I had just rolled into town and wanted to see a familiar face. So off I went to go meet my buddy Pascale… I ventured out to the University of British Columbia then started strolling through the campus. I finally got to the location only to find out that it took 640 stairs to get down and I was actually walking down a cliff. I reached the bottom to discover the sandy shores of Wreck beach.. I took a moment to catch my breath and started to realize most people were “au natural”...
Who would have thought, a nude beach right on campus! What blew me away was that it was totally hidden from streets, buildings and the hustle and bustle of human civilization.
Later that day Pascale had introduced me to one of his buddies Ryan who later on would become a really great friend to me. He owned a stand called “Legit Falafels”. We decided to park ourselves there for the day. As I was lazing around I noticed that there was something for everybody here. Quiet and sandy? Dog-friendly with a great view? Crowded and flashy? Popular with the locals? Take your pick this beach as it all. Multiple vendors were selling all sorts of cuisine, jewelry, and clothing. Feel like a gourmet ice tea? Not a problem you can find it. Not one to eat meat? that’s cool, you have options. If you felt like participating in a jam session when the sun is coming down, that is always a possibility. If water doesn't interest you, thats alright, because alongside the water you also have lush vegetation with various forms of wildlife and multiple trails you can hike all within 8 km. It’s an impressive spot..
Coming from Ottawa you don't have these landscapes. Sure you have water and mountains but it’s not the Pacific. Within this bed of water you are also surrounded by these massive mountains, so high the peaks are still covered with snow. It’s remarkable!
Curiosity struck and I wanted to learn more about the culture of the beach, so the following day I helped out Ryan.. One of the best things I could have done for myself! Not only was I swinging falafels on beach surrounded by everything that I just described but I had made a friend.
So we started our day of at “Joe’s Grill” located on fourth and Kitsilano. Just putting this out there- but probably one of the best tofu scrambles in town! After our morning eats we heading to the beach. Trucking down those stairs was a trip to begin- with try it with multiple coolers and miscellaneous objects. As we like to call it “Falafel Bootcamp”. Try it- if you are out of shape, within a week I promise you will feel like a superhero!
We started setting up shop. Not much to it but there was everything we needed. Barbeque converted into a pizza oven and two fold out tables alongside a log that also acted as a lumber bar! I appreciated the simplicity. Ryan was totally about farm to table and everything made from scratch. The way food should be eaten! It was fried ahead of time and then warmed on site. This week on the plate you got two patties and this beautiful salad from UBC gardens. We got this stupid deal on salad so as Ryan like to say “ We are in the salad business” If you had cleaned leaves you would understand how tedious it can be at times, but it’s worth it. So crisp and fresh- absolutely worth the time spent cleaning.
It was the added components that did it for me. Sweet and sour garlic sauce, so perfectly balanced with this lovely sherry vinaigrette and tahini- I tell you, off the hook! Tons of fresh blueberries in the salad that were just picked minutes before. You felt clean after eating this dish. It could have been the closest thing I had eaten to a home cooked meal for a couple of weeks. My main source of nutrition would have been protein bars and perhaps a cucumber, with a side of grapes..
But back to falafel. On a warm sunny day, it’s where it’s at! You never feel like you want to keel over in the fetal position because you have over indulged with a bacon cheeseburger (or, wait for it, a poutine..)If I didn't have this healthier option I would probably have opted for the dirtier one.
Ryan if you are reading this and if I haven’t told you already. Thank you for the nourishment. Always appreciated darlin’! Much love.
As the day went on I started to familiarize myself with the other vendors on site. You have Abul whose stand was beside ours. He is known as the "The Sandwich Man." He migrates to the beach in the morning and generally closes shop late afternoon. He sells these beautiful artisan sandwiches- again everything is from scratch and the baguette is picked up from a local bakery in town first thing in the morning.
I had the pleasure of listening to him crack jokes all day while dancing it out to reggae; all while he searched for a pretty lady to be his wife one day. I think the wifey aspect has actually become a daily mission for him.
From my understanding Abdul doesn’t have to work but it’s something he enjoys. I believe he was engineer turned sandwich man. Maybe it just came down to the summer rays and the community he had built over the years that keeps on enticing him to come back every year. A man with a smile and a beautiful one at that. He had to be in his 70’s. If I can channel his energy at that age. One could only be so lucky.
Then there is Diego, who possessed a gypsy soul. Always in need for change and adventure. He had passion and he was inspired by many different ideas, attitudes and experiences. Always looking for the next best thing in life. Well, that’s at least what I had taken from him. He was beautiful and passionate. Ladies, with the very little time you would have spent with this Cat, he would throw you off your feet. Something about the Latin vibes that drew this brown eyed girl in. I could only imagine how others would take to this beautiful spirit.. Heart throb one may say...
Here comes “ Ray Ray” where some will wear a mask he will tell you the truth. He’s honest, fun and just a super good guy to be around. He also works with Ryan, so many hours were spent on the beach with each other.. His main line of work is constructing sets for film but he decided to take the summer off to enjoy the sand for a couple of months.. I very much enjoyed the time spent with him.
Then there is Ryan..
Ryan ended up turning into a good friend of mine. A man of all trades, I’m not to sure if there isn't anything he hasn’t done. Let’s see he is an actor, cook, diver, musician, comedian, entrepreneur, falafel swinger,intellect, baker and overall just a fabulous man. Originally from Montreal, moved around a whole lot. So many stories he has in repertoire. This man had lived and still is...
He had taken me under his wing and always made sure I was safe and kept busy. I never really fell in love with Vancouver till I met him. He showed me the city but not just as a visitor.He loved food as much as I did so eating was a great deal of our time spent together, along with late night drives through East Hastings to watching the “Sunboat” on Kitsilano beach while eating shawarmas..
The sweet ending aspect to our dinner was my fav. Don’t any of your minds wonder, I’m talking about Gelato.
We would head down to commercial in search of a “la casa del gelato” 218 flavors of goodness.. Couldn't try them all thankfully otherwise I may have landed up with a bad case of diabetes. If I was in the city longer, I would have sampled all flavors but my time was limited.... People rarely succeed unless they are having fun with what they are doing and sharing this delicious cold treat with Ryan was a delight. I can see us eating our way through each and every flavor together. Anyone for Curry, Baba Ganoush or even hummus flavored gelato? That’s right, that was an option.
I went for the chocolate basil, banana cream pie, biscotti dream boat and raspberry swirl and whatever Ryan ordered. If one day you catch yourself walking down the street of East Van,it will be a shame if you don’t stop in yourself.
Under the shadow of the cliff, I swung falafels while jumping into the waves, tight roped, and struck conversations with the most random of them all. All while enjoying a lime kiwi freezie crafted by a fellow named Tim, and occasionally wandering off to take a nap on the rocks. This gave me the opportunity to bring out my spider monkey skills when I didn’t take into account the rising tide.. As it came in I would wake from my slumber with no path back but the sharp edged rocks to lead me to civilization.Time seemed to have stopped, and, if time had stopped, what better place for it to stop ..
The wreck has a nice secluded feeling to it, seeing as how walking down a cliff to get to the beach is your only option. During the day you could lay in the sun while indulging the delightful treats at your disposal, and at night the only lights you see are the bonfires on the beach.People gathered around them while all listening the sweet sounds of music being played.. I probably should mention clothing is optional..
If you stop by, say hi to my friend Ryan and Ray Ray! you should probably eat a falafel. They’re lovely, I can promise you that! I am the chickpea connoisseur, don’t you know.
xoxo
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