What to Do on Canada Day, 2014

 

 

Options abound on Canada Day, but one thing unites—Canadians love to toast our great country in the great outdoors. Herewith, Canada Day for the extrovert and the introvert:

 

 

For the Urbanite

 

For the Nature Dweller

 

For the Urbanite:

 

Wander over to Granville Island for a pancake breakfast, live jazz, and a South Asian cultural extravaganza (traditional dances! Bollywood fashion! ethnic food!). Or hit up the street festival at Canada Place from 10-7. Parades (starts at 7pm, Georgia and Broughton Streets) aren’t your speed? Head to Richmond for a classic: the Steveston Salmon Festival, boasting over 500 kilos of wild salmon filets grilled over open fire pits. Round it all off with the Burrard Inlet fireworks show at 10:30 p.m. and your thirst for crowds has been thoroughly quenched.

 
Um actually, I’m more of an introvert

 For the Nature Dweller:

 

 

If you just want to unwind at a slower pace, Jonah and Andrew Benton of Benton Brothers’ Fine Cheese have put together a shopping list—and pairings—for your perfect Canada Day picnic basket. Load up your iPod with Blue by Joni Mitchell (for your inner patriot), grab a basket, a blanket, your favorite Anthropologie melamine dishware, and you’re all set to mellow out al fresco. 

 

The List:

  •  A couple baguettes from Beyond Bread at W. Fourth and Alma—all handmade love and organic flour, with classic French crunch
  • Pecorino Renero cheese, paired with Hacienda Lopez de Haro Rioja. Rioja is a wine that goes well with mid-aged sheep’s milk cheeses, and the Lopez de Haro beats all at its price point. With the Pecorino, expect a semi-firm texture and a slightly sweet, nutty, and olivey finish.
  • Challerhocker cheese, paired with White Bark from Driftwood Brewery. Challerhocker’s smooth, creamy texture with slight crunch is backed up by an earthy fullness and a sweet caramel finish. White Bark is one of the Bentons’ favorite wheat beers, a fine complement to Challerhocker’s fruity alpine character.
  • St. Marcellin cheese, paired with your favorite Prosecco. The bubbles from a nice Prosecco will cut through the richness of this mild, earthy cheese (with its trademark mottled creamy-white exterior and that burst of lactic tartness on the finish).
  • Cornichons and castelvetrano olives, a mild, buttery variety, evoking avocado-like creaminess (available at the Benton Brothers’ Kerrisdale and Cambie locations)

Show me my extroverted options… 

 

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