Jumping Over the Wall for this Soup

Abalone, sea cucumber and fish maw presented on a platter

Today is Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year, and the Chinese like to mark the occasion with a dinner that could be equated to Thanksgiving. Family members get together around the table and have a feast that includes tong yuen, or glutinous rice dumplings filled with black sesame paste in a sweet soup.

This evening we were invited to a Christmas party that doubled as a Winter Solstice dinner at Grand Crystal Seafood Restaurant in Burnaby.

On the menu were dishes like lobster stir-fried with mung bean vermicelli, soy sauce chicken, sweet and sour deep-fried fish, bok choy with yuba, or tofu skin, and fried rice. We didn't have tong yuen, but baked sago pudding with red bean paste.

The highlight was Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, served in a massive tureen. The clear broth was so flavourful, soaking up the ingredients it had been cooked with -- abalone, sea cucumber, fish maw, Chinese ham, goose webs, shiitake mushrooms, and conpoy.

The soup was given this name with a tale that the smell of it was so tempting that a vegetarian Buddhist monk could not resist and would jump over the wall to try it.

This particular soup was delicious, the broth was clear and hardly oily; we ate the abalone, sea cucumber and fish maw separately with abalone sauce.

Whenever I get the opportunity to have Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, it reminds me of when I first tried it back in the late 1990s in Hong Kong.

I was a young journo at the time trying to learn as much as I could, and had one assignment to interview a chef about this dish. I went to a Chinese restaurant in a hotel and the chef explained all the different ingredients in the soup (at the time it included shark's fin), ginseng, and a curious slightly round disk about 1cm in diameter with a small hole in the middle.

The hotel public relations manager and I asked what this was.

"Deer penis," the chef sheepishly replied, adding it was supposed to be for men's virility.

We giggled and asked, does it have any effect on us women?

He didn't have an answer and went back to the kitchen.

We drank the soup and it was delicious, having been simmering for hours on the stove.

That evening I went home and could not sleep! I was tossing and turning for ages.

The next morning I called up the PR manager and asked her if she was able to get some shut eye.

"I couldn't sleep either!" she exclaimed and we wondered if it was because of the deer penis in the soup...

 

Learning from Last Year's Fire

Fire at West 41st and Collingwood

Last August my parents and I were sitting at home about to eat dinner when we heard three big booms south of us.

I went outside to take a look and didn't see anything.

But then there were more explosion sounds and I walked down to the end of the block. From this vantage point looking south down the hill I could see a big black plume of smoke south east of us. As I walked down two blocks closer to the fire I saw giant flames beyond the tall trees. It was a frightening sight.

Saw giant black plume of smoke, fire

Later on social media there were videos of the six-storey building that was under construction was completely on fire. Another clip showed the building crane "melt" and fall away from the site, crashing onto the road. Luckily no one was there, and the fire truck had just moved away from that spot!

Then there was a commotion across the street from us -- our neighbour's roof was smouldering thanks to flying embers. The fire fighters told us to survey our roofs to see if there was any smoke. Luckily we were OK, but it was a scary lesson in how fires can easily start.

This evening three fire servicemen from the Vancouver Fire Rescue Services came to our neighbourhood meeting to talk about that fire, and two of them were on the ground fighting it.

They explained that since 2009 the City of Vancouver has allowed wood construction for six-storey buildings which was adopted in the building code. According to these fire service men, these buildings are faster to build, use sustainable material, and in this case, the rules around construction and safety were all followed before the fire. 

Unfortunately they still don't know the cause of the fire; a private investigator is working on the case for insurance purposes, but will not share their findings with the fire service...

The building was near completion, with insulation, a very light material stored on the roof -- these were the embers that flew several blocks away onto our porches and roofs causing a few fires here and there.

So when the firemen arrived, the fire was so hot, they had to wear their fire gloves right away. Luckily fire prevention materials were installed in the house next to the construction site which saved the other houses further along from bursting into flames from the sheer heat.

Embers landed at our home

Nevertheless, when they tried to fight the fire on the construction site, the water completely dissipated because the fire was so hot. They could only make sure the other houses did not catch fire and that the occupants were evacuated. No one was killed, but the crane fell onto a house, and the person happened to be in the washroom, and the crane missed him! The firefighters had to extract him from the window.

There are 21 fire stations in the city, but they were also pre-occupied with a big fire that engulfed an abandoned apartment building on East 10th. Hours later the fire near us erupted.

The VFRS called on Richmond and Burnaby to help out -- Richmond came because they are on the same radio frequency, Burnaby is on a different one. Richmond was helpful in putting out smaller fires in the area, but it showed the VFRS need to know how to deploy people when there's more than one major fire. The fire captain also admitted he had no idea how thirsty his firefighters were until they said they needed water.

VFRS learned a lot from the fire, such as the need to communicate with the public, staffing issues, and that cranes can collapse in fires, and calling for help from other jurisdictions. Early next year people with smartphones will receive messages in case you live in a certain area where there is a fire and give instructions on what to do.

As for homeowners, it's best to change from cedar shingle roofs to asphalt ones, which we just did this summer. They suggested ensuring gutters are clean, and try to keep trees a maximum height of three metres tall, or at least prune as much as possible and keep yards tidy. Firewood should not be stacked up by the house, and if there is a fire nearby, close the windows and turn on the garden hose and keep the house as wet as possible.

It was a stimulating discussion and we all learned a lot! Needless to say we thanked the three fire services men for their work in putting out the fire eventually and keeping the rest of us safe!

Good Value Dessert Drink

"Mango ice cream" with puree and ice in a cup

This afternoon I was in Crystal Mall, a Chinese shopping mall in Burnaby. The mall has probably seen better days, as it now looks tired, with many shop spaces closed, or those that are open don't have much business.

However, head to the food court and it's a bustling place even though it's 2.30pm. Some people are grabbing a late lunch, others a snack or dessert.

I wandered around the stalls looking for inspiration. Paradise Juice was somewhat busy, with many people ordering papaya smoothies. 

On the menu there was "mango ice cream" and in Chinese 芒果雪糕 so I inquired about it.

The woman said it was more like a drink and pointed to a picture of a red bean ice drink, but said it was mango instead of red bean.

OK why not? It was $4.95.

Several minutes later I got my drink -- the bottom filled with crushed ice, next mango puree along with small chunks of mango, and then topped with some vanilla ice cream. She gave me a thick straw that wasn't necessary, and a spoon with a long neck.

I ate a bit of the mango and ice cream before mixing the three ingredients together and it was great! Cold, refreshing, and not too sweet. When they make drinks like papaya smoothies, they use whole milk or even cream which makes it very heavy and rich.

This combination with some vanilla ice cream made it creamy, but slightly diluted by the ice. If they used coconut milk it could be a vegan dessert and probably taste even better too!

Apparently mangos are now $12/lb so this drink/dessert is a good deal!

Paradise Juice

2/F, Crystal Mall

4500 Kingsway, Burnaby

604 438 8199

North Burnaby's New Shopping Malls

The mall at Gilmore Place is taking shape

Today I visited a friend who lives in Burnaby, which is the land of skyscrapers in Metro Vancouver. There are several towers that are over 60 stories high, many are walking distance to two SkyTrain stations, Gilmore and Brentwood. 

Like the MTR stations in Hong Kong, Gilmore and Brentwood both have shopping malls attached to them. Brentwood has The Amazing Brentwood, a large, partially open-air shopping mall, which has an airy food court offering mostly Asian food, from Japanese and Chinese to Korean, and Persian. 

It also has free-standing restaurants, and tonight I visited Bow & Stern, which is celebrating its first anniversary later this month. It offers mostly seafood dishes, and for Happy Hour (2pm-5pm, and 9pm to closing), freshly shucked oysters are $2 each! 

Meanwhile Gilmore Place is coming together now, with a few shops open like KFC, and Big Way Hot Pot will open, as well as a Thai spa, and Subway too. But my friend is really excited to hear that a T&T supermarket will open within a five-minute walk from her place!

I joked that with this Asian supermarket near here, she will never have to cook, as T&T offers not only uncooked ingredients, but cooked foods as well, including congee, roast meats, and noodles, so she has her "neighbourhood canteen" set up!

With so many people living and working in the area, and located next to the Skytrain station, it's no wonder that T&T has planned to open here, with many Asians living in the area.

However, while I was at tonight's dinner, one of the guests I ate with told me one of her friends lives in one of the nearby towers and said it was a nightmare getting up and down the elevator -- it takes 30 minutes just to get one, and when you have a dog that needs to go to the bathroom, and a wailing child, it can be pretty stressful!

Having a shoebox in the sky here doesn't sound fun at all, if there are only two elevators for so many units...

Three Metro Vancouver Papers to Shutter

Three Metro Vancouver papers to close in a few months

Moving back to Vancouver it was gut-wrenching to see local media being decimated because of a lack of money. 

The Georgia Straight was taken over by a company that immediately fired the existing staff, which made it difficult for the new bosses to hire; the Vancouver Courier became Vancouver is Awesome with an online presence only; CTV regional stations in British Columbia were shuttered and TV anchors gave tearful goodbyes on air.

And suddenly News 1130 was taken off the air, and it was a shock to many listeners as the radio station that had given crucial traffic reports "on the ones", every 10 minutes.

Burnaby Now to close by April 21

Now three more community papers can be added to the list of the dead. Parent company Glacier Media has announced Burnaby Now and the New Westminster Record will close no later than April 21, and Tri-City News will close its doors by May 21.

In a statement, Glacier Media said in part that it "explored all possible options to maintain operations" but the industry's "ongoing financial challenges have made it unsustainable."

The three publications had been serving their respective communities for more than 40 years and transitioned to online only in August 2023.

"We're incredibly proud of the work we've done and we're so grateful to our hardworking staff who have made these publications so special, and to our loyal readers and advertisers who have supported us over the years," said publisher Lara Graham.

The news worries New Westminster Mayor Patrick Johnstone.

"I don't know what it means when a community can't tell its stories anymore, when there's no record of our day-to-day, never mind the history of our city," he said.

Johnstone concerned about lack of local media

Johnstone wondered how New Westminster could some how continue to disseminate information through traditional media.

"I don't know what the solution is here, but we have to rethink what media means to us and what journalism means to us as a country and as a community, because this is not sustainable," he said.

"We have to be able to talk to each other through traditional media, or through every media that works that includes an aspect of journalism to it and separates the truth from what the algorithms do to us, which is push us towards division and push us towards mistruth."

Thirty years ago when I went into this industry, never did it ever cross my mind that so many news outlets would literally fall off a cliff into the abyss. But now it is the reality, because hardly any news companies has managed to figure out how to make money from good journalism.

Community papers are what keeps neighbourhoods informed, and that's how these stories get regional and even national attention.

Who else is going to keep city councils and government officials in check, expose corruption or wrongdoing, or tell good news stories that make communities proud?

It's a sad day when news outlets close, and three community papers shuttering is three too many.

Tempting Chinese Delicacy

Very large abalone and fish maw surrounding sea cucumbers

The first time I ate the classic dish Buddha jumps over the wall was back in the late 1990s in Hong Kong in Shang Palace in the Kowloon Shangri-la.

Still relatively new in journalism but keen to try new things, I did a story about Buddha jumps over the wall, interviewing the chef at the restaurant about the ingredients and how the soup got its name.

The broth (top left), with shark's fin (top right)

As the story goes, the smells from kitchen near a Buddhist monastery tempted a monk to "jump over the wall" to eat the dish, which contains meat.

And it's understandable why someone would find it hard to resist with such premium ingredients as sea cucumber, shark's fin, abalone, conpoy, fish maw, chicken, Jinhua ham, ginseng and mushrooms. Some varieties include taro and quail eggs.

The version I tried had thin slices of deer penis in it, geared towards boosting mens' testosterone... The hotel public relations woman and I giggled at the thought of having this ingredient in our soup and we thoroughly enjoyed the dish.

However that evening I find it practically impossible to sleep. I was tossing and turning for hours and by morning was a sleep-deprived wreck.

I called the public relations woman to tell her about my sleepless night and she immediately exclaimed, "Me too!" We had a good laugh.

Conpoy with slices of Jinhua ham

We still have fond memories of this experience decades later.

Fast forward to a few days ago and I got a chance to eat the same dish again in Vancouver, well Burnaby. At Grand Crystal Seafood Restaurant in Crystal Mall, the chef there makes Buddha jumps over the wall that is not presented in individual pots, but in a giant soup tureen and the ingredients carefully arranged and presented on platters.

There were large abalone and fish maw too, but thin sea cucumber, and tiny scraps of shark's fin -- I was surprised to even see that there. We were given two rounds of the soup, one with conpoy and Jinhua ham, the other with a very large, meaty mushroom.

Next came the abalone, fish maw and sea cucumber presented with abalone sauce. 

Needless to say after two bowls of soup and this dish, we were half full already.

Sea cucumber, fish maw and abalone

As Coca-Cola was available I got a glass and was glad I did -- there was quite a bit of MSG in the dishes, and the Coke helped counteract feeling thirsty.

I can say despite the caffeinated Coke I slept quite well that night...

Wanna Open a Haidilao Franchise?

All the food you can eat and be entertained at Haidilao!

Is Metro Vancouver open to having more hotpot restaurants, specifically from the hotpot chain Haidilao?

Haidilao International Holding Ltd has two locations in Metro Vancouver, one in Vancouver in the Kitsilano neighbourhood, and in Richmond. But if you're an entrepreneur, perhaps you'd be interested in opening an Haidilao franchise?

Since the Beijing-based company opened in 1994, the hotpot restaurant chain has over 1,400 locations around the world. Last month its revenues were expected to reach US$5.75 billion and US$611 million in net profits in 2023.

The noodle dance is a Haidilao highlight

It announced earlier this week it is open to franchising.

While it could be tempting to open a franchise of Haidilao, with its staff attentive to customers' needs, even willing to dance for them, perform face-changing "magic" and fling noodle dough around for added value, do we need another Haidilao?

William Tse, association director of the BC Asian Restaurant Cafe Owners Association believes the hotpot market in Metro Vancouver is saturated, as many hotpot restaurants aren't doing well. As a result, he believes there is limited room for growth.

"There are already many hotpot restaurants competing with each other in Richmond, Burnaby and Vancouver. If you open locations in cities where there is a smaller Chinese Canadian population, there may not be enough demand," Tse said.

"And the higher rents have increased the costs of running a restaurant. Investors will need to take that into consideration as well."

Who knows? Maybe we need Haidilao domination in Metro Vancouver! It would definitely raise the quality level of hotpot restaurants!

The Hong Kong Perspective of Housing in Vancouver

Kwok helped develop various areas in Metro Vancouver

A columnist with the Vancouver Sun interviewed a 96-year-old man named Stanley Kwok, who was instrumental in developing the former Expo 86 land into a downtown core filled with condos, that writer Douglas Coupland has called "City of Glass".

Kwok was originally from China, graduated in Shanghai in 1948 and then fled to Hong Kong. He then moved to Vancouver in 1968.

A big project was developing the Expo land

Not only has he had a hand in developing Vancouver, but also Whistler, Victoria's Inner Harbour, Metrotown in Burnaby, and an entire waterfront in Dubai.

When Hong Kong tycoon Li Ka-shing was interested in buying the Expo 86 land, Kwok represented him in the negotiations and ran Concord Pacific.  

As Vancouver is facing a housing crunch these days, with not enough houses people can afford, let alone rent, Kwok's solution is to build higher. 

The era of single-family housing in Metro [Vancouver] is "more and more difficult" to maintain, he said. "So you start living in apartments. Other cities have grown up that way. It's just a different way of living. Why do we have to stick to the past?"

Does Kwok know that Vancouver is in a earthquake zone? Surely building too high is not a good idea? And for some people their goal is to have a detached house for their family. 

Perhaps even more surprising is his idea of what affordable housing should be, again compared to Hong Kong.

Vancouver now known as the City of Glass

"When Hong Kong talks about affordable housing, what they consider is providing a certain amount of square footage per person. That's all they're concerned about. They don't care what it is. They're very small. But here it's different. Here they say the standard has to be this or that. They say, 'To house a family not only do you have to have a bedroom for the parents, you also have to have a bedroom for each kid.' That makes it more expensive. And somebody has to pay for that."

While Kwok may claim this, there are families living in basement suites, or two or three people sharing a one-bedroom place. Everyone is trying to make do with the situation they've got. But he cannot and should not compare apples and oranges. 

He also inadvertently reveals how callous the housing situation is for the poor in Hong Kong. He believes just giving people tiny spaces to live is better than nothing. Perhaps he hasn't seen subdivided flats and cage homes?

Fort Langley: Krause Berry Farms & Estate Winery

The patches of gardens are pretty and colourful at Krause

This morning I headed out to Fort Langley for a visit. It's an hour away by car, taking Grandview Highway going east onto Highway 1, passing Burnaby, Surrey, Coquitlam and Pitt Meadows... 

Blueberry waffles are good to share

It's a relatively easy drive and once in Langley township, there's a lot of farm land growing blueberries, corn and other fruits.

Our first stop was Krause Berry Farms & Estate Winery, a massive compound that has U-pick berries (blueberries now in season), as well as a sandbox for kids to play in, and lovely garden patches full of blooming flowers to admire.

Most impressive was the store that is choc full of the farm's signatures, from fresh berries and vegetables to jam, fruit-flavoured syrup, numerous pies from strawberry to blackberry, peach and apple. The jams come in vegan and no sugar, in blueberry, blackberry strawberry and rhubarb. 

Interestingly it does not encroach on its neighbour's business of selling honey, so Krause does not sell any kind of honey at all. Krause also sells farm-style crockery, scarves, and even pyjamas with blueberries on them.

Lots of pies, like blackberry for sale!

We could not resist trying the blueberry waffles -- a large round one that had a squirt of syrup followed by a massive mount of blueberries topped with a generous swirl of canned whipped cream.

The waffle itself wasn't too sweet, and the blueberries were so large and plump that we didn't want to waste any and two of us managed to finish the plate. I was intrigued by the drink of strawberry milk on the menu, but it ended up being a plastic bottle that was bought from a store. 

Meanwhile the wine tasting room is fun -- those sitting at the bar actually sit on saddles! 

The food choices at Krause are on the limited side -- only waffles with seasonal fruits, ice cream, pizza, fries or at the bar there's nachos... 

Nevertheless, it's a fun stop that's family-oriented and appeals to everyone at some level. 

Get on the saddle at the wine bar

Krause Berry Farms & Estate Winery

6179 248th Street

Langley, BC

604 856 5757

June 12 Rally Marred by Indigenous Protest

Hong Kong protesters showed up with flags and in black

In Hong Kong it's already June 12, the fourth anniversary of the peaceful protests against the extradition bill that successfully stalled the second reading of the bill at the Legislative Council, but the police fired rubber bullets and tear gas at the 40,000 people.

The police described the incident as a riot, which led to the protesters to chant, "Five demands, not one less". They were: Demand the police retract the "riot" characterisation; withdrawal of the extradition bill; release and exonerate arrested protesters; hold a public inquiry into police brutality; and implement universal suffrage.

Four years on the Hong Kong diaspora continue to call for these demands to be met, on Sunday afternoon in Vancouver at an event organised by the Vancouver Activists of Hong Kong.

"Glory to Hong Kong" written in chalk

A crowd of about 50-60 people gathered at the steps of the Vancouver Art Gallery, many wearing black, masks, hats and sunglasses. Several people waved flags of colonial Hong Kong, of East Turkestan, and the protest slogan "Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times".

The 2pm event began several minutes late due to technical problems, but finally got off the ground, with the singing of the Canadian anthem and a minute of silence for the victims of the 2019 protests. The protest anthem "Glory to Hong Kong" -- a song the authorities are trying to ban -- was played, while many in the crowd shouted slogans.

Then a few people made speeches, such as a member of parliament, a long time activist who organises events around June 4, and some protesters, one of whom became very emotional, pleading for passersby to pay attention to what the Hongkongers' grievances were about.

An artistic statement

However, the area is a public space where people are free to walk through, and when parts of the event are in Cantonese, there is even less interest. Many walking by carried shopping bags, as the art gallery is near a shopping street, others walked their dogs.

Just as the emcee was about to introduce radio host Edmund Wan, known as Giggs, who has now made his home in Vancouver, a First Nations woman who stood near the front began shouting that this land was theirs and how dare we, the attendees take it away from them.

She insisted on disrupting the event, and Wan tried to tell her that he had met some indigenous people recently and respected them, but the woman refused to listen. She was with two other First Nations woman, one of whom also began shouting, the other more interested in munching on her bag of chips.

A friend remarked perhaps this was the "infiltration" the protesters were worried about...

After a few minutes the emcee said she was angry that their items were taken away. Perhaps she was referring to the impromptu display of 215 pairs of shoes on the steps of the art gallery to represent the graves of 215 children that were discovered at a residential school in northern British Columbia. Toys were later added to the makeshift memorial.

It stood there from May 2021 until last month, when the city said it would remove the items, but then most of them disappeared before the city's cleaning crew arrived. No one knows where they are.

Woman in green disrupted the rally, pal eats chips

Why the woman was disrupting the Hong Kong protest was annoying since this clean-up happened almost a month ago and her complaints should be directed at City Hall.

Later the emcee explained in Cantonese again that she had had too much to drink, and that everyone should move away from her and ignore her. But she caught wind of what was going on and began shouting again.

Apparently the police were called, but no one came right away.

It was disappointing to see the event -- a peaceful one at that! -- being hijacked. The woman disrupting the rally distracted the attendees and the significance of the gathering.

Another is scheduled tomorrow evening (June 12 Vancouver time) at Metrotown Skytrain Station in Burnaby. It is possible there will be a greater turnout there...

June 4 Remembered in Vancouver

"Don't Forget June 4" written in chalk on the ground

The Vancouver Society in Support of Democratic Movement commemorates the June 4 Tiananmen Square massacre every year, with not only marches to the Chinese consulate on the anniversary day, but also events leading up to it. 

This year the group moved up the march to May 27, where New Democratic Party MP Jenny Kwan participated. She was recently cited as one of two politicians a Chinese diplomat allegedly targeted. The diplomat was subsequently sent back to China. 

Meanwhile two remembrances were held today in two locations. 

A terrier took part in the event

In the morning there was a ceremony held at Forest Lawn Memorial Park, a cemetery in Burnaby, and at around lunchtime another by the small Goddess of Democracy statue that stands near the Student Union Building at the University of British Columbia.

Sadly a fence was an ugly backdrop, as there is a construction site right next to the Student Union Building and there are fears the statue may be moved again.

Originally, Mabel Tung, chair of the VSSDM, had tried to get the statue placed in Chinatown, but it was vehemently opposed to the proposal. It was eventually accepted at UBC in 1991.

About 30 people showed up at the latter event, almost all wearing black, masks and sunglasses. The majority were middle-aged, along with a few young people, and one or two young families. 

Tung led the mini ceremony, first asking attendees to stand for a minute of silence. She then gave a quick speech to recount what happened 34 years ago, and how there used to be a candlelight vigil in Hong Kong's Victoria Park every year until 2020. 

The activist said as a result it was even more important for the Hong Kong diaspora to continue to remember not only the victims of the bloody crackdown, but also the Tiananmen Mothers group, and the victims of the 2019 protests in Hong Kong.

Most attendees took a group photo together

Attendees were given either yellow carnations or roses and asked to line up one by one to pay their respects to the Goddess of Democracy. Many bowed three times in front of the statue before placing the flower on the pedestal. There was also a wreath of yellow carnations for the Tiananmen Mothers.

Nearby was a makeshift memorial with flowers and photocopied drawings of Chow Tsz-lok, the 22-year-old student who fell to his death on the third storey of a carpark in Tseung Kwan O on November 4, 2019 during the Hong Kong protests. 

Another portrait was of Li Wenliang, the doctor in Wuhan who alerted the world about Covid-19 in December 2019 and died in February soon after he was infected.

The third person remembered was Peng Ming, a pro-democracy activist and Christian who founded the China Development Federation in 1998. Later that year the authorities banned the group and Peng was sentenced to 18 months of re-education through labour.

Upon his release in 2000, Peng went to Thailand with his parents where they were granted refugee status. He later moved to San Francisco and re-established his federation again, calling for the end of one-party rule and replacing it with democracy.

A memorial for activist Peng Ming

Four years later during a visit to his parents in Thailand, Peng was lured into Burma by Chinese special agents and abducted into China where he was convicted on trumped-up charges. In 2005 he was sentenced to life in prison in Hubei, but 11 years later the prison authorities announced he had died suddenly at the age of 58.

Next Sunday VSSDM will hold a candlelight vigil at Dr David Lam Park from 4pm onwards. 

Saving Donuts from the Dumpster

Colourful and saccharine donuts from Punk Rock Pastries

A friend of mine has a relatively new hobby -- picking up food for cheap that would otherwise go into the garbage.

He is constantly checking a Danish-based app called Too Good To Go, which promotes businesses that have leftover food items that can be purchased at a cheaper price and picked up the same day.

I asked if the deals were mostly towards the end of the business day, but he said they were posted all the time and even snapped up quickly if your fingers aren't fast enough to secure the deal.

With the price of food up 10 percent in Vancouver, people are looking out for deals to fill their stomachs.

The other day my friend picked up two boxes of donuts from Punk Rock Pastries in Burnaby (he lives in East Vancouver). I don't know how much they cost, but they were definitely a colourful (and very sweet) treat.

The toppings were saccharine, while the donuts were fluffy, they were quite sweet too. 

Although my friend likes the concept of not wasting food, he also looks at it as an opportunity to sample something new relatively cheaply, and if he likes it he'll go back and maybe pay full price for it.

Perhaps the most ironic thing is that he has been picking up mostly cakes and donuts when his previous mantra was to invest his calories in alcohol than desserts...

Changing Face of Canada is Asian

More immigrants make up the Canadian population

Statistics Canada has unveiled its latest population figures and 8.3 million people or 23 percent of the national population were either immigrants or permanent residents from 2016 to 2021.

This percentage tops the previous record of 22.3 percent in 1921.

Metro Vancouver has 54 percent visible minorities

Asian-born immigrants were the largest ethnic group at 62 percent last year, compared to only 12.1 percent in 1971. India was the source of most of the Asian immigrants, contributing 18.6 percent of the total number arriving between 2016 to 2021.

They were followed by those from the Philippines at 11.4 percent, and then China at 8.9 percent. Part of the drop of Chinese immigrants could be because of Covid-19 pandemic restrictions that prevented many people from leaving, and also China making it harder for people to move money out, thus hampering their exit plans.

When it comes to Metro Vancouver, 54 percent identify as visible minorities, compared to 49 percent five years ago.

The largest non-white ethnic groups are Chinese at 19.6 percent of the population, and South Asian at 14.2 percent, and Filipino at 5.5 percent. 

Richmond has over 80 percent visible minorities

When analysed further, Richmond has the highest proportion of people who are visible minorities at 80.3 percent, followed by Burnaby, Surrey, Coquitlam and then Vancouver at 54.5 percent. 

This national census also gave people the opportunity to identify themselves as from Hong Kong as opposed to just China, and that number is 8,560 in Metro Vancouver. Also interestingly there seems to be some 12,000 more Chinese women than men in the 25-40 age group. One urban planner suggests perhaps it's because of astronaut families with husbands back in Asia.

However, there is much chatter post-National Congress that many businessmen in China have either left or are leaving, and with conscription in Russia, we could see more Chinese and Russians landing on our shores...

What's in a Name on Municipal Election Ballot

The race for the top jobs at Vancouver City Hall is on

Municipalities in British Columbia will hold elections for mayor and council on October 15. In the cases of 37 cities, the mayors won by acclamation because they had no challengers. 

Some include the mayors of Burnaby, Port Coquitlam, Ashcroft, Comox, Duncan, Invermere, Pitt Meadows and Tofino.

Will Mayor Stewart keep his position Oct 15?

For all the other municipalities campaigning officially began on Saturday, but in Vancouver you wouldn't know there was an election going on except for a few campaign signs on people's lawns for Ken Sim, a Chinese-Canadian businessman.

In the 2018 election he came in second to Kennedy Stewart, and this time around may have the chance to become the first Chinese-Canadian mayor of Vancouver. 

He is the son of immigrant parents, and in high school worked on the weekends at Wendy's where he worked as a janitor cleaning toilets before graduating from UBC's Sauder School of Business. Sim then qualified as an accountant and got a job with KPMG.

Not only that Sim has two businesses, one he co-owns called Nurse Next Door, that operates in North America, serving seniors who prefer to live at home, and Rosemary Rocksalt Bagels, which sells bagel sandwiches named after Vancouver neighbourhoods.

Sim is Stewart's main challenger again

Sim is married to a South Asian and they have four boys. But his one weakness is that he doesn't speak Chinese.

That said, his campaign boards have his Chinese name printed on there.

Will he get the Chinese vote in Vancouver? Hard to say, but 15 other people running for mayor and council are desperate for the Chinese vote or Persian and have petitioned to have their names in Chinese or Persian printed on the ballot for October 15.

This led to Vancouver's Chief Election Officer Rosemary Hagiwara to file an application in provincial court this past Tuesday to disavow Chinese and Persian characters to be used by the 15 candidates because when they filed their nomination papers they did not include their Chinese or Persian names, nor did they use them when they stood for election in 2018.

However, given the short time frame, Judge James Wingham ruled it would be "unfair" to proceed with the application under the timeline set out in the Vancouver Charter and adjourned the hearing to a later date, sometime after the municipal elections.

Harding has Chinese name on campaign board

For the 15 candidates they are thrilled with the ruling, with some ethnically Chinese candidates claiming it represents their heritage, while others like Fred Harding say they have a Chinese name because their spouse is Chinese, or they have connections to Chinatown like Melissa DeGenova... 

Meanwhile former three-time city councillor Kerry Jang dismissed the need to put Chinese and Persian names on the ballot, and that this is a way for candidates to procrastinate from talking about the real issues of the election which are in order of importance:

- Housing (35%)

- Drug overdoses (14%)

- Crime/Poverty/Property taxes (three-way tie at 9%)

- Climate change (7%)

- Jobs (6%)

- Covid-19 (5%)

- Traffic congestion/Public transit (each 2%)

Now that the ballot question is sorted, can we talk about issues voters really care about?