The View From Your Window #121

Reader “H.P.” | Main & 5th | Vancouver, BC | 10:00am |  SHARE YOUR VIEW

We love posting the photographs that reveal the views from our reader’s windows. Whether it’s a back alley in the fall or a sandy beach in high summer, we’re always stoked to see what you see from home, work or while on the road. Some of our all-time favourite reader submissions below… [ Keep reading ]

Smoke Break #922: A Beautiful Love Story About Working In The Restaurant Business

by Andrew Morrison | This is for all the restaurant industry folks coming off shift tonight. Dine Out Vancouver and Feast Van are both nearing their respective ends (Feb. 5th), and having worked the former for many years, I know you must be dog tired and dreaming of a trip far, far away in order to recharge your batteries and blow some of the cash that you’ve toiled so long and hard for. Might I suggest Midtown Manhattan? There, you can pay a visit to Prime Burger, where some of the staff have been on hand for 50 years, and where you just might find the inspiration to look forward to your first night back, whether it be at Hapa or Hawksworth. Of course, if you’d sooner go to Maui, knock yourself out. Maybe just enjoy the film above on the flight between well-earned beers.

For many of the guys that work here, the restaurant is like a second home – some of them have been slinging burgers, making shakes, and waiting on customers at this location for decades. Opened in 1938, the place hasn’t been altered since the early ’60s, and it looks all the better for it.

Via The Kraftfuttermischwerk.

TAKE ANOTHER BREAK

CITY BRIEFS: On Cruising And Choosing Our Public Art Murals (City-Sanctioned Or Not)

by Ellen Johnston | How do we choose what to depict in public art? Should it be the reality of the present, the legacy of what came before, or an idealized vision of what we want these spaces to look like in times to come? Whatever the case, the choice of subject matter for public art – especially for that of murals – can rarely be said to be purely aesthetic. In the context of the often harsh realities of urban life, art for art’s sake is a luxury few can afford, especially since our city streets provide contexts that simply cannot be ignored (unlike within the confines of a gallery).

One need only examine some of the most famous public art in the world to see that this is the case. In Mexico, the murals of Diego Rivera ask questions about their country’s history, and what it means to live in a Mestizo nation. In Philadelphia, where the Mural Arts Program has produced over three thousand murals, public art adorns decrepit and abandoned buildings, depicting messages of hope in some of the city’s most blighted neighbourhoods. In Derry, where some of the greatest atrocities of the Catholic-Protestant struggles of Northern Ireland occurred, political murals dedicated to the Republican cause stand side by side with ones depicting the innocent victims of The Troubles, and a dove, the symbol of Peace. And this is also the case in Vancouver, where our struggles are fewer and our mural culture is less developed. But there are still many gems that can be found throughout our city, and they can tell us a lot about where we came from, where we are at present, and where we aspire to be in the future.

It is hardly surprising that a high percentage of Vancouver’s murals are found in the vicinity of the Downtown Eastside. Not only is this one of the city’s most historic areas, but it is also a place in which some of our city’s greatest struggles have been fought, and are still being fought today. While most of the murals found hereabouts and in the surrounding areas were created individually, they have now been incorporated into a City of Vancouver program known as “The Great Beginnings Program”, which, according to their website, “supports this initiative through an investment of $10 million over three years to celebrate the history, heritage, and culture of Vancouver’s first urban areas, including the neighbourhoods of Gastown, Chinatown, Japantown, and Strathcona.” The city has now also produced an interactive map of these murals, which can be found at www.MuralsVancouver.ca. Suggested mural walking tours can found on the website, and information about each mural is listed.

As you can see, Multiculturalism is one of the most common themes addressed by our murals. Some highlight the mosaic-like nature of our city and collective efforts to get along, while others draw attention to the struggles of specific communities to find their place in the whole. On the corner of Columbia and Pender, for example, a three-paneled mural called “Snapshots of History” depicts the early lives of Chinese immigrants. On one of the panels, the Goon family is shown. The father went on to become the city editor of the Chinese Times, established in 1914 to chronicle the story of the Chinese in Canada and abroad, while the mother ran a fish shop. Their son, Hung Get Goon, dreamt of becoming a lawyer, but did not succeed due to discrimination. At the mural’s inauguration, Goon’s son said “It’s in memory of our ancestors and how they came out here and how hard it was for them to begin life here in Canada. There was so much discrimination. It was really hard for them to get by — but they survived, they survived.” Just a block and a half away from Vancouver most notorious intersection, Main & Hastings, this mural speaks true in more ways than one, because the continued success of Chinatown is a testament to survival amid so much poverty and addiction. It feels like a world away from Main & Hastings, and yet it is just around the corner.

Other cultures depicted in various murals include the Japanese, Russian, Italian-Canadian and Aboriginal communities, as well as the residents of Vancouver’s oft forgotten first and only black neighbourhood, Hogan’s Alley. Largely razed during the construction of the Georgia Viaduct, this neighbourhood’s most famous denizen was the famous musician Jimi Hendrix, who lived a few blocks east off and on with his grandmother, Nora. A mural depicting Jimi can be found at 1030 East Cordova. Equally unique is the Jimi Hendrix Shrine, located near the corner of Main and Union streets. While it is not officially sanctioned public art in the traditional sense of the term, it contains many pieces both inside and out that are free to the public and visible from a fair distance away. While the Shrine lacks the professional touch of the official Jimi Hendrix mural, its simple vision to commemorate a son of our city is nevertheless commendable.

This is true of several other unsanctioned pieces in and around the Downtown Eastside, whether they be graffiti or postering or words scrawled on a wall. They remind us that Public Art does not have to come from an official source. While some sort of community consensus might be generally preferred for such projects, sometimes an individual’s touch is all that is needed to ask the questions art so often needs to ask. One particular work on the DTES that cannot found on the City of Vancouver’s website states: “Food, home, health + education. Not greed”. It seemed such a simple equation, and yet only two blocks away, a street was blocked off because a TV show called “The Killing” was in the midst of shooting. Cops were telling pedestrians and bikers that they simply had to wait, because the almighty dollar has paid for this street to not be their street anymore, and nevermind the fact that one of the saddest shows on earth was streaming live, mere meters away.

————————————————————————————————-

Ellen Johnston considers herself a wanderer, whether tramping through the rain-soaked streets of Vancouver and attempting to pry loose the layers of our urban fabric, couch-surfing across America, or getting lost in the souks of Marrakech. Since that is not a full time gig, she fills her days with the study of African dance and drumming, writing, piano, and running her own cookie company, Cookie Elf. She grew up in Vancouver, studied in Philly and London, and hopes to see even more of this great big world in the future.

————————————————————————————————-

Tea & Two Slices: On Headlines For Harper And New Restaurants Dashing Our Dreams

by Sean Orr | Stephen Harper is ‘starving the beast’. God damn, why does every headline about the Prime Minister read like sexual innuendo?

Harpernomics: Attawapiskat third-party manager “sitting on” funds for new houses. Yeah, I got something he can sit on. See what i mean?

Give them enough rope… Tory senator’s idea: Give each murderer a rope inside their prison cell. That’s funny, that’s also how you kill a senator’s career.

Ferry Commissioners recommendations will take time and money. That’s OK, ferry passengers are used to waiting. Zing.

We want all the amenities the area has to offer, just not that one. Restaurant plan dashes homeowner’s neighbourhood dream. The site of an old brewery, eventually redeveloped so that people like Brenda Racanelli could move in and complain about a proposed brewery. Now that is Vancouverism.

Council seeks new direction in ousting of Vancouver’s chief planner. I can just hear the foam collecting in Klassen‘s pasty mouth. Ooooh, ‘what does it all mean? Let’s speculate’. Let’s not.

Truth dig: Income gap widened when Campbell was premier: economist. Which is why he was rewarded with a trip to the Bilderberg Conference.

Not sure why I find this hilarious: Longboarders object to increased fines, confiscation in proposed North Van bylaw. They just look so bummed!

Riot victim calls for accountability. OK, let’s be clear. This was a personal choice, albeit an incredibly brave one. The Riot Act had long been read. I found myself in a similar situation after trying to protect some Cars2Go. The crowd behind me yelled, “he’s a good guy” and the cop raised his baton and said “I don’t know who’s good and who’s bad – just get out of here”. So I did. I went home.

This is relevant to my interests: Sedins meet Drake.

Bonus: Urban Planet: Urban Highway Removal.

#VANCOUVER WOULD BE COOLER IF #173: If It Had A Forest Of These Rad Treehouses

Of course, getting the requisite permits might mummify the intrepid with red tape a la slow motion City Hall, but an Ewok can dream! From Oregon, natch, via BoingBoing:

This 17-minute mini-documentary introduces Michael Garnier, proprietor of the Out’n'About Treehouse Resort in Oregon. Garnier is a thoughtful and salty woodcrafter who’s put a lot of thought into the right way to build a treetop B&B, and his guided tour of his little hotel with its Ewok-style treehouses is a delight.

OTHER CIVIC IMPROVEMENT SUGGESTIONS

GOODS: “Red Card” In The Moda Hotel Set For Superbowl Sunday With Specials Galore

Red Card is located at 900 Seymour Street (at Smithe) | Vancouver | 604-689-4460 | www.redcardsportsbar.ca

The GOODS from Red Card

Vancouver, BC | Named by those in the know as the absolute best place to watch a sports event, Red Card is undoubtedly the ‘go to place’ for the Super Bowl this Sunday. With 18 hi-def TV’s, two of which are 106” projectors, you will not miss a single moment of the action, including Madonna’s half time show. And what’s Super Bowl without amazing beer and food specials? All day at Red Card you can enjoy pints of Stanley Park Amber and Pilsner for just $5.00. Lovers of coveted Westcoast IPA Green Flash will be excited to know its back in stock and on tap this weekend at Red Card (one of the few bars in town to have it). And, of course, we will be pouring our very own Red Card Lager specially brewed for us by Sleemans. [ Keep reading ]

GOODS: Diva At The Met’s Jeff Kang Wins “BC Chef Of The Year” At Foodservice Expo

Diva at the Met is located at 645 Howe Street in Vancouver BC | 604-602-7788 | www.divamet.com

The GOODS from Diva at the Met

Vancouver, BC | Diva at the Met sous chef, Jeff Kang, has been named “B.C. Chef of the Year” after winning the annual Roasted Competition at the BC Foodservice Expo. The event, held on January 30, was presented in partnership with both the BC Chefs Association and the Canadian Culinary Federation. The Roasted Competition is a knock-out black box event for up-and-coming chefs, with all competitors preparing appetizers, but only top contestants going on to prepare main courses and, ultimately, desserts. Chef Kang impressed judges with his skill, creativity and quick thinking, going on to win the final round over Chef Dan Craig from the Delta Burnaby (2nd) and Chef William Tse from The Sandbar (3rd). As the winner of this event, he will head to Halifax in June to compete in the national competition. As an added bonus, this year’s top two finalists will also travel to Toronto in March to take part in the “Discovered Chef Competition” at the Canadian Restaurant and Foodservices Association’s national show. [ Keep reading ]

Cool Thing We Want #328: Sweet Gunmetal Grey Industrial Tool Bottle Openers On Etsy

Dark, gunmetal grey with a light coat of wax to prevent rusting (rad) | $48 | Etsy via Get Addicted To…

EVERY COOL THING WE WANT

GOODS: Kale & Nori’s “Bittered Sling Bistro” Hosting Zubrowka Showdown At Legacy

Kale & Nori Culinary Arts is Vancouver's newest catering company | 604-809-9479 | www.kaleandnori.com

The GOODS from Kale & Nori

Vancouver, BC | The concept of cocktail and food pairings has become extremely popular, and since 2010, Lauren Mote’s original “Cocktail Kitchen” competition at The Refinery produced energetic statistics: 168 original cocktails produced, 56 bartenders invited, 224 bottles of spirits poured, 14 different sponsors. This city’s brightest bartenders – a collaboration of seasoned veterans and young apprentices – took their place behind the wood and produced magic for 1680 total guests in 14 months. We are proud to re-introduce you to “Bittered Sling Bistro” – a bi-weekly food and cocktail pairing competition using a special featured spirit(s) that is dedicated to pushing the boundaries of cocktail craft presented at the beautiful Legacy Liquor Store in Olympic Village. Get the details on February’s match-ups after the jump… [ Keep reading ]

Seen In Vancouver #338: Cool “Matchstick” Getting Its New Grind On In The Fraserhood

by Andrew Morrison | I really like the look of Matchstick. It’s a recently opened cafe and coffee company in the Fraserhood from former JJ Bean, Crema, and Elysian hands Spencer Viehweger, Annie Viehweger and Aaron Braun (639 East 15th, just a few doors down from Les Faux Bourgeois). The 1926 space, which had previously housed a hoarder for some 17 years, was – if my notes are correct – once upon a time a Bank of Montreal (I could see the massive vault door still in place). It has clearly undergone a top to bottom spruce, the clean effects of which are being beautifully amplified by lots of natural light. The minimalist design was done in house and put together by the same construction folks (Tetherstone) who did the awesome Revolver coffee house on Cambie. It’s a looker, for sure.

Matchstick is setting up to start roasting beans in a couple of months (as evidenced by all the equipment in the back), but the coffee is pretty damn fine as it is (from Calgary’s excellent Phil & Sebastian). Ancillary offerings include an array of sandwiches (meats supplied by Save On Meats) and baked goods, including fresh baguettes (from Baguette & Co). About 25 seats all day (no patio yet), with the majority being communal. Wireless? Plenty and quick.

The branding is superb. They’re aiming for quality everything, from bean to bread, with the name symbolizing the significance of a single, high quality matchstick in a world of plastic lighters (so take that, Starbucks). If you haven’t checked it out yet, you should. They’re open every day from 8am to 4pm, and killing it.

—————————————————————-

EVERYTHING SEEN IN VANCOUVER