Canadians like their…. Slurpees – My first Slurpee Sphenopalatine Ganglioneuralgia
Sphenopalatine Ganglioneuralgia = The technical name for “brain freeze.”
I’ve always known what Slurpees were, but it wasn’t until last year that I had a real one. Where I grew up, 7/11s were nonexistent which is the only place that real Slurpees are sold. I had had Slush Puppies before, though, and assumed they were pretty much the same thing…just different brands.
As soon as I hit Vancouver, I was informed of how very wrong I was. They are NOT the same and Canadians hold a huge claim over their beloved Slurpees. Who knew?
So in order to fit in with “real Canadians,” more than one person insisted that I get a real Slurpee. I had to wait until the weather got warmer, but I finally did.
Machines with a dozen options of flavors are not really my friend considering that means I have to make decisions, so I waited patiently while my partner-in-crime chose multiple colors….and then I made sure I chose the exact opposite.
This meant that I ultimately got to try at least 8 different flavors and in varying combinations. I’m not big on sweet drinks, but I figured if I was going to try slurpees, I might as well try as many as possible, right?
For those Americans who find it weird for me to make a big deal about Canadian slurpees, there are two main reasons:
1. American Slurpees are different. Canadian slurpees are carbonated and American slurpees are injected with air instead, which means they have a different texture.
2. Canadians are obsessed with them, specifically those in Winnipeg. Winnepeggers hold the record sales for slurpees, which averages out to 188k drinks per month (yes, even across the cold ones), which is more than the Canadian average overall (179k per month).
And for the record, yes, I enjoyed my Slurpee. It was a warm Spring day and was nice to have a refreshing treat on my way home on the Skytrain. :)
Canadians like their….”Those Little Donuts”
I hadn’t heard of “Those Little Donuts” until almost the end of my stay in Vancouver. I’m so glad my friend Don invited me to go out to the PNE because not only did I have a blast that day, but I got to have these little bites of heaven.
Sure, they may look like just little donuts and that’s really what I chalked them up to when they insisted I needed to get some. Hey, I’m not going to turn down donuts regardless, ya know?
But oh my god, these things are amazing. Their website says “Often imitated, never duplicated” and I believe it. I can see how many places would want to make these, but wouldn’t be able to get it quite right.
I’m in love with their machines, too. They churn out dozens of fresh doughnuts within minutes, frying them quickly in a spiral setup that is mesmerizing to watch, before quickly dipping them into cinnamon and sugar. I know there was another flavor or two available, but I don’t even remember what they were. And I’ve been told that the shops outside the various fairs have a lot of quirky flavors available, too, like Oreo or graham cracker flavors.
I was quite content with just the basic kind, though. They’re still warm when they hit your hands and the texture is perfect. They’re the same doughnuts that they’ve been sending out since the 60s, with the only difference being that their oil used now is trans-fat free, which I think most of us can agree is an okay change to make.
Chinese tea eggs – Marbled eggs for Easter?
Tea eggs are a traditionally an Asian snack that’s sold by in street markets. It’s usually savory and flavored with Chinese five-spice powder, but the really cool part about them is that they’re marbled.
While living in Vancouver, one of the handy side effects is that I was exposed to way more Asian culture than I ever expected.
When I first saw these, it made me immediately think of Easter eggs. I love when some of them get “accidentally” cracked and the dye seeps inside, leaving a similar effect as the picture above….but way more colorful.
I have never flavored boiled eggs directly, though, so I thought I’d try it out in a more traditional way. And the idea of using tea was kind of interesting.
I don’t know that I’ll do it again. I don’t like just how cooked they end up being. You’ll see below a picture of the inside where half of the yolk ends up gray. That’s the result of overcooking. You can’t exactly avoid overcooking, though, because you let them seep in the hot water/tea for at least 20 minutes after the initial cooking time before ever considering putting them in the refrigerator.
I couldn’t really taste much either. They just ended up tasting like rubbery (another result of overcooking) boiled eggs that were several days old. I’m glad I tried them out, though, and I’d love to see them in a more authentic environment some time because I bet they’d be better.
Now onto the pictures. I got some really interesting marbling, including a couple that ended up looking marbled. Oh, and one of the eggs ended up cracking all the way through to the yolk, so the white absorbed way more of the tea and left a huge dark crater on one side. That egg wasn’t delicious at all, ha.
I’m not posting a recipe because there are tons around online. They’re all very similar and very basic, so just find one that works for you. Use whatever black tea you want and flavor with something Chinese-sounding….Chinese five spice, soy sauce, cinnamon, star anise, etc.
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