Anil's 50th Birthday Party

It was a real honour to be invited to Anil Aukluck’s 50th Birthday Party.  Anil is a wonderful accountant, trustworthy and reliable, hard working and considerate.  He is a friend of my much admired friend Ganesh Nanda.  I’ve had the joy and privilege of attending Indian concerts with these two men and their wives. They are so concerned with family and community. I’ve had the joy of meeting their children.  Their wives are happy beautiful women who are strong and admired in their own right. I loved meeting Anil’s daughters. They are a going concern.  What father with three beautiful daughters and his sister’s daughter could remain sane in this high energy mix.  Yet Anil is calm and spiritual.  I think that Ganesh turned to spirituality to survive his children passing through adolescents to become the successful young adults they are today. Anil is right in the midst of the storm but remains serene.
He is an artist too, doing lovely drawings and paintings.  As I listened tonight to Harish Kumar, the famed music director Tabla player, Ganesh told me that Anil also plays flute.  Being on Facebook I so enjoyed seeing video of Anil  riding horses with his daughters on beaches but here he is a musician as well as accountant and painter.  There’s no end to his talent.
The night was a great success.  It was held at the Hall on Ross street. I’d been to the most remarkable of Hindu Sikh weddings there with the most beautiful of brides and most handsome of men. As tonight the ladies were all dressed in festive sari’s and the men in black jackets and slacks.
A young couple sang and played guitar on stage, Ganesh’s young friends, all very modern, a contrast to the traditional setting.  In the background through the night scenes from Bollywood movies played on the many large screens around the hall.  Ganesh pointed out famous stars.
 Laura and I began the feast with samosa appetizers. I loved the fish the best.  The spread was magnificent.  Both Laura and I felt that was the meal only to find out later that there was another feast to continue.  Laura loved the vegetarian curry but I could swear the goat curry was a delicacy unheard of, that strange meat to an average Canadian palate, melting in my mouth.  My girth gained as we feasted and feasted.
Ganesh and his truly lovely wife Anita were the best companions.  Ganesh and I talked politics quietly, he has great hope for the future.  With Canadians staggering before the plummeting world oil prices Ganesh’s gold business is doing very well, as gold holds value when other currency fails.  Meanwhile Anita was showing Laura iPhone video’s of her grandchildren and these two grandmothers were in heaven discussing much more important matters of domestic politics.
Anil’s wonderful daughters had made a film of Happy Birthday greetings with songs and hilarity from all over the country and as far away as Britain. A much loved baby,  dancing to the Indian music in a video clip, definitely stole the show. Anil was on the verge of tears with such a gift of love from his daughters, family and friends.  It was so touching to see his parents and other old people wishing this great man well. The young and sassy friends however called him by his nickname moose!
Then the women were dancing, first the young, then the old and following their lead all the men poured on the stage.  Anil was lifted on shoulders of friends along with his wife and the two lovers danced across from each other high above the crowd.  Next Ganesh and I were invited too. Who would have known, my spiritual community leader friend turns out to be a regular dancing guru.  Some inner tabla took over and he and Anil were young men again. The music was infectious so I couldn’t help but join in.  Such laughter and fun.
When Laura and I took out leave the party was going strong.  What a wonderful night to remember.   Happy Birthday Anil!
!

Caffe Rustico - Mount Pleasant

What a lovely dinner, Laura and I had at Caffee Rustico.  Laura had come to help out at the office with Gilbert and I and my staffing problems.  So after an afternoon of work I suggested we stop for dinner.  Thinking of places we liked, both of us remembered Caffee Rustico.  It was as good as ever. The owner is a delight. “It’s so Italian,” said Laura, “Just like I remember our time in Italy.” she said.  It really is. The pasta is to die for. The coffee particularly special, if not unique.  A friend of the owner was there and when we raved about the pasta he said, “I’m from the same district. That’s how our mother’s and father’s made pasta when we were growing up.”
I love Vancouver for the best of ethnic fare. Just a simple inexpensive dinner on Main Street with a friend and dog, very busy dog watching, made for a lovely end to a hard working day. Thank you Caffe Rustico. The food, service, and ambience was superb!

Nuba Restaurant, Vancouver

Aim, who works part time as my assistant when she's not teaching university or writing international columns on world affairs, picked Nuba for our Christmas office party.
8 people were there. Great company.  Beautiful intelligent women and handsome non belligerent men.
Nuba on Hastings at Cambie was packed.  It was Wednesday night and everyone seemed in that 25 to 45 affluent with it set.  A few older guys like me were dotted about here and there but definitely not a grey carpet shiny dome place by any means.  Alot of conversation but none of that 'loud' crowd.  Very New York, Parisian eatery atmosphere.  Surprisingly fluid. 
The hostess was helpful and the waitress was a delight. Lots of suggestions. Interesting and novel drinks and food. By group consensus we went with the group platter with individual items.  A wide range of exotically prepared Lebanese delights, mostly vegan, were to be shared , with wedges of bread for convenient nibble and bite or toff amounts.  In addition everyone got to choose a personal kabob or something similar. I had a delicious lamb kabob while I noticed others had chicken and shrimp..  The Lebanese are known for their sea food  but  lamb is what I like best.  If I say so myself, a very good choice.
But the communal platter with hummus spreads, and greens and just a whole boodle of tasty bits, more than enough for everyone, was the most fun.  Everyone was sampling  and comparing. Aim commented on the cultural aspects of food at one point with her and Joanne discussing how in Asian culture the discussion of food in general while eating food in particular was so much part of the process.  Mark who had travelled the world over shared insights into food by comparison and actually had pictures in his iphone of recent dishes he'd enjoyed on his latest international flights.
Everyone was sharing stories as well. The laughter was infectious. After something Chris or Phil said we were all laughing and I wondered if we were being 'loud'.  Laura or Elizabeth was telling a story when I realized every other table was bursting out with intermittent laughter too.. Some of it was the Christmas Season for sure but I really did think something about the decor, the staff, the way the tables were dispersed and the food just brought out the best in people.
Eventually we all seemed to slow down then stopped eating Even the occasional picking came to an end as we all sat happily sated.. The waitress appeared, asked if we wanted more, we were fine, the bill appeared and was extremely reasonable, not at all a burden by any means, given the luxury of the repast.
Then we were collectively mobilizing and saying fair wells and holiday well wishes outside across from the Victory Memorial Park on Hastings.
I really can't remember a group dining experience I more enjoyed in recent years.  I've never had such an enjoyable work and staff outing, by any means.
Nuba seemed just perfect for a group function though I imagine all those couples who were interspersed among the larger tables might well go away ad say it was just right for them as well.