Author Archives: Ed Sum

01.20.21
by

Today, Prepare to get SPARKed at The Belfry’s online Theatre Festival

Musical Stage Company’s Uncovered - Notes from the Heart opens the Belfry’s 2021 SPARK online Festival next week.Ticket Information 

Tickets for Uncovered – Notes from the Heart are $25 (plus fee) available to purchase online.

The remainder of the Spark performances are free and their links can be accessed via belfry.bc.ca

The Belfry’s annual Spark Festival is online today, and it opens with Uncovered – Notes from the Heart, a livestream concert from Musical Stage Company. It will continue through to January 23 with an eclectic line up featuring a short film (June Yeo), a hybrid dance/theatre performance (Andrew Barrett), new plays in progress (Jo Leslie, Rick Waines) and a new realization of Summer Bucket List (Collectivus Theatre). These shows take place online, starting at 7:30pm PST.

For a full list of events, please visit the company’s webpage here.

Continue reading →

01.06.21
by

[Documentary] On Sacred Cow & Social Responsibility

SACRED COW: THE CASE FOR BETTER MEAT | IndiegogoAvailable on Google Play.

For other platforms or to purchase the DVD and companion booklet, please visit the Sacred Cow website.

The documentary Sacred Cow is packed with lots of information which weighs in on the pros and cons of consuming meat. It’s ultimately about our role in the food chain, being responsible for how this bovine is treated (prior to slaughter), and the cycle of life. Just what modern man does is no different when compared to the early days of civilization as they rose and flourished. Those that fell, we can learn from.

From a hunter-gatherer to agricultural society, is there another evolutionary step humanity must make? I’m not entirely against replicated meals ala Star Trek, but the concept will be alien to many. It’s good that nobody knows how to reconstitute waste into food at a molecular level, otherwise foodies from the future will be in an uproar.

I’m sure sometime in the next century, people will lament about the lack of tasting real food from their home planet, and will have to eat Gagh (Klingons love their worms) instead. If meat is no longer available, bugs are the next most common protein source and will anyone want to save those?

Continue reading →

01.06.21
by

Chuck’s Burger Bar, One Year Later…

Chuck’s Burger Bar
538 Yates St
Victoria, BC

Hours: Tues-Sun: 12–10PM
Phone: (250) 590-9866

While parts of the world are still in lockdown because of a pandemic, a few places remain as busy as ever. At Chuck’s Burger Bar, that overdue visit to see now they are doing more than a year later was a must. I’ve visited a few times prior, mostly for take out but not much has changed since.

Last month, I visited with other friends. We rented Quasars Arcade for some personal retro gaming time (it’s a great deal when split between friends and the machines are set to endless play). We were all experiencing cabin fever when wave two struck Victoria, BC. It was a week later when news about the UK variant hitting the island made me think twice…. For this blog, I’ll be expanding the content to include food product reviews, films about foodie culture and posts about my last adventure in Seattle’s food scene. I’m thankful I saved a few pieces for this eventuality.

Continue reading →

11.19.20
by

Supporting Local with First We Eat and Where to Find This Doc

UPCOMING SCREENINGS

The Vic
Victoria, BC – Nov 21, 25
(purchase tickets here)

The Rio – Nov 21
Kay Meek Arts Centre – Nov 23
Vancouver, BC

Shuswap Film Society
Salmon Arm, BC – Nov.25

UPCOMING STREAMING
Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema
Toronto, Ontario – Starts Nov 19

Suzanne Crocker’s First We Eat is an amazing lengthy documentary about truly supporting local farmers and living off the land instead of living off the grid–especially in the harsh climate of Dawson City, Yukon. Not everyone can do both; it really depends on how far detached a family unit (or any community) is from various advances in technology.

Crocker’s family wasn’t convinced at the start. Gerard, daughters Kate and Tess, and son Sam weren’t very enthusiastic and their attitudes changed as this look of their lives played out.

Continue reading →

10.28.20
by

Designing New Sandwichs with this Card Game!

Disclaimer: A preview copy was sent for review.

If you missed the As You ‘Wich Kickstarter from last month, you can still preorder this hilarious card game from Studio7 Games.

Even wanna be witches can have fun with this game as it is about being creative with the goods (the cards) to create an appetizing sandwich! When considering October is the season of the witch, the fact this game has some gross out ingredients (eye of newt and all that), is certainly perfect for this occasion.

Continue reading →

10.23.20
by

Devour it! The Art of Cooking with Fire Lays with The Passion

Devour Food & Film Festival

Location: Al Whittle Theatre
450 Main St
Wolfville, Nova Scotia

Date: Sat, Oct 24, 2020
Time: 11:00 am – 12:30 pm

Buy In-person tickets or online tickets here.

Price: $10.00

Anyone who wants to learn how to cook over an open fire is best advised to watch the Spanish documentary simply titled, The Art of Cooking with Fire. Chef and grill-meister Victor Arguinzoniz runs Asador Etxebarri, a restaurant in Axpe, Spain, and the food he creates is nothing short of mouth watering even on screen. I’m only imagining how smoked sea urchin in the shell can taste, but when considering this establishment ranked number three in the world’s best restaurants in 2019, I wanna book the first flight over there once this pandemic is over!

In Iñaki Arteta’s presentation about the man, his mission and his life, aficionados of fine cuisine will want to book a reservation and hope they can meet Arginzonz. He’s always busy, either planning the next day’s meal or at the grill, creating magic.

Continue reading →