Miscellaneous – Page 2

A Weekend in Seattle -culinary trip-

Although similar in some ways to Vancouver, it is always a treat to take a little weekend trip to Seattle. It takes about two and half hours if you get through the American border smoothly, and shortly after crossing over you are in the heart of downtown Seattle. The weather during the trip was cold and windy but the sun was so gorgeous that we could browse every downtown nook and cranny on foot. The highlights of this trip were of course eating fresh seafood, browsing in Pike Place Market, and discovering more artisan food stores. Yes, everything was related to eating! Of course we headed to the market and smelled bouquets of tulips and daffodils, tasted fresh crabmeat and continued a search for a culinary adventure. The market was close to the end, but was filled with people.

It was a true memorable moment when I first tasted a piece of Coconut Gold Bar from Fran’s Chocolates. Jeremy at the store was so professional in helping us, and let us taste samples so that we could choose favourite pieces to take home. We then walked into a Chinese tea store to quench our thirst after the long walk. A young lady poured us freshly infused Oolong tea. There were many varieties to choose from but I settled on some white jasmine tea to bring back home with me.

At the end of a long day, we found a place called Fonté Café and Wine Bar. It was a casual dinner with a bottle of Oregon red wine and a crispy thin Margherita pizza for me, while my friend ordered Fungi pizza which seemed fancy due to its truffle oil aroma. We ended the night with a warm glass of Grand Marnier at a bar. We wished we could taste its superior version, Cuvée du Cent Cinquantenaire, since our dear French friends at the table talked about how beautiful the flavour is, but we had no luck.

It was worth waiting for half an hour to get seats at Bacco Café on the following morning. Such waits appear part of a typical Seattle Sunday morning in this area, which is only a block away from the busy, touristy Pike Place Market. I had a nicely frothed latte, and a delicious Dungeness crab Benedict. Afterwards, we had such fun seeing all of the kitchen gadgets and tools at Sur La Table. I was very thankful that my friend Chef Eric gave me some advice on purchasing kitchen tools. It is great to travel with a French chef. Thank you Eric! We walked down the slope to Beecher’s Handmade Cheese. It was totally packed with parents and children, young couples and adults, I could hardly enter the store, but the smell was very enticing.

If you get a little full and are looking for exercise, try Bill Speidel’s Underground Tour. It was interesting to see what were once the roadways and stores of old downtown Seattle. It was almost too bright to see the water along the coast after coming out of the underground tour, but it was really amazing to have the sunshine for two days!

We hurried to Elliott’s Oyster House, longing for fresh seafood and fresh beer (or a glass of wine for me). We ordered a several variety of fresh oysters that were served with lemon wedges and champagne pepper sorbet. The cold, slightly salty, and succulent meat going down on my throat, ah… and a glass of Muscadet to follow. It was heaven! My favourite oyster was called “Mystery Bay” grown in Marrowstone Island, WA, and I could personally eat a couple dozen easily! The freshness of the sorbet was the perfect accompaniment. A small ball of Fried Chocolate Truffle Sundae was a nice way to end this culinary trip with its rich ganache spilling out of the fried shell when I inserted a knife! We had a great time with good company, and of course, great food indeed. I love Seattle.

Here are some souvenirs from the trip: chocolates from Fran’s Chocolates; Gavottes’ Crêpe Dentelle purchased at DeLaurenti Specialty Food & Wine.

Have a great Easter weekend, everyone!

Treasure Box in the City

I finally had an opportunity to visit a beautiful gallery/ boutique called Heather Ross [ in house ], located in the heart of South Granville, Vancouver’s art and antiques district. I stood at the entrance, mesmerized by all the gorgeous antiques, Heather’s inspiring paintings and photography. As soon as I came in, Heather gave me a very friendly welcome.. As we talked, I learned about her time in France and her extensive knowledge of French antiques, as well as details about her career as a professional photographer.

Heather’s boutique has white walls adorned with her earthy coloured intricate paintings, and a rustic wooden table as well as a lot of textured materials like marble, glass, metal, fur, and fabrics. All of those pieces, including a lovely little piece of handmade antique lace, drew me into her artistic world. As I have a soft spot for French antiques, especially, little crafts that have stories behind them, I could not resist imagining the people who must have created or owned these items long ago.

Heather gave me a tour of her gallery, showing me beautiful Limoges, plates, an intricate cake stand and so many more delightful treasures. If you love decorating your home with tasteful antiques, this is the place for you!

Thank you, Heather, for the opportunity to photograph your boutique! I feel so fortunate to have met her and been able to enjoy her beautiful artistry. Visiting her unique and inspiring gallery made for a very special day.

Prayers and Thoughts for Japan

It is hard to believe that it’s been a year since the terrible tsunami disaster took so many lives, so many houses, so many natural resources and so much happiness away from people …. As I watched Japanese news that followed the survivors a year after the tsunami disaster, all I learned is that not much change has happened. Since the government is too slow to support the lives of survivors, communities have unified to support each other through the help of volunteer workers instead. For example, volunteer workers deliver supplies to seniors so that they are not isolated. In addition, affected communities have received donations from all over Japan through various volunteer works and charity concerts to rebuild the once lost businesses in downtown. New spaces were also created for people to gather, who otherwise would have been left lonely after having moved into temporary houses away from familiar surroundings and neighbours. Some people had to move from their hometowns to find jobs to help rebuild their families’ lives, others are still waiting for what they once had to be rebuilt. These examples are only the tip of the iceberg with respect to what that I learned in the short news program.

Although I wasn’t raised there, I cannot help feeling emotional when I reflect upon this catastrophic event, as I was born along the coast in Fukushima, and still have memories of visiting my mother’s parents when I was really small. I have never forgotten what happened this day last year, but I wanted to take time especially today to send a prayer to those who suffered through this unprecedented disaster. As everything became silent at 2:46 pm, March 11, 2012, I joined for a long minute.

When I called my father yesterday, he expressed concern regarding a news report that there will be an earthquake directly under the Tokyo area very soon. In fact, there have been small earthquakes there almost every day lately. I didn’t know what to say to him. Knowing what might happen, I feel like I’m just waiting to see it all from far away without being able to do anything for my family, my relatives and friends. The conversation really made me realize how fortunate we are to live a normal everyday life here in Canada. Things like having loved ones, clean air to breathe, our own shelter, heat, clean water, warm food, clothes… clean soil to grow food… all of these are things that we may take for granted if we don’t pay attention. I want to remember this as long as I live and appreciate all the little things around me.