By Erin Gee from hausofhybrid.com...
Vancouver. A city best known for being one of those rare places where you can hit the beach and the mountains in one day. A place known for its picturesque facades. Or even, as the host city for the 2010 Winter Olympic Games. But underneath all that lies a still a secret that is slowly being discovered. Food.
Even in its young state, Vancouver is already visited by foodies to taste the local fare. Vancouver’s food scene is vibrant and evolving, but no one understands that better than Melody Fury, food blogger and owner of Vancouver Food Tour. Melody describes Vancouver’s scene as, “eclectic, vibrant and environmentally and culturally conscious. We strive for the best of all worlds, never compromising authenticity, embracing creativity and focusing on sustainability.”
Vancouver Food Tour began shortly after the 2010 Olympics, when Melody decided that she had had enough of merely directing people to where they should eat. Instead, she decided that she should take them out to experience things from a local’s perspective and see the culture behind the food. Melody strives to bring awareness about Vancouver’s gastronomy, sharing locales that are off the average tourist’s grid. Tours include food and cocktails and 4 different destinations, plus historical anecdotes about the given areas. Many tourists are unaware of Vancouver’s growing food culture, but according to Fury, she’s met those who have arrived in Vancouver strictly for their stomachs. “All of my guests see the deep connection between food and culture and understand that the best way to understand the culture of a city is to wine and dine with locals. This value prompted my slogan, ‘Food culture experience’,” says Fury.
Food culture experienceindeed.Fury points out the Vancouverite’s perspective on food; on the social media outlets, Vancouverites are constantly name-dropping their most recent food venture. Whether it be sharing recipes, tweeting a picture, providing reviews, checking in on FourSquare, or keeping up-to-date with the next new restaurant, it is clear that for the Vancouver locals, food is a way of life.
Recently, I went on one of Melody’s tours, the Modern Chic Chinatown tour, and had a great time, even as a local. Like many other travelers, I’ve been to the Brazilian Steakhouses, taken cooking lessons in Florence, sampled escargot in Paris, and enjoyed sangria and charcuterie down Las Ramblas. If you love and enjoy food, then Vancouver and the Vancouver Food Tour is not to be missed. It truly is a ‘food culture experience’.
