Before we headed north I thought we might starve. As two vegetarians in a land of meat and potatoes, I wasn’t sure want we would find. So when we stumbled into some impressive Canadian eats, I was thrilled. A warning: this is our week to celebrate Canadian food porn. Want a peek? Keep reading.
The Joy of Canadian Food Porn in the North Country
“You’ll become a carb-o-holic!” my Alaska musher friend said when I asked her about the availability of produce in the North Country. She was only guessing though, because she only goes north in winter. Yeah, mushers are crazy that way.
Turns out we never really found ourselves wanting for good food. Sure, healthy food on the Alaska Highway was shockingly expensive in some places.
Of course there never seemed to be a shortage of Tim Hortons in the larger cities. We only tried their donuts but they were yummy. The rest of the menu looked comparable to McDonalds so we skipped it.
It was a great surprise to see that British Columbia is a foodie paradise. Fresh produce is everywhere this time of year. Fed by the melting glaciers of the northern Rockies, small mom and pop vegetable and fruit farms provide much of the produce for the rest of the country.
We had so much fresh (oftentimes organic) produce that now I know for sure we could spend summers up north.
Also, gourmet food product manufacturers are thriving in BC. Canadians know how to eat well which to many of them means eating healthy. We love that!
As we continued to pack on a few pounds from all the good eats, we discovered two chains that made us do the happy dance.
Canada’s Bulk Barn was like manna from heaven.
The nationwide Bulk Barn stores sell bulk foods of all kinds, from snacks to dried fruit to maple syrup and everything in-between. They even let you bring your own containers, which blew me away. I doubt this idea would take off in the U.S., where stupid regulations would complicate things.
The only downside to Bulk Barn is that it’s easy to go crazy and spend a small fortune. When the cashier rang us up (the below photo was about $90 USD), we stood there like stunned idiots. She smiled kindly at our reaction and I asked, “You probably see this all the time, eh?” Her response? “Only about twelve times a day.”
Bulk Barn wasn’t the only nice surprise. We also fell in love with the Canadian A&W fast food chain. Why? Because A&W is now selling the Beyond Meat plant-based burger!
What a victory for meat-free eaters like us! Geez we’ve come a long way since the days we had to make our own not-so-great veggie burgers from scratch. Beyond Meat is the most delicious plant-based burger on the planet!
Even meat eaters love Beyond Meat burgers for their texture, flavor and aroma reminiscent of an animal burger without any of the bad side effects. Yeah, some veganazis will object to eating a burger that resembles an animal meat, but I’m OK with it.
You may remember A&W from decades ago in the states. Well, the company has reinvented itself into a healthy, earth-friendly restaurant chain in Canada.
It’s fantastic to see a fast food chain that walks the talk of eating healthier and lighter on the planet. The only downside is that in the smaller towns where recycling is non-existent, their compostable packaging is useless.
Have I made you hungry today? Good! Because on Wednesday I’m going to keep on dishing out the Canadian food porn and share detail about a couple of great restaurants, as well as a home cooked meal with Alaska written all over it.
Be sure to try A & W for their made to order breakfast. Our hats were also off to A & W in Western Canada for there eco approach. We also found Canadian Tire to be our Lowes/Home Depot/Walmart fix.
Oooh we didn’t know about the breakfast deal, will definitely give it a go next time. And we also liked Canadian Tire, much nicer than a Wally World experience for sure. Lots of good stuff and quality products. Plus, we even stayed overnight at one with a dump station!
Yes, Canadian Tire saved is a couple of times, also the Sams in Anchorage have is yep expensive Michein LTX tires FOR FREE! It’s a long story
GAVE US TWO!
Rene, Jim and Wyatt Dawg! It looks like you have had a wonderful time traveling up into the the Great Northern parts of our country!! You have certainly had your challenges thrown at you and you have persevered through them all!!! Your pay off is the best food choices evah!!
A & W is one of mine and Paul’s favourite places to get our junk food fix… although I’m sorry to say that i won’t be trying the ‘meatless’ burger any time soon… I’m sure it is good, but i will leave that menu item for the vegetarians of this world! I hadn’t realized that the US had an A & W… i thought that was a Canadian icon only!!
We will be looking forward to your travels North again in the future and the hope that we will get to see you all again?!! We still have the bottle of Three Legged Red awaiting your return!!
We also hope that Wyatt is doing well? Please give him a huge cuddle from me and tell him that we hope to be able to take him on another wild tour next year?!
Safe travels to you, as always and many hugs coming your way…
Petra, Paul, Super Duper Stewie, Spitfire Spikey, Chester Pester, Sleepy Miss Lily and Always Hungry Ted
XXXXXXX
As a Canadian living in southern Ontario, I must have a Royal Gala apple every morning. They virtually all come from either Chile or somewhere in USA. With a Tim Horton’s on almost every corner it seems, often tucked into corner gas bar stores, my opinion is that Krispy Creme donuts are far better tasting than Horton’s, but unfortunately KC did not take off up here, so the nearest store to me is almost two hours away. Also, rest assured that we endure our fair share of stupid lowest common denominator regulations.
Hey Dave, we will have to do a Tim Hortons versus KC donuts competition some day. As for eating local, we all make choices that probably aren’t the best for the planet, I do it myself, but as long as you’re aware of where your food comes from that’s a good start. Thanks for the insight on regulations in Canada. The grass is always greener eh?
Yuk! I’ll stick with actual meat thank you. We are moving to ND next month and A&W is there. I bet it doesn’t sell much there.
A&W USA is not selling Beyond Meat at the moment so you don’t need to worry about the vegetarians invading ND, Josh 😉 Good luck with your move.
Al, I would love a Bulk Barn but you are right. In the USA, the government tries to protect you from everything. Whether you want it of not. Land of the free? Beyond Meat started in my home town of Columbia, Missouri. They started with plant based chicken.
Keep on posting, I enjoy reading you every day.
Oh we love Columbia! Did you know we went there to see the one and only Ghost Dancer at Mizzou? Yep! Sweet town John, you’re lucky to live there. Thanks for your kind words.