Reason #1: Craft Beer Kicked off a Revolution
And now spirits, ciders and mead are following in its footsteps.
After a shakeup in 2013 that saw the province’s harsh liquor laws relaxed, the craft beer scene exploded; now it’s only a matter of time before craft breweries outnumber Starbucks. Following in beer’s footsteps, spirits, ciders and now-trending mead are all finding a place to call home in our bustling craft scene.
Sunday Cider: Wild
Vancouver’s only craft cidery makes Wild with bittersweet Kingston Black apples from the Okanagan and serves it up at their sporadic afternoon dance parties (and at bars around town, too).
Roots and Wings Distillery: Double Vice
This family-owned Langley craft distillery infuses vodka with espresso, bringing in hints of chocolate and caramel.
Humblebee Meadery: The Bee’s Knees
Mead is one of the world’s oldest drinks, and this takes all of the old-fashioned appeal of the brew and spruces it up with an earthy green-tea flavour.
Reason #2: Cricket Bars Might be the New California Roll
Why we’re eating these insect-based protein snacks.
The California roll was allegedly invented in the 1970s by local culinary icon Tojo, who introduced sushi to the masses by crafting inside-out rolls with cooked crab instead of raw fish. Coast Protein founder Dylan Jones could be similarly groundbreaking with his line of cricket-based protein snacks. One day we could be chowing down on roasted crickets tossed with chili and lime like they’re nigiri.
One Question Interview with Dylan Jones:
Q: What impact do you hope crickets will have on the Vancouver food scene?
A: “Our mission is to normalize insect protein, or eating insects, within Western society. And we’ve chosen to do that through consumer goods like protein bars and protein shakes because it’s an easy format for people to understand and for people to consume, rather than just introducing whole insects or roasted insects. Vancouver is a pretty forward-thinking city, obviously, and it’s a pretty forward food city. We want to be that next company that really brings forward the change in our local food systems.”
Reason #3: We Finally Have a Fashion Week Worth Going To
The inaugural Vancouver Indigenous Fashion Week redefined the runway.
Joleen Mitton shies away whenever she’s pulled into the spotlight to introduce herself as Vancouver Indigenous Fashion Week’s founder, so you’d never guess she led an international modelling career as a teenager. But she left the fashion industry nearly a decade ago, only to return full force this year to lead the most anticipated fashion show of 2017. During the four-day event in July, Toronto-based Lil’wat designer Curtis Oland sent traditional materials, including horsehair and lambskin leather, strutting down the runway, and Vancouver designer Dahlia Drive turned heads with her collection of exquisite scarves and kimonos featuring silkscreened prints of master carver Reg Davidson’s Haida patterns.
One Question Interview with Joleen Mitton:
Q: Why did you leave the fashion industry to work with youth in your community?
A: “I needed a reason. Honestly, I have had a life that people would think that they would want, which doesn’t really make you happy. I’ve had some people be really envious and, at the end of the day, you need to know who you are and need to have a reason to be here. It’s more spiritual and reflective than trying to leave a legacy. I didn’t set up to do that. It just kind of happened.” (Read our full interview with Mitton here.)
Reason #4: We Always Have A Creative Solution for the Housing Crisis
Whether it’s making mixed-income communities out of shipping containers on Alexander Street or putting together modular homes at Main and Terminal, we’re squeezing in extra housing anywhere we can. CityHive Vancouver’s “Empty Nests” program, for one, is trying to fill 800,000 empty bedrooms in the city, pairing young folks with older ones to exchange cheap rent for in-home care.
Reason #5: We’ll Climb Mountains, Even in the Dark
If you want the Instagrammable experience, gather with the thrill-seeking group of hike organizers called Chasing Sunrise early Sunday morning, armed with a flashlight and a hashtag, and I’m sure they’ll be glad for the company.
But you don’t need an officially sanctioned event to enjoy the mystery and magic of moonlit hiking: just get up and go. That’s what I did one night in Paradise Valley when some friends and I got the idea to hike to the Weather Bluffs just after midnight. Laden with headlamps, walkie-talkies, bells, blankets and a boom mob to scare away any cougars (I was also sure to stick to the middle of our motley cohort), we scaled the ill-lit rocky traverse and 40 minutes later reached our destination. There, we sat in contemplative silence, listening to the hooting owls and roar of the Cheakamus River below. Then the spellbinding moment was cut short by a voice over the radio, telling us to come down or risk becoming cougar fodder.
So, on second thought: maybe a higher-profile adventure is a safer bet.