MORNING PROCRASTINATIONS #630: On Letters From Gonzo And Very Angry Hobbits

by the Editors | Around the Scout office this morning, we were proud to learn that some of our favourite websites would go dark on January 18th to protest a remarkably stupid anti-internet law (SOPA), and we were happy to find out that the White House had categorically come out against it (they would have been nuts not to). We got stoked at the prospect of hot chocolate on a stick (sheer genius), and we wondered about the ethics of eating the flags of other countries (count us in for Italy). We were taken aback by Bilbo Baggin’s spider killing rage face (for the Shire!), and we dug the portrait photography of Jonathan Rosser (spooky pretty). We wondered how bad bacon soda would taste (probably awful), and for the first time in our lives, we actually considered biting a storm trooper on the head (“Look sir, cake!”). We liked the look of jewellery made from AK-47s (clever), and we read the hell out of Andrew Sullivan’s cover story on Obama’s re-election in Newsweek (done deal). We watched Johnny Depp read personal letters from Hunter S. Thompson (double awesome), and we thought about wrapping our camera lenses in burritos (that’s just weird). We wondered at the genius of a coffee weed pipe (for real), and we went foraging with a master chef (just for kicks).

And then we started working…

GOODS: Haro’s Adesso Bistro Plating Three Courses In Support Of “A Loving Spoonful”

Adesso Bistro is located at 1906 Haro Street in Vancouver's beautiful West End | 604.568.9975 | www.adessobistro.net

The GOODS from Adesso Bistro

Vancouver, BC | From January 20th to February 3rd, the West End’s cozy Adesso Bistro will be plating a special, three course dinner featuring such options as buffalo bresaola, warm portobello mushroom salad, roasted vegetable risotto, and zabaglione semifreddo. The cost is just $33, with partial proceeds going to A Loving Spoonful, the volunteer-driven, non-partisan Society that provides free, nutritious meals to Vancouverites living with HIV/AIDS. Learn more about the restaurant and take a look at the menu in full after the jump… Read more

SEEN IN VANCOUVER #335: Pretty Reigned In This Morning’s Snow At Hastings & Main

EVERYTHING SEEN IN VANCOUVER

TEA & TWO SLICES: On Occupying The Sun And Regular People Who Drink Tim Hortons

by Sean Orr | Hockey game helps Clark punctuate a right-wing shift. Man, this article was really promising at the start. It mentioned Boessenkool, the surging BC Conservative Party, and even took a jab at their populist choice of coffe – Tim Hortons. But then it just kind of fizzles into nothing:

So far she’s up to 7,313 followers on Facebook. On Thursday night, those 7,313 all had a four-image photo gallery to remind them that Clark wasn’t just a Liberal’s B.C. Liberal.

It’s like the last line of that terrible Cusack movie, 2012. “No more pull-ups”.

British Columbians least able to afford prescription drugs. That might explain why it’s cheaper to go to Carnegie for some dillies instead of to a pharmacist (not that I’ve done that or anything).

In what’s believed to be a first for B.C., a judge has ordered a condominium owner to sell her suite because of an avalanche of complaints from other owners. Let the Condo Wars begin!

And speaking of war: ”In May, the minimum wage in B.C. will climb from $9.50 to $10.25, the highest in the nation, sparking debate about its impact on individuals, businesses and the economy at large”. Well, when you’ve hinged your economy to the ability of the consumer to spend more money at Christmas, what do you expect? “The Fraser Institute said that employers will respond to higher labour costs by cutting hours and hiring fewer people.” It’s The Revolt of the Salaried Bourgeoisie. It’s the Leviathan in reverse! It’s the Tragedy of the Commons! “The second question is the potential trickle-up effect of the minimum wage raise on the entire workforce”. That’s rich. I thought it was the other way around. The massive and disproportionate bonuses doled out to CEOs was supposed to trickle down to the hoi polloi. Alas:

This new bourgeoisie still appropriates surplus value, but in the (mystified) form of what has been called ‘surplus wage’: they are paid rather more than the proletarian ‘minimum wage’ (an often mythic point of reference whose only real example in today’s global economy is the wage of a sweatshop worker in China or Indonesia), and it is this distinction from common proletarians which determines their status. The bourgeoisie in the classic sense thus tends to disappear: capitalists reappear as a subset of salaried workers, as managers who are qualified to earn more by virtue of their competence (which is why pseudo-scientific ‘evaluation’ is crucial: it legitimises disparities in earnings). Far from being limited to managers, the category of workers earning a surplus wage extends to all sorts of experts, administrators, public servants, doctors, lawyers, journalists, intellectuals and artists. The surplus they get takes two forms: more money (for managers etc), but also less work and more free time (for – some – intellectuals, but also for state administrators etc).

The G-word: Paint store sale heralds major East Hastings redevelopment. Key words: “downtrodden strip”, “artist studio rental spaces”, “industrial, gritty, edgy”, and the kicker; “I think the area will benefit by just having regular people move in and living there, and also regular shops of one sort or another opening up there”. Wow. Regular people. What a breath of fresh air. Is it just me, or is it staying white out later and later?

Everything in Flux: Is Vancouver a Friendly City? Short answer: no. It’s the transience – a fishing village blown all out of proportion. It’s the end of the line – Terminal City – and yet the “gateway” to the Pacific Rim. It’s why it’s almost novel when you meet someone who is actually from here. So it takes a little longer for us to open up. We may not be laid back like everyone thinks we are, but we are definitely chill. I used to think it was vanity, but then I realized that everyone was just really shy.

Bonus: The (Occupied) Vancouver Sun.

GOODS: White Wine Production At “LaStella” Increases In 2011 While Reds Drop Slightly…

La Stella is located at 8123-148th Avenue in Osoyoos, BC | Tel: 250-495-8180 | Fax: 250-495-8160 | www.lastella.ca

The GOODS from La Stella

Osoyoos, BC | The final numbers are in for LaStella’s 2011 harvest. A total of around 33 tons of grapes destined for whites and rosés and 24 tons for reds marks a slight increase in white wine production and a slight decrease in red wine production.

Overall, head winemaker James Cambridge thinks 2011 will produce outstanding wines from the winery’s vineyard sites in the South Okanagan. The vintage didn’t get off to a terrific start, says James: “Early and often rains in May and June had all of us worried, with no end of horrible thoughts creeping into our minds.” Fortunately, the weather did a complete 180 in July and James credits his vineyard team for their hard work: “they performed timely shoot thinning, leaf removal, and ultimately, and for me most crucially, bunch thinning.”

In the end, harvest was a little later than usual, but James thinks the results are going to be amazing: “Flavours are great, alcohols and PH will be lower and the acids are lively, leading to what I think will be a sensational vintage.” On top of all that, the fruit arrived at the winery in almost perfect condition: “the fruit is the cleanest I have seen in all my years in the Okanagan. There were zero fungal issues do deal with. This makes fermentation much easier, and more importantly, causes me less stress!” Read more

Food Media Omnibus #554: On Eating At The End Of The World And No More Twinkies…

by Claire Lassam | Presenting Scout’s weekly Food Media Omnibus, a collection of links to the local and international food stories of the day…

The New York Times checks in with Hostess Brands bankrupcy protection. I, for one, don’t feel much nostalgia for the Twinkie.

The Humane Society has become a shareholder in Apollo Global Management (a major US fast food chain) in order to talk about animal rights. An interesting tactic? The Hufifngton Post reports.

For those just learning to enjoy Scotch (myself included), TheKitchn shows us four easy drinks to open our palates to.

Andrew Morrison thinks about his last meals before the apocalypse in the Westender.

The North Shore News drinks wine with their veggies.

Alexandra Gill has a lacklustre meal at the new Boneta.

Design*Sponge makes Chinese dumplings. I tried these this week and they were wonderful!

The combination of a French restauranteur and a yoga studio? An unusual pairing, but the Foodists are raving about it. (although I hear the chef just left, so who knows…)

The new reality show on the opening of Save On Meats starts this week. The Georgia Straight is entertained.

Amanda Hesser eats breakfast for dinner. Can we talk about how much I love her site, Food52? So good.

Bon Appetit gives you 25 ways to use Sriracha, from pickles to mayo to marinades.

SOUNDTRACKING: On The Cassette-Making Majesty Of Vancouver’s Own “Green Burrito”

by Daniel Colussi | Part of what makes Vancouver so rad is that it’s so rich in creative types, the ones who quietly tool away at their projects and are willing to share the sweet fruits of their labours with the rest of us. Take, for example, Ryan and his upstart cassette label Green Burrito. He sums up his operation as “one guy making cassettes in his bedroom above a restaurant” on Main Street. In a way, that’s all it is. But if we probe deeper than just the nuts and bolts of his modest operation, we find that in tapping into Vancouver’s very happening music scene, Ryan has provided a focal point around which a community can orbit. That’s cool in itself, and even better are the very slick looking, primo-fidelity cassettes that can be enjoyed on the home hi-fi or on-the-go in a walkman.

Readers, from a bedroom cluttered with blank cassettes, discontinued hi-fi equipment and stacks of j-stock cards, I give you Green Burrito…

So what made you want to start Green Burrito? There was a bunch of stuff that tying it in together that made me start the label. I always loved making mix tapes, it was such a cool high school thing to do. And it’s literally the easiest form of making some music – at home you can do it with your own devices and a little common sense. And so that together with having a buttload of pals making sweet music – all the cards just fell into the palm of my hand without really trying. I was having a bit of a lull, being creative on my own level, so it seemed like a way to keep me stimulated creatively and get involved, work with other people. Its just really fun, super positive.

So what’s the process dubbing procedure for making these cassettes? By the time I put out the Capital 6 tape I owned four cassette duplicators, and they were all different – I had a one to one, a one to three, and an a and b side at the same time type unit. I bought them all off Craigslist and Ebay. And the thing with these cassette duplicators, that I started to figure out, is that they were very commonly used by churches to do Sunday service tapes. So you can imagine, they probably put out hundreds or thousands of recordings every week for years, so the heads on these duplicators are just mangled. And also, without knowing it I dubbed all these Capital 6 cassettes in mono! One day after the fact I realized it. So that prompted me to search out a stereo duplicator, and not a used one. I bought a brand new one that has brand new stereo duplicating heads, and that was a big step.

And you had to go to Victoria to get it? For doing the master cassette that I’ll use to make the duplications, I’ll take the digital file and then record that into a cassette recorder. And the one that I got in Victoria is this stereo company called Nakamichi. Nakamichi was for the real nerd in 1992 who wanted the highest end, highest fidelity cassette quality. I started reading forums online and there are people out there who are just total cassette-heads. Just like there are dudes who listen to vinyl only, there are dudes who only like cassettes! And there’s this thing called the Nakamichi Dragon that’s a fucking $1,000 thing, and I thought, “Woah, I won’t get that,” {laughs} but I got this other Nakamichi from a dude in Victoria. The recording and playback is far superior as far as home recording systems go, and there’s less background sound. Yeah, the first tape decks I was using had a lot of hiss!

That’s pretty epic, to go to Victoria for a cassette duplicator. I met the dude there, he was a total tape-head, and he had all these cassette decks for sale that were all really good. The one that he showed me, that I wanted to get, was $700. Not even for a duplicator, just for a tape deck! It’s cool stuff and I’m super interested in it, but it’s also a little bit beyond me. Read more

GOODS: South Okanagan’s “Tinhorn Creek Vineyards” Hauls In 2011 Icewine Harvest

Tinhorn Creek is located at 32830 Tinhorn Creek Road in Oliver, BC | 1-888-484-6467 | www.tinhorn.com

The GOODS from Tinhorn Creek

Oliver, BC | Tinhorn Creek Vineyards is delighted to announce the successful completion of its 2011 icewine harvest. On the morning of Thursday, January 12th, staff of the award-winning winery – which sits on a hillside overlooking the South Okanagan Valley’s famed Golden Mile Bench – picked 3.6 tonnes of Kerner grapes in one and a half hours.

“January 18th is the latest icewine harvest in Tinhorn Creek’s history, which we have been able to make 15 out of the 19 years we have been in business. This year’s harvest was completed at a temperature of -10°C, it was a clear morning; no snow on the ground, and the fruit was in absolutely the cleanest condition that I have ever seen. ” says Sandra Oldfield, Tinhorn Creek Winemaker and CEO.

With the first press already complete, initial tests show the juice at 44 brix. Once the juice has gone through the pressing process, it will ferment for approximately three months in a small tank prior to bottling. The highly anticipated 2011 Oldfield Series Kerner Icewine will be released on July 1st, 2012. This unique product will be available at the winery and in select wine shops and restaurants. Read more

Cool Thing We Want #322: This Unique Book Of Over 100 Years Of American Menu Design

Loving the look of this book, Menu Design In America: 1850-1985. The Taschen-produced hardcover tome, which is selling for $36.44, has almost 800 examples of original menu works from the States, among them Art Deco beauties and fold out totems (a sight more exciting than the Century Gothic ubiquities that abound today).

Until restaurants became commonplace in the late 1800s, printed menus for meals were rare commodities reserved for special occasions. As restaurants proliferated, the menu became more than just a culinary listing. The design of the menu became an integral part of eating out and as such menus became a marketing tool and a favored keepsake.

Menu Design is an omnibus showcasing the best examples of this graphic art. With nearly 800 examples, illustrated in vibrant color, this deluxe volume not only showcases this extraordinary collection of paper ephemera but serves asa history of restaurants and dining out in America. In addition to the menu covers, many menu interiors are featured providing a epicurean tour and insight to more than a hundred years of dining out. An introduction on the history of menu design by graphic design writer Steven Heller and extended captions by culinary historian John Mariani accompany the menus throughout the book. Various photographs of restaurants round out this compendium that will appeal to anyone who enjoys dining out and its graphic and gastronomic history.

Yum. Check out more images via Laughing Squid.

MORNING PROCRASTINATIONS #629: On Drinking Lots Of Coffee And Exploring Mars

by the Editors | Around the Scout office this morning, we learned that a renowned wine educator created a fake blog to ridicule and torment a Yelper who gave his class a negative review. It became clear to us that much can be blamed on volcanoes. We saw an intoxicated David Chang explaining Bourbon on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon. We were besotted by the trailer for a documentary about “famous unknown” Pablo Ferro, the artist Stanley Kubrick hailed as the father of the sixties look and MTV aesthetics. We coveted these cool, retro-styled VHS notebooks. We liked the look of these personalized leather bomber jackets from World War II. We were stoked at the idea of exploring Mars from our iPhones. We read the hell out of a fascinating piece on the evolution of accents. We thought about why Republican presidential hopefuls never sensibly talk about drug policy these days. We watched the trailer for the new Wes Anderson feature film, Moonlight Kingdom. We celebrated the first anniversary of the Tunisian uprising with a second cup of coffee. We looked at 140 years of gay male couples in photos. We thought about drinking our third cup of coffee from a jar. And then we started working…

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