Go Raw or Go Home

There’s a new restaurant in downtown Nanaimo and it's raw -- full of raw food that is. Adding fuel to the fire of a Nanaimo food trend (check out Rawmbas too), proprietor Toni Jeffires has created a gorgeous cafe, focused on the delights of raw food, the Power House Living Foods Co. This doesn't mean you'll be eating food only fit for rabbits. Far from it. You can try to-die for cheesecakes and other desserts and a plethora of delicious and healthy smoothies including the Euphoria, a moreish  mixture of  bananas, cacoa, maca, agave, mint and vanilla. There are also a variety of entrees including olive tapenade pizza, wraps and, my favourite, the Pad Thai Salad -- chock full of rice noodles, bell peppers, bean sprouts, carrots, almonds, and a delicious sauce.

A raw food version of Pad Thai.

So what is raw food and why bother? According to Raw Food Life a raw food diet consists of unprocessed vegan foods that have not been heated above 115 degrees Fahrenheit (46 degrees Celsius). The theory is that by only cooking foods at a low temperature you ensure none of the nutrients are destroyed. The jury is out on whether or not that’s actually true but what is true is the food at Toni's place is delicious. Best of all, if the raw food proponents are to be believed, even the cheesecakes can be enjoyed without a side of guilt.

One of the desserts -- a delicious lemon ball. 

Location
Price $3-$10

Eco-friendly Moderation

In the bewildering mix of eco-friendly, organic, sustainable living philosophies it’s sometimes hard to know how to act. Should we stop drinking coffee because it’s outside our 100-mile diet or drink more if it’s fair trade and supports third world farmers? And what about shopping at Wal-mart? Are they to be avoided because of their appalling employee practices or patronized because they’re one of the biggest purchasers of organic cotton?

Unfortunately, there’s no clear answer. Indeed, some of these contemporary living philosophies directly contradict one another. One camp says don’t eat meat, the other says eat-up as long as your meat is local, hormone-free and cooked as per the ‘slow food movement.’

So what’s a person to do? Firstly, do something. We all need to work toward a more earth-friendly future even if we just stop using our car so much or bring our own mug to our favourite coffee shop. Wise consumer choices also help -- Wal-mart wouldn’t stock organic cotton if we didn’t demand it.

But our attempt to live sustainably needs to be tempered with a dose of moderation. We could worry ourselves silly trying to live the most organic, eco-friendly life possible (in fact there is now an eating disorder for people who are obsessed with healthy eating) until it becomes such a strain we throw in the sustainable living towel and do nothing. 

So shop local if you can or bike to work one day a week. But have fun breaking the rules, too: I recommend a bottle of non-organic Australian wine and a cracker topped with creamy French brie and thin slices of prosciutto. Bon appetit!

The Most Depressing Day of the Year

When the delights of Christmas and New Year’s are, in this fast-paced world, distant memories, you've broken your New Year's resolutions, the bills are rollin' in and the realization dons on you that there are still at least two more months of grey, drippy, weather guess what? You're ready for what experts have deemed the most depressing day of the year -- the third Monday in January. 

Frankly, I don't feel like being depressed just two weeks into the New Year, so I'm trying to figure out how I can stay lighthearted and happy when this day rolls around.

Options I’ve come up with so far:

1.    Move and don’t leave a forwarding address so my credit card bills never reach me.

2.    Go on holiday somewhere hot so I actually don’t have to deal with the grey, drippy weather AND can also avoid the credit card bills.

3.    Buy one of those sun lamps and create a mini-beach in my living room.

4.    Form a support group made up of very generous wealthy people who can either a) pay my bills or b) fly me south for the rest of the winter or c) both.
5. OR just realize the depression is inevitable and live it up as much as I can over the holidays

I think I'm going to go with option five. 

A Day of Eunoia

Eunoia is an exceptional word -- weird but exceptional. Not only is it the shortest word in the English language to use all five vowels, it also has a sublime meaning – beautiful thinking. (And, it’s the title of a delightful little book that all lovers of language will enjoy. But, I digress). The reason I’m drawing it to your attention is because I’ve noticed recently that beautiful thoughts are not weighing very heavily on people’s minds at the moment. In fact, as the season of stress descends upon us, and the state of the world spirals further and further downhill (if the media is to be believed) I would argue eunoia is the furthest thing from people’s mind at this time. But, as you may have suspected, I’ve thought of an antidote to this problem. Why don’t we institute a National Day of Eunoia? It would be similar to those other ‘national’ days we have, such as National Doodle Day (March 2), or the International Talk Like a Pirate Day, but on the National Day of Eunoia everyone would focus on thinking beautiful thoughts. Those of us who were truly dedicated to celebrating this auspicious day could go one step further and maybe Facebook, Twitter or, I don’t know, actually speak to our friends and share with them our beautiful thoughts. Imagine the consequences! For at least one day of the year the world would be filled with shiny, happy people, pondering and sharing shiny, happy thoughts. It might not solve all the world’s problems, or even our own, but it just might make them a little easier to swallow.

Winter Libations

It’s cold, wet and the weather wizards are predicting a very white winter. How can you stave off what could be a serious case of the winter blues? Indulge in a little liquid holiday spirit.

My favourite is Irish Hot Chocolate which I first had the pleasure of tasting after an intense day of skiing in the crisp, cold air of Mount Washington, just north of Courtenay on Vancouver Island. It’s a simple, yet divine, concoction of Bailey’s and hot chocolate (whip cream optional). When I sipped it the first time, my heart sang, my toes tingled and my body felt like someone had wrapped it in a gentle bear hug.

Sweet drinks not your thing?  Then how ’bout a hearty stout, such as the Imperial Russian Stout, created by Nanaimo’s first micro-brewery the Longwood Brew Pub. It’s a perfectly balanced combination of roasted and black barley, with a hint of chocolate – lunch, dinner and dessert all in one. You can imbibe at the pub, but I prefer taking it home and curling up in front of the fire with a good book or a few friends and a board game.

Then there’s the experience of putting yourself in the centre of the coldest, wettest, stormiest weather right on the edge of the west coast in Tofino. Some love to literally soak it all in, surfing the huge waves or beach-combing through the roaring winds. My spot of choice is either in theGreat Room at the Long Beach Lodge Resort or at On the Rocks Lounge at the Wickaninnish Inn. Both were strategically built beachside and offer the perfect spot to watch the winter weather swirl by outside. The seasonal cocktails are mixed to warm cold finger and toes from the inside out. I love the Wick’s (as the locals call it) Apples & Orange, which features the mouthful-of-a-name liquor: Applewood Double Smoked Buffalo Trace Bourbon.

And of course, I mustn’t forget the Bengal Lounge – tucked into the Empress Hotel in Victoria. I love sinking into the comfy leather chairs, unwrapping all my winter woolens and ordering theOriginal Bengal Tiger – smoky dark rum, apricot brandy and a splash of pineapple juice to give you a hint of tropical warmth.

With a few winter warmers such as these, the season of cold, wet weather suddenly seems a lot more manageable, even something to look forward to. Bottom’s up everyone!

Making a 'Not-to-do' List

There’s a familiar holiday song that goes something like, “He’s making a list, checkin’ it twice…” etc. Well, first of all I’ve always thought the lyrics should be changed to reflect what really happens during the holiday season: “She’s making a list, checkin’ it thrice (then running ‘round like crazy and NO, it’s not so nice). And then I began to wonder if making a ‘to-do’ list is really the best way to deal with the stress of the holiday season (and life in general) – after all, a list is a tangible reminder that we have way too much to do and no time to do it.

Then last week I discovered there was a far less stressful way to approach things: Turn the concept of the list on its head and start making a ‘not-to-do’ list. How? Well, like me there’s probably stuff on your to-do list you actually don’t need to do, especially during the holiday season. For example, do you really need to head to the malls a gazillion times, fight through crowds of stressed out people, just to buy run-of-the-mill presents and made-in-China stocking stuffers? Or can you move ‘mall visits’ to your ‘not-to-do’ list, and shop at local stores, make your own gifts or, better yet, move all your 'purchase-presents tasks' to your not-to-do list and give a gift of time to your loved one. For example, you could have tea with you Great Aunt Mabel or take your Mom out for dinner or build a gingerbread house with your kids. It's such a wonderful concept, although you may get some resistance from your family, especially if it's your turn to cook the turkey dinner. But, if anyone complains I would just tell them you’ve just double-checked your ‘not-to-do’ list and if they want dessert they’ll have to bring it themselves. Already the weight of the season’s expectations is lifting from my shoulders. Now, I’m actually looking forward to the delights of the holiday season – both the nice and the little bit naughty. 

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Coffee That's Top of the Crop

It’s used as an aphrodisiac, was once hailed by religious scholars for its ability to give them divine insight and today, millions of people around the world don’t feel quite human until they’ve had their first sip of morning java.

It’s quite an achievement for the small cherry-colored berry that was discovered 1,500 years ago in the mountains of Arabia. The story goes something like this: A young goatherd was watching his flock munching obsessively on trees bursting with red berries. He noticed that after their red-berry meal the goats were friskier than usual, so one day he decided to try a few of those berries himself and discovered what dedicated java-junkies around the world know – coffee is the elixir of life.

Since that initial discovery, coffee has established itself in almost every corner of the earth and is the world’s second most-traded commodity (the first being oil.) More recently, it’s started to get kudos from the medical world for its health benefits, with the latest missive declaring it might reduce the risk of skin cancer.

Of course, all coffee is not created equal and being a passionate connoisseur of the beverage, I’ve had my share of the good, the bad and the ugly. Because of that there are a few cafés that have won my undying loyalty as I know that every time I go I’ll be served a coffee that’s sublime (and Fair Trade, Direct Trade and/or organic, too). Here are a few of my favourites:

Mad Rona’s: I may live on Gabriola Island, but unfortunately the only time I get to indulge in Mad Rona’s coffee is on the weekend. When Chris and Lana opened for business they offered a different brand of coffee. In search of perfection, they soon switched things up and today brew Drumroaster Coffee roasted in Cobble Hill, Vancouver Island. Every weekend I bless them for making the switch when I head in for my shot-in-the-dark – a shot of espresso, with a perfect ‘crema’, poured into a dark roast coffee. Yep, my weekends are gooood (Bonus: Lana’s baked goods taste like your mom’s).

Café Artigiano: I first discovered this Italian café on Hornby Street in Vancouver. It was before Mad Rona’s had opened and frankly it had been a long time since I’d tasted a really good cup of coffee. I ordered a latte, cozied into the beautiful Italian décor and took a sip. Tears literally sprang to my eyes as the strong, bittersweet taste of good espresso, perfectly balanced with steamed milk, hit my tastebuds, delighting body, mind and spirit simultaneously. (Bonus: They have a number of different locations including one in Victoria.) 

Elysian Coffee: My first experience of drinking coffee here was after I did the Grouse Grind in the pouring rain, following an 80-year-old man, who sprinted up the trail, leaving me panting with embarrassment and exhaustion behind. I was cold, wet and humiliated when I arrived at Elysian, so I barely registered that the barista was brewing my coffee personally – grinding just the right amount of beans for my cup, carefully heating the water and then deftly combining the two. Too desperate to waste time with milk and sugar I took a sip and – epiphany – it was the first time I realized coffee could be divine just the way it is. (Bonus: Here, you can try rare and limited roasts of coffee)

And one on my “to do” list:

Freakin’ Coffee Shop: I have yet to taste the coffee here but a friend of mine swears it’s the best on Vancouver Island. And apparently the décor lives up to its name, too.