Wordless Wednesday - Come sit awhile......

Embracing my Inner Asian - Part 2

 As my last post indicated I was made an Honorary Asian by my friend Jennifer.....and so named.....

This added to my Zulu name "Khethiwe" given to me by my friend Nosipho - I am now clearly an "International Name Gatherer" ....... it's a thing ...... trust me people ..... YOU can join if you have at least three names officially bestowed on you. 

Email me for an application (did I mention the $25 joining fee?).

Of course Jennifer went above and beyond and gave me a gift to go with my new name and status - my very own chopsticks, in their very own case.... red, of course, and beautiful. How lovely!!

This Asian food adventure I am currently on has some key ingredients:

• Asian friends - 1 who speaks and reads Mandarin, 1 who speaks and reads Cantonese
• Asian friends who are foodies
• Asian friends at your workplace
• Pregnant Asian friends at work 

( BTW I am now on the look out for Vietnamese/Malaysian/Filipino Early Childhood Educators)

One other key ingredient, of course, was one white girl with a sense of adventure and an appetite........ and boy am I the perfect candidate for that!

I have lived here in Richmond and eaten "safe", "typical" "Chinese" food......from places that have English menus.  And deliver.

Tourism Richmond recently hired a food blogger to write a daily account of dining in Richmond for the next 365 days.  Lindsay Anderson has done a fine job demystifying Asian and other ethnic dining.  Her fearless diving into restaurants I would never have thought to go to and her detailed descriptions of the food certainly peaked my interest and broadened my food horizons right here in my hometown.  I started to keep a mental list of local places I wanted to go and food I wanted to try.

All it took at work was for me to say "I really want to try Pho" and the adventure started.

It was SO good.   It makes me look forward to winter - almost.  The hearty broth and tasty noodles and the perfect beef..... forget chicken soup white people - we have been duped!!!  When you get a cold this winter get Pho.  Just do it.

The other revelation of Pho was that a huge bowl of it was $6....I challenge you to find a cheaper, larger lunch than that with as much flavour. 

My friends were encouraged by my enthusiasm but they were blown away when thanks to Richmond 365 I casually dropped into conversation that next on my list I had my sights on XLB's.  These little dumplings of goodness turned up on my desk along with Shanghai noodles...... just.like.that.

SOOOOO good..... I dream of them now.......the vinegar with the plain noodle and the pork filling with a little broth.  It's like a little initiation in the Asian Food Hall of Fame to pick those little puppies up with chopsticks and put the whole thing in your mouth without a) dropping it or b) piercing it and dribbling the broth down your face like a fool.

The Shanghai noodles also so good.

I easily declared that we were on to Hainanese Chicken next and the Asian Food Mafia at work kicked into high gear - this white girl was definitely serious now and the Hainanese chicken was pushing the envelope.  They made sure I knew what I was ordering, that the chicken would be cold...... I gave then a suitably withering look. 

Next day it arrived on my desk........after Jennifer braved Aberdeen Centre, at lunchtime, to get it.....a true sign of devotion to my Asian education.

It wasn't WOW but it was good......so good.  The chicken was so tender and gently spiced with green onion and ginger - ultimate comfort food (Asian answer to chicken soup maybe?).  The rice and bean sprouts were awesome.  My daughter Lindsay (aka Rice Girl) would have been jealous.

After that it was time to get serious - time to push the comfort zone - bust it to the next level.

Dim Sum.

Oh my - I tried to seem enthusiastic - I wasn't about to wimp out now (and Allan had been waxing on for months about a Dim Sum lunch he had) but I was a little nervous now.

This is the restaurant logo.......

 It may actually be a diversionary tactic to deter white wimps, like me, from tasting the delights of dim sum.

So I breezily said "Order whatever you like, I am sure I will like it all, just no chicken feet".  Lisa (Foodie extraordinaire) smiled enigmatically, which made me nervous.

So when this showed up......

I tried a bit of everything ordered and even Lisa was impressed with my boldness.

It was a real test for the senses and I can honestly say I liked it all but I had trouble with the texture of some of it.  But the dim sum barrier is broken, the dyke is breached.......there is no stopping me now even with creepy chicken logos....

How lucky am I to have such food mentors as these lovely ladies I work with?  That they order for me and pick it up and deliver it to my desk......and wait anxiously for my verdict?

SO SO lucky.

Onward, ladies, onward........AND Thank you!

Embracing my "Inner Asian" Part 1

On my Summer 2012 "Bucket List"  was #3 - Visit the Richmond Night Market.

(You can have a bucket list for a summer.....of course you can... don't let anyone tell you different!)

It took me all Summer to get to #3.......but on September 1, 2012 - I checked it off my bucket list!

On David's 13th Birthday evening the whole family caught the skytrain to the River Rock and got in the loooong line-up to get into the Night Market.

 

I admit, such skeptics were we, that we ate a bit of a snack before we went.

When I saw the line I felt good about that decision.

However the line went super fast and in a few minutes we were in.   We followed the crowd to the "back" of the market to the food area and employed a divide and conquer approach.... someone get seats, someone get in the line for Rotator.....someone else get other food...someone else take photos....


It was about this time I realised that I had forgotten my camera and only had my iPhone...after feeling crushed for a moment I decided to embrace the restrictions of the iPhone camera and go for it.

It was also at this moment I totally regretted eating before we came. Stupid white rookie move. UGH!

It was so exciting wandering around all the stalls - the smells so enticing.  Some vendors had amazing systems for moving customers through quickly - like the rotator folks - they have it down!!  And the Dim Sum..... but the Roti guy was overwhelmed and I didn't wait.....the bubble waffles were slow too....but who walks away from a chocolate bubble waffle......????

 

 

 

Having eaten and snacked and unable to justify any further food purchases - not to mention the place was now packed.....in a cheery and friendly sort of way..... we took off to see what the rest fo the market held.

In short........
iPhone case stalls  - tempting - hilarious....... but no thanks

 

I do think if Allan really loved me he would have got us these matching cases.

Hello Kitty - everywhere

Beauty products  - interesting / dubious / OH MY children avert your eyes

 

 

Household products - Buy one Samurai sword get one free - Bonus!

Techno gadgets - iKnockoffs at amazing prices. Also violent DVD's with subtitles. And laser pointers

2 Psychics   - one busy, one not (how would you know who was better?)

 

And one healthy fruit stand.

We had a great evening - lots of fun.....my photos are ok..... Allan's are much better...... :)

We are going again this weekend - with empty tummies......MMMMMmmmmm.

And all this led to an exchange with my friend Jennifer........

Honorary Asian!!!!!!  Nicola Bai.......... *blush*

More on my Asian education and induction into the "White Girls Asian Hall of Food Fame" coming up soon......

Wordless Wednesday - Summer in Steveston

 

Austerity and Order

The summer break is done and dusted......it went too fast. That is all.

And now the "cruise to Christmas" is upon us (not to be confused with "Sprint to Spring Break") ..... the darkening days, the cooler, crisp days, the changing light and colours, time to harvest, time for soup and scarves.....(Rachel Manaras cover your eyes) even the rain will start again.

The carefree, schedule-free days are all done.....alarm clocks are pressed back into full service, there are lunches to be packed, a puppy to be walked, soccer practices, meetings, conferences and Allan heads into the home-straight of his degree.

It's time for LISTS and CALENDARS people...... Woot woot! 

I am gonna print me off a calendar and (as I do every year .... for September), colour code the entries of who is going where and when and then post it on the fridge in all it's colour-coded glory.

Where no one will ever look at it.

But I will have the smug satisfaction of pointing out the calendar when someone claims they had "no idea" they had an orthodontic appointment or that I was working late and they were on their own for dinner.

So that takes care of Order (as much as we will ever get anyway)

And now for Austerity.

A colleague and friend told me she never goes on diet - her pants just tell her when to eat less. 

My pants have been having a wee word with me.....and it turns out the Mazda 5 has its own spare tire and doesn't need me to carry an extra one around my waist in case we get a flat. 

Someone should have told me sooner.  Just saying.

I did so well for so long and although I am still 4 pant sizes down from where I started.... I kinda let go the last couple week of the summer - stopped working out and stopped counting calories. Oh.... and wine.....I had "some" wine.....

And now my pants have something to say...... well ok then.  I hear ya.

Back to to my tried, tested and true regimes of Jazzercise 3x per week, now supplemented with Puppy walks (soon to be puppy jogs/runs) and calorie counting.  It is quite a relief to know it will work....I can do this. 

I can make the pants shut up.

Happy New Year to us all.

Child Labour

 “When the lives and the rights of children are at stake, there must be no silent witnesses.”--Carol Bellamy

 Today is Labour Day........and I am one of 100 bloggers across the world shining a light on both the horror of child labour and the amazing work being done to free child slaves in Ghana.  Please read the information below......imagine what it might feel like to be these children, to be their mothers and fathers, brother and sisters....what this does to the hearts of the slave masters too......many victims......The Mercy Project is standing in a place I cannot, doing work I cannot do right now....but what we can all do is read and share.  If you do nothing else this Labour Day...please share this post to your Facebook or re-blog it or tweet or like their Facebook page, read their website......Please ACT, not for me, for these precious children.

An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity.  -- Martin Luther King, Jr.

There’s an estimated 7,000 children who work in the Ghana fishing industry. Some of these children are as young as 5 and 6 years old.

All of these children are slaves.

–Mercy Project

Today many in our country will take a day off from our jobs to celebrate the social and economic achievements of workers.  No matter if we’re celebrating at home or at the beach, we’re entering into a tradition that has largely been shaped by Labor Unions - organizations that are dedicated to protecting workers’ interests and improving their wages, hours, and working conditions.

Today as we lounge around or hang out with friends and family, we’re not only celebrating hard work, we’re honoring fair, ethical working practices and the laws that prevent discrimination, abuse, and child labor in our country.  Without these laws in place (and enforced), the most vulnerable members of society suffer.

Who are the most vulnerable? Children. 

Today as we’re celebrating the systems in our own country that strive to prevent injustices like child trafficking and child labor, we’re mindful of the many child slaves around the world who are unprotected and the organizations, like Mercy Project, who are working to free them.

As a mother, it’s difficult for me to imagine my children working 14 hours a day, 7 days a week.  I’m unable to wrap my brain around the thought of my children engaged in long, hard days of physical labor, eating one meal a day, and then falling asleep at night on a dirt floor filled with other slave children.

Yet this is the daily reality for kids who have been trafficked into the fishing industry in Ghana, Africa.  As with much of Africa, there is a great deal of poverty in Ghana. Unfortunately, this leaves many mothers in an unimaginable position: sell their children to someone who can take better care of them or watch them starve to death. Most of the mothers are told their children will be given food, housing, and an education. Instead, the kids are often taken to Lake Volta where they become child slaves and their mothers never see them again.

Thankfully, Mercy Project is working to break the cycles of trafficking around Lake Volta by providing alternate, more efficient, sustainable, fishing methods for villagers – ultimately eliminating the need for child slaves.  Because of the work Mercy Project is doing in Ghana, the first group of children will be freed this month from Lake Volta.

I invite you to watch this moving, 10 minute documentary about the issues surrounding child labor and trafficking in Ghana and most importantly the hope Mercy Project is bringing to children and entire communities in Africa.  Mercy Project is the only NGO working on Lake Volta addressing the injustice of child labor and child trafficking at its root - by strengthening the Ghanaian economy and eliminating the structures that cause the demand for trafficked children. 

 

Whether these ideas of child labor, child trafficking, and modern-day slavery are new to you or you’re aware of these injustices, but need to hear some good news every once in awhile, we invite you to become a part of what Mercy Project is doing in Ghana.  

When Mercy Project frees their first group of children this month, we can all celebrate together.


Links: 
Mercy Project's Website

Mercy Project's Facebook Page

Mercy Project's Twitter Feed

If slavery is not wrong, nothing is wrong.

 - Abraham Lincoln

The heavens rejoice

There was rejoicing in Heaven today when God welcomed this great man. 

But what a gap it leaves on earth.

Especially in his family.......

You can read about his many accomplishments HERE which include this paragraph

Khoza Elliot Mbuyisa could have opted to remain silent during apartheid but instead chose to seek the truth and call for an equal society. While some ministers of religion chose to avoid involving themselves in politics, Reverend Mgojo fearlessly spoke out against the apartheid regime and provided spiritual guidance to many victims of apartheid. His compassion was exhibited through his burial of apartheid victims in Botswana and in South Africa. He was also called to bless the graves of the apartheid victims in Mozambique.

 Rev Dr Mgojo was the head of the Methodist Church in South Africa and a peer of Archbishop Desmond Tutu in standing against apartheid. He also headed a Theological Seminary in Imbali Pietermaritzburg..... a truly great man of Africa and the church.

But I didn't know any of that when I first met him.  I was sitting with my Mom in the foyer of my new school - Epworth - start of Grade 4.  He was sitting in the same foyer with his daughter Nosipho.  We were the only 2 new Grade 4's.  Dr. Mgojo was a huge man and when not smiling had a stern look on his face......I was mildly terrified.  Nosi and I gave each other a tentative smile and as we entered that classroom as the "new girls" we entered into a friendship that endures to this day.  We spent all our school years together and crossed paths at university later.  My Mom ended up working as a preschool teacher at the Theological Seminary and I hung out there with Nos and she came to my home - in defiance of Apartheid rules of the time. 

We both watched our parents stand up to injustice and demand equality.... and pay the price.  I came to know her Dad not just for the fierce, intelligent warrior he was but also for the loving, gentle husband and father he was.  Never was there a greater transformation than when Dr Mgojo put his head back and laughed - the stern face gone and the deep wholehearted laugh and twinkling eyes - there were moments when I held my breath and only exhaled when that twinkle told Nos and I were weren't in too much trouble after all.

The world may not stop today.... but I will - to honour this truly great hero of the struggle against Apartheid, true hero of the faith and wonderful husband and father.  It's been years since I had the pleasure of seeing him but I rejoice that I will see him in heaven and we will have plenty of time to laugh together.

To Stella and Mxolisi and Nosipho and Khayakazi - my deepest condolences - your loss is unimaginable.  Hold onto one another and your faith and may you know peace and joy in the days ahead.

Love

Nicky "Khethiwe" Byres on behalf of the Richardson/Byres/Gates families.