Joseph Planta's Commentary - thecommentary.ca

Thursday, 21 April 2005

Elections, erections, and food

By Joseph Planta

VANCOUVER - First up, I ought to tell you about an annual event that's at BC Place Stadium this weekend. This Friday (22 April) and running until Sunday (24 April) is Eat! Vancouver: The Everything Food and Cooking Festival. Like last year, my colleague Michael Kwan will be there to take in the demonstrations and write about the fare. Moreover, there'll be much to take in. Bob Blumer of The Surreal Gourmet and Rob Feenie-two of Food Network Canada's stars headline the three-day consumer showcase. They'll be there shaking hands, cooking up dishes and taking photos with fans no doubt. Andre's sister Tami, as in Agassi, will be there too this year along with Kathy Casey; the two will be cooking it up with local chef Caren McSherry. Other local food stars will be there as well: West's executive chef and Vancouver Magazine's Chef of the Year, David Hawksworth, Hidekazu Tojo of Tojo's, Scott Jager, chef and owner of The Pear Tree and Canada's representative at the forthcoming cooking competition Bocuse D'or, as well as Jamie Maw the resident gourmand at Vancouver. It's always a fun time at Eat! Vancouver, so do take in the tastes. Tickets are $12.00, and $6.00 if you're a kid aged 6 to 14. Hours are Friday, 2.00 PM to 9.00 PM; Saturday, 11.00 AM to 9.00 PM; and Sunday 11.00 AM to 6.00 PM. Check out www.eat-vancouver.com for more information.

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Yesterday afternoon, I lunched with, among others, the independent journalist John Twigg of BCPOLITICS.COM, and Rob Norberg, who's running for the Emerged Democracy Party of BC in Surrey-Green Timbers in the forthcoming provincial election. It's easy to dismiss smaller parties at election time, and the mainstream media is, primarily focussing attention on the Liberals and NDP, and if need be the Greens. Nevertheless, smaller parties are out there and it's often interesting to hear what they have to say, and more importantly, why they're saying it.

At the end of the day, one wonders if the Emerged Democracy Party will make any headway, but it does signal that even in as polarised a place as British Columbia, the two main players, not to mention the Greens, are deficient thus driving some to form their own parties and formulate their own policies. You might want to visit the Emerged Democracy Party website at www.vote-ed.com to read up on some of their policy planks. I did notice that were we in America, perhaps their slogan 'Vote ED!" wouldn't fly, considering in light of the proliferation of advertisements for Cialis or Levitra, ED is not something they'd want to support.

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The Prime Minister, Paul Martin is due to speak to the nation tonight. It's unprecedented, but not unnecessary considering the entire Gomery fracas. It's all very scandalous, and it stinks. Recently, when the shit really hit the fan the central Canadian media began devoting much time on their newscasts, somehow picking up on the vibes that something was a little awry with the Liberal Party. However, out here in British Columbia, it seems like old hat. It seems like common knowledge that there's always been corruption in Ottawa. Nonetheless, it's kind of fun to see the Liberals squirm and fight each other as the ship goes down.

Stephen Harper, the Conservative leader has conducted himself in a rather measured way. Had it been any other opposition leader, oh say a Liberal opposition, they'd have called an election sooner and rather unnecessarily. Harper ought not to appear too eager, or it'll haunt him later that he's all after power himself. After all, that quest for glory is what has caused the Liberals grief. At this point, it's interesting to see the NDP and Jack Layton distance themselves from the Liberals. A year ago, they were bashing the Conservatives and Stephen Harper. Now, they realise they'll gain more support from people disenchanted by the Liberals. No better was this displayed with the unlikely defence former NDP leader and Ottawa-area MP Ed Broadbent made during Question Period to the Prime Minister (through the Speaker of course): "I want to say to him that when the leader of the Opposition asks a question about corruption and he replies with a question to the leader of the Opposition about health care, he completely undermines the office of the prime minister." The cheers went up on all sides of the House.

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On the provincial scene, count on Jamie Lee Hamilton to bring us this odd little soap opera. On Hamilton's blog [http://www.downtowneastside.blogspot.com], you can read about the Gregsons. Ian Gregson is the Green Party's candidate in the riding of Vancouver-Hastings, and he and his wife Sharon, have split. Turns out, she's the NDP riding president in Hastings, thus supporting the NDP candidate, Shane Simpson. Well, here's the kicker, since the Gregsons have custody of their kids, Mrs. Gregson is off on holiday, and thus the Mr. has to devote his time to watching the kids, cutting his time on the campaign trail. Who knows if it's true, but if you want more, check out the Hamilton blog: http://www.downtowneastside.blogspot.com.

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Joe Hagen in his television column in the New York Observer, he notes that Don Hewitt, the recently retired creator and executive producer of the CBS newsmagazine 60 Minutes, is shopping around a new documentary series. CBS passed on it, but PBS is seemingly interested. The formula is surprisingly like 60 Minutes itself, each hour broadcast fronting three segments, "one shocking, one entertaining, and one poignant." All you need now is Andy Rooney, no?

Tom Bettag, who's produced Nightline for a number of years now, and who's leaving when Ted Koppel vacates in December, has mentioned that PBS may be an outlet that both are considering. It would be apt. Though, I thought that Koppel should take over the Sunday morning hosting chores at ABC's flagging This Week, but that ain't happening. Just as the scions of the last thirty years are abdicating primetime network news, the relevance of network news in American's lives is the question. But getting rid of the old guard and replacing them with newer folks seems to be engaging on a quick jaunt to irrelevance itself.

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