Zucchini Mama

I'd like to be a "chocolate consultant", but can I work from home? The women they surveyed are lying. Women eat way more chocolate than eight servings a month-come on! Try between 30-60. And if they think I'm going to stop eating that much after I turn forty they're crazy. I think chocolates are going artisanal. In Vancouver the locally made chocolates just get better and better every year. Amazing quality and amazing value. There was an article in the Globe and Mail last weekend that made a big deal about artisanal chocolates made in Vermont. That's what excites me way more than Godiva. Zuke Edited to add chocolate porn from Vermont and the ultimate from British Columbia: DC Duby. I hope Santa lurks here.

For my hubby's Christmas stocking I'm going to get him a bunch of little squares of Michel Cluizel single plantation chocolate so he can grate them and make decadent hot chocolate! Zuke

I just wanted to post this interesting historical photo of Purdy's Cafe from a 1939 postcard. This looks like an old Ladies Who Lunch place! The back of the postcard says: "Purdy's Cafe/Seating 150/Ultra Modern Soda Fountain. Rest Rooms and Lounge/ 100% White Help [ugh!] All Lady Chefs Serving. Breakfasts--Lunches--Dinners/Afternoon Teas with Cup Reading. After Theatre Specials. PRICES REASONABLE " Anyone have any information on this place. What is it now? Zuke Oops, I mean 1939. I flipped a digit.

This is a very interesting and helpful thread. I have the opposite problem, but in some ways it's the other side of the same coin. My five year old is quite thin, and very picky about food. Right now we're having a problem with him getting to sit down and focus on eating. He's been better at it in the past, but now he's up and down and won't concentrate on the meal. I am really bad at this part of parenting. I just want to sit and calmly eat my meal and I don't want to have to nag. We all ended up screaming at each other tonight, and so much for the pleasant family dinner. Later on, after he'd calmed down he came and sat on my lap and we had a talk about why it's important to eat a balanced meal and sit down so our bodies can digest the food. The suggestions above about getting your child more involved in the process of mealtime are very good. I like the solitude of preparing a meal by myself, but I can see that will have to change. I'm also trying to explain to him that mealtime is when we all check in and ask each other about what we did that day. However, since I'm never quite sure when my partner will be home from work for dinner, it's hard with just the two of us to formalize this process. I guess the key is to start a series of rituals that lead up to the event and then establish the rituals of cleaning up and putting away food and dishes. I guess in the 1950's the rituals were more formalized and women dressed for dinner and the man coming home from work was supposed to be this exciting part of the whole day that had it's own moment in the script. Now we've become so informal, that we have to create our individual scripts in order to instill good habits. My son and I have also had a battle of wills since he could talk. He loves to push my buttons and right now the buttons he's pushing are around food issues. It's very frustrating. You know, some days he's great and he wants to help set the table and he eats a good meal, but anyway today was the pits. I think I just have to start right from scratch and really talk to him about the science of food and nutrition, the spirituality of sharing a meal, and the respect we need to show for our meals. I would like to hear how other people are doing this. Two good things about this week are that he learned he loves pumpkin seeds and he also loves nori-covered rice sticks we call "witches' fingers." Small victories, but they mean a lot to me. We drink a lot of tea in lieu of juice. Rooibus tea is great for kids. We also make juice "spritzers"--a tiny amouny of juice in sparkling mineral water. Zuke

I just noticed that Salade de Fruits has a series of weekly Table d'Hotes. The one for the week of Christmas is "Agneau Rotie Petit Jésus." Hmmm, would that be the sacrificial lamb wrapped in swaddling pastry? Joyeux Noël et Bon Appetit! Zuke

The zeal to rid the wetlands of Purple Loosestrife was often fuelled, and funded by, Ducks Unlimited, as they thought ducks for their pleasure would be restricted in habitat. I loved to watch bees and butterflies feeding in the loosestrife, and wondered why we were so dismissive of it, when it was valuable to many insects. Many hectares of it were uprooted in my area, and a predatory insect from Europe was introduced to keep it under control. It was a great source of wildflower honey when it flowered here, and it was a very valuable way station for migrating Monarchs. ← There is a honey farm in Vermont that uses purple loosestrife in at least one of their apitherapy products. I really like their elderberry raw honey extract. They have a great web site which explains their wholistic approach to beekeeping. Honey Gardens Apiaries

Hey Chardgirl, Thanks for your chai recipe. I have been experimenting with mine, and still am trying to get it more spicy without getting bitter. I will make your recipe and sip it while munching on my chai spice shortbread and reading your fantastic blog. That pasta in the sunny window in Quince looks so beautiful. Finally a tea person! Yay! Zuke

I asked the chef at "Quince", the new gourmet shop if they are still in season, and she said no they would be hard to find now. However, if anyone spots them, please give us a heads up as I'd still like to try to make some quince jam. Zuke

Can I volunteer? ← Hallelujah sister, I need to be saved! But seriously, if you are looking for test subjects, I would love to be a part of this group. My son would be a very challenging test subject. He recently gave up the only vegetable he likes (carrots) because he thinks they taste like cheese. I am driven crazy by trying to think up new ideas for healthy snacks for a child who is a grazer and only likes a very narrow group of food items. Help! I am also intrigued by your take on the "lower carb" approach for the whole family. An affordable workshop on these issues would be really appreciated. A cookbook would inevitably be canonized. Zuke

^Interesting report Lee, as I and another eGulleter had lunch at Salade des Fruits yesterday. I had a very mediocre lunch (not much luck with mushroom crêpes this year, I'm afraid) and I've had better lunch there before. (Note to self: order the Moules et Frîtes next time). We didn't sit in the cosy part . We sat in the community center foyer part, which is fine since it reminds one that this is a community centre and if you think of it as such, then yes, you are getting a fair value for your meal. Plus you get harried waiters with dark clouds of existentialist angst floating above their curly Gallic coifs. You also get to sit on plastic patio furniture which nearly caused a South Granville Madame near us to have a "crise de coeur." The non alcoholic bubbling cider from Paris is nice. It's cheap. It's quick. It's not a Brasserie de Lyon, but what the heck. Zuke

Spent Sat. afternoon urban foraging with a couple of eGullet galz (whom I will encourage to chime in with their own reports) and tried the hot chocolate at The Elysian Room. When I walked in the smell of cardamom and ginger made me weak in the knees, and I really was tempted to try the chai, but I was on a mission. The hot chocolate is the best of any I've had in the city. It is elegant, not over-sweet by any means, and is topped with the signature calligraphy leaf. There is nothing "fake" about it. I think it's a very South Granville cup of "haute chocolat" whereas Anonas' is Main Street style all the way. I will be back to taste and talk chai. hopkins says he lets his chai brew for 24 hrs. That's commitment! Also, the Elysian Room is in such a great location, since from there we wound our way to Quince, Barbara Jo's Books to Cooks, Les Amis du Fromage, Patisserie LeBeau, Granville Island Market, Barbara Jo's Books to Cooks in Granville Island, foraging for lovely ingredients along the way. (Sigh) Zuke

Yes, I agree with you here. We do need to focus on exercise above all. A great deal of flavor does come from fat, but that's just one aspect of flavor. I also think that fat has become demonized, to the point where people because hysterical about eating any fats whatsoever, which is unbalanced. I think the culprit is over-processed food, whether it's pringles or "healthy" veggie salami. I also don't think "the government" should solve the problems, but I don't see a big seperation between "us" and "the government". In a democracy, we are the government. Voting is the tiniest part of democracy. We are all responsible for the maintenance and progress of our society. We are responsible for working alongside elected officials to create an environment that is not dominated and shaped by corporate market forces. I know I am an idealist, but I can't stand what's happening to our food systems. I would like to hear what the university students in this forum think of the food that's available on campus and the debates around these issues there. Thanks for your input 300rwhp, I like discussing these issues. I appreciate your point of view. Zuke

I dropped by Anona's to have a cup of this wonderful cocoa this morning. I noticed a woman with tupperware containers full of chocolate chatting with the owner. "Looks like you're having a chocolate tasting," I said. Turns out it was the Vancouver rep for Cluizel! She let me taste a bunch of chocolate and I tried to convince the owner that yes, she should stock it and yes, people know what it is, and yes, people will buy it. "Yeah, but you're an EATER," she says. "Not everyone's an EATER." I love her. So probably by next Friday she'll have those lovely cocoa bean shaped chocolates, tasting sets, and some cutie patootie little mushroom-shaped chocolates filled with praline and other delights. She also has local "Worker Bee" honey (carried by the same rep), one version is mixed with espresso (Watermark's putting it on their ribs), and a second version is made with rasberry purée blended with honey. If anyone wants to contact the rep. for their business, PM me, as she gave me one of her cards. The cocoa is lovely. It's very silky and creamy, served with a dollop of the marshmallow with another dollop of thick chocolate sauce. I preferred her mocha marshmallows since they were less sweet, but she said they weren't popular. I told her how much I loved them and she said, "Well, there you go, you gotta tell us!" As I was leaving the owner asked me if I was Jewish and I said that I wasn't but people often thought I was. She said, "Well, that's because you're an EATER!" Zuke

I applaud Karen Barnaby for taking a leadership role in tackling this issue in Canada. I don't think Oliver failed at all, considering how much publicity, discussion, debate and newspaper spin-off articles that his efforts inspired. If he showed the real cost of healthy food, then it makes everyone aware of that reality. Access to healthy food is becoming more and more a class-driven issue and it's about to get worse before it gets better as our stocks of fish become depleted and the Agricultural Land Reserve gets smaller and smaller. The school my son goes to has a soup program at lunch to supplement bag lunches. I'm not aware of schools in the city who have cafeterias, so some others can enlighten me on that point. This is an issue at the university level here though, especially as companies like Cocoa Cola move in and try get students to drink pop instead of water. I guess I feel that governments and parents have to take responsiblity for these issues, since a purely market driven atmosphere will inevitably lead to students falling prey to the branding practises of Junk Food Inc. I for one, am committed to working within the school system to educate children to make healthy food choices. This needs to be worked into the provincial curriculum from a very early age. We have to buy local regional food, because if we don't, it just won't be available to only the very rich, or it won't be available at all. This is a very complicated thing to teach to a five year old child, and I struggle with it daily. I'm saving newspaper clippings related to this story so that I can create a scrapbook for my son so that he can follow along at some point and become a champion for local food as well. Not every parent in Vancouver can afford to buy local organic food for their children. Not every parent can afford to buy food for their children, so I think there needs to be a healthy school lunch option available where it is needed. Zuke P.S. Lucy's blog has a very eloquent post on the importance of buying local and regional food, from an interesting perspective which I highly reccomend.

What time do you open on Saturday, hopkin?

Joie, It's always nice to have a choice of savories in a coffee shop. Liberty on Main has two versions of a savory Danish--one with potato and ham, and one with spinach. I like the concept, but the dough is too sweet for me. This cookbook has some great savory tarts in it and good recipes: Once Upon a Tart ...Frank Mentesana and Jerome Audureau with Carolynn Carreño. I like the rosemary whole wheat crust. I like a savory tart with squash, caramelized onions, lots of herbs, and a good cheese. I also like the idea of some fancy piggies in blankets. You could use really interesting sausages wrapped in bacon and cheese and baked in a nice bread dough. Your French is better than mine, Moosh, so you could think up some cute names for them: "Les petits couchons qui rêvent(?)" Focaccia went out of style for a while I think, but let's update it and bring it back. I like a thinner focaccia base heaped with olives, caramelized onions, etc. Zuke

I hope I end up as one of those random ladies some day! Okay, here's today's ideal LWL. The location: Charleston, South Carolina, as is portrayed in Laura Child's tea Shop mysteries. I've never been. I'm just really curious about rubbing shoulders with the LWL there. The women would be some friends I haven't seen for five years-women I worked with in a theatre company in England. I'd love to catch up on what we've been doing with our lives since then. Oh, and did I mention we all go to the spa first, and really get pampered, clipped and coifed? Then lunch. I don't know Charleston, but maybe someone can help me out here as to the venue and menu. I think a ladylike cocktail, an "amuse mah bouche", followed by lobster risotto and salad, and I like the idea of the dessert trolley, so I'll have one of those too! Then we go shopping. Oh, I almost forgot the clothes. I think it would be fun to dress kind of outrageously bohemian, as if we'd raided a costume museum and mixed it with our contemporary clothes. Think big hats, velvet scarves and art deco bakelite bracelets. So like I said, then we go shopping. Then we go for afternoon tea. More shopping. Dinner at "?" Then we go see a play. Oh, what a perfect day. Although, it would be fun to do an LWL with eGullet women from all over the world. I'll just keep buying those lottery tickets and maybe some day I can fly you all to Vienna for sachertorte! Zuke

My favorite food memories of the year in no particular order: Serious Meat: Lamb palak dosa at Nooru Mahal. Decadant LWL hamburger at Griffin's with proper iced tea. eGullet meet and greet at HSG-lamb burgers and tuna my own "first time" lamb shanks Special Occasions: Mother's day Brunch at Aurora my friend Yoni's potluck pasta made with tahini my own tomato salad at a friend's birthday party Best of Summer: crab tasting in the cabin in Sooke this summer Lentil Flour Crusted Oysters at Aurora Mixed salad plate from the downtown Eastside community kitchen at UBC farm. Creamy polenta on the deck at Ocean Six 17 Veggie burger and salad at Sophie's Cosmic Café after a swim in Kits pool Sweets: chocolate goat fudge at the organic farmer's market on Saltspring Rice pudding at the Saltspring Yoga Centre. green tea madeleines in the Natobi Gardens Chocolate Bouchon from Coco et Olive mocha marshmallow from Anona's Rise Bakery's Grape bread Aphrodite Café's Triple Beet Chocolate Cake with copious amounts of whipped cream Cream of the Crop: Duck Bacon wrapped Honsumishi mushrooms at Aurora Provence on W10th's Fennel Panna Cotta sweetened with blackberry flower honey with a bit of rhubarb compote, garnished with flower petals and the biggest, plumpest blackerries I've ever seen. Sustainablity Lunch at C. All of it. Best Drink Memories: The mead tasting at Aurora. Ginger green tea mead from Hornby Island Hibiscus Cocktail at C Cedar Creek 2001 Pinot Noir at Thanksgiving Moscow Mule at Subeez my own ginger beer, sweetened with maple syrup Mead from Tugwell Creek Sauterne at Thanksgiving Barsac at the November birthdays with Pacific Culinary Institute's Hazelnut torte Worst of the Year: tako yaki: I decided I really am not a fan. BBQ squid on a stick: tough, rubbery, fishy. I had a bad experience. Felt like a seagull on a bad day. microwaved mushroom crepes: just say no. green tea adzuki bean scone: sickly sweet artificial vanilla smell. (I'd like to try to make a less sweet version with chocolate chips.) sticky sweet crunchy Thai noodle salad: no, I can't have another bite. Zuke

Hey ladies, I had a wonderful lunch, and let me tell you it was mostly pleasure, but we did do some business! Griffins is an odd place because it's a bistro with lovely bones, but the decor definitely needs to be updated from the last renovation. It would be lovely if someone replaced the Griffins on the multicolored carpet with something understated and warm. There are small banquettes, deuces by the windows, and tables for four right in the middle of the fish bowl, which is where we sat because we hadn't made resos. Okay, so my LWL bevvie of choice is a proper unsweetened iced tea. This is one place in Vancouver that does it right. See, in Canada we mostly have that kakky sugary premade crap. Okay, so I was presented with two tall glasses filled with ice, and one had a long spoon and a straw in it. A plate with slices of lemon. A pitcher of simple syrup. A pot of hot Orange Pekoe tea. I love it. The ritual of pouring, stirring, all the while writing last minute prep notes in my journal, looking very businesslike. (You see I've been a stay at home mom for five years, so this more than a bit thrilling for me.) The only time I've had a better iced tea service was at a place called Carmel's where they rimmed the glasses with sugar. The curator is lovely, and had some great stories to tell. Apparently this hotel is haunted by the "Lady in Red". There is even a cocktail named after her. There have been so many "paranormal" experiences in one elevator that they shut it right down. Cut to the chow. I had the burger. Fifteen bucks for a burger with cheddar and bacon, with fries and onion rings (allium breath be damned). The fries and rings were meh, but I loved that burger. It was so tasty and juicy and decadent. I left the fried stuff and ate up the burger. The thing is, when you only eat about three burgers a year, then you really can enjoy them for what they are. Juice drips down onto seed pearls. We laughed, gossiped and discussed the meaning of blogs. I gave her a little gift of chocolate from Sen5es, and she rushed off to catch a plane. I am filled with gratitude for such a lovely meal. I rushed back to pick up my son from a playdate with his friend and he gobbled down a brioche from Sen5es. "This is pretty good mom," he says. Yep, pretty damned good. Zuke I am still thinking about the whole ideal LWL scenario. It's fun to daydream about these things.

I'm loving this thread and I've been humming "Miss Otis Regrets" for the past three days! So I'm being taken out for lunch by a curator. We're heading to Griffins in the Hotel Vancouver. I'm going to go in my LWL drag. I've got to pluck my eyebrows! (I think it's been months since I did that). I think I may do the fitted tweed jacket but jeans instead of the tweed skirt. But for my feet? I just don't have the Choos for it. What's a lady to do? I've got to get some height into this hair of mine. Oh, it's so much fun. "She's unable to lunch today, Madame..." The song is getting to me, but don't worry, I won't do anything drastic. Who was it that said, "One cannot aim well or shoot well unless one has dined well..."? Also, couple of questions: References to LWL in litereature? Your ideal LWL lunch. Where? Who's around the table? What's on the menu? What are you wearing? Zuke

^ Could the grey and black sponge have been processed sea cucumber? I was having some of this leftover seafood miso hotpot for breakfast and it occured to me that was what it may be. I've never eaten sea cucumber before, but it kind of fits the metal picture I have of it. Zuke

Thanks for the pointers Leung, Lemon chicken is one of my childhood favorite comfort foods. Zuke

It's the stainless steel pot used for shabu shabu you gave the link to that I'm familiar with as used in a pan Asian hotpot. Although the versions I've seen are made out of tin or something. See, the word "hot pot" is confusing isn't it, because I think what we're referring to is from the Mongolion hotpot origins. "Hot pot" is also used in Vancouver to describe a completely different Chinese dish, which is basically like a casserole. I looked up a picture of konnyaku, but that doesn't look like what I have. I have what literally looks like a black sponge. I'll try to post a photo, but it'll take a while because we're in the midst of an upgrade here. I like the idea of having two pots. Thanks, Zuke

Meinhardt's has them for sure. It would be interesting to do a price comparison, so please post if you shop around. There was a man selling his own truffle oil at Nat Bailey this summer. I imagine he'll be at the Christmas market. Let us know what you're making! Pictures are even better! Zuke

Okay, it was labeled as shabu shabu, but it must have been a chirinabe or pan Asian hot pot. My experience from hot pots comes from Canadian Vietnamese restaurants, and the method is contrary to shabu shabu, since you leave things to cook longer and help made the broth more flavorful. Now I understand the difference. What kind of pots do people use at home? My aunt has one that works with charcoal, but that seems to be unacceptable because of the fumes. I don't know, people in England sit by charcoal fire places. I guess it's a matter of venting. Does anyone use a crock pot for a pan Asian hot pot? torakris, what do you use to cook shabu shabu at home? Zuke