Hugh

Bistro Taiyo #2-321 Wesley Street Nanaimo, BC V9R 2T5 250-716-8861 I can't really help much more then that, I found it last year by accident wandering around looking for a place to eat, and I don't know Nanaimo all that well, but that little place definately left a lasting impression, I would take the train just to go eat there. As far as home style Japanese food goes, I think it beats any restaurant in Victoria.

One neat little place in Nanaimo that hasn't been mentioned yet for Japanese food is Bistro Taiyo, at the right time of year you can get these fantastic tofu ice creams with very japanese flavours, like matcha and adzuki. There bento and noodle are also awesome. Check it out next time you're in Nanaimo.

i understand your point but in the case of realistic threat to our planet such as the example of the oil don't you find it better to take the side of caution? things like cell phones we accept the consequences of. people tell me they won't live in paranoia without good cause or reason. i think the risk of extinction is a very good casue and reason. ← ...a world without 'point and counterpoint' wouldn't it be nice to live in such ignorant bliss. This thread scares me with its borderline fundamentalist views. It is easy to latch onto 'things that feel good' and protect the underdog. All I am looking for is the flip side. Can you guarantee that someone/some group is not profiteering from this hype about our fisheries? ← Of course someone will profit from an attack on farmed salmon. The fishermen who fish wildstocks will. The output from salmon farms has drastically reduced the world market price for salmon and made it very difficult for fisherman to make a go of their small enterprises (Forcing Alaskan Fisherman to launch a marketing campaign that distinguishes "Wild" salmon from the farmed stuff produced to the south). Having the salmon farms shutdown would probably return the price of salmon to a level that makes salmon fishing a profitable way to make a living. Beyond 'fundamentalist' environmentalist views from the birkenstock brigade, this is an issue of who you wish to see benefit from this collective resource. Under Canadian law we all own the oceans. Do you wish to see large international food conglomerates dirtying our waters (and there is empirical evidence showing that salmon farms are damaging to the ecological systems that surround them, its not just propaganda) and making a profit, or (in a perfect world) we could manage our streams and rivers(which means forests too) in such manner that wild fish stocks continue to be abundant into the future, and our local fishermen can make a living out on the waters. The second, and unfortunately less probable scenario seems to benefit the greatest number of people and to me makes the most sense.

I have been taking an exceptionally interesting course with one of the authors of that report on sea lice at the University of Victoria, and he has provided us with a number of frightening insights on salmon farming in BC. The anti-biotics and other chemicals used to control the populations of parasites like the sea lice, are as already mentioned, bad for the environment, and bad for stocks of wild salmon. It has been suggested that the salmon be raised in the closed pens, the techonology already exists, although the industry claims the costs are prohibitive. Unfortunately, even if this step were to be taken, it in no way makes salmon farming a sustainable practice. Raising farmed salmon requires huge inputs of fish protein (a weight ratio of about 3 to 1) that has to come from wild stocks somewhere else in the world. In the case of BC's salmon farms it comes from the Chilean anchovy fisheries and other fish well down food chain that support their local ecosystem and their fragile economy. Scientists have estimated that some of the Chilean fisheries will collapse in a similar patter to our Cod fishery within the next 8 years. What will the BC salmon farmers do then? Exploit another third world fishing economy? Not all aquaculture is bad, however some species require a great deal of protein input to create the output we all desire. There are some species, like carp and tilapia that are incredibly efficient and require very little inputs compared to farmed salmon. Hopefully some chef can write an overpriced cookbook and make Tilapia sexy...

When I was a kid, my mother would make grilled cheese sandwiches after we had worked outside in the yard during the fall when it was cold, or after we had come down off the ski hill, always an autumn/winter food. Always eaten with her delicious thick homemade tomato soup. Now, I think the best grilled cheese is made with the oldest cheddar you can find cut into fairly thick slices on 60% rye fried in butter (or if you're a lethargic university student, a george foreman grill.)

I've looked all over for Shiso this year. I had a lady from Dig This call WestCoast seeds, and I was told that there is no Shiso seed anywhere in North America for this season. I find that hard to believe, but it may be difficult to find unless you have a friend with a package of seeds from last year. If you can find seed, it should fare quite well on a windowsill.