Review: John Candy: I Like Me

The doc made its world premiere at TIFF last month

John Candy was a comedian who resonated with the Gen X crowd, who got laughs at The Second City and SCTV, then Saturday Night Live, and then on the big screen with Splash, Uncle Buck, Planes, Trains and Automobiles, Home Alone and many other comedies.

But he died suddenly in 1994 at the age of 43 and disappeared from people's consciousness.

Colin Hanks, Tom Hanks' son along with Candy's children, Christopher and Jennifer, have made a love letter to him with the documentary John Candy: I Like Me. 

It had its world premiere at TIFF in September and next up was VIFF and when tickets were available I made sure I got one and was not disappointed.

Candy had wanted to play professional football

The film begins at Candy's funeral in Los Angeles in 1994 and goes back in time as Christopher wants to piece together his father's life.

Candy was born on Halloween, 1950, the younger of two brothers. But his father died of a heart attack on Candy's birthday when he turned five.

The family tried to be stoic and celebrated his birthday, but that left Candy confused and didn't know how to process his father's death. He suddenly grew up and felt he had to help look after his mother, a single parent.

In school he had dreams of becoming a football player, but a knee injury prevented him from going any further. He also wanted to enlist in the US Army to fight in the Vietnam War, but was rejected because of his injury.

So he turned to acting and found he flourished in comedy. From there he found his tribe.

A long list of actors and comedians are in the documentary, starting with Bill Murray, who says in his deadpan voice it was impossible to say anything bad about John Candy, and the others include Eugene Levy, Martin Short, Andrea Martin, Catherine O'Hara, Tom Hanks, Macaulay Culkin, Dan Ackroyd, and even Mel Brooks. 

The film shows home video clips of Candy

Candy's training in improv made him a good actor, and Martin attests to this in Planes, Trains and Automobiles. Martin realises that Candy is not trying to outdo him, but to play with him in the scene, and many others had similar praises.

He worked best with director John Hughes, who may be best known for making Molly Ringwald a star, but Candy collaborated the most with Hughes. Their families were so close they even took vacations together. 

Perhaps making his life come full circle was in 1991 when he, former hockey star Wayne Gretzky, and later disgraced sports executive Bruce McNall bought the Toronto Argonauts. Candy was involved in the Canadian Football League and used all his energy to promote the team, signing endless autographs and taking pictures with fans to promote his team.

Meanwhile he was desperately trying to look after his health, but directors wanted him to look big, as they created characters with him in mind. His fame also stressed him, leading him to eat, drink and smoke more, all while he was worried about his health (ironically).

He died of a heart attack in his hotel room when he was filming Wagons East in Durango, Mexico.

Christopher and Jennifer have wonderful memories of their dad, and there are many clips of home videos of Candy playing with them; his wife Rose speaks fondly of Candy too and gives context to his early life, along with some childhood friends.

Culkin with Candy in Uncle Buck

These are interspersed with scenes from films and SCTV comedy sketches, which reveal Candy's brilliance.

But also Culkin said Candy was an adult co-star who really cared about him. The now 44-year-old Culkin recalled how he had an overbearing father who was also his manager, and Candy sensed what was going on and would ask Culkin how he was doing, if he was OK.

There's footage of the two of them in rehearsal reading from a script, and viewers can see how Candy was patient with Culkin, treating him like a peer, not a kid. Rose adds he didn't look down on his children, but respected their thoughts and opinions.

John Candy: I Like Me is a comprehensive profile of him, and many in the audience laughed but also shed some tears, missing such a talented actor. It was wonderful to see him on the screen again and to learn more about his back story.

Murray is right -- it's really hard to say anything bad about Candy.

John Candy: I Like Me

Directed by Colin Hanks

113 minutes

Review: Factory

Factory gives a peek inside a Lenovo factory during Covid-19

The Vancouver International Film Festival started on October 2 and right out of the gate I watched a movie on the first day, a documentary from China called Factory (工厂）.

The country is known for its massive factories that churn out everything from cheap plastic goods to furniture, sex dolls to microchips and iPhones.

As trade wars have led to companies moving away from Chinese-made products, China is still considered the best when it comes to manufacturing smartphones, tablets and computers.

Viewers get access into the workers' dormitories

But what happened to these factories in early 2020 when an unknown virus seemed to originate from Wuhan, China and then spread around the world?

Director Hao Zhou focuses on the Lenovo campus in Wuhan during the pandemic and we see the operations manager named MT who is under pressure to figure out how to get workers back into the factory to get products out the door. He copes by smoking a lot.

Factory gives a very real picture of what factory managers need to do to curry favour with government officials in order to jump over bureaucratic hurdles, then rounding up workers, interviewing and training them, and then working them on the line.

It's soul-crushing work, having to work 10-12 hours a day, putting together circuit boards, assembling smartphones, testing them, and not only do it accurately but faster. Faster! Faster! 

In the 148-minute documentary, we also see life from the workers' point of view. One worker claims he is working hard enough, but his superior begs to differ, and they argue it out in front of the human resources staff. Viewers are shown what their dormitories look like, and how it's hard to get enough sleep when half the people are on the night shift, and the others on day.

Director Hao gives a real picture of factory life

One worker admits he feels lonely despite living with five other people -- he doesn't feel like he has anyone he can really talk to.

A round-faced woman wearing makeup explains she used to work in a beauty parlour and now is testing out smartphones before they are packaged. It's not the kind of work she wants to do, but it pays the bills, despite being away from her child and husband.

The younger workers don't like being called migrant workers -- that was their parents' generation. These Gen Z people want more respect and feel they deserve more pay for what they do. They only make a few hundred US dollars a month and wonder how they will ever afford to buy a home.

Meanwhile MT and senior managers are feeling the pressure to keep the company globally afloat, with supply chains in India faltering, while the United States sees its death rates skyrocket from Covid-19 infections. MT's friends wonder why he continues to do this stressful work when he's made enough money to retire. Maybe it gives him status? Financial security? Loyalty? 

Factory is pretty much unflinching picture of life inside a factory. It's quite amazing for the director to not only get this kind of access, but also be able to show many scenes with people swearing and workers being rebellious. There are even scenes addressing mental health issues like bipolar and depression, with one female worker having stomach pain issues and deals with it by cutting herself. How Hao was able to persuade Lenovo to film everything is a feat in itself.

Hopefully after watching this film, viewers will have a greater appreciation for the faceless people who made the smartphones, laptops and tablets they use everyday.

Factory

Directed by Hao Zhou

148 minutes 

Review: Atomic Habits Can Lead to Real Change

This book has clear, incremental ways to change your habits

If you've got some goals and wondering how to achieve them, James Clear has the answer for you -- Atomic Habits, incremental changes to your daily habits that must might help you succeed.

Clear grabs your attention right away by describing a horrific freak accident in high school that almost left him for dead. He had had dreams of becoming a baseball player, but this accident was a massive setback not only physically but academically too.

However, with good habits, from cleaning his room everyday to studying not only got him back on track to be named a top athlete in college, but also win academic honours too.

Clear gives examples of changing his life

He's living proof that small habits can lead to big changes, hence he calls them "atomic habits".

Clear tells another great story about the British cycling team and how they were not very good. But a new coach tried to make incremental improvements of 1 percent here and there, from the bikes to the uniforms to how they were training and strategy that led to British cyclists winning the Tour de France.

Basically Clear explains we have good habits and bad habits, so try to change your bad habits into good ones.

That means trying to make good habits easier to do, and bad ones harder. He gives the example of watching television. If you want to watch less, you can only turn it on if you can name the show you want to watch. Or unplug it so you have to plug it in. Or lock it in a cabinet, or place out of sight so you have to move it to be able to watch it. 

Another interesting point he makes is we make goals such as wanting to lose weight. How do you do that? Clear says we should try to be the person we want to be. If we want to lose weight we should start to think about how a healthy person thinks. Does a healthy person eat chocolate? Maybe you should put in extra steps instead, or eat an apple.

To build more good habits, stack them with ones you already have. For example, once you wake up in the morning, make your bed and then take a shower. Other possible good habits to add on are, if you see a set of stairs, climb them instead of taking the elevator, or if you want to buy something over $100, wait 24 hours before buying it.

In order to increase the chances of changing or improving your habits is to change your environment so that you will have a higher chance of doing them. He says if you want to draw more, put pencils, pens and paper on your desk, or to exercise more, have your workout clothes set out to change into, and to eat healthier, chop up vegetables and fruits and put them in containers so you won't turn to junk food.

Starting something may seem daunting to people, and Clear suggests the two-minute rule or at least opening a book and reading a page or working out for five minutes; in this way you have shown up which is a big part of starting good habits.

He also writes about a young man who became very successful in sales very quickly. How did he do that? He had two jars on his desk, one filled with 120 paper clips. Each time he finished a sales call, he would put one paper clip in the empty jar and so on until all 120 paper clips were in the second jar. It was a physical reminder of how much he had accomplished in one day. That's why things like journals can help people keep track of what they have eaten or done.

Atomic Habits is very easy to read with clear relatable examples that make you think there are some small ways you can improve yourself in all aspects of your life.

I borrowed the book from the library, but had to wait a while as there were over 90 people ahead of me wanting to read Atomic Habits too!

Laufey in Vancouver in A Matter of Time

Laufey has so many fans in Vancouver they filled an arena

Last night I went to watch the artist Laufey perform in concert live at Rogers Arena in Vancouver. This multi-talented half Chinese, half Icelandic singer, songwriter, cellist, pianist and guitarist knows no bounds.

She has literally had a stratospheric rise in the last few years after she started filming herself while studying at Berklee College of Music in Boston when the Covid-19 pandemic began. She played her cello, and sang jazz numbers which caught my attention. Her fashion sense is "very demure", mostly covered up, long gathered skirts, lace blouses, and flats, the opposite of the stereotypical female singer who reveals a lot of skin.

Fans wearing bows and crowns

I missed Laufey when she performed in Vancouver at the Orpheum Theatre about a year ago, so when she announced her A Matter of Time tour with a Vancouver date, I was compelled to buy a ticket, which was not cheap -- $180 and that was the early bird price too, sitting in the lower level but at the back.

In the afternoon I passed by Rogers Arena on the way to watch a documentary in the Vancouver Film Festival, I saw crowds of people already gathering outside the venue. They were super early for the concert!

After 5pm I got a quick bite of beef pho at the food court in the shopping mall and did a quick five-minute visit to the Michelin event before heading to Rogers Arena. And there were a lot of fans, mostly girls dressed in Laufey-esque outfits, skirts, ankle socks, flats, big bows in their hair, or crowns; at every concert a super fan is chosen for their outfit and is given a Laufey crown by Mei Mei, her giant bunny.

The opening act was the antithesis of Laufey, Suki Waterhouse, a model, actress and singer who wore basically black lacy lingerie with lacy pants so her form fitting shorts were showing through. A fan blew her hair constantly on stage to give her a sultry look.

After about 45 minutes her set ended and the stage was set for Laufey. The wave went around the arena several times which was fun. 

Finally when the lights dimmed people screamed and the show started off with an intro much like a musical. Laufey appeared in a white spaghetti strap dress with a billowing full skirt.

Here's the set list:

This giant arena was almost all filled last nighte

Act I

• “Clockwork”
• “Lover Girl” (extended outro)
• “Dreamer”
• “Falling Behind” (extended outro)
• “Silver Lining”
• “Bored”
• “Too Little, Too Late” (extended outro; contains elements of "Bewitched")

Act II

• “Seems Like Old Times” (Carmen Lombardo cover)
• “Valentine” (Jazz version)
• “Fragile” (Jazz version)
• “While You Were Sleeping” (Jazz version; shortened)
• “Let You Break My Heart Again”

• 

  The sets were creative and elaborate

  Act III

  • “Carousel” (Live debut)
  • “Forget-Me-Not”
  • “Cuckoo Ballet” (Interlude)

  Act IV

• “Mr. Eclectic”
• “Castle in Hollywood” (extended outro)
• “Promise” (extended intro)
• “Goddess”
• “Tough Luck”
• “Snow White”
• "From the Start" (extended outro)

She removed the billowy skirt to reveal a fringy dress, sang a few jazz numbers in her own "jazz club" in the centre mini stage, and played the piano and guitar a few times, and an interlude on her cello. 

The screens showing Laufey were helpful!

During her costume change, a pre-recorded video of her showed a "backstage" back and forth with Laufey and her sister Junia who is her stylist that was quite amusing. Laufey changed into several outfits, including Snow White that got everyone excited, and it was a song she sang towards the end of the show.

One extra song was inspired by Vancouver's rainy weather, and she sang Misty while playing the piano.

Laufey is one talented young woman, and authentic in what she says. At the end she sang From the Start, as a song to inspire everyone in the audience to chase their dreams, because she did, and now she's filling arenas around the world!

Vancouver's Two New Michelin Stars

Chef Lee of Sushi Hyun with one star

The 2025 Michelin Guide awarded two new Japanese restaurants a star each -- Sumibiyaki Arashi and Sushi Hyun, making it 12 Michelin-starred places in Vancouver.

The last two years have also seen Japanese restaurants win stars: last year was Sushi Masuda and the year before Okeya Kyujiro.

Sumibiyaki Arashi has a star

In a way Japanese restaurants tick the boxes for Michelin, with impeccable service and food, fresh produce and exquisite presentation. The price tag is stratospheric though, starting at $200 per person!

Will Vancouver have two Michelin-starred restaurants? Highly doubt this, but the excitement around Michelin has definitely brought foodies to Vancouver. This helps when a lot of locals aren't dining out as much because they can't afford to...

Remembering Jane Goodall

Goodall was fascinated with animals at a very young age

This morning we heard the sad news that primatologist and passionate advocate for animals Jane Goodall died in Los Angeles. She was 91 years old.

My memory of her dates back to 2007 when she visited Beijing as founder of the Roots and Shoots program, where Goodall inspired the next generation to care about the environment where they live through local conservation projects.

This was my blog post on November 18, 2007 when Goodall was 73 years old:

In her youth she dreamed of going to Africa

Dr Jane Goodall has arrived in Beijing for a week-long visit to China.

Known for her ground-breaking research on chimpanzees in Tanzania, Goodall now travels the world some 300 days a year, spreading the word about environmental and animal conservation.

And she specifically focuses her message on young people, which led to the establishment of Roots & Shoots, an education program in 1991. There are now more than 800 of them in 98 countries, with over 300 R&S in China.

Some of these groups, ranging from elementary, secondary and university students came from Shanghai, Dalian and Tianjin as well as Beijing to show Goodall their environmental projects.

They ranged from planting trees in Inner Mongolia, to conserving rain water, feeding bears in a zoo with a pinata filled with fruit, and making crafts out of aluminum cans.

The famous scientist was dressed warmly in a large red coat and her silvery hair tied back loosely in a clip. When she arrived at Beijing City International School Goodall received applause from the students and they practically mobbed her, trying to take pictures and getting her to autograph pieces of paper.

She handled the attention quite well, and visited each of the booths and praised the students for their work.

The event then moved to the theatre where she gave a speech encouraging the audience to continue their conservation efforts as they are the next generation.

She said they were like roots and shoots, like the name of her program, growing and taking root and then breaking through tough barriers to grow.

She studied chimpanzees for decades

Then she told a story about a chimpanzee who was taken from his mother when she was shot dead. He was nicknamed "Old Man" after enduring 15 years of tests scientists conducted on him.

He was left to retire in a zoo on an island with three other female chimpanzees. A zoo keeper called Mark was to look after them but was warned not to get too close because they didn't like humans.

So he fed them by throwing food at them. He later noticed they got excited and hugged each other when he rowed the boat towards them. So Mark gradually brought his boat closer and closer to them until he could hand a banana to the Old Man.

He then stepped onto the island and nothing happened to him. Later on, he and Old Man made physical contact, grooming each other.

Old Man even had a baby chimpanzee with one of the females.

One day Mark was on the island but he tripped and fell on his face near the baby. The mother was horrified and came to rescue it, but not before biting Mark on the neck, thinking he wanted to harm her child. The other females followed her lead, also biting him on the leg and arm.

When Old Man came, Mark thought the chimpanzee would surely kill him. Instead the animal pushed the three females away so that the zoo keeper could get off the island and row back to safety.

Goodall said that if a chimpanzee, after all the years he was treated badly by humans, could bridge the gap and look after a man, we humans who are even more intelligent, should do the same, if not better.

It was a message that resonated with the audience and hopefully that will spur them on to continue their green efforts.

Goodall taught us to care for our community

But the fight for funding, especially non-profit organizations in China is tough. Only foreign companies step up to the plate and make contributions as there's no such thing as tax breaks for charitable donations. Non-profits do get some donations in kind by local companies, but those are few and far between.

The Chinese government is looking at creating a charity law. But this needs to be established soon, otherwise the momentum for non-profits like Goodall's will quickly fade when in fact they're making a huge impression on young people who are eager to make a difference. 

Rereading her story about Old Man, I can already imagine her talking about it in her soft voice that left everyone rapt with attention. 

A few weeks ago she was interviewed on CBC Radio and the host asked her how to have hope in the world when there's so much destruction, war, climate change, and so on.

Goodall replied that one can start by caring about their own community, finding something they want to save or conserve, and looking for others to help out.

When she was young she intently observed what animals, and in her case, chimpanzees did, and from watching them, she gave the rest of us more insight into their lives.

What she was doing was in a way mindfulness, being in the present and focusing on what was happening around her.

I've read she was most comfortable being with animals -- and actually her favourite is not chimpanzees but dogs for their unconditional love.

We are so lucky to have had Goodall in our lives, to remind us to look after the animals and environment around us, and that every little bit of care for them helps not only them, but us do better. We all have the capacity to help, love, nurture and care.

Cooking the Classic Stir Fried Tomato and Egg

Many Chinese kids learn to cook stir fried egg and tomato

A classic Chinese homestyle dish is stir fried egg and tomato and I'm getting the hang of making it. 

It's one of the first things Chinese kids learn how to cook, but I'm learning how to make it decades older!

Cooking the tomato first in the wok

Nevertheless, it's a dish young and old like -- the savoury-sweetness from the tomatoes combined with the silkiness of the eggs make it kind of saucy so it must be eaten with rice or noodles.  It's a bright colourful dish, and for the elderly it's easy to eat and has a good amount of protein.

A few days ago I walked by a neighbour's house where they have a cardboard box out and put extra veggies in there and this time there were some tomatoes! I picked two and brought them home where they ripened a bit more.

Tonight we made stir fried egg and tomato, first by heating up some water in a pot and then scoring the bottom of the tomato and removing the core. When the water was boiling, we put the tomatoes in for about a minute or two before taking them out, running them under cold water and peeling the skin.

We then sliced up the tomatoes and heated up the wok. We added oil and when it was hot, put the sliced tomatoes in and then chopped them up a bit more with the wok spatula and added a dash of maple syrup (or sugar). 

Picked up some juicy tomatoes!

In the meantime we cracked four eggs and mixed them together, adding a pinch of salt to the mixture. Then we added the eggs to the wok, and used the spatula to stir the mixture periodically to let the eggs cook a bit until it was incorporated with the tomato, but still a bit runny thanks to the tomato liquid.

The end result was fantastic, as the homegrown tomatoes were sweeter than the ones you usually find in the supermarket, and I had a better handle on cooking the eggs.

Delish!

Chinatown Eats Lunch Special

Baked sole fillets with spinach and rice in tomato sauce

Every week we head down to Vancouver's Chinatown and have lunch at The Boss Bakery & Restaurant. Sometimes it's busy and practically every table is occupied, other times it's very quiet.

Today it was bustling and we had to sit in a booth at the back of the restaurant. For lunch there is a menu that includes a daily soup, the main dish and a beverage. A cold one will set you back an extra dollar for ice cubes.

I've had spaghetti with beef, but it's not ground meat, but instead slices of sauteed beef with a tomato Campbell soup kind of sauce.

Flaky Portuguese-style egg tarts

That said Vietnamese pork chops with lemongrass is delicious, thin medallions that are pan-fried and dipped in a light fish sauce and complemented with sliced cabbage and tomatoes.

This time I had sole fillets over rice with a few spinach leaves that is doused with that tomato Campbell soup sauce and baked.

Since it's baked it takes longer than stir-fried dishes, but well worth the wait. It comes piping hot and tastes like comfort food even though I didn't grow up eating it.

For dessert we got Portuguese-style egg tarts. They were not pastel de nata, but rather egg custard in fancy flaky layered shell. The custard wasn't too sweet -- they didn't sprinkle sugar on top of the custard before torching it, nevertheless we loved the crunch on the flaky crust!

Other desserts we've had are the Cantonese egg tarts, sesame balls filled with black sesame paste, and even Taiwanese-style pineapple cakes.

Picture of the Day: Taking a Risk on Ice Cream

Orange calamansi creamsicle ice cream

The other day I was on Commercial Drive for a media tasting at a restaurant, and I was always curious of an Asian-inspired ice cream shop called Elephant Garden Creamery and wanted to check it out.

So even after I was full from trying a 10-course tapas menu, I waddled a few blocks down to Elephant Garden Creamery, which was still open. Unfortunately they don't allow customers to sample flavours before choosing, nor are you able to see what the ice creams look like. So I ordered blind and chose what sounded delicious -- orange calamansi creamsicle.

I like calamansi and creamsicles are a taste of my childhood. What could go wrong?

But the generous scoop of ice cream didn't have a strong orange or calamansi flavour that did not result in a creamsicle taste. It was a milk ice cream with a very faint taste of calamansi for $6.30 plus tip... it was not worth the extra calories!

In hindsight perhaps I should have tried the signature mango coconut sticky rice, durian, butter sweet corn crunch, or malted milk choco (reminiscent of malteasers)...

Elephant Garden Creamery

2080 Commercial Drive

Vancouver, BC

(604 251 6832

A Chicken Dish with Two Different Results

Uniform and delicious roast chicken with rice at Chef's Choice

A gourmet dish that's definitely not Chinese home cooking is roast chicken with glutinous rice. It definitely showcases the chef's skills as it requires de-boning the chicken and then flattening it butterfly style and adding a layer of cooked glutinous rice underneath. It's then roasted so that the skin is extra crispy.

By coincidence I managed to sample the same dish yesterday and today with extremely different results.

Last night we ordered it at Chef's Choice on Broadway and we were impressed when this roast chicken with sticky rice dish came to the table. The half portion of chicken was uniform in size, portioned into two-bite pieces. There was equal parts rice and very tender, flavourful chicken, topped with crispy skin.

A very different version that looks bloated

We were still thinking of the dish fondly when we went to Li's Chinese Restaurant in Kerrisdale tonight. It used to be called Lok's and we hadn't been there in years. The restaurant had recently changed hands, with more northern dishes, specifically spicy ones from Chongqing, though the former Cantonese-speaking owner works there on weekends. 

This place also had the roast chicken with glutinous rice and we ordered a half portion.

When it was served to us, it looked like a whole chicken, and was stuffed to the gills with rice -- the ratio was at least twice as much rice as chicken, as if it were bloated from carbo-loading. Each piece was so big that we were soon full (on rice) and we had to pack up the rest.

While it's great that this chef knows how to make this dish, and promotes it as a signature dish, it would be better if he could further refine it. This roast chicken with sticky rice dish is not about more bang for the buck, but about flavour and finesse, which unfortunately missed the mark here.

Two Vancouver Restaurants in 50 Best North America List

North America's 50 Best Restaurants were unveiled last night

Last night was the inaugural North America's 50 Best Restaurants 2025, and two Vancouver restaurants made it on this prestigious list -- fine dining Thai Baan Lao at No. 12, which was also named Best Restaurant in West Canada, and Published on Main at No. 28.

"We are very happy and blessed," says Baan Lao executive chef and owner Nutcha Phanthoupheng. "We are profoundly grateful to our loyal guests for their support and thank North America's 50 Best Restaurants for the recognition. I am immensely proud to showcase authentic Royal Thai cuisine."

Also thrilled to land on the list was Gus Stieffenhofer-Brandson, executive chef of Published on Main.

Fine dining Thai Baan Lao was ranked No. 12

"I am so proud of our team. Accolades like this are so validating for all the hard work our team puts in, day in and day out. Being recognised amongst our peers as one of the Top 50 restaurants in North America is a bit surreal. The topic of World's 50 often comes up when we're sitting and eating staff meals before service, and now for us to be included amongst such highly regarded restaurants is really a dream come true."

The unveiling of the list was held at a live ceremony at Wynn Las Vegas, where Atomix of New York which serves 12-course refined Korean dishes reigned in top spot. No. 2 was Mon Lapin of Montreal, and Restaurant Pearl Morissette, near St Catherine's Ontario was No. 3. 

William Drew, director of content for North America's 50 Best Restaurants says, "We are thrilled to unveil the inaugural list of North America's 50 Best Restaurants, celebrating the extraordinary diversity, creativity and excellence that define the region's dining scene. From pioneering fine-dining institutions to bold new voices, this list reflects the rich culinary landscape of the US, Canada and the Caribbean. We're proud to honour these exceptional restaurants and the individuals who bring them to life."

In total 20 North American cities were highlighted, featuring 11 restaurants in Canada, 37 in the United States and two in the Caribbean.

Junghyun and Ellia Park's Atomix was No. 1

Susan Bae of Moon Rabbit in Washington DC was named North America's Best Pastry Chef, and Chutatip "Nok" Suntaranon, chef-owner of Kalaya in Philadelphia won the Best Female Chef award.

The restaurants were chosen by 300 anonymous experts made up of chefs, restaurateurs, food and restaurant journalists and gourmets, led by a group of industry Academy Chairs.

However, surprised not to see restaurants like Burdock & Co. on the list for its emphasis on local and sustainable produce, or Botanist for its creative dishes as well, and its drinks have landed its bar on the North America 50 Best Bars list. 

Nevertheless, with the establishment of North America's 50 Best, restaurants may choose to pursue this path or Michelin as a way to market themselves. However, 50 Best is more of a popularity contest (in other words deep pockets), whereas anonymous Michelin inspectors go under cover to dining establishments to grade them.

It will be interesting to see which direction these fine dining restaurants gravitate towards, and more importantly, figure out how to survive in these difficult economic times with fewer people willing or able to pay to dine out.

FIFA World Cup Mascots Revealed

Zayu, Maple and Clutch are the FIFA World Cup mascots

OK we all know the FIFA World Cup is about nine months away, and the football organisation has revealed not one, not two but three mascots for each of the host countries: Canada, the United States and Mexico.

The three mascots "have been thoughtfully developed to reflect the vibrant culture, heritage and spirit of their respective countries, coming together to symbolise unity, diversity and the shared passion for the beautiful game," FIFA said in a statement.

Ready for the reveal?

Maple the Moose is a goalkeeper

Canada's is Maple the Moose.

US' is Clutch the Bald Eagle

Mexico's is Zayu the Jaguar.

FIFA's description of the moose: "Maple the Moose was born to roam, journeying across all of Canada's provinces and territories while connecting with people and embracing the country's rich culture. A street style-loving artist, music enthusiast and dedicated goalkeeper, Maple found purpose through creativity, resilience and unapologetic individuality."

Meanwhile Clutch the Bald Eagle "possesses an unquenchable thirst for adventure, soaring across the United States and embracing every culture, game and moment with boundless curiosity and optimism. Clutch, like all great midfielders, unites people wherever they go, proving that true flight is about purpose, passion and play."

Are these animals representative of their countries?

Finally Zayu the Jaguar is from the jungles of southern Mexico. "With a name inspired by unity, strength and joy, Zayu transforms on the pitch as a striker, showcasing exceptional ingenuity and agility that intimidates defenders. Off the pitch, Zayu embraces Mexican culture through dance, food and tradition, uniting people across borders with passion. More than an athlete, Zayu is a symbol of cultural celebration and connection, carrying the heart of Mexico with pride."

Some how Maple the Moose doesn't seem conjure the image of being fierce, aggressive and courageous as the bald eagle or the jaguar...

HK Security Minister Wants to Prosecute Storm Chasers

A man sits on a bench in Tseung Kwan O with waves coming

As Hong Kong cleans up and gets back to business after Super Typhoon Ragasa, there are many questions about what to do next time. Climate change has made typhoon winds stronger and can cause greater destruction than before, as evidenced by the Fullerton Hotel in Ocean Park, with its glass entrance doors smashed by the waves, and restaurants along the Tseung Kwan O waterfront also destroyed.

Experts are calling for developing mangroves and oyster reefs to act as natural barriers, and also help clean up the water quality as well (which would be good), while others are calling for taller breakwaters, higher floodgates and more swales, sunken areas that can retain water instead of building underground stormwater facilities.

Waves pummelled low-lying areas in Hong Kong

These are all great ideas and hopefully they will be implemented in the next year or so.

But what to do about the silly people who wandered out in dangerous conditions and got themselves injured?

A family of four were taking a selfie when a giant wave pushed them off their feet. A man sat on a bench as a giant tidal wave came at him and he didn't even move. Of course the force of nature washed him off immediately.

Now Secretary for Security Chris Tang Ping-keung is looking into existing legislation and consider enacting new laws.

"I felt heartbroken seeing parents treating [storm chasing] as fun and bringing their children along to watch the waves. You are actually endangering your children," he said. "Think of your family and the rescuers who take a risk to save you."

Tang is looking into prosecuting storm chasers

Tang says current laws could target storm chasers, and that bringing children along could be considered as neglect. 

He suggested residents who refused to leave dangerous areas when ordered by police could be charged with obstructing a police officer.

Currently storm chasers and surfers can be fined HK$2,000 and face up to 14 days' imprisonment for anyone entering a public beach closed during extreme weather.

While Tang did not say how many people were arrested or charged for storm chasing during Super Typhoon Ragasa, he wanted to warn the public of the dangers of being outside during typhoons...

Aftermath of Super Typhoon Ragasa

The Fullerton Hotel at Ocean Park was pummelled by waves

Super Typhoon Ragasa has come and gone from Hong Kong after over 10 hours and for the most part the city was relatively unscathed. Friends reported the incessant howling of the wind made it difficult to sleep at night, and they resorted to watching the Hong Kong Observatory updates of the massive storm's path.

The observatory has now lowered the signal to No. 8 though the Amber rainstorm warning is still in place. In some places it's hardly raining, but hey, that's what the weather forecasters are saying.

Waterfront restaurants like these were damaged

According to the Hong Kong government, there were 62 reports of injuries (37 men, 25 female), 816 people are sheltering in 50 temporary shelters, there are 437 reports of fallen trees, so far one report of a landslide, and 15 reports of flooding.

So far it seems the Fullerton Hotel at Ocean Park got a massive walloping from Ragasa. The waves pushed their waves into the entrance, breaking the glass doors and flowing into the foyer, sweeping one man off his feet in the process. "Get out!" can be heard in the video, though the clip changes to people sweeping water out.

There's also security footage of a waterfront restaurant in Tseung Kwan O where waves also pounded into the shop and practically destroyed the whole dining area; one can probably assume the kitchen is a disaster zone as well. There are comments suggesting people patronise the restaurant once it reopens... but can it after it was literally turned upside down?

Hong Kong Braces for Super Typhoon Ragasa

Masking tape and vegetables at the wet market

Super Typhoon Ragasa is approaching Hong Kong, and the Observatory has just raised the No. 8 storm signal almost 30 minutes ago.

Ragasa, a Filipino word that means "rapid" or "fast motion" already crossed the Luzon Strait 

with winds clocking at 230km/h, making it the most powerful storm in the world so far this year.

Two shopping carts filled with instant noodles

People in Hong Kong are now rushing home, and bringing back whatever supplies they can find to survive at least two days.

Supermarkets and wet markets were swarmed by customers, with fresh vegetables and fruit to quickly disappear, along with eggs, meat and bread.

On social media there's a video of a man who filled two supermarket trolleys with around 70 instant noodle cups and several bags of frozen dim sum. Was he planning to eat that all himself?

One shopper described the mad rush as busy as before Lunar New Year. The 67-year-old woman bought more than 1kg of vegetables, including two cabbages, five dragon fruit and four oranges, that she believed would last till the weekend.

However, one couple that wasn't as quick to buy essential food items could only find snacks, though they did still have some food at home. 

Some people prioritised buying up toilet paper to ride out the storm...

Slim pickings for those not organised

And yet there were those who believe in using masking tape to tape up their windows. Lo Kok-keung, a former Hong Kong Polytechnic University engineer, says there are three major causes of window breakage during typhoons: strong winds that generate vibrations that cause cracks, high wind speeds that blow up debris that breaks glass, and strong winds that deform glass.

In a bid to minimise the risk of glass shattering, Lo suggests taping the Chinese character for rice (米) on windows, which he says provides more support points and reduces the likelihood of glass fragments shattering.

Shops were selling masking tape like hot cakes, with one renovation store in Hoi Wan selling 200 rolls in the past few days. 

"People have heard that this coming typhoon is bigger than usual, so they're stocking up just in case," the manager said, adding that most customers were buying more than two rolls and many were new faces.

"Some were buying as many as 10 at a time, especially those who live in places with many windows or are purchasing for high-rise offices."

Stir-fried Chayotes for Dinner

Stir-fried chayotes with red peppers for dinner

We were recently gifted some chayotes from a doctor whose patient had grown them. These palm-shaped vegetables were dark green and had lots of prickles on the outside; usually the outer skin is a bit tough and has to be peeled, but not with prickles that could be painful to handle!

Chayotes originated from South America, between southern Mexico and Honduras. This vegetable belongs to the gourd family, which includes cucumbers and squash.

Ours were dark green like these ones and prickly

A chef from Venezuela who has a Michelin-starred restaurant in Hong Kong serving South American cuisine was thrilled to find chayotes in the wet markets, as home-cooked soups and stews typically include this green gourd.

It can also be chopped thinly and eaten raw in salads, and stir-fried or steamed too. I have pickled them before, adapting a recipe for smashed cucumbers.

In Cantonese cooking it's usually added to soups or stir-fried, and I had a left over red pepper so I decided to cook them together for a vegetable dish for dinner.

To prepare these prickly chayotes, I donned a pair of dishwashing gloves and used a cloth to pick them up and peel them with a peeler which wasn't too difficult to do. Any areas I could not reach I used a knife to carve out the tough skin.

Then I sliced the chayotes in half and then quarters before chopping them into diagonal slices, including the seed in the middle which is edible.

Chayotes can be eaten in many ways

Once the oil in the wok was hot, I added shallots, garlic and ginger, then the sliced chayote and red pepper. After a quick stir, I added a bit of water and some chicken stock I had in the fridge before turning down the heat and put the lid on the wok so that the vegetables could steam and cook.

After around 10 minutes when the chayote was tender, I added a bit of salt to taste and then the vegetables were done.

The chayotes hold their shape and taste sweet, the red pepper even sweeter! They also made for a colourful dish too.