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

Jailhouse on the rocks, anyone? Elvis will probably find this variation of one of his more popular songs a bit on the culinary side. A couple of former inmates working as the kitchen staff of a swanky resto will definitely raise the eyebrow of some people but reality bites . . . reality shows that is.

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

Episode 1 – Edgy Summer Cocktails at Conviction Kitchen

Image cutline: Simon concocts cool cocktails under the hot film lights.

Summer is upon us.  Vancouver, very much like our mayor, is two-faced.  One week, we feel like we’re in bone-chilling November when nobody’s on the bike-lanes, the next, it’s frickin’ Summer!  It’s time to enjoy a refreshing cocktail and relax in the sun.

Raj:  So what about a bunch of sweaty ex-convicts in a kitchen?

Fury:  Yes folks, they’re filming the second season of “Conviction Kitchen” at a Westend icon, Delilah’s.  Reality shows usually irk me but I’ve really warmed up to these boys.

Raj:  Well, that’s because you fed them a bunch of vodka shots and bonded with them in the kitchen!  But Simon and Stephen, the management, are here to handle any drama.  Imagine a group that’s mired in tardiness, lacking in attention to detail, and are overall nonchalant about work.

Fury:  You mean they perfected their hustle in jail. So back to Simon, the head-bartender.  He started off in Australia, found a job at the faux Earls on Alberni… what do they call that place?

Raj: Oh ya, Town Hall.  I vowed once to never ever go back, but then I discoveredSimon, who’s graduated to a legendary establishment that actually suits his talents.

Fury: After six cocktails, we agreed that the Cherry Caiprinha is the money shot.  For one, he utilized the best of B.C. to concoct the signature drink, including sunny Ranier Cherries and organic Okanagan honey.

Raj: As a well-travelled bloke, he’s experienced both goodness and grit. Take, for example, his contribution of African teas to the beverage, add the complexity of his work environment and the possibility that the wrong cocktail might leave him with a shank in the back. Working at Conviction Kitchen can be perilous, I’m sure!

Fury: No mis-steps on Simon’s part yet. The team’s unique characters, the restaurant’s historic charm, combined with that Caiprinha made for an entertaining start in our search for THE ultimate Summer cocktail.

—

Raj Taneja is part technologist, entrepreneur, social media juggernaut and foodie. He runs urbanmixer.com and publishes a miscellany of musings at raj.jp and on twitter @tinhead. Melody Fury is the founder of Vancouver Food Tour.  Follow this YVR lifestyle ambassador on twitter @GourmetFury.

“Life is a paradox” – Nancy Cartwright

A paradox is something that reveals a seemingly opposing nature and Sweeney’s has an item in their menu that is a paradox of sorts – a vegetarian “meatball.” This fitting finale on the meatball quest will definitely give vegans and health-conscious food junkies alike something to look forward to when they grab a bite to eat at this “slow-fast food” place along Hamilton Street in Yaletown.

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

Episode 6 – Surprise Taste on the Finale of Meatball Quest

Image cutline: When it comes to good karma, Raj and Fury believe the balls at Sweeney’s of Yaletown have it nailed.

Can’t really put our finger on it…

There’s something amiss about a humble sandwich shop that opens in the city’s swankiest culinary district. Right next door, Blue Water Cafe features champagnes such as Salon’s Blanc des Blancs at $1000 a pop.

Raj: If you check under the hood, Sweeney’s of Yaletown is by no means average.

Fury: What confounds me is that their menu is Ocean Wise, local, and organic.  Even their containers are bio-degradable but there are no signs boasting of it.  No stickers, no symbols, no hint of it on the menu.

Raj: I’d have to say that they’re believers in good karma.  They make good, honest food, use quality ingredients, and hope the universe is benevolent enough to send some customers their way.

Fury: Perhaps it’s the universe that has guided us here for the final chapter in our quest.  The thought of conquering their meatball sub has held me captive ever since I found out about it on twitter.

Raj: It’s a good start that they serve these meatballs on a torpedo bun.  To enhance the flavour, they add a bit of homemade tomato sauce and Provelone cheese, just like what they use in Philadelphia.

Fury: The meatballs were soft, kinda gummy, and I definitely tasted mushroom and thyme.  Even under the tangy sauce, I still sensed a little je ne sais quoi.

Raj: I couldn’t put my finger on it either –

Editor: You guys know that those were vegetarian meatballs, right?

Raj: There you have it, good karma!  No animals were harmed in the creation of these meatballs and they were pretty darn good.

Fury:  Considering all the meat we’ve consumed on our six-part meatball quest, I’m just thankful that we found a meat-free alternative that doesn’t suck.

—

Raj Taneja is part technologist, entrepreneur, social media juggernaut and foodie. He runs urbanmixer.com and publishes a miscellany of musings at raj.jp and on twitter @tinhead. Melody Fury is the founder of Vancouver Food Tour.  Follow this YVR lifestyle ambassador on twitter @GourmetFury.

Trout Lake will never know what hit it!

Trout Lake Beach

This Thursday about a hundred geeks, civilians, and their families are expected to descend upon the beach in search of treasures and adventures of the digital variety. SMCYVR and Nokia Canada have combined forces to produce a 21st Century-style treasure hunt which will guide teams around the lake and park via smartphone as they learn to integrate the digital and actual worlds.

Smartphones are not necessary; nor is money! Nokia is supplying loaners for each team, so if you’re unsure how to use the darn things there will be social media superstars/gurus/ninjas/jedi on hand to decode them for you. And the event is free and open to all ages!

Rain or shine, people! It’s not like you don’t own Gore-Tex!

From the SMCYVR site:

The event will run from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm on Thursday, August 5th. Trout Lake Park is easily accessible via Skytrain, and Nokia Canada will be on site demonstrating their latest phones. Some of them are so user-friendly that even a five-year old could operate them!

And the last one to check in on Foursquare is out! (Just kidding…)

Pucker up! Here it comes!

If you’re as gaga for tea as Gaga here, you won’t want to miss the 5th Annual Prêt-A-Pour-Tea & Inaugural Prêt-A-Pour-Nuit events in October. By day, wear your crispest suit and snappiest trilby; by night, wear your slinkiest dress and a fascinating fascinator (well, that’s not a look that flatters all genders, but you can make anything work, can’t you?) and have fun raising funds for the BC and Yukon branch of the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation. Last year with only one event they raised $75,000. With this swanky dinner and cocktail party as an addition, they’re set to do even better.

My personal pick of the party attractions? The chance to have your portrait painted by internationally known Vancouver artist Pamela Masik; and for only $20! The Masik Mosaik Project is a groundbreaking art piece, and you can be a part of it! Meet her now, before the rest of the world catches on to this local meteor of talent.

The Masik Mosaik Photo Project invites ALL women and C.B.C.F. supporters to participate in a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to celebrate the women in your life.  Become part of “The Bigger Picture”!  Make a $20 donation, which will buy you a place on the Masik Mosaik, to help in the quest to eliminate this disease that affects so many women.

Send us photos of women that you love, cherish, miss, admire or sadly, have lost to breast cancer…Each photo is a $20 donation - send in as many as you’d like!  The year 2020 has been earmarked by the C.B.C.F. as the year to end breast cancer – in commemoration of that date ONLY 2,020 photos will be accepted. Each photo will become a pixel on a large canvas – part of “The Bigger Picture” so to speak!

Pamela Masik will create an awe-inspiring piece of art with the photo covered canvas, which will be auctioned at our new Prêt a Pour Nuit~Evening Fundraising Event for the CBCF. All of the donations from this photo project will be added to the donation from our signature daytime event, the 5th Annual Prêt a Pour Tea~High Tea & High Fashion Gal’s Day Out Luncheon on October 27^th, 2010.

“Adventure is a worthwhile in itself” – Amelia Earheart

Indeed, it was a worthwhile adventure into the Land of the Sleeping Dragon right in the heart of Vancouver. The ‘Lion’s Head’ is a customary dish in Shanghai, which usually has pork as its main ingredient, and is normally boiled or steamed. There is also a Cantonese version of the dish, which makes use of beef instead of pork and is considered a dim sum dish. Another variant of this dish is made of pulverized fish instead of meat. This is definitely an appetizing dish which more than a billion people would never go wrong with.

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

Episode 4 – Raiders of the Lost Meatball

Image cutline: The leafy green vegetables surrounding this delicious meat-boulder represent the mane of the Lion’s Head.

The quest for Vancouver’s ultimate meatball has taken us to many foreign culinary lands and this episode is no exception.

Raj: Legend has it that there’s a mystical meatball known only as the “Lion’s Head” in the Far East.

Fury: Hailing from the heart of China, we dared to try this specialty at Shanghai Village on Cambie Street. Traditionally, the Lion’s Head is a dish comprised of several meatballs in a sizzling claypot.

Raj: What was initially just a quest for a new flavor played out like the most famous Indiana Jones scene ever!  Picture this: you’re in a booby-trap filled temple, and all of a sudden you’re running for your life to avoid being crushed by a two ton boulder.

Fury: To our amazement, Shanghai Village only serves one prolific meat-boulder.  You can’t stuff the whole ball into your mouth here!

Raj: Aside from the size, this was the first pork meatball we’ve tried on this journey.  It tastes like it’s infused with some sort of tea.

Fury: That would be the preserved cabbage that brings a touch of sweetness and smokiness to the mix.

Raj: And what about that mystery brown sauce that they slather on everything? What’s up with that?

Fury: Don’t diss it until you try it mixed into a bowl of steamy rice.  It’s the ultimate comfort staple, yo.

Editor: Fury and Raj completed this voyage unscathed and lived to write about it.

—

Raj Taneja is part technologist, entrepreneur, social media juggernaut and foodie. He runs urbanmixer.com and publishes a miscellany of musings at raj.jp and on twitter @tinhead. Melody Fury is the founder of Vancouver Food Tour.  Follow this YVR lifestyle ambassador on twitter @GourmetFury.

“A man’s errors are his portals of discovery” – James Joyce

And this was one error that allowed us to come across something wonderful. After peeling off the layers that has wrapped Bin 942 with the false impression of being just another hyped-up tapas bar, the secret that lay within was discovered . . . and what a satisfying discovery it was.

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

Episode 3 – Uncovering the Secret Recipe

Image cutline: Bin 942’s secret recipe is the essence of simplicity – patience, a whole lotta onions and a dash of port make the best base for extremely juicy meatballs.

Up until recently, we deemed Gord Martin’s menus at his infamous Bin Restaurants as simply glorified tapas items, dished up to the late-night wine bar crowd.  Not the most discerning clique from our standpoint, that is, until we ­­sampled their meatballs.

F: Personally, Bin has always been a wine-forward establishment for me, with their dolled-up bar food served as an amenity.  This is a spot where truffle oil is not a subtle enhancement, but merely a liberally used condiment on every other menu item.

R: You know, Fury, itwas really worth checking out Bin 942 to take a peek at what’s under all that sass.

F: When we peeled off the superficial layers, we were surprised to discover the labour intensive secret behind the balls’ extreme juiciness.  There’s actually no slight of hand going on here.

R: That Gord guy has some serious patience.  I mean making the base of his meatballs by caramelizing a potful of onions for hours? What type of maniac does that?

F: Sometimes subtlety is the best approach – like the dash of port to coax out the onion’s complex sweetness.

R: Just throw in the meat and we’ve got some good good balls.  In the esteemed words of Glenn Quagmire, the best summation would be “giggitygiggity, alright!”

Editor: To their horror, Raj and Fury later discovered that there was truffle in the accompanying Pinot Noir sauce. They weren’t able to escape it.

—

Raj Taneja is part technologist, entrepreneur, social media juggernaut and foodie. He runs urbanmixer.com and publishes a miscellany of musings at raj.jp and on twitter @tinhead. Melody Fury is the founder of Vancouver Food Tour.  Follow this YVR lifestyle ambassador on twitter @GourmetFury.

A 15th century dish served with a 21st century twist, the meatballs with bruschetta at Cibo Trattoria are definitely something to rave about. The Swedish version of the meatball, with its contrasting tastes, is a no-nonsense dish which provides sustenance needed for the country’s temperate climate. A popular dish in that Nordic country, the Swedish meatball has now found its way into Cibo Trattoira to tickle the taste buds of Vancouverites.

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

Episode 2 – Meatballs Cure Monday Blues

Image cutline: Italian hitmen have rough Mondays too, we’ve figured out the secret to how they unwind.

We’re sitting at Uva Wine Bar unwinding after a hard day at work and we catch wind that the neighbouring Cibo Trattoria has their ritual Meatball Monday on – it seems we can’t escape it! Everything we’ve been eating lately has been in ball form, even the desserts!

M: And he means everything – from the main course down to the luscious hazelnut semi-freddo with house-made honeycomb that I still have dreams about.

R: Let’s not get ahead of ourselves ‘lil lady, this one’s about meatballs and on Monday, Cibo is the place to be for a nourishing plate with all the fixings and a glass of wine that won’t break the bank.

M: Their meatballs were extremely tender and melded beautifully with the creamy white bean base. The best part was scooping up the saucy mess with the garlicky, thick-cut bruschetta.

R: Definitely not your average meatballs – or at least not the type that you’d stick a toothpick into. Leave that to the Swedes. This is a more refined, elegant yet hearty meatball that your Italian mama would be proud to serve you.

M: After slaving away at the office on the toughest day of the week, head to Cibo Trattoria for their meatballs – it’ll help you fuggedaboutit.

—

Raj Taneja is part technologist, entrepreneur, social media juggernaut and foodie. He runs urbanmixer.com and publishes a miscellany of musings at raj.jp and on twitter @tinhead. Melody Fury is the founder of Vancouver Food Tour and a freelance food writer by day, cocktail ninja by night.  Follow this YVR lifestyle ambassador on twitter @GourmetFury .

“Nothing spoils lunch any quicker than a rogue meatball rampaging through your spaghetti” – Jim Davis

Glowbal’s meatballs are neither rogue nor served with spaghetti, they’re served in style.

Various cultures all throughout the world have their own versions of the meatball, either as a part of a dish or simply served as a dish itself. The unassuming meatball is made up of ground meat and other ingredients such as breadcrumbs, minced onions, and spices, which would then be rolled up into a ball before being fried, steamed, baked, or braised with a bit of sauce. The Austrian call it the fleischaibchen, the Belgians have their ballekes, to the Greeks it is known as the keftedes, and its called the polpette to the Italians. Whichever way you call it, it’s still a meatball – plain and simple . . . well, probably not so plain and simple in the case of the Glowbal Restaurant Group, which has transformed a simple everyday meal into a dish worthy of praise.

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 1 – Three meatballs … and a secret one too

Image cutline: Traittoria serves up the ever elusive lamb-based secret meatball only to those in the know. You didn’t hear about it from us, ok?

The slow start to the sunny season has me turned upside down and I’m craving comfort food.  A plateful of meatballs, slathered in a tangy tomato sauce seems fitting for the occasion.  This craving brings on a new quest – to investigate Vancouver’s meatball scene. No, I’m not talking about the municipal government and the new bike lanes, in this case the term meatball actually refers to the food we’ll be eating on this quest and not some politicians. With this notable task at hand, it only made sense to bring on Melody Fury, my co-conspirator to give me insight on the finer points of said meatballs.

R: Glowbal Restaurant in Yaletown is known as a destination for meatballs in Vancouver.  They have five sister restaurants, four of which offer their own variety of meatball; we had no option but to make this the starting point.

M:  We were straight ballin’ out of control.  Raj and I chased five types of meatballs each with double the glasses of champagne in one afternoon.

R: No matter which Glowbal Restaurant we went to, balls were everywhere.

M:  What was once just rustic fare made with meat scraps and day-old bread, the Glowbal Restaurant Group has revamped the meatball into their lux, signature dish.

I was initially skeptical of whether Wagyu beef was overkill for the humble meatball.  After trying their over-the-top rendition (which they automatically serve to every rockstar, VIP and supermodel that rolls through) I instinctively paired the balls with an extravagant sparkling wine.

R: If there’s any place to start a meatball quest, it’s gotta be Glowbal with Italian Kitchen, Society, and Trattoria in tow.

While only selected properties serve meatballs at this time of year, serious ball-lovers should seek out the secret spicy lamb meatball at one of their sister restaurants.

—

Raj Taneja is part technologist, entrepreneur, social media juggernaut and foodie. He runs urbanmixer.com and publishes a miscellany of musings at raj.jp and on twitter @tinhead. Melody Fury is the founder of Vancouver Food Tour and a freelance food writer by day, cocktail ninja by night.  Follow this YVR lifestyle ambassador on twitter @GourmetFury .