Beer Flag

Oh My Aching Liver!

The Vancouver 2010 Olympics were good to us, weren’t they? 

Hours of entertainment on the tube, incredible Canadian patriotism, the likes of which this country has never seen and with that came of course the Canadian beer & wine…and boy did it flow.  Apparently we drank more the first week of the Olympics that they did in Salt Lake and Torino COMBINED.  Yes!, we are Canadian – the land of swinging singing mounties, giant flying beavers, poutine and Bill Shatner – we enjoy tossing back a cold one occasionally….or not so occasionally depending on what’s on TV.  Weather you enjoyed the games from the comfort of the lazy boy lounger in your living room or like me with a lazy boy lounger around town I am sure there are more moments you enjoyed than you can remember.  We laughed (first medal on Canadian soil), we cried (women’s figure skating), we nearly died (25 seconds left in the game) but when it was over and the lights a BC Place went out I couldn’t help but feel a sense of loss.  My friend Erinn said, she felt like she was saying good bye to a good friend leaving town.  I think we all feel like that Erinn.  I am not sure anyone really knew what to expect, I mean Vanoc tried to explain how many people would be here, they told us there would be excitement, days filled with action, drama and memories that would last a lifetime, alas – they were right.  I didn’t really get into the games until they started, in fact I contemplated going away….leaving town.  I was dreading the traffic, the political shit storm I knew would ensue and frankly I just couldn’t imagine it having much appeal for me but boy was I wrong. 

As the torch entered BC getting closer and closer, there was almost a tangible build up to its arrival in Langley.   I stood on the street waving my flag, cheering and choking back a tear I felt like my heart would burst.  As a Canadian I have always been proud, always worn the flag on my lapel and shot down those persistent rumours of dog sled taxis while enjoying beverages at the pool in Mexico but somehow this was just different.   Everyone was going to see we weren’t a bunch of hosers eating back bacon and curling. Okay, well maybe not – we ARE hosers, we do eat back bacon and we think curling is cool (mostly because you can drink while you do it).  We hosted the world – they saw why we live here….the ocean, the mountains, the trees and most importantly the people that make this country so amazing.  They all want to live her now but they can’t, like us they have jobs, kids, homes and ties to the cities they live in now.  They can’t just pack up and move here but they can come visit us anytime they like, they can spend some money, eat our food, drink our beer and even practice saying Eh! In their fake Canadian accents – it’s pretty funny and while they are here they can spend time fantasizing about what it would be like to live here all the time.  I am pretty sure we will go back to taking it for granted again pretty soon so it will act as a good reminder to us if we stop long enough to listen to the oohing and the ahhhhing.  The true Olympic hangover will likely last for a while but I hope we don’t slide back to where we were, we need to show a little gratitude, keep waving that flag and keep the beer cold – the world will be back. 

About the Author

Angie Quaale is the owner of Well Seasoned gourmet food store and cooking school in Langley, British Columbia, Canada. Well Sesaoned is been the destination location for all things gourmet. Angie travels the world sourcing the best gourmet foods and recipes and is an advocate of local farmers and food producers. Angie\\\’s column, \\\”Food for Thought\\\” appears twice a month in the Langley Times. She\\\’s also regularly featured in print articles, television and radio programs throughout Canada.

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