Some time ago, I received a message from Erik Wachtmeister, founder and CEO of A Small World. Interestingly, when I tried to connect with him on his own Social Network, the site denied me with an error message; “You cannot connect to this member, they are in ABIGWORLD.”

According to Wikipedia, aBigWorld is a place where problematic users are supposedly exiled to… You can’t find many references to exiles, so perhaps that’s only what their marketing people want you to believe, or maybe people are too embarrassed to reveal that they’ve been moved to aBigWorld…

Since then, I’ve seen that founder and CEO of aSmallWorld is now starting a new social network called Best Of All Worlds, described as the Next Generation of Social Media.

Curious? Me too! You can register on the site for early access (when it becomes available), but for me, that wasn’t sufficient. According to an exclusive interview given earlier this year, Erik Wachtmeister described Best Of All Worlds in five bullet points, all very interesting:

1. It’s a discovery platform for new people, places and things. Facebook is aggregating the social breath and kind of finding everybody what you’ve ever met or you know, it’s kind of your old network. We’re focusing on your future network.
2. A global melting pot that aggregates people 3 degree networks and people who share similar interests. So it doesn’t necessarily mean that it aggregates people who already know each other but it aggregates people who know each other by 3 degrees or are not connected by 3 degrees but who have the same passions.
3. We’re an aggregator of online activities including your activities on Facebook, your activities on Twitter, on Flicke, LinkedIn, Zing, etc. so we will be at hub where you will be able to get all your feats if you want them; 2 ways where you can get your information, your messages from Twitter and Facebook for instance and where you can post and it will post on to those networks.
4. We are a social operating system with very wide ranging search and matching tools. So if you’re in Geneva on business and you don’t know anybody in Geneva and you’re there for two days, you can actually look in your iPhone and look say within 500 meters, who in my friends of friends’ network who plays tennis is here right now? And you will be able to find out immediately in real time.
5. We’re developing and we will be a platform for diverse global interest groups. So everybody talks about niche groups; so rather than people joining 50 different niche communities and with different log-ins and passwords, they can join Best of All Worlds and they can be part of the hunting group or the new mothers group or fashion mavens or golf players travelling around the world or entrepreneurs; so we will be creating global groups that actually don’t exist today on any other platform. So our mission is really to aggregate the best that’s out there and available online and bringing relevant information such as the best iPad apps, the best iPhone apps; you know there are hundreds and thousands of apps and who knows what apps you want to download but if you can get good ideas from people you trust, I think it’s very helpful. Also movies, music, hotels, house rentals, etc.

I haven’t seen any activity on the site or notice of any impending launch, but I see that Wachtmeister is active on Quora, twitter and on facebook, indubitably doing his research and preparing to take the world by storm.

Okay. We got bike lanes. We got chicken coops. Now, with Vancouver’s City Council’s help, organized labour can prevail over the evil ruling overlords.

‎”We are socialists, we are enemies of today’s capitalistic economic system for the exploitation of the economically weak, with its unfair salaries, with its unseemly evaluation of a human being according to wealth and property instead of responsibility and performance, and we are all determined to destroy this system under all conditions.” –Adolf Hitler

I’m talking about Rocky Mountaineer Railtours (RMR) here. It’s a small, 100 man operation that is one of the gems of BC’s Tourism Sector. In February, the on-board attendants changed their union from the Canadian Auto Workers’ Union to the Teamsters (Local 13 – sidenote: anyone find Jimmy Hoffa yet?), which was mostly seen as a move to muscle more out of RMR for the workers (yay).

That’s fine and said but then fast forward to June, a couple weeks after RMR’s owner, Peter Armstrong, announced that he was going to Chair Vancouver’s Non-Partisan Association (NPA), things really went haywire.

First Teamsters Local 13 advised RMR of their intent to strike (uh oh!). Then RMR locked them out and hired replacement workers (double uh oh!).

Apparently by all reports, things are going alright onboard RMR’s trips right now. Customers are satisfied and RMR is having an okay high season minus the slanderous remarks and fake reviews being posted online regarding the company.

Anyhow, that’s not where things get weird. This is:

(click the image or the link HERE to view the original letter in full or keep reading)

COUNCILLORS’ OFFICE

July 22, 2011

Mr. Peter Armstrong, CEO
Rocky Mountaineer Vacations
Suite 101-369 Terminal Avenue
Vancouver, BC V6A 4C4

Dear Mr. Armstrong:

As elected officials in the City of Vancouver, we’re acutely aware of the importance of tourism to our local economy. The Rocky Mountaineer trains have been a long-standing contributor to the city’s tourism sector, building a global reputation both for the beauty of the scenery they visit, but also for the quality of their on-board service. That customer experience, so critical to your firm’s success, is also crucial to Vancouver’s tourism brand, so much so that we celebrate the exceptional work of frontline tourism sector workers with monthly awards.

That’s why the current lock-out of your employees, members of Teamsters Local 31, is of grave concern to us. These long-service workers, many of whom who have been with Rocky Mountaineer since the firm’s early days, are exactly the kind of skilled, committed frontline employees that help ensure your guests come back, again and again. They are not just your on-board representatives, they are also our city’s representatives in a very real way.

It is our understanding that these workers have not had a negotiated wage increase for several years, but have repeatedly indicated their desire to achieve a negotiated settlement fair to both sides. They have also been clear they do not wish to see longstanding contract conditions taken away, or their right to overtime pay eroded. They have never been on strike, but had taken a strike vote this year to show their commitment to the goals the union was advancing at the bargaining table.

Nonetheless, your firm has not only locked out these loyal employees but immediately replaced them with strikebreakers, an act that would be illegal under provincial law. We do not believe we can build the tourism industry with a strategy that treats customer service reps as little more than disposable people, to be used and discarded.

We urge you to stop using replacement workers immediately and return to the bargaining table to conclude a new agreement to end this lockout.

Apparently Vancouver’s City Councillors David Cadman, Geoff Meggs, George Chow, Andrea Reimer, Heather Deal, Tim Stevenson, Kerry Jang, Ellen Woodsworth and Raymond Louie feel it appropriate to meddle in a private company’s labour dispute.

It’s noted that none of the above are NPA Councillors – they’re actually on the other side, so um… politics?

Again, this is a small company, not a major corporation, not thousands of employees, not public, not government, so the question begs to be asked – why?

Given the (terrible) weather Vancouver’s been having (bad for tourism) and the fact that it’s RMR’s busiest season, I can understand RMR’s need to mitigate any service interruption which is probably why things moved so quickly, but back to the Council…

I personally think they’re all nuts, or maybe there’s something in the Happy Planet they’re drinking.

Well, except for Suzanne Anton who refused to sign the doc.

It’s also an election year so I can understand if they’re buying votes,  but if that’s the prevailing sentiment, maybe Vancouver doesn’t deserve to have such an awesome business housed here.

Go forth in despair as did the people that closed down their businesses after the rapid fire implementation of the bike lanes. Maybe it’s adios. Maybe it’s Alberta.

You voted for ‘em, friends! Congratulate yourselves.

June 15, 2011 is the 90th Anniversary of the repeal of prohibition in BC and the establishment of government control of the sale of liquor within the province. The BC prohibition commenced on October 1, 1917. It was soon judged a failure, resulting in law-abiding citizens becoming criminals for simply wanting to have a drink with their dinner. Following a referendum, prohibition was repealed on June 15, 1921. On the same date, a “government control” system was implemented for the sale of liquor within the province.

It is the 90th anniversary and the government monopoly Liquor Distribution Branch (LDB) still controls and sells all liquor within BC at the wholesale level and still sells a vast amount through its government retail stores which have extremely high operating costs. The LDB is a $3 billion per year business in B.C. It generates about $900 million per year for the government but costs about $300 million per year to operate.

The following are some of the legacies of prohibition which make BC look ridiculous when compared to the rest of the world:

• Today, all liquor sold within BC must be registered and listed with the government. All imports of liquor must be approved by and processed through the government wholesaler. Yet, we don’t do this for cigarettes or guns.
• Today in BC, and unlike most of the rest of the world, it is still illegal to consume alcohol in a public place such as a park. BC citizens cannot legally enjoy a glass of wine while enjoying a picnic.
• It is still illegal to carry liquor across provincial borders (a criminal offence with possible imprisonment). In Europe, you can ship alcohol between countries without a problem. While Canadians cannot legally return from a vacation in another province with any alcohol, they can bring back 2 bottles per person after a trip to another country.
• We have excessively high taxes on liquor which result in prices being about double what they should be.           For example, Chateau Ste. Michelle Riesling, a Washington state wine, is commonly available for $6 south of the border. It is $15.99 in BC because the standard LDB markup on wine is 123% plus 12% HST on top of that for a grand total of 135% tax.
• Wine is good for you when used in moderation as intended. No amount of soda pop is good for you but that is taxed at only 12%.
• We have arcane regulation of restaurants and private retailers such that these independent businesses are not permitted to do things which are otherwise commonplace. For example, they cannot store liquor off-site. They cannot transfer liquor between locations of the same restaurant or retail chain (even if the LDB is out of stock). They must buy nearly all their liquor from the government, usually from a single designated government store. If they order anything other than mainstream products, they are forced to order in full case lots via a slow and inefficient delivery system. As a result, restaurants frequently run out of products or encounter storage and financial issues due to the requirement to order in such large quantities.
• Restaurants and bars are denied wholesale prices entirely. Private retailers are given wholesale prices which are fixed artificially high by their chief competitor (the government stores). As a result, there is virtually no competition in the retail liquor business and consumers are denied the sales and good deals that are common in other countries.* It is illegal for a private person to sell a bottle of liquor to another private person. Auctions are also illegal (unless done for charity).
• Citizens cannot take their own wine into a restaurant and have the restaurant charge them a corkage fee (even if the wine was purchased from a government store). This is illegal – it’s considered to be “illicit liquor”.

Happy Anniversary LDB, but don’t expect the rest of British Columbia to be joining you to celebrate the 90th birthday of the establishment of government control over the sale of liquor within the province.

-30-

For more information about wine and liquor laws in BC and Canada, visit www.winelaw.ca.

Mark Hicken, BA JD
Vintage Law Group
T: 604 868 1375
E: mark@winelaw.ca
W: www.winelaw.ca

Julia Watt
Gala Events & Marketing
T: 604-790-4484
E: julia@galaevents.ca
W: www.galaevents.ca

It’s interesting to travel and use facebook from foreign places. In China and Vietnam, for example, in most cases you’ll be blocked by the Government’s firewall and then you’ll be subjected to use a VPN or some other access technique to get onto facebook. In other places, facebook delivers localized tools or design.

On a recent trip to Vietnam, I was forced to use a VPN that I set up in Singapore. It was interesting to see that facebook asked me (in the sidebar) straight up if I was in Singapore, if I was visiting Singapore or a permanent resident.

On my most recent trip to Japan, more neatness. Facebook makes it easy for Japanese users to log into their site with a disposable autologin QR code as seen below.

Use Facebook on your mobile phone

We’ve been working hard to make Facebook Mobile usable in Japan. There is still a long way to go but most of the basic functionality is there. Please check it out and let us know what you think.

Facebook Mobile is helpful for keeping up with your friends when you’re on the go.

Read the “auto .ogin QR code” with your mobile phone.

http://m.facebook.com

Do not share this QR code with anyone else – it is personalized to log you in automatically. For your protection, the QR code can be used only once and expires after 24 hours.

Click the image (above) for the fullsize screenshot.

Tips for the Holiday Season Event Planner

Click HERE to view the item as published in 24hrs on December 27th, 2010, or read on for the original (unrated) version.

For the holiday season event planner, this time of year can be downright nerve wracking. While everyone else parties on, it’s your job to bring it, and in a big way. Fortunate for you, I’ve got a couple of tips from some of Vancouver’s most seasoned celebration planners.

Peter Girges is the Managing Partner at 100 Days, the deliberately short-lived pop-up restaurant in the OPUS Hotel. This year the restaurant will celebrate its first and last New Year’s Eve celebration with help from the Hotel that has gained a reputation for putting on the premiere event in the city.

In the city with the least amount of cabs per-capita and with strict new drinking and driving regulations, the Hotel invites guests to let the elevator be the designated driver. For a mere $659, you and a guest can enjoy a guestroom at the luxurious hotel, an open bar up until midnight and a late 2pm checkout the next day. If you live in the area, $150 per person gets you the high-roller host-bar celebration ticket.

Tip #1: Girges who’s been in the service industry for almost 20 years says create an environment where all the logistics are thought out. From dinner, drinks, to a good night’s rest and beyond, everything’s available to guests and nobody has to go elsewhere for the entire evening.

—

Robert Gagne, the legendary Frenchy, is one of the city’s best known Maître D’s. He works his magic at Joe Fortes Seafood & Chop House. This year, the Restaurant is putting on a celebration that includes dinner, a live band, party favours and champagne at midnight. For his crowd, the event is such a hit, that it’s already sold out.

Tip #2: Frenchy says it’s important to treat your guests as if you’re receiving them in your home. In the end, the experience is about emotions and how people feel – and people want to feel good about spending their hard earned money with you.

—

Christian Betancor-Leon is a Director at Bikram Yoga Commercial Drive. For the eighth year in a row, the Hot Yoga Studio is hosting a 90 minute class that ends right at the stroke of midnight on New Year’s Day. Hearing the katzenjammer on the street below after working up a sweat is a great way to energize yourself for the upcoming morning celebration.

Tip #3: Christian says don’t be focused on what you’re going to get out of hosting an event. Do it because it brings you joy. If you benefit out of the event, that’s extra but not your motivation.

—

Raj Taneja is part technologist, part entrepreneur, part social media thought leader and part foodie. Raj spent years planning events under the Urban Mixer brand name. His twitter username is @tinhead.

I’ve been a Nokia E-Series fan for some time now. The ability to access and interact with my company’s Microsoft Exchange server has been the most important factor in freeing me from my office and carrying on with a generally balanced life. The fact that the Nokia E-Series phones can interact and receive push mail from two Exchange servers made my life that much easier. This way I don’t have to carry two or three devices with me (depending on which companies I’m consulting for, etc).

I’ve accessing more than one Exchange account via push for several years. In an interesting twist of fate, the iPhone now has this functionality as of iOS4 making iPhone 4 and the upgraded iPhone 3Gs excessively attractive. The newly-released E73, on the other hand, isn’t worthy.

Up until the E71 was released a couple years ago, I was pretty happy with the E-Series product. Then, something changed. Nokia released the E75 and started to ram buggy and slow software down the consumer’s throat. No longer was the top-of-the-line Nokia phone usable. Instead, users were forced to wait several minutes for their phone to respond or worse, they were forced to constantly reboot their phones in order to get access to contacts, calendars and their inbox.

The E75 looked to generally be an upgrade to the E71. It had the latest OS, geotagging of photos from the camera, N-Gage gaming, podcasting, Internet destinations and more. Sadly, it lacked adequate memory to install third party software and was really slow. Another neat feature that surfaced with the E75 was the ability to charge the phone from either the standard Nokia circular charger or from the micro-USB port.

In a baffling move and shortly after the release of the E75, Nokia quietly killed N-Gage, alienated hundreds of thousands, if not millions of users, and started to prepare to sell stuff in their OVI store.

Around that time, I acquired the E72 and was confounded by some of the important features that were missing. Where was the podcasting software? How about the geotagging feature for my photos? The 5 megapixel camera was definitely great to use but it seems like Nokia decided to make the phone less functional than it’s predecessor. The phone, similar to the E75 also charged from the standard Nokia charger or micro-USB and also used the same battery as the E71. Great news, I could use my old accessories, spare batteries and car charger. Another bonus was that the upgraded processor and storage made the phone more usable than the E75.

Then something happened. Nokia pushed out a firmware update to the E72 and made the phone completely unstable and unusable, even when one reverted to factory settings. I tried unsuccessfully to load in an older firmware using Navifirm and some flashing tools. This turned my phone in to a brick and I was forced to go back to my E71 while my E72 made it’s way back to Malaysia for service.

Enter Wind and the E73. My contract with Fido’s been up for some time. The unlimited talk for $45 and unlimited Internet for $50 plus all the taxes (real and imagined by Fido) seemed less attractive than what the new provider Wind was offering, so I bit and bought a few months of service from the company to see if I was missing anything. I then embarked on a journey to Bellingham to purchase a Nokia E73 from T-Mobile which is compatible with Wind’s AWS network.

Unlocking the T-Mobile was a breeze. I’ve been a TMo customer for some time and they graciously provided me with an unlock code within 24 hours of my purchase. Getting it set up on Wind was a bit of a task – it has been years since I’ve entered Internet and MMS settings into my phone and changed the SMS delivery but after that, the phone was good to go. In the E73 I noticed they brought back podcasting but the geotagging feature was still absent.

The E73 is geared towards the T-Mobile network so some of the usability items like Wifi hotspot connectivity is confounding but to be expected.

Then I noticed something really amiss.

Nokia, in their ultimate wisdom, removed the standard Nokia charger port from the phone! The only way to charge the phone is to lift the micro-USB port and use the provided micro-USB charger. Yikes! No backwards compatibility with chargers I’ve acquired along the way. Additionally, the same dreaded software update (new firmware) that Nokia pushed to my E72 appears to have also hit the E73 so the phone now has fits of instability and the threaded SMS program (Nokia Conversations) doesn’t run anymore.

To top it all off, Wind seems to only be delivering EDGE type Internet speeds to the phone making the change feel like a step backwards compared even to my E71 which gets a good dose of HSDPA 3.5G speed.

The Wind network hasn’t hit primetime yet and the E73 is definitely not worth upgrading to. Better off in the bin, it’s no wonder why Nokia is in trouble and looking for a new CEO to give them direction. Not for me, I’m off to get an iPhone 4 and I’ll stick with Fido.

You probably don’t think about this very much when you buy flowers or anything online for that matter but, given the wrong vendor, a myriad of reprehensible things can happen.

I’m not talking about identity theft or stolen credit cards, but a more nefarious beast. Imagine being smacked right where it counts – that’s right, your livelihood.

WHAT? Buying flowers from the wrong retailer can lead to disciplinary action at work? Well, it could be the case if you order from 1800flowers.com or their affiliate in the Philippines, Manilaflower.com and I’m not talking about a mishap in delivery or an inter-staff romance.

Take poor Johnny C’s case – innocuously ordering flowers for his fiancé’s mother in the Philippines. Poor guy didn’t know what he was getting into. After a debacle involving extortion, fake lawyers, and systematic harassment of Johnny, his fiancé’s mother and co-workers (including management), you wonder if he’s currently planning on getting medieval on their ass.

If it was me and this shit was happening to me, you can bet that my new moniker would permanently be ‘Angry Johnny,’ that’s for sure.

Okay, so here’s the kicker – Johnny C who ordered the flowers and Johnny C who’s co-workers, management and others at work who are being harassed are two different Johnny Cs! The only thing they share is locale (Johnny C #1 lives in Burnaby and Johnny C #2 works in Burnaby) and the same surname.

WHAT?!

That’s right, the idiots at Manilaflower.com decided to harass the first Johnny C they found on Google. It seems that the original Johnny C who ordered the flowers (not the one who’s getting harassed) had some quality concerns with his flower order and got a refund via Paypal.

So, Manilaflower.com‘s people decided to take it upon themselves to start a campaign of hate and harassment against Johnny C – emailing the wrong Johnny C’s business, phoning other staff and even going as far as sending false claims about this Johnny C’s behavior to the web host and domain registrar to where Johnny C works. How’s that for customer service?

All attempts to contact those at 1800flowers.com went unanswered. Even the NASDAQ company’s Investor Relations department didn’t respond to requests.

Denman Street is home to Kingyo, a Japanese Izakaya-style restaurant that serves their own exquisite version of the crème brulée. The location is memorable to me since this is where the small bistro Enthuze used to be located – the place that inspired me to create Vancouver’s comprehensive guide to crème brulée many years ago.

In this quest, I’m back to my old devices – seeking a crème brulée worthy of worship, and I think I’ve found one – at Kingyo, of course.

You can download the this week’s PDF format HERE (or grab the full newspaper HERE,) or just keep reading (the unrated version) below.

Episode 5 – Didn’t See That One Coming!

Image cutline:  On a shadowy corner of Granville Island, famous Sake maker Masa Shiroki conspires to create a new batch of his craft sake. What’s intriguing about the sake brewing process is that nothing is wasted. Not even the slightly gritty paste which is left over from the fermentation process. It’s called Sake Kasu and has long been used in Japanese cuisine and now, in this crème brulée.

A quaint little spot along Denman Street brings back memories in my search for the best crème brulées in Vancouver. A couple of years ago, on this street stood a small bistro called Enthuze, whose enthusiastic owners wanted to share their love affair with food to the world. This was one of the few places where I first tasted and enjoyed the Matcha Green Tea Crème Brulée – an eye-opening experience that led me to believe that somewhere in the world there is a myriad of crème brulées yet to be discovered and not just one as some may argue. After its owners left to study in a world-renowned culinary school, a Japanese Izakaya-style restaurant, Kingyo, took its place in the same exact locations along Denman Street. The location must have good food karma as I’ve always gleaned something amazing upon each visit there.

This Sunday evening, I eagerly awaited for the new crème brulée creation that Kingyo had in store for me. Following the Japanese tradition of enhancing or adding their own unique twist to an original work, Kingyo has created their own renditions of the crème brulée. Their remarkable line of crème brulées ranged from a green tea crème brulée to its more recent sweet potato rendition.

Tonight, Chef Makoto Kimoto unveiled the Sake Kasu Brulée, a creation made from sake kasu – “sake lees” – the left over from the production of sake. This crème brulée rendition is similar to the typical creme brulee with an infusion of the Japanese sake taste. With the pudding covered with a delicate caramelized sugar coating, this rendition of the crème brulée has a rich, exquisite and unique taste akin to the Amazake – a traditional sweet, low-alcoholic Japanese drink made from fermented rice. It had a hint of nutty aroma about it but the crust was a bit soft. The brulée was not quite smooth and almost had a similar complexion to kasu. The brulée was garnished with sesame crackers like the French sour cracker with a Japanese twist making it semi-sweet. Priced at less than five dollars, this is another brulée you’ll want to place up on a mantle.

Raj Taneja is part technologist, part entrepreneur, part social media juggernaut and part foodie. He runs urbanmixer.com, publishes a miscellany of his musings at raj.jp and can be found on twitter with the username ‘tinhead.’

The Terminal City Club is one of the world’s most respected private business clubs. The members have a multitude of facilities at their fingertips – a full-size pool, fitness facilities, snooker room, grill, wine bar, fine dining and more.

The Club’s Pastry Chef, Fumiko Moreton, recently gained some notoriety by competing in the International Culinary Exhibition aka the Food Olympics in Erfurt, Germany, as part of the team which placed third overall in the World and gained three gold medals.

As usual, I’ve contributed my thoughts relating to Creme Brulee and featuring a creation by Moreton in Friday’s edition of Vancouver’s 24hrs. You can download this week’s version in PDF format HERE (or grab the full newspaper HERE,) or just keep reading (the unrated version) below.

Episode 4 – The Private Business Crème Brulée

Image cutline: Pastry Chef Fumiko Moreton likes her crème brulée simple – no fillers, no fruit, no fuss; it’s all about the creamy and smooth texture of the sweet sweet custard.

The search for Vancouver’s undiscovered crème brulée can sometimes be a daunting one. Secretly plotting against Vancouver’s food community, standing in alleys hoping to get a glimpse of the kitchen, recording every intimate account and photographing the evidence certainly lives up to the name of cloak and dagger.

My toughest assignment yet was to infiltrate the guarded walls of the Terminal City Club in the heart of the financial district – the private business club founded in 1892 features an admirable wine bar and some of the city’s finest dining all built for the sole entertainment of members and their very lucky guests. Deep within its luxurious recesses, Fumiko Moreton, Pastry Chef Extraordinaire concocts her next great dessert. Convincing Moreton, part of the crack team that recently earned a Gold Medal and third place in the world’s most important cooking competition, the Culinary Olympics, was no small feat. I had to look the part, talk the part and even smell the part.

After some smooth negotiating (begging), Moreton imparted to me, a taste of her Christmas-inspired Citrus Crème Brulée. Topped with a raspberry, some blueberries, a couple orange slices, a snowflake-like sugar garnish and a mini cranberry and pistachio biscotti, the crème brulée’s presentation  was elaborate enough to make me feel like a giddy youngster, all excited to unwrap a new gift.

Below the delicately caramelized top crust lay simple elegance. The uncomplicated custard infused with lemon and orange zest and lightly flavoured with real vanilla bean invoked the kind of euphoria that is usually incited by illicit substances available on the other part of Hastings Street, far from the club.

It’s no wonder that if you want to join the Terminal City Club, two members in good standing have to vouch for you. It’s just that good.

—

Raj Taneja is part technologist, part entrepreneur, part social media thought leader and part foodie. He runs urbanmixer.com, publishes a miscellany of his musings at raj.jp and can be found on twitter with the username ‘tinhead.’

According to the latest press on the newest flavour of Raincoast Crisps, the ‘cinnamon raisin crackers’ pair a hint of cinamon with sweet golden raisins and go well aged cheddar, manchego or asiago cheese.

So we took that, tossed it out the window and tried our own nutty* concoctions: buckwheat honey, rhubarb & vanilla artisianal preserve and a gourmet mustard.

How did they rate?

Round 1 – Buckwheat Honey – slightly bitter, this monofloral honey is more effective than over-the-counter cough syrup at treating childhood cough.

Result? Well, I don’t have that cough anymore. Crackers took well to the honey, I’d say about a 5 out of 10 on the Raj scale of yumminess.

Round 2 – Rhubarb and Vanilla Artisianal Spread – one of my friends has a theory that the addition of Vanilla to anything makes it better. He cites Vanilla Coke as one of the examples of this triumph. Considering the raging market success that Vanilla Coke has had on the market, maybe he’s talking about a different coke… the South American variety, perhaps? Either way, I ain’t buying it.

Result? Not bad at all. The Artisianal Spread is actually part of Vista d’Oro’s Spring Line. So we’re mixing a fall flavour from Lesley Stowe with a spring flavour from Vista d’Oro and whaddya get? Pure summer! 7 outta 10 on my made up scale of culinary greatness aka the Raj scale of yumminess.

Round 3 – Extra Hot Gourmet Mustard – there ain’t nothing like gourmet mustard. When one old boy points at another old boy and says “he’s got the mustard,” usually giving a slight nod of approval, it isn’t something to be taken lightly. SO here we have it, now Lesley Stowe, or rather, Lesley Stowe’s cracker has the mustard.

Result? POW! I nearly burnt my freaking face off with that extra hot mustard. Note to self, use less! I think I need some sparkling spring water… or buckwheat honey…  hhhhoott. I can’t say this one even makes my scale – the mustard totally overtook the cracker and then burnt a hole in my desk and the floor below it, so we put that in the unrated category and then called the local hazmat team at the fire department.

I spose the sane should stick to aged cheddar, manchego cheese or asiago cheese. Lesley Stowe’s Cinnamon Raisin Crisps – now available in stores but beware!, highly addictive.

Find out more on her website, HERE.

* no nuts were harmed nor were any used in the creation of this blog post (yet)

For background on the delicious little crisps, keep reading, after the jump.

The original release, 9/15/2009:

In 2005, acclaimed chef, entertaining expert and cookbook author Lesley Stowe introduced Canada’s culinary scene to an original artisan style cracker that quickly became known as the “crispy conversation starter.” Since then, raincoast crisps have been a savoury addition to appetizer spreads and party menus across the country. Just in time for the upcoming entertaining season, Lesley launches her newest flavour – cinnamon raisin – at fine food retailers nationwide today.

With a hint of cinnamon and the sweet taste of plump golden raisins, the newest flavour of raincoast crisps can be enjoyed on their own for a delicious breakfast on the run and also pair perfectly with aged cheddar, manchego or asiago cheese. Lesley’s famous gourmet snack food is made from scratch in small batches, using only the finest ingredients.