@ www theotherpress.ca

Life&Style

 

Beers that make you go, Whaaa?

Weird, quirky labels for
weird, quirky bottles

By Laurel Borrowman,
Life & Style Editor

here are many reasons

one may choose to
buy a particular beer. It
may be cheap. It may taste
delicious. You may have
lost a bet and owe your
buddy a six-pack. You may
be experimenting with
autumnal cooking that
requires a brew or two to
give the recipe that missing
zing-pow. Here’s another
good reason: the label looks
goddamn cool.

While we may have
been taught not to judge
a book by its cover, here’s
one instance where |
recommend saying phooey
to that. There’s a recent
trend with craft brewers

that’s decorating shelves
in an oddball way, and
making for some pretty
great conversation pieces
at the same time. From
laser-beam-eyed bears to
sparkly unicorns, breweries
like Phillips and Parallel 49
have got a bunch of brews
that not only taste delicious,
but will also easily fill that
awkward silence when you
run out of witty remarks to
woo that hottie at your next
house party.

Here are three I’ve laid
my eyes on recently:

Phillips White Unicorn:
This white IPA is nothing
short of magical, both inside
and out. Legend goes, it’s
“best enjoyed while riding
a mystical mono-horned
laser beast, racing through
the galaxy to the sonic
backdrop of screaming
metal guitars.” How can
one argue with that? This

6.5% brew is smooth,
hoppy, easy-drinking, and
fantasmagorically fun to
look at.

Parallel 49 Old Boy Ale:
Not only is this beer
actually ridiculously good-
tasting, the label is also
hilariously entertaining.
Never before has a mug of
beer been personified so
well. It’s true, you could put
a mustache and a monocle
on almost anything and it
would be instantly funnier,
but the character on this
label also sports a cane, top
hat, and a face that looks
wise beyond his years. Old
Boy takes jaunty to a whole
new level.

Phillips Pandamonium,
The 11" Hour Anniversary
Ale: Last year, Phillips
celebrated their tenth
birthday by crafting a
special 10 per cent double
IPA. So for its eleventh

How to survive in a homestay

Unrealistic
expectations can ruin
your life out of home

By Glauce Fleury,
Contributor

pL

 
   

hen you move to
another country
and decide to live ina
homestay, it’s important
to know what to expect
to be sure it is the best
option. “Students shouldn’t
go into a homestay
placement with unrealistic
expectations,” suggests
Jenny Shin, Douglas’
International Academic
Advisor, previously in
charge of the International
Student Life Program. “The
families aren’t there to be
a chauffeur, or maid, or to
cater to the student’s needs
24 hours a day.”

Hearing this might be
hard, but useful. In this
sense, Aleksandra Sorokina,
a Hospitality Management
student at Douglas, chose
the safer path. “I didn’t
know what to expect,
so I just came and took
everything as it was.” It’s
been three months since she
started living at a homestay,
and she’s enjoyed most of
her days.

The cultural shock,
however, is usually present,
regardless of how open-

minded the student is. For
Yuko Naito, who studied
English in Canada, the
shock referred to privacy.
“I'd borrowed my host
sister’s backpack to go
camping with them and
put all my stuff inside, then
she opened it to look for
something she had lost,
without asking me first,”
she says. She also dealt with
their tardiness, which isn’t
common in her Japanese
culture. “When they said
we'd leave in 10 minutes, I
was ready, but I had to wait
an hour for them.”

In some cases, though,
the main concern is food.
“T used to eat only fresh
food in Russia but, in my
homestay, they leave food
for more than one day, so
it doesn’t taste that great,”
one student complains.
The same happened to
Judith Canos, who lives
in Spain and is an expert
in homestays — twice in
Ireland, twice in England,
and once in Canada. In
some of them, the food
was prepared for a few
days, and just reheated at

iPS BREWING Co:

ay =
if sy

Li
unic OR!

birthday, how better could
they celebrate than upping
the ante? They brewed the
Pandamonium 11th Hour
Anniversary ale, an 11 per
cent IPA clad by a laser-
beam-eyed, city-ravaging,

mealtime. “They didn’t
even eat with us.”

Upon applying for
a homestay placement,
Douglas international
students receive a sort of
online brochure which
makes recommendations,
such as “students should
not expect families to
change their normal
lifestyle.” Homestay
newcomers must keep in
mind that we’re human
beings, with faults and
virtues, and a good talk can
go a long way. I learned
this myself after three
homestays.

Seven years ago, I
dealt with unreasonable
rules. My host family just
changed the sheets twice a
month and I was allowed
to shower just once a day
for no more than seven
minutes. Tricky? No. I
argued that habit was a
question of good hygiene to
me, but I heard, “Brazilians
shower a lot because Brazil
is hot and Canada is not.”

I told them I would move,
and then the rules changed.

According to Shin,

 

.

ey

a i,

hh

ote ES
WE rom

ren Fed

snarly-mouth panda bear
label. That’s the only way to
celebrate such an occasion.
It’s hoppy. It’s strong as
heck. It’s got a King Kong-
mimicking panda bear on
the label. ‘Nuff said.

students shouldn’t be afraid
to discuss their problems
with the family. However,
if they are unsure of how
to address their questions,
they should see their
homestay coordinator

for advice. “Open
communication is the key,
as most problems are really
minor and can be solved
just by letting each other
know what is bothering
them,” she explains. “They
should spend some time
with the family rather than
keep themselves in their
rooms.”

After all, experts in
homestays recommend this
experience. “Students learn
a lot, even when bad things
happen,” says Canos. She
believes sharing hobbies is
a way to learn about their
culture. Naito agrees: “it’s
important to experience
their lifestyle.” For Shin,
the success of a homestay
placement depends on the
efforts made by both family
and student to build a
friendship.

11