Expedition Canada

Chips Portland Willamette River waterfront A Canadian export that the USA can't slap an import tax on - the more the merrier, they crap everywhere!  Thu Aug 29 A 45 min hop in a Dash 8 If you have been brought up on salt and vinegar with your chips (or fries as they are known over here) the idea of having them soaked in gravy may feel somewhat alien.  Poutine, or fries with brown gravy and cheese curds originated in Quebec.  Some say it was invented to mock French society (and cuisine) in the Francophone province.  Whatever the true story it has become popular across Canada.  I have avoided it, preferring to stick with the traditional British salt and vinegar 'dressing'.   I mention it because we were in Portland last weekend and spent our first evening at a Peruvian restaurant.  I ordered Lomo Saltado or stir-fried sirloin with tamari, tomatoes, red onion, papas fritas (fries), garlic and rice. Tamari, it turns out is a brown sauce, a byproduct ...

Beans Means Heinz Thu Oct 19th But which ones?  An excursion to our local supermarket the other day left me curious about the difference between the original Heinz Baked Beans sold in Canada and the British Style sold alongside.  After a bit of research it appears it is not limited to just to basic styles and the original baked beans in Canada may be different again to those sold in the USA.   One video I stumbled across Original v British Baked  beans suggested the British Style had less sugar. It went on to say that the British Style were different to the original beans sold in the UK. Commentators in the USA indicated their 'original beans' were darker, sweeter and had a more smoky flavour through the addition of pork.  By this stage I decided I'd bean dwelling on this far too long, and gave up! Turnstone In the last blog I posted a picture of what I thought was a Least Sandpiper.  My personal birding advisor (PBA), who I worked alongside ...

Winter Woollens Packed Sun Feb12th Calgary from 5000' Friday 10th we arrived in Calgary, aka Cowtown.  The largest city in Alberta (not the capital which is Edmonton) and in the middle of Canada's largest beef producing area.   The journey out worked well.  The ferry was on time, little traffic through Vancouver, a quick stopover to drop off a tray table for Seb's high chair in Kitsilano, then on to the airport.    The flight, just over an hour, offered clear views of Vancouver at dusk and patterns of an illuminated Calgary on arrival.  Vancouver Departure A ccording to Calgary tourist sites,  Alberta as a whole has the largest cattle herd in Canada. A lthough now a cosmopolitan city, it retains a solid core cowboy culture.  The summer Calgary Stampede which takes place in July, is one of the biggest rodeos in the world, attracting around 1mn visitors.  Think agricultural show (Bath & West show circa 140,000) with lots of horses,...