Anyone on here lately from the area? Im out in Mission. Well its a beautiful day and this morning despite the frost ... thoughts of gardening are already flooding my brain and lo and behold my first seed catalog arrives in the mail today... wheee !!!

My friends daughter managed to get these tiny little alpine strawberries to root in her garden and she is promised to give me some cuttings this year so I can start my own. theyre so small and sweet .. I cant wait.

I also have about 500 asparagus sseeds from another friends plant that im gonna start potting this weekend .. i know its a long term crop but looking forward to it in the years to come.

jodi

Hi Jodi:

Your garden sounds wonderful - I am hoping to start getting some garden beds ready this summer - my back yard is pretty much undeveloped, except for the "creative" efforts of our dogs, haha!! (Lots of holes dug, and dead grass, LOL!)

I live in Nanaimo, we're practically neighbors!

I am also on one of the local Dragon Boat teams here as a breast cancer survivor. We are planning to take part in some dragon boat races in False Creek at the end of May, so I will be heading for the mainland that day - is that anywhere near you? It would be so great to actually meet up with another raw foodist!

I've never tried to grow asparagus, although it is one of the most dearly loved foods this family ever eats - maybe someday. You will have to keep us posted, but it seems to me you won't be able to harvest for at least a year, is that correct?

Good luck with your garden plans!

Sapphire

Yay Saphire id love to meet up with you too ive gone to the races a number of times so will probably be ther ethis year too.

The asparagus does take a long time and yep need to wait 1 year for the first crop but my friend grew his in a 3 x 5 bed outside his trailer in a trailer park so it can tbe all that fussy of a plant and its so beautiful when it grows and the asparagus was awesome big and sweet no need to cook it at all mmmmmmmm

Hi Jodi,
I live in Coquitlam, so not too far from you. I am just starting out on a raw food diet, but it would be nice to chat with you sometime and maybe support one another. I have numerous health issues that I am hoping the raw food diet can help me with. How long have you been on the raw diet?

Hi all, I live in Kits in Vancouver. Really loving Vancouver weather lately - I can smell the lilacs in the yard and next month the linden trees will give off that fantastic scent for about 3 weeks.

I wonder who else on this board is nearby, maybe this bump will flush some out.




Cheers! Jill

heya Jill .. darn it lol i should read this last week we were right down in kits having a picinic hehe

...Jodi, the banana eating buddhist

Some questions for you, Jgunn, Im wondering.......

-where you shop for food

-if you live in an area you feel is relatively unpolluted in Mission

-where in Kits you were - at a beach or Vanier Park or ......

- what was in your picnic basket!


-Jill

Aaaawww yeah! I'm in Vancouver...when and where are these Kits potlucks happening? Are these the same ones that are posted on the rawbc site?

I dont know about those potlucks, but I used to go to Earthsave get togethers around here.
Wondering how you like Whole Foods (never been there) and if its good for organic food and low prices!
Nice to know of some neighbours from the internet.

I LOVE Whole Foods. Best place I've worked so far...there's such a sense of community, and they practice what they preach. Are they good for organic food? HELL yes! There's none better around here. Low prices? Ha! Let me just say this: there's a reason they call it Whole Paycheck.

mostly mission or abbotsford i have the choice of safeway, overwaitea, superstore. then the local fruit/veggie stands , and a couple of east indian stores that have some more exotic finds from time to time

its hard to say about the pollution they say alot of the city crud comes floating up the valley but i dont have issues with breathing so much out here as i did when living in new westminster

yep we were at the beach by the restaurant there .. then we moved down to jericho beach , less people an more dogs hehe

oooo well we grabbed some neat drinks to go from the gorrilla place someone told me about , but i brought a small ton of watermelon from home lol, and i brought a bunch of almonds, a dragon fruit (we never had before and i bought at granville island my hunny really like that one !) some more star fruit which id tried the week before also from granville island , some kiwis from granville island lol .. man that place is a fruit buyers dream haha so much to pick from )))


aqua we got lilaccs growing outside our front door and theyre wonderfull .. thers purple and white ones blooming i love the smell of them

hey Sahalies would love to chat ive been goin raw since 2002 after having cancer (cervical then uterine) and using raw foods to rebuild myself after all the operations

im not sure aobut the potlucks ive not been lucky to find one yet , maybe we should start one when saph has her dragon boat races !!!!??? huh huh huh?????

aquadecoco Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Some questions for you, Jgunn, Im
> wondering.......
>
> -where you shop for food
>
> -if you live in an area you feel is relatively
> unpolluted in Mission
>
> -where in Kits you were - at a beach or Vanier
> Park or ......
>
> - what was in your picnic basket!
>
>
> -Jill

...Jodi, the banana eating buddhist

Hi Jodi,
Great to hear from you and I am a real newbie when it comes to raw foods. I am Celiac with irritable bowel syndrome and I am also recovering from an eating disorder, so I know my body has alot of recovering to do. I am not even really sure where to start on the raw food diet. Is food combining very important? I had sprouts, avocado, tomato, and a few nuts last night, but now I read that tomato and avocado should not be eaten together. I am not sure what to eat avocado with then.
Are there any get togethers in the Vancouver area for raw foodists? I am just glad that there are a few of us here on line.
Jill, yes, you did bump me out of this corner of Coquitlam! How long have you been into raw foods?

Hi Jodi,
Great to hear from you and I am a real newbie when it comes to raw foods. I am Celiac with irritable bowel syndrome and I am also recovering from an eating disorder, so I know my body has alot of recovering to do. I am not even really sure where to start on the raw food diet. Is food combining very important? I had sprouts, avocado, tomato, and a few nuts last night, but now I read that tomato and avocado should not be eaten together. I am not sure what to eat avocado with then.
Are there any get togethers in the Vancouver area for raw foodists? I am just glad that there are a few of us here on line.
Jill, yes, you did bump me out of this corner of Coquitlam! How long have you been into raw foods?

Hey sahalies! I am also recovering from an ED, and I went through a bunch of digestive difficulties as well...it's great to find someone LOCAL who I have stuff in common with!

In my opinion, food combining is only important if you notice that you have problems digesting certain foods in combination with each other. For example, fruit and fat are not "supposed" to be eaten together, but I personally feel just fine when I combine them. But for you, having irritable bowel, food combining might be a good idea. However, I think it's more important to pay attention to how your own body reacts to certain foods rather than following a set of general "rules" and dogma (of which there is a lot in the raw food community, I find); especially when recovering from an ED because it can so easily worm its way into into your head and cause you to slip back into old habits. Good luck!

And yes, there are get-togethers for raw foodists in Vancouver. www.rawbc.org posts local events, although I'm not absolutely sure if the info is current.

Hi Enchantress,
Great to hear from you and it is nice to know that you are doing better now. Have you fully conquered your ED? I do know that when I eat a totally raw meal, I have no urges to get rid of the food, as I know it is fueling my body in the highest form. I have been a vegeterian for many years, but did eat alot of dairy, which I have now cut out. I do miss cheese still, but I find the cravings are lessening already. Thanks for your thoughts on food combining and I will not let myself get caught up on too many rules right now, and just listen more to what my body can tolerate. Have your digestive difficulties cleared up? I am also Celiac, so I have been on a gluten free diet for quite a few years as well. I will check into the website you mentioned.

Hi sahalies,

No, I haven't fully conquered my ED. I thought I had nearly recovered until about 3 months ago when the thoughts started creeping back in and I realized how much more work was yet to be done. I don't think the work is ever really finished...

My digestive difficulties, however, have for the most part cleared up. I was originally told to avoid all grains, legumes (incl. soy), citrus, yeast, sugar, nightshades (tomatoes, potatoes, eggplant), lily family (garlic, onions), dairy (I was already vegan so I didn't care about that), nuts (which I am actually allergic, not just sensitive, to, so that didn't matter either) and a bunch of other veggies and fruits, even the basic ones like apples and carrots. And I did it, for a good couple of years, before I could start adding foods back in again. Now, I can eat pretty much anything with no trouble except soy and most grains. But raw obviously automatically eliminates those foods for the most part.

Sahalies - I have known how important raw foods were for decades but was postponing a permanent transition - then I got really weak and sick, and now will always be mostly or all raw.


It would be good to see if some of us can get together. But there seems to be at least 10 km between any two of us!

Anyway nice to know some raw Vancouverites.........

Yes, it is great knowing there are a few of us raw foodists in this area, or relatively speaking. And it would be great to maybe try a get together sometime. I live in Coquitlam, but am not sure where all the rest of you are located. I don't have a car, but can get anywhere that transit goes. I think Jodi is out in Mission, so it sounds like she is the furtherest away from downtown.
Aquadecoco, I really had never heard about the raw diet before, but it sounds like you knew about it for quite some time. How did you hear about it? Was just going raw enough to help you through your sickness and weakness? I guess I have had my head in the sand anyway, when it came to what I was going to put into my body, as I was dealing with an eating disorder for so mamy years. At that point in my life, I was abusing my body instead of nurturing it. Are you able to tolerate any nuts or nut butters now? Also, I am not sure if anybody could tell me if there really is a difference between roasted nut butter and raw nut butters.
Enchantress, like you, I get to where I think I have conquered my eating disorder and then without any warning, I am back into it. But I am now realizing that that is the road to recovery, two steps forward and hopefully only one step back! So far, going raw seems to be the best therapy for me, and actually I first heard about the raw diet through another bulimic, who had fully recovered on the diet.

sahalies Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> actually I first heard about the raw diet
> through another bulimic, who had fully recovered
> on the diet.



That says volumes about the effect of SAD on our mental state - really glad to hear things like that.

If you fellow Vancouverites are interested, there is a raw potluck TONIGHT in East Vancouver...check rawbc.org for the details. I'm going...hope to meet you all in person!

enchantress - How was the potluck...... how many ppl and from how far away did they come.. - what did you bring.....

The potluck was fantastic!!! About 10 people came (all of whom were from the Vancouver area), which was apparently a great turnout; Karen, the host, said it hadn't been so well attended lately. She also said that she's moving to California in the near future, so the potlucks obviously won't be happening for much longer...so you should try and make it out for sure! At least the Kits beach ones will still be on...

I brought a sunflower seed pate (seeds, cilantro, garlic, salt, lemon juice, cayenne) and luckily Karen had crackers to dip with because I ran out of time to buy collards to go with it. Everything there was awesome, though...there was salsa, bean sprout salad, a big green salad...plus all these beautiful fruits and veggies lovingly displayed on the table with all these quotes surrounding them, givin' the love. Beautiful. OH! And after dinner, Karen made raw ice cream with her Greenstar!! WOW. SOOOOO yummy. She made banana, blueberry, and apricot varieties. Mmmmmmm....still drooling....But I digress. You should come.

Hi you all!

It seems like a strong raw/vegan community in Vancouver area. We intend to immigrate to Canada (from Romania). Hopefully papers will be done by next year. We are still looking for the place we want to settle. Although my sister is in Detroit area and it would be easier to visit if we stayed in Toronto area I'm not to happy about the climate - those long COLD winters. Can you tell me more about Vancouver area? How easy would be to find jobs around there? My husband works in constructions and I teach English composition. I would really appreciate any info I can get. I know it is the best climate in Canada and the best place to be a raw fooder so that's a plus plus.

Well, I might meet you all guys one day!!

Cricri

Vancouver is getting expensive and busy. I've lived here all my life and have watched the changes. I love it, but am thinking of moving to the country.

Yes, we have much better climate here and there are other places around BC that are nice too.

I'll try to think of some links to give you some idea.

[vancouver.craigslist.org]

[www.weatheroffice.gc.ca]

[www.th.gov.bc.ca]


[www.tourismvancouver.com]

On craigslist, there are enough ads to give you a good idea of prices here. If you wind up living in a condo, you could probably furnish it for free or almost free. People who are moving throw out so much stuff that anyone who has access to the recycing room can take - and it's better than having it go to the dump.

As for jobs - there's lots of ESL students here, but I don't know if you teach esl. And Vancouver is crying for good construction workers.

There's a mandatory 'health care system' that everyone has to pay for, unless it's covered by your employer. Currently it's $54 per month. The taxes on most purchases is 13%.

I'm lucky to live in a beautiful, green, quiet area of the city - it's dead quiet most of the time. Some people prefer more bustle and there's lots of that too.

Sounds exciting to be making such a big move - keep us updated.

an make sure you come out to the country outside of vancouver its lovely out here

...Jodi, the banana eating buddhist

Hi guys!

I haven't kept you posted lately because we were still debating (not fighting) in search for the best solution. It seems BC won although it's not going to be easy, not knowing anyone around. We lived for 4-5 years in the US so the transition will not be ot abrupt. Still, every move like this turns your life upside down. Hopefully the bottom of our lives is better...

I am a bit worried about the expenses and would love to live somewhere not so pricy. On the other hand I don't want to live in a small lovely town where I cannot find a job. It is vital for us to find jobs quite fast because we come with our 11 mo daughter (now).

Any other suggestion of a place on the west coast , nice, alive and not very expensive? Too many expectations, right?

I'd love to meet you guys. I feel i know so much about some of you from your other post as well..

love,
peace
cricri

love,
peace
cricri

what kinda work are you looking for whenyou get here?

im out in mission which is in the fraser valley .. seems to be pleanty jobs out this way

abbotsford, mapleridge, langley and surrey are neighboring towns .. same for them likewise

...Jodi, the banana eating buddhist




Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/19/2007 05:48PM by Jgunn.

You can live fairly inexpensively here, but rents have gone way up in the past two or so years. Still, there are so many second-hand stores and lots of freebies on Craigslist, that it doesn't have to cost much to establish a new home.
Cars, fuel and maintenance are expensive, much higher than the US.
The bus system is okay,
Have you figured out a budget for the first few months?

Vancouver and its suburbs are one big sprawl, but where Jodi lives is more separate from Vancouver - she would know best about the situation there. But if you wanted to live in Vancouver, there are a few of us who might be able to give you advice or info about the various areas and costs.

For me it's actual cheapest to live where I do, in the heart of Kitsilano, because my work, etc is here and I can control how much I spend on things - I could do without a car if I wanted to or had to and still not feel isolated or housebound. Some of the cheapest food shops are 3 blocks away.

Anyway, it depends on what you want and how you want to live.... also, how you define 'lively'! There's the Sunshine Coast, but I don't think you'd find an esl job there. Construction is booming madly there, though, like here.

Cricri, it just occured to me that a lot of people love living in North or West Vancouver (each governed separately from the city of Vancouver, but connected by two bridges to Vancouver).
I know several people who like it so much that they don't want to move away - even people who grew up elsewhere. I've never lived there, so don't know the charm it has for others, but it IS nice - lots of community groupings and pretty much everything you'd find in a larger city. The rents should be cheaper, from what I'm told.

[www.th.gov.bc.ca]

The bridge traffic and the higher rainfall are maybe the only two drawbacks to living on the North Shore. There are beaches, parks, seaside walkway, galleries, small shops and restaurants, a huge shopping mall, cinemas, naturopaths, hospitals, etc.

Hi guys,

I'm glad to found out that there is a small BC-based group on this forum!
I live in Powell River on the Upper Sunshine Coast but lived in Vancouver, Victoria and a few other places in BC. I'm originally from Eastern Europe too just like Cricri so I hope I can help her with my experiences.
The worst thing is when you're new to the country and don't have friends around, I'd definitely sacrifice some things just to get closer to those I know.
From my experience I'd say Vancouver Island would be a good choice. Nanaimo or Comox/Courtenay area (both booming) is nice and still very affordable. And you're still pretty close to Vancouver or Victoria, you can enjoy the nature, the mild climate and you can probably find a job and accomodation. The Sunshine Coast is beautiful, the Upper area still affordable but the job situation is not the best.
Anyway, I think the best thing you can do is to travel around no matter which city you choose first. That way you can see places with your own eyes and if you spend a few days here and there you can get the feeling.
Good luck and let's keep in touch!

Mosaica