Whistler’s Cornucopia offers something for both the experienced gourmet and those seeking to better appreciate the epicurean delights of wine and food.
Editor's Note: Globe B.C. has joined forces with Scout Magazine to give you the best of what's happening in Vancouver this weekend. For a full week's worth of listings, head over to the complete Scout List, updated each Monday. See the list in calendar view here.
Cornucopia: Good news: Cornucopia Wine & Food Festival, one of the most decadent events on the calendar, is going twice as long this year. Though it is well under way, you can still head up to Whistler to get in on some of the special dinners and events. Consider the Painted Rock Winery supper at The Four Seasons on Saturday night and some sweet-sounding seminars (Absinthe – Risk or Reward?, Hair of the Dog Cocktails and Why They Work, and Tour de France Rouge all sound like winners).
Until Nov. 17, Whistler Village www.whistlercornucopia.com
Generation Rent:The Tyee Solutions Society is hosting an evening of public storytelling intended to encourage dialogue around the issue of affordable housing on Thursday night. The event will feature four Vancouver renters who will take the floor to present image-driven accounts of what they value about their homes and some of challenges they have encountered, while a panel of experts (DJ Larkin, Pivot Legal Society; Scott Nunn, head organizer at BC Acorn; Alvin Singh, housing researcher, and Karen Ferguson, director of SFU Urban Studies program) offer their thoughts on how to solve problems and improve situations.
Thursday, Nov. 13, 8 p.m., SFU Goldcorp Centre for the Arts (149 W. Hastings), www.sfu.ca
Skate:One sure sign we have passed from fall into winter is the opening of the Robson Square Ice Rink. Friday at 1 p.m. officially marks the beginning of the 2013/2014 season of free skating. Grab your skates (or rent them on site) and take a lap or 12 around the rink. Plan ahead – bring your thermal mug, some nice thick gloves, and some cash (although skating is free, equipment rentals are cash only – skates $4, helmets $2). Rink hours are Sunday through Thursday, 9 a.m.-9 p.m., Friday and Saturday 9 a.m.-11 p.m.
Nov. 15 - Feb. 28, Robson Square Ice Rink (800 Robson St. at Howe), Free, www.robsonsquare.ubc.ca
History:The Dr. Sun Yat Sen Classical Chinese Gardens has an exhibit up right now called Modernize Tailors: 100 Years of Dressing the Modern Man that simultaneously chronicles the development of fashion trends over the past century while profiling a small, 100 year-old tailor shop that Vancouverite Wong Kung Lai and his sons, Bill and Jack, have operated over the past 10 decades. Mr. Wong started Modernize Tailors back in 1913. As time progressed, the father passed down his considerable knowledge and ability to his two eldest sons, who continue to run the shop to this day. This weekend is a perfect time to take in the show because local fashion columnist and author JJ Lee (who spent a year as an apprentice tailor at Modernize) will be reading excerpts from his book, The Measure of a Man: The Story of a Father, a Son, and a Suit.
Saturday, Nov. 16, 2 p.m. - 4 p.m., Dr. Sun Yat Sen Gardens (578 Carrall St.), www.vancouverchinesegarden.com
Eastside Culture Crawl:There is something special about wandering the streets of East Vancouver during the East Side Culture Crawl. The annual three day art event sees more than 425 East Side artists (painters, jewellers, sculptors, textile artists, furniture makers, musicians, weavers, potters, printmakers, photographers, etc) open their studios. It's a chance to float from one studio to the next, talking to artists about their processes and enjoying the diversity of creativity that the East Side has to offer. Grab a map (available at studios and shops in the community, or online at www.eastsideculturecrawl.com) and get crawling.
Nov. 15 - 17, East Side, Free