Happy noshing in great company

A culinary summary of this weekend would include a très bonne bouillabaisse in the frenchiest bistro in Vancouver -not just because of the food but also because the Le Marais like atmosphere and a very European and rare to find sense of humour in the air-, where you can really feel at home; the freshest fried cod and salmon in a well-known stall by the water, surrounded by boats, the friendly and warm sunlight of the afternoon, and some “dangerous” seagulls above, as they proved to be… And a super yummy Italian dinner -previous visit to the public market- consisting of spinach and nuts salad, mozzareline with prosciutto, basilico and pomodori secchi, pasta with pancetta and pomodoro, and cannoli with ricotta and pistacchio, with Italian, Argentinian and Spanish wines. The company with whom I shared all these treats? Well, let´s just say it could not be better. Ah, foody happiness in three acts…

Photo: Yesterday’s lunch, 2007 © Pink Daisy

Halloween Party Pt. 2@SJC, Vancouver

Second part of my Halloween session last Friday at SJC, Vancouver. Feedback is always welcome…

Download
[02:08:17, 117,5 Mb]

Photo: Sonic boom, 2006 © El Ray

Halloween Party Pt. 1@SJC, Vancouver

First part of my Halloween session this past Friday at SJC, Vancouver. Enjoy…

Download
[02:17:52, 126,3 Mb]

Photo: 31a, 2006 © El Ray

Let me be multidimensional

As any other higher education institution in North America, the university that currently harbors me is swarming this week with thousands of new students arriving for the start of the academic year. A walk around the crowded campus allows one to perceive the multicultural, multiethnic nature of this country, as young individuals of all races, languages and cultural backgrounds move around getting ready for classes and the needs of student life. All over the place, one may find official university posts or companies offering a variety of administrative or commercial services or organized groups of students trying to get fellow students involved in a wide range of voluntary activities. Among these, I have not failed to notice an extraordinary profuseness of groups basically defining themselves by means of one communitarian trait or another. Let´s see… we have religious groups (”Ambassadors for Jesus”, “Christian Students Association”, “We are Jewish”, “Korean Campus Mission”, “Muslim Students Association”, “Sikh Students Association”…), national origin groups (“African Awareness”, “Asian Canadian Cultural Organization”, “Bangladesh Students Association”, “Gado-Gado Indonesian Student Association”, “Kababayan Filipino Students Association”, “Persian Group”…), sexual orientation groups (“PrideUBC”, all kinds of GLBT groups…), disability groups, and so on. It is quite common some (though not all) of these groups try to appeal to students as if they were essentially unidimensional beings, whose life lacks any meaning if their overriding characteristics -ideally only one per person- are not nurtured. In other words, what some of these groups are saying is “We are Catholic, or Gay, or Jewish, or Chinese, or disabled, or Muslim, or women, or African Americans, or conservatives, or progressives, or Canadian… and only that. So, if you are like us, you necessarily see the world through that specific trait, and it is only natural for you to join us. We are your (homogeneus) community”.

Somehow, we humans have always tended to surround ourselves with people like us. This seems to be a natural -that is, instinctive- trend. However, it is paradoxical that nowadays that we human beings have cut ourselves off so much from the restrictions of nature (instinct) to embrace a dynamic social life (culture), are lately strongly reproducing those restrictions to an open and fruitful interaction among us by stressing that which is suposedly distinctive in us and that fundamentaly differentiates us from others. It is a sign of our communitarian times that we apparently are valuable as humans by means of belonging to a group (and to that group only), as if one of our many attributes as individuals was clearly predominant over the rest of them. Thus, according to this widespread view, it is nearly unnatural, for example, to be feminist and not to hate men; to be gay and Republican; to be Jewish and support Palestinian demands; to be an intellectual and enjoy American Idol; to be progressive and firmly defend free markets; to simultaneously love haute cuisine and McDonald´s burgers; to be a devout believer but favour a radical separation between church and state; to love your mother tongue and the landscapes that saw you growing up and not being a nationalist; to be Chinese and Spanish and black… In other words, it is unnatural to act differently than the group you supposedly belong to and which gives meaning to your existence.

Why, nowadays that freedom is the paramount social value, cannot we have multiple affiliations and unlimited contradictions? Why -what a truism- cannot we be valued just as individuals, regardless of the many families we may belong to in a given moment? Why is it so difficult to be naturally multidimensional?

Photo: ‘The flickr portrait gallery hall of excellence 2007′ © amsterdamned

Fireworks

When I saw the Chinese team beat the Spanish one -Spain being a world power if we talk about fireworks-, though in my opinion the exhibition of the latter in the ‘Celebration of Light 2007′ at English Bay had a livelier rhythm, I thought China will achieve whichever technical goal it sets for itself in the future. Really, they can, and they will.

Photo: Fireworks in English Bay, Vancouver, Canada, 2007 © Loudsoul

Wreck Beach

At last, a sunny day in this odd summer in Vancouver. Let´s go to the nearest beach, which in this case is Wreck Beach. A glimpse of what you may find there: a beautiful but never-ending stair-trail to descend to the beach itself, so steep that is equally exhausting to go up or down. Half of the people completely naked (it´s a nudist beach, what did you expect?). Among the nudists it´s difficult to distinguish any Asians (why?). Some old tattooed hippies coming directly from Berkeley in the 60´s or the movie ‘Easy ryder’. Some young hippies playing the guitar. Lots of people smoking pot while a policeman in shorts walks among them (I don´t know what for) apparently as relaxed as the smokers are, though it may well be for different reasons. Many families. Many UBC students. Naked surfers in the water, but no waves. A few dogs. Some swans and cygnets (black, not white) progressing so slowly in the water they seem just to be floating near the shore. An Asian beauty with a red umbrella. All kinds of stuff to be sold: fast food, cold drinks, colorful sarongs, massages, any kind of drugs, offered to you by naked dealers (I mean the drugs, not the mentioned goods and services). A multiethnic crowd, as multiethnic as the city of Vancouver itself. Lots of people speaking Spanish with a Mexican accent. Lots of people speaking Chinese… I don´t know exactly with which particular accent, since I don´t understand a word. A surprisingly clean sand. A liberal atmosphere, thought it´s not easy to find the right words to express why it is so. Or maybe it was just the smell of marihuana affecting my judgement. Finally, some very nice people you may have met last Saturday evening, kindly inviting you to sit with them in the sand to enjoy the amazing sunset while having a beer. Yes, it was a very nice afternoon at Wreck Beach.

Photo: Wreck Beach, Vancouver, 2007 © Loudsoul

Liquid sunshine

Rain, and then more rain over the Vancouver region. Last saturday we had a great sunny afternoon, so Wreck Beach was crowded. Since then, nothing but grey, cloudy skies and rain. Affectionately, locals call this weather ‘liquid sunshine’… Here we all long for a real sunshine, though. I can´t help thinking of the Spanish blue skies and long sunny days during summer…

Photo: Rainy day, UBC campus, Vancouver, 2007. Photo © Loudsoul