone interested in joining me 11.5 months from now at a local pub to weigh in and debate who Tenth to the Fraser should crown as the Newsmaker of the Year for 2012. We’ll announce details at the end of November.

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Between December 1st and December 21st, stop in to The Boathouse Restaurant between 3:00pm and 6:00pm, seven days a week, with a non perishable food item for the Food Bank, and receive a Boathouse “Happy Hour Appy” for free. Yum!

Residents decorate their townhouses and condos to show their holiday spirit, and judging takes place next Tuesday, December 20th. The official judges invite the public to join them on their walking tour of the Quay Promenade and Quayside Drive and participate in the judging. The public can help influence the official judges in their determination of who wins.

Awards include Best Building and Best Building Lobby, and don’t forget the coveted 2nd annual “Clark Griswold” Award. This category was new last year, and has quickly become the category to try to win. This is the award for the most over the top Christmas light display, in true National Lampoons Christmas Vacation Fashion.

So if you know of a balcony, building or lobby that should not be missed by the judges, come down at 5:30 pm to the Boathouse Restaurant on Tuesday, December 20th, 2011 (don’t forget your non-perishable for a free appy) and join the walking tour which starts at 6:30pm sharp.

Help support the Greater Vancouver Food Bank Society in New Westminster, and join in on the bright fun!

Photo by Mario Bartel, used with permission

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Mooki takes City Hall

While my list of pie-in-the-sky wishes for our city includes a complete overhaul of our city’s animal services*, the reality is any city’s animal services department is going to be low on the priority list if the powers that be don’t get told it should be a priority.

Do you know how municipalities determine how important animal services are? In part, they use the data collected by the number of licenses purchased to tell them what kinds of dogs are living in the city and where those dogs are. (I’m saying dogs because in New Westminster, cats do not really factor into the bylaws other than a brief mention of maximum allowable numbers – my opinion is that all pets should be accounted for in the bylaws). This helps City decision makers allocate where to build services like dog parks, water fountains that are dog accessible, cycling or jogging routes that consider users may bring their pets by placing waste receptacles along the way, etc. The data collected from licensing also helps municipalities determine staffing and resources such as shelters and fleet vehicles. I have had direct experience with the animal control officers in our city, and for the most part, they are caring, sensible people, who are working as best they can within the parameters of what they are allocated.

New Westminster has a high number of dog parks relative to the size and population of our city. Some of them come with a bit of controversy. The one downtown, for example, is on the Chinese Benevolent Society’s former land, and was built primarily to reduce the visibility of an empty crime-inviting lot right beside the Skytrain station long before the Plaza 88 development was underway, and there is a chance that dog park will be removed when the Reconciliation Process currently underway is complete. As well, when the province rebuilt the portion of road that connects the Queensborough Bridge to the mainland, and allowed for the through road to Marine Way in Burnaby, the once magnificent dog park on the hill below 22nd Street Skytrain Station was removed and the replacement is, to put it mildly, disappointing – I have yet to see anyone actually using it.  But have you been to Hume Park dog park? Or Queens Park? They are well maintained, large, and have developed a strong sense of community with the dog owners who frequent them.

License renewal forms are rolling out today and tomorrow from the City.  New licenses are available at the City or by mail – a form is online. It is critical that if you have a dog you purchase one. They are inexpensive – a first time license for a spayed or neutered dog is $20 if its purchased before March 1st. An extremely discounted rate is also available if you move into the community and want to transfer your license from another municipality. Back when I lived in Vancouver for a year, the cost to transfer Mooki’s license back to New Westminster was a measly $1.

Many people don’t see the value in a dog license. Here’s what you get: a small tag (that you can get engraved with your pet’s name on the reverse – how convenient!) and the ability to get your lost dog back should animal control pick it up. Doesn’t seem like much right? But what you also get by choosing to buy a license is to be included in the data the city uses to make choices that will have a direct impact on you as a resident. The more dogs a city’s decision makers are aware of, the more importance they can place on offering services for our beloved pets. This is not about “the man” knowing too much about you, this is about you being able to offer your beloved pet a chance to count in the city, too. And you want your pet to count, right?

* The short(er) version of my overhaul pie in the sky wish list: Animal Services needs to be made its own department, not fall under Engineering Operations and share resources with the people who tow vehicles and issue parking tickets. The animal control officers need to be empowered and encouraged to be proactive instead of responding to complaints only and need to increase their visibility to deal with nuisance pet owners. I think New Westminster needs to get rid of BSL, adopt a licensing system for cats (as in Calgary’s much lauded animal welfare system that pays for itself), revamp their chicken bylaws (which currently falls under health bylaws, and not animal control), to make it simpler to keep chickens on city lots for those who wish to do so, reevaluate their bylaws that deal with exotic pets and the sales of pets, plan for a new shelter in the near future, and implement bite education in our local schools. Phew. Not much, eh? 

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Beautiful stand up clock

My shopping partner fell for a beautiful hot pink picture frame and a corkscrew with a vintage faucet handle. My son was pretty in love with blue cushions with a great zig zag pattern. It was busy (yay for shopping local) or I would have stayed to chat with Joanne some more. Sonse offers the frosting every home needs. Make plans to stop in at Sonse – they probably have what you are looking for! Right now almost everything is on sale for the holidays.

They are online and also on Twitter and Facebook, or call at 604-522-3377.

Here’s a gallery:

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Adapted from an image by: Jenny Brown

Christmas music is at the top of many minds, given that seasonal favourites seem to follow us wherever we go – work, school, the mall, and on and on. So, what I thought I’d do is list of some favourite Christmas anthems that, perhaps, you’ve never heard (or haven’t heard quite as often), as opposed to the ones you’re tired of.

So here it is, with the hopes that the Christmas spirit will find you, if it hasn’t already. Take a listen to these tunes, and a very Merry Christmas!

***

Must Be Santa -Bob Dylan

Christmas songs are folk songs, because they’re passed down to us from voice to ear. And Bob Dylan knows a thing or two about folk songs. Here he rocks it out Zydeco style. Or is it a polka? Fun fact: that’s David Hildago of Los Lobos rocking the accordion at Bob’s side on this track, proving that the accordion can, in fact, be rocked.

Also to note: all royalties from the song, and the album, go to Feed America in the US, Crisis in the UK, and the United Nations World Food Program in the rest of the world.

Zat You Santa Claus? – Louis Armstrong

Jazz architect and universally loved popular music demigod Louis sings of the mystery of St. Nick. Swing it, Satchmo!

Coventry Carol – Alison Moyet

Here’s a soulful rendering of one of the most spookily beautiful Christmas carols going, from former Yazoo singer Moyet.

Christmas Time Is Here – Vince Guaraldi Trio

Christmas, West Coast jazz style with Guaraldi, who popularized jazz trios for the under-tens via A Charlie Brown Christmas. That project would be Guaraldi’s first of seventeen collaborations with Charlie Brown TV specials projects from 1964 until his death in 1976. Chances are, this was your intro to jazz, kids. So, thanks Vince!

I Saw Three Ships – Sufjan Stevens

Here’s a mystically nautical Christmas tune from fey-indie poster boy Stevens. What are the three ships, exactly? I’ve always wondered. Still, a favourite. Stevens had been putting out a home-recorded EP of Christmas music every year for friends and family since 2001. Now, you can hear a whole whack of this holiday-themed work on his Songs For Christmas compilation.

Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer – Ella Fitzgerald

“What do you know about Rudolph and his nose?” sings Ella. Well, I know that my six-year old now loves Ella singing this 1960 version of my girl’s favourite Christmas song ever.

Light of the Stable  - Emmylou Harris

Here’s a down-home Christmas tale from a country music innovator. This tune seems to hearken back to the age when country music was evolving out of Irish folk music, played by the inhabitants †of the Appalachians; families gathered around the fire to sing – and to keep warm!

The Christmas Song  - James Brown

There’s not a single ecstatic cry to be found on this version of Mel Torme’s classic Tin Pan Alley Christmas favourite. He sings it soulfully and gently, with strings and everything. Downside? Maceo doesnít take a solo.

Run Rudolph Run – Chuck Berry

From one of the forefathers of first-wave rock ‘n’ roll music as we know it (’4os boogie-woogie piano licks †played on Country & Western electric guitars equals mega-selling, cross-cultural musical phenomenon) comes this seasonal favourite that positions our red-nosed herd animal hero in a uniquely American context.†It’s been cheesily hacked out by many a bar band since (what Berry song hasn’t?). But, the original that was recorded as a B-side to “Merry Christmas, Baby” in 1958 still kicks bottom, festively speaking.

Merry Christmas (I Don’t Wanna Fight Tonight)  - Ramones

Jump around the kitchen with the kids while you’re making Christmas cookies. Onetwothreefour!

Mary Had A Baby –  Bruce Cockburn

Since the early 1970s, Cockburn had planned a Christmas record, based on a booklet of traditional songs given to him by his parents as a child. In 1993, he recorded this Christmas call-and-response spiritual adapted for his Christmas album, all about what went down in a Bethlehem stable one night. Favourite line? “Moving in the elements”.

Long Way Around The Sea – Low

Here’s an original song from a band from Duluth Minnesota (coincidentally to this list, that’s where Bob Dylan grew up, kids!). This one’s a quiet, understated, minimalist, and decidedly wintry Christmas tune about the Christmas birth from the Wise Men’s point of view.

Love Came Down At Christmas – Shawn Colvin

When you’re recording an album while 8 1/2 months pregnant as singer-songwriter Colvin was, it’s pretty natural to sing about motherhood. And really, motherhood is a big part of the Christmas story, right? The song is featured on her excellent, and extremely restful Holidays & Lullabies album.

Maybe This Christmas – Ron Sexsmith

“Maybe this year, love will appear deeper than ever before”. In this troubled world, who knows? But, a big part of Christmas is the hope that it will.

Merry Christmas!

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Inside the Hungry Hound

Everyone has their shopping weakness, and mine is a well stocked pet boutique. Not the kind selling doggie strollers and puppy sweaters – although my pit bull does look cute in pink – but a place with knowledgeable staff, natural foods, and well-made equipment and toys.

I meant to pop into Sapperton’s The Hungry Hound and simply take a look around, but I walked out with armfuls of stuff, a three-figure receipt, and absolutely no buyer’s remorse.

The Hungry Hound is a small store, managed by knowledgeable staff who have backgrounds in grooming, training and handling. They clearly love animals and are invested in their products. Every customer gets personalized attention and service, along with cookies and cuddles for any furry counterparts.

The store stocks only high-quality items for dogs, cats, birds and bunnies. The store is limited by its size so selection is not overwhelming but everything in stock is clearly chosen with care. The toys are reputable, durable brands like Tuffy’s, Chuckit!, West Paw and Kong. Food and treats include corn-free, wheat-free, whole food and single-protein options – just the thing for scrupulous pet owners or dogs with special dietary needs.

I spotted several local companies and specialty items, including supplements, training gear and medical equipment. Again, it’s a small store so it can’t be everything for everyone, but the selection covers the basics and the staff will work with you to find the right product, whether that means bringing your dog into the store for a fitting, returning a used item, or placing a special order.

Chica enjoys her new dinosaur toy from The Hungry Hound

When I learned about the buy-one-get-one and other sales for the holiday season, I abandoned my chitchat and started scooping up ChuckIts, bully sticks, and dehydrated sweet potatoes. At 50% off I even succumbed to a massive Tuffy dinosaur as an early Christmas present for my resident four-legger (you’re welcome, Chica).

Sapperton residents are faithful to The Hungry Hound, and it’s easy to see the appeal. It’s great for the pet guardian, especially one looking for good deals this time of year. It would also be an excellent resource if you’re shopping for a pet fanatic but not sure where to start. Either way, the folks at The Hungry Hound will hook you up.

The Hungry Hound
102 – 455 East Columbia
New Westminster, BC
778-397-3877
www.prefurredpetsupply.com

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Le Saigonnais serves great pho—as it’s pleasantly large, has lots of flavour, and isn’t too fatty.

Proper Vietnamese food has finally come to Downtown New Westminster—and Le Saigonnais has brought it with style! As a resident of the neighbourhood, I’ve been waiting with bated breath for the first influx of this cheap and delicious cuisine.

Le Saigonnais isn’t your typical dive that you see lining the Kingsway corridors. Instead, the owners have clearly dressed this place up. The restaurant features its own bar, leather booths, and a modern, low light, almost Zen aesthetic—almost more suited to a swanky Japanese place on Robson. The space could still do with some new carpet, but it’s still one of the fancier Vietnamese restaurants around.

Aside from shiny splendour however, I usually measure the quality of a Vietnamese restaurant based on three key dishes: pho, lemongrass chicken (or pork), and spring rolls.

The lemongrass chicken is a winner: delightful presentation, a nice cut of meat and garnished with a fresh and vibrant lemongrass seasoning.

The real make-or-break dish for a Vietnamese restaurant is the noodle soup, which is called pho. For those unfamiliar, the dish consists of a seasoned beef broth with rice noodles. All Vietnamese restaurants in Vancouver offer a House Special Pho, where you always get a noodle soup topped with well-done flank, sliced rare beef, soft tendon, tripe, and beef balls. If any of these don’t yet appeal to you, don’t worry—you can also pick and choose various combinations. It also comes with fresh bean sprouts, basil, lemon, and jalapeno peppers—all of which I throw directly into the broth. And make sure to top it off with some hoisin and hot sriracha sauce.

Salad rolls at Le Sagonnais didn't impress. While they were a good size, the price seemed high and the rice paper was a bit too stiff.

Le Saigonnais serves great pho—as it’s pleasantly large, has lots of flavour, and isn’t too fatty. At $7.00, it’s slightly more expensive than what Vancouverites might be used to, but I’m willing to cough up the extra nickels.

Over time, I’ve learned that for many, the slippery noodles of pho can be tricky to eat. For those friends who have yet to reach a certain proficiency with chopsticks, I often recommend the lemongrass chicken on rice. There are several takes on this dish depending on where you go—and the meat can often end up fatty, or contain some unwieldy bones. Le Saigonnais, however, really comes through with this one. Aside from the delightful presentation, they provided a nice cut of chicken, garnished with a fresh and vibrant lemongrass seasoning. It is well worth the $8.00.

What didn’t quite impress were the salad rolls. Filled with lettuce, vermicelli, bean sprouts, basil, pork ham, and prawns, the dish also comes with a peanut sauce and is usually one of my favourites. The rice paper that it came wrapped in however, was a bit stiff. I’m not sure if they were premade and sat around for a while, or if they just weren’t soaked for long enough. At $6.00, they might be a bit steep, but they were a good size, and if they get their rice paper right, it should be worth another try.

Overall, Le Saigonnais has a new upscale look that goes beyond your typical Vietnamese restaurant. The pho doesn’t disappoint, and fans of lemongrass chicken will appreciate their fresh take on the dish. You might have to bring a bit of extra pocket change, but in an area that’s been starved of Vietnamese for some time, it’s worth it. I’ll definitely be back to try the spicy noodle soup—and when I do, I’ll probably give the salad rolls another go.

Le Saigonnais is located at 634 Columbia St. in New Westminster.

Been to Le Saigonnais? Let me know what you think @BryceTarling!

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Cadeaux

I have been known to make late night trips to large chain stores to buy necessities. Diapers, toilet paper, or an air freshener to mask the aroma from the ‘treat’ my kids left in the backseat and I still can’t find. Desperation and ‘open-till-midnight’ hours have forced my hand once or twice, but when it comes to gift giving I prefer to spend my time and money on a unique item selected from a unique shop.

I enjoy the process of Christmas shopping in particular. I meticulously make a list of recipients. I jot down a few items I have heard them mention, a bracelet perhaps, or a few words to describe them and their style such as conservative, flirty, and even impossible! I feel prepared; armed and ready to purchase thoughtful gifts. I used to head downtown, in the hopes I would find success amidst the plethora of boutique shops. I am ashamed to admit that I previously overlooked New West as a suitable shopping destination.

Now that I have lived in New West, and more importantly shopped here, I have become very attached to a few impressive boutique shops that rival and surpass many I have seen downtown!

One shop that never ceases to impress and entice me is Cadeaux Gifts in Sapperton. It is “a trendy boutique and gift store providing the best in essential indulgences” and is easily one of the Lower Mainland’s best-kept secrets.

They incorporate an ‘everything for everybody’ element into the shop and carry an extensive mix of unique items. There are home embellishments from entry mats to clocks; luxurious bath and beauty indulgences for head-to-toe pampering; stunning holiday decorations; and fashion must haves like handbags, scarves, and a jewelry collection to tempt every taste and style. This is just the proverbial tip-of-the-iceberg too. I have devoted many mornings to a leisurely stroll through the store, and I always find something new to gift or covet for myself.

While chatting with the shop’s owner and staff, I have learned that many of the irresistible items I have eyed (and drooled) over so many times are made by local companies and artisans. One local artist they seemed particularly proud to highlight is Karen Telio and her stunning collection of jewelry. Her pieces range from bold to subtle, trendy to traditional, and every adjective in between. It’s no exaggeration to say you could easily check a few special women off your shopping list after a glance in this jewelry cabinet (which is just one of many!)

Though I think more than any particular artisan, product, or display, what impresses me most is the affordability and quality of the items. As a mother of two, and a new homeowner, my pockets seem painfully less deep this year. I have yet to feel overwhelmed by sticker shock while perusing Cadeaux’s collection, and have always been impressed by the quality of items. While most of the store is stocked with unique and eye-catching goodies, I did see a few items that I have seen carried downtown at other boutiques. The difference being that Cadeaux isn’t competing with several similar boutiques on the street and is able to offer us many of the same items found downtown at significantly lower prices.

Impressive selection, reasonable prices, and quality items! What more can you ask for? How about impeccable customer service? The staff at Cadeaux always welcomes you with a smile, offers help without being pushy, and really listen to what you want and need. It’s like having a personal shopper at your side. In fact, they are so invested in your shopping experience being fun, stress free and successful that they actually offer personal shopping assistance. Their website boasts “Give us a call and book your own personal shopping session. Our staff will happily talk you through our store, and find the best gifts for the special people on your list, and make your shopping experience that much happier!”

Its cliché, but I dare you to shop Cadeaux and leave with nothing! Make sure to give yourself ample time to dawdle, sample, try on, and enjoy the shops bounty. Better yet, plan your introductory shopping trip for Thursday, December 8, 2011 from 5pm to 9pm. Cadeaux is hosting a ‘Christmas Shopping Spectacular’ and donating 10% of the evening’s proceeds to the Music Program of New Westminster Secondary School. The donation will help up-and-coming student musicians with their trip to the national, invitation-only MusicFest Canada festival in Ottawa this spring.

Shopping Cadeaux means supporting our neighborhood’s economy, a New Westminster shop, local artisans and entrepreneurs, and budding talent from our community. On top of that, you walk away with unique, quality gifts and maybe even a few new things to add to your own wish list.

You can find Cadeaux at 467 E. Columbia St. in Sapperton. The store is open Monday – Saturday 10am-5pm and Sunday from 12-5pm.

Here’s a gallery with some photos of their store.

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Nesting dolls on the shelf at Piccolo. Photo: April Fahr.

Piccolo World Gifts is a small Sapperton storefront with a global worldview. Inside, you’ll find an assortment of bright, beautiful, and sometimes random treasures from around the world. It’s interesting enough on its own, but chatting with store owner Nancy Patrick brings a whole new appreciation to her collection.

Patrick is a highly accomplished business consultant with two PhDs and an impressive resume. Her travels have taken her around the world and she’s always managed to combine her business travel with exploration into other cultures’ art, artifacts, and collectibles. She sources her inventory directly from its country of origin and displays it by region, with each section flanked by artwork and coffee table books for context.

Stamps displayed at Piccolo World Gifts. Photo: April Fahr.

Committed to making exotic items accessible, Patrick works to keep prices reasonable and enjoys working one-on-one with customers to find a unique gift, whatever their price point. If you are shopping for anyone who’s known a home outside Canada, you’ll find something here that will resonate with them: ceramics, masks, sculpture, pottery, jewellery, accessories, and art abound from China, the Carribbean, Russia, Europe and a dozen other diverse regions.

Piccolo has one of the most comprehensive stamp and coin inventories around, whether you have a serious collector on your shopping list or (like me) you just enjoy the stunning presentation of the mounted collections.

Curios from Australia and the South Pacific. Photo: April Fahr.

Take advantage of the current holiday sales with 20-50% off items in-store, or combine your shopping trip with a visit to the in-store Piccolo Tea House, open December 2.

You can find Piccolo World Gifts at 420 East Columbia Street. The store is open Wednesday – Sunday, 10am – 6pm.

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2011 NWEP AGM Poster

Never heard of energy resiliency or energy transition planning?  Neither had I until a few weeks ago, however will become a growing topic of importance in New Westminster over the coming years.

New Westminster Environmental Partners (NWEP) would like to invite the public to learn more at a forum on Energy Resiliency and Energy Transition Planning on Monday December 5th. This forum will be preceded by the NWEP’s Annual General Meeting and election of directors for 2012. The AGM will start at 6:00 with the public forum presentations starting after 6:30pm. The event will take place at the New Westminster River Market.

The economy is foremost in most people’s minds these days as news of a possible financial meltdown in the European Union mingle with the spectre of out-of-control debt in the USA, and uncertainty how these events might impact Canada’s export-based economy. Just below the surface is the awareness of ever increasing energy prices. While the prospects for the   development of new energy sources remain good, more of these new supplies will go towards the growing appetite in developing countries, leaving ever-depleting traditional sources on which our economy has depended. The environmental costs of these new sources of energy – tar sands extraction, natural gas fracking, pipelines and tankers, – are significant, though typically out of sight of consumers. Yet, the bill has yet to come in for our green house gas emissions, and their impacts on climate change. The net effect is the end of traditional sources of cheap, abundant and reliable energy to power our economy into the next generation. We will be less able to control the price and impacts of our own energy supply. The resulting social impacts of energy uncertainty range from the cost of living, quality of life and the types of employment which are generally available.

Energy is at the heart of the sustainability agenda promoted by the NWEP and binds sustainability’s three pillars of environment, economy, and society. Increasingly, policy makers are speaking of the need for “energy resiliency” in our society, and the need to plan an orderly transition to a less energy intensive economy. In 2011 the City of New Westminster embarked upon a Community Energy and Emissions Plan (CEEP). The CEEP aims to put in place programs and practices which enable residents, businesses and the City Corporation to reduce their energy consumption and green house gas emissions over the next 20 years to significantly below 2007 levels while at the same time growing in population, employment and business activity. The impacts of such a plan can have a profound influence on how we live, move about, carry out business and the types of employment we might find in the City 20 years from now.

The NWEP supports the City’s CEEP developments and would like to promote Energy Resiliency and Energy Transition Planning as topics to engage and promote in 2012. For our AGM public forum we have invited two local speakers with significant experience on energy, energy policy and energy transition solutions. Together our speakers have considerable experience on transportation and building energy use, by far the two greatest demands for energy and sources of green house gas emissions in New Westminster.

Leading the evening will be Stuart Ramsey, a transportation engineer with over 25 years of experience working in the private and public sectors and has focused on urban transportation issues in Metro Vancouver for several years. Mr. Ramsey was involved with research for a local municipal report which was the first “peak oil” report to be received by any government in Canada. He is a regular speaker on transportation topics.

The second speaker will be Steven Bishop, a curriculum developer and instructor with the Building Energy and Resource Management Program at Douglas College, and a consultant for sustainable building practices. Mr. Bishop has 35 years experience in the building industry in roles ranging from residential builder to commercial and institutional construction project management. He is an accredited professional LEED sustainable building advisor and is currently involved with designing the curriculum for the Provincial Instructors Diploma program for sustainable building advisors.

The presentations will be followed by Q&A and open discussion about the evening’s topics.

To learn more about NWEP and other issues we’re addressing visit our website at http://nwep.ca

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Presents around a Christmas tree.

As the Christmas shopping season arrives with Black Friday in the US, I can’t think of anything more ridiculous than camping outside of a store in order to buy stuff. Except for shooting, trampling or pepper-spraying your fellow shoppers in order to get at said stuff, of which there were many reported instances this year.

In reaction to the frenzy, the Vancouver-based magazine Adbusters has created Occupy Christmas. It builds on the magazine’s long-running campaign, Buy Nothing Day, a day of rest from consumerism, as well as Occupy Wall Street, which the magazine also started.

Despite the recent controversial Occupy camps in various cities, including Vancouver, Occupy Christmas isn’t about setting up tents at the mall or harassing shoppers, or even, as the Retail Council of BC alleges in a recent CBC story, putting elves, er, retail workers out of a job. It’s about using your resources to “make the conscious decision to fuel your own local economy” during the holidays, and to “really become a part of the holiday spirit.”

In other words, supporting and giving back to your community while you celebrate what I like to call “Non-denominational gift-giving holiday!” So this year, I’m Occupying Christmas, here in New Westminster.

My holiday round usually starts with making greeting cards, and luckily, the best little paper shop around is Paper Poet (665 Columbia Street). They’ve got stamps, papercraft supplies, envelopes and loads of ideas for projects.

If you’re enthusiastic about crafts, but like me, suck at it, there are plenty of places to support others who are talented at making and growing things. Such as the Royal City Winter Market on December 3 and the River Market Holiday Show on December 10, 11, 17, and 18. The Van Dop Gallery, always amazing, is especially sparkly at Christmas (local jewellery, hint, hint to my honey).

For other gifts and decor, there’s a whole slew of local gift shops like Cadeaux, Red Brick, and Lofty Living. I wouldn’t turn down something vintage from Mid-Century Modern Home either! And for kids, Pedagogy Toys has lots of toys and books that encourage creativity, not battery use.

Presents don’t have to be stuff either – the older I get, the less stuff I want or need, so experiences make great presents. A class at the Circus School is good for all ages, or a wine club membership at Pacific Breeze for the over-19s. Then there are gift certificates for local restaurants or perhaps a ticket to a Christmas concert at the Massey. And if anyone wants to get me a ReUp BBQ Founders Crew membership to help crowdsource the funding for a New West location, the moaning you hear will be of pure bacon-filled happiness.

Which reminds me of another important part of Occupy Christmas – giving back locally and generously. From donating non-perishables to the local food bank at the Hyack Christmas Parade on December 19 to sponsoring a family in need to making a Christmas gift bag for a homeless person, there are many ways to help someone in the community have a brighter Christmas.

For me, Christmas isn’t about a bunch of obligatory presents. (Actually, it’s about 90% about the food!) You can think about what you’re shopping for and where the dollars go, and still enjoy Christmas with those you love. Doesn’t that sound sane? Then it must be crazy.

Christine Rowlands is a writer and editor in New Westminster. Her articles have appeared in alive and Momentum and she regularly writes reviews for Yelp. Her least favourite place in the world is Metrotown in December. 

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The Crab Shop

Battered & fried fish is usually a rare greasy indulgence for me. Cod can be rather flavourless, and often is more grease and crunch than fish. Not at The Crab Shop. The batter is crispy but not thick, and the cod tastes fresh and delicious. The fries are good too, and the homemade tartar sauce is divine. In fact, the fish & chips at River Market‘s new Crab Shop is so good I couldn’t resist ordering it for lunch two days in a row.

But dangerously delicious fish & chips are not the only thing the Crab Shop does well. The menu includes a number of decadent seafood dishes, including creamy chowder, fish cake burgers, crab meat sandwiches, and fish tacos. I’ve had the chowder and the fish cake burger as well, and both were excellent. None of the menu items are exactly diet-friendly, but they are worth every chubby calorie.

Fresh-caught seafood is also available to take home for your own culinary creations. Crab Shop owner Marcel Gregori is a commercial fisherman. As you’d expect from the name, he sells live crab, but also clams, frozen and fresh fish and items like crab cakes to take home and cook.

On a frigid November day, it’s lovely to nosh on the Crab Shop’s rich fishy fare, but it’ll get even better in the summer when the Crab Shop can roll up the garage-style door to the Quay and customers can enjoy their fish & chips with gelato from (soon to be open) Tre Galli on the boardwalk.

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