Dear Stomach: I'm Sorry!

It appears that I need to pen a letter to my stomach anytime Kris and Nicole come down to visit. It's a short letter that basically reads, "Dear Stomach: I'm sorry!" Because, while we always go out and enjoy a day of sensory delights for our palates, the punishment to our stomachs afterwards is inexcusable. After our 8 hour food and drink odyssey yesterday, I went to bed and experienced what it must be like to try sleeping while 7 months pregnant, as I had incubated a rather active food baby in my tummy.

If you think I speak in hyperbole, here's what our itinerary between noon and 8pm looked like: 1) Brunch at Ten Foot Henry -> 2) Shakes and fries at Re:Grub -> 3) Beer Flights from the Cold Garden taproom -> 4) Hot Chocolates and 'pork wings' at PZA Parlour -> 5) Beer Flights from Banded Peak Brewing -> 6) All you can eat hot pot at Regency Palace. Aside from making our way from place to place, the only downtime we had in between was spent buying beer at Oak and Vine, and sodas and potato chips at Bite Groceteria.


Just the lead off photo to entice you.


Kris and Nicole at Ten Foot Henry - the very reason my palate feels enriched, but my stomach feels destroyed this morning.








Immediately upon finishing brunch, we walked here.


For some delicious milkshakes.




And some asiago truffle fries.


Next up: Cold Garden taproom.


Flights served with old sawed off skis.


Pool noodle decor. It's eclectic, to say the least.


The beautiful wooden bar, burned by electricity.


PZA Parlour's signature concoction for YYC Hot Chocolate Fest. Nutella infused, pop rock rimmed glass, marshmallow foam, and topped with an Italian donut.


The only appropriate thing to do with delicious pop rocks stuck on your glass.


Delightful Pork 'wings' at PZA.


The taproom at Banded Peak Brewing.


More beer flights. Fun side note: You can get 1 litre cans of the craft brews here!


And to cap off the glutton fest, we finished with some all you can eat hot pot at Regency Palace. I regret nothing.


While not food related, we went out for a stroll to walk off a calorie or two from the day's events. This was the 'Nibbles' installation for the Glow Downtown Winter Lights Festival.

Saigon Street Shots

Yesterday marked the end of Lunar New Year celebrations, capped off with what Chinese people call 元宵佳節 (essentially, Chinese Valentine's Day). To celebrate the near alignment of east and west Valentine's Days, Anita and I are going to hunt out some unique hot chocolate concoctions as part of YYC Hot Chocolate Fest today. But before we head out, I just wanted to share a few more of my sad attempts at street photography while wandering around Cholon and Saigon last month. The hustle and bustle of everyday life at street level in Vietnam in unlike anything else, and if you are looking for a new experience in travel and culture shock, look no further.