The Un-Official Foodie Handbook

Before I had officially decided that I wanted to be a Foodie, I was just a girl who obsessed about food. New ingredients, new recipes, new restaurants; Low fat, low calorie, high protein, high fibre; What to try, what to buy, what to bake; Where to go and what to order... A thousand seemingly insignificant food related details. It's just food afterall, right? Wrong. Now that I'm Shelly the Foodie I have legitimate platform to obsess about foodstuff.

As per Wikipedia:

Foodie is an informal term for a particular class of aficionado of food and drink. The word was coined in 1981 by Paul Levy and Ann Barr, who used it in the title of their 1984 book The Official Foodie Handbook.

Although the two terms are sometimes used interchangeably, foodies differ from gourmets in that gourmets are epicures of refined taste who may or may not be professionals in the food industry, whereas foodies are amateurs who simply love food for consumption, study, preparation, and news. Gourmets simply want to eat the best food, whereas foodies want to learn everything about food, both the best and the ordinary, and about the science, industry, and personalities surrounding food.

I think my lack of refined taste will suit me well as a foodie. Come along with me on my journey [insert beckoning arm gesture here].

Pick a country, any country... Ethopia? okay sure. I'll tell you about the time (Last Saturday) when we went for Ethiopian food. For some of you that may not know, Ethiopia is a country on the East coast of Africa with a population of around 80 million people and boasts to being one of the oldest sites of human existence known to scientists today. WOW!

Rumor had it that Alanna and her cohorts Leslie and Vicky were heading down to commericial drive to cross Ethiopian Food off their Bucket List. When my plans fell through that night I called and begged Nikita to bring me along. Nothing gets my juices flowing like Ethiopian food. Please note that was said straight-faced sarcastically. On the way downtown Nikita mentions that she has something to tell me. Now I can't remember exactly how she said this, but it was in such a way that frightened me. Basically, Bad News Bears.

"You have to eat with your hands at this restaurant, there isn't any cuttlery," Nikita mumbles.

"WHAT?! Have you seen how long my nails are?" I gasp in horror.

After a minute or two of sulking i get over it. Shortly after we arrive at the restaurant, which is called Addis. The pronunciation is unverified. We threw it around a bit and came up with "ah-dee".

The three musketeers have already arrived and a minute later the waiter brings us some menus. On the menu there are a variety of chicken, beef, lamb and vegeterian dishes with minimal descriptions. We ask the waiter what his recommendations are and he isn't very helpful. A gentleman who has just finished his meal and is leaving the restaurant comes over and apologizes for eavesdropping then tells us he had the vegetarian and the chicken dish and that it was more than enough for him and his dining companion. We take his recommendation and add a beef dish as well to round out the meal.

The food comes. It is on a large round plate topped with, what seems to be, a pancake. This pancakey adornment has also been rolled up and served on a side dish for us to use as our utensils (remember? no cutlery!). The beef and chicken are nicely cooked and seasoned. The assortment of vegetables are decent as well. This is definitely a meal that is best had with good friends or family as there is a lot of grabbing and reaching and mess. After the meal is over and our parking has almost expired we go up to the till to pay. $35 dollars for the five of us. I convince Nikita to buy a box of chocolate covered almonds for a good cause (the cause being my grumbling tummy).

Annonymous quote:

I had no idea they had Ethiopian food judging by the photos I have seen in National Geographic.

Gerdan Zerid III

It just hit me like a ton of bricks... I have not blogged about Kitty's disappearance. I don't necessarily feel like I've betrayed him, quite the opposite in fact. I have been holding onto a glimmer of hope that Mr. Gerdan Zerid The Third would return to us in all his furry kitty glory. I will put the glimmer of hope into a pocket of a pair of pants I rarely wear as I feel it is time to move on.

Meowy McMeowington disappeared at the beginning of July like a chocolate cake at fat kids camp. Not a trace. The story, as I was told is as follows: One morning the Carol heard coyotes. The cat did not come when called as per usual. That is the only hard fact we have. I will be honest here. Being suspicious by nature, I questioned whether or not The Mom was conducting a cover up of Something Awful in order to save our feelings. I asked her (maybe not so politely) if she had something to tell me. She (I think I hurt her feelings) informed me she wasn't lying to me and that she didn't know the whereabouts of Kitty.

Let the search begin. In comes Sara and Amanda, aka Team Search Party. I will note here that we don't look like much of a search party, no special high tech gear and no plan to speak of. Manda, at this time, has a walking cast on her foot. Through the forest we trample. No more than seven minutes into The Search, Amanda gets stung by a bee. Lol. I don't know what to say here other than it was vaguely hilarious. She goes back to the house to lick her wounds. Sara and I continue on and stumble across what looks like a hobo's apartment. There is a pile of white stuffing that, at first glance, looks like it could be cat fur. Thank heavens it is not. We come to a gully and the search can go on no further. The forest is not a friendly place. We retreat home.

Signs go up around the neighbourhood. HAVE YOU SEEN THIS CAT? Insert picture of Kitty looking at camera with large amounts of disdain here. I listed off all of his features: long shiny white coat; gray points on tail, feet, nose and ears; startling blue eyes that may appear to be cross-eyed; a harrowing meow; comes to the name Kitty. I offered a reward for his safe return of an unspecified amount. I wouldn't want to put a price on his life... although I think we all know that I'm Cheaperific so the reward would probably consist of a twenty dollar bill and perhaps a piece of gum if I had some on hand.

I know our cat was hit or miss with most people. I can see how it could be hard to love a cat whose meow mimicked the cry of a baby, but at uprorious levels. I think though, that once one got passed that he was impossible not to love. A cat smart enough to come when called, who snuggled in your crook of your arm and didn't mind being under the covers with you when it was chilly. Head butts and purrs and the occasional face lick; kitty was a good friend. He will be missed. Also, RIP Kokanee. Poor little evil dog was in a lot of pain for way too long. You will be missed (mostly by grandma).

Insert guilty face here.... I am planning on getting a kitty from the SPCA in the next couple of months. They have an influx of cats and kittens that need a home and I feel, no- I KNOW it's my civic duty to give one of those kittens a home, preferably one that's gray with white points so he will match my condo decor.

‘Bit of an odd situation,’ police find bears guarding pot crop

CHRISTINA LAKE, B.C.—Marijuana growers in the B.C. Interior are using a new kind of bear trap, but its not bears they’re trapping.

Police uncovered two separate outdoor marijuana crops of about 2,300 plants near Christina Lake, just a few kilometres from the Canada-U.S. border.

When officers arrived in the area two weeks ago, they found 13 black bears wandering around the crops and then discovered the bears had been fed dog food.

RCMP Cpl. Dan Moskaluk said the officers were a little nervous to say the least, and cautiously went about making the seizure.

“As the members are conducting the search of the house, at one point in time the (home owner) has to shoo a bear out of the residence and out of the way, coming out of the basement,” he said.

“The owner tried to assure, ‘Don’t worry, they won’t become aggressive towards you, just don’t approach them and things will be fine. Certainly it’s a little bit of an odd situation to be in.”

He said the bears were very docile and it was obvious they were habituated to humans, acting unconcerned by the officers’ presence.

Moskaluk said it appears the alleged growers either liked having the animals around, or were using the bears to protect their grow operations.

During their search, the officers also stumbled across a roaming pot-bellied pig and a raccoon napping in one of the bedrooms.

“The pig was a little frantic at the sight of police, but the raccoon was pretty laid back about the bust and took it all in stride,” said Moskaluk.

Two adults in their 40s, both from the Christina Lake area, have been arrested and face charges of production and possession of a controlled substance.

No people or animals were harmed during the arrests, Moskaluk added.

Area conservation officers have been notified about the situation and Moskaluk said the bears may face an unhappy outcome if they are deemed too habituated.

Dozens of bears are killed every year in B.C. because they rely on human food sources and then become a threat to public safety.

‘Bit of an odd situation,’ police find bears guarding pot crop - thestar.com

#438 Your Almost Name

It’s what your parents were going to call you but didn’t.

Flipping through baby books, chatting at bedtime, you better believe your folks had alternate identities in mind before you borned out. They thought about nicknames, shortforms, and tributes. They thought about spelling, rhyming, and meanings. Basically, they thought and hoped and wished all kinds of things for you even before you made it here.

Sometimes when you find out your Almost Name it feels odd and uncomfortable — like putting on an itchy shirt, clenching your fist after waking up, or walking out of a movie and realizing your foot’s asleep. Maybe you let your mind wander and daydream about a new life where your Almost Name takes top billing and your nicknames, identity, and major life choices are all dramatically affected. You wonder how your life could be different — would you be more confident? Less passionate? More artsy? Less annoying?

Nothing’s the same when you’re Nancy.

Everything changes when you’re Chuck.

Now, my Almost Name is Paul.

Yes, it was a close call and my parents switched over to Neil at the last minute. I’m pretty sure Neil Diamond or Neil Armstrong got the name bouncing around their brains like a ping pong ball. But somehow Paul got tossed in the can before I showed up and my entire Paul Life got tossed with it.

And maybe that’s one reason Almost Names are so great: they remind us how lucky we are to get something else. I mean, it’s fun letting Almost Names add frames and borders to our lives … because it helps us feel a little more sure of ourselves and a lot more

AWESOME!

http://1000awesomethings.com/2010/08/17/438-your-almost-name/

Personal note: My ALMOST name was Amanda. Glenn and Carol were going to name the first of the two of us Michelle and the second Amanda, but then someone got the bright idea that it would be better if it was in alphabetical order; Amanda before Michelle. Thank god for that. I totally would be a downtrodden, struggling individual with a name like Amanda. I'm sure glad Amanada has been able to pull it off. Michelle Michelle Michelle. What a sweet little sound.

two wheelin' fool

Hey, remember when I fell off my bike and broke both my arms? That was fun {insert straight face here}. My main bike riding goal is to NOT do that again. My secondary goals are as follows:

1. To be super ridiculous cheetah speed fast.
2. To not quiver in fear every time i encounter a hill (up or downhill).
3. To acquire an amazing biking outfit (think Lance Armstrong).
4. To be able to bike to work at least once a week and arrive in a timely, non sweaty fashion.

Story time. My bike search ended abruptly yesterday after work. I had officially decided it was time to add bike to my life. A whirlwind tour of Capps, SportMart and SportChek left me dazed and confused, but nonetheless determined. 300 questions and 3 hours later I met Blue Lightning. Him and I and Snazzy White Helmet got loaded up into the car, with the help of Kevin the Salesman, and rode off into the sunset.

Back at the ranch, I got all geared up and then spent twenty minutes trying to fit the non fitting helmet onto my head. {insert lightbulb above head here} THE INSTRUCTIONS! After reading those and cursing for five more minutes the helmet had made it securely onto my head. You can't even imagine how ravishing i looked at this point.

Then it was time to put the front tire back on the bike....no sweat right? wrong. the front brakes are now rubbing on the rim. La de da, sitting in lobby messing with bike. Friendly neighbour comes to the rescue and helps me put it all back together The Right Way (note to self, do things The Right Way first time to avoid lengthy swearing episodes). I jump on my bike and wobble down the street.

Stopped by Uncle Ron's to show off my new ride. What'd you get that for? he asked. Idunno, i replied. I think he was mad that i didn't bring a loaf of banana bread with me.

then I began to ride. Tooker up my usual route down 200th (on the sidewalk of course). The occasional pedestrian and fellow biker were very courteous and usually let me have the right-of-way. I think this is because they saw the terrified expression on my face. I ran over two banana peels to no incident. I got some road riding in on the back streets and headed home when my butt could take it no more. My rudimentary distance calculator in my noggin says i did about 12km.

Guys, meet my new friend Blue Lightning...