Dining/Employment Discovery: Vegan Vices!

My first job offer has arrived! It doesn't strike me as the average summer job for a student, though - nor the average internship. However, I am very excited to be a part of what could be a formative summer for Vegan Vices - a manufacturer of healthy, gluten-free, vegan baked goods! 

I am excited to learn a little bit about business, a lot more about baking (of the healthy, animal-product-free variety), and to test my ability to think creatively and help expose the world to the deliciousness that is Vegan Vices (I've been fortunate enough to sample several items already).

Double-chocolate chip cookies, key-lime cookies, peanut butter pucks,
chocolate chip banana bread, and Chi Cake - all vegan/healthy/gluten free!

More updates to come with more shifts and adventures.

A Photo Update: Barn Burner 2014

As I await the professional photographs to be released, I will share some of my personal Barn Burner 2014 photos from a few weekends ago:

The ever-so-mysterious Wu-Wu.

R, K, and G!

Chef Wu-Wu getting breakfast readied the
following morning!

French toast with lots of fruit!

Back from Hiatus

Hello, M&M.

If I'm not mistaken, it has been quite some time since we've interacted! My hope is to be back more regularly for updates as classes end... and the season of studying for final exams begins.

In the last two weeks...

My mom made special homemade soup for me!

My sister turned nineteen and we went DANCING!

I obviously ended up baking cookies (CCK recipe).

In addition to birthdays, baking, and breaking it down, I have been preparing for the end of this term and what the next chapter of 2014 will hold. 

For the end of this term: 
- My final paper (the first paper I have written in about 16 months!)
- The transition report for the incoming RHA Vice-President
- Final events and socials for the RHA as a whole

The next chapter:

- Job interviews! One last Saturday, and one this coming Saturday with UBC REC

- My official induction as a member of the 2014-15 NRHH

- Applying for summer jobs!

- Preparing for my stint as a residence advisor next school year

Amidst all of these exciting upcoming opportunities and ongoing year-end preparations, I have been trying to get all of my socialization squeezed into these final weeks!

There was the Welcome to Wonderland Boat Cruise:

There was also the 2nd annual Barn Burner:

I also participated in my third Storm The Wall event! We placed first in our heat which was very exciting, and advanced to the next race - something I haven't accomplished before with my team!

Wall Me Maybe 2.0

Wall Me Maybe 2.1

Beyond attending and organizing events, I have been reflecting on what I've done and been a part of over the last eight months. 
~ Academics have been at a relative high for me, and my involvements have balanced well with school. For the first time in a while, I will miss courses that I've taken this year along with the professors that taught them; I also feel that my major has become more of a place that I feel at home, particularly in my gender and sex differences course (and my personality and behaviour disorders courses last term). 
~ I struggled through another visual arts class but enjoyed being able to use my camera for projects and was pleased that I applied something I'm passionate about in my final project (uploading to blog is currently being contemplated).
~ Being an executive member of the RHA has been great - it puts me in touch with every part of residence (mostly) and I have been a part of a forward-moving year for the organization. I regret the lack of closeness developed with my fellow executives early on, but am grateful that we've done so much as leaders and that we've bonded more in the last little while!
~ My personal life has expanded and evolved in terms of family bonds, friendships, and my relationship - all in ways that I think are taking me in a good direction. I don't know what this direction is, but it feels like a good and enjoyable one.


Overall, this year at UBC has been a good one.
The summer is always a mysterious next chapter - travel plans, new job opportunities (sorry Safeway), and time for friends and family in abundance!
I look forward to seeing where things go.

Once my camera's most recent photos have been uploaded,

I'll get back to this and update on the more recent events following

the Boat Cruise! Barn Burner, food adventures, and more!

Our cityscape view from the boat last weekend.

Reading Week 2014

With reading week already three days past, the midterm grind is on and I have become unnaturally fatigued following the men's gold medal hockey game (the early morning seems to have triggered an insatiable weariness). However, I had a wonderful week off from classes and was able to do lots of adventuring thanks to an out-of-town visitor who wished to pursue some tourist attractions in Vancouver.

The break began on the last day of the hot chocolate festival, with my fellow's birthday and Valentine's Day all making for a delicious three-way celebration:

 We chose Nuba restaurant as our spot to celebrate a 21st birthday and Valentine's Day dinner.

Our fuel of choice included delicious tomato and crispy cauliflower appetizers, and

stuffed eggplant for the main course - all vegetarian or vegan and SO DELICIOUS!

Following the Friday, we began our tourist adventures.

 

Looking over the bridge's edge!

After our guest took a hiatus over on the island, I studied and made my way home for a couple of days to continue recuperating and Olympic-watching.

(We won gold.)

 















THEN we returned to our tour guide lives (after doing some morning muffin making).

"Goddess Bowl" at Aphrodite's Organic 
Cafe and Pie Shop.

And.... It snowed!

Quite a lot!

(By Vancouver standards.)

My reading week was full of reading (for three midterms that I just overcame), family, friends, and an adequate amount of rest. Plus, a lot of exciting and emotional Olympic moments! Overall, I would deem it a success. Now, I am back to the home-stretch of this school year with finals to prepare for, papers to write, elections to get through next week, a couple more interviews to see through (as well as outcomes of previous ones), and the move out of residence.

HoCho Fest Final Day (27): Popped Cherry

A bittersweet day for the hot chocolate festival and me! The only sweetness of it comes from the end of my sense of obligation to buying expensive hot chocolates and then later consuming them in greater quantities than I ordinarly would. The bitterness is the end of my contributions to the Women's Job Skills program in the Downtown Eastside, the end of exploring new venues and their exciting specialty items for the festival, and the end of blogging about them every day. However, it has been an exciting four weeks, and the day itself was beautiful and everything (beyond the chocolate) felt very 'right'.

My last stop of the festival seemed somehow appropriate for Valentine's Day, as Gem Chocolates was serving up Glenn's "Popped Cherry" hot chocolate (it is only appropriate for Valentine's Day in a way that is slightly inappropriate, ha ha). Also, the store was decorated for the day, and employees vouched for red, sparkly ties as their uniform!

Popped Cherry: Cherry, chocolate and fig, with a surprising pop.
Served with a dried cherry chocolate creation.
($6.25?)

It turned out I had arrived just in time, as they were onto the last scoop of the specialty ganache for the drink! I think this is what made it difficult to detect the specific flavours during the first quarter of the beverage. Not only that, but I asked for almond milk - and they ran out of that, too! So we decided to go crazy and combine it with soy milk so as not to waste what was already poured.

Each sip was distinctively flavoured with milk chocolate, and the soy-almond milk combination made it smooth. The cocoa sprinkled on top was a nice chocolaty touch, as well (Glenn remembered that I have a no-whip preference, so the cocoa shavings sat upon delicious foam instead).

Towards the bottom of the hot chocolate, I could begin to taste some of the cherry flavour, though I do believe I truly got what little was left of the ganache, ha ha. In addition to all of this last-day-of-the-festival craziness, I missed out on the cherry chocolate creation! However, I was not disappointed by the consolation prize: A homemade chocolate fudge cookie made by a Gem Chocolates employee. It was a moist and gooey and amazingly delicious cookie to be paired with the yummy hot chocolate!


Off to birthday/Valentine's Day dinner we went, and finished off the hot chocolate back at home. Overall, I believe that the hot chocolate was a lovely accent to what turned out to be a really excellent day.

At the end of my chocolate journey for 2014,

I am content with all of my new dining discoveries

and the time with friends and family that the festival

was able to make even more delicious and exciting.

I do not consider myself much of a hot chocolate

connoisseur, but it has most definitely been fun to

experience so many unique creations and locations!

Until next year,

HoCho Fest Day 26: Bacchu's Dream

The penultimate day of the hot chocolate festival is upon us! I took this opportunity to make a quick trip down to Cocoa Nymph before other evening obligations came upon me.

Bacchu's Dream: Made from 72% dark chocolate with red wine
reduction and apple ginger compote.
Served with walnut shortbread (vegan).
($6.65)

 This particular beverage was made with coconut milk (though I ordered almond - this works, too!), and I thought I could detect an aroma of red wine before I even took a sip of the drink. 

WHOA. I definitely could smell it before I sipped it - I realized this upon actually sipping it, and tasting what turned out to be a very strong red wine flavour. My expectation had been to experience more of a red wine undertone, rather than a half-wine half-chocolate drink. This was slightly distressing as I am not a fan of wine, so the taste was overwhelming, and I struggled to detect anything else about the drink for a few sips. Eventually, though, I was able to pick up on some of the apple ginger compote, as little pieces of apple made their way to my mouth as I sipped.

Now that walnut shortbread cookie - that was amazing! It was chewy and had texture from the walnuts in it, and would be perfect to dip in a less wine-y hot chocolate or some tea in the morning, I think.

It was a nice night with a big moon in the sky as I left, and it felt like the week would be ending on a good note. Valentine's Day, big birthday, and the beginning of our reading break - I would expect no less from such a day!

I just couldn't finish it...

HoCho Fest Day 24: Brunette Bangle

Today was a hot chocolate festival day marked with both high and low moments.

First, the low (because then we can move on from them): Really there is only one, and it is having made the discovery that Thierry Chocolaterie stopped participating in the festival as of yesterday - I do not know why, but this means there will be one location that I do not get to attend while it participates in the festival - perhaps I will go visit anyways!

The highs: I was able to enjoy a very unique and delicious hot chocolate with three lovely people! The four of us ventured to Koko Monk this afternoon.

Having done a bit of research ahead of time, I learned that all of their creations are preservative and chemical free! All of the flavours come from their natural sources. A novelty that I appreciate, and a point of pride in their establishment made clear by the chocolatiers that served us today.

Brunette Bangle: Hot chocolate with the exotic hint of curry.
Served with your choice of cookie.
($6.75)

I was hesitant in approaching this unique flavour combination, as I do not generally like curries because the majority I try are spicy and have caused me to avoid them. However, this soy-milk beverage was a surprise to me: It was a really nice balance of real, homemade dark chocolate, and curry flavours! The curry flavours were not spicy, but added a unique dimension to the drink and paired well with the dark chocolate, which was bitter and full of flavour. 

Halfway through the drink, we stirred it with the spoon provided and whew! Curry flavour was in abundance. After more mixing and including the chocolate drizzled along the sides of the glass mug, the flavours seemed to balance again and reach a very happy place.

As for the cookie.. There is not much to say, and not much needs to be said: It is a cookie filled with delicious jam and covered in soft and powdery sweetness. It had the soft, chewy texture that I so love in my cookies.

This spot is a definite need-to-try if you're ever in the Kitsilano area! I want to sample all of their yummy chocolate confections and take a stab at that chocolate fondue fountain... Droooooooling.