Since July, 2013 we are posting at http://www.ericmodelsblog.com....We remain proud of our older stuff and hope you check it our here. For newer stuff (Offbeat, off the beaten path, overlooked and forgotten), though, he hope you visit us at Eric Model's Blog - again, it's at http://www.ericmodelsblog.com - THANKS !

See Canada from sea to sea (National Post)

From The National Post:

About the benfits from an auto trip in Canada.

http://www.canada.com/travel/travel/5174333/story.html

Podcast: Steam Whistle Brewery - Innovative Brew in a Classic Setting

Once upon a time beer in Canada meant Molson, Labbatt and O’Keefe.

Now the scene is much more diverse.

One of Canada’s best these days is Steam Whistle Brewing in Toronto. They produce a premium pilsner lager packaged in distinctive green glass bottles and a non-twist cap. In 2004, Steam Whistle Pilsner was voted best beer in Toronto at the Golden Tap Awards. Steam Whistle has also been voted Best Toronto Microbrewery on more than one occasion.

The three founders are former employees of Upper Canada Brewing Company before it was bought by Sleeman’s. The original name for the beer was going to be “Three Fired Guys Brewing Company” since they were all fired from Upper Canada Brewing Company when it was purchased by Sleeman; however, they chose Steam Whistle Brewing to evoke an image of steam rushing from a factory’s whistle signaling the end of the work day. Embossed at the bottom of Steam Whistle bottles is “3FG” as an inside joke, referencing “Three Fired Guys”.

The brewery occupies Bays 1-14 within a building known as the John Street Roundhouse. Built in 1929, it was previously the home of a CPR steam locomotive repair facility, and operated as such until May 13, 1988. The John Street Roundhouse is designated a National Historic Site, and is owned by the City of Toronto. It is located within walking distance of the Rogers Center and the CN Tower. A similar roundhouse, the CNR Spadina Roundhouse, was torn down to make way for the SkyDome (now Rogers Centre).

Steam Whistle is also known for maintaining a promotions fleet of some 8 vintage vehicles used to market their products, ranging a 1949 Navistar International Stake Truck to a 1965 Ford Blue Bird Bus.

In this Journey into Beer, we speak with Greg Taylor about Steam Whistle, its origins, its place today and what it represents in the bigger picture of beer making in Canada today.

At: http://conversationsontheroad.podbus.com/?p=568

Podcast - Brew North: How Canadians Made Beer and Beer Made Canada

This is the story about Canada’s relationship with beer. From Victoriana through thes tubby to the invasion of the Americans to global corporate giants and finally the contemporary story of a new golden era.

Ian Coutts is the author of Brew North (Greystone; 2010). He joins for this journey –a Journey into Beer which is also a Journey into Canada.

At: http://conversationsontheroad.podbus.com/

Podcast - Save the Deli: In Search of Perfect Pastrami, Crusty Rye, and the Heart of Jewish Delicatessen

As a journalist and life-long deli obsessive, David Sax was understandably alarmed by the state of Jewish delicatessen–a cuisine that once sat at the very center of Jewish life had become endangered by assimilation, homogenization, and health food trends. He watched one beloved deli after another shut down, one institution after another shutter only to be reopened as some bland chain-restaurant laying claim to the very culture it just paved over. And so David set out on a journey across the United States and around the world in search of authentic delicatessen. Was it still possible to Save the Deli?

In this Journey, we join David as he investigates everything deli–its history, its diaspora, its next generation. He tells us about the food itself–how it’s made, who makes it best, and where to go for particular dishes. And, ultimately, there there is for hope–David finds deli newly and lovingly made in places like Boulder, traditions maintained in Montreal, and iconic institutions like the 2nd Avenue Deli resurrected in New York.

It’s a great topic and he does a wonderful job - a cultural history of Jewish food, a vibrant travelogue, and a rallying cry for a new generation of food lovers.

http://conversationsontheroad.podbus.com/

Podcast For Remembrance Day: Conn Smythe

Conn Smythe (February 1, 1895 – November 18, 1980) is best known as the principal owner of the Toronto Maple Leafs (1927 to 1961) and as the builder of Maple Leaf Gardens. As owner of the Leafs during numerous championship years, his name appears on the Stanley Cup eleven times: 1932, 1942, 1945, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1951, 1962, 1963, 1964, and 1967.

Smythe is also known for having served in both World Wars, organizing his own artillery in the Second World War.

In this Journey into Hockey at the time of Remembrance Day, we remember Conn Smythe the soldier and patriot beyond the hockey rink.

Our guest is author and hockey historian Kevin Shea, who among his works co-authored with Thomas Stafford Smythe the 2000 book, “Centre Ice: The Smythe Family, the Gardens and the Toronto Maple Leafs Hockey Club (Fenn).

http://conversationsontheroad.podbus.com/?m=201102

Podcast: Canada’s Game

Hockey is more than just Canada’s National sport – it is the most recognizable symbol of what it is to be Canadian, an intrinsic part of the nation’s culture, economy and politics.

In this Journey into Hockey we speak with Andrew Holman, professor of history and Canadian Studies at Massachusetts’s Bridgewater State College about his book “Canada’s Game – History and Identity”, a compendium that addresses a range of themes in hockey – past and present.

At: http://conversationsontheroad.podbus.com/?p=515