On June 29, The Food Connection hosted flavoured herbal vinegar and oil making workshop. This evening was my first Food Connection event. I brought my partner’s mother, Deasy, who is visiting from Indonesia. Right from the beginning we noticed the welcoming Food Connection environment. It’s always a bit intimidating to go to a group where you know no one. Soon after entering the room at Mount Pleasant Neighbourhood House, our nerves were put at ease. This warm environment was

What comes to mind when you think of Indonesian cuisine? This is a question many of us pondered heading into last week’s workshop on Indonesian cooking. Thanks to our gracious leaders, Emil and Idris, we can now answer with confidence – and have added staple recipes to our repertoires for extra credibility. Heading into the workshop many of us wondered if Indonesian was similar to Thai cooking? Or Malaysian? Others had exposure through their Dutch heritage and the recipes tha

For our second event of the year, Sachiko shared her knowledge of the fabulous cuisine of Japan. Living in Vancouver surrounded by sushi restaurants, this workshop enlightened us on other aspects of Japanese home cooking, such as dashi, miso and onigri. Firstly, everyone had a chance to introduce themselves at their table, meet their neighbours andshare their own experience of Japanese cuisine. It was especially fascinating to hear stories from those who have travelled in Jap

Our last event of the year definitely did not disappoint! Thirty awesome food-lovers (including a 7 year old) gathered at the neighbourhood house for an evening of swapping stories, eating delicious healthy food, wielding knives, and of course, pickling! First off, we got everyone to introduce themselves at their table and share their best/worst pickling experiences, plus pickled foods they remember from their culture or family history. Apricots, ginger, herring, it's amazing

Our October event was an action-packed night filled with community, food and kimchi! We kicked things off with a Community Dialogue facilitated by Andrew and Blanca from the Mount Pleasant Food Network (based out of the neighbourhood house). As a relatively new food network, they were interested in receiving community input about what neighbourhood food resources and knowledge should be shared, as well as what people think makes a healthy food community. At the Dialogue we di

Condiments are staples that you never think twice about buying from the grocery store, but we were delighted to find that they are super easy to make in your own home! Most of you probably already have the ingredients you need for mayonnaise in your kitchen, and oh my is it a luscious treat to make. This time the workshop was something of a no-brainer, unless you're incapable of following a recipe like I am. Definitely try to make your own condiments, and check out these easy