I ended up at Legendary Noodle because I had been bugging my Chinese-teacher-turned-friend to take me for Chuan'r, a type of Chinese meat-on-a-stick street food. It's very popular and available all year round, but is best had on late summer nights, while sitting outside with a bottle of Tsing Tao beer. When we got to Legendary Noodle on Main Street, we were informed that Chuan'r was only available at their Richmond location. A little disappointed but very hungry, we decided to stick around and give the handmade noodles a try.

There were three of us, so we ordered three appetizers and three noodle dishes. We started with the Tudou Si, a type of shredded potato dish available in pretty much any restaurant in China. It was very well done, with just the right amount of spice and flavor. We then tried the Pea Shoots with Garlic, which were fresh and incredibly tasty. I would go back again just to have them. We also had Guo Tie (fried dumplings) - these were a favorite of mine in China, but the ones at this restaurant had just a little too much ginger for my liking.

More on the main dishes after the jump...

Are you a picky eater? No? Well then, do you like eating really creative sandwiches perhaps? The Salty Tongue Deli might be the spot for you. Unlike other sandwich options in Vancouver the Salty Tongue Deli serves up exactly what you want on demand. That's right - they have a selection of sandwiches but you can substitute everything on the menu.

When you are ready for a REAL adventure I would take things a step further and use the handy form to create a sandwich from scratch. To do this you must pick up this piece of paper near the till and check off what sandwich options you are craving. For my selection I chose some turkey, cranberry relish, humus, banana peppers and some greens. Sound gross? It was! I did enjoy it though because I picked everything myself so I had nobody else to blame.

Whalley to be designated Metro Vancouver's second downtown core. Looks like they're well on their way... Whats their dog boutique and "dollar" pizza count? I know they got Starbucks. (Thx to miss604 for those second two links.)

People in Vancouver would choose more transit over more roads, and apparently they want that transit free. Re:place re-posts this well written, in depth article, which includes a list of 17 reasons why transit fees should be covered by taxation. The Tyee originally published this series in 2007, but I missed it the first time around; kudos to re:place for resurrecting an idea that deserves renewed attention. Any thoughts in the wake of climbing fees and taserings?

How about a footbridge underneath Burrard instead of that expensive expansion?

The press is all over Salvia Divinorum lately. An extremely intense and mysterious psychoactive herb that's evaded criminalization. This was some seriously hot stuff five years ago at UBC, when people were picking it up from the (now relocated) 'Urban Shaman' out on Commercial Drive. I did it once, and never again. Not recommended for anyone but the most schizophrenically-inclined. Although I'm against it, I'm a sucker for a good link: videos of people smoking the stuff. Oh how glad I am we didn't have YouTube in my dorm days.

So Wal-Mart is looking at some mega Canadian expansion. Well, you might want to consider the environmental cost of shipping all that shit around. Essential viewing: Where do Wal-Mart products come from?. A list of Wal-Mart resources, including an article on how the business 'caught the China bug.' Update: they've announced a new Wal-Mart at Grandview and Boundary.

How conscious are you of buying locally? It's something I only really hear about when it comes to food...

Last night, I was lucky enough to be a part of Beyond Robson's staff meeting at the Cambie. I had a great time, and am pleased to know we all have heads larger than 1cm tall!
...and with that, I bring you (a New Music West infused) Concert BReak.

Thursday, May 8
Here are tonight's concerts.

Friday, May 9
♦ NOFX @ Commodore: These satirical punks have been at it since the early 80's.
♦ You Say Party! We Say Die! @ Astoria: Abbotsford's dance-punksters unite with Better Friends than Lovers and Wintermitts for a Vancouver indie extravaganza.
♦ Dawntreader @ Railway Club: This bunch of locals are celebrating their album release with Cinderpop, The Top Drawers and Empire Alley.

I'm gonna go against the grain and start out positive today: BC unemployment rates are the lowest they have been in over 40 years. Sure, we're all making less, addicted to more drugs, and faced with high and rising housing prices... but at least more people can support their habits via menial labor these days. Okay... that got negative fast.

I'll try and bring it back with a thousand crosses raised for lives saved by Insite. Meanwhile, the mayoral candidates band together to urge the feds to keep Insite open. It's nice to see the city unanimously supporting the program, but all this energy should be channeled towards improving the program; as DeGenova says, "we should be expanding... not fighting to keep the one open." Alas.

Church sandwich-handout program shut down, because homemade sandwiches might make someone sick? Versus a diet of 7-11 smokies and pizza crusts? And what does starvation do to the system again? Ridiculous.

After their recent multi-million dollar deal to become the official paper of the 2010 Games, Globe and Mail president John Furlong actually said "it's implied that 60 per cent of the headlines will be 'Those VANOC guys are super-great.'"

Oilpatch injuries are more severe and costly than those in any other sector. Hmmm... maybe God is telling us something? Stay out! Stay out boy!

Photo courtesy of Arne Gulstene.

I remember how excited I was when I learned that sports talk radio was coming to Vancouver.

It's hard to believe that the TEAM 1040 has been on the air for seven years.

Before that, the only form of sports talk radio came on CKNW 980 and it happened in the evenings, when I was away from the radio.

But with the all new TEAM 1040 taking over the station once known as 1040 Kicks CKXY, it was 24/7 and I was in Heaven.

Thanks for breaking the silence of my office during the day.

Thanks for showing me that Jim Rome was more than just the guy that pissed off Jim Everett back in the nineties--he was actually a good host.

Thank you Sherminator and B-Mac for talking more than just local sports. I love hearing about my Lions, Giants and Canucks, but I also like hearing about things like March Madness as well.