Food...yum....

So this conversation did start over a bottle of wine, at a great restaurant just last night. The restaurant is called Lupo  http://www.luporestaurant.ca and its one of my favourite here in Vancouver.  Yes you guessed it.....the conversation was about food, how much I love it and how good it is here on the West coast.

So let me start with my food origins, I was born and raised in Halifax Nova Scotia which as most people know is on the East coast. Contrary to popular belief when I was young I did not have lobster served to me every day,  shellfish was very expensive and still is. We actually ate a lot of fresh water fish, mackerel and trout, but we did eat clams and mussels like they were popcorn!

There are two distinct food memories that I have from Halifax,  first is Clams & Chips, delicately deep fried fresh clams and a pile of french fries...sound horrible? Not so.....these little pieces deep fried heaven were delicious and the best versions could be found from street carts for a very reasonable price!

The second is an all you can eat Lobster deal......yes you heard it correctly....all you can eat lobster!I don't think they do this anymore however I remember when they set up a restaurant on one of the old ferries that used to travel between Dartmouth and Halifax. You would pay $13.95 and grab a plate then head to the counter that was surrounded by massive buckets of boiling water....before you knew it a wonderful little cooked creature was sitting on your plate. These were not canner size lobsters, no these were at least 2-3 lbs. As a added bonus you also received potato salad, although it does not sound exciting it was really very good....traditional stuff with no fancy additions....this food memory is one that reinforces the fact that food does not have to be covered in sauces, cooked for 4 hours, or seasoned to death to be absolutely wonderful!

I moved to central Canada and spent 15 years in Ottawa, and the food there was certainly very different. When I look back at food from that part of my life I must admit I feel rather disappointed.....don't get me wrong there were some good restaurants, but not great restaurants.  One great restaurant was a little Italian place on Preston Street in the heart of little italy, I am not sure if its still there or even if I can remember the name but it had great authentic food, and some of the best strawberry shortcake in the world!. Another memory I have from Ottawa is the corn, yes I said corn....every year in August we would wait anxiously for the farmers to harvest their crop of corn, my favourite was the peaches and cream, I am not sure why they called it that but it was so good you could not stop eating it.

Then there is the West coast food world.....and how different it is.....in Ottawa pub food was fries, nacho's and wings....here you can find smoked salmon salads with walnuts, organic greens a homemade honey vinaigrette! In a pub? I think we actually our food quality here for granted, we have come so accustom to getting food that is above standard in its taste, presentation and variety that when we go to a different place we expect so much more!


One of the questions that came up during this conversation I was having was "What is the best meal you have ever had?" I think that is a really hard question to answer, mainly because I think its not just about the food you are eating, its about the experience. Meaning that the food can be influenced by the experience you are having, the timing, the atmosphere, so many factors come into play. You know when you are really hungry and craving something specific and when you get it.....its the best thing you have ever tasted! Or when you work hard to create a meal you sit down and enjoy all of the fruits of your labor....its divine!

I have eaten in Paris, London, New York and a hundred other places,  I have wonderful food memories for them all....for New York it has to be the street food.....Paris its the lunch baguette with fresh mozzarella and tomatoes, and London....well lets just go with the great beer!

So as you can tell I love food, I have to battle every week to make sure that I balance my love of food with the effects of eating too much of it! I exercise when I can and watch what I eat during the week but no matter what happens in my life I will refuse to deny myself the pure joy of eating great tasting food......right now my weekends are my time to indulge in food heaven and I have certainly picked the right city to do it in!

Well I am off for a run, till next time happy chatting!