EATING STORIES is getting close to selling out its first run. It's a wonderful anthology of recipes and stories about food......... Plus it features the secret recipe for deep-fried haggis won ton, from the Gung Haggis Fat Choy Robbie Burns Chinese New Year Dinners........ It was a pleasure to take part in the writing workshops organized by the Chinese Canadian Historical Society of BC, and contribute to this anthology.......... Check out the Vancouver Courier review by Lisa Smedman.   more »

They were always written in English, never in Chinese. Our friends had their own Fortune Cookie factory near Chinatown. I even toured in it. Jennifer 8 Lee has now written a book called The Fortune Cookie Chronicles. She writes how so-called North American "Chinese food" is really not Chinese at all - but Mainstream American...... Lee exposes all the myths about North American Chinese food, myths that Chinese-Canadians and Chinese-Americans have known for generations - but White Americans are just learning about. Geez... first the Easter Bunny, then Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy, and now Fortune Cookies!   more »

On Saturday Night, CCHS honoured Brandy Lien-Worrall for leading the CCHS writing workshops, which singlehandedly helped fund and make a reality the Edgar Wickberg scholarships for students studying Chinese-Canadian history. Brandy really is an amazing and inspiring person. Not only did she succeed in editing the Eating Stories anthology over the summer and seeing it through to publication in November, but she did it while fighting a serious bout with breast cancer. On January 1st, I named Brandy to a list of Chinese Canadians that inspired me for 2007.   more »

Poet George McWhirter was amazed. Media columnist Catherine Barr was in awe! Film maker Ann Marie Fleming had smiles on her face! Blackthorn flautist Michelle Carlisle loved it! ~~~~~~~ We went to Floata to test-taste the 2008 Gung Haggis Fat Choy menu. We started with a deep-fried haggis/shrimp wun tun, shrimp-filled haw-gow, haggis/pork su-mei, and vegetarian spring rolls... that was our appetizer. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Sukhi Ghuman arrived with her cameraman Zak to shoot an interview and help taste-test some food for an upcoming episode of The Express on Shaw TV. "The Express is a lifestyle magazine program that brings you an in-depth look at the fascinating people, events, recreation and attractions from Greater Vancouver and the Fraser Valley." Sukhi asked me about the origins of Gung Haggis Fat Choy, and how I came to create this cultural fusion event that blends Chinese and Scottish traditions.   more »

CBC radio host Margaret Gallagher hosts "Flavour of the Week" on CBC Radio.  For Christmas Eve Day, Margaret and her co-host Fred Lee talked about favourite Christmas dishes.

They also read some of the stories about favourite dishes posted on the "Flavour of the Week" facebook group.  Margaret Gallagher read a contribution by Todd Wong.   Todd didn't hear it, but Gung Haggis dragon boat team member Stephen Mirowski did.  And he told Todd after Todd picked him up for a ride up to Vernon, to spend Christmas with Todd's girlfriend Deb's family.

Here is what Todd wrote on the Flavour of the Week Facebook group:

Tonight is the night I get to see my contributions in print for the book: Eating Stories A Chinese-Canadian and Aboriginal Potluck.

Brandy will be on CBC Radio Friday morning with Rick Cluff, Morning Edition, at about 7:50AM.

Also some hot news from Henry.  Jerry Kwok has done a wonderful job with the 8 min. teaser film on the workshop. It's downloadable at http://www.instrcc.ubc.ca/CCHS/CCHS_workshop.wmv .  

We are having an author's book launch tonight at the Rhizome Cafe on Broadway, before the official book launch at the Vancouver Museum Sunday Nov. 25th at the Vancouver Museum.

It was a wonderful pleasure to meet so many people interested in the writing process, and how to improve their own writing skills.  People were so interested in food, our workshop discussions often took forays into Chinese-Canadian history, memories of food and family, as well as cultural traditions and differences.

The first book, Tracing Roots, by the CCHS is especially memorable for me because my cousin Hayne Wai contributed stories about his mother and our uncles.  It was great to be able to take the book home as a gift to my parents, and show them the paragraphs featuring "Uncle James," "Auntie Rose," and my father  - "Uncle Bill" to my cousin or "Bok-Sook" (#8 Uncle).

Tonight all the writing workshop participants get to take home copies of the book.  I will get to show my parents my published contributions of photographs and paragraphs, which introduce the stories of how I developed my love for salmon, my creation of Gung Haggis Fat Choy, and how our dragon boat team cooks up it's own haggis won ton.  This anthology features 2 current (Dan Seto and myself - Todd Wong) and two past paddlers (Grace Chow and Meena Wong) from the Gung Haggis Fat Choy dragon boat team.

Brandy Lien-Worrall, our workshop leader and anthology editor, will be on CBC Radio Friday morning with Rick Cluff, Morning Edition, at about 7:50AM.

Also some hot news from Henry.  Jerry Kwok has done a wonderful job with the 8 min. teaser film on the workshop. It's downloadable at http://www.instrcc.ubc.ca/CCHS/CCHS_workshop.wmv .  

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:  info@cchsbc.ca

http://www.cchsbc.ca

 

Meals and Memories Come Alive in New Collection of Chinese Canadian and Aboriginal Food and Family Stories

Groundbreaking work captures authors’ personal stories of family and community

 

VANCOUVER – The Chinese Canadian Historical Society (CCHS) is pleased to announce the publication of Eating Stories: A Chinese Canadian and Aboriginal Potluck, edited by Brandy Liên Worrall and with Foreword by Margaret Gallagher.

Following the success of the first workshop and the resulting book publication, Finding Memories, Tracing Routes (English and bilingual English-Chinese editions), CCHS held a second writing workshop with the theme of “Food and Family”, which had nearly tripled in size.  Twenty-three participants of Chinese Canadian or Aboriginal backgrounds researched, discussed, and wrote their memories of family gatherings, home cooking, restaurant outings, and other stories cooked up by the smells, tastes, sounds, sights, and textures that bring families and communities together.  Together with their stories, 37 family recipes and over 170 images complete the collection.  Additional contributors include Imogene Lim, Lisa Moore, Janice Wong, and Henry Yu.

George McWhirter, Vancouver’s Poet Laureate, says of this groundbreaking collection: “I want one of those meals and to be in one of those families.  If I can’t be that in actuality, these stories make me a guest of all, complete with recipes for me to try out on my own, after.  These are more than literate tellings of family food rituals and recipes; they are elegantly and pungently related. . .In the process, these pieces become evocative literature and unforgettable history.”

“This collection is amazing in terms of the scope of experiences in these Canadian communities, from the 1930s all the way to present day,” states editor and workshop facilitator Brandy Liên Worrall.  “Reading these stories is just like sitting in a Chinatown café eating apple tarts in the 1960s or going to a barbecue at the reservation, catching salmon and having a good time. This is really history you can eat.”

Writers include Jacquie Adams, Jennifer Chan, Shirley Chan, Allan Cho, Grace Chow, Lilly Chow, Betty Ho, George Jung, Jackie Lee-Son, Roy Mah, Gordy Mark, Amy Perrault, Dan Seto, Bob Sung, Hayne Wai, Evelyn Wong, Larry Wong, Todd Wong, Harley A. Wylie, May Yan-Mountain, Candace Yip, Gail Yip, and Ken Yip.  The Chinese Canadian Historical Society of BC would like to acknowledge the support from the Provincial Capital Commission for the participation of two First Nations authors in the writing workshop.

An “authors reception” will be held at Rhizome Café (317 East Broadway) on Thursday, November 22, 2007, at 7:00 PM.  This intimate event will have a short presentation and author readings.  Media interest in this event, including requests for interviews with the authors, should be directed to Nancy Fong, nancy.wy.fong@gmail.com.  Media attendance to this event is by RSVP only.

The “Eating Stories: A Chinese Canadian and Aboriginal Potluck” book launch, hosted by CBC’s Margaret Gallagher, will be held at the Vancouver Museum on Sunday, November 25, 2007, at 4:00 PM.  Authors will read from the book, as well as answer questions from the audience.  In addition, New Voices: Chinese Canadian Narratives of Post-1967 Diaspora, a post-secondary student-initiated anthology of literary and artistic works by Chinese Canadians living in the Lower Mainland, will be also launched that day. This book is now available at http://www.newvoicesproject.org/ .

Copies of Eating Stories can be purchased at the authors reception and the launch.  For more information, bulk and educational orders, and press kits, email nancy.wy.fong@gmail.com.  Copies may also be purchased online at http://www.lulu.com/cchsbc.  Proceeds go toward the “Edgar Wickberg Scholarship for Chinese Canadian History.”

ABOUT the CHINESE CANADIAN HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA

The Chinese Canadian Historical Society of British Columbia (CCHSBC) is a broadly based membership society with educational goals.  Our main objective is to bring out the untold history of ethnic Chinese within the history of British Columbia.  We achieve this through sustained efforts at document preservation, research, family and oral history promotion, public education programmes, an active website, and many other initiatives.

MEDIA CONTACT-ENGLISH AND CHINESE [interviews & press kits]: nancy.wy.fong@gmail.com

Mayor Larry Campbell, Toddish McWong, Enid Campbell - photo Naoko Watanabe at the 2005 Gung Haggis Fat Choy dinner.


Everybody loves stories about food.  Recipes or restaurants, people will reminisce over their favorite memories of food... how it was made... who made it... what their favorite dish is...

In January I took a writing workshop with the Chinese Historical Society of BC.  The theme was "Food and Family" and taught by Brandy Lien-Worrall. 

23 participants in a writing workshop wrote their memories of family gatherings, home cooking, restaurant outings and other stories cooked up by the smells, sounds, sights, and textures that bring families and communities together.

The writers include myself - Todd Wong, the creator of Gung Haggis Haggis Fat Choy, Dan Seto current Gung Haggis dragonboat paddler, my cousin Hayne Wai - president of CCHS, + many friends such as: Meena Wong, George Jung and Gordie Mark - who were active during the Chinese head tax campaign, community activist Shirley Chan, Chinese-Canadian Military Museum curator Larry Wong and ex-Gung Haggis paddler Grace Chow and myself.

  Dan Seto signing books at the CCHS 2006 book launch for Tracing Family Roots.
Dan Seto with noodles at Sha Lin Noodle House.

         

CCHS is pleased to welcome everyone to the book launch for Eating Stories: A Chinese Canadian and Aboriginal Potluck, edited by Brandy Liên Worrall and with Foreword by Margaret Gallagher. Following the success of the first workshop and the resulting book publication, Finding Memories, Tracing Routes (English and bilingual English-Chinese editions), CCHS held a second writing workshop with the theme of "Food and Family."

Twenty-three participants of Chinese Canadian or Aboriginal backgrounds researched, discussed, and wrote their memories of family gatherings, home cooking, restaurant outings, and other stories cooked up by the smells, tastes, sounds, sights, and textures that bring families and communities together. In addition to their stories, there are 37 recipes and over 170 images. Writers include Jacquie Adams, Jennifer Chan, Shirley Chan, Allan Cho, Grace Chow, Lilly Chow, Betty Ho, George Jung, Jackie Lee-Son, Roy Mah, Gordy Mark, Amy Perrault, Dan Seto, Bob Sung, Hayne Wai, Evelyn Wong, Larry Wong, Todd Wong, Harley A. Wylie, May Yan-Mountain, Candace Yip, Gail Yip, and Ken Yip. Additional contributors include Imogene Lim, Lisa Moore, Janice Wong, and Henry Yu.  

Please join us for the official launch of this unique book and meet the authors! 

Shh.... Salt Tasting Room is a Vancouver secret


Todd Wong hold up his glass at the Salt Tasting Room, with the daily menu chalkboard behind on the wall. - photo Judy Maxwell

Salt Tasting Room

Back in early September the Vancouver Sun published Vancouver slurp-and-swirl a top-five secret - it was a story about the results of a  Travelocity.ca poll which asked members for their top Canadian local secrets.  I couldn't find an entry about Salt Tasting Room - but I did find a link for British Columbia local secrets.

Even though I hadn't been to the Salt Tasting Room yet, I felt that I was already in on the secret because I had a gift certificate for the restaurant.  It had been sitting on the shelf since April 21st when I won the door prize at the BC Book Prize soiree event. (read my  my article).

I finally went last Sunday.  It was a cold drizzly Thanksgiving Day Sunday, the kind best spent indoors with wine and cheese.  And besides, I was moving pretty slowly after paddling 3 canoe races Saturday at the Ft. Langley Cranberry Festival Canoe Regatta.

The first remarkable thing you notice about Salt, is that it isn't the usual restaurant on a street - it's down an alley...Blood Alley is so-called because there used to be many butcher shops along the alley way... or is it because of Gastown's pioneer days there used to be lots of muggings?  Owner Sean Heather writes on the Salt blog that "Salt’s location will have the look and feel of NY’s meat packing district, right down to the cobblestones."  I recognized the location across from Salt as being used in the Catwoman movie with Halle Berry.

You can sit in the window, at the zinc bar (very cool and shiny) or at the long 18 ft spruce table made from a 700 year old tree in the main room.  I chose the window seats so my friends could easily see me when they came in.  The first thing we talked about was walking down the alley.

Salt is rightly called a tasting room.  There is no kitchen.  Cured meats are served, hence the name salt, along with fine cheeses and nice wines.  The concept is to match cured meats and artisan cheeses, with delightful condiments and great wines.

For $15, you choose a platter of 3 items. We asked the server to select her favorite things for us.  Ash Camembert and Comte cheeses arrived with Mike's Corned Beef.  They were each paired with their own matching condiment.  Ambrosia apples, balsamic reduction and Guinness mustard. We also ordered a side dish of Coppa meat which the server behind the bar suggested. 

Our wines were deep delicious reds.  I had the Shingleback Cabernet Sauvignon, and my companion had the blended d'Arenberg Shiraz Viognier.  Everything was very tasty - perfect for sampling this and that... looking out the window and feeling warm and cosy inside.

Our third companion arrived and I ordered another plate.  This time I chose the sea salt chorizo, and artigiano salami while Judy chose the bleu de Gex cheese.  The setting was great.  Not too crowded, but still warm and cosy in this post-modern West-Coast wood, zinc and concrete decor.  And too soon... our time shared was over.

There's a great opening blog that details how the restaurant was put together.  It includes the trials and tribulations and pictures of how the large tables were put together... fascinating.


Donna Green, Todd Wong and Judy Maxwell - enjoying cured meats, cheeses, condiments, wines and friendship. photo J.Maxwell

Sha Lin Noodles is one of my favorite places to eat fresh noodles in Vancouver. Throughout the summer, we often dropped in for dinner after Tuesday night dragon boat practice... or even on a Saturday afternoon for lunch. Today, Oct 15, CBC's Living Vancouver did a spot with Jennifer Burke visiting Sha-Lin Noodles. It's a funny but informative story with Jennifer trying to twirl noodles, and slurping like she's famished. She even handles chop sticks like an expert. Wait! Jennifer IS half Chinese. According to internet sources, she was born in London England, but raised in BC. Her father is Chinese and her mother English.   more »

Every Friday night at Robson Square in Vancouver, there is dancing... Last Friday night was tango night. I joined some Gung Haggis dragon boat food and social club members,for dinner at Primataste Singapore style restaurant. 570 Robson Street, ~~~~~Then we walked the block over to Robson Square. Tonight was Tango Night. While I have played tangos on my accordion such as La Cumparsita and El Choclo... I have never before danced a tango. "Step, step, step, stop, rock, rock, back..." The instructors were good and Asian!!!    more »

What is the Redress Express, and what does it have to do with racism? 2007 is a significant year for anniversaries in Asian-Canadian history: 1907 - 100 year anniversary of the Chinatown riots by the Anti-Asiatic League 1947 - the end of the Chinese Exclusion Act and the beginning of franchise rights including voting for Canadians of Chinese ancestry. ~~~~~~~~~~ - Sid Chow Tan is now an "Artist" after his brief 5 minute talk & 10 minute video presentatsion of the journey of Head Tax Redress; Hank Bull (curator plus) stated that "If Sid's video isn't art, then I don't know what is!" - Victor Wong had an excellent talk on Head Tax & Redress titled "True Grits, Kwan Gung and Luck: The Inside Stories of the Head Tax Redress Campaign"   more »

Dim Sum with Olivia Chow in Vancouver


Olivia Chow and Todd Wong (center) with Barry Morley (left) and Mary-Woo Sims (right) - photo Todd Wong Collection

Olivia Chow came to Vancouver, ditched husband Jack Layton, and attended Meena Wong's monthly Dim Sum networking lunch at Rich Ocean Restaurant.  Actually, Jack Layton attended the Pride brunch, as Jack and Olivia attend Pride parades across Canada.  Meena has known Layton and Chow from her time living in Toronto, and is now continuing to handle communications and community building in Vancouver's Chinese language community for the NDP.  I've known Meena since 2002, when soon after arriving in Vancouver, she came to help volunteer for Asian Heritage Month events organized by explorASIAN.


Meena Wong and Olivia Chow addressing 40 people at Rich Ocean restaurant on Saturday- photo Todd Wong

The crowds came out to welcome Olivia to Vancouver.  Libby Davies MP for Vancouver East, dropped in to say hello.  COPE organizer Mel Lehan and his wife attended. Victor Wong, executive director of the Chinese Canadian National Council was in town.  Sid Tan, Sean Gunn and Ron Mah of the Chinese Head Tax Families Society attended.  Even Faye Leung dropped in.  In all there were about 40 people.

I had a nice chat with Olivia.  Meena had seated us at the same table.  I knew she would be interested in hearing about the CBC documentary Generations: The Chan Legacy.  And she was also very interested to learn more about Gung Haggis Fat Choy - which she would love to attend, if and when I bring my Robbie Burns Chinese New Year dinner to Toronto.


Olivia joins Vancouver's head tax descendants for a picture: standing: ??, Mary, Ron Mah, Olivia Chow, Sid Tan, Faye Leung, Todd Wong; sitting: Sid Wong, Sean Gunn, Victor Wong (executive director of Chinese Canadian National Council) + head tax redress supporter  Mary-Woo Sims.

The federal NDP was the first national party to recognize the importance of redress for Chinese Canadian head tax issue.  Olivia recognized that it was Margaret Mitchell who first brought the issue to Canadian Parliament in 1984.  Olivia also supported the calls for Chinese Head Tax redress, as head tax became an issue in the 2006 federal election.  She also supports and inclusive redress that would honour every head tax equally, not just for the surviving head tax payers and their spouses, but also the head tax certificates that were left in the hands of the daughters, sons and grandchildren when the original head tax payers couldn't live to see the federal apology by Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

What do do in Kitsilano on a Sunday?
Farmer's Market? Folkfest? Spanish Banks?

Sundays can be lazy...  I haven't been rushing to go off to Church since January.  I first blamed it on being busy organizing the Gung Haggis Fat Choy Robbie Burns Chinese New Year dinner and related events... then dragon boat paddling started... and I had to prepare my coaching lessons before going out on the boats... and then the weather got too nice to spend indoors... or maybe it's because my girlfriend makes such good tasty breakfasts on Sunday mornings?

Sunday mornings in Kitsilano... walks along the beach... shopping along 4th or Broadway... But now there is something brand new and "very Kitsilano-ish."  After having lovely french toasts with my favorite "lazy maple" bacon, we headed over to the Kitsilano Community Centre after noon, to attend the inaugural West Side Farmer's Market.  The market is held on the Eastside parking lot behind the community centre and adjacent to the playing field.  Just East of Larch and between 12th and 11th Avenues.

I hadn't even been there 3 minutes, when I bumped into organizer Mel Lehan.  He was surveying how everything was going... acting as a good will ambassador.  He told me that the Farmer's Market had been doing well at Trout Lake Community Centre, and it was time for one on the West Side.  Mel lives close by, just over on MacDonald St.  Mel is an incredible community organizer in Kitsilano.  He helped Mel co-founded St. James Community Square, helped organize the Kitsilano sign at the south end of Burrard Bridge, plus so much more.  The Vancouver Courier interviewed Mel for this story: Mel Lehan instigated the Kitsilano Farmers Market to give West Siders a ...

And then we bumped into former city councillor Fred Bass, who lives close by on Larch St. Fred was wearing his biking gear, as he bikes almost everywhere.  Last summer, I introduced Fred to dragon boat paddling, so now he introduces me to people as his "dragon boat coach." 

There was lots of fresh produce.  I loved the smell of fresh basil... and wanted to buy some, but knew anything would be sitting in a hot car while we had dragon boat practice in the afternoon.  I checked over the freshly frozen lox... all the fresh raspberries, cherries and blueberries... I even considered buying some ostrich leather to make a new sporran.  In the end we settled on some mango jam.  $10 for a large jar.  I used to love this mango grill sauce - but now I can't find it anywhere.  I plan to mix the mango jam with other sauces to create some special marinades... yum yum!

After dragon boat practice, our team congregated at Mario's Gelato.  It's a new team tradition - go have gelato after practice.  As we were paddling back to the dock, I asked our drummer Stephen Mirowski to ask each paddler to shout out their favorite ice cream flavour.  Back came the enthusiastic answers, "Chocolate," "Mango," "Strawberry," "Sorbetto," "Durian" (I don't think they were serious...), but then neither was Wendy, when I prompted her to shout "Tequila!" to lots of cheers.  Our dragon boat team is a foodie team and it loves its ice cream.

The afternoon was coming to an end. After relaxing a bit, we decided to bicycle out to Jericho and check out the Folk Festival.  We both remarked that we hadn't seen so many vendors along the walkway before.  I was last at the Vancouver Folk Music Festival two years ago. It's a great place to find some real exciting intercultural music. People still talk about the workshops that featured Silk Road Music and Pepe Danza a few years ago.  Musicians meet... and music happens... it doesn't matter what  instrument, style, race, or culture.  Musicians come together, meet and make music.  Why can't politicians do the same thing?  Music is something that always finds ways to transcends racial and cultural boundaries.

Speaking of transcending racial boundaries... we bumped into friends Margaret Gallagher and Omar Kassis.  Margaret was taking a break from introducing acts in her role as a media host from CBC.  I told Margaret that I had caught the promos and her first show for "Flavour of the Week" the new cooking show she is doing with Fred Lee.  Blueberries are featured this week. gonna have to listen Wednesday 3:30 or Friday 7:30pm on CBC 690AM Radio... blueberries are my favorite.  I love the blueberry sorbetto at Casa Gelato.

We cycled all the way out to Spanish Banks. We checked out Spanish Banks Creek, where a salmon creek had been reconstructed with a holding pool.  Very nice... the tall trees kept the area cool.  We cycled past people having barbeques, people swimming in the water, people playing bocce, badminton and volleyball.  I remembered the sites where we held barbeques parties for the Gung Haggis dragon boat team on Canada Day weekends for the past 3 years.  Hmm... I think it's time for a BC Day weekend bbq for the team.

We watched the sun setting from the farthest point, past the last parking lot - just before Marine Drive starts to go uphill.  It's a lovely view with Georgia Straight to the West, Howe Sound with Lighthouse Park to the North, and Stanley Park and downtown Vancouver to the East.  It is peaceful and reminds me of all my family summer weekends in our little 17 foot power boat, fishing Howe Sound and Sechelt.  My dad used to launch our boat from Kitsilano's Vanier Park. 

We cycled back and to my dismay I discovered all the concession stands had closed.  It was not event 8:30 yet!  No fish & chips!  Darn.  We mosied past all the vendors again, listening to somebody singing Janis Joplin songs from the Folk Festival main stage.  Then I  saw the large video screen.  Wow!  Folk Festival finally goes 21st Century.  The images changed from performers, front view... back view... audience members... mothers holding toddlers... very cool... very folkfest!  And to top off my evening... I bought a straw cowboy hat for $5.

Tix available from Gung Haggis team members find us Saturday and Sunday @ Alcan Dragon Boat Festival FREE admission to the Alcan Dragon Boat Festival this year   more »

After practicing hard on Tuesdays, the Gung Haggis Fat Choy dragon boat team has an appetite to fill a boat. We try to go to a different restaurant each week. A few weeks ago we went to the Sha Lin Noodle Restaurant 548 West Broadway. ~~~ pictures of noodle making!   more »

Pictures from Tartan Day Eve - at Doolin's Irish Pub

The Gung Haggis Fat Choy dragon boat team joined the Tartan Day Eve ceremonies at Doolin's Irish Pub on April 5th.  It was a special kind of kilts night.  The team also took part in a kilt fashion show, and scotch tasting.  We also watched the Vancouver Canucks lose to Colorado. 


Todd Wong in Gung Haggis Fat Choy dragon boat team shirt, Fraser Hunting tartan with Raphael Fang wearing a black leather kilt.


Christine Van, promotions manager of Doolin's grabs the dragon boat paddle and joins the Gung Haggis Fat Choy dragon boat team. (l-r) Wendy, Deb, Todd, Tzhe, Keng (front), Gerard (back) and Stuart.

http://www.gunghaggisfatchoy.com/blog/GungHaggisdragonboatteaminformation2007
photos/_archives/2007/4/13/2879250.html
Our Gung Haggis kilt wearers: Keng, Gerard, Tzhe, Stuart and Todd - photo Deb

I went to Kadoya for the first time on Friday night, March 23... and I LIKED it! On the walls are many compliments to the restaurant, staff and the food. It is entertaining just reading all of the different place mat sized drawings and compliments. There is even a sign up on both sides of the restaurant stating if you are allergic to something, please tell the serving staff. The specialty sushi rolls are REALLY SPECIAL. They are truly creations of culinary art. They are named Rainbow (each piece a different colour), Cinderalla, Snow White, Queenie, Princess, Canuck. They are large, eight pieces and cost $7.95. They almost fill you if you are going for dinner.   more »

Janice Wong is featured in this month's Canadian Living magazine (March 2007). The article is titled Chow Time: Celebrate Chinese New Year with traditional home-style recipes compliments of the Wong family. It was through an artist's eyes, and with an artist's deft touch, that Vancouver native Janice Wong delved into her family's rich history—which straddled the Canadian West in the 1920s, as well as the political quagmire that was China in the 1930s—to share their fascinating story in the pages of CHOW, From China to Canada: Memories of Food and Family (Whitecap, 2005, $24.95). -Canadian Living Magazine, Food, p. 163, March 2007   more »