All Entries in the "Non-Food" Category

Make a Difference

I know this has nothing to do with food but I came across this video that is so moving that I simply had to share with you. Get a Kleenex and click Play.

Suanne

How To Make Bento and Get Your Kid Ready For School in 5 Minutes

This is so funny that I just had to share this you.

The Japanese crazy creativity never ceases to amaze me. I came across this YouTube video from the KookyCulinary who in turn actually it from another blog called Just Bento.

The video is in … More on following page. Click here to continue reading

Emirates Airbus A380

Here is something about travel and a little about food too. I received this series of pictures from the folks at work of the new Airbus A380 of the Emirates. I think you will enjoy marveling at these pictures as much as I did.

Working in the airline industry we are very well aware of the buzz caused by the Airbus A380 when it was first delivered to Singapore Airlines. With the Airbus A380, the Emirates has taken air travel to new heights.

The Airbus A380 is the worlds largest passenger airliner in the world. Each plan can carry a minimum of 500 passengers. It can even squeeze in over 800 passengers if configured to be all economy class.

The plane is not only wide body but it is also fully double decker. So, not many airports are configured to handle the passenger load that big. For instance, the Airbus A380 require a airport gate with at least three aerobridges to make sure they can move that many passengers without excessive lines.

I get to travel business class on mission if I need to work directly with the airline. I still remember the awesome flight on Singapore Airlines’ Raffles Class which I blogged about here.

The Emirates is a whole new thing altogether. Too bad I am managing only internal projects these days or else I would want to volunteer to work with the Emirates!

The Emirates even has a shower spa! Can you beat that? That would come in handy for a 12 hour flight from Toronto to Dubai for sure.

BTW, you know how much First Class from Toronto to Dubai and return costs? It is sixteen thousand dollars … $16,000 Canadian. Come to think of it, it is not too expensive considering the same 1st class flight on Air Canada is already $13,000.

Alright, I’ll let you enjoy these pictures. The food images are at the end of this post … More on following page. Click here to continue reading

Seville: Hotels in Spain

We don’t normally post about hotels but we will make it an exception this time. This is because we were so pleased with the hotels in Spain throughout.

We were particularly impressed with the hotel in Seville. Even though it was a last minute booking, we managed to snag a hotel called the Best Western Cervantes Hotel right in the middle of old Seville. It was just €50. We did not expect much especially with a “Best Western” name to it. We selected this primarily because of the low price, location and the reviews we found on Trip Advisor.

The Cervantes Hotel is located right in the old city. Despite the name, the streets were meticulously maintained and kept spotless clean. It was a quiet section with hardly any cars. One thing that struck us is how narrow the streets are here. It is just enough for 1 car.

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It is hopeless having a map of Seville. Look at it. We got more lost using the map than not using it. After a while we just threw away the map and just ask for the general direction. It is a good thing that the old city in Seville is small. You can easily walk to all the major tourist sites.

We had come to learn to rely on the blue H signs outside of all hotels. That denotes the star ratings of the hotels in Spain. I learned from our guide book that hotels are highly regulated. When you see a three star, you really get a three star hotel. (US hotels are the worse I find when it comes to ratings).

They have the room rates posted clearly on the check in counter. It is a requirement by law to protect guests.

Regardless, when you book for a room, compare the rates between what is available on the web (expedia, orbitz, hotels and such) and direct with the hotel.

Here is our experience. We started off with 3 nights in Barcelona. When we wanted to extend our stay to 6 nights, we were quoted by our travel agent €150 per night — we said thanks but no thanks. When we got to Barcelona we asked the hotel and was told it is €110 per night. I then checked the web and the lowest quote I found was just €75. So, I booked the additional nights on my notebook (connected to the hotel’s wifi) right there and then at the hotel checkin counter. They were cool about it.

If you care to see, here are some of the shots we took of our hotel in Seville: More on following page. Click here to continue reading

Barcelona: Le Tour de France

I could not believe my eyes when I saw the yellow banners in Barcelona.  I knew that the Tour de France is going on but I did not realize that they had chosen Barcelona for the stage outside France.  Not only that … TWO stages were held in Barcelona.

It was Stage 6 (Gerona to Barcelona) and Stage 7 (Barcelona to Andorra) that involved Barcelona.

I love cycling.  I used to cycle 40+ km to work almost every day of the week.  I stopped doing that ever since I had a wipe out two winters ago and ever since then, my Giant TCR-2 road bike had been sitting on the bike stand at home.

When the Tour de France was going on in summer, I would go to work late because I wanted to watch each stage to the end.  That was when Lance Armstrong was reigning supreme.  Guess what … Armstrong is back on the Tour again this year and I am not going to miss this chance of a lifetime.

Look at those toned muscles.  It was a good thing I decided at the last minute to bring along the 70-200L 2.8 lens with us on this trip.  Along with the 1.4x extender and with the crop body of the Canon 40D, I had quite the reach I needed.  The long lens was heavy to carry around on vacation but it sure paid off.

Well, my lens was not nearly as long as the many professional photogs we saw.  This guy’s lens must be 300mm?  400mm?  Must have cost a fortune.  Suanne will never allow me to buy one of those.

Our hotel conceirge was extremely helpful.  He spent 30 minutes helping me find a great spot to watch.  I was so impressed that even though he did know much details of the Tour in Barcelona, he did the research on the internet with me and plotted painstakingly the entire city route where the tour will pass.  So with the custom map he gave us, we went to the foot of the Columbus Monument.

We were there about 1 hour before the scheduled arrival of the leaders.  I like this spot because the cyclists will need to ride through a double curve around the monument and then ride on a straight wide avenue.  For one hour we did not budge from our spot because once we move, it gets filled and it will be impossible to get a railing side spot again.

The wait was not too bad because there are lots of entertainment before the peloton passes by.

The sponsors have floats and throws out freebies.  Suanne was pretty good catching them.  She got a nice keychain from the French Gendarmarie (military police) and a cap from Skoda which she proudly wore through the vacation.

Her trick?  All around her were guys and Spanish guys do not fight with girls.  Suanne literally grabbed the cap from a guy’s hands and he let her have it.  There are advantages being female in Spain.

After an hour of entertainment, things gets more formal.  Security got tighter as they controlled the people from crossing the streets.

And then from the distance we could hear the roar getting closer.  There were a lot of cheering the past hour but this roar was decidedly different.

To a lot of people’s surprise … More on following page. Click here to continue reading

Dine Out for Italy at Il Nido

Hi All:

I am helping to spread this news for a good cause. Il Nido, an Italian restaurant located in downtown Vancouver, is supporting the victims of the recent devastating earthquake in L?Aquila, Italy.

So, Il Nido is presenting the Dine Out for Italy event on this Thursday, April 23rd. The time is from 5:30PM until closing and is held at their restaurant at 780 Thurlow Street.

In this event, 20% of proceeds from the evening?s dinner seating will be donated to funds helping victims of the earthquake. Vancouverites will be given a chance to make selections from Il Nido?s new spring menu, and help out the communities whose rich history has inspired a taste of Italy right here in Vancouver.

They had just launched their new spring menu and it’s good time to check it out and help a worthy cause.

About Il Nido

Il Nido is Vancouver?s hidden Italian restaurant gem. Nestled between Robson and Thurlow streets in the midst of the downtown shopping and style district, Il Nido has wined and dined locals and tourists alike for over 20 years. BC’s finest ingredients are used to create dishes that are bursting with flavour, yet light and lean on the palette. Featuring local and organic ingredients, this “Nest In The City” is a destination for those who enjoy wonderful food and good conversation. Groups of up to 70 are welcome and custom menus are easily designed. As Il Nido continues as one of Vancouver’s finest restaurants, evolving with imagination and inventiveness, its motto remains: Everyone Leaves Happy. For more information, visit www.cafeilnido.net .

Any Tips for Vacation to France, Spain and Morocco?

We just came back from the library and raided the shelves of travel books we can find about travel to France, Spain and Morroco. Yup, that is our vacation plan this summer. I was in Paris two years ago, which I had blogged about it here before. However, Suanne has never been there before.

We will most definitely start our travel from Paris because I had recently gotten a staff travel pass to the Charles de Gaulle airport. It will just be Suanne and I as the boys will be in summer camp during that time.

Our general plan is to start from Paris and then travel to Barcelona and Madrid. We would also want to cross the Straights of Gibraltar to step onto African soil. Time permitting, we might even go to Portugal.

I am sure some of you had been to these countries before. So, Suanne and I would welcome any tips and pointers about travel to these places. We are looking for info on intercity travel, places to visit, customs, security, currency, visas … and most important of all, FOOD!

We also gotten quite a number of magazines too from the library. There is a lot of reading to do which I really like to do. After all, half the fun in a vacation is the planning and dreaming!

BTW, we have 2.5 weeks to spend in Europe and will be traveling in July. Spain will be the focus of our trip.

So … why Spain? In one word, elBulli.

No, we did not get a reservation to the No 1 Restaurant in the world (damn you, Luis!). Our primary plan for this trip is to go for the next best thing. It all started when Angie gave us the “A Day ay elBulli” book as a gift a few months ago. It is an awesome book. Any real foodie should at least read this book. It is a thick book that chronicles a day at elBulli … from day break at 6:05AM to when the kitchen lights are switched off at 2:00AM. You will love this book.

Getting a reservation to elBulli is next to impossible. They are opened only like six months in a year (with the remaining months spent on scouring the globe for the taste for the next year). They received 2 million reservation requests each year for only 8,000 seatings. The reservation is filled on the very day it is opened for the year — all selected by this one guy, Luis.

In that book, they pointed out that if you still want to taste Ferran Adria’s gastronomic innovations, you could … in a restaurant at the elBulli hotel in Sevilla. But they only serve food from previous year’s menu of elBulli.

It is still the dream of Suanne and I to dine at elBulli but until that day, we will settle for second best.

Help us plan for the trip.