Canada - The Hungry Nomad

Am I crazy for loving Seagulls? | Vancouver, B.C.

August 9, 2015 No Comments

The anticipation of traveling to Vancouver with my son has been building up for the past few months. It is the first trip just the two of us which meant feelings of anxiety and excitement played a tug of war. But, finally excitement overshadowed anxiety and we made it. For the next month I will share with my son and viewers my perspective on Vancouver. This includes many nature walks, farmer’s markets and a variety of Asian food adventures.

Growing up I was itching to move away from home to go explore the world. I wanted to be anywhere but here and found any excuse to pack my suitcase and hop around Europe for months and years on end. But that was in my twenties. Now, in my thirties, with more travel options and more opportunities, all I do is dream and yearn to come home for the summers and winters and all the months in between just to take in the beauty of the Pacific Northwest. It is funny how distance can put so many things into perspective and create so much gratitude where none existed.

And so here we are- just me and my baby boy.

The first morning we woke up to the sound of our neighborhood seagulls. They start early and keep going until just after sunrise. Some people have roosters. We have seagulls. I know It may seem absurd to some but its those very seagulls that I miss when I am away. Those seagulls represent so much more than what most think of them as: loud, large birds that grab your food at the beach. To me they represent the vicinity of the sea, the vast blue sea surrounding Vancouver which I took for granted growing up. So many places I’ve lived don’t have access to ocean, to sea-life and everything else the ocean represents. I miss and yearn for the sea. I miss the seagulls. Now I live in a place with no direct access to the sea. No seagulls. And who wants to live in a place that doesn’t have seagulls?

Later on in the morning, we went for a walk along the seawall towards Stanley Park. The sea breeze, fresh crisp air and sound of waves quickly caressed baby boy to sleep. We passed English bay and walked into the park towards lost lagoon where the nostalgic scent of blackberries started hovering in the air. It’s funny how a scent can bring back so many memories. That sweet smell of blackberries takes me back to my childhood picking berries in these very woods with my mother. It was our own paradise back then. Towards lost lagoon we walked through a family of Canadian Geese. How I have missed the site of these wild geese. They represent home. Along the lagoon, I parked under a tree, baby boy still asleep. I looked at his innocent face deep in sleep and wondered what a peaceful way to take a nap. So different than where we live where 40+ degrees in the summer prevent us from stepping foot outside. I sat at that bench for a while trying to take it all in, to cherish every moment because now unlike before I am a visitor in my own hometown. I have a round-trip ticket that makes every day spent here worth cherishing. And I will do just that-cherish every moment spent with my son in my beautiful city.

Asian, Food, Japan, Ramen, Vancouver

Addicted to Gyoza King since 2003 (Vancouver, Canada)

February 27, 2014 No Comments

It seems that the majority of my time was spent eating in the West End where there is a densely packed number of Korean, Japanese, Malaysian and other Asian restaurants. Gyoza King is no new addition! It has been around for over a decade. The tiny Japanese restaurants specializes in handmade gyozas with different fillings including the pork, prawn and chives, prawns and pork and chives. They also serve pages and pages of other Japanese delicacies typically found in Izakayas.

As a regular, I have the menu memorized and always order two servings of the pork, prawn and chives and pork and chive gyozas. You just can’t go wrong with these pan-fried dumplings. They are as good as it gets and you would do yourself a huge injustice if you went to the restaurant and failed to get the dumplings.

Next, I always order the Agadeshi Tofu. Pieces of skilen firm tofu are cut into cubes, lightly dusted with potato starch and deed fried to a golden crisp. They are then served in a bed of hottentsuu borth made of dashi, mirin and sho-yu (Japanese soy sauce) and topped with finely chopped spring onions, grated daikon and dried bonito flakes which dance in the heat to give this dish the ultimate visual appearance. The agadeshi tofu at Gyoza King is the best I’ve ever had through my trips around the world.

An order of kimchi Udon is only one of many servings of udon offered at Gyoza King. Udon served without the broth is what I would explain to those who have never tasted it as the Japanese version of spaghetti. Instead of meatballs and tomato sauce the Japanese have come up with their own concoction of tasty sauces to blend the udon with making it a hit at the dinner table each and every time. All this food would not be complete had it not been for the bottle of unfiltered sake which made everything taste even more delicious but yet filled us up too quickly. I was sad that I was too full to eat all my other favorites on their menu like the Chicken Karagge (Japanese fried chicken), ebi mayo (fried shrimp with mayonnaise) and tuna tataki.

Canada, Pastries, Travel, Vancouver

Viennoiserie at Beaucoup Bakery (Vancouver, Canada)

February 10, 2014 No Comments

If you know anything about me, you know that the one thing I do best and often is to travel. My latest trip took me to my hometown of Vancouver, British Columbia. I hadn’t been back home for almost two years which meant there were many new restaurants to try and review. But after two years of being away all I really wanted to do was visit old favorites. A few newer places were on the must-eat list including the most talked about bakery in South Granville, Beaucoup Bakery.

I gathered all my girlfriends for a day of venturing into Vancouver’s food scene. It was the most perfect and beautiful sunny day for it. We walked across the Granville Street Bridge and followed our stomach’s to Beaucoup Bakery. The place was packed forming a line almost out the door. I felt at home and was immediately transported back to my college years in Paris.

An assortment of Viennoiserie sat perfectly in the baskets along the wall including my favorites: Pain au Chocolat, Chausson aux Pommes and Croissants.

A pain au chocolat and pain aux raisins were my choice while my friend ordered the most tempting creation: a blue cheese and raisin twist which was truly amazing. While butter is a key ingredient to French pastries, these were drowned with butter to the point where each bite released a mouthful of butter. My girlfriends while enjoying every bite felt that theirs too was too rich in butter…if there ever was a thing. I’m not one to complain of too much butter and definitely enjoyed every bite. My girlfriends loved it so much that rumor has it they are now big fans. Me? Unfortunately I left Vancouver shortly after my first visit.