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RICHMOND: H-Mart Korean grocery, food counter

H-Mart is named after a Korean phrase “Han Ah Reum” which means “arm full of groceries.” I left with a tummy full of food.

H-Mart is an Asian supermarket, with predominantly Korean products. From a corner store in New York City in 1982, it now has almost 50 stores across North America and one [...]

VANCOUVER: Save On Meats

The iconic neon piggy on West Hastings in Vancouver’s notorious Downtown Eastside stood among the big red Woodward’s W as one of the most recognizable signs of my childhood.

I was keenly interested to read about the efforts of restaurateurs Mark and Nico Bran to reopen the butcher shop and diner (which closed in [...]

#visaeveryday 2: Grounds for Appeal Indian curry

(This is a sponsored post.)

Day 2 of using my VISA for daily buys to see how my cash-back rewards add up. According to today’s purchases, I’m all about food (duh) and mundane errands squeezed in before work. I cut new keys ($11.76), bought some shoelaces ($5.59) and got an impromptu boot shine ($9.52).

As usual, [...]

VISA Everyday Day 1

My wallet is usually stuffed with receipts because I try to use my credit card for almost everything. It’s gotten quite a workout lately after three months of renovations and the associated costs of moving this week. So when VISA asked me to spend up to $50 on “small things” for five days to see [...]

Star Wars pancakes

File this under “things you don’t need” but “super fun for grownups under guise of doing it for kids” and “why not? we have a a gift certificate to burn.”

Yoda, Darth Vader and a storm trooper as pancake moulds can be yours for $29.95 CAD from Williams-Sonoma. They also make Star Wars [...]

CALGARY: Sunterra Market

Condo dwellers of the Victoria Park area can now rejoice with their very own supermarket. Granted, it’s not a discount grocer, but the Sunterra Market (in the shiny Keynote tower) has its advantages especially for young professionals who live and work in the area.

As Calgary’s closest answer to Whole Foods, Sunterra Market stocks organic [...]

PLAYA DEL CARMEN: Tamales and tequila

If you get bored of the all-inclusive resort life on the Mayan Riviera, a trip into Playa del Carmen is easy and cheap. Originally a small fishing village and artists’ colony, it’s increasingly catering to the tourists that flock there for scuba diving and shopping.

You could take a cab into Playa. The 25-minute trip from [...]

CALGARY: South African Meat Shops

My cousin-in-law Ralph, who was born in Mozambique, had mentioned a South African meat shop to us a while ago. We finally got a chance to check it out a few weeks ago.

A family-run venture in a Kensington strip mall, SA Meat Shops is a tidy place that sells a mix of frozen and fresh [...]