What8ver Cafe

Address: 1108 - 8328 Capstan Way
Website: http://www.what8ver.com/

Ever since I read about the toast box from Secret Eden, I could not stop thinking about it. For those of you unfamiliar with toast box, it basically is a large piece of bread soaked in condense milk, toasted, then layered with other dessert goodness. So I roped RN into trying this with me at What8ever cafe in Richmond. So this restaurant is a typical Taiwanese cafe with all the typical Taiwanese drinks and dishes. Toast box is actually not on the menu, so you have to specifically ask for it. Oh, and they only start serving it after 6pm, so if that's what you had your eyes on, don't go there for lunch.

Anyways, when we got there, I decided to go for my staple drink, honey green tea with pearls. It was delicious! The pearls were very well done, just the right level of chewiness and sweetness.

RN was feeling a bit cold, so she ordered the hot ginger tea. She said it was quite flavorful, since I'm not a big fan of ginger, I couldn't will myself into tasting it.

Now the star of the night, TOAST BOX! Now the picture doesn't quite do it justice, but this thing is huge! Toasted bread with ice cream, strawberry sauce, fresh fruits, pocky sticks, what more could  I want? It was delicious, crispy on the outside, soft on the inside. The only problem with this is that they burnt it slightly... but I was so excited I didn't even care. 

The server then carved this thing for us. He basically cut the sides exposing the sliced goodness inside. Then he removed the ice cream on the side so we can rip into the sliced toasty bread inside. It was heavenly. I highly recommend this to anyone eating around the area, it is a must try.

Haiti Experience Part 7 - the ending

This is my last blog about Haiti, it actually wasn't too hard deciding what to share on this blog. Ever since I got back, one question I've gotten the most often is, "if you have to summarize your experience in Haiti in one sentence, what would it be?" For me, it was something NWHCM director Janeil once said, it is experiencing the abundance of life in a place lacking abundance.

Haiti is an amazing place with amazing people, but it's by no means an easy place to live. We were all so spoiled by the luxuries we had at home that it was hard to adapt to a place that only provided the essentials. Yet, it is in a place lacking the abundance that I've experienced abundant life. Jesus said before:

"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly." (John 10:10)

I have heard of this verse many times, but I have to admit, before this trip, I've never understood what Jesus meant by abundant life. I didn't know what an abundant life meant, nor did I know how it felt to live an abundant life. Most of us live day by day filling our days with things we cared about. It could be work, family,  serving in church, friends, volunteering, sports... Don't get me wrong, these are all good things to fill our life with, but most of us pack our schedule so tightly with the things we care about that we lose the joy in doing these things. Is this what abundant life is all about? Packing our schedule as tightly as we can, doing as much as we can?

We've all had the experience of over scheduling ourselves with too many commitments. When this happens, we lose purpose in why we do the things we do. I'll be the first to admit that I've had the experience of spending time with a friend, but only to be distracted by the millions of things I needed to do in my mind. I mean, what's the point of spending time with a friend when we are only present physically, but not emotionally or mentally? When we meet up with a friend, we are there to share and to spend quality time together. But sometimes we become so consumed with our plans that we forget why we met up with a friend in the first place. In other words, sometimes we are so obsessed with doing as much as we can that we forget why we are doing something in the first place. Then over time as we spread ourselves thinly, we begin to lose sight of the important things and we begin to forget our purpose in life. This happens so easily that sometimes we don't even realize that it's happening. Then we become so burned out with the things we need to do that we can no longer find joy in doing them. It's especially times like this that we need to come before God and renew ourselves. It's times like this that we need to refocus our life and our energy.

For me, Haiti was a place of renewal and a place of rejuvenation. I think all of us went to Haiti leaving our baggages behind at home. Whether they are our troubles or burdens, pains or worries, they were all left behind. Life wasn't about packing schedules or trying to get things done, it was about serving God and serving the people God placed in our path. In Haiti, there was only one purpose and one goal, it is to live out the love of God. We were no longer distracted by our own worries, but we can concentrate on what we are called to do wholeheartely. When our gaze shift away from our own troubles onto the more important things, it is then that we can experience God's presence vividly and witness God's work at hand. This is a lesson I needed to learn, and it's a lesson I'm struggling with in my life back at home.

The mission statement of NWHCM is "Rescue, Restore, Redeem". Rescue is rescuing the oppressed by providing medical care to the poor, food to the hungry, and orphan care to the abandoned. Restore is restoring hope by running schools and organizing sustainable community development programs in needy areas. Redeem is redeeming God's people by planting churches, developing indigenous church leaders, and training effective Haitian ministers. I think this mission statement really encapsulate what NWHCM is all about. But for me personally, this trip was more than rescue, restore, and redeem, it was also a renewal for my spirit and a reminder for me of the more important things in life. I guess this lead back to my original question, what is abundant life? To me, abundant life is a purpose driven and meaningful life with God.

To end this post, I just want to say I am so thankful to be a part of this mission team, I am so thankful for all that I've learned and experienced. I know I titled this blog "the ending", but for me, this is really just the beginning, the beginning of many awesome life changing experiences with my Savior.

Pho Thai Hoa

Address: 1101-8328 Capstan Way

Website: http://www.phothaihoa.com/

RN and I got together again for a fun day under the sun, I mean rain. She used to work in Richmond so she knows the food scene there well. She wanted to take me to her favorite Vietnamese place, and of course, I couldn't say no to that. Pho Thai Hoa is a small restaurant with really funky decor. The decor wasn't very Asian, it was more fusion.

I noticed their extensive drink menu right away, so I couldn't resist ordering their avocado slush. It was amazing! It was so good and filling that it was like a meal in itself. The drink was so creamy and delicious, I can't even begin to describe how much joy it brought me. :D

Since I wasn't too hungry after my gigantic drink, I ordered the spring roll as my main. The spring roll was okay, I found it too be a little too dry for my liking though.

RN had the beef noodle soup, also known as Pho. This is her staple food when she comes to this restaurant. The thing that intrigued me the most is the funny look deep fried battered prawn on the side. I've never seen that being served with pho before.

Overall, I quite enjoyed my time at Pho Thai Hoa. The food was good and the service was decent. The drive is a bit too far for me from Burnaby, so unless I'm in the area, I won't be trekking over here. I did find out that they have another location on Kingsway, that's a lot closer than Richmond :)

Turks Coffee Lounge

Address: 1276 Commercial Dr

After a big dinner at Memphis BBQ House, we wanted to go to a coffee lounge to digest a bit. I urbanspooned for something close by and this place came up highly recommended. When I read the name, I thought they only serve Turkish coffee, turns out, it has nothing to do with Turkey at all. Who would have thought?

The interior of the cafe was definitely different. It was a bit old and run down, kind of like a hippie hang out area (majority of the customers were kind of hippie looking too). Anyways, the menu looked really intriguing, lots of funky lattes I've never heard of. There were quite a bit on the menu I wanted to try, so if I get a chance, I will definitely return to try their other lattes.

Now onto the drinks. HO had the matcha latte. It was delicious. The matcha taste was very evident, yet not overwhelming. The drink was creamy and sweet, but not the sweet. I thought it was perfect.

I had the raspberry chocolate latte. It was a great drink with just a hint of raspberry. The dark chocolate flakes complimented well. My only compliant is that the drink was a tad too sweet for me.  

 HN opted for the Earl Grey latte. Out of the three drinks, I think I like this one the best. Earl grey in a latte form was an interesting idea to me, I actually didn't expect to like it this much. But the drink was very creamy with just the right amount of earl grey flavor.

Overall, although the cafe looked a bit run down, I was really impressed with their drinks. I guess it's what they say, we shouldn't judge the book by it's cover.

Haiti Experience Part 6 - Simple Joy

I think this will be my second last blog about Haiti. I've just realized that I have so much to say about Haiti that this could turn into an hundred part series if I wanted it to. Of course, I don't think anybody will want me to continue rambling on and on about Haiti, so I will end this series with just two more blogs. This second last blog is about the biggest lesson I learned in Haiti, the lesson on simple joy. 

My favorite memory in Haiti is an event that happened in the recovery room. My favorite patient Michael said to our interpreter that his skin is itchy because it's so dry. One of my team mates happened to have a little bottle of lotion with her that day. So she took out that little bottle of lotion and squirted some into this young man's hand. Then she continued putting lotion into each patients' hands, both young and old, male and female. All the patients had such a joy on their face as they rubbed the lotion into their skin on their face and body. The women rubbed the lotion into their baby's skin, the elderly man rubbed the lotion on his legs and foot... Everyone had such a joyous smile on their face as their smelt the lotion and felt the smoothness of their skin. The smile on their face was so big that you'd think they won a house or something. But all it took as that little bit of lotion to bring that much joy on their face.  

One of the sweet happy kids at the orphanage.

As I sat there watching this whole event fold into place, I couldn't help but wonder how much it would take for us to feel that much joy. I mean, as North Americans, we are blessed with so many material things. We have things most Haitian can't even imagine. I remember talking to one of my interpreter about running hot water coming out of the faucet the other day, and he could not understand that concept. It was hard for him to comprehend why there would be hot water coming out of the faucet. He asked me so many questions, why would there be hot water coming out, what heats up the water, how is the hot water separated from the cold water... For us, it's something we all take for granted, something that every house is equipped with, but in Haiti, this was something beyond imagination. Because we are blessed with so much, we all take so much for granted. We stop appreciating the little things in life  because we've had them all our life. A little squirt of lotion would not bring us the amount of joy Haitians experienced. Most of us probably have bottles and bottles of unopened lotion just on our counter. Now we need the Coach, Chanel, BMWs, Benz, expensive condos, caviars to experience that same amount of joy. For some people, even these won't bring them joy because they've became complacent to these as well. It's true what they say, the more we have, the less joy we experience. We stopped appreciating the little things in life, we want more and more, and it takes more and more for us to rejoice. In 1 Thessalonians, Paul reminded us to

"Rejoice always," (1 Thessalonians 5:16)

It's probably one of the shortest verses in the bible, yet it is one of the most challenging verse to obey. I mean, how do we rejoice always when we've stop noticing just how much we are blessed with? Sometimes, it takes a story like this to remind me how much there is to rejoice and be thankful about. It's learning from the Haitians to see and appreciate the little things in life. It's about making that effort to pay attention to what's around us. In other words, it's learning to "stop and smell the roses". One of my favorite Haitian proverb is

Le poul bwe dlo, li pa bliye Bondye.
When the chicken drinks water, she doesn't forget God.

When the chicken drinks water, she has to raise her head and look up into the sky  in order to swallow. What it means is to remember to be thankful even in times of plenty. I think for us North Americans, this is a very fitting proverb. We need to learn to find joy in the little things, and to give thanks for the little things.

Memphis Blue BBQ House

Address: 1342 Commercial Dr. Vancouver

Website: http://www.memphisbluesbbq.com/

HO and HN were going back to Japan, so I wanted to take them out for a traditional western dinner. What's more western than a huge barbecue feast at Memphis Blue BBQ House right? :D Normally the Commercial Drive location is quite busy, but since it was pouring that day, it was not busy at all. Anyways, one thing I always hated about eating on Commercial Drive is the parking. It's so hard to find parking in the area. I parked so far that day I might as well walked from home in Burnaby, LOL. 

Anyways, the interior of  restaurant was nice, rock and roll like. You have to go up to the front and order your food, kind of like fast food. Then you grab your own drink and your utensil. Then they bring you the food. 

 

Since there were three of us, I ordered the Memphis Feast for us. It was a huge platter with all the meat you can imagine. It also included all the sides including coleslaw, cornbread, fries... I have to say, this platter is amazing. All the meat were so juicy and flavorful, I especially liked the sliced beef brisket, it was to die for. The platter was so big we barely made a dent in it when we finished, I took the rest home and it took me a week to finish the leftovers. 

I'm sure I've had enough cholesterol and protein to last me a year. My tummy is definitely thanking me and my heart is definitely not. No regret though, it was a divine meal. Thanks HO and HN for a great night! See you girls in Japan!

Puffed chocolate chip cookies

Yes, I made cookies, I don't really like baking cookies, but I made cookies. Don't get me wrong, I like eating cookies, I just find that my cookies never turn out the way I wanted them to turn out. These cookies were made with a recipe my coworker gave me. She made it for work one day and it was soft and chewy, just the way I like it. I asked her for her secret and I told her about my many failing attempts of baking soft chewy chocolate chip cookies. She gave me this recipe and said, "take this, this is fool proof". Well, she was wrong, it's not fool proof. It was a great recipe, the cookies were delicious, but mine did not turn out soft or chewy. Instead, mine turned out cakey. Not that I didn't enjoy these, they just didn't turn out the way I wanted. I'm still searching for "the trick" in baking chewy cookies...please share with me your words of wisdom. 

Happy baking!

Haiti experience Part 5 - Sharing is Caring

I've been back from Haiti for over 3 weeks now, I have to say, I miss it terribly. I can honestly say I miss the people there, especially the kids. The Haitians have taught me so much, they taught me the importance of community, they taught me how to care for others, but most of all, they taught me what it means to share.

Growing up, each one of us is taught to share. Our parents taught us to share our food or our toys with other kids, our teachers taught us to share our supplies with others, even at work, we are taught to share resources with each other. I think most of us do okay. I mean, we tithe at church, give to the poor, donate things we don't need... and if someone we know needs food or clothing, most of us would chip in. If there is a catastrophe happening somewhere in the world, we open our wallet and give. For us, it is easy to share because we have abundance. It is easy to give others food when our pantry is overstocked with supplies, or to give others clothes when our closet is overflowing with clothing, but what happens when we live with limited resources? Would any of us be so willing to give then?

I wanted to share with you a beautiful story one of my team mate shared with me. On her last trip, she had given out all her lollipop and she had only one left. So she gave this lollipop to one of the kids on the street. The little boy's eyes lit up when he received the lollipop. For kids in our country, we probably won't get the same reaction when they receive a lollipop. But in a country where you barely get enough food to eat, a lollipop to a little kid is such a treat. Anyways, this little boy, instead of putting the candy in his pocket and hiding it from his friends, he brought the lollipop back to his group. Then he opened the wrapper, took one lick, passed it on to his friend beside him. Then his friend took a lick and gave it to the boy beside him. In between about 20 boys, this tiny lollipop went around and around until it disappeared. Now from a nursing perspective, it is not very hygienic, but from a humane perspective, isn't it just the most beautiful story? While these little boys shared this lollipop, they stood together laughing and talking. The little boy who shared his treat, he had the biggest smile on his face. No one forced this little boy to share his only treat, but he did it out of his heart. It says in 2 Corinthians,

"Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver." (2 Corinthians 9:7)

What's a better illustration of this verse than this story?

One of my favorite stories from the bible is the story of the widow's offering. When Jesus was outside the church one day, he saw rich people putting money in the treasury. Then He saw a poor widow putting in two very small copper coins. Then Jesus said:

" 'I tell you the truth,' he said, 'this poor widow has put in more than all the others. All these people give their gifts out of their wealth, but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.' " (Luke 21:3-4)  

I know Jesus was talking about giving to the treasury in this particular case, but isn't that what sharing is about? It's not about giving out of abundance, it's about giving despite of scarcity.

The other story I wanted to share with you is an event I witnessed myself in the recovery room. A man in the recovery room needed to go back to surgery, so he was not allowed to eat or drink that day in order to avoid complications in the OR. Anyways, so he laid on the bed moaning to himself. He kept saying, I'm hungry, I'm hungry. Now in the bed beside him is a woman who recently had a mastectomy. It was obvious that she is not well off, her shirt had holes in it and her hair was messy. She didn't have a lot of family visiting her, so she stored a small pot of Haitian rice under the bed for herself to eat while she is recovering from surgery. But when she heard the man next to her saying that he is hungry, she took out the container of Haitian rice and tried to feed him. I mean that was her week worth of food, yet here she was trying to give all that she had to a man she didn't even know. When we tried to stop her, she looked at me and said, "but he is hungry". To me, that was amazing. I kept thinking that if I was in that situation, what I would do. Would I be so willing to share my small amount of food with a man I didn't know when there is barely enough to eat for me? I'm ashamed to say, but I'm not so sure I would. I hope one day I can confidently say yes to this question. For now, I am learning from the people who have taught me what it means to share their all.

Puffed Rice Snacks

My friend bought me a bag of puffed rice the other day, I didn't really know what to do with it. I remember when I was a kid I used to eat these puffed rice balls, so I thought I give it a try. It was quite easy to make, but a bit time consuming. You have to slow cook the honey until it's in a thick and stringy texture, this takes about 20 minutes. Then all you have to do is turn off the heat and mix in the puffed rice. I kept mine simple and plain, but you can also add flavors into the honey mix to spice it up. Next time, I think I might add some cardamom to make it more interesting. 

Happy Baking!

Cumpari's Gelato & Caffe

Address: 535 North Road, Coquitlam
 
After dinner at Tofu House, the group of us decided to go for dessert somewhere near by. I suggest Cumpari since it's only a few blocks away. It is a beautiful and fancy look cafe that has two levels. I love the ambiance of the cafe, although I wasn't too impressed with the seating. Majority of the seats were these high and hard bar stool like seats. Although they looked funky and hip, they were really uncomfortable. Who knows, maybe that's the point, so people won't stay too long hogging up their seats. :P

As for the food, aside from the large variety of gelato and Italian coffee, Cumpari also serves a variety of desserts. We however, had our eyes on gelato. I have to admit, as compare to other gelato places, Cumpari is on the pricier side. However, I really like the creaminess of the gelato here and the funky flavors they offer.

The flavor I was most curious about was Bailey flavor, so I had to try that. It was delicious. So creamy and full of flavor, with just a hint of liquor. So without a doubt I ordered Bailey on waffle cone. I savored every bite. As much as I enjoyed the gelato here, I am not too happy with the fact that Cumpari doesn't allow two flavors in one scoop. I would have loved to try another flavor.

As I said before, Cumpari does offer other desserts as well. They all looked delicious, but they were also all a bit pricey.

SH was one of the few people that didn't order Gelato, instead, he opted for a true Italian dessert, the Cannoli. I didn't get to try it, but he said it was pretty good. Although it's not as fancy as the cannoli I'm used to, most of the ones I've eaten comes with some type of decoration at the end, Macadamia nuts or chocolate chip or something. But hey, who knows, maybe it's so good that it doesn't need all that.