Oh sweet Winnipeg. Only you would bring the world this. Yes, a trip down memory lane. . . but WOW!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpRO8vMwCCc
I couldn't get the video to upload, but go to this link for some sweet, sweet perogy making love!
Wednesday, 17 April 2013
Thursday, 11 April 2013
Stock Stalker
Friday, 29 March 2013
Ringing the Butter Bell
I recently discovered an amazing and simple culinary tool called the butter bell.
It is a bowl, which you fill with butter, that then sits upside-down in another bowl which has a small amount of water in the bottom.
Why, you might ask? Well the answer is that the butter remains firm, but perfectly spreadable. It also slows the process of the butter going rancid.
This little gem is attractive and can just sit on your counter or kitchen table. They are available at any kitchen supply store and are very affordable. If you love butter the way you should, get it a nice little house to live in, the butter bell.
It is a bowl, which you fill with butter, that then sits upside-down in another bowl which has a small amount of water in the bottom.
Why, you might ask? Well the answer is that the butter remains firm, but perfectly spreadable. It also slows the process of the butter going rancid.
This little gem is attractive and can just sit on your counter or kitchen table. They are available at any kitchen supply store and are very affordable. If you love butter the way you should, get it a nice little house to live in, the butter bell.
Friday, 22 March 2013
Pho No. 1. What a Sandwich, What a Bun.
There are many delicious Vietnamese subs in town, but my favourite is from Pho No 1 at 81 Isabel St., (204) 943-7449.
The sub is made with a delicious crusty on the outside, tender on the inside house-baked roll filled with shredded carrots, cucumber, cilantro, mayo and the super tender marinated grilled pork.
The pork is sweet and tangy and full of flavour.
The sandwich is yet another Vietnamese dish that was born from the French occupation of Vietnam. The bun is strong evidence of this as it has the same qualities as a French country roll.
Vietnam's national dish pho (pronounced "fuh, it sounds like feu, french for fire) is also born from the French occupation, incorporating Vietnamese flavours with traditional French style beef stock making.
The sub is made with a delicious crusty on the outside, tender on the inside house-baked roll filled with shredded carrots, cucumber, cilantro, mayo and the super tender marinated grilled pork.
The pork is sweet and tangy and full of flavour.
The sandwich is yet another Vietnamese dish that was born from the French occupation of Vietnam. The bun is strong evidence of this as it has the same qualities as a French country roll.
Vietnam's national dish pho (pronounced "fuh, it sounds like feu, french for fire) is also born from the French occupation, incorporating Vietnamese flavours with traditional French style beef stock making.
Friday, 15 March 2013
Magic Chicken Powder
It's a fact. There is no beating properly simmered chicken stock. That slow cooking with your favourite veggies and spices. Every region has a take on it and the recipes are endless.
Sometimes, though, there just isn't time, and bouillon is the only solution. Lee Kum Kee makes a powder that far surpasses all others I've tried. Around my house we call it Magic Chicken Powder.
It's just plain more chickeney than the other brands.
It is also great to add a pinch to liven up soups and gravies.
Sometimes, though, there just isn't time, and bouillon is the only solution. Lee Kum Kee makes a powder that far surpasses all others I've tried. Around my house we call it Magic Chicken Powder.
It's just plain more chickeney than the other brands.
It is also great to add a pinch to liven up soups and gravies.
Tuesday, 5 March 2013
5 Potential AdWords ads
Mayor Matt's must eats!
Cheap awesome food in Winnipeg
Read it and eat!
http://ethnicdelight.blogspot.ca
Discover the delights!
Winnipeg's best ethnic food
The must see food blog
http://ethnicdelight.blogspot.ca
Fans of ethnic flavour?
Winnipeg's delicious deals
The blog that leads the way
http://ethnicdelight.blogspot.ca
Delicious deals
Great eats, great prices
Matt Allen's must read blog. . .
http://ethnicdelight.blogspot.ca
Ethnic delights, alright!
Find Winnipeg's best kept secrets
Chef's blog a must read
http://ethnicdelight.blogspot.ca
Eight key words to find this blog:
Affordable restaurants Winnipeg
Winnipeg cheap and delicious
Food blogs Manitoba
Tasty cheap eats Winnipeg
Ethnic food ideas Winnipeg
Local ethnic shops Winnipeg
Ethnic food stores and restaurants Winnipeg
Cheap ethnic cuisine Manitoba
My campaign would be most effective in the spring and fall months, run Wednesday through Saturday between 10am and 8pm.
Cheap awesome food in Winnipeg
Read it and eat!
http://ethnicdelight.blogspot.ca
Discover the delights!
Winnipeg's best ethnic food
The must see food blog
http://ethnicdelight.blogspot.ca
Fans of ethnic flavour?
Winnipeg's delicious deals
The blog that leads the way
http://ethnicdelight.blogspot.ca
Delicious deals
Great eats, great prices
Matt Allen's must read blog. . .
http://ethnicdelight.blogspot.ca
Ethnic delights, alright!
Find Winnipeg's best kept secrets
Chef's blog a must read
http://ethnicdelight.blogspot.ca
Eight key words to find this blog:
Affordable restaurants Winnipeg
Winnipeg cheap and delicious
Food blogs Manitoba
Tasty cheap eats Winnipeg
Ethnic food ideas Winnipeg
Local ethnic shops Winnipeg
Ethnic food stores and restaurants Winnipeg
Cheap ethnic cuisine Manitoba
My campaign would be most effective in the spring and fall months, run Wednesday through Saturday between 10am and 8pm.
Thursday, 28 February 2013
A Thousand Farewells
I just had a halloum cheese pita pie from Baraka on north Main Street so as to enjoy a little Lebanese flavour before beginning my discussion of Nahlah Ayed's book A Thousand Farewells.
Overall I found the book both intriguing and informative. Ayed's discussion of her childhood and her parent's decision to move the family back to the Middle East and then to return again to Canada were important to understanding her perspective later in the book.
Ayed presents a very balanced perspective and keeps her personal bias largely out of the discussion. It was particularly valuable to me to be presented with such an informed view of the religious and political landscape in the Middle East, as opposed to the Western media's broad sweeping generalizations and oversimplifications about the tensions and conflicts that occur there.
Her description of the effect of Israel's attacks on Lebanon and the role Hamas played in starting the war are examples of the complexity of the political and religious tensions that are so often downplayed or simply ignored in the West. We generally get the Israeli point of view because that is who our leaders support.
Her explanation of the rift between Sunni and Shia Muslims was enlightening for me, in particular how the fall of Saddam Hussein and the Iraq war essentially served to further divide the Iraqi people and led to a civil war.
The way she describes the history of the region through the context of its history of conflict and oppression, and the effects that has had on the collective psyche of the population, make the devotion and commitment of the Arab Spring protesters and the spread of active protest from Egypt throughout the Middle East easier to understand.
One thing I thought worked particularly well were the descriptions of Arabic words that didn't have direct translations, but rather described feelings that helped sum up the people's collective discontent.
To discuss what didn't work is more difficult for me because I felt that every piece of the book was supposed to be there. I felt that the part about her early life dragged a bit compared to the rest of the book, but was, in the end, very necessary to establishing her point of view later in the book.
Similarly, with what is missing, I could argue that more background into so much of what happens would be nice. Realistically, I feel that she chose wisely about what background and how much was in the book considering the space she had to tell her story. She could probably write an engaging book about each chapter or conflict in A Thousand Farewells.
There is much to learn about journalism from the book. There are interesting descriptions about how different styles of journalism are practiced from print to television and the difference between what is actually happening with respect to a story and what will be reported.
While the book is written about Ayed's personal experiences and involves her as a character, her journalistic style shines through. She delivers the stories in a very factual way, leaving out personal opinions and feelings. This gave the stories more credibility and, I felt, more power. This is a valuable lesson the book offers journalists.
The book reminds me of the documentary Why We Fight which examines the American military-industrial complex after World War II, with particular emphasis on the Iraq war. Though both are different in their approach, the book and the film both tell their stories through factual and historical information. The film relies more on testimonial from experts than the book, but both have powerful examples of everyday people and how the wars have affected their lives.
The book made me much more aware of the situation in the Middle East on many levels. The history of conflict, the religious and political turmoil, the incredible oppression suffered by the people, the understandable feelings of animosity towards the West and the depth of the effects of personal loss have all affected me from reading the book.
The reason these elements affected me is because Ayed addressed them by telling the stories through real people's experiences.
Overall I found the book both intriguing and informative. Ayed's discussion of her childhood and her parent's decision to move the family back to the Middle East and then to return again to Canada were important to understanding her perspective later in the book.
Ayed presents a very balanced perspective and keeps her personal bias largely out of the discussion. It was particularly valuable to me to be presented with such an informed view of the religious and political landscape in the Middle East, as opposed to the Western media's broad sweeping generalizations and oversimplifications about the tensions and conflicts that occur there.
Her description of the effect of Israel's attacks on Lebanon and the role Hamas played in starting the war are examples of the complexity of the political and religious tensions that are so often downplayed or simply ignored in the West. We generally get the Israeli point of view because that is who our leaders support.
Her explanation of the rift between Sunni and Shia Muslims was enlightening for me, in particular how the fall of Saddam Hussein and the Iraq war essentially served to further divide the Iraqi people and led to a civil war.
The way she describes the history of the region through the context of its history of conflict and oppression, and the effects that has had on the collective psyche of the population, make the devotion and commitment of the Arab Spring protesters and the spread of active protest from Egypt throughout the Middle East easier to understand.
One thing I thought worked particularly well were the descriptions of Arabic words that didn't have direct translations, but rather described feelings that helped sum up the people's collective discontent.
To discuss what didn't work is more difficult for me because I felt that every piece of the book was supposed to be there. I felt that the part about her early life dragged a bit compared to the rest of the book, but was, in the end, very necessary to establishing her point of view later in the book.
Similarly, with what is missing, I could argue that more background into so much of what happens would be nice. Realistically, I feel that she chose wisely about what background and how much was in the book considering the space she had to tell her story. She could probably write an engaging book about each chapter or conflict in A Thousand Farewells.
There is much to learn about journalism from the book. There are interesting descriptions about how different styles of journalism are practiced from print to television and the difference between what is actually happening with respect to a story and what will be reported.
While the book is written about Ayed's personal experiences and involves her as a character, her journalistic style shines through. She delivers the stories in a very factual way, leaving out personal opinions and feelings. This gave the stories more credibility and, I felt, more power. This is a valuable lesson the book offers journalists.
The book reminds me of the documentary Why We Fight which examines the American military-industrial complex after World War II, with particular emphasis on the Iraq war. Though both are different in their approach, the book and the film both tell their stories through factual and historical information. The film relies more on testimonial from experts than the book, but both have powerful examples of everyday people and how the wars have affected their lives.
The book made me much more aware of the situation in the Middle East on many levels. The history of conflict, the religious and political turmoil, the incredible oppression suffered by the people, the understandable feelings of animosity towards the West and the depth of the effects of personal loss have all affected me from reading the book.
The reason these elements affected me is because Ayed addressed them by telling the stories through real people's experiences.
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