PUBLISHERS Justin Faubert Laurie Kizik EDITOR Tara Simpson
from the edito r
EDITORIAL CONSULTANT Jennifer Campbell
Do you have a dish or a meal that comforts you when you’re sick, homesick, hungover or need a pick-me-up? A survey of staff in our virtual office shows that we favour starchy potatoes in their many forms. Scalloped potatoes with ham or mashed with roast beef and lots of gravy remind a few of us of Sunday dinners spent with family. French fries are a deeply satisfying, salty, crispy fix that make others feel content. What about a beautiful bowl of congee like the one Sophia Hsin photographed for the cover of this issue? A decade or two before this pandemic and its many stay-at-home orders, I commuted to work. I usually meandered slowly through Vancouver’s residential streets, making my way to Marine Drive and the Arthur Laing Bridge on the way to my Richmond office. But one morning, I picked up my colleague, Eddie, from downtown, which re-routed us to Granville Street. We were having one of our lively conversations when I made the mistake of looking his way as he spoke. I didn’t see that traffic had quickly stopped, and although I had some distance to avoid the bumper in front of me, the rain and oil-soaked road forced me directly into it. It was my first (and only) car accident, so I was a little shocked. As I was busy exchanging insurance information and calling a tow truck, Eddie called another colleague, Paul, to pick us up. With little discussion, Paul drove us straight to a restaurant on No. 3 Road in Richmond and ordered three bowls of congee. We ate out together often and had many regular spots — Spicy House Szechuan near City Hall and a Vietnamese noodle house near Aberdeen Centre — but never congee. I hadn’t even heard of it before, so I was surprised when he ordered it for us, and a bowl of rice porridge was delivered. At first, I was unsure of the taste and texture, but I didn’t want to criticize Paul’s choice after he came to our rescue and treated us to a meal. It took me a while to realize that this was his comfort food, Eddie’s too. Someone who had cared about them had likely offered a soothing bowl of congee to help them feel better. At the time, it was a good distraction. Now, a bowl of congee reminds me of Eddie and Paul, of lots of laughs and many shared meals. It’s a fond memory — and that’s the promise of comfort food. Tara ara Simpson Editor
PROOFREADER Viktoria Cseh CONTRIBUTORS Cinda Chavich Jennifer Cole Lou Dahl Jete Devisser Sophia Hsin Helena McMurdo Joanne Sasvari Michelle Superle Mark Yammine
ADVERTISING ads@ediblevancouver.com Laurie Kizik, Sue Smith SUBSCRIPTIONS hello@ediblevancouver.com
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