This elegant watch from OMEGA makes a great gift for Dad
On Jun. 19 it’s all about Dad. Spoil him with a classic timepiece from OMEGA Boutique, such as the DeVille 41mm ($6,200, pictured). If an award-winning novel or photography book is more his speed, stop by Chapters. Help him channel his inner Wolfgang Puck with a cookbook from Barbara-Jo’s Books to Cooks.—Jennifer Patterson
Kat Von D's new book hits shelves this month
Tattoo artist, television star, author and all-around badass Kat Von D just released a new book: The Tattoo Chronicles (HarperCollins Canada, $33.99). This glimpse into the life of Von D includes diary entries, sketches and photos. Visit Chapters on Robson Street on Nov. 22 at 7 p.m. for a chance to meet Miss Von D and purchase a signed copy.—Jennifer Patterson
Historic Burnaby Art Gallery
1 Watching Antony and Cleopatra (to Sep. 24) at Bard on the Beach.
2 Sara Canning. The actress wasn’t born here, but we still claim her as a local.
3 Shakin’ your groove thang at the city’s most popular nightclubs.
4 Burnaby Art Gallery and all the other sights in Deer Lake Park.
5 Eating at any of the local cooking schools, such as Bistro 101 at Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts, Culinaria at The Art Institute of Vancouver, and JJ’s Restaurant at Vancouver Community College.
6 The annual Terry Fox Run (Sep. 19), raising money for cancer research.
7 Local wineries.
8 Taking the first ferry to Victoria or Nanaimo and watching the sun rise.
Perch on "Echoes" by Michael Goulet. Photo by KK Law
9 “Echoes” by Michel Goulet, an art installation on Kits Beach and part of the Vancouver International Sculpture Biennale.
10 Dining at Earls.
11 Robert Bateman. The Canadian painter is visiting Vancouver to meet fans and sign copies of his new book, Bateman: New Works, at Chapters on South Granville (Sep. 25, 2 p.m.).
12 Reading reminiscences of a month’s eating in Paris in Cooking for Me and Sometimes You: A Parisienne Romance with Recipes (French Apple Press, $29.95) by Barbara-Jo McIntosh, owner of Barbara-Jo’s Books to Cooks, which stocks every tome a budding chef could ever need.
13 The Superdogs at the PNE (to Sep. 6).
14 Indulging our sweet tooth at Stuart’s Bakery.
15 Dropping by The Granville Island Brewing Tap Room for a pint of Brockton IPA—and picking up some small-batch beers to take home after.
Young, beautiful and acting in a hit TV show—Sara Canning is the kind of girl it would be easy to hate, if only she weren’t so darned sweet and talented
By Sheri Radford
Sara Canning enjoys a picturesque spot on the seawall in Stanley Park, against the backdrop of the Lions Gate Bridge. Photo by KK Law
The undead are certainly lively these days. On television, in movies and in novels, vampires are baring their fangs. Sara Canning, for one, enjoys the trend. The 23-year-old Canadian-born actress has always been a fan of the bloodsuckers, going back to the story of Dracula, which she first read as a teenager, and the film Nosferatu, right up to current hits such as the hauntingly beautiful Swedish film Let the Right One In and the worldwide phenomenon that is Twilight. She feels especially grateful to the enduring popularity of the undead fiends now that her show, The Vampire Diaries, is starting its second season.
Canning portrays a human—the aunt of the main character, not a vampire—but she has contemplated the tantalizing vamps on her show. When asked if she’s Team Stefan or Team Damon, she answers with a laugh that it would be Stefan for eternity but Damon for a weekend. “Any longer than a weekend and you may end up underground.”
The young actress knows how fortunate she is to have landed a hit TV series. She’s worked hard to get where she is, doing theatre since age 12, but in acting, she says, “Luck and good fortune are always part of it.”
Sara Canning pauses on the seawall in Stanley Park. Photo by KK Law
Realizing that luck and good fortune would be more likely to find her in Canada’s largest film centre, Canning packed her bags and left her childhood home of Sherwood Park, Alberta, for the bright lights of Vancouver—and a year studying everything from acting to voice work to screenwriting at Vancouver Film School. Quickly, she became enamoured with her new city. She doesn’t even mind the famous wet weather: “I really love being in Stanley Park when it rains or right after it’s rained.” One of her favourite West Coast activities is to rent a bike and ride it around the seawall in Stanley Park. She raves about all the fabulous places to find great sushi, brunch spots such as Cafe Medina, and Chapters, the giant bookstore chain that doesn’t exist in her new home of Atlanta, Georgia, where she has relocated for the filming of The Vampire Diaries.
Every chance Canning gets, she returns to Vancouver. Filming kept her away during the 2010 Winter Olympics, but friends filled her in about the incredible experience of proud Canadians thronging Granville Street. She spent the summer here during her most recent hiatus. When she’s in Vancouver, she never has to worry about hiding her Canadian accent or the “Canadianisms” that creep into her speech. Born in Newfoundland, Canning worked especially hard to get rid of her “Newfie” accent, though it creeps back in whenever she phones her parents.
A bright future lies ahead for Canning. According to her, a creative person should “never be satisfied” and should “always be curious, wanting to know more.” She constantly pushes herself, studying acting and writing, and she’s currently working on a script with a friend. “I’m excited to see where the next five years take me,” she says.
So are we.
The Traveller's Deck cards offer tons of savings at 100 retailers and restaurants in Vancouver
Swing by The Bay, Chapters or Marketplace IGA and pick up The Traveller’s Deck, a colourful—and insightful—pack of 58 double-sided cards that highlight 100 of the best places to eat and shop in the city. An added bonus: there are over $750 worth of savings in the deck, including free appetizers, two-for-one entrées and a range of in-store savings. Available in English, Spanish, Chinese and Japanese.—Jennifer Patterson
HONEY-BAKED COCONUT SHRIMP
Tasty recipes abound in this cheeky cookbook.
Back in the day, we didn’t go to bars for the Tequila shooters or the boys. We went to get our greasy food fix. Despite not doing barstool banquets these days, we still long for the tantalizing tastes—we’ve brought the feast home, but we’ve left behind the oily glory of the deep fryer and created juicy, coconut-coated, golden-baked shrimp dipped in a sweet apricot sauce.
INGREDIENTS
Coconut Shrimp
1/2 cup honey
1 1/2 cups panko
(Japanese breadcrumbs)
1 cup flaked sweetened coconut
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
26 large raw shrimp, peeled and de-veined
Apricot Dipping Sauce
2/3 cup apricot jam
3 tbsp Heinz chilli sauce
2 tsp Dijon mustard
DIRECTIONS
1 Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil and coat with non-stick cooking spray. 2 For the shrimp, pour honey in a medium bowl and warm on high in the microwave, 20-25 seconds. 3 On a large plate, combine panko, coconut, cumin, salt and pepper. 4 Taking shrimp one at a time, dip in honey and then coat in coconut mixture. Place on prepared baking sheet and bake 14 minutes, gently flipping shrimp halfway through baking. 5 For the sauce, place jam in a medium bowl. Warm in the microwave for 45 seconds. Add chili sauce and Dijon mustard, stirring to combine. Serve with baked coconut shrimp. Serves 4-6.
BITE ME BIT: Save a tree, send a coconut. Affixed with mailing label and correct postage, the U.S. Postal Service will deliver coconut mail.
Reprinted with permission from Bite Me: A Stomach-Satisfying, Visually Gratifying, Fresh-Mouthed Cookbook by Julie Albert and Lisa Gnat, available at Chapters.
Michael Zheng's The Stop. Photo by KK Law
1 The Vancouver International Sculpture Biennale (pictured at right), on until next year.
2 Rediscovering the sweets of yesteryear at The Candy Aisle. PEZ, Big League Chew, Sweetarts, Nerds, Runts, Laffy Taffy—yum.
3 The fact that pretty much every city block contains at least one coffee shop.
4 Watching the annual Polar Bear Swim (Jan. 1) with something—and someone—hot.
5 Lights of Hope (to Mar. 21), raising money for St. Paul’s Hospital.
St. Paul's Hospital is all lit up until March 21. Photo by KK Law
6 Cheap eats at Hon’s Wun-Tun House.
7 The Shoppers Drugmart on Davie Street, which is open 24 hours a day.
8 Exploring the centre of the city.
9 Stephen Colbert. He’ll be here next month—whether as the official sponsor of the US speed skating team or as the City of Richmond’s Olympic Oval Ombudsman or even as an Olympic athlete, we don’t know. We do know the host of Comedy Central’s The Colbert Report will make us laugh.
10 Catching a sunlit glimpse of the snow-covered North Shore mountains from downtown, and planning an escape to Grouse.
11 Nala, the seven-month-old (but only recently named) baby beluga at the Vancouver Aquarium. The name is short for an Inuktitut word meaning “surprise gift.”
12 Cheering for the Vancouver Canucks.
13 The clean, crisp winter air.
14 Counting down to the 2010 Winter Games.
15 The World Needs More Canada collection at Chapters and Indigo stores, which includes books by Canadians such as Margaret Atwood and Rex Murphy and accessories such as a red umbrella sporting a patriotic message you can’t ignore.
Do you have great photos from your travels in Canada that you'd like to share with us? Submit them to the Where Canada Flickr pool and they'll show up here.
Stay, Dine, Do
