Important Canadian contributions to the world of cuisine

You've heard it said that people travel on their stomachs. So have you ever wondered what the world thinks of "Canadian Cuisine". After a few days in Shanghai I had took an opportunity to try City Bull a chain of 4 or 5 Proud Canadian Steakhouses. I have learned to set the bar low when choosing a restaurant, the best meals are always served in the least likely places. First it was in a mall which is not uncommon in Asia. Entire floors of malls are devoted to sit down restaurants and it was done in a Western Motif. River stone walls and dark wooden accents. I'm pretty sure the guy who decorated the Prescott Hotel picked out the seating package so needless to say it felt like home. As I sat down and ordered the feature beer - Tiger or Stella - I lowered my bar one more notch. The gentle strains of "The Girl from Ipanema" wafted through the speakers and I knew this was not going to be an authentic experience.

Not to be disappointed the menu read like the travel guide of the couple at the table next to me.

100% Australian beef.
Fresh never frozen Norwegian Salmon.
"Try the special ?" said my bubbly non Canadian server ?
"what's that ? "
"Cuban burger !" she beamed.

I took the menu and scanned for those tastes of home I'd suddenly begun craving.
Montreal smoked meat ? - no
Digby Scallops ? - where ?
Pancakes and maple syrup ? Maybe come Canadian bacon ? - ummm there's ham on the Cuban burger !

I went with the traditional businessman's lunch - a good old Australian Steak Sandwich and wondered what has Canada really contributed to the worlds table?

Yes they had Poutine but really that's everywhere here now. And the steak sandwich was nothing like the "specials" back home but they do raise good cattle in Australia. And I didn't need chopsticks or an interpreter.

Cheers.

Red Bean Paste, not just for breakfast any more

I know it's been a while, but I have discovered, in addition to Facebook being illegal in China, so is Blogger. And since much of my best writing time is sitting in a hotel room, it's been tough to post. Here are some of those answers to the questions I get.

What do you do ? Probably the most common one, and I suppose it's not that easy to follow. You likely know that I work for DQ, and we are in the franchise business. Essentially, the people I work with form the support network and we try to make our franchise partners more successful. We also try to keep them aligned with what DQ is about, although that gets a little tricky as we have to adapt some things to the local taste. However I can confirm that DQ tastes like DQ whether it's in China, Thailand or Singapore. Oreo is still the big seller, but then things get a little different. Some markets we sell more fruit flavours, like Mango Cheesecake, or Papaya Smoothies.

Some markets have Green Tea or Red Bean Paste. I know, I thought it sounded weird but it's actually quite good. I thought I'd gross them out and explain Poutine, but they really are on the cutting edge of Cuisine

A lot of my time is spent wandering malls, scoping out the competition and our partners locations. And I'm often asked if I stand out over here - "a giant among them" so to speak. Well it is true often I am the tallest one on a train or in a crowd, I do my best to blend in. Sometimes that means adapting to the local definition of Business Casual

Traditional Peking Ceremonial Robes

 Sometimes I try to blend in with the locals, and clearly the height difference isn't always that obvious.

Former Ms. Philippines - 2008, '09 & '11 - I think. I wasn't really listening.

Hostess in Macau Hotel

And then there are the times I get to be the token corporate guy - trotted out on stage for a ribbon cutting or fashion show. This picture is actually from 2010 in Thailand and I still don't know who the models and actors were, but it was almost Bieber Fever right before I took the stage. At least thats how I remember it.

Of course most days I walk around with a dazed look and I swear a big sign over my head that says "Not From Here"

Anyway, thats the basics of it, and I am very lucky that I get to see the world on Uncle Warren's tab. I do spend a big chunk of my time in China and this blog is really meant to give you a sense of what those places are like without you having to get your passport covered in those pesky stamps. 

Shanghai has been a main focus, and it's a huge city, anywhere between 13 and 25 Million people depending who you ask. Very old, yet quite modern, it illustrates the word juxtaposition pretty well. One of my first trips, I looked out the window of my hotel and say a bunch of high rises.

Pretty typical of many cities, but I had the fancy camera this day and panned down and a little right.

And with a twist of the zoom lens, and a little more right you see what remains of a Hutong - a traditional "village" of connected alleys and courtyards. If you look you'll see the same brown building in all three shots.

Now many cities still have areas that are being developed, under the wreckers ball or scheduled for demolition. I did a little research, and this one is not. People still live here, day in day out. 

I have to admit sometimes it's tough to look at from the 20th storey of a 2 1/2 star hotel. 

Now before the Shanghai Tourist Board jumps on me, it's not all doom and gloom. SH is a beautiful city that seems to be growing as fast as any of the cities I visit. The area known as the Bund is beautiful, rich in history of Junks and traders in boats, and now a huge tourist draw. 

What is really cool is they haven't lost sight of their heritage, and many buildings retain the traditional style. 

And then you look to the left and see the iconic logo!

Moving on from SH is Beijing. I had a chance to visit Beijing in 2010 when I dropped in on my brother, who was posted there for his work. If you don't know him, check out his blog. www.actonsafricanadventures.blogspot.com/ - he is currently in Liberia doing a gig for Journalists for Human Rights www.jhr.ca/en/

Beijing is the home of Tiananmen Square, The Forbidden City and a rather large wall. I wish I could say I haven't had the time to take pictures there but the truth is the "fog" has been so bad, little shows up in the pics. Here are a couple from 2010. Not much has changed.

Formerly known as Peking, Beijing is the home of the world famous Peking Duck. Delicious and crispy, you can buy it almost any food court or mall, as well as some of the finer places around town. They take their duck seriously, in fact so serious, we were actually presented with a Commemoration Card with our ducks number. Clearly not a lucky number if you are a duck. 

Ironically these two great cities have the same insecurities as Edmonton and it's constant desire to prove itself better than Calgary. I'm not sure why cities polarize people the way they do but Shanghai vs BJ is an interesting debate when ever they come up in conversation. Good thing they don't have hockey teams. 

Next stop on the tour will be Macau and Hong Kong, but first I have to catch a plane.