Designer Dinners for Pampered Pooches

Hello All! I am writing from Vancouver, known as one of the world's best cities to live in. I must admit it is a great place but its been raining for the past couple of days, so I might as well be in Manchester.

Yesterday I stumbled across a little gem in the form of the 'Doggy Deli', a gourmet food outlet just for dogs! For those with either too much money or too much time on their hands, owners can take their doggies for a fresh 'baked on the premises' biscuit. Naturally, food can be ordered 'to go' for takeaway or dogs can 'sit in' for a true gastro-dog experience. Laurence and I laughed at the little tables and seats where dogs can scoff their favourite dishes (where do the owners sit I thought?)

This all makes a lot of sense. According to the girl behind the counter, there are more dogs in downtown Vancouver than there are children. That certainly seems to be the case. Whilst rollerblading through Stanley park, I couldn't believe how many people were walking dogs (and two or more dogs in many cases!). Is this just a gimmick? Many dog owners are looking for healthier treats for their beloved pets and 'fresh dog delis' offer not only fun and a novelty factor, but a better, simpler and more natural product.

I haven't tried any of the goods on offer at the Doggy Deli. I was assured that all products are fit for human consumption; the enthusiastic server even went on to tell me that all the meats are organic and come from one of the city's best known meat suppliers. Mmm... Sounds good. The freshly made treats come in all shapes and sizes. One in particular looked like something a dog would have produced all by itself :) In terms of other gastronomic fayre, there are complete meat and vegetable meals that looked good enough to grace any dog bowl, also free from all the usual 'gunk' that goes into regular pet food.

Also on offer is a range of toys, leads and branded merchandise. There was a very fetching range of canine-couture which to me looked like something from a leather fetish shop. Whatever turns dogs on I suppose! All in all I really like the concept and if I was a dog, i'd go organic for sure! If you have a dog, why not give Rover the 5* treatment. You could even bake some at home yourself!

Have you seen any interesting things lately? Why not email me:
mail@alexanderepstein.com

The talented Mr Powsney

This is a picture of me visiting Ramsay Street in Melbourne

My good friend Adam Powsney took it upon himself to turn one of my photos into the cartoon masterpiece that you see above. Really captures me doesn't it? I am going to get this printed and framed when I get home. Thank you Adam!

From the BIG country - the land of the free refill

I must say, i really am enjoying being back here in the USA. There is something I love about the place, the culture, the people and the way they do things BIG over here. We're talking about a BIG PLACE, with BIG PEOPLE, BIG CARS and BIG FOOD. What I want to talk about specifically here is the food culture in the US and to ask the question 'Is the USA a nutritionally bankrupt nation?'

I must admit, one of the hardest things about travelling has been my quest to eat well, or at least reasonably healthily. The Thai people seem to have got this down to a T - their dishes contain lots of vegetables and they seem to serve just enough food to satisfy. In Australia I was surprised to find a nation of Pie lovers with more pie shops than one could ever imagine. They outdo even us brits!! Of course the more cosmopolitan cities such as Melbourne and Sydney have no end of healthy cafes and restaurants serving salads, fresh fruit etc. When we were away from those cities, I grew angry at the poor choice on offer in cafes etc. Thy fayre would range from pies, fried potato wedges to burgers, fried chicken and pizza. Not my cup of tea.

The biggest shock has been eating up the coast here in the USA. The states would appear to be the junk food capital of the world. There are more burger chains here than probably anywhere in the universe. You have a choice of McDonalds, Burger King, KFC, Wendy's, In & Out Burger, Carl's Junior, Popeye's fried chicken. Subway here wears a golden halo in comparison to its grease inspired neighbours. What amazes me is the sheer volume of food that can be eaten at these "restaurants" for so little money. In a price war, the various chains advertise their dollar menus - e.g. at Carl's Junior you can get a large Spicy Chicken Sandwich for only 99c.

We met up with one of Laurence's cousins in LA. She used to live in Whitefield (England) and it was great to meet someone from home who had been brave enough to move to one of craziest places in the world. She loves it and agrees with me that the area is home to the very best and the very worst the world has to offer. Its not really a scary place - it just has so much energy and so many crazy people. We met for the first time and Viv took us to a 50s style diner on Sunset Boulevard (close to the area where the stars hang out). It was a cool place and the scene felt mildly movie-like. We ordered breakfast - i went for an omelet filled with grilled vegetables. When it arrived it looked as if they had put together a serving for a whole family. My giant omelet came with hash browns and sourdough toast as well. Wow - i ate and ate and my breakfast lasted the whole day.

My problem is that I need portion control. I tend to eat what is on my plate and buffets are a real nightmare due to my lack of self control. I often come out wishing I hadn't even eaten in the first place! So the lovely little portions in England are perfect for me. On other occasions my jaw has dropped in disbelief at the amount of food served for one person. Laurence and I ordered salads in Las Vegas and were presented with platters that could easily grace a buffet!! Maybe people here just have big appetites or have just got used to eating big. Maybe peoples' genes are different here and they need more food than the rest of us? From the size of some of the people wolfing down this food, I don't think that is the case...

The real crime here in the USA is the huge gap between rich and poor. The blacks seem to be the poorest and seem to do the most poorly paid of jobs. I haven't seen any white cleaners, bus drivers etc etc. If you have money here, you can get the very best food for your family, and as a traveller passing through, you can eat very, very well. In LA, I checked out a US supermarket chain called Whole Foods Market which specialises in whole, organic and healthy foods. They have the very best salad bar that I have seen in the world. It don't come cheap though - at the till I was shocked to find my salad box came to $11!!!
At the Apple computer store in San Francisco I was chatting to one of their 'associates' who noticed I had a 'Whole Foods' bag. He laughed and told me that they call the place 'Whole Pay Check' such is the cost of shopping there. So there we have it - if you have the money you can eat a good, wholesome balanced diet. If you are poor, you are more than likely forced to eat the cheaper fat ridden, processed, additive-high NUTRITIONALLY BANKRUPT foods. In a country with a real obesity epidemic and a huge divide between rich and poor, here we have a very very big problem.

Are you getting bored of reading at this point - go and have a cup of tea and come back another time!!!

One more rant about the food and drinks in the land of the free refill. When I was in Las Vegas we stopped by a grocery store and I decided to try a chocolate milkshake (or chocolate milk as they call it here). I settled for one called YOOHOO and it tasted great!! A wonderful rich chocolately caramel experience! You can imagine my horror when I read the ingredients panel after consumption:

Water, whey, high fructose corn syrup, nonfat milk, corn syrup solids, cocoa, partially hydrogenated soybean oil, sodium caseinate, salt, tricalcium phosphate, dipotassium phosphate, xanthan gum, guar gum, mono- and di glycerides, natural and artificial flavours, soy lecithin, calcium ascorbate (vitamin C), vitamin A palmate, niacinamide (vitamin b3), riboflavin (vitamin b2).

Now here was me thinking that Chocolate milk would contain milk, cocoa and a little sugar.
Not over here it ain't.....

Point made - over and out (i'm off to get a nice soda!)

Hello from Pike Place Market, Seattle

I am writing from Seattle, home of the world famous Pike Place market and the even more world famous coffee company Starbucks. Yesterday I visited the world's first ever Starbucks store where it all started back in 1971. The Pike place market has partly been made famous by a corporate video "FISH" which was inspired by a group of jolly men working at their fish stall. The key to the video is that whatever job you have, you can choose to have fun or you can choose to be bitter and bored. The fisherman add fun to their day by throwing fish to each other when serving customers and through the odd song sung when they feel like it. Incidentally, I was shown 'fish' on my first day at electrical retailer Comet and also encouraged to read the book when I started at RBS. It was funny to see it for real. My boring call centre job was made no easier through reading the fish book or watching the video. It would seem that some jobs are just too boring for anything to help. What was i supposed to do? Sing my heart out down the phone line to loan buying customers? Pike Place Market sure has a lot of character and is chock full of little stalls selling everything from original art and organic honey to music, food and clothing. Well worth a visit.

Sweet Business

This ones for the business brains among us. I am currently in Auckland in New Zealand and saw a leaflet in the tourist information for a 'bee and honey experience'. Always up for something new, I decided to pay "Bees Online" a visit at their factory shop and cafe in the Auckland suburbs. Bees Online is a producer of single variety gourmet honey products which from the name suggests are sold via the internet. Most artisan producers of specialty products could settle for just producing their products in a traditional factory and sell via the normal retail channels (i.e shops, markets and farmers markets etc). Bees Online has cleverly created a cafe and tour on site which turns their place into a destination for tourists, hungry for new things to do. This not only brings in more revenue via the cafe and gift shop, but also helps to spread the word on the company, who will then hopefully sell more via their website.

The 'honeypot' is in bright and modern purpose built facilities which are surrounded by lovely gardens and grassy areas. Inside we found a delightful cafe serving bistro style food and fantastic coffee. The 'theatre' and experience comes from a see thorough glass case of the bees doing their thing. Curious diners and coffee-slurpers huddle round and watch in awe as the bees fly in from outside, through a se-through pipe and into the case where hundreds of bees are hard at work creating their sweet and sticky gift to the world. You can see the sugary nectar on the bees' legs as they come down into the case into their network of honeycomb.

One can wander up to the factory area where full length glass windows allow one to peer in and see how they collect and package the honey. I was inspired by the number of honeys available: Thyme, Rose Blossom, Manuka, Lavender, Orange Blossom, Olive, Avocado flower - the list goes on. Little ice-cream sticks are available in the gift shop where you can sample the various types. The Thyme variety was bold and earthy. I even tried a white and creamy honey, unlike anything I have ever seen and with a very unique and 'unhoneylike' flavour. Having seen the Bees at work and tasting the delicious creations in the shop, I can assume that few people leave without purchasing a little something.

What impressed me at Bees online was the way in which they had the inspiration and vision to create such an enjoyable customer experience - one which makes perfect marketing sense. Bees Online are not just selling honey, they are selling a fun and educational food experience! For most people Honey is Honey, but here you can enter a sweet world that offers many more choices and possibilities.

Check out their website at www.beesonline.co.nz

Falling to the Earth at 200km/h!!!

Before I left the UK, I wrote a list of some of the crazy things that I would like to do as I made my way around the world. Some of them are pretty tame, but others a little more scary. Amongst the list were things like Scuba Diving, Skiing and Hot Air Ballooning. I was really happy to be able to do all of those things, and today I completed the package with my first ever skydive! In Australia I kept telling people that I couldn't do a bungee jump as that was far too extreme! People seemed a bit perplexed when I said that I would rather do a SKYDIVE! I mean come on, its pretty simple: you jump out of a little plane at 12,000 feet and hurtle down to the ground at speeds of up to 200km per hour. Thats everyday stuff right?

We arrived in Taupo in NZ a few days ago. Luckily for me it was very overcast and there was no chance of a skydive (Laurence said he would have happily done one there and then!). We drove to the airport and did some price hunting - we staggered into one of the sheds and there was the very aircraft that is used to take people up to that incredible height. Just being there next to the plane made me shudder with fear, and at that point I thought "well maybe not for me!!!."

We did our research and promised one of the firms to come back in a couple of days once the weather had improved. That would give me time enough to psyche myself up emotionally and physically for this epic flight! Today is September 12th and yes ladies and gentlemen, I went and I conquered, and I live on to sip many more cups of delicious tea!!! Let me tell you a bit more about the whole shebang!

Last night we had a nice healthy supper of salad and crusty french bread. My mind kept wandering in all sorts of irratioal thoughts... What happens if the chute doesn't open in time. What happens if I knock the guide in the face and he is unconcious and unable to pull the chute! Ahhhhhhh! So while eating what I thought could be my last supper, I thought about the good and bad of parachuting. The ride of my life could possibly be the ride of my life!!!!

We woke up early this morning and drove to the Taupo Skydive centre where some very enthusiastic and peppy people psyched us up, ready for the experience. I chose to jump from 12,000 feet while Laurence went for the slightly more excitng 15,000 feet option. We got kitted up into blue boiler suits and my guide Peter strapped me up into this harness that would be all that held me as I hurtled towards the ground. At this point I wasn't too nervous. I was very excited and pumped with adrenaline. We had the first of our photos taken, and then proceeded the board the little tiny prop plane. What a snug fit! It took about 15 minutes to get upto 12,000 feet where I would have to jump out. I saw as the ground and buildings got smaller and smaller. We reached a point where I thought it would be time to jump - "no" said Peter, "this is only 4000 feet". At that point (with 8000ft more to climb) I realised that we were going very, very, very high!! Aww!

Peter said that we were now seconds before the shutter would open and it would be time to roll. Another girl 'Kim' was the first to go. This was a very surreal moment to see the door open at such a height and for Kim and her guide to just drop out. Now was my turn - I shuffled over with Peter to the door. As a tandem, Peter was strapped to my back. The parachute pack was on his back, and I just hoped I was well connected to him! I got into the correct position, my legs danging down towards the under of the plane. 3---2---1 and off we went.

Within seconds I felt the extreme rush of air around me. Belive me, the rush is absolutely incredible and the view is something beyond belief. You forget what you are doing - there is no "help me, i'm falling and i'm going to die", all you feel is amazing pleasure and exhilaration at the forces around, and the inspirational 'best moment in the world' buzz - words just cannot describe. During the freefall, Peter had a handheld camera and videoed me as I waved and my cheeks moved in waves from the immense air pressure and speed. I opened my mouth and it was filled with fresh, cool air which inflated it to probably twice its size.

All of a sudden, my incredible adrenaline rush was stopped abruptly as the parachute opened. What an incredible contrast - from the stupendously extreme to total calm serenity. Having opened up at about 5000 feet, in Taupo you have 360 degree views of one of the most beautiful landscapes, with snowcapped mountains in the distance, and a huge lake down below. I must admit the worst bit of the entire skydive is once the chute has opened: as you are steered from side to side, you bank steeply and your stomach experiences powerful G forces. A little queasy!

After about 4 mins slowly floating down, we landed gracefully with me and the instructor landing in a sitting down position. I was in a dreamlike daze in sheer disbelief at what I had just accomplished. I was still in an incredible high which has lasted all day long. It quite simply was the most incredible thing in the world. Something so special that I would have happily done it all over again there and then. The experience is worth a million dollars $$$$$$$$. When you skydive, you become a millionaire in experience value. I paid $380 NZ for the jump, DVD, photos and a t-shirt. Thats 130 pounds to you and I so NZ is a great place to do this considering you would probably pay 130 pounds just for the DVD back home.

Now I am back on solid ground, I cannot believe what I have actually done. Its far more scary to think about it now than when I was up there. Yes there are nerves in the plane, but once you jump, there was nothing but pleasure and the most intense rush of awe and overwhelming joy.

I challenge you to do it yourself - for charity perhaps? I would love to do one for charity next time. Have the time of your life - enjoy every moment.

Until the next time!!!!

The Experience of a Lifetime? I'll say!!

A few days ago we were on the northern tip of the southern island of New Zealand in a place called Kaikoura. Its famous for its Whales and Dolphins and a whole tourist industry has grown up around organising sightseeing trips for people to catch a glimpse of these amazing mammals. Nobody could have been more excited than I
was at the prospect of seeing a giant Sperm Whale. Having booked on the internet a few days before our trip, we arrived at the Whalewatching Kaikoura centre and first watched one of those 'discovery channel style' documentaries that described your first Whale encounter as something emotional that could even be life changing! Well bring it on I say. While waiting to board the 17ft catemeran, I eagerly purchased a fridge magnet (we accumulate loads of them at home!) and a couple of postcards. We couldn't wait to board and had heard so many good reports about the tours as well. They don't come cheap - at $125 NZ you are looking at just over 40 pounds.

There were signs in the centre that mentioned about motion sickness and advised those who needed to buy some ginger tablets for the journey. "I don't suffer from motion sickness," I said to myself, especially as someone who can't get enough of roller coasters and also having spent a number of days on a racing sailboat around the Whitsunday islands. So off we went; a coach took us to the jetty where our boat named "Wheketare" awaited our group. We clambered aboard and took our seats and very plush they were - turquoise leather to be precise. Normally on these boat trips they allow people to stand outside on the outside decks while the boat is under way (or at sea). Not this time - we were told that the speeds at which we would travel made that impossible. A little disappointed, we sat back as the boat started to cruise out of the harbour.

We left the jetty slowly and those seats made it very comfortable. All of a sudden we started to speed up and before long we were roaring along at 30 knots. Is that fast for a boat? All I can tell you is that it felt as though we were speeding along very fast, to the point that the hull of the boat regularly lifted into the air as we crashed through a wave, and then came crashing down again with a thud!
The sea was fine when we left, but things took a turn for the worst! Despite the huge swell, choppy seas and large waves we continued out to sea at full speed! All along there was a guide who was telling us about the boat and demonstrating a little
gizmo on the large plasma screen which pinpointed our position via GPS. There was also some slides about the Sperm whales which we were to seek out.

I started to feel a little seasick. The skipper stopped our boat so we could go out
back and get some air. When we stopped the boat rocked quite violently from side to side and it made me feel even worse (that plus the sweet smell of diesel fumes!)
We were under way again within a couple of minutes. Next time we stopped my body
had given up. I had to take one of the white bags from under the seat and I rushed outside where I emptied my contents (sorry to be so graphic), At this point I looked green and felt as sick as a dog (if not sicker!). I was told that we needed to carry on to look for the whales. I had some water and took my seat. This carried
on for another hour while we searched for whales (who must have been feeding down below - we were waiting for one to surface for air). I felt like hell - and this became a hellish experience. I didn't give a **** about the whales now! All I wanted was to go back to harbour and pronto. I almost broke down at one point saying to myself "i want my mum". It was like 2 and a half hours on a terrible roller coaster - it seemed to go on forever.

I was so, so sick and when we did finally spot a whale, all my enthusiasm had all but died. We went outside to have a look. The boat was still moving back and forth violently in the water and it was difficult to concentrate on keeping upright and looking at the whale at the same time. In a state of nausea and greeness, I looked and marvelled at this wonderful creature - with its blowhole which sprayed water into the air. You only see its top features as 90% or more is below the waterline.
The most impressive sight was seeing the sperm whale dive, with its majestic tail sticking out into the air as it submerged. We also went on to see a 2nd. It was worth it for seeing the whales. Or was it? After the sighting it seemed like forever to get back to the beautiful dry land. I wanted to kiss the floor as we got off - and my aspirations of owning my own yacht have now been somewhat extinguished!

In reality the trips are not normally like that. We asked the staff who told us that if they had known of the terrible conditions, the trip would have been cancelled. Oh well - unlucky this time. We did get a partial refund of $25 for our trouble. So don't let my experience stop you from giving it a go when you are in New Zealand. Only this time, don't forget your ginger tablets!