issue 09 / volume 41

Immigrating meals

» I'm ready for an international food chain in Canada

 
 
  
 

Elliot Chan
Opinions Editor

@theotherpress.ca

he world is full of

interesting fast-food
restaurants, all with their little
unique flares and flavours.
And I’m ready to taste them
all. However, when you are
travelling abroad you might
not want to sample fast-
food. It’s not exactly the
glitzy, adventurous choice.
Nevertheless, making a detour
to see what they have on the
McDonald’s menu in some
foreign country is always a
must.

With the news that the
famous Filipino burger joint
Jollibee and the US chicken
hotspot Chick-fil-A are
joining the Canadian market,
Tam thrilled. New fast-food
restaurant openings are my
World Cup and Olympics; they
don't happen often, and it’s not
really that big of a deal, but still
it makes me happy. Let’s take
a moment to remember how
happy we were to see Carl’s Jr.

That was a nice moment.

Now let’s take a look at

some fast-food joints that I look :
forward to having, or would love :

: to have in Canada—Vancouver
: specifically.

: Jollibee (Philippines): In

: 20n, I had the opportunity to

: visit the Philippines. One image

: that stuck in my mind during

: that trip was all the signs with

: a big-eyed, red-faced, cartoon
: character. It was essentially the
: McDonald’s golden arches. The
: fact that they served spaghetti
: could not be ignored; I had to

: try it. Although the experience
: in the Philippines was

: lacklustre to say the least, the

: novelty stayed with me. There
: was a lot of charm to Jollibee

: that was absent in some other

: fast-food restaurants. Fora lack
: of a better word, it was cute—

: like going to a Build-A-Bear

: store. It'll be a treat to visit one
: in Vancouver.

: In-N-Out Burger (US): It’s
: unlikely that we'll be ordering

: from an In-N-Out Burger in

: Canada anytime soon. Owners
: of this popular American

: fast-food chain don't believe

: in franchising and have high-

: quality standards, meaning

: none of their products are ever
: frozen. They cannot expand

: effectively without lowering

: standards. The fact that

: everything is processed and

: delivered locally is really what

: makes it so awesome. I'll just

  

stick with Carl’s Jr. for now.

Voodoo Doughnut (US): If

you've ever been to Portland,

: you've probably seen the

: long lineup for customizable

: doughnuts. Purely a tourist

: attraction, I’m still intrigued by
: howa doughnut with random

: toppings on it would taste. Still,
: I’m not going to waste my trip

: to Portland standing in line for
doughnuts. It’s just not going

: to happen. Nevertheless, I feel

: like buying a bag of Skittles and :
: going to Tim Hortons wouldn't
: have the same effect.

ear

=,

rH @ =

detec ee

a ee

Bob’s (Brazil): The fact that :
: there isa restaurant with such:
Da generic name—which also

: might have inspired the popular

: animated series—is charming

: enough. In Rio de Janeiro,

: Bob's is almost everywhere. It

: might as well be McDonald’s

: number one competitors there.
: Aside from the name, there

: isn’t much differentiating

: them from any other fast-food
: restaurant. We don’t need

opinions // 19

Photo by Minghong via flickr.com

Shake Shack (US): Why

: do I want to go back to New
: York? Because the last time I

went there, Shake Shack was

: closed when I walked by. The

: world-famous burger shack—

: strategically placed around the

: city and in various states—was

: well-praised for its burgers and

: hot dogs. You'd think I'd get sick
: of burgers, but with so many

: critically acclaimed burgers in

: the world, I must make sure
another Americanized fast-food :
: joint, but variety is as nice as an !
: Ovaltine milkshake.

that it is in fact better than the

: classic Big Mac.

 

Why fluctuating income 1s alright

» Be responsible, not naive

 
  
  

Elliot Chan
Opinions Editor
* © opinions
@theotherpress.ca

ake a look at your finances:

do they look the like the
peaks and valleys of North
Vancouver? Probably, right?

Many of us dream of a consistent :

cash flow where we can buy
what we need and still have
extra money to get what we
want. However, for most of us
in college, university, or simply
pursuing a volatile career, we

does that mean we are destined
fora life of uncertainty?

Now, I’m not going to
guarantee your success. Living
ona fluctuating income is
anything but a guarantee, so I’m
not going to sugarcoat it. There
will be days where paycheques
are bursting from your wallet
and other days where you are
certain bankruptcy is just
around the corner. The highs

: will be high and the lows will be
: horrendous. The key for living

: with inconsistency is to even out
: the peaks and valleys so there is
: some certainty.

: When you do have an

: influx of money, don’t spend

: it immediately on something

: frivolous. Pocket it. Prepare for

: those downhill moments when
: a few extra dollars can make a

: big difference. Break it down to

: what you must have and what
: you could have, the leftover
: bits can then be set aside for
: indulgences like a night out, a
: new piece of technology, ora trip :

cannot always bet that funds will : somewhere exotic—the choice

be there when we need them. So : is yours.

Think of your income

: asa whole entity and then

: break it up into various parts

: performing different duties for

: you. Determine an amount for

: savings and investments. I’m not
: the biggest believer in savings,

: because I enjoy living for the

: moment. The thing is I don’t

: want to be hungry and living on
: the street. If work dries up or an
: accident happens, make sure you :

: have a bit of a cushion. Tax-free

: savings tend to be a good option
: for students and post-graduates
: because of the low-risk money

: saving attributes. You won't get

: rich, but it might save you from
: being broke. Then determine

: what you have for survival: rent,
: food, fuel, and social life.

Don't be naive. It’s true

: that in the end everything

: will probably be alright—after
: all, we live in a society where

: nobody starves. Alright might
: mean returning home to your
: parents. Alright might mean

being in debt for a few decades

: more than expected. Alright

: might mean job-hunting for

: several more seasons. Alright

: can mean different things to

: different people. You don’t

: want to be alright, you want to
: be well-off. So with something
: like inconsistent income, it’s

: critical to be responsible and

: resist lifestyle inflation until you
: have established some balance.
: Peaks and valleys are great for

: arollercoaster, but it’s sure

exhausting on a daily basis.

 

Photo via thinkstock