Author Archives: Dominika Kwiatkowska

Eastside Culture Crawl: What’s Next for the Artists of East Vancouver?

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November in Vancouver is notoriously rainy and gloomy. Not much seems to go on during this lull between Halloween and the Christmas season.

Lucky for you, I’ve done some research, and I’ll save you from spending hours searching for things to do and fill you in all about the 26th annual eastside culture crawl, a visual arts festival that showcases the talent and culture of east Vancouver.

Did you know that East Van is home to the highest concentration of artists compared to all other neighbourhoods in Canada? This is what makes the eastside culture crawl such a vibrant event!

Eastside Culture Crawl

Each year the festival boasts a different theme; this year the theme is NEXT. Coming out of the pandemic and the hardships it brought, artists of the crawl will explore what is next for them. Will it be a return to normalcy? A completely new vision for what life will be like in the coming decades? What is the future of the community?

The festival officially starts on the Thursday November 17th and continues on throughout the weekend until the 20th, with a selection of workshops and demonstrations you can attend in different locations around the neighbourhood.

From learning how to paint with alcohol ink, casting resin so that it looks like the ocean, stone carving, oil painting, mural painting, and so much more, this is a great and immersive event for people of all ages and abilities. A complete list of workshops can be found here.

A.I. ABSTRACT ''SPRING'S A-POPPIN' ''

There are also preview exhibitions available to check out until the 27th, so if you’re really itching to go gallery-hopping this weekend before the event officially starts, here is a list of all the exhibits, one of which is located at strange fellows brewing, a favourite east van destination. Craft beer and art sure sounds like a great weekend to me!

There is no charge to attend any of the events and workshops of the festival and families and kids are welcome, just please keep your pets at home. And a reminder to be respectful when coming into an artists studio space; although masks are not mandatory for all of the festival, some artists may ask visitors to put one on in their studio. Be conscious of others comfort level and be kind.

And of course, if you take any photos of the art, make sure to share it with the official hashtag #eastsideculturecrawl

Vancouver Music Appreciation: 4 Great Bands You Need to Listen to

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What do you imagine when you think of Vancouver? A day on the slopes at Grouse Mountain? Perhaps the array of multi-cultural food? People jogging in their lululemon gear around the seawall? Seagulls stealing food out of the hands of innocent tourists on Granville Island?

It seems like there are many memorable things about Vancouver, but for some reason, the music scene doesn’t seem to be one of them.

Why is that?

It does seem strange, considering our proximity to Seattle, which was booming with popular bands during the 90’s, most well-known of them all being Nirvana. Even to this, day, when you think of Seattle, images of the grunge scene come to mind.

Even other cities and regions in our own country, although geographically further away, had a distinct music scene: The Halifax pop explosion of the 90’s (Sloan, Jale, Erics Trip), or the weird yet strangely synergistic amalgamation of synth pop and punk in 80’s Montreal (Men without hats, Doughboys, the Nils).

Sure, Vancouver has had a lot of great bands over the years, but because there wasn’t ever really a specific “scene” out here, so many of them have gone unnoticed, under-appreciated, or just plain forgotten.

As someone who has grown to love the local music in Vancouver, I think it’s important to grow a stronger musical culture, and that means spreading the word about some of the best bands from the city, both past and present.

So, here is my list of 4 bands from Vancouver you need to listen to:

1. Said the Whale

Said The Whale

Established in 2007 and still going strong, this group is the quintessential Vancouver/BC indie pop band. They literally have songs about the city and other places in the province. Not just one, multiple. Some of their song titles are “The banks of the English Bay,” “B.C. Orienteering, and “Gambier Island Green.” This is a band that loves their town, and has no problem paying homage to it.

2. Ludic

Calpurnia

Ludic is a fairly new band, having started in 2017 with Brothers Max and Rhett Cunningham and former Calpurnia guitarist Ayla Tesler-Mabe. It’s hard to pinpoint their sound exactly, but on spotify they describe themselves as “alien Motown.” Suffice to say, it’s some pretty funky stuff that will get you grooving. After two years of steadily releasing singles, they put their debut EP “Grown?” out in May of this year. I have a feeling these guys will be big one day, so you better go to one of their shows now so you can rub it in peoples faces in the future.

3. The Grapes of Wrath

The Grapes Of Wrath

A bit of a throwback for this one. Technically, the Grapes of Wrath were originally from Kelowna, but relocated to Vancouver once their music started to take off in the late 80’s/early 90’s. I wasn’t even born when they were popular, but I started listening to their music 5 or 6 years ago and I’m surprised that more people don’t remember them. They had a few popular songs, including “All the things I wasn’t,” “You may be Right,” and “Peace of Mind,” and overall, their albums were really well put together and had that very iconic 80’s jangle to them. And who doesn’t love some jangle?

4. The New Pornographers

The New Pornographers

Don’t let the name of this band put you off. Formed in 1996 and releasing their first album “Mass Romantic” in 2000, these guys are practically Vancouver music veterans. They have a very interesting brand of quirky, off-kilter pop music that is extremely memorable. There is no mistaking them for anyone else. Plus, they’ve been mentioned on Gilmore Girls, so you know it’s good.

What do you think? Who else would you add to this list?

 

Was the California Roll Invented in Vancouver?

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Sushi is an integral part of Vancouver culture. The first sushi restaurant in the city opened in 1963!

No matter which neighbourhood you are in, you’ll be sure to find a sushi restaurant on the nearest corner (and you’ll argue with your friend about which one is the best). There are more than 600 sushi restaurants in Vancouver; that’s about 10% of all the restaurants in the city! And it makes sense that Sushi is so popular in this city, given that some of the most famous rolls were invented here!

Undoubtedly the most well-known type of sushi in North America is the California roll, which is made with cooked crab, avocado, and sometimes cucumber wrapped in seaweed and rice. You would think the name gives it all away, but there are actually conflicting accounts as to where it was invented. Some claim it was invented in Los Angeles, but others credit Hidekazu Tojo, a sushi chef from Vancouver who claimed he first started making it in the 1970’s.

He initially named the roll Tojo-maki, and said he came up with this role as he observed the eating habits of Vancouverites. Compared to Japanese culture, westerners don’t eat very much seaweed, so he “hid” the seaweed on the inside of the roll, unlike traditional sushi that has the seaweed wrapped outside.

California Roll

But if Hidekazu really invented it in Vancouver, why is it predominantly called the California roll and not a Tojo-maki, as he named it?

Well, his explanation for this is that a lot of foreigners, especially from California, were coming to try his sushi, and they loved it. So, he eventually decided to re-name it the California roll.

Sounds reasonable; however, Ken suesa, a sushi chef from LA, claims he invented this roll in the 60’s – a whole decade before chef Tojo in Vancouver.

So, who is telling the truth? Maybe both are.

It seems that Ken Suesa may have been the inventor of this particular combination of ingredients, but Hidekazu Tojo pioneered the new style of making sushi with seaweed on the inside, which is now synonymous with the California roll.

Well, if there are doubts as to the origins of the California roll, there are no doubts as to where the BC roll was invented. The BC roll was invented in Vancouver in 1974 by… drum roll please… Chef Hidekazu Tojo. Does this guy ever take a break?

The main component of the BC roll is Barbecued salmon, both the flesh and the skin. It is similar to the California roll in that it also has the seaweed on the inside. Since its inception, this roll has become very popular not only in the province, but all over the world!

Sushi.

So, what’s your favourite between these two iconic Vancouver sushi rolls?

Both have been a staple in the diet of a Vancouverite for many years, and will be for many more years to come.

Woman, don’t be afraid to work in sports media

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I’ll be the first to admit I’m not really a “sports person.” Yes, I do yoga, I like running, and skiing is one of my favourite things to do in the winter, but team sports like soccer or hockey were never my thing.

Now, on the other hand, my best friend in elementary school was the sporty girl. Every lunch hour at school she would play soccer with the boys… and then there was me, reluctantly tagging along with her because I had nothing else to do. Still, I’ll give her credit for sticking by my side, she always made sure I was never picked last for the team, even though I was terrible.

So, given my relationship, or lack-thereof, with sports, how did I end up working as part of the broadcast crew for the Port Moody Panthers junior hockey club?

The answer is simple: I wanted to try something new. I wanted to put myself in an environment where I could grow. And what better place for a 21-year-old girl who knows next to nothing about sports to do that than a junior hockey team?

Even if I was going to make an idiot of myself, its Junior B hockey, NOBODY will remember, it’s not like I’m working for the Canucks!

So last season I started out behind the camera, which honestly, does not require much knowledge of hockey at all. Just follow the puck, simple enough.

Still, I went into the job knowing I was probably going to be the only woman on the crew, which can be intimidating. But I was pleasantly surprised when I met my co-workers who turned out to be super friendly and more than willing to explain things to me without making me feel stupid.

That season I also got the chance to try being a colour commentator for one night, and it really forced me to learn more about the game and be curious about something that I would otherwise not pay any attention to.

So far, so good.

Now this season I’m the PA announcer. There was an opening for that job position and I was like, you know what, let’s just do it. I’ve kind of got the ropes now, let’s challenge myself a bit further. And yes, I have no idea what I’m doing, but I’m still going to do it.

But again, I am lucky that I work with very supportive people, because not all work environments are so welcoming to woman in male-dominated fields.

To many men reading this, it may not seem like a big deal.

So what, PA announcer for a Junior B hockey team? Easy!

But in such a male dominated environment, where there’s this impression that you need to show off your machismo at all times, it can stop woman from even trying to apply for the job, even if they are knowledgeable about sports to begin with.

At the Port Moody Panthers we also have a female colour commentator and I was shocked to find out that there are no other woman in the league in this position!

So, I just want to leave you off with this message: To all the woman and girls out there, don’t be afraid to step into this space!

Be curious, be open to new opportunities, but also hold space for discomfort. It’s definitely a different type of environment, and I think a lot of women have heard of horror stories about working in male dominated fields, but not every place is going to be like that.

If we don’t take chances like this, it will never get better for woman working in sports.

And that doesn’t mean that every woman out there suddenly needs to become a trailblazer and force herself into sports media. But for those of you who are curious about doing a job like this, if I can do it, so can you.

The story of the Strong Fish

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Today I decided to take a different route on my morning walk. Instead of following the path along the shoreline to Rocky Point Park, I veered right at the fork in the trail and found myself wandering the grounds of the Noons creek hatchery.

Even though I have known about the hatchery for a long time, and have been along that trail more than once, it always surprises me how beautiful it is, especially on a sunny and crisp November morning such as this one.

There was a thin layer of sparking frost on all the trees and rocks surrounding the creek, crowding around the burbling stream like over protective grandparents. Standing tall and serene, the silver-haired giants create a safe haven for the salmon traveling upstream.

Salmon leave their ocean habitat during the summer to begin their journey upstream into freshwater, where they will find a safe place to spawn. This journey can take months, and most salmon usually reach their destination and spawn between the months of September and December.

As I walked beside the creek, I spotted a pair of chum salmon floating in a deeper pool, contemplating how to best wriggle their way past the shallower section up ahead. I watched them for a few minutes, silver and pink-red scales glinting in the sunlight as they jumped and flailed on the shallow sand-bar, flicking their tails in a mad dash to see who could reach the finish line first.

I marveled at their perseverance. It’s not easy being a salmon, it is a struggle to get upstream, and many fish don’t make it

Dead Chum Salmon

A dead chum salmon at the Noons creek/Burrard inlet estuary

This is a story that the Kwikwetlem people know all too well.

As well as providing a place for young salmon to grow, the Noons creek hatchery has some interesting installations of native art, including an impressive looking house post, laying face up under a covered gazebo.

Noons Creek House Post

House post depicting the story of the Strong Fish at the Noons creek hatchery

This house post tells the story of the “Strong Fish,” meant to be a “tribute to the strength and perseverance of the Kwikwetlem first nation.”In 1914, BC Hydro built a dam on Coquitlam lake, which flooded the traditional territory and main village of the Kwikwetlem people. Not only did the people lose their home forever, the salmon did too. The dam was blocking their way to the upper water shred and spawning grounds, so the Kwikwetlem people decided to help the salmon by carrying them up past the dam in baskets.

The Story of the Strong Fish

A poster about the story of the Strong Fish next to the house post at Noons creek

Unfortunately, their noble effort to help the salmon up the Coquitlam River was stopped by the construction of a gate. The Kwikwetlem people were no longer allowed to pass through, and the salmon never came back up the river.Over a hundred years have gone by, and the situation is still largely the same; there are very few salmon in the Coquitlam River, but the strength and spirit of the Kwikwetlem people still lives on through the Kokanee salmon (kokanee is the name given to salmon that don’t migrate) landlocked above the Coquitlam lake dam. These salmon are the ancestors of the sockeye salmon that were once transported over the dam in the peoples baskets. The people adapted, and so did the fish.

Salmon have important cultural significance in the many native bands that span across Canada. The Kwikwetlem nation is just one of them.

I came to the Noons creek hatchery to enjoy a nice walk and some fresh air, but came away with a new appreciation and reverence for the sense of duty the Kwikwetlem people have to their land.

There is no doubt that Western culture is becoming increasingly sick. We are lonelier, have more chronic diseases, have more mental health struggles, are more polarized, and the list goes on.

We have become selfish, taking from the earth to provide for all our little comforts, with nothing to give in return. We don’t appreciate nature as we should, confined indoors to our glowing screens as we look for validation from people who live across oceans. We need to stop focusing so much on ourselves, drawing more and more inward into isolation. We must start focusing outwards on how we can help each other and the earth. We cannot do everything alone. We need community. We need a sense of duty, a purpose for life other than ourselves.

I witnessed the strength of the salmon making their way upstream, and I had no doubt they will make it, but even the strongest of us needs a helping hand now and again. The strength and perseverance needed to endure hardship is a group effort.

The story of the Strong fish shows us that our culture is lacking strong communities.

Perhaps we should look to the fish for help.