nosh nook #134 - thursday, september 17, 2009

junk-food ban in hospitals puts snack cart before horse (link)
09.16.09 - the vancouver sun - by gerry bellett

true to its pacific northwest character, vancouver's a pretty progressive city. they've always been a leader in drug policy, whether it's their distinction as the first city to offer a safe injection center for heroin users or the police force's willingness to turn a blind eye toward marijuana. they love mass transit & there are no major freeways in their downtown area. the vancouver public library is a friggin work of art. their last mayor, sam sullivan, has been quadriplegic since age nineteen. it seems like a cool place. i should visit some time...check it out & stuff.

their progressive attitude extends to the world of junk food as well. as the vancouver sun's gerry bellett reports, last year george abbott (who was health minister at the time) raised a big stink about the fact that there was junk food in the vancouver general hospital's vending machines. eventually, the vancouver general hospital was declared a "junk food-free zone." abbott's since moved on to become the minister of aboriginal relations and reconciliation, but the policy's remained in effect.

here's the kicker though: "apparently nobody told the women of the hospital auxiliary." they run the gift shop & snack carts & have continued to offer "a couple of unhealthy things." luckily, the sun uncovered the injustice & told somebody at vancouver coastal health (who runs the hospital). in turn, they're "going to have to talk to the auxiliary about the changing food environment in hospitals." that's right! give those ladies a stern talking to about their "couple of unhealthy things." rules is rules, ladies. stop trying to game the system. congrats, vancouver sun. you sure blew the lid on that racket. investigative journalism yeah!

nosh nook #45 - friday, may 15, 2009

vancouver mayor pays up after lost hockey bet to chicago counterpart (link)
05.14.09 - vancouver sun - by gerry bellett

yesterday was a sad day for my hometown boston bruins, as they exited the playoffs after losing to the carolina hurricanes in game 7, in overtime, with the winning goal scored by the same guy who had sucker punched a bruins player just two games earlier, possibly breaking a bone in his face. on monday night, the vancouver canucks suffered a similar fate, as they were bounced from the playoffs by the chicago blackhawks, 7-5.

as gerry bellett reports, yesterday, his hometown mayor--gregor robertson--made good on a bet he had with chicago mayor richard m. daley, where the mayor of the losing city had to send a package of local food & drink to the mayor of the winning city. robertson shipped daley "cases of beer from molson’s, granville island brewery and storm brewing; musqueam first nations smoked salmon; dried morel mushrooms from pacific rim mushrooms; chocolates from bad girl and purdy’s; que pasa hand-cut organic tortilla chips; vegetarian blueberry sauce from thai princess and a couple of cartons of the mayor’s own happy planet fruit juices." HOLY CRAP. you can leave that molson's junk up in canada, but i would eat the hell out of everything else in that gift bag. daley's sending robertson a consolation prize--chicago beer & sausages.  sorry chicago, but i'd much rather have the vancouver stuff.

it makes me chuckle a little bit. to an outsider like myself, robertson & daley seem to be from two completely different planets. robertson presides over the most marijuana friendly city in canada, gets to oversee the city during the 2010 olympic games & is the co-founder of happy planet, an organic food & drink company. daley is chicago irish & the son of the notorious richard daley. he's also a year-and-a-half away from beating his father out of the title of longest-serving mayor in chicago history. he's trying to get the 2016 olympic games, may be the most powerful mayor in the country & is definitely no stranger to controversy...a totally different planet--the daley planet.