Review: The 7-Eleven Tamago Sando

7-Elevens in Canada now have the tamago sando available

A few months ago there was a lot of excitement that 7-Elevens in Canada would finally be stocked with the famous Japanese-style egg salad sandwiches, the tamago sandos featuring shokupan, or slices of fluffy milk bread with butter, and a creamy egg salad in between.

Last December, the executive chef of 7-Eleven Canada, Benny Cheng, went to Japan for seven days and ate two tamago sandos each day, trying to memorise the taste and texture, and then recreate it back in the convenience store's headquarters in Surrey, British Columbia.

They are a reasonable $5 each

Before that he was already researching the sandwich and told The Vancouver Sun it took a year to source all the right ingredients, including Japanese Kewpie mayonnaise and the milk bread; he found a bakery in Vancouver to make it to his specifications.

Finally the Japanese-style egg salad sandwich was launched on March 6, and while some influencers were too polite to be critical of the Canadian version of the tamago sando, others were not shy in saying it was not the same as the ones from Japan.

Over a month later I finally tried the sandwich myself. I bought it downtown for $5, ($5.25 plus tax) and opened the packaging.

Inside are what looks like it could be fluffy slices of bread, but a bite into them and they're on the dry side. The egg salad filling has a cheery shade of bright yellow, however the dominant taste is butter not egg. 

Examining the ingredients listed at the back, it's not butter, but actually margarine... and there is a long list of non-natural flavours.

The egg salad is a bright yellow

For example, for the shokupan bread there's vegetable monoglycerides, soybean lecithin, and potassium sorbate, beta carotene. In the egg salad there's xanthan gum, mustard, lemon juice concentrate, paprika, tumeric and garlic powder.

It only takes minutes to demolish the sandwich, and then you're left... unsatisfied. Maybe a Japanese fruit sando would do the trick?

Cat Stuck in a Tree Makes the News

An arborist makes her way up to rescue the cat at the tree top

Lots of drama in Surrey today with news of a cat stuck in a tree -- a really tall tree for three days.

When Samantha Decamillis was walking her dog on Saturday she spotted the black cat at the top of a tree.

She called the fire department and the City of Surrey about rescuing the cat, but no response until Decamillis said she notified the media.

Today animal services came out, but weren't sure what to do, and got an arborist to climb up the tree. It has no foliage at the top, which means it's a dead tree.

When the arborist finally made it near the top she tried to get the cat into her net, but at first it was terrified of her and didn't want to go in. But in her second attempt, the arborist pushed the cat into the net and there were loud cheers from down below.

However, soon after, the freaked out cat managed to jump out of the net and fell to the ground and was seen scampering away.

Onlookers couldn't find the cat and hope it's OK. They are just relieved it is out of the tree where it had nothing to eat or drink.

The cat has definitely used up one of its nine lives today!

What Would You do if you Won C$80M?

Simporios has won the largest lottery payout ever in Canada

What would you do with C$80 million???

That's the situation Justin Simporios, 35, is dealing with now after he won Canada's largest ever jackpot payout to one person.

The first thing the Surrey resident did before stepping forward to claim the prize was to quit his job at a logistics company.

The 35-year-old immigrant cried tears of joy

"I just threw in my resignation through an email, just an hour, two hours before I had this news conference," Simporios said. "I'm working with [a] good operations team, my boss. They're all great."

The Filipino immigrant said he wanted to give them a heads-up that he was "stepping away" and wouldn't be coming back, and added his colleagues and boss were happy for him.

After getting over the initial shock and excitement of winning the lottery, Simporios has some practical matters at hand. He wants to pay off his sister's medical school debt and help his mother retire early.

"I've been struggling," he said. I'm a father. I work full time. I have a daughter. I want to go home. I want to spend time with them, but as a father, you want to balance it out. Should I work? Or should I spend time with my daughter and not have food?

"With this amount of money, I'll be able to spend more time with my daughter, with my wife, with my family. It's awesome, man. Just thank you. I'm just feeling blessed right now."

He plans to buy a home and travel to LA

Simporios' first order of business will be to speak to a financial advisor and then buy his "dream home". He also wants to go to Los Angeles to see LeBron James play basketball and take his wife and daughter to the Philippines as they haven't been there before.

We really wish him well, and hope that he doesn't spend the money as fast as he won it. Eighty million dollars is an awful lot of money. 

What would you do with C$80 million?!

Metro Vancouver to Hit 4 Million by 2045

Metro Vancouver is projected to have 4 million people by 2045

There are projections that Metro Vancouver will grow to a population of 4 million by 2045, nine years earlier than predicted.

An average of 50,000 new residents come to the city, with most of them from outside Canada. There are expectations there will be more deaths than births by 2035.

To house all these new residents are 21,000 new living units built each year until 2051, with two-thirds of these being apartments, and Vancouver and Surrey absorbing 45 percent of the future growth.

In addition 22,000 jobs will be added annually.

"Accurate data like this helps us work together to better understand the growth pressures our region will face in the future, and help ensure collective planning efforts are consistent with the goals in the regional growth strategy, Metro 2050," said Eric Woodward, chair of Metro Vancouver's regional planning committee in a statement.

And the jobs that will be in the most demand in the next three decades? Professional, technical health and welfare sectors.

Neighbourhoods that Gave Out the Most Candy

Science World lit up like a giant glowing pumpkin

Today people are recovering from their sugar highs from Halloween last night, while one academic has pored over the statistics to see which Metro Vancouver neighbourhood had the most trick-or-treaters.

Since around 2016, Andy Yan, director of the Simon Fraser University City Program has tracked which areas give out the most candy, and the winner like all previous years is... Douglas Park, around West 22nd Avenue and Heather Street near Cambie Village.

One child getting candy via a kiddie slide

One home reported handing out a whopping 2,853 candies, and another 2,475.

Other popular areas are New Westminster's Queen's Park, Surrey's East Clayton, Richmond's Steveston, and Victoria's Rockland.

Yan observed the popular areas for trick-or-treating are located near parks, making them walkable.

"[They have] a density, and yet at the same time, it's density through which I think people feel safe. They feel like they're part of a community," he said in a radio interview this morning.

"I think it's very much about the importance of green space and... this role of parks and how they kind of help anchor a community."

And despite the rising costs of candy this year, more than 80 percent of respondents said inflation did not deter them from buying candy to give out for Halloween.

Interestingly it's the wealthier neighbourhoods that have fewer trick-or-treaters like Shaughnessy, as Yan explains there is a lower "door-to-curb" ratio that forces kids to have to walk or run further to the next house, whereas if the houses are closer to each other, they can collect more candy in the same period of time.

Neighbourhoods near parks gave out lots of candy

It's all about the strategy.

Which includes more "destination trick-or-treating", a relatively new phenomenon where kids are driven around to other neighbourhoods to collect even more candy. 

Whatever happened to just being content with what they got in their own area?

There are also opportunities to trick-or-treat at neighbourhood businesses, as various BIAs or business improvement associations organise shops to give out candy during the day.

Another factor is new immigrants who may not have experienced Halloween before and are unfamiliar with the traditions involved, and hence didn't participate.

Nevertheless, with Metro Vancouver -- heck the province of British Columbia -- focused on densifying cities, will this mean even more candy for kids in the future?

Homeless Numbers Rise in Metro Vancouver

Many municipalities are seeing increases in homeless people

Every three years there is a count of the homeless people in Vancouver and the surrounding municipalities, and sadly the numbers are getting higher in every area, many of them are indigenous and seniors.

Counting was conducted by the Homelessness Services Association of BC and the statistics are shockingly high in areas like Delta with a 159 percent increase, 91 percent in Richmond, and 86 percent in the Tri-Cities (Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam an Port Moody). Surrey has seen a 65 percent increase to 1,060 who don't have a proper roof over their heads.

Vancouver has the highest number of homeless at 2,420, but among the slowest growth at 16 percent compared to 2020.

Many homeless are indigenous and seniors

Indigenous people are hit the hardest -- they only make up 2.4 percent of the populations, but are one-third of the homeless population. Seniors are next along with LGBTQ+, youth in the foster care system, and visible minorities. 

This year 4,821 people across the region are experiencing homelessness, a 32 percent increase since 2020; homeless advocates say this is the "minimum" number, and there are probably many more that volunteers could not find.

The count was conducted on March 7 and 8 this year, finding people in shelters, transition houses, hospitals, police cells, alleys, doorways, parks and vehicles. At the time of the count, two-thirds had a temporary roof over their heads, while the rest were unsheltered, either sleeping outside, living in a tent, or couch surfing.

In addition one in five were over the age of 55, and 10 percent of them said they were experiencing homelessness for the first time as a senior.

"The number of seniors have been going up significantly, and that's really challenging. In an environment with ever increasing food costs and housing costs, seniors are disproportionately being impacted," said Stephen D'Souza, executive director of the Homeless Services Association of BC.

More than two-thirds of the respondents had experienced homelessness for at least a year, a significantly larger number since the last survey in 2020.

The main reason is the skyrocketing rents that have made it so difficult for people on low-income budgets to afford, along with cost of living, substance abuse and mental health issues. 

Another interesting point is that the homeless population is mostly made of people from Vancouver -- they are not people who migrated from other parts of the country. Four out of every five people were homeless in the community where they used to be housed. 

Mayors blame the province for not building low-income housing fast enough, while the BC government claims the federal government isn't doing enough to release more funds.

The blame game hardly helps the situation -- all levels of government need to earnestly tackle the issue of homelessness quickly and effectively before more people lose their homes in the next few years.

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

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...