#LoveYYC Day

Happy EXTRA HOUR OF SLEEP DAY! Yesterday for #LoveYYC day, the missus and I hit a bunch of local food and drink venues to take advantage of free tours, free swag, and free samples. Because the only time you should turn down free anything is if it's candy from a creepy old guy in a wood paneled van. But that's neither here nor there. We hit up the Big Rock brewery for free swag and tastings, the Crossroads market for lunch, Fiasco Gelato for a tour and tasting, and ended off at Village Brewery for a couple pints and tour of the production facility. #fatguystuckinaskinnybody


A roasted or chocolate barley malt for brewing stouts or porters.


Tour of Fiasco Gelato.


The Eggnog Gelato is YUM-MY!




Lunch at Crossroads Market, where free gift cards were given out to the first 50 patrons. Being night owls, we were not amongst those 50.


The beautiful copper mash tun and wort tanks at Village Brewery.


Wort tank selfie.


2 row malted barley.


Smaller capacity fermentation tanks for the smaller volume brews.


7000L capacity fermenters for the most popular brews.


The bottling line, equipped to do both 331ml bottles and 22 fl.oz bombers.


Yours truly, patiently waiting for gelato.


We'd finish off the evening gorging ourselves on takeout and blind tasting a few random beers in the fridge.



And you can't hang out with friends drinking beer without snapping a Polaroid or two.



Mike samples the Maiden ISA and Wit Belgian wheat beers.

Xi'an Muslim Quarter - Food and Photos

Tasty street food? Check. Photogenic pedestrian street? Check. Is there any question why we enjoyed the Muslim Quarter in the city of Xi'an, China? Most folks go to Xi'an specifically for the Terracotta Warriors, but the Muslim Quarter is definitely a must visit area for anyone who enjoys great (but not necessarily sanitary) food. Don't let the lack of refrigeration deter you... the open air, unrefrigerated meats cooked over charcoal grills were to die for. And did I mention how photogenic the area was at night? See for yourself.






No meat left behind. These dudes skillfully carve meat off of goat carcasses in the open air of Beiyanmen street.






Delicious charcoal grilled goat skewers.
















Stewed goat's feet. Surprisingly yummy.








Chinese style yogurt, served in porcelain jars.


This guy puts on quite the show while working some sugary goop used to make candy.




After sampling the street food, we sat down at a muslim restaurant where you had to rip up your own dense flatbread, which would then be cooked in broth as part of a noodle dish.

The Historic Center of Lhasa

We spent our first few days in Tibet in the capital city, Lhasa. The city's historic center, Barkhor Square, is a vibrant quarter featuring an eclectic mix of Tibetans walking the kora around the Jokhang Monastery, a multitude of Tibetan arts and crafts vendors and shops, tourists taking in the sights and sounds, and numerous open air yak butcher shops. Just wandering around the meandering streets was an absolute delight.

Some of you may also know that we attempted to bring home a few packs of Yak Jerky as souvenirs, but had them confiscated by the Canada Border Services folks when we landed in Vancouver. It's a good thing we didn't buy the vacuum packed, ready to eat 'Yak Whip Meat' (which I would quickly discover was actually yak penis), or that would've been an embarrassing encounter at the customs counter. But yet, had I attempted to bring home some decorative yak skulls instead of the jerky, apparently, we would have been allowed to do so provided we made efforts to have them properly 'treated'. Sigh... #skullsbeforejerky #saywhaaaaat?

Anyways, I wanted to share some street photos taken of life and sights in and around the Barkhor area.


Tibetans prostrating themselves inside the Jokhang Monastery.




Prostrating outside the Jokhang Monastery.




Open air yak and goat meat butcher shops.














Yak head




Decorative yak skulls