Great A&W Food

I just got back from a trip to Canada. One of the things I was looking forward to when getting to Canada was eating some tasty hamburgers from A&W.

"But John," I can hear my American readers whine, "I'm confused on two levels:

a) there are A&W restaurants in the US; and

b) A&W sucks."

I can answer both of those objections with one response. The A&W in Canada is much different than the A&W in the US. I used to work at an A&W restaurant when I was in high school, so I'm very familiar with the tastes and flavours and smells. When I first got to the US, I found an A&W and tried it. It pretty much sucked. I thought perhaps it was just that location. I have tried 4 locations in my area (Santa Clara, Campbell, Santa Cruz, Lodi), and they all taste the same and they all suck. I have been to countless locations in Canada, and they all taste the same and they all taste fantastic.

So I don't think that the A&W in Canada is a wholly owned subsidiary of the US company, like so many other Canadian companies are. I suspect that the Canadians have their own independent, non-sucky A&W company. The next time you are in Canada, be sure to check it out.

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Where to move to in Canada

In light of the recent US election results, people have been asking me where in Canada they should move to. So here are some ideas.

Toronto in the financial and cultural center of Canada. It boats lots of tall buildings, broadway-type musicals, and major league sporting teams (NHL, MLB, NBA). It's a fun city with lots to do.

Ottawa, the nation's capital, is the center of the high tech industry. You can cross a bridge to get into Quebec, where the bars are open later.

Vancouver/Victoria on the west coast have the same kind of weather as Seattle. So, you don't have to worry about snow like the rest of Canada. And it's close to Whistler, which is a top notch resort town known for skiing and other stuff.

I think Quebec City is the prettiest city. It's real old and looks like an old European city. Perhaps a place to visit instead of a place to live. Knowing the French language helps.

I don't know the legal issues about moving to Canada, but Canada pretty much lets anybody in. Say you're seeking asylum from a madman who is going to get your country bombed.

No Canada safe haven for Democrats

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Vote for Kerry

I can't vote since I'm a foreigner taking away good American jobs. So please vote for Kerry on my behalf. Thanks.

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JAV International Road Trip 2004 stops in Trail

Thursday, June 3, 2004 was the first full day in Trail, British Columbia.



This is the city I grew up in. Well, actually, I grew up in Fruitvale, which is 11 kilometers away. But Fruitvale is a nothing little village and I went to high school in Trail. Tomorrow I present the John A. Vink Computer Science Scholarship to someone. I don't know who yet. I think I'm also going to talk to an Information Technology 10 class.

This has been the sunniest stop on my trip so far.

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JAV International Road Trip 2004 stops in Vancouver

Tuesday, June 1, 2004 was the first full day in Vancouver, British Columbia.



Vancouver was very nice, but cloudy. I saw Stanley Park (the same guy who invented hockey's Stanley Cup), Granville Island, Chinatown, Gastown, Canada Place, etc. I got to see my old high school friend Melanie, as well as my high school Algebra teacher Mr. McGregor. I made them both sign my yearbook - 14 years late.

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JAV International Road Trip 2004 tour dates announced

JAV has announced the dates on his upcoming JAV International Road Trip 2004 tour.



May 27 - CA to Portland (travel day)
May 28 - Portland
May 29 - Portland to Seattle (travel day)
May 30 - Seattle
May 31 - Seattle to Vancouver (travel day)
June 1 - Vancouver
June 2 - Vancouver to Trail (travel day)
June 3 - Trail
June 4 - Trail
June 5 - Trail to somewhere (travel day)
June 6 - somewhere to CA (travel day)

JAV will make a special appearance in Trail, BC at the Cominco Arena to present the John A. Vink Computer Science scholarship award at the J. L. Crowe Secondary graduation ceremonies.

If you're located on a tour stop and want to see me, drop me a message. Tickets available at all TicketMeister locations.

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Canadian Chocolate Bars

There are some chocolate bars in Canada that I didn't realize how much I liked until I couldn't get them here. When you live in Canada, you're totally oblivious that these things are unique to Canada. Two in particular that I like are Aero and Coffee Crisp, which are made by Nestle. Nestle is a Swiss company that does business everywhere, even in the US. It's odd how the Canadian branch makes their own products just for Canada. I once saw the 7-11 next door with some Aero, but it was gone when that one box was gone.

   

Whenever family or friends come to visit, I try to get them to bring me some.

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Hot Banana Pepper Rings

There seems to be a lot of confusion over hot banana pepper rings. They are not made from bananas. They are sliced into rings. They are spicy hot.

Hot banana pepper rings are popular in Canada. We put them on hamburgers, hot dogs, pizzas and other things. When I moved to California, I was shocked to see that they do not exist here. I looked in all the supermarkets. Before you suggest Trader Joe's like 20 other people, no, they do not have them either.

They are popular throughout all of Canada, but I've heard maybe they are available on the US east coast as well.

Here are some pictures of some jars I have:

I am not sure if these peppers are grown in Canada or not, but the labels all read "Product of Canada". If you have any information about where these peppers are grown, or what other parts of the world they are available in, please leave a comment.

My thanks to my friend Duane for bringing me these peppers whenever he comes for a visit from Canada.

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Dodged Jury Duty Yet Again

Recently my services were requested to serve on a jury. I wrote back explaining that I was a foreigner taking away good American jobs. They wrote back and excused me. I don't see why more people just don't claim they're a foreigner. If the jury people really knew, they wouldn't be asking me in the first place. And as far as I know, they didn't do anything to make sure I was telling the truth.

Seems to me that becoming a citizen just means sitting on a jury. What's my motivation?

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