My wife and I went to Vancouver last weekend for some eating (well), drinking (a little, well), walking (lots), gelato (fig-and-almond, yeeeeah), relaxing (kidless), and general get-away time. Biggest surprise: sort-of-disappointment about the lack of edge/zip. Also the inability to escape televised hockey. Yes, yes, “the mountains, the ocean”. Indeed. Too many new glass condos, though, and not enough people milling about. During a walk east of Gastown and through old Chinatown, however, we wandered into a large four-wall with a grillion baskets of dried oceanic objects and long walls occupied by big jars of dried, pickled, preserved, or otherwise hanging-out-until-you-buy-5-kilos-worth stuff. [Helpful illustrative photo below. In row two, you will find 4 jars of cordyceps.] In one lower cabinet, “Deer Horn” – thin round slices of what looked – to me – like dried velvety deer horns. My wife said, “no, those are not deer horns.” Really, I said. Go ahead and ask her. “What is that?”, inquired my wife. “Horn…. (gestures upwards and outwards from head)… deer”. Uh huh.
