Finding Food
There isn't always lots to choose from...
This same grocery store I found a brick of cheese and some smoked sausage that were both from within 50km of where I bought them. Sometimes you have to adapt to what is available.
Fraser Valley
The cherries were just ripening when I was starting my journey, and man! Was I lucky. Delicious fresh fruit as a snack when your cycling is to die for. There were stands on the sides of the road where anyone could stop and grab a basket.
The cherries were just ripening when I was starting my journey, and man! Was I lucky. Delicious fresh fruit as a snack when your cycling is to die for. There were stands on the sides of the road where anyone could stop and grab a basket.
Through the Rockies I did quite well finding Canadian food, several grocery store chains (such as Safeway and Co-op) seemed to be doing quite a good job advertising where there products came from, sometimes even more prominently displayed than the price!
Food Stories
A Can
As I was headed through EC Manning Provincial Park, I met up with a nice young man on his bicycle who had the same objective as me; he was headed east. We stopped into Manning Park, which is where he was going to be spending the night, drawn mostly for the fact that they had a hot tub, which would have been heavenly after the cold and wet long day of climbing Allison Pass’ 1342m of elevation that day. I took a glance at my map to see where would be an appropriate place to set up camp for the night. While doing my little bit of calculation, it dawned on me that I had cracked into my evening food supply that day in order to fuel myself up the mountain I climbed. The only place with food for 80km was the gift shop/convenience store I was sitting in front of. I normally would only walk in those doors for a top up of water or some ice, but this time I had to buy some energy. There was nothing fresh, nothing local and most certainly nothing cheap. What I found, which is the root of this story, was a can of Campbell's chunky beef stew. I was reading through the information the can disclosed of its contents to its consumer; we won't talk about the ingredients..., but the information regarding the origin of the food was limited to : Campbell's Soup Company, Toronto, Canada. So now we know the can met the soup in Toronto, but, that’s about it. Convenience food can be great, it’s easy and it’s cheap, but let’s look at what’s in my can of energy that came from Toronto; It has a bunch of ingredients, a few of which I still need to work on my pronunciation, which were produced in…. Canada? China? Croatia? Chile? Who the heck knows. When we choose convenience and price over real, nutritious, fresh food we give up our ability to know anything about what we eat. We might as well eat in the dark.
Next time you go to the store, please, make the effort to look for something fresh thats produced locally. When you’re enjoying it, let your family know where it was came from, I bet you’ll smile, let alone feel proud to be part of a community that supports one another.
As I was headed through EC Manning Provincial Park, I met up with a nice young man on his bicycle who had the same objective as me; he was headed east. We stopped into Manning Park, which is where he was going to be spending the night, drawn mostly for the fact that they had a hot tub, which would have been heavenly after the cold and wet long day of climbing Allison Pass’ 1342m of elevation that day. I took a glance at my map to see where would be an appropriate place to set up camp for the night. While doing my little bit of calculation, it dawned on me that I had cracked into my evening food supply that day in order to fuel myself up the mountain I climbed. The only place with food for 80km was the gift shop/convenience store I was sitting in front of. I normally would only walk in those doors for a top up of water or some ice, but this time I had to buy some energy. There was nothing fresh, nothing local and most certainly nothing cheap. What I found, which is the root of this story, was a can of Campbell's chunky beef stew. I was reading through the information the can disclosed of its contents to its consumer; we won't talk about the ingredients..., but the information regarding the origin of the food was limited to : Campbell's Soup Company, Toronto, Canada. So now we know the can met the soup in Toronto, but, that’s about it. Convenience food can be great, it’s easy and it’s cheap, but let’s look at what’s in my can of energy that came from Toronto; It has a bunch of ingredients, a few of which I still need to work on my pronunciation, which were produced in…. Canada? China? Croatia? Chile? Who the heck knows. When we choose convenience and price over real, nutritious, fresh food we give up our ability to know anything about what we eat. We might as well eat in the dark.
Next time you go to the store, please, make the effort to look for something fresh thats produced locally. When you’re enjoying it, let your family know where it was came from, I bet you’ll smile, let alone feel proud to be part of a community that supports one another.
Thumbs up, and the Nice Man at the Produce Stand
This is a story that falls into both Food! and Good People. I think I probably already said this, but people are awesome!
It was a nice day in the prairies. Big blue skies stripped with wisps of clouds that stretched themselves from horizon to horizon. I started out from Bassano, AB where I had made myself a nice little home for the night in a stand of trees just outside of town. I slept in my hammock, so take down was quick and easy. I got on the road and felt like it was going to be a smooth sailing kind of day. After about 30km my smooth sailing feeling was quickly deflated with my first flat tire of the trip. As i started to get out my tools to do the repair I quickly discovered it wasn't just a flat, it was the tire. My bike has fenders, which apparently were hiding the fact that my rear tire had been completely worn down by the first 1200km of my trip. Hmm. I have spare tubes, but no tires. I was about 15km out of Brooks, which has a Canadian tire, I contemplated getting out the duct tape to limp into town, but then i decided to test my fellow canadians, and I gave them a thumbs up. It didn't take very long at all until a nice couple pulled over in their pick-up to see what i had gotten myself into out in the middle of nowhere. We threw my mobile home into the bed of his truck and started into town. They were very nice people, headed into town to pick up some supplies from a weekend of camping. They took me right into the Canadian Tire, and actually came in the store with me. Once i found what I needed we parted ways. Amazing people, willing to help anyone in need! So i got fixed up with a cheap Canadian Tire tire(which got me all the way home), and headed back out to the asphalt. As I was headed back to the highway I saw a produce stand set up behind a truck, so I pulled over to see what they had from their spring harvest. It was an Mennonite man and his 3 sons who were at this corner every saturday to sell their produce. We talked for a while, about their farm, the kids involvement, the ways they distribute their goods, and they asked about what I was doing my bike trip for. I saw some great little carrots and potatoes that i thought i would get, when it came time to pay i reached into my wallet to find I didn't have any money left. My debit card had stopped working earlier that week and I had not been in a town with my bank during store hours, so i had been doing my best with credit cards. I obviously looked quite disappointed when i discovered my situation. He smiled and was quick to say that i didn't need to pay him a dime, what I was advocating for will have a positive impact on us all and he was happy to help me along my journey. As I'm sure you can guess my smile was stretching from ear to ear. People are awesome! Now i have no choice, I have to make an impact.
This is a story that falls into both Food! and Good People. I think I probably already said this, but people are awesome!
It was a nice day in the prairies. Big blue skies stripped with wisps of clouds that stretched themselves from horizon to horizon. I started out from Bassano, AB where I had made myself a nice little home for the night in a stand of trees just outside of town. I slept in my hammock, so take down was quick and easy. I got on the road and felt like it was going to be a smooth sailing kind of day. After about 30km my smooth sailing feeling was quickly deflated with my first flat tire of the trip. As i started to get out my tools to do the repair I quickly discovered it wasn't just a flat, it was the tire. My bike has fenders, which apparently were hiding the fact that my rear tire had been completely worn down by the first 1200km of my trip. Hmm. I have spare tubes, but no tires. I was about 15km out of Brooks, which has a Canadian tire, I contemplated getting out the duct tape to limp into town, but then i decided to test my fellow canadians, and I gave them a thumbs up. It didn't take very long at all until a nice couple pulled over in their pick-up to see what i had gotten myself into out in the middle of nowhere. We threw my mobile home into the bed of his truck and started into town. They were very nice people, headed into town to pick up some supplies from a weekend of camping. They took me right into the Canadian Tire, and actually came in the store with me. Once i found what I needed we parted ways. Amazing people, willing to help anyone in need! So i got fixed up with a cheap Canadian Tire tire(which got me all the way home), and headed back out to the asphalt. As I was headed back to the highway I saw a produce stand set up behind a truck, so I pulled over to see what they had from their spring harvest. It was an Mennonite man and his 3 sons who were at this corner every saturday to sell their produce. We talked for a while, about their farm, the kids involvement, the ways they distribute their goods, and they asked about what I was doing my bike trip for. I saw some great little carrots and potatoes that i thought i would get, when it came time to pay i reached into my wallet to find I didn't have any money left. My debit card had stopped working earlier that week and I had not been in a town with my bank during store hours, so i had been doing my best with credit cards. I obviously looked quite disappointed when i discovered my situation. He smiled and was quick to say that i didn't need to pay him a dime, what I was advocating for will have a positive impact on us all and he was happy to help me along my journey. As I'm sure you can guess my smile was stretching from ear to ear. People are awesome! Now i have no choice, I have to make an impact.
Protein Please
The macronutrient I had to pay the closest attention to was protein. My body needed a consistent supply of large amounts of protein to fuel my muscle recovery. I give vegetarian athletes a lot of credit! The intake of meat protein throughout the day and at night significantly influenced how my muscles felt in the morning. Meat, however, was my largest concern for spoiling after the ice in my cooler bag melted, which was quite quickly on a hot sunny day. I tended to buy fresh meat for that evening and a form of smoked or cured meat in order to have some longevity. I purchased my protein from butchers, farmers markets, and grocery stores, all while being able to support Canadian Farmers.
In the prairies, there is a small farming town dotted along the highway about every 30 km. Every town has a grain elevator that is the focal point of the community. In the little town, you’ll find a general store (that has just about everything you need), a bar, and more often than not, a butcher.
I was passing through one of these small town prairie communities. A strong wind was blowing across the fields, to my luck from the west. The streets were empty; a few pickup trucks were parked in front of each business. I decided it was a good time for a break from the saddle. So I parked my bike next to the trucks and headed in to see what the fuss was about. I opened the door the to the butcher shop to find the room filled with chatter and laughter. I looked into the back to see a young boy, dressed in his apron and cap, learning the cuts from his father. They were butchering an entire pig and by the looks of it, they had just started. I waited for quite a long time; the shop was one of the social hubs in the community, people weren’t there to just buy their meat but also socialize, talk about their crops and catch up with the small town gossip. Eventually I got up to the counter and got my hands on some amazing smoke sausage and a few chicken breasts for my dinner. The butcher smiled when I asked about the sourcing of his animals. He said his neighbor covered most of the beef and chicken and his brother the pork. This community was brought together by agriculture and it continues to grow stronger as people support one another. Buy Local!
The macronutrient I had to pay the closest attention to was protein. My body needed a consistent supply of large amounts of protein to fuel my muscle recovery. I give vegetarian athletes a lot of credit! The intake of meat protein throughout the day and at night significantly influenced how my muscles felt in the morning. Meat, however, was my largest concern for spoiling after the ice in my cooler bag melted, which was quite quickly on a hot sunny day. I tended to buy fresh meat for that evening and a form of smoked or cured meat in order to have some longevity. I purchased my protein from butchers, farmers markets, and grocery stores, all while being able to support Canadian Farmers.
In the prairies, there is a small farming town dotted along the highway about every 30 km. Every town has a grain elevator that is the focal point of the community. In the little town, you’ll find a general store (that has just about everything you need), a bar, and more often than not, a butcher.
I was passing through one of these small town prairie communities. A strong wind was blowing across the fields, to my luck from the west. The streets were empty; a few pickup trucks were parked in front of each business. I decided it was a good time for a break from the saddle. So I parked my bike next to the trucks and headed in to see what the fuss was about. I opened the door the to the butcher shop to find the room filled with chatter and laughter. I looked into the back to see a young boy, dressed in his apron and cap, learning the cuts from his father. They were butchering an entire pig and by the looks of it, they had just started. I waited for quite a long time; the shop was one of the social hubs in the community, people weren’t there to just buy their meat but also socialize, talk about their crops and catch up with the small town gossip. Eventually I got up to the counter and got my hands on some amazing smoke sausage and a few chicken breasts for my dinner. The butcher smiled when I asked about the sourcing of his animals. He said his neighbor covered most of the beef and chicken and his brother the pork. This community was brought together by agriculture and it continues to grow stronger as people support one another. Buy Local!
Breakfast of Champions
This story starts with a storm catching me in the middle of the prairies, nowhere to shelter me from the hail and tornado warning winds. You have to read “Ditched the Prairies for Swift Current” in “Good People” to get the whole story. The family that welcomed a stranger (me) with open arms had a very busy household. There had to have been 5 kids, all with extracurricular activities and commitments that took time out of the parents’ days that were already filled with 9-5 jobs, and thus, from what I saw, they consumed a fair quantity of convenience food. I had not eaten fast food since I left Vancouver, as you know, being very aware of the food that I was consuming. But here I was being given a gift from this more than generous human being of a McDonalds gift card. As he handed it to me, he said “this is for breakfast in the morning”. I was totally blown away! This family had warmed up to the idea of helping a stranger, then letting him sleep on their couch, and now they are giving me gifts! Generosity is an understatement. So now we discuss what I did with said gift card; I did just what he wanted me to do with it, I had breakfast. I had actually been in a McDonalds a few days earlier to fill my water bottles, and when I walked into the restaurant, I experienced the aromatic déjà vu that comes along with fast-food chains. I took a few minutes to look over the menu and figure out what fit my diet (I think that’s the first time I’ve ever said I was on a diet). I went with the breakfast sandwich on a nice whole-wheat bagel. I did cheat from my diet, although McDonald's does source a very large percent of their food from Canada, including all their beef, their pork products unfortunately are from the US, and my sandwich had bacon on it. I did not feel bad about cheating; I enjoyed it, I was conscious of what I was consuming and the implications that consuming that food had on our food system. I haven’t eaten McDonald's since, and probably won’t until the next time someone gives me a gift card.
This story starts with a storm catching me in the middle of the prairies, nowhere to shelter me from the hail and tornado warning winds. You have to read “Ditched the Prairies for Swift Current” in “Good People” to get the whole story. The family that welcomed a stranger (me) with open arms had a very busy household. There had to have been 5 kids, all with extracurricular activities and commitments that took time out of the parents’ days that were already filled with 9-5 jobs, and thus, from what I saw, they consumed a fair quantity of convenience food. I had not eaten fast food since I left Vancouver, as you know, being very aware of the food that I was consuming. But here I was being given a gift from this more than generous human being of a McDonalds gift card. As he handed it to me, he said “this is for breakfast in the morning”. I was totally blown away! This family had warmed up to the idea of helping a stranger, then letting him sleep on their couch, and now they are giving me gifts! Generosity is an understatement. So now we discuss what I did with said gift card; I did just what he wanted me to do with it, I had breakfast. I had actually been in a McDonalds a few days earlier to fill my water bottles, and when I walked into the restaurant, I experienced the aromatic déjà vu that comes along with fast-food chains. I took a few minutes to look over the menu and figure out what fit my diet (I think that’s the first time I’ve ever said I was on a diet). I went with the breakfast sandwich on a nice whole-wheat bagel. I did cheat from my diet, although McDonald's does source a very large percent of their food from Canada, including all their beef, their pork products unfortunately are from the US, and my sandwich had bacon on it. I did not feel bad about cheating; I enjoyed it, I was conscious of what I was consuming and the implications that consuming that food had on our food system. I haven’t eaten McDonald's since, and probably won’t until the next time someone gives me a gift card.