@ www theotherpress.ca

Life&Style

 

For first dates and lasting loves alike, Mink’s fondue is a do

By Stephanie Trembath
PR Manager

y relationship was recently
threatened by a cat. While
I feel my partner and I are

strong enough to survive the odd
argument, the stress of midterms
combined with Vancouver’s never-
ending rain has left me stranded in
a seasonal slump. Broke from school
and sick of being cooped up inside
among other sorry students, I find
myself counting down the days to
the weekend when, despite my lack
of funds, my partner and I partake
in “cheap date day.” Our little
adventures have become a weekly
routine, partially because after five
years together, getting dressed up
to go ona “date” never happens,
but mostly because it keeps us from
bickering.

Usually held on Sundays, our
relaxing date day has transformed
into a competition of which we
try to outdo each other with the
cheapest and most entertaining
date ideas. So far hiking along
a rock cliff (his idea), and a trip
to “Las Vegas” (my idea, which
extended to our living room decked
out in tacky Christmas lights and
an aroma of cheap dollar store

Spice is nice

perfume), had me in first place. But
a recent trip to Mink Chocolates at
863 West Hastings—recommended
by a friend—one crisp Sunday
afternoon a few weeks back,
proved otherwise. The interior was
small and vibrantly decorated,
with artwork covering the walls
and brightly coloured chocolates
along the back wall. Heavy china
cups and delicate serving trays
underscore the somewhat “upscale”
experience, not to mention a hot

less than eight dollars, with an array
of large marshmallows and crunchy
graham crackers to complement the
liquid chocolate fondue.

After staring delightedly at
our silver tray neatly lined up with
all the tools to cook and create
chocolate sandwiches, we dug in;
and what a messy experiences it
was! After our first few attempts,
we perfected the even toasty golden
marshmallow glow, and heartily
dunked our mallows in the gooey

“Anywhere that serves a smoky fire and spears to prepare your meal
gets top points in my book—I’ve always loved baking and preparing
chocolate delicacies, and this way | avoid cleaning up the mess!”

chocolate that costs nearly five
dollars.

Rather than order fondue or
specialty drinks, I was jet set on
ordering a large platter of gooey
s’mores served on a tray complete
with a small candle-heated fondue
pot and a miniature fire to toast

your marshmallows. Anywhere that

serves a smoky fire and spears to

prepare your meal gets top points in

my book—I’ve always loved baking
and preparing chocolate delicacies,
and this way I avoid cleaning up
the mess! The entire serving cost

fondue before wrapping a graham
cracker crust around our dipped
delight. Waving fire and dripping
dark chocolate, smiles smeared and
fingers sticky, we attracted more

 

Replace sugar and salt with spices and reap the benefits

@

By Joel MacKenzie, Contributor

with added salt or sugar, add

spices to food and drinks, and
turn mere fuelling into incredible
eating.

Many add sugar and salt to
their meals to add flavour, or for the
addictive rush they provide when
they’re speedily absorbed into the
bloodstream. But, of course, these
additives have many negative
health consequences and provide
little required nutritional value.
The consequences of heavy sugar
use (as mentioned last week in The
Other Press) include diabetes, high
blood pressure, and obesity. An
excess of salt can be damaging to

[os of covering up flavours

 

organs, and can cause hypertension
and water retention (and thus
weight gain).

Of course, some may need the
extra carbohydrates from sugar,

teaspoon of added sodium a day, an

amount that is extremely easily met

through many cooked foods.
Without a lot of salt or sugar,

does eating sound boring? It

doesn’t have to be. Replacing

the blood rush experience with

one of spicy experimentation

is much more fulfilling. Mixing

and experimenting with cooked,

uncooked, fresh, or dried spices

gives you the opportunity to create

new flavours, making eating a

personal, memorable experience

that will stay with you longer than

arush. Many spices also boast

health benefits: turmeric contains

“Mixing and experimenting with cooked, uncooked, fresh, or dried
spices gives you the opportunity to create new flavours, making eating a
personal, memorable experience that will stay with you longer than a rush.”

and we all require some salt in
our diets daily. But there are a
host of healthier ways to attain
carbs that provide fibre, vitamins,
phytonutrients and protein that
sugar won't: through fruit, whole
wheat, or brown rice, for instance.
And we only require about a

the antioxidant curcumin, which
has been shown to inhibit and slow
cancer growth in laboratory studies;
garlic (which, when alone or added
with onion, almost tastes like salt)
is used raw to decrease blood
pressure and increase immunity

to colds; ginger has been proven

than our fair share of inquisitive
looks from walking passers through
the window—a few who wandered
in to order something just as
decadent off the menu.

After our chocolate-filled
fun afternoon, I must say, I am
willing to take second place in
our competition, and would
recommend Mink Chocolates to any
couple that is struggling through
the seasonal slump as I am. For new
couples, this is a great location to
have fun in a relaxed environment,
and allows a little bit of playfulness
as you get to tamper with both
fire and fondue. I find that dinner
dates—especially with someone
you haven’t known for five years—
tend to go a bit long and awkward,
but making and tasting s’mores
can’t go over an hour or so, which
makes it a better first date choice.

 

to fight certain types of cancer
and relieve upset stomachs, and is
used as a painkiller and immunity
booster; and cocoa powder is
used to reduce blood pressure and
cut diabetes risk, and is widely
regarded as awesome.

Try playing around with spices
that are often used together. Ones
traditionally used in Italian food
include basil, oregano, and (the
famous) parsley, sage, rosemary,
and thyme. Smoother ones,
often used for desserts or drinks,
include cinnamon, mint, cloves,
and vanilla. Indian spices include
cumin, cayenne, turmeric, bay, and
curry (the latter of which isn’t a
spice itself, but a mix of many). Or
try deliberately mixing varieties
together: hot cocoa powder
with cinnamon and cayenne?
Surprisingly good. And if you can’t
afford a whole lot at one time, just
try a few: they last forever.

If removing all salt and sugar
instantly is too much of a shock,
try to replace them slowly. Without
sugar or salt in the way, flavours get
a chance to actually be tasted, and
eating becomes more than simply
fuelling—it becomes exciting.

11