Showing posts with label food. Show all posts
Showing posts with label food. Show all posts

Thursday, August 11, 2011

Blogs and More Blogs

Most people who follow my work know I have more than one blog. This blog, Sacred Social Justice, started out by discussing local activist events from a faith perspective. I still write on that topic (especially where it concerns global issues, peace, the inner city, and other aspects of social justice), but it has grown to include reports on local events and general updates on various projects. I did not really see a point in starting up another blog just as a diary. Truth be told, I have many more interests and projects on the go besides ones just dealing with activism.

One of those interests is music from around the world, especially ethnic beats and singer/songwriters. Inside World Music is a blog that deals with this topic, particularly CD and concert reviews. I have just updated Inside World Music with my capsule reviews from the Edmonton Folk Music Festival.

Another major passion of mine is food. Over the past couple of years I have become more and more interested in the local food scene, especially independent restaurants and food served at events like festivals. I started taking photographs of my food and review restaurants (and other businesses and attractions) regularly at Yelp. This week, I started up another blog to tie everything together. Then I Ate presents food photographs and short critiques. I may also write about local food issues and newswhen inspired, but for now I wanted to keep it simple so that I can make sure it is updated regularly.

Monday, August 30, 2010

Eat, Pray, Love in Edmonton

I just finished reading Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. To summarize, without giving too much away, the book is a memoir of one year in the life of a woman who steps outside of her life and travels to three global locations where she learns a new language while finding pleasure in food, develops her spirituality despite doubt, and finds true love while continuing her spiritual journey.

This plan certainly worked for her and while I don't agree with all of her choices, has caused me to take inventory of my life. Going on a world tour is not practical for many of us, yet taking stock of our lives and finding new ways to develop is part of having an active, healthy life. So here are ways in which we can eat, pray, and love - right here in Edmonton.

EAT
I have this habit of "discovering" a certain kind of food and then trying it out at as many different restaurants as possible. The most recent example of this is pho, Vietnamese noodle soup. I'm addicted and have even picked up a few words of the language in the process. Slowly, I am moving onto banh mi (Vietnamese submarine sandwiches) as well as other kinds of ethnic delicacies. I sometimes feel like I travel the world with my mouth. Edmonton certainly has many wonderful restaurants from just about every culture: Indian, African, Latin American, Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean, Japanese ... the list goes on. Try something new and discover something about that culture and your own tastes. My site at Yelp offers reviews of hundreds of restaurants (and other local businesses) to give you just a sampling of what's out there.

PRAY
Even if you have not darkened the door of a church/temple/mosque/fill in the blank for decades, it is never too late to get in touch with your spiritual side. Even though I come from a Jewish family, I always find it fascinating to visit a house of worship of another religion. It teaches me about that faith and sometimes helps answer questions I have about my own. Years ago, I helped to plant a church that combines elements of two of the major Abrahamic faiths - it still meets in west Edmonton. That is kind of extreme (and a lot of work) but getting together to pray, share, and worship with a few others in a home is another way to build fellowship. I also tend to view prayer and meditation as a personal practise and thus I often do that in private, or find spiritual elation in such solo activities as biking and long walks/hiking in the river valley. That whole social justice thing I am into? You got it - it is all part of how I practise my faith in a practical way in the real world. What do you believe? Live it.

LOVE
While a torrid affair with a sexy Brazilian might be a pleasant fantasy, it is not realistic for most of us. Besides, that is only one kind of love. Expressions of kindness towards those closest to us (family, friends) and those who are the most vulnerable in society (children, seniors, the homeless, those at-risk of becoming homeless...). Volunteer with an organization like the Boys and Girls Club, Youth Emergency Shelter Society, The Mustard Seed, Hope Mission, and Edmonton's Food Bank - these are only a few of the worthwhile places that need volunteers. As far as love in the emotional/physical sense goes - when you are active and involved your passion shines through, and it makes for a very attractive package to those watching. Just get out there and be involved and the rest tends to fall into place.

As a side note, I began reading the book before the film came out - even before I knew there was going to be a film. I am honestly not sure if I want to see it. I find that movies are never as good as their books. But I probably will eventually. For now, I want to concentrate on living life and finding my direction.

Monday, July 19, 2010

Take Me Out to the Ball Game

I went to my very first baseball game ever yesterday. It took place at Telus Field, between the Edmonton Capitals and Yuma Scorpions (Yuma is in Arizona). This was also my first time at Telus Field, and my first time enjoying a hot dog at a ball game (if you go to a ball game, you have to have a hot dog - I think it's a law somewhere).

Yesterday was my second time volunteering with Edmonton's Food Bank by helping gather donations of money and non-perishable food items. Most of the donations came as people were entering Telus Field. People were extremely generous - we filled up nearly three large boxes with food. Many people apologized that they did not bring food, but filled our jugs with money instead that will be used to purchase food hampers at Sobey's

After the game started, our table relocated to the second floor where people donated in between innings. We wrapped it up after the fifth inning. I am eager to find out how much money and how many kilograms of food were collected.

As for the game - I am not really into organized sporting events, but I always enjoy new experiences. It was interesting watching the fans - and at around $10 a ticket, I am surprised there were not more people there. Other than my co-volunteers, I knew absolutely no one there, which is another rare thing for me. It was a completely different slice of life.

Oh, and we won - 11-0.

Here is my complete photo set from the game.

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Guitars, Bikes, Vegetarianism, and Me

I am going to refer to Saturday, June 19, as my Edmonton Mini-Tour. My afternoon started off at the Bikeology Festival in Beaver Hills House Park. Bikeology is an annual event that takes place during June (which is Bike Month) and features an equipment swap, cookies baked my solar power, smoothies created by the energy of riding a stationary bicycle, information tables from various organizations, and live music. I was the first act up, and played a five-song set that was solar-powered. I have attended the festival for several years now, but this was my first time performing there. The irony was that I could not ride my bike with guitar in tow, but I had a great time. Here are some photos and the video playlist from my set.

After I left Bikeology, I took a quick stroll through the City Centre farmer's market and also checked out some of the activities for Park(ed). 102 Avenue was shut down to cars for the day. It was great being able to walk right on the street and see the chalk art, spin class, games (I got hit by a water balloon!), and other such fun and frivolity. You can see some pictures in the same set as Bikeology.

Just slightly more than two hours after my Bikeology gig, I was on stage at the new location of Padmanadi for the grand opening of their second location. The place was packed full of people enjoying the delicious vegan buffet, which I also partook of after my set. The restaurant is located at 10740-101 Street and I recommend it for anyone who enjoys fine vegetarian cuisine. Here are some photos and the video playlist.

Sunday, March 07, 2010

Food for Thought

This originally appeared in the October/November issue of Our Voice, a street newspaper in Edmonton.



“Water is life” as the saying goes, but food is pretty important also. We depend on it for strength, sustenance, and in many cases, personal enjoyment. Cooking and eating can be very social activities. The relationship between food and health is not a new one; for years we’ve been bombarded in the media by reports of “good fats” versus “bad fats,” the benefits and drawbacks of various fad diets, and ways to prevent food poisoning.

However, there are other aspects to smart and healthy eating that is sometimes overlooked. In particular, where our food comes from and how it is produced can have an effect not only upon our physical health, but that of the food producers at the source. Farms are not always paid a fair price for their crops, and in some cases large seed corporations get dominion over the market of certain kinds of crops. Major chain restaurants (usually those of the fast food variety) employ cruel factory farming practises and unsafe slaughterhouses, where the animals not only die a horrible death, but employees risk life and limb. And now, our food, particularly produce, is being genetically modified into new creations, a process that calls into question bioethics and safety.

We can make choices about what we consume, based upon its impact on our health, the environment, and social justice. Here are some suggestions to bear in mind the next time you go shopping or dining out.

*Look for the TransFair logo when you purchase food items such as coffee and chocolate. Products certified by TransFair ensure that the farmers and workers have received a fair price for their products, and are also produced under environmentally-sound conditions. In fact, when you go out for coffee, ask your server for Fair Trade coffee. More and more cafés are serving at least one Fair Trade option -- if your favourite java spot doesn’t, ask them why. Ask them to provide a Fair Trade option.

*Purchase locally grown produce, wherever possible. Farmer’s Markets are excellent sources, and the produce tends to be organic (grown without the use of chemicals or pesticides). If you are a meat eater, you can often find locally raised, organic meat at Farmer’s Markets as well – animals that have been raised without the use of steroids.

*Speaking of meat, perhaps you should consider becoming a vegetarian. A vegetable-based diet has a lot less of a negative impact on the Earth, since it takes less energy to raise and harvest produce. As well, if done properly, a vegetarian diet can be more healthy because it has less transfat and you don’t end up ingesting all those hormones that were injected into the animal to make it plump and juicy.

*When you eat out, try to patronize local, independent restaurants, rather than big-name, fast food franchises. Fast food chains are some of the biggest offenders of utilizing factory farmed animals. Besides which, the food preparation is often unhealthy, full of salt and sugar and fat, designed to make one addicted. If you read Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser or Mad Cowboy by Howard Lyman (the “former cattle-rancher who won’t eat meat”), or see the movie Supersize Me, you may decide to never eat fast food again.

Bon appetit!

Paula E. Kirman is a freelance writer, editor, and photographer who has vegetarian inclinations.

Monday, June 01, 2009

Weekend Adventures 2

This past weekend was not quite as hectic as the previous one, but there was still a lot of things to see and do.

I visited the Monster Garage Sale held by the Unitarian Church of Edmonton. A lot of the good stuff got picked out on the Friday, but there was still a lot of things there, particularly books. I controlled myself though - my place is too cluttered as it is.

My companion who took me to the garage sale was commemorating the anniversary of a family member's passing, and since we were in the north part of the city I accompanied him to the cemetery so he could pay his respects. I find cemeteries strangely eerie and beautiful at the same time.

Off to the South Side. I hung out on Whyte for a while, enjoying a meal at Cafe Mosaic (tofu scramble with fake-bacon) and stopping by the Old Strathcona Farmer's Market and Royal Bison Craft and Art Fair. Then, I had supper at Brewster's, with a dish on their new menu - chicken with a mushroom/beer sauce. It reminded me of coq au vin.

Sunday was extremely windy, but I rode my bike downtown anyways (and almost had my helmet blown off) to attend a celebration surrounding the recent election in El Salvador. The music was fantastic, and ethnic Salvadoran food was available. I spent some time in my office checking out Boyle McCauley News' new distribution box that we are hoping to get on the street in the very near future.

Riding home was a bit tricky because of the wind, and also with the realization that the area on my bike seat that was worn through was ripping my pants. A sweetie came to the aid of this damsel in distress, loaded my bike in his van, and got me to Western Cycle where I got a new seat (installed this afternoon) and also some handlebar grips (mine are ripping off).

I'll be posting a few photos on my Flickr site soon.

Sunday, May 17, 2009

Weekend Adventures: City Centre Market, Art Gallery, Rain

On Saturday morning I hopped on my bike and checked out the grand opening of City Market for the 2009 season. City Centre is Edmonton's original Farmer's Market and is located downtown. There are more vendors than ever, and I picked up a few Latin American style bead necklaces. Unfortunately, one of them fell off my neck as I was cycling to my next destination. I also enjoyed a Fat Franks hot dog and a small bag of kettle popcorn. I considered it to be a balanced lunch! A short opening ceremony featured many local politicians giving short speeches, including Mayor Mandel. Check out some photos here.

I ran into quite a few people I know at City Market, including a few I have not seen for a while. I've also started to notice more and more of my Internet friends in real life. Sometimes I say hello and introduce myself in person; other times I am not quite sure if it really is the person, so I avoid doing anything so as not to embarass myself. However, I for sure saw Mack, Sharon, and @jasdarrah - although I was not positive it was Jas until later on. Fellow photographer Ian McKenzie had a similar incident seeing me, but wasn't completely sure. Internet friends - if you see me wandering around this summer at Edmonton's many festivals, events, and attractions - please say hi!

Anyways, after I left City Market I did a quick bike ride around the McCauley neighbourhood to see what was up. Saw one of my friends who was on his way to a family member's baptism and we had a quick chat. Then, it was off to the Art Gallery of Alberta. I was mistakenly told that the gallery was open in its original location, currently being rebuilt. However, teh sign on the construction fence indicated otherwise, so I pedaled in the direction of Enterprise Square, where the AGA is temporarily located. I had a free pass (a stamped passport from the recent 124th Street Art Walk) and was particularly interested in the "Koshashin" exhibit of photographs from 19th century Japan. The exhibit was huge and the variety of images blew me away, especially the coloured ones. If you wanted a colour photograph in those days, it had to be coloured by hand. The results look somewhat between a photo and painting. There was another Japan-related exhibit of paintings done of 53 rest stations that Japanese princes would pass through on their annual trip to Tokyo.

An exhibit that I was not expecting was "Polaroids," by Attila Richard Lukacs and Michael Morris. This collection of over 3000 Polaroid images depict masculinity and male behaviour in ways that differ from popular culture. In particular, there are many photos of skinheads and Neo-Nazis that emerged in Berlin after the fall of the Wall. The photos are at once disturbing and fascinating, with poses that represent work, play, sexuality, and other themes. Seeing the huge walls literally covered in Polaroids was overwhelming to say the least, especially when most of the models were in various stages of undress (we're talking Full Monty here). I would expect this kind of exhibit more at an independent gallery than the AGA - it took a lot of courage for them to take on something like this. A related exhibit, "Leaving Olympia," explored different depictions of the nude figure, both male and female, and in different time periods.

All of that Japanese art made me hungry for sushi, so I biked over to Kyoto on 109 street. Avocado sushi and vegetable tempura make me happy.

Today I threw my 24-speed on the bus for the first time this season. I took the #4 which brought me to Whyte Avenue to check out the closing sale of Southside Sound. I am very sad to hear of this store's imminent closure, as I have spent many a time browsing through the once-extensive folk and World sections. Unexpected rain put a damper (ha ha) on my afternoon, so I was able to make it back home on my transfer.

It's a long weekend and I have no idea what tomorrow will bring, but according to weather reports it is going to be nasty. Likely I will stay home and edit, upload videos, work on my new online art portfolio (more on this later), and geek out with some movies and comics.