I have an addiction. It's called large popcorn with extra butter.

Before I say anything else, I wanted to try something new. This segment is called "Movie Munchies" where I not only share my movie time snack, but also my experience watching the said film.

Last night, my roommates and I went to see the midnight release of The Amazing Spider-Man 2. As a honorary nerd and self-titled geek, I was more than excited to see the sequel to the first epic. I was interested to see how Jamie Foxx would pull off Electro and how Dane DeHaan would portray a different kind of Harry Osbon/Green Goblin. Without a doubt, I was extremely impressed with what I saw.

Hardcore Fanboying

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 had put A LOT of things in one movie. My roommates and I agreed that there was a lot that was going on. We say this in a good way, unlike Toby Maguire's Spider-Man 3 where all hell broke loose and ruined the franchise. What I was most impressed about the movie is how close they are portraying the movie to the actual comic books. Some things, which I don't want to spoil, are so spot on.

But what is a great Summer movie without some movie munchies?

Popcorn is my spirit animal

I absolutely love popcorn. Sadly enough, this is my main movie motivator. I cannot sit in a dark theatre without a bag full of buttered popcorn. Even though this is the most expensive part about going to the movies, this is the most necessary.

Although I didn't get a picture of it, I bought a box of Buncha Crunch, which for you Canadian who don't know, is a crunch bar in little ball forms. Sort of like Nerds candy but in chocolate form. I learned from my friend, Kim, that the best way to have it is when you put it in your popcorn and mix the sweet and salty flavors together. It's simply delicious!

Overall, Spider-Man 2 is a must see. If you're a nerd of any kind, or if you just love a romantic action film that will emotionally touch you and have you on the edge of your seat at the same time, then this is the movie for you!

Well, that wraps movie munchies for today! If you guys have any films to recommend to me whether it's in theaters or just Netflix, leave a comment and let me know!

"The best reason to go to the movies is to be with other people. Eating the popcorn, being with other people you don't know."

-Peter Weller

It's funny how you can find great places to eat when you actually get out of your house and walk around your neighborhood. Buddha-Full was one of those unique places that I just so happened to have stumbled upon.

This vegan-friendly place was the definition of hipster. First of all, the name itself was really creative and made me interested to see what it was.

106 1st St W #101, North Vancouver, BC

When you enter the store, you'll notice that everything had a raw feeling to it. The benches and shelves looked as if it were built by a local young carpenter.

Their menu was amazing. I really liked the chalk art and their menu was colorful and eye catching. It was the focal point of the store.

They also sold vegan and raw products. They even have gluten-free desserts and sandwiches! (AND COOL, 100% VEGAN LIP BALMS!)

This place makes you feel healthy as a whole.

The Lobo - $8.40

There were so many choices in their menu, but I ended up choosing The Lobo (Lonsdale Bohemian). It had hemp protein, dates, peanut butter, banana, and almond milk. This smoothie was so filling and smooth! The peanut butter was not too overwhelming but allowing the other flavors to be noticeable as well!

Overall, this place is great. It's a bit expensive because of its organic ingredients, but it was well worth my money. The store has a tranquil mood and its a great place to meet with friends (your yoga hippie friends, jkjk). It's actually quite funny because a few hours later, one of my gluten-free friends, Yannick, recommended me to check this place out. That just made me realize this place's popularity within the organic-lovers community.

"Let your food be your medicine, let your medicine be your food"

-Hippocrates

What do you do for dinner after the night you just had ramen? Get more Ramen!

Last night my friend, May (WHO RECENTLY GOT CASTED IN "FLOWER DRUM SONG"), was really insisting me to go with her to grab some real, asian ramen after Footloose.

249 E 49 St, NY, New York, 10017

After hours of research of which Ramen shop stays open past midnight, we found Seo Japanese on 49th Street. This cute little Japanese store was quite traditionally decorated. When you enter that back room, you're given a beautiful view of a Japanese garden with bamboo and . The atmosphere inside this place made it feel like you weren't in New York anymore.

Edamame - $4

We ordered the classic Edamame. There's not much to review about this item. Most edamame are almost identical, so this one was good. 

Shio Ramen - $9.50

I ordered a Shio Ramen, which was a salt-based ramen. The broth was good, a little bit watery, but it was good. I was really craving a miso-based type ramen but the menu was literally so small, they only offered 3 types of ramen. Their drink menu was larger than their actual menu.

The noodles were similar to the ones in Hinata Ramen. There was a lot more than I expected. It was also not one of the softer kinds of noodles, which has been a pattern in New York ramen places so far.

The chasu was excellent but tiny! It was soooo fatty! The fattier the better (when it comes to chasu)! I like how the edges were slightly burnt and added a greater seasoned flavor.

My friend, May, ordered the Shoyu. To be honest, I was kind of jealous, her's tasted better. Other than the more flavorful broth, everything was basically the same.

Overall, Seo Japanese has great ramen for much cheaper than Hinata Ramen, but their choices were incredibly limited. Hinata had at least 6 ramens to choose from and Seo had only 3. Their appetizers weren't too appealing either. From choices from cold tofu to pork on rice, there wasn't really anything that caught my eye. Although this was their only flaw, the ramen was great.

"Although the food was good, the company could've been better."

-May Yoshioka

Happy Friday everyone! It's time for Fantasy Friday!

Sometimes, I wish I had the power to just imagine food and for these foods to appear right in front of my eyes. Shake Shack Burger? Boom. Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream? Boom.

Doesn't this remind you of that epic food scene from Hook? You know, when Peter Pan finally learned how to imagine?

Never-Food is one of the fictional foods that I REALLY want to try! I mean, this creative meal could taste like anything! It could be sweet and pie-like or it could be savory like colorful mashed potatoes.

Another awesome aspect of this dish is that IT NEVER RUNS OUT!

It never runs out you say?!

Recently, I've been having insane craving for sweets but leaving my dorm to go out to the groceries for a candy bar is just too much effort on a lazy Friday afternoon like this, which is why Never-Food's convenience is as delicious as it looks.

Looking further into this food, I actually found a couple of real versions of Never-Food.

Its icing reminds me of ones from Canada's cupcake chain: Cupcakes. And by Cupcakes, I don't mean any random cupcakes, I mean this Cupcakes! (Cupcakes sounds weird now that I keep saying it).

Mmm... Now I want dessert!

"What's the deal? Where's the real food?" -Peter

"If you can't imagine yourself being Peter Pan, you won't *be* Peter Pan, so eat up." -Tinkerbell

It kills me to say this, but I had no time to at all to eat anything great. I've been so busy that I haven't been able to post for the longest time! Since now that I've found time between classes to make this post, I'm going to use it to tell you exactly what I've been so caught up with.

As some of you may know, I was given the opportunity to become part of the Wardrobe Run Crew in an off-stage production of Footloose. I've learned how to make things like scrunchies, bandanas, and THIS AWESOME BOW TIE THAT I GET TO KEEP!

The hours for this thing are crazy. I feel like I've been living at the school. I was literally working from 9AM-1120PM from last Saturday and 9AM-8PM yesterday. Then until March 10, I'll be at school from 6PM-11PM. All that, plus auditions, call backs, and hours of papers. Goodbye social life.

I have literally been living off of protein bars, hard boiled eggs, and a skimmed triple cappuccino. Not-so-foodie-friendly food. I just want an nice, juicy burger.

In other news, all these awesome things I've ordered from Amazon have finally arrived! Though I go home so late every night that the mail room is always closed when I try to grab my packages. Life is hard. Very hard.

Also, you guys should definitely follow my Twitter account! @VancFoodie -- There I post little things food-related in my life.

Anyways, I have 5-minutes till class starts so I'm going to sign out. Next time, hopefully I can show you some new, delicious food places, foodie!

"Busy is good because it shows you're alive"

-Alison G. Bailey

Started things off fresh today. I know you guys could care less about my wanna try and eat healthy thing and would rather see a bacon cheese burger. The fact that I don't want to be a 600lbs boyfriend and not have 6 rolls for my mom's wedding means that I have to replace some meals for a healthy, green shake.

647 Lexington Avenue (Lexington Ave. between 55th St & 56th St), New York, NY, 10022

Thank god for Juicy Cube. If you're Canadian like me, you'd know places like Jugo Juice or Booster Juice. It's basically the sourness and bold tastes of Booster Juice with the thickness of Jugo Juice. It's all made with real fruit, which is nothing too fancy, but great for my health.

This actually what I ordered. I mean how healthy can you get if you order a drink called "Greenlicious"? 

The place itself is actually very health aware. They sell a lot of protein bars, vegetable chips, kale chips, and even fresh coconuts.

And the menu doesn't just have vegetable shakes, but shakes you guys would probably enjoy!

I've been to this exact juice bar about five times now. Unfortunately, this time around I forgot to order Vanilla Whey Protein in my drink to add sweetness and protein (which was a terrible idea because it meant that I could taste the "healthiness"). Usually it's much sweeter with the extra protein. This is also helpful because I usually workout at 8PM before class and pick one of these up on the way to campus. 

So if by chance you guys go there, I recommend you order a Greenlicious + Vanilla Protein Whey. It'll cost you under $10.

"I think if you shake a tree, you ought to be around when the fruit falls to pick it up"

-Mary Cassatt

For those who missed out on my last update, Fantasy Friday is where I talk about fictional food from video games, movies, and TV shows that I am interested in trying. Now, welcome to my first post for FANTASY FRIDAY!

Let me get this straight: the mash up of Disney and Final Fantasy to create Kingdom Hearts was pure genius. A game full of action with a compelling story that involved epic moments from famous Disney characters, there is nothing more a geek like me could ask for. Seriously, you fight side by side with Donald Duck who's a wizard and Goofy who's a knight. Did I mention Mickey Mouse has a sword? You even fight along side Hercules, Aladdin, and even TRON! I mean, this game was basically your childhood turned badass.

When I played Kingdom Hearts II, I noticed that among Axel, Xion, and Roxas (one of our protagonists), that when things get stressful they go up to the roof of a building in Twilight Town and eat this strange, blue ice cream called Sea Salt Ice Cream.

Axel (left), Roxas (middle), Xion (right)

This ice cream was described to be sweet and salty in Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days. Its blue color comes from its resemblance to the sea (Duh, "Sea" Salt Ice Cream). Apparently, the director of Kingdom Hearts II, Tetsuya Nomura, had this ice cream when he visited the Tokyo Disneyland Resort and liked it so much that he put them in his games.

Sea Salt Ice Cream

Personally, the reason why I took so much interested in this cold treat was because it was Axel and Roxas' favorite snack. In fact, Kingdom Hearts has a HUGE selection of consumable ice creams to choose from. And when I say huge, I mean HUUUGEEEE!!!

This is a few of the vast selection

Yes, many of those ice creams look a 1000x more delicious than the Sea Salt Ice Cream itself. But as a gamer, you must understand to look past its bold and detailed designs and look at the originals. The Sea Salt Ice Cream is the face of ice creams in the Kingdom Heart series. It's become so famous that it has its own fanbase. Yes, a fanbase for fictional ice cream. It sounds crazy, but many gamers like me share the same feeling for this iconic ice cream. 

Many have made recipes...

                                     

(A video by Feast of Fiction)

fan art...

and even parodies!

                                      

(Video by Pikangie)

As you can see, this fantasy ice cream had a great impact in the gaming community. Even writing about it for this blog is giving me the sweet tooth. Great, now I'm hungry for ice cream.

I hope you enjoyed Fantasy Friday and stay tuned for more to come!

"It's salty... but sweet, too"

-Roxas (Kingdom Hearts II)

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner? I'd have avocado any day. A lot of people think, "Avocados? No way! That stuff is full of fat and that'll get me fat blah blah." The truth is... Okay, you got me. Avocados DO have fat. But what you have to realize that not ALL fat is bad for your body. Most of an avocado's calories come from monounsaturated fat, which is considered to be healthy for you. This healthy fat actually lowers your risks of stroke, heart disease, and cancer! It also helps your body absorb nutrients and eases regulation of bodily functions. Not only do avocados contain healthy fat, but it comes with loads of fiber and vitamins!

BOOM! KNOWLEDGE! (Didn't expect that from foodie did ya?)

AAAANNYWAAYSS... *casual transition*

Since I didn't have much food left in the fridge and food delivery stops at 730PM at La Baguette, a diner where they accept our dining dollars, I had to be resourceful. 

So what did I have left? Avocados, toast, eggs, and bread. Enough to make this beauty.

Both healthy and delicious, this fiber-loaded treat is very easy to make.

Ingredients:

-1 egg

-1 slice of bread

-1 avocado

-Butter, oil, or PAM(since I'm in college...) for frying

-Olive oil

-Salt and Pepper

Steps:

1. Toast bread
2. Heat butter/oil/PAM on high heat.
3. Crack egg into pan
4. Cut avocado in half, remove pit, remove skin, dice, mash with olive oil in a bowl until spreadable (if you like it chunky keep it chunkier).
5. Spread avocado mash on toast. Top with fried egg. Season with salt and pepper to your desire.

BOOM! DONE!

Health Tips & A Recipe. You're welcome, foodies. The best part about this meal: the runny yolk. I'm trying to keep it healthy this week because this weekend, I'm hitting up NYC's Famous "Shake Shack." with my roommates. Mmm... Burgers... Fries... Excessive amounts of oil...

"If you have nothing but love for your avocados, and you take joy in turning them into guacamole, all you need is someone to share it with."

-Jason Mraz

Today I was working on a paper for my Wednesday class and I proposed the single, most greatest idea to my roommates: "Let's have doughnuts."

And so it began, the journey to Doughnut Plant.

I originally found this place when I watched an episode of the Food Network's "The Best Thing I Ever Ate." and when I saw it, I just knew I had to go there one day. Since I live in the Upper East Side, it was quite the hike to get W 23rd St. We had to take the 6 train, catch the Time Square shuttle, then hop on to another train (I'm not very good when it comes to traveling by train. I just follow my roommate, Eli). Anyways, after a twenty-minute adventure, we finally made it to the Doughnut Plant.

Doughnut Plant - 220 W 23rd St, New York, NY

This was actually a pretty cheap place. My donuts cost about $3.50 so it was a great price for a delicious treat. It was like a cute, little café and you can tell that they put a lot of work into the place. A nice hole-in-a-wall kind of place.

Even their pillows look delicious!

I was even surprised by their variety of doughnuts you can choose from.

Doughnut Plant's Menu

Like seriously, there was a good amount to choose from.

This is only half of their selection!

But there were two that truly caught my eye:

1) Peanut Butter and Blackberry Jam

and 2) Valrhona Chocolate

Peanut Butter and Blackberry Jam

This beautiful doughnut is one of the most unique doughnuts that I've ever seen. I mean, I'm not one to hop from one doughnut shop to another, but have you ever seen a square doughnut filled with jam? You have? Oh, well I haven't! I was so surprised when I took my first couple of bites and discovered this hidden treasure. 

Yes, that is jam!

This doughnut was really delicious. I devoured this peanut-butter-and-jelly-sandwich-inspired treat as if it was nothing. The nuts it's coated with really complimented the texture of the soft dough and jelly with its crunchy bites. If you guys ever go here, this doughnut is a MUST try! This was so good, even my roommate Eli ordered one.

Now comes round two: Valrhona Chocolate and Whole Milk

Valrhona Chocolate (It has a pink thong!)

I can tell you one thing: looks CAN deceive you. This is a direct quote my friend Christian told me when he took a bite, "This taste... this kinda taste like old people." and old people it tasted. The chocolate was so unexciting that it is comparable to a Dunkin' Donut's Chocolate Frosted Donut. For a nice place like this, this basic chocolate doughnut wasn't very good. Thank god I had bought the milk to drain down this disappointment. I mean, yeah, it's cool that it has a little thong, but taste is a HUGE part of the pastry.

Overall, Doughnut Plant is pretty great though I gave the Valrhona Chocolate a bad review. All of my roommates enjoyed their doughnuts and the café was well decorated and a social butterfly with people coming in and out. Doughnut Plant is a place where the bolder you go the better of an experience you will get. The Peanut Butter and Blackberry Jam is not a common flavor for a doughnut, but it's taste was amazing. Unfortunately I can't say too much for their basic chocolate doughnut.

Lesson learned: Try something new and be bold.

"I worship scones and danishes. If I never had another meal, I wouldn't care as long as I could eat pastries and jelly doughnuts."

--Gene Simmons (KISS)

Hi Everyone!

I am super excited to start Vancouver Foodie! I am a first-year college student in New York City where the exploration of amazing food is limitless. Though my home base is in the Big Apple, Vancouver is still my heart and home. As a college student, "freshman-fifteen" will be my greatest enemy, which is why fitness is my other love.

Being a Foodie has always been in my blood. So come on, follow me in exploring my life in New York City and the food that comes along the way. And we'll see, when school break begins, I might even bring the exploration in Vancouver. I hope you enjoy the blog!

"People Who Love To Eat Are Always The Best People"

-Julia Child