jamiemaw

Yes, about four kilometres plus 12 steps from CedarCreek: You're welcome to store it at Treetops, Karole.

I was polishing off The Globe this morning and there she blew: a two page advertorial feature extolling Kelowna.

Not so fast on this breed being killed off, Jamie! What is at risk is this batch's AOC certification. They need to run outdoors in order to get the certification. Otherwise, they're just chickens like any other. Keeping them inside will not kill them off. Next generation that is authorized to run free will certainly do so, of that I'm sure. Yes sir, that's why we're keeping them inside for the time being! Still no announcement on the sale or consumption of chicken here in France. We're still eating it. ← Lucy, Sorry if the article disappeared behind a screen before you could read what was an unusually lengthy report with some solid images. And yes, it spent many column inches describing the outdoor feeding characteristics (minimum 10 square metres per bird) that distinguish the Bresse appellation. The article also raises specific concern about the potential contamination at the Bresse breeding centre; full contamination suits are being worn by employees. We're particularly sensitive to the effects of Avian Flu here, having suffered two major culls of chickens, ducks and geese in the Fraser Valley over the past 18 months, including 17 million chickens. The most recent, last November, saw the cull of 55,000 ducks and geese; it was fortunately a false alarm but too late to save the flocks. Let's hope for the best.

Oh, man, don't be a wimp. Just drive, dammit. ← True - the Connector is the best luge run in Canada, with those shadow walls, reverse cambers and nifty downhillls into the chicanes. But driving is just way too expensive. Plus WestJet saves me one day every week.

Vineyard land around Kelowna is pretty much planted-out; only a few high orchards remain for replanting in grape - mainly white varietals. And yes, it does co-mingle, sometimes strangely, with the beige stucco and white aluminum window frames of 90s subdivisions. And those 'hobby' vineyards that do change hands now come at a stiff price. In Oliver and Osoyoos, the sales prices for vineyard land on the benches have risen at astonishing rates. Here's a useful Ministry of Agriculture overview.

Your probably talking about the Sept. 12, 1994 "Annals of Advertising" article by Arthur Lubow. It discuses how Stolichnya tried to recapture the vodka market after Absolut began to dominate it. ← Thank you both. I was trying to convince Eva that I was the tastless one.

Palmiers @ La Bouge = High 5's. Especially on the way home from the P & Q. Don't miss the tarte Tatin! And the quiche! Glad to see you're dropping into our 'hood, Lee, or at least its ornament. And terrific Valley shots. I personally challenge Mr. Morrison to get his Van-a-gone over the Coke and into the place where men are men and the quiche never takes a back seat. Keep the reports coming. J.

Sound plan, I'm sure, Neil. Just remember not to step in Pino's doo, please.

I live in what is ostensibly the country, at the top of Dehart road, surrounded by orchards and vineyards, but in a way I don't: There are few places to walk in it and I agree with you. Interestingly Karole, when the wineries or wine tour companies pick up guests at the airport, they now take them into town through the more bucolic areas of Glenmore, rather than down 97. After all, why sour the first impression. I think that downtown is crawling back. If you follow Canucklehead's and my culinary explorations, they're frequently centred (especially along Bernard and Ellis) along those resurgent streets which are responding to the development of lofts and towers. NEXT WEEK: The Willows. Finally, South Pandosy Village is gaining veracity as a proper walking village, with a growing concentration of restaurants, bakeries, grocery stores, and -- soon to come -- easier lake access. The redevelopment of Cedar Avenue comes next; hopefully the City will get this mixed-use development launched within the next year, providing a further commercial/residential pedestrian connection between the Village and the lake. Cheers, Jamie

This horrible tragedy is now aimed at Bresse, according to an article in today's Globe and Mail. "But the idyllic lives of the chickens, so integral to their market value and cultural cachet, is over. Bird flu has cast a shadow over the farmyards of east-central France, depriving the chickens of the conditions essential to their uniqueness and threatening to wipe out the centuries-old breed. "In the heart of the Bresse chicken country, at least a dozen wild birds have died from the virulent H5N1 virus. The disease also struck a turkey farm not far from Bourg-en-Bresse, leading to the forced slaughter of 11,000 chickens. All poultry producers in the region, a low-lying bowl of territory between Burgundy and the Jura Mountains, have been ordered to confine their birds in enclosed buildings 24 hours a day to prevent new infections. "The chickens have never faced such a restriction, which contradicts the most fundamental of their strictly observed routines. "They are not used to being closed in. They are used to running," said Cyril Degluaire, a 26-year-old producer of Bresse chickens near the hamlet of La Baraque, midway between Macon and Bourg-en-Bresse. "That's why they have such beautiful thighs. Now they knock at the door, demanding to go out. "What's at stake," declared Jean-Michel Bertrand, a deputy mayor of Bourg-en-Bresse, "is the very survival of the poultry of Bresse." Meanwhile in Quebec, the importation ban on French mulard ducks has wreaked havoc with the La Belle Province's foie gras industry.

I won a Bronze last year, with Pino meeting me at the doo to tell me. This year, ?????? What happened. ← Neil, My understanding is that a.) because the Wine Festival is earlier this year and b.) becuase the evaluation of so many entries is such a daunting task adjudicated by volunteer experts that c.) the results of this year's competition will be made public in early May, at the Restaurant Awards. Good luck.

Or, to paraphrase de La Pradelle, 'that jovial back-and-forth between buyer and seller that chaffs and teases' . . . [and as to vegetables] 'pokes and squeezes and fondles.' Metaphorically, of course. I look forward to resuming the discussion after you've received the book, and after Rebecca has smoked the Grass. Hopefully other members will follow suit, and, as Carl Bernstein said the other night, we might then - due diligence completed - 'pursue the best available version of the truth.' There is never any shame in that, or as the Romans said, 'Sine timore aut favore.' Jamie

I found Mme de La Pradelle's research considerably more nuanced. Her discussion of fibbery, the blurring of lines between farmer-producer and merchant, and the collusion of vendor and customer is reported both with insight and great good humour. Any universal comparisons have much less to do with inter-continental assessments of market styles than they do with human nature. * For the benefit of members who may have linked here from another forum, here's a portion of William Grimes's review of Market Day in Provence last month in The New York Times Book Review: 'Not so the vendor at a French market. As Michèle de La Pradelle tells it, in "Market Day in Provence," the essence of the market-day experience is a jovial back-and-forth between buyer and seller in which class boundaries are suspended and the normal rules of etiquette do not apply. The man offering his farmhouse cheeses is entitled to chaff and tease. The customer is free to poke and squeeze and fondle the merchandise, unthinkable behavior in a shop. It's all deliciously rural and traditional, and, Ms. de La Pradelle takes great pains to demonstrate, as phony as it can possibly be, "a collectively produced anachronism" with no rational economic reason for existing. 'Ms. de La Pradelle, an ethnologist who was sent by the French government to analyze public markets, spent years scrutinizing the goods and the behavior and the underlying rules governing the market in Carpentras. Her findings amount to a cold shower for anyone, like myself, who has constructed a rich fantasy life around such places. All those farm-fresh fruits and vegetables, those delectable cheeses, those mouth-watering pâtés, come from the same wholesalers who supply the stores. The region switched over to large-scale industrial farming way back in the 1920's. "A market is a collectively produced anachronism, and in this it responds to deeply contemporary logic," she says.''

Just returned from the VPIWF Sommelier of the Year and SIP awards (Industry Achievement), which we co-sponsor, this year with the wines of Alsace and Rhône and the BC Restaurant and Food Services Association. Sommelier of the Year: Sebastien Le Goff, CinCin Ristorante SIP Industry Achievement Award: Daryll Weinbrun, Retired CEO Maxxium Canada and Co-Founder VPIWF A very jolly afternoon.

Me too. Thanks.I have much the same question, and I too hang out elsewhere - the France Forum. But since I'm staying near the ballpark, are my evening ethnic choices any different than the suggestions you gave helenjp? I'm interested (if you're not familiar with my quirks) in good food, damn the decor and reasonable prices. Thanks. ← John, Near the ballpark, check out Claudio Aprile's canapes in the bar at Senses, Metropolitan Hotel. It's certainly a worthy for dinner as well. At the Met's midtown location, Lah Wah Heen offers the country's best dim sum, and it hurts to say it. There's a new LWH coming, but not sure as to launch date.

Thank you for that - ← Given the fusion menu I was forced to order in Esperanto.

It's impossible to ignore - from the hostile strip development that lines Highway 97 from the airport (now Canada's 11th busiest with 1.1 passengers per year) to downtown, to the much prettier new residential developments rimming the lake - the Valley is undergoing massive change. Much of that change is being underwritten by vacation or second home development, the advent of 'clean' technology businesses (the Valley leads the country in geothermal tech) and the expansion of the professions. Of course the wholesale expansion of the UBC campus is drawing a lot of young people and education professionals as well. With property values and taxes increasing quickly, many are wondering if the Valley might lose some of the charm - based in its orchards and farms - that attracted people in the first place. Alberta license plates and a much noisier lake in the summer are just two signs of the times. Dowtown Kelowna is making a resurgence. It lost a lot of business over the past decade, but the new residential lofts and towers in devlopment are delivering a new population. As the Global TV series has portrayed this week, a lot of orchards are being dropped to make room for grapes. Chef Fowke's grandfather wrote an interesting analysis of orcharding practices in the OK that makes for some fascinating reading. Are there elements of the Valley dropping away that you'll miss? Looking forward to your thoughts . . .

Couldn't agree more. The missus and I (reluctantly) don't shuck oysters in school zones anymore.

Pam, Experience in Vancouver suggested that a little eGullet media attention and a themed but informal wine and canapes evening can really spread the word to recruit people to the site who are interested in food. With a minimum of fuss, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised at the level of interest in return for a modest donation to the Society. Jamie

Looking forward.

Question for Jamie and anyone else that may have been there - we were having a discussion at our table as to exactly where in the south of France the Henriques Rivesaltes Hors d'Age Domaine de Forca Real came from. We had 2 votes (including mine) for close to Banyuls, one for closer to Perignan and one abstainer. Tell me I was right ← Perpignan. And I'm surprised you took an abstainer to a wine dinner. Cyril Henriques arrived straight from the airport having flown via Heathrow - charming guy.

For anyone still interested, I did this story. You can read it here: http://www.thedaily.washington.edu/index.php?storyID=15631 Part two, what happens to the food once it gets here will be in next week's entertainment section on Thursday. ← I'm really delighted that you were able to follow up on this story concept. It might give the piece an even stronger line (next week) to take a menu item and follow it from field to plate, mentioning the amount of money the farmer is paid, the mark-up that the whoesaler/distributor takes, what the university pays, what the student pays etc. Well done!

This night's installment featured one of the province's smallest wineries, Oliver's Fairview Cellars and its proprietor, Bill Eggert, who built the winery by hand and takes care of the six acres of vines himself. His production is just 1600 cases. His history is typical of the struggle necessary to see any return: 89 bought land 93 planted 03 paid taxes for the first time 04 above water Tomorrow: A Vist to a Cooperage

Would it be overstating it to paraphrase Adam Gopnik, regarding that "French genius for creating the foundations for revolution that takes place elsewhere"?

Two questions: How much, and does it come with a trailer hitch?