66 replies to this topic

[dasmo]

After traveling and meeting my modern wife who is from the Netherlands, I realized that Victoria's obsession with breakfast out, downtown, on Sundays was a unique cultural thing. I'm not sure it's even as big in Van? When we have visitors from Holland, I'll take them to line up at the Blue Fox for breakfast so they can experience our culture. It's fascinating for them.

Anything else besides high tea, and horse drawn carrages that's the real culture of Victoria?

[aastra]

Methinks calling it an obsession would be overstating it. Sure, some people go out for breakfast. Some people go out for breakfast everywhere. But how many breakfast places are there in Victoria, really?

Myself, I hardly ever eat a cooked breakfast. I've done it maybe a few times in my entire life. Almost always when I'm on the road somewhere or because I'm at some event that provides breakfast.

Others may differ.

Question: what's a modern wife?

[Mike K.]

I wouldn't go so far as to say Sunday is necessarily "the" day Victorians go out by the thousands to eat breakfast at a diner, but breakfast places do get markedly busier on weekends. Yesterday I dropped by the Blue Fox for breakfast and about 9:45AM and the place was packed although there were no lineups.

Other than the culture that has been forced down our throats (the ol' British BS conjured up to revive the tourism industry) is there something unique we can attribute to Victorians only?

I mean there are groups of individuals doing their own things (hiptser scene, goth scene, biker scene, punk scene, etc.) and they all seem to get along. So maybe that's it, pocket's of different groups mingling about together without the typical riff-raff associated with the us against them mentality seen in other cities?

[dasmo]

Mike, 9:45 your still OK, try 11:00 ;-)
Aastra, Maybe take a trip downtown this Sunday at 11:00 and go for breakfast (or I should say Brunch) at one of the places below and you'll see what I mean.
True, it's not Sunday only but that's the peak. Saturday is busy too. I didn't really think about this myself until I was in a country where this activity did not happen at all.
How many breakfast places are there downtown that are packed on a Sunday at 11:00? Shine, Mole, Rebar, Floyd's, Zambri's, Blue Fox, Lady Marmalade, Bubby Rose's, The Superior, Cup o Joe, John's Place (packed since the 80's) and then there are the one's that are just busy...

By unique I don't necessarily mean that it is nowhere else at all. By this criteria no cultural phenom is unique. Maybe Uniqueish would be better. What collection of uniqueish things make up our culture here?

[Bernard]

I can assure you the breakfast on Sunday morning thing is big in Vancouver

[Mike K.]

Come to think of it Seattle is big on breakfasts, too.

Maybe this is more of a North American thing than a northern European thing.

[aastra]

I think we need to define some terminology here.

[aastra]

Someone from the Bay area says:

Most of the things on a breakfast menu are not foods I want to eat for breakfast. Not a big fan of pancakes, waffles, or anything sweet (except fruit) for breakfast. Don't like eggs any way except scrambled or in an omelet. Don't trust oatmeal in restaurants...

...and someone else from the Bay area replies:

I know many people are "breakfast" people but I can't get enthused about typical breakfast foods. I especially don't understand waiting two hours to get into some of the popular brunch places, especially to get foods like eggs and waffles.

http://chowhound.cho...m/topics/678121


My question:
If I go for lunch at 11am and eat something other than traditional pancakes-and-bacon-and-eggs breakfast fare, am I going out for breakfast?

[aastra]

Someone else says:

There are two kinds of breakfasts "out:"

- a meal taken at a busy diner with superb food and fast service; the kind most people who eat out during the week enjoy, and

- the brunch/weekend breakfast that involves schlepping the family to an upscale restaurant that serves brunch or a glorified diner where the waiting time for a table approaches two hours.

This is all very confusing to me. The former (the standard-issue diner stuff) is what I think of when I think of going out for breakfast, and it's the sort of thing I don't go for. Meanwhile, I wouldn't regard the latter (an upscale brunch) as going out for breakfast at all.

[aastra]

Going out for breakfast seems to be a Victoria/Bay Area/deep south/Ottawa/Mexico/New England thing:

One of the things I miss about living down south was going out to breakfast - we did not do it regularly, but it was a nice treat. That was the only time we'd get biscuits & gravy, or splurge on lots of bacon and such - things that we don't ususally cook at home.

I love eating breakfast out! I think it started as a child when we were on holiday in Ottawa- for the first time I had cheap, diner-style breakfasts. There was a place in the bottom of a downtown shopping center that opened early and served eggs, hash browns, toast and bacon for $2.99. Back home in Victoria, BC there are tons of cute little cafes that do great breakfasts- Blue Fox comes to mind (they're make your "home fries" extra-crispy if you ask!). There's another place in Victoria called Mo:Le where you can get "House Made Curry Spice with Sautéed Organic Green Cuisine Tofu, Julienne Peppers and Onion, Braised Greens & Fresh Diced Tomato Served with Pesto Hash Browns and Multigrain Toast". That is something I simply cannot make at home!

However, my love for eating breakfast out was solidified when I lived in Mexico...

For my money, nothing beats a good diner of the Southern New England - Eastern Mid Atlantic variety (which is not a knock on Southern diners, as they can also be great).

[G-Man]

The breakfast thing is definitely a Victoria thing to a larger degree than I have ever seen in Vancouver or pretty much anywhere else. While they do a good breakfast in Brazil but its the food that is good there.

What is I think unique is the willingness of hundreds (thousands?) of people in a smaller city to stand in long lineups for something that is really only okay. That is weird.

[dasmo]

What G-man said. The lining up is part of it. I mean John's was good in the eighties but last time I ate there is was only OK but there are still long lines out the door. Also Van is a lot more spread out so it's less of a "scene" IMO. It's certainly more difficult to park and then check one place out, if it's to busy stroll to the other...

Is another Victoria thing shorts in the winter even though it's not the right weather for it?

[VicHockeyFan]

Has the "modern wife" question been answered?

[aastra]

Shorts in the winter is an everywhere thing, I think.

[dasmo]

Shorts in winter was a big thing in Ottawa but that was because of the tunnels at Carlton. I don't think they wear shorts in the winter in Alberta. Anyone?

[Baro]

My historical wife doesn't enjoy going out for breakfast, isn't a morning person.

[gumgum]

My future wife is too old to get out of bed.

[Bingo]

In this day and age don't people take turns being the wife?

I enjoy cooking breakfast at home and eating on the deck.

I also enjoy eating breakfast out, but leave if there's a lineup lasting more than 10 minutes.

I think there should be an all day breakfast only restaurant on Dallas Road at Douglas, called Zero's

[Barra]

After traveling and meeting my modern wife who is from the Netherlands, I realized that Victoria's obsession with breakfast out, downtown, on Sundays was a unique cultural thing. I'm not sure it's even as big in Van? When we have visitors from Holland, I'll take them to line up at the Blue Fox for breakfast so they can experience our culture. It's fascinating for them.

Anything else besides high tea, and horse drawn carrages that's the real culture of Victoria?

Next time, take your visitors to line up for soft ice cream at the Beacon Hill Drive In. Back in my day it was brunch at Pag's. I still like going out for brunch, but not at a place so crowded (Ble Fox) that yor elbows are on the next table.

Having grown up with Dutch breakfasts, though, I know why your relatives are so impressed by ours!

[SamCB]

I asked my visiting friends from Ottawa and they said we abbreviate things. They'd never heard 'Benny's' or 'appies' before eating out here.