Easter Feasting

I think Foodies love the holidays because our hours of seeking goodies, planning menus and practice in cooking finally comes to fruition. This Easter, I will be roasting home brined pork picnic shoulders, asparagus flan and lemon dill orzo. Okay, who am I kidding. I never know what I'll be making until I hit the grocery store and see what inspires me. But one thing I know for sure, we will be having Hot Cross Buns for dessert.

I grew up in Hong Kong in the eighties and attended an International School. We learned all about the Easter Bunny and sang that silly song about hot cross buns. However, I thought this Easter stuff only happened at school because the rest of Hong Kong did not decorate their windows with bunnies and eat chocolate eggs. Hence the fact that I had never came across a hot cross bun until I came to Canada.

Now, I have never been very fond of these cinnamony buns crammed with various dried fruits because I detest currents and raisins. But when the CBC radio was searching for the best hot cross buns in the city, I went on a mission. I realize that people were nominating their favorite bakeries and vouching for their buns. Places like Uprising Bakery, Terra Breads and Savoury Island Pie Company all got honorable mentions.

I looked and pondered, and finally found just the right buns for me. And the winner is......Chocolate Hot Cross Buns from Cobs Breads. The Aussies (a couple of them founded the bakery) are geniuses.

The Chocolate Hot Cross Buns are little delightful treats that are filled with miniature chocolate chips instead of currents. The buns have a bit of cocoa in them to bring out the cinnamon and clove flavours. And it was shown in Wikipedia that Australians came up with the idea probably from the popular association with chocolate at Easter.

Traditionally, hot cross buns are eaten on Good Friday because they are made without eggs or dairy products, so people can eat them during Lent. Though the best way to eat them is to slather them with butter and warmed up in the toaster oven.

So guess what I had for breakfast today?

A Tribute To A Young Food Lover

Over the Spring Break, something that I never thought would ever happen, did. One of my students was killed in a car accident. He was seventeen years old and (I announce this with pride) a true budding foodie.

I taught Mark when he was in Grades 10 and 11, and basically saw him everyday for two years. I imagine the day he would walk across the stage during convocation and I would beam with pride. That's the thing about being a teacher, its not just a job. These kids get underneath your skin, and they become a part of your life. The students may never know this and their parents may never realize, but you think of them as your kids, your responsibilities, every minute they are in school.

I remember one time when I organized a potluck lunch for the class, and Mark volunteered to roast a turkey that had been sitting in his freezer. That was typical of Mark. Whereas other kids were bringing simple junk that young people love: chips, brownies, pizza etc., Mark would top them by bringing a gigantic bird that required hours to prepare. Oh, and another thing, Mark was not exactly the most organized child, and would forget to bring school supplies, school forms etc.. So it was not exactly a lack of faith when I made backup plans in case the turkey didn't show up.

Sure enough, on the morning of the potluck, Mark walked in.....with a wingless turkey on a platter wrapped in foil. And of course there was a story to go with it. The day before, Mark went to fetch the turkey from the freezer to defrost, and.... couldn't find the turkey!! He didn't realize that the turkey had already been cooked for a previous family dinner.

So it was seven o'clock at night when his mother got home from work, and Mark presented her with his dilemma. Mrs. H. is a real sport, and drove him to different stores looking for a turkey in June! They couldn't find any at various supermarkets, and ended up finding a utility turkey from Whole Foods. I don't want to know what ridiculous price they must have paid for the damaged bird.

By this time, it was probably ten o'clock at night and Mark stayed up until 1 a.m. roasting it. I must say, it was worth the effort as it made the meal totally memorable for all of us. Every time we have a party after that, someone would remember the time when Mark brought in a turkey!

I miss you, Mark H. I miss your laugh, your zaniness and most of all, our time together. I wanted to tell you during your graduation that I am going to age that wine you gave me until you turn 25, and we will get together and have a drink and catch up on each other's lives.

And I was going to share the most important lesson I have ever learned: you cannot wait for happiness to happen, you must actively seek it everyday. It's true, life is too short to drink bad wine, so live it up and Bon Appetit!!

The Wonderful World of Blogging

Dear Friends,

I have found my new obsession in life: Food Blogging. I swear to God, now I understand. This is how people get weird sociopathic issues like not knowing how to act in public because they never leave the house. Hey, why should they when you can just sit around all day in your PJs and read about people eating macaroons in France right there in your living room. The best thing: finally, I find other lunatics out there who are just like me. We think about food all day long. What we should have, where to get it, and how to make it.

Since I am leaving from Vancouver soon to go work in Hong Kong, I think I will start a series of reviews on my absolute favorite restaurants in the city. Oh, how I will miss them! As well, I will explore eateries that I have been meaning to visit but got sidetracked by other more pressing ones at the time. So no more visits to a restaurant just because its name sounded cool. Focus, J. Focus. So here is to all you people who call me for restaurant recommendations.