Outlooks - Oct 2012 by Nicolas Tallarico

OCTOBER 2012

RUPAUL’S LOVE AFFAIR WITH CANADA! SMOKING: TIME TO BUTT OUT? EATING YOUR WAY THROUGH PARIS BEHIND CLOSED DOORS IN VANCOUVER

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CANADA’S NATIONAL GAY MAGAZINE PUBLISHER PATRICIA SALIB EDITOR IN CHIEF JIM BROSSEAU TRAVEL EDITOR RANDALL SHIRLEY FASHION DIRECTOR ADAM WEBSTER ART DIRECTOR NICOLÁS TALLARICO CONTRIBUTORS JODY BOYNTON, DEREK DOTTO, PHILIP FRANCHINI, DR. MALCOLM HEDGCOCK, DAVID KING, BRAD MCPHEE, DAVID WRIGHT EDITOR AT LARGE BRETT TAYLOR ADVERTISING & OTHER INQUIRIES (416) 792–2400 EDITORIAL INQUIRIES EDITOR@OUTLOOKS.CA OUTLOOKS IS PUBLISHED 10 TIMES PER YEAR BY THE MINT MEDIA GROUP ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. 542 PARLIAMENT ST. TORONTO, ON, M4X 1P6 THE MINT MEDIA GROUP PRESIDENT PATRICIA SALIB DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS REGGIE LANUZA DIRECTOR OF SALES & MARKETING RYAN LESTER CONTROLLER LUIS VARESSIS EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT LIDIA SALVADOR

ON THE COVER JONATHAN FOR SUTHERLAND MODELS (MILITARY JACKET BY ZARA; SCARF BY H&M). ADAM WEBSTER, PHOTOGRAPER. ASHLEY GALANG, STYLIST. MARK GONZALES & SHERA BEN, MAKEUP AND GROOMING. OPINIONS EXPRESSED IN OUTLOOKS MAGAZINE ARE THOSE OF INDIVIDUAL CONTRIBUTORS AND DO NOT NECESSARILY REFLECT THE VIEWS OF THE MAGAZINE. ALL CONTENTS ARE COPYRIGHT AND MAY NOT BE REPRODUCED IN PART OR IN WHOLE WITHOUT WRITTEN CONSENT. THE APPEARANCE OF AN AD IN OUTLOOKS MAGAZINE DOES NOT MEAN THAT THE MAGAZINE ENDORSES THE ADVERTISER. THE APPEARANCE OF A MODEL OR OTHER PHOTOGRAPHIC SUBJECTS DOES NOT NECESSARILY INDICATE THEIR SEXUALITY. BEFORE YOU MAKE TRAVEL PLANS, DOUBLE-CHECK DATES, TIMES, AND PRICES. THINGS DO CHANGE. WHILE EVERY EFFORT IS MADE TO ENSURE ACCURACY, OUTLOOKS AND ITS CONTRIBUTORS ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE OR LIABLE FOR ERRORS IN CONTENT.

4 OUTLOOKS OCTOBER 2012

CONTENTS

OCTOBER 2012

ISSUE 204

EDITOR’S NOTE

TRAVEL

06 | SOUTHERN EXPOSURE

09 | TRAVEL TALK Going places with your sexuality in tow

OUTFRONT

25 | PORTLAND A LA CARTE Some of the city’s best eats are in the streets

07 | FOOD & DRINK Playing it cool in Toronto, Montreal

29 | BISTRO NIGHTS A culinary tour of Paris surprises

10 | I SPY RuPaul and the drag all-stars

FEATURES

12 | CIVILITY How to cope with a louder world 13 | THE DOCTOR IS IN To smoke or not to…, there is no question 14 | WELLNESS Getting fit to do battle with winter 17 | MONEY$TYLE Making sense of yields and returns

18 | HOME ELAN A Vancouver house where art is always welcome 22 | MY SISTER, MY BROTHER, MYSELF If you’re not a gay sibling, there’s a good chance you know one

ART & CULTURE 44 | FRAMED: MARILYN MCAVOY Taking care that the canvas never lies 46 | FLASHBACK The boy who put bullies on notice

FASHION 33 | THE BREAKDOWN Three-piece suits make their statement

29 BISTRO NIGHTS

34 | THE HISTORY OF… SUITS Dressing for success has a storied past 36 | IN LEAGUE WITH IVY Campus cool makes the grade

FOOD P. 7

TART AND SOUL

36 IN LEAGUE WITH IVY OUTLOOKS

EDITOR’S_NOTE

SOUTHERN EXPOSURE

ext month, of course, Americans will go to the polls to elect or reelect a president. Pundits and politicians are fond of saying that certain elections are the most important in a lifetime, that such elections will change the very course of history. Ah, we’ve heard all that before. And, yet, there would appear to be dramatically sharp differences in the worldviews held by President Obama and Governor Romney. This time around, there might be something to all the hype. As always, the outcome in the States will inevitably have an impact on life in Canada. Will a turn to the far right (the right alone doesn’t seem enough for those who run today’s Republican Party) embolden ultra-conservatives in Canada? Could the strides made by America’s LGBT community be in for a giant step backwards? Will a President Romney make good on his threat to repeal national healthcare? Might America become an even less recognizable neighbour than it’s already come to be? In the global village and the age of

social media, living in pleasant isolation is no longer a country’s option, especially countries with 4,000 miles of shared border. One way or another, sooner or later, Canada will feel the effects of what American voters do in November. A far-right swing in the U.S. won’t mean that Canada will become a haven of easy-to-get firearms overnight. No, national healthcare or gay marriage won’t be eroded even as America’s new administration would be poised to chip away at both. Yet, despite the election results, there may already be a cautionary tale for Canada—and the gay community in particular—in the political shifts roiling south of the border. Lots of Americans already react with surprise at the backsliding they’ve witnessed in our friend, their country. A land built on separation of church and state has now made a candidate’s religious fervor a litmus test. In a country where most thought its racial civil-rights battles had long since been fought, a church in 2012 still denied a black couple the chance to wed at its altar.

Of course, given differences in population and heritage, comparisons between the U.S. and Canada are often a matter of apples and oranges. Still, as long as governments are run by human beings, nothing should be taken for granted— in Canada, the U.S. or anywhere else. Not long ago, for example, no one would have expected the mayor of a city like Toronto to skip participation in its major Pride events. In the grand scheme of things, attendance at parades doesn’t mean much. Until it does.

Jim Brosseau Editor In Chief

We’d be delighted to hear from you. Share your thoughts on the magazine and stories you’d like to see covered in its pages. Email us at editor@ outlooks.ca. Many thanks.

Talk Back JULY-AUGUST 2012

SWIMSUIT SWOON

I must commend you on the recent edition of Outlooks magazine. The July-August cover as well as the “Splash Dance” fashion spreads are smokin’ hot! Your photographer, [fashion director] Adam Webster, has an amazing eye for making these MAKE A SPLASH! boys look their very best. They liter10 PAGES OF HOT SWIMSUITS ally sizzle! Great piece, and I’d like to see more of Webster’s phenomenal talent in your magazine!

APRIL 2012

THE BEACH REPORT: WHERE THE BOYS ARE

GOSSIP ON THE JOB AT YOUR PERIL!

PROVINCETOWN, AMERICA’S GAY MECCA

FASHION:

CASUAL FRIDAY, BREAKING THE CODE

PERFECT TIMING: WATCHES THAT DAZZLE

SPRING CLEANING FOR BODY AND MIND

YOUR SKIN AND THE SUN

GETTING READY FOR THAT ROAD TRIP CONFESSIONS OF A DJ

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ROB MCKENZIE RICHMOND HILL, ON

6 OUTLOOKS OCTOBER 2012

DANIEL RADCLIFFE STRAIGHT TALK ON LIFE AFTER “HARRY”

01.APR.Cover.indd 1

A TRAVELLER’S JEWEL IN NOVA SCOTIA

MONEY:

IT’S NOT JUST FOR THE RICH

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3/14/2012 1:22:23 PM

SOME “LOVE” IT HOT Regarding the April [2012] issue of Outlooks, love it, love it, love it! Amazing job, especially the Hot Stuff column. CARLOS IAGUNA CALGARY

FOOD_&_DRINK

OUTFRONT

It’s D-lightful Anticipation has been building over this month’s opening of dbar in Toronto’s chic Four Seasons hotel. Along with celebrity chef Daniel Boulud’s new Café Boulud, the bar promises to quickly acquire its cred among chic-conscious Torontonians and visitors to the city. To help mark the hot spot’s arrival, Albert Kirby, dbar’s manager, has created a sleek cocktail called “Clove Her.” Here’s to “d” autumn! (60 Yorkville Ave., 416-964-0411; fourseasons.com/Toronto) INGREDIENTS: 1.5 oz Tag Vodka .5 oz Dry sherry .5 oz Becherovka

1 tsp lemon juice ½ tsp honey 2 dashes rose-petal water

OUTLOOKS

Robert Pelleter

FOOD_&_DRINK

TART AND SOUL The atmosphere of a hunt club has never been so romantic. At Montreal’s enchanting Le Club Chasse et Peche, the famous surf and turf offerings are showpieces for the handiwork of Chef Claude Pelletier. Here, Pelletier shares his recipe for a mushroom tart that brings the flavours of his kitchen into your home (423 rue St-Claude, Montreal, 514-861-1112, leclubchasseetpeche.com). INGREDIENTS

Fresh ground salt and pepper

1 white leek, cleaned and cut length-wise in four 4 twigs of fresh thmye 4 gousses d’ail en chemise 150 ml. olive oil 60 gr. Pate Brisee (pastry dough) 2 cups of mushrooms—girolles, morilles, portobella et.—well cleaned 400 ml. demi-glace 1 medium onion, minced 6 tbsp butter 2 tbsp chiseled chives 2 tbsp minced parsley ½ cup of arugula (miniature) 40 grammes strong cheddar (Îles aux Grues) in fine strips 4 tbsp oil Truffle oil to taste

METHOD

8 OUTLOOKS OCTOBER 2012

Leek:

Stretch out a sheet of aluminum foil 12/12in. and place the leek, thmye, garlic, olive oil and black pepper on it. Fermer en papillote, bake at 250F for 40 to 50 minutes or until tender. Keep warm.

Pastry:

Preheat oven to 325F. Grease 4 pie moulds approx 9 cm. in diameter. Roll the pastry to 1 to 2 mm. thickness and line the moulds. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until the crust is tender. Keep aside.

Caramelized onion:

Cook on medium high in oil until it caramelizes

naturally, stirring constantly so it does not roast. Keep aside.

Mushrooms:

Bring pan to medium-high heat and add butter, mushrooms and sautée until tender. Add demiglace and reduce for 1 minute. Add herbs, truffle oil to taste, and keep warm.

ASSEMBLY Cover the bottom of the pie moulds with the onions and heat for 9 to 10 minutes at 350F. At the centre of each plate, place the leek, surmonté des tartelettes, fill with mushrooms and sauce. Garnish with strips of cheddar, a bouquet of arugula seasoned with olive oil, salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

TRAVEL_TALK

THE SAME WHEREVER WE GO BY RANDALL SHIRLEY Travel Editor

“H

ey, wait,” shouted an American woman in the cruise-ship stateroom corridor, “are you one of the newlyweds?” I’m quite sure the stranger was straight and married, like most of the other roughly 2,000 passengers on the ship. “Yes, yes I am,” I answered. “I just want to tell you congratulations!” she said. “Someone at our dinner table pointed you out and mentioned that you guys are on your honeymoon. That’s fantastic.” Indeed, it was fantastic. Denni and I just wrapped up our honeymoon, which included two destinations: Portland, Oregon—which you’ll read about on page 25, followed by a flight to Alaska to connect with our second destination, the Celebrity Millennium cruise ship, which we sailed on to our home port of Vancouver. You’ll read about that cruise experience and itinerary in an upcoming issue. Everywhere we went on the trip—from Portland to Anchorage to tiny Alaskan towns to the ship itself, we acted just like we do at home. We held hands, we kissed hello and goodbye, some days we even dressed alike (yes, we can be that gay couple). During many conversations we had the opportunity to say to people, “We are on our honeymoon.” And the reaction was universally positive. People congratulated us. People asked about our rings. They asked about our wedding. An entire restaurant sang “happy honeymoon” to us. As we posed for the ship’s

photographers in our own creative ways, straight couples watched, congratulated us and then tried to copy our poses! Not one person—American, Canadian, Brazilian, German, Swiss, Filipino, Serbian or otherwise—raised a questioning eyebrow. Yes, there were a couple of double-takes as we strolled hand-in-hand, but overall we felt 100 per cent comfortable to be ourselves, every step of the way. Why do I tell you this? Because I see other gay people still treading so cautiously—and in situations where caution hardly seems called for. There were many other gays on the ship (and on land); some clearly out and comfortable, and some still so nervous. Of course, I pay close attention to my surroundings and situations. I am aware that there are destinations where our hand-holding might raise far more than an eyebrow, and that in some places, aspects of our gay lives would be illegal. It’s important to be street smart and know the laws and norms of places you’re visiting. But I repeatedly tell you about these experiences because I believe that over the past decade—on cruise ships, at hotels and even in the aisles of my conservative Idaho hometown grocery store—I have helped people, along with many others like me, realize that gays are not sick, wrong or sinners. It’s my firm belief that only through continually and visually being our true selves in our everyday lives—including travel—can we continue to

Just one of the many “couple things” mainstream passengers might have seen Shirley (left) and his husband, Denni Danieli-Polloni, do on a cruise ship.

gain broader and broader acceptance. My new corridor girlfriend wasn’t the only person who offered impromptu congrats during the cruise. And while I’m sure some passengers were offended by our very presence, I believe that simply holding my husband’s hand sent many of them back home to Iowa, Washington, Texas and even Ontario with a more educated attitude and accepting mind.

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I_SPY

RUPAUL DRAGS ON “One false move…could spell doom,” the announcement goes. You might think the opening salvo of World War III were about to be fired. The reality is, the showmen—or is that women—of RuPaul’s All-Stars Drag Race, new this month, can be only slightly less menacing than a battle-ready army. So what about that doom threatened in the show’s promotional press release? It’s not just hype. In an interview with Outlooks, host RuPaul is the first to tell you things could get ugly in beauty land: “Remember Mimi, who lifted that queen over her head?” If it doesn’t exactly sound like charm school, well, RuPaul—who grew up as Rupaul Andre Charles—hasn’t exactly led a charmed life. It wasn’t easy, after all, dressing as a woman in a world where only genetic females were supposed to do that. “The nature of what we do is very off-putting to most people,” the entertainer contends. “I’ve been doing this for so long, and I understand people enough to know that not everyone is comfortable with it.” But along the way, a lot of people got very comfortable with the outrageously dressed and coiffed RuPaul. So popular is the character that his Drag Race series has enjoyed four memorable seasons. Drag queens with heels the height of the CN Tower and eyelashes stretching from Toronto to Calgary have been schooled by the master. The most memorable of them will resurface in the All-Stars edition of his show, seen in Canada on OUTtv. (“I love Canada,” says RuPaul. “Not a lot of attitude.”) The show is but a part of RuPaul’s busy professional life. Besides live appearances, there are more movies expected in his future and follow-ups to his Glamazon CD. He’ll continue to be seen in both male and female roles. “I’ve done a lot in and out of drag, and it’s always funny trying to figure out what’s on the public’s mind,” he says, adding with a hearty laugh, “I gave up on that years ago.” He’s also given up on trying to convert those who take things like drag too seriously. “Drag makes fun of the ego, and we’re an ego-driven culture,” he says. “The ego doesn’t respond well to that.” As for the more than 60 drag queens he’s “released into the wild” over the life of his show, RuPaul has nothing but praise for their tenacity: “These are smart kids, very quick studies. You and I know they were the outcasts of their towns.” To kids enduring communities in which they can’t be themselves, RuPaul would advise, when you’re old enough, to “get the hell out of a hick-ass town.” RuPaul’s All-Stars Drag Race series will air exclusively on OUTtv on Mondays, permiering Oct. 22 at 9 p.m. ET/PT, followed by the behind-the-scene series Untucked: All-Stars.

10 OUTLOOKS OCTOBER 2012

OUTFRONT

OUTLOOKS

CIVILIT Y

OUT AND LOUD IS IT POSSIBLE TO GAIN MORE RESPECT BY MAKING LESS NOISE? BY JIM BROSSEAU

12 OUTLOOKS OCTOBER 2012

what happens when skateboards meet concrete. Yes, technology may one day deliver us from the needlessly noisy tools and toys that are an inextricable part of our daily lives. Technology, though, isn’t likely to be the answer to those co-workers, family members or strangers who haven’t a clue as to just how loud they are. Dealing with them without hurting their feelings has befuddled many a manners maven. Tempted though you might be, you can’t just say, “Hey, keep it down.” Whatever is behind the increase in loud talkers—too much techno music, life in the city, the devices that have helped lead to what audiology expert Robert Novak calls “older ears on younger bodies”—they’ve planted their flag. That flag might be in your office or maybe even your bedroom. So where does that leave you? You’re not without options, although they are admittedly few. • You can grin and bear it. Simply think of the annoying party’s voice as one more noisemaker in a world filled with them. • Avoiding contact with the person in question is another possibility, although if that person is a son, daughter or partner, this option is a non-starter for you. • There’s always addressing the topic directly. But this requires more than a little finesse. Ask yourself how well you know the offenders. Are they the type who’ll be cast into deep depression at the thought that others think they’re annoying in some way? If so, disregard the frank discussion. • Drop a hint. Maybe during routine gossip—right, like you never gossip—when a particular name comes up, you might say, “Doesn’t he have the loudest voice. Some-

times I think people just don’t know they’re almost shouting when they think they’re just talking normally.” Worth a try, anyway. • One of the best approaches I’ve heard about involves addressing the issue from a hearing-loss perspective. You could bring up the subject with something like, Are you hearing okay—I don’t know if it’s just me, but you seem to be talking a little louder than usual lately. Or you could point to articles online about hearing loss starting earlier in life than in generations past. While we’re on the topic, is it possible that you’re a loud talker yourself? Do people tend to get a subtly startled look on their faces when you begin to speak? Do they sometimes even wince? If you suspect you might be using more energy than necessary in everyday conversation, try asking someone you know and trust if they agree. Whatever they say should offer you some reassurance. And if they seem a little too insistent that you’re voice is just fine, that might be your cue to adjust the volume. Remember that while people freely ask if you wouldn’t mind speaking up, they’re not likely to ask that you lower your voice. At least, not yet. Did you hear that? Do you have questions about navigating social situations? Share them with Civility at editor@outlooks.ca.

Alashi

an you hear me? Can you hear me? I didn’t think so. In fact, it’s getting more and more difficult to hear and be heard almost everywhere you go. Even in the country—remember, that place where you used to go to “get away from it all”—there are no guarantees of quiet. Why has our world gotten so noisy? The short answer is, Because we’ve let it. We haven’t questioned why a passing motorcyclist, at any hour of the day or night, is permitted to disrupt the relative quiet of an entire neighbourhood. Skate-boarders, again, at seemingly any hour, are free to grind along concrete and asphalt with impunity. With complete resignation, we let supposed convenience or efficiency trump whatever quietude might have once been expected of certain locales—that includes restrooms in which hand dryers can sound like jet engines. Adding to the overall volume of our lives are loud talkers. Fewer and fewer of us seem capable of adjusting our voices to a given setting—say, church vs. a hockey stadium. Too many people seem to have confused shouting with speaking. It may stand to reason with so many of us connected—as if to life support—to our myriad devices. With so many decibels at such close range being pumped into our heads, it’s no wonder we lose track of just how loud we can be. Think about being on a plane and how the passengers laughing at the movie they’re viewing have no idea just how clearly their fellow passengers can hear their guffaws. Back on terra firma, the noise-making continues unabated. Remember when lawn mowers made a relatively gentle rattle. Or how autumn meant the sound of rakes rounding up crisp leaves on a lawn. Not anymore. Power tools that cut, clip, blow and do just about every other outdoor job have robbed the fall afternoon of its former tranquility. Thankfully, automobiles are getting quieter; maybe one day, motorcycles will follow. Rubber wheels are taking the irritation out of

THE_DOCTOR_IS_IN

TIME TO QUIT? THE COMPELLING ARGUMENTS FOR PUTTING DOWN THAT SMOKE BY DR. MALCOLM HEDGCOCK

Crisma

ay men are more likely to smoke cigarettes than the general population. In Canada, the national survey on smoking behaviour doesn’t specifically ask about sexual orientation, so it’s difficult to draw any firm conclusions. However, a recently published study from Toronto suggests that 35 per cent of gay men in the city smoke, a number much higher than the national rate of 19 per cent. Most of us are aware of the many risks associated with smoking. Gruesome photos of cancerous lungs and stained teeth on cigarette packs remind smokers of these risks every day. But we also need to remember the dramatic impact quitting can have in reversing those risks. For instance, stopping before middle age can reduce your risk of developing lung cancer by a stunning 90 per cent. Also, your risk of having a heart attack decreases significantly within 48 hours of quitting. Unfortunately, nicotine—the addictive component of cigarettes—is so powerful that even these statistics can’t convince most smokers to give it up. One of the most important aspects of

ready to end the habit means accepting that these annoyances may occur, while recognizing that the benefits of quitting far outweigh them. There are countless methods people use today to help them break the smoking habit. Quitting cold turkey is still a method that a lot of my patients attempt, despite the low success rates. Unfortunately, acupuncture

STOPPING BEFORE MIDDLE AGE CAN REDUCE YOUR RISK OF DEVELOPING LUNG CANCER BY A STUNNING 90 PER CENT. smoking cessation is timing. If you’re not really motivated to quit, it likely won’t work. I often hear that people are hesitant to quit because they fear they will gain weight. This is a valid concern: Most people do gain about 10 pounds when they stop, and we don’t really know why this occurs. Also, people commonly develop a frustrating cough when they quit, and it can last for months. Being

and hypnotherapy are not much better. The most successful strategies we have involve nicotine replacement with patches, gum or medications. Trials using a nicotine patch produced the most impressive results with an estimated quit rate of 36 per cent. The patch is designed to deliver a constant low-dose of nicotine through the skin over 24 hours.

Patch size is determined by the amount you smoke at the time you start using it, and typically the dose is slowly tapered over 14 weeks. It is safe to use nicotine gum for cravings while you’re on the patch. In fact, it works best if you do. Another successful intervention in my clinic has been the use of varenicline (Champix). Varenicline is a tablet taken by mouth, twice a day. It is started about one week before you plan to quit and is usually taken for 12 to 24 weeks. It works by blocking the body’s nicotine receptors, thereby preventing any pleasurable effect a cigarette might produce. It is successful in about 33 per cent of smokers, but many people note significant side effects. Though nausea is very common, taking it with meals can help. Anxiety, poor sleep and vivid dreams are also frequently noted. In some circumstances, people have even reported having suicidal thoughts. Those taking the pill and experiencing mood changes should tell their doctor. Their mood is likely to improve once they’ve stopped taking the pill. Malcolm Hedgcock is a family doctor in Toronto with a special interest in conditions that are common in the LGBT community. The information contained in this column is not intended to diagnose, treat or cure any disease and in no way should substitute for consultation with one’s own healthcare professional. Send questions or comments about your health concerns to The Doctor Is In at editor@outlooks.ca. OUTLOOKS

WELLNESS

FALL MAINTENANCE GETTING AN EARLY START TO STAY FIT OVER THE LONG MONTHS OF WINTER BY JODY BOYNTON

14 OUTLOOKS OCTOBER 2012

G W Flash

e are lucky to live in Canada and have the changing seasons. We appreciate every spring and summer day as if it were a gift and lament each passing hour of fall, knowing it’s coming…the inevitable decline into winter. It’s that time of year again. Days are noticeably shorter, more and more sweaters have come out of hiding. Most people experience some form of winter fatigue, but if we make some changes starting now, winter may be a little less daunting than usual. As the expression goes, if you fail to plan, plan to fail. So as we return to our natural paler skin tones, how can we make the best of the coming season? We start to wear more clothing, so we are less aware of our bodies, and most people let workouts slide, more and more, the deeper we get into winter. This month is the perfect time to map out a plan for the next three months. Scheduling your workouts—and even meals and grocery shopping—can help keep you on track. Treat such activities as appointments not options. How amazing are you going to look and feel when you don’t take five months off from the gym and have to spend three months getting back into your routine? We tend to eat on average about 200 to 300 calories more per day, as we crave more dense calorie-rich foods to keep us warm. So why not use those extra calories to go through a little building phase in the gym. Changing how you train can make things more interesting, and you could get some new results. Even just adopting more of a bodybuilding style of training can benefit you over the winter. Extra muscle requires more calories to maintain, so with any luck, you’ll end up with more muscle and less body fat. Start increasing your resistance by gradually lifting higher weights and dropping your reps from the 12-to-15 range down to 3 or 4 sets with 6

to 8 reps per set. Train one to two body parts per day to get through every body part in a week, and training your weakest part twice in a rotation. That way you’ll ensure all your muscles can recover from your heavier lifts. (Consulting a qualified trainer would be a great way to help you if you’re unsure.) On the other side of January, begin to move your training to a little less bodybuilding to more function, repair and toning. Reduce your weights, and increase your reps so that you can transition into spring looking your best. It will help you tone up after the holidays and keep in peak conditioning just in case you book that beach vacation. Exercise, as we know, has a huge impact on mood: If you drop your workouts, you are surrendering! If you’re a skier/snowboarder, work in some sport-specific movements—lunges, hops and squats. Working with additional focus on balance, core and hip stability will get you ready to hit the slopes if the snow ever flies this winter. If not, it’s still a win because great glutes never go out of style. Look after your sleep hygiene. Yes, there is

something called too much of a good thing. We all need seven to eight hours of sleep, but once hibernation mode has kicked in, all we want to do is sleep. If we maintain normal sleep patterns—that is, in bed by 10 or 11 p.m., low lights, reading and get up by 6 or 7 a.m. and are consistent—generally our bodies are happier and hormones are better regulated. We won’t suffer as much Sunday-night insomnia or sleep in too much and get a sleep hangover, when we never seem to wake up. If you’re a migraine sufferer, examine your sleep patterns. Yo-yo sleeping can be a huge contributor to the sort of headaches you endure. That said, if you don’t get migraines, never underestimate the power of a wellplaced power nap. It takes practice but can be very refreshing if you can master it—even if you only shut down for 20 minutes. The earlier in the day is usually better; if you nap after 5p.m. you might be messing with your sleep at night. Other sleep disrupters include alcohol, such stimulants as caffeine and, naturally, stress of any kind. In a column last February, I wrote about

OUTFRONT

coping with Seasonal Affected Disorder (SAD), a depressive condition beyond the winter blues that can be severely debilitating—especially for those already suffering from depression. But some small changes can reduce or alleviate the symptoms. So if we start to look at what goes wrong, perhaps we can reduce the impact a bit this year, before it starts. Low serotonin is a main culprit in feeling low during the winter. To boost your “feel-good” hormones, find the light: daylight when available or a light box that emits the correct colour to stimulate the photosensitive ganglion cells in our retina. The light is a signal to shut down melatonin (sleepy hormone) production and turn on serotonin (happy hormone). Some people find a daylight simulator (which turns your room brighter gradually as you wake up) to be highly effective. By regulating our sleep-wake cycles with light, it can fool our brain into thinking it’s July. And July can be a lot happier than January! As for stress, sure, we all get a little short on nerves at times. But in winter, we need to look for calmness inside ourselves. Picking AllStars-OUTlooks2.pdf 1 15/08/2012 9:30:17 AM up something like yoga can help lower your cortisol levels and keep that serotonin running

high. If you have never kept a diary, journaling can be a helpful antidote to the winter blues. Dietary choices can have a huge impact on your winter. Weight, mood swings, immunity can all be negatively affected. Try to keep your diet pretty simple. Make homemade meals for the week ahead, and freeze leftovers for those nights you just don’t have the time or the patience for cooking. Blood sugar highs and lows will leave you making all the wrong choices, and feeling perpetually worn out. Increase your consumption of fish and green veggies for Vitamin D, Omega-3s and such minerals as magnesium and calcium. Things to watch out for, of course, are booze, sugar, fried foods and empty carbs. All things in moderation, but they may have a greater impact when we’re in a weaker state than we are in summer. Make plans for something you want to do. Book that vacation, for example, to give you a goal, something on the horizon to keep you motivated through the winter months. Or you could take on some do-it-yourself renovations—paint a room, freshen up of your environment for a mid-winter pick-me-up. It’s only October, and if we start planning now, things

may turn out okay. Once our brain freezes, we’re likely to be less creative or motivated than we are now. There are some nutraceutical supplements that could help make your winter less bleak. But you should always consult a certified health professional, such as a Naturopath, for recommendations on dosing and to discuss what’s appropriate for you. We live in the frozen north, but it’s actually pretty good: not too many killer bees, earthquakes, tornadoes or hurricanes to worry about. The trade-off, of course, is a few less desirable months. We are a hardy bunch, though, and if we take control now for the wintry months ahead, we just might learn to like the season a little more (or perhaps dislike it a little less). Jody Boynton is a NSCA certified personaltraining instructor, weight-loss coach and nutritional practitioner based in Toronto. His advice is not necessarily intended for all readers, whose individual strength and overall health should be considered before undertaking any fitness or related programs. He may be reached at jodyboynton@gmail.com.

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MONEY$T YLE

YIELD OF DREAMS HELPING THE DOUGH IN YOUR PORTFOLIO TO RISE FASTER BY BRAD MCPHEE

ow do you get more from your money? What is it that you want as an investor? It can be easily summed up in one word: yields. The yield is the return on your investment. So exactly how do you receive yields? They come in various forms: dividends, interest, capital gains and insurance payouts. Where do you get them? By investing in one of five types of investments. Let’s examine these in three categories of yields: fixed income, equities and various types of insurance. Fixed Income. You can save money in a variety of forms and receive interest. Money-market funds or Guaranteed Investment Certificates (GIC’s) pay interest, but you can simply leave it in the bank. They are low to no risk and therefore have lower returns. You can buy bonds (federal, provincial and municipal or corporate) and receive a “coupon” rate (interest usually paid semiannually) for lending your money out for a specified period of time. So you could have a one-year, $10,000 bond with a coupon of 3 per cent and receive two payments of $150 each year. You can purchase T-bills, a short-term financial instrument sold at a discount to face value from a national bank treasury like the Bank of Canada. You might buy $100,000 worth of one-year Canada T-bill for $98,000 today. This is done to limit the supply of money in circulation and to meet government of Canada cash-flow requirements. Limiting the supply of money plus controlling interest rates is the primary way the Bank of Canada promotes and controls our economic and financial wellbeing. Equities. You can buy individual stocks or you can buy stocks as part of a mutual fund; some, but not all stocks, pay dividends. If you buy low and sell high, then the difference between the two is your capital gain. Regardless

of the value of the underlying stock, you can also receive dividends that are set by the company and paid on each share in the particular class. Often dividends are part of a company’s “preferred shares.” You might also buy more complex financial instruments, such as stock derivatives. The value of these are “derived” from some underlying security—for example put options (right to sell) and call options (right to buy) that provide income in the form of the difference be-

tween the strike price (named on the derivative) and the spot market (the exchange where derivatives can be bought and sold usually for cash and normally immediately—meaning delivery within a month). So if you had a $50 put option on 10,000 barrels of Western Canadian Crude Oil until October 15, then when the price was $60 on November 10, you could “exercise” your option and would have to take delivery of the oil before December 10. If you don’t have anywhere to store oil, then you must sell it off to someone who can; after all, the ship carrying it is going to dock and needs to unload. Insurance. We can buy various types of insurance and receive a payout either in a lump sum or continuing payments. You might have: long-term care insurance paying for a care facility; disability insurance paying you a monthly

income replacement; critical illness, paying a lump sum if you had a serious life-threatening illness, such as a heart attack; or life insurance paying out a lump sum to your family if you die—and sometimes creating tax-reduced income during the insured person’s lifetime. These various ways, although simplified, give a generally complete explanation of receiving yields. Trust me: If you want more information on this, you can spend a lifetime studying it. (I happen to enjoy doing just that.) It’s important to understand and to differentiate between the two means of money transfer (earned or received). In today’s investor-oriented society, a lot of people have invested a lot of money in various financial instruments. This causes some to confuse investing as a means of earning money. Earning does not have inherent risk. The important point for you to note here is: Investing is to risk capital to purchase a share of ownership in an enterprise in anticipation of realizing (turning into cash) a future piece of the earnings. You must start by earning income and then saving some of it for investing. That can be easy as one, two, three. First, you earn; second, you invest and diversify your risk using fixed income, equity and insurance; and, third, if you do it right, then you have enough to spend later when you need it. Brad McPhee is a Vancouver-based consultant with Investors Group and past chair of the Gay and Lesbian Association of BC. Views expressed in Money$tyle are solely McPhee’s. Outlooks, as well as Investors Group and its affiliates are not responsible and cannot accept any liability. The column is intended as a source of information and not a solicitation to buy or sell investments, nor to provide investment, financial, legal, accounting, tax or other professional advice. If you have a personal-finance question, email it to editor@outlooks.ca. OUTLOOKS

18 OUTLOOKS OC TOBER 2012

Photos by Francisco Barajas

HOME ELAN FOR A VANCOUVER DESIGNER, THERE’S ALWAYS ROOM FOR LOCAL ART BY JIM BROSSEAU

OUTLOOKS

hen Francisco Barajas first saw the Tudor-style house in Vancouver’s Dunbar section that has been his home for the past decade, he knew it was for him. “It has five beautiful Douglas fir trees, and I’m a tree huger,” says Barajas. His affection for nature’s beauty can be seen indoors, as well. The house Barajas shares with his spouse, Kasey Reese, is flooded with natural light and abounds with artwork inspired by the great outdoors. Many of those paintings, sculptural pieces and photographs have also been chosen because of the people who created them. “When we moved to Vancouver, we thought we wanted to have a permanent home that not only represents where we were coming from but where we live, as well,” explains Barajas, an interior designer. So he and Reese decided to make the house something of a showcase not only for pieces acquired around the world, but also for local artists. “We thought that since we love art, this would be a good way to connect on a very personal level with the city, its people and the communities where we interact the most. Vancouver is a great place to find great art and artists.” The interior designer’s path to Vancouver came by way of Mexico— where he was born and eventually earned a degree in psychology—and the U.S. While living in Chicago, Barajas fell under the spell of the city’s brash architectural style—one he lauds for its “great diversity.” So when he moved to Vancouver, ready to begin a new chapter in his life, he began to study interior design. Today he is part of the design team at TIPS Interior Décor in Vancouver. If his four-bedroom home became something of a lab for its occupant’s newly schooled designer eye, it was also a place where comfort would be paramount. “A home feels like part of you,” he reflects. “It expresses your psychology, your consciousness and your subjectiv-

20 OUTLOOKS OCTOBER 2012

ity. It does not depend on the place where you live; home comes from inside—from inside your brain, or inside your soul or inside your personality.” So amid the minimalist nooks and generously furnished spaces, the sensibility of the resident decorator is like a third occupant. “The way you decorate can serve as a reminder of the person that you are,” says Barajas. “It can be connected with your home in the intense way your personality has been shaped by your past experiences and the moments that you’ve lived.” In their lived-in Tudor, Barajas and Reese might spend a quiet evening chatting in the kitchen, one of their favourite rooms. The next night, the house might be bursting with chatter as friends converse over a candlelit supper around the rambling dining-room table. On still other nights, guests find plenty of room for conversation pods in the ample flow of rooms in the couple’s homestead. Wherever guests might gather, artwork is never far away. “Art helps you to find the theme of a room, and it always inspires you,” contends Barajas, who says a painting or other work can “sometimes inspire you to rethink the overall look of the room.” The couple has three pieces by John Ferrie, whom they met shortly after arriving in Vancouver. “His style is easily recognizable by its whimsical subjects, vibrant colours and sweeping brush strokes,” says Barajas. One of the couple’s Ferrie paintings was a wedding gift from the artist himself. The residence also features work by Gyllian Patrick. “She uses digital techniques to create her art,” explains Barajas, “taking Vancouver landmarks and eliminating the surroundings to enhance the main object and details of the subject that she wants to portray.” Another artist whose work captured the attention of Barajas is the

The airy dining and living rooms (opening pages) of the Barajas-Reese house in Vancouver. Blue dominates the bedroom (opposite, left) and fireplace backdrop (opposite, right). Artworks, each holding a sentimental attachment, grace the rooms (this page) in prominent and inconspicuous places.

Mexican-Canadian painter Miriam Aroeste. “Her abstract themes explore a universal understanding that transcends gender, race or subject matter,” says Barajas. “It is deliberately inclusive and open.” Elsewhere in the household are works by Vancouver artist-craftsman Sid Dickens and printmaker René Arceo. (The latter has “a very sentimental connection to me,” says Barajas, because Arceo’s work “was the first expensive art I could afford in the late ’80s.”) If there is a fusion of styles in the art gracing the rooms in the Barajas home, it is in keeping with an overall style dictated by the house’s Tudor roots—“updated traditional,” as he describes it: “Our home embodies both modernity and tradition, with plenty of family artifacts that connect us with where we come from and the experiences in our travels.” In decorating his own home, one could safely say that designer Barajas practices what he preaches to his clients. “We try to make them happy, feel at ease,” he says. “They wake up there, arrive home from work to their home. We think in functionality, but we think in style, as well. We always incorporate the psychology of colour and décor.” In that sense, Barajas draws out the artist in his clients. “Whether or not we are always aware of it,” he says, “a home is a home because it blurs the line between the self and the surroundings, and it challenges the line we try to draw between who we are and where we are.” OUTLOOKS

22 OUTLOOKS OCTOBER 2012

MY SISTER, MY BROTHER, MYSELF IF YOU DON’T HAVE A GAY SIBLING, THERE’S A GOOD CHANCE YOU HAVE A GAY FRIEND WHO DOES

BY DAVID WRIGHT

was relatively young, barely 16, when I came out, first to my friends in high school and then to my siblings. My only brother, Dan, then 15, seemed unfazed but didn’t mention it again till a year later, when he secretly came out to me. In many ways we couldn’t be more different, but it was a pleasant surprise to find that this was something we shared and I wasn’t alone in our family. Still, it made the next step—coming

out to our parents—doubly difficult. Mum took the news fairly well, all things considered, but Dad, not so much. It must have been a shock for him to suddenly realize that our branch of the family tree bore more fruit than future heirs, but I’ve gotten used to this reaction. As I’ve discovered over the years, mine is the sort of revelation that’s still guaranteed to raise eyebrows. Although most people are surprised to learn that, like me,

OUTLOOKS

my brother is gay, it’s not that uncommon. Among my four former partners, two have a gay sibling—I even dated two brothers (not at the same time, of course) some years ago. According to a 1991 Archives of General Psychiatry study of male homosexuality, there’s a nine percent chance that when one son is gay, a brother will be, too. Among identical twins, the odds soar to 52 percent. Even before such stats were available, my father concluded that there must be a genetic source for this—which I probably inherited from my mother’s side of the family, he pointed out, since there was no apparent history of homosexuality in his lineage. Never mind that there’s no known trace of it in Mum’s family either, but whenever the issue of gay siblings comes up, the genetic connection seems like a hands-down no-brainer. Recent research also reveals that compared with straight men, gay guys are more likely to be left-handed, and lesbians have a greater difference in length between their ring finger and index finger than straight women do. But none of this helps explain why several members of one family can be gay while the rest turn out straight. In an era when genetics are used to illuminate just about every human trait, it seems almost quaint to revisit the nature-vs.nurture debate. But could environmental factors also play a role in producing gay sibs? Throughout their formative years, they’re usually raised by the same parents in the same household, subjected to similar patterns of influence. In our case, Dad was stereotypically unaffectionate toward his sons; Mum was an old-school disciplinarian. Everyone cringes when I trot out that hackneyed Freudian trope—and, yes, I’m sure there are lots of straight guys who endured similar parenting styles and many gay siblings who didn’t. Still, it’s a theory that at least one researcher isn’t so quick to dismiss. Simon LeVay—a gay neuroscientist who’s spent his career studying the sources of homosexuality—suggests that parents could partly contribute to what he calls “same-sex clustering” in certain families. In Gay, Straight, and the Reason Why: The Science of Sexual Orientation (Oxford University Press), he writes that an older gay brother or lesbian sister could also help by opening the closet door for an impressionable younger sibling in search of role models. But, as LeVay and countless others have concluded, there has to be some kind of biological predisposition for him or her to

My Brother, Myself. The author, David Wright, on the right as a child with his brother, Dan; David today, background, with Dan.

24 OUTLOOKS OCTOBER 2012

even consider stepping out and taking this path in the first place. “Sexual orientation,” LeVay surmises, “results primarily from an interaction between genes, sex hormones and the cells of the developing body and brain.” For our part, Dan and I moved away from each other before we reached 20. We’ve spent most of our adult lives at opposite ends of the country—he in Edmonton, me in Toronto—and despite our

DESPITE OUR PREFERENCE FOR PARTNERS OF THE SAME SEX, DAN AND I ARE VERY DIFFERENT PEOPLE. HE’S AN ARMCHAIR ATHLETE WHO WATCHES HOCKEY NIGHT IN CANADA; I LIKE HISTORICAL DOCUMENTARIES AND FOREIGN FILMS. preference for partners of the same sex, we’re very different people. He’s an armchair athlete who watches Hockey Night in Canada; I like historical documentaries and foreign films. He’s tall and lanky; I’m short and broad-shouldered. He’s right-handed; I’m a southpaw. I could go on, but none of this matters whenever we visit each other and catch up over a couple of pints at a local gay bar. And you can be sure that the topic of conversation is never “What made us this way?” or “Do these genes make me look queer?” Thankfully, we’ve both been out for so long that I can’t imagine what it would be like to have a straight brother or to live in a world without such a close and trusted ally to confide in. I’ve never asked, but I’ll bet he thinks so, too.

Randall Shirley

PORTLAND A LA CARTE EATING MY WAY THROUGH A CITY’S BOUNTY OF DINING OPTIONS • BY RANDALL SHIRLEY OUTLOOKS

Denni Danieli-Polloni

“

h my god, that’s the best thing I’ve ever put in my mouth.” You’re likely to mumble those words several times a day in Portland, Oregon, especially when you taste what Scott Smith has to offer you. The well-topped sausage he’ll create at Bro-Dogs food cart will, at first bite, bring to mind more superlatives than Guy Fieri can squeeze into a whole episode of a Food Network show. While he cooks your sausage, you can chat up gay-friendly Smith about Portland’s dynamic street food scene—the envy of many cities—and how he escaped a corporate job to stake out his place in the food-cart frenzy. You’ll have to read down a ways to get to my description of what makes Scott’s food so damn good, but right now, stop and do the following: 1. Begin a diet, and lose the 10 pounds you’ll likely regain in Portland. 2. Reserve a train or plane ticket (airport code PDX). 3. Book a room at the budget-friendly, gay-owned Portland International Guest House. Taking advantage of the clean, basic accommodations with shared baths will leave dough in your pocket for serious eating (pdxguesthouse.com).

ortland is one of those riverside cities easily described as pretty, clean and orderly. It has elements to help residents feel “green” and responsible: requisite bike trails, a nice light-rail system and visible recycling efforts. It’s also very walkable. Much like its larger neighbour, Seattle, 275 km to the north, Portland is a laid-back town. There’s a palpable live-and-let-live attitude rooted in its scores of coffeehouses and craft-breweries. It’s a town where gay travellers will generally feel welcome and at ease, and while there is no specific gaybourhood, there are parts of town where it’s no surprise to see same-sex couples strolling hand-in-hand. But what makes Portland really special is the street-food scene,

26 OUTLOOKS OCTOBER 2012

and delicacies like Scott Smith’s sausage.

mith will gladly sell you a basic hot dog, but you’re smarter than that. So just ask him to make you something really good. When my husband and I did that, we were served a sharable-sized jalapeñocheddar sausage on a grilled roll, topped with a sinful fried mix-up of onions, mushrooms, jalapeños, cheddar, cream cheese, mac & cheese, chilli-cheese Fritos, bacon and sauce. Freakishly good. Bro-Dogs has a lot of competition. There are some 200 different food carts in downtown Portland. They are generally collected into “pods,” with the trucks/trailers/carts parked in the outer-perimeter stalls of parking lots. The cart owners rent the spaces and buy power from the parking-lot owners. As a first-timer, it won’t hurt you to have some assistance navigating the scene. Your navigator should be Brett Burmeister. As proprietor of foodcartsportland.com, he’s a guy who has copious amounts of knowledge about the 30-year history of Portland’s food carts and the practicalities of the free-wheeling industry—including its innovative reusable food-container program. His site can help you find cart hours; some are closed on weekends. Burmeister can point out parks and other places to sit while you enjoy your food. More important, his 90-minute walking tour will help you find some of the really delicious spots and includes a couple of samples. He can help you sort between multiples of several types of cuisine: Korean-fusion joints, Mexican and Thai. And that’s only the very beginning. On Burmeister’s tour, I’m introduced to the marvels of a place called the Dump Truck, which serves up some of the best Chinese-style dumplings I’ve eaten on this side of the Pacific. Some are traditional Chinese, others are delightfully filled with cheeseburger. There’s no way to eat everything I want on a tour, so on another day I hatch a plan: Pick one cart on each side of the pod at SW 9th and Washington, buy something that sounds good, and eat only three

bites of it. Doing this lets me nosh on a “Euro Trash” shrimp sandwich, relive childhood memories at the Grilled Cheese Grill, snack on fusion sandwiches at baoPDX—where fillings are served in Chinese-inspired steamed buns—and taste a dense waffle with goat cheese and honeyed pistachios at Gaufre Gourmet. All were top-rate, and I was so full I almost needed to buy larger underwear at the groovy Under U 4Men (underu4men.com) nearby. But I knew that to truly bring you great advice, I needed to taste more (okay, and I love to eat). So Denni and I made a second trip to Portland—by Amtrak train from Vancouver, B.C.—and enjoyed two more days of food-cart lunches. Because it’s been highly lauded, the legendary chicken and rice at Nong’s Khao Man Gai was tops on our list. It was tasty enough, but completely forgotten once we tried the insanely good pork sandwich and plantain chips across the street at El Cubo de Cuba, and the surprisingly satisfying bowl of mostly vegetarian grub at The Whole Bowl, where long, quick-moving queues are the norm.

great thing about staying in the neighbourhood guest house is it allows you to feel like a Portlander for a few days. You can walk around the corner and meet friendly locals at tiny Sterling Coffee Roasters (sterlingcoffeeroasters.com), where the baristas dress

Randall Shirley

Mr. Janis Miglavs / Travel Portland

Randall Shirley

peaking of queues, one non-cart foodie place in Portland always seems to have one: Voodoo Doughnuts (voodoodoughnut.com). No sampling of the city’s food scene would be complete without a visit to this funny little shop, tucked on the edge of downtown. It’s proximity to gay bars like C.C. Slaughters and Silverado could make it your latenight booze-absorption option. Voodoo’s variety of doughnuts is daunting, but the friendly staff will explain as best they can. I couldn’t get enough of the massive peach fritter with cream-cheese frosting. I also fell in love with the “gay bar,” iced in white with a rainbow of Fruit Loops. The shop’s signature item is a raspberry-filled bar shaped like a voodoo doll, with a pretzel stick protruding from its heart. Order several types and sample; Voodoo is a key reason you did that pre-trip diet. Of course, you shouldn’t live on street food and doughnuts alone— despite some of it being decidedly gourmet. Two of the city’s best sit-down restaurants happen to be in the wonderfully wanderable NW neighbourhood near the Portland International Guest House. For those of us gays who still love our brunch, one of the best places I’ve ever eaten is Besaw’s, on 23rd Ave. NW (besaws.com). At this relaxed, historic restaurant, established in 1903, you will likely have to wait for a table. And with good reason: The food is outstanding—oatmeal pancakes seem like something you can make at home, but mine sure don’t taste like Besaw’s. Servings are large enough to share, and the service is spot-on. Make dinner reservations at Paley’s Place, also nearby (paleysplace. net). Tucked in a repurposed house, this 50-seat restaurant is heaven for romantic foodies. I recommend taking a glance at the menu, then giving the waiter a budget and asking him to let the chef choose your meal. Chef’s choice allowed me to try delicious things like rabbit ravioli, sublime charcuterie and duck eggs (not all together!). For dessert, you’re going to yet one more foodie paradise. The small-batch, very local ice cream at Salt & Straw on NW 23rd Ave. (saltandstraw.com) is as good as ice cream gets. Be adventurous and try whatever the ice-cream chef has invented lately—that proved to me that fish sauce can work in ice cream!

A vignette from Portland’s lively food-cart scene (opening page); Zupan’s (opposite) makes an art of produce display; (this page, clockwise from top) fine dining at Paley’s Place; a break at Sterling Coffee Roasters; one of Portland’s many riverside trails; signs of a city’s bike-friendly vibe. OUTLOOKS

THINGS TO DO WHEN YOU’RE NOT EATING RENT BIKES. You don’t want to take all those Portland calories home. A few hours biking on Portland’s excellent trail system will burn a few…or just get you to the next food stop faster!

Randall Shirley

TAKE IN WORLD-CLASS GARDENS. Portland is known as the City of Roses for a reason: Its climate is ideal for growing the flower. Provided it’s bloom season (April-October), the International Rose Test Garden’s 7,000-plus rose bush collection is a mustsee. Outside bloom season, spend your time at the nearby, perfectly done Japanese Gardens. Both are in Washington Park, atop a reasonable hill—a perfect calorie-burning walk from the guesthouse or downtown hotels.

Randall Shirley

SHOP WHERE NO SALES TAX MEANS BIGGER BARGAINS. Downtown Portland has some great shopping deals, including our favourite: Nordstrom Rack. Nearby, Macy’s always seems to have lots on sale. EXPLORE UNUSUAL SHOPS. Places selling exceptional vintage clothing can be found around the city. My pick: Magpie, on SW 9th Ave. across from the aforementioned food-cart pod. Near the guesthouse, Tibetan Fox is a super-hip T-shirt shop with cutting-edge artwork (tibetanfox.com).

Randall Shirley

Polara Studio / Travel Portland

Portland pleasures: The beloved Besaw’s Restaurant (top); signature “doll” at Voodoo Doughnuts (center); Voodoo’s variety of sweets (lower right); sniffing out a treasure (lower left) at the International Rose Test Garden.

smart and dandy. It also wins my husband’s praise as “the best coffee I’ve ever tasted,” and he’s tasted a lot. If your timing is right, snag a Monday-nights-only pizza at Ken’s Artisan Bakery (kensartisan.com), and enjoy it on the guesthouse balcony. You could even choose to shop at the excellent nearby grocers and cook your own food. Within easy walking distance is Zupan’s, which is Portland’s home-grown gourmet grocer. There’s also a Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s and the ultra-local City Market NW. And don’t be surprised to hear yourself mumble, yet again, “That’s the best thing I’ve ever put in my mouth.” 28 OUTLOOKS OCTOBER 2012

VISIT THE WORLD’S GREATEST BOOKSTORE? Bookworm or not, give yourself at least an hour slumming through the sprawling, addictive, original Powell’s City of Books on Burnside (powells.com), where new and used books share the same shelf space.

STAYING DOWNTOWN While I personally prefer staying in Portland’s charmdripping residential areas, such as the Northwest or the tony Pearl District, lodging in the city core puts you in shopping nirvana—and closer to the downtown food carts. Portland has lots of gay-friendly hotels. One popular boutique choice is the swank, comfy Hotel Lucia (hotellucia.com). It’s filled with a wonderful, 680-photograph collection by Portland native David Hume Kennerly, a Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer.

Bistro Nights IN PLACES NEW AND FAMILIAR, THE PARIS RESTAURANT SCENE HAS NEVER BEEN MORE LIVELY •

BY DAVID KING

OUTLOOKS

E GAI MARAIS. Once a highly Jewish area, the Marais has become the gay village of Paris. Just above City Hall, it has a shopping and

30 OUTLOOKS OCTOBER 2012

mong the pedestrian walkways that crisscross Paris’s Seine River, two particularly glimmer in the sunset. Located beside the majestic Notre Dame Cathedral, each bridge is adorned by a fast-growing wall of padlocks, all initialed by locals and tourists alike. Their missing keys have either been thrown into the river below, kept by their owners, or both. Now essentially metallic murals, the padlocks symbolize that classic ode to “Gay Paris,” a city of love where hearts and minds are frozen in time. Even if you don’t love Paris, your stomach will. A pit stop at the famous Café de Flore (cafedeflore.fr/accueil-english/menu) has become as “bucket list” a moment as a Can-Can at the Moulin Rouge. One would think the image of a snooty-nosed maitre d’ had been relegated to waxed status, à la Madame Tusseaud. But guess what? He’s still at this cafe, rushing tourists out as fast as midday espressos. The quality of the menu here remains top notch, but draining your wallet on a Croque Monsieur and a bowl of café au lait seems criminal compared to what awaits. Tourism has overrun the Seine, leaving little time to see everything. After waiting hours in line at the Louvre, one quickly realizes why even tourists are sick of tourists. Skipping Mona Lisa’s smile, I set out on a three-day exploration of food as art. Somewhere between toying with the classic American hamburger and plucking locally grown, sustainable organics, Parisian cuisine is undergoing a renaissance food critics are calling “Neo-Bistro.” In three neighbourhoods just a few stops from the insanity of the Seine, my palette took off in other, unexpected ways: French gastronomy is transforming itself into soul food.

business sparkle during daytime hours, with some terrific cafes and boutiques at a fraction of Champs d’Elysées prices. The Marais peels away its conservatism like an onion throughout the day, and post dinner hour its party life makes it hard to believe you’re still in the same neighbourhood. The Marais is also a golden mile to everything culinary. Located between two popular and excellent bistros, Le gai Moulin (le-gaimoulin.com) and the lesbo-lively Café Pizz du Trésor, is my favourite, La Chaise au Plafond (the Chair on the Ceiling) at 10 rue du Trésor. This restaurant and brasserie prides itself on locally grown, sustainable and completely succulent items like noisettes of lamb or confit of duck with roasted potatoes. A warm atmosphere and a fresh approach to its à la carte menu are matched only in service and quality. If you still find yourself in the Marais after clubbing the next morning, La Chaise au Plafond also serves up a tasty brunch. The same can be said for Marais nightclubs like Gossip Café (16 rue des Lombards), Café/Bar COX (cox.fr) and Open Café Bar (opencafe.fr), where they whip up brunch and tapas for packed gay crowds. For simple, effective, private and affordable, accommodations, Québec native Joël Wathier and his French partner Nicolas Martv are terrific gay-friendly hosts for a stay near the Marais, the Bastille, or the busy Gare de Lyon in Paris. Their apartments and studios all exist under the umbrella Paris at Home (parisathome. fr), with five units to choose from to match your needs. Situated on an inviting pedestrian street, their Cremieux apartment is particularly charming, while their “Chambre d’hôtes Rivoli” provide even more luxury in the heart of Gai Marais without the ornate or overly cluttered feel that can quickly strangle the décor of a small studio. Whether you’re in town for business, need a semi-permanent location or want to spend a quiet evening in your own space,

David King

HE TRIPLETS OF BELLEVILLE. One of the most bohemian areas in Paris is the Arab and Asian neighbourhood of Belleville. Brimming with artists, it’s a surprisingly gay-friendly stop considering the somewhat intimidating men hanging about while their wives and

SOMEWHERE BETWEEN TOYING WITH THE CLASSIC AMERICAN HAMBURGER AND PLUCKING LOCALLY GROWN, SUSTAINABLE ORGANICS, PARISIAN CUISINE IS UNDERGOING A RENAISSANCE FOOD CRITICS ARE CALLING “NEO-BISTRO.” kids are nowhere to be seen. Belleville residents are quick to point out two of Paris’s best-kept bistro secrets—provided you make a reservation in advance—located just a couple stops from the Marais

Paris at Home

Cecelia Casey / Kooomi Paris B&B

the studios provide these options at a lower rate than an average hotel room.

One of the numerous cafés lining the Champs-Elysées (opposite, left) and Café de Flore (opposite, right), the Paris institution. A Marais favourite for dinner and brunch, La Chaise au Plafond (this page, clockwise from upper left); a key chain of gay-friendly lodging option Paris at Home; living room of the Kooomi Paris B&B.

at the foot of picturesque Parc des Buttes Chaumont, First, there’s the line-up at Krung Trep (93 rue Julien Lacroix) for the city’s most authentic Thai cuisine. One would never know what all the fuss is about by the restaurant’s brown brick façade that once housed a 1950s Parigot bar. Inside, there is an air of jasmine that lures you to your table, giving way to some equally aromatic curries and fresh salads with just the right hints of chili and citrus. It was only the day after dining at nearby Le Baratin (3 rue Jouye Rouve) that I read about its chef, Raquel Carena, considered one of the best cooks in Paris. Stressing a market-fresh approach to lunch and dinner menus, Baratin’s homey, patina décor (complete with a big fat cat) is the ultimate in deception after sampling Carena’s dishes. Entrees include a melt-in-your-mouth chuck steak and a pan-fried Pollack in mandarin butter, followed by a hazelnut-topped apple crumble that puts granny to shame. Before heading to Baratin or Krung Trep, stop off at Belleville’s artisan wine cavist, Chapeau Melon (92 rue Rebeval). Demonstrating Paris’s recent success with organic wines, Melon is a great place to sample new offerings. The kitsch, lesbian-owned Jovial Café (6 rue Botzaris) whips up a great breakfast nearby, and the popular Rosa Bonheur Café (rosabonheur.fr/english-digest), also lesbian-owned, is inside the park, complete with live music. Parc des Buttes Chaumont is one the largest parks in Paris, and its easy climb to the “Temple of Sybil” provides an incredible view unknown to most tourists. A quick nightOUTLOOKS

David King

cap at nearby, gay-owned pub Le Faitout (lefaitout.fr) or a poetry slam at punk-grunge Cabaret Culture Rapide (culturerapide.com) can round out a truly queer-friendly day in Belleville. Across the street from the park, author/producer Thomas Richmond is new to Paris. Richmond relocated his entire New York City apartment to Paris alongside his partner Keith Oge and their big pup, Amber. Inspired by a B&B in Berlin, they’ve opened up their home to guests as Kooomi Paris B&B (kooomiparisbb.blogspot. com). The luxury apartment has a terrific city view, a sleek sophistication in design and an elegant dash of Paris in each room. Regularly advertising on Airbnb.com and the gay lodging site Purpleroofs.com, Richmond and Oge make any visitor instantly at home (if, of course, you lived in an upscale Manhattan apartment with a luxurious bed that’s hard to crawl out of in the morning). Kooomi provides a reliable and super affordable stay in Belleville, along with a smart continental breakfast.

ONTPARNASSE FOR CREPES. The gaydar doesn’t pop around Gare Montparnasse, but this quartier, as Paris neighbouhoods are often called, provides some of the best peoplewatching in the city. It’s a myth that you can find street crêpes on every corner in the City of Light, but in Montparnasse, the eggs are really cracking. There are more than 20 crêperies in the neighbourhood, and La Crêperie de Josselin (67 rue du Montparnasse) is notably the most popular, contrasting a classic décor of dark wood paneling with a colourful line-up of busy locals grabbing a bite before hopping the train. Allegedly, you can beat the line-up with a mid-morning crêpe, but then you might miss out on the fast-paced fun that truly defines this place. Here, you’ll find the classic ham and gruyère crêpe at a great price, along with vegetarian options and such signature dishes as the spinach, cream

32 OUTLOOKS OCTOBER 2012

Padlocks symbolizing romance (above, left) on a bridge near Notre Dame Cathedral; a street lamp (above, right) greets visitors to Paris’s Le Marais.

and bacon stuffed Galette Maraîchere. Josselin’s crème de maron (chestnut cream) crêpe was so good, but other places, like Crêperie Bretonne (creperiebretonnefleurie.fr) and Breizh Café (breizhcafe. com), come equally recommended. In Montparnasse, you’ll be battered up and slathered in butter before you can say bon appétit! Although it’s easier these days to spot a gay couple around Montparnasse or the tourist-heavy Seine, the family-friendly, cross-cultural crowds can still intimidate the homophobe-phobic. Tourists looking for a gay-friendly hotel may want to check into Paris St-Honoré (paris-saint-honore.com). Once a 19th-century, naughty playground for the Duke of Penthièvre Pierre Philippe Jean Marie d’Orléans, St-Honoré’s comfy rooms range from the most compact (with shared hall shower) to a Victorian-style corner suite with Jacuzzi bath for two. Ornate tables and mirrors adorn the lobby, where you’re served a continental breakfast beside a fabulous silver couch that’s perfect for lounging. Just steps away from the shop’til-you-drop Champs d’Elysées, the price-quality ratio here is great, especially if you book for three days or more. And if you’re feeling as naughty as the Duke himself, the Steel Club (23 rue de Penthièvre) next door is there for your various follies—a rare gay establishment in this neck of the woods.

ack on the Seine, I initialed a padlock before leaving Paris with a grateful tummy. Like a Picasso or a Matisse, a Paris meal can be just as overwhelming to the senses. It rained that day, and the ink on my padlock ran onto my hands before putting it up. It didn’t matter; tossing my key into the Seine, I’ll be sure to revisit it one day before heading to dinner.

ST YLE

THE BREAKDOWN - THE 3-PIECE SUIT There’s no get-up more gentlemanly than the suit, except, that is, the three-piece suit. Call it a vest. Call it a waistcoat. Whichever you choose, that extra garment brings an unmistakable level of sophistication to a classic outfit. Choose charcoal, navy or beige over black, so you won’t have that maitre d’ look. And a pop of colour in the accessory department will add personality and depth. Still think it looks too stuffy for the office? Remember the old mantra: Dress for the job you want, not the one you have. BY DEREK DOTTO

2 4 3

1. Three-piece wool suit by Z Zegna at Harry Rosen $1,395 2. Cotton spread-collar shirt by Club Monaco $89.50 3. Patterned silk tie by Canali at Harry Rosen $150 4. Multi-coloured silk pocket square by Drakes at Harry Rosen $75

5. Multi-tone leather belt by Tod’s at Harry Rosen $375 6. Leather briefcase with shoulder strap by John Fluevog $345 7. Two-tone monk-strap shoe by John Fluevog $299

David Hawe

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The History of… SUITS The garment has been taking shape since man donned his first loincloth. We pick things up a little further down the line. BY DEREK DOTTO

Following the Great Plague, King Charles II decrees a new mode of dress for men. The flamboyant costumes of the royal court would be abandoned in favour of a more restrained wardrobe consisting of a darkly coloured waistcoat that reached the knee, an overcoat of the same material, a cravat, knee breaches and simple boots. Thus, the three-piece suit was born.

1666

1770s

Young men begin to leave the top few buttons of their coat undone, giving them a windswept look as if they’d just been for a vigorous ride on a steed. Playing off this trend, tailors perfect a technique of steaming and stiffening the collar and top portion of the coat’s opening so they would lie flat. This becomes known as the lapel. Some degree of sobriety returns thanks to George “Beau” Brummel, the arbiter of men’s fashion during Regency England. Brummel champions tight-fitting outfits in subdued colours, contrasting coat and trousers and elaborately tied cravats. Around this time, the riding coat, which is cropped to allow for equestrian pursuits, is embraced as typical daywear.

Late 1700s

Charles’ decree didn’t stick. Men’s garb regained some of its flair with the Macaronis, fashionistos of the day, taking excess to epic levels. But the basic outline of the three-piece suit remained.

Early.1800s

Late 1800s

1910s

1930s

Decades of slow progression see the morning suit take shape with a shorter coat, though still long by today’s standards, and wide-legged trouser coming into favour.

The suit slims down drastically and the jacket shortens. One could argue this is the end of the suit’s evolution and everything afterward is a matter of changing taste in fit and tailoring techniques. The dawn of the zoot suit. From gangsters to jazz musicians, anyone with any sense of style is sporting this larger-than-life outfit complete with wide-padded shoulders, high-waisted trousers and broad lapels. Rationing during WWII would force tailors who produced the rebellious suit underground.

34 OUTLOOKS OCTOBER 2012

ST YLE

The power suit is born from Armani’s re-imagining of the garment. Fabric drapes over the body, creating a larger-than-life silhouette big enough to house any ego in the decade of greed and gigolos.

Enter the Peacock Revolution. An era that would make the Macaronis proud sees slim-cut suits in psychedelic colours. The lapel is momentarily ditched for band and shirt-style collars, first created by emerging London designers Hardy Amies and Pierre Cardin. Very groovy, baby.

A resurgence of dandyism brings on a renaissance for the suit. While the cuts remain slim, as per Slimane’s design, young fashion plates look at their grandfather’s suits from the 1940s, ’50s and other bygone eras for fabric, colour and pattern inspiration.

Widespread conservatism sees suiting proportions reigned in. The waistcoat was lost during the war due to fabric rationing and a grey two-piece suit becomes standard attire at the office. Think Mad Men.

1950

1960s

1970s

1975

The peacock bows out to the disco diva. Pant legs flare like no one’s business, and white is the colour of choice thanks to one John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever.

1980s

Early.1990s

Georgio Armani revolutionizes menswear by introducing the deconstructed sports coat. With minimal padding and little lining, the jacket softened the male silhouette.

1997

Today

Hedi Slimane is named head designer of Yves Saint Laurent’s men’s line, Rive Gauche, and turns the world of tailoring on its ear once again. His designs are narrow in the shoulder, slim in the arm and the trousers “cut like a knife.” This becomes the new silhouette to strive for.

The Armani cut endures, but as business casual enters the lexicon, the suit is seen less and less at the office, replaced by polos, chinos and even denim.

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In League With Ivy The Look of School Has Never Been More Cool, As Campus Classic Make the Grade PHOTOGRAPHY BY ADAM WEBSTER STYLED BY ASHLEY GALANG MAKEUP AND GROOMING: MARK GONZALES & SHERA BEN MODELS: JONATHAN & BEN FOR SUTHERLAND MODELS 36 OUTLOOKS APRIL 2012

NEWS

(OPPOSITE PAGE, FOREGROUND) SWEATER: ALEXANDER MCQUEEN (AVAILABLE AT HOLT RENFREW STORES ACROSS CANADA) SCARF: H&M JEANS: LEVIS

SHIRT AND BELT: H&M JEANS: CLUB MONACO

(THIS PAGE) CARDIGAN: CLUB MONACO SHIRT AND JEANS: JOE FRESH

NEWS

JACKET, SWEATER, SHIRT AND TIE: PAUL SMITH (AVAILABLE AT HOLT RENFREW STORES ACROSS CANADA)

38 OUTLOOKS MONTH 2011

NEWS

SWEATER COAT: DIESEL V-NECK SWEATER: HOLT RENFREW BAG: BURBERRY (AVAILABLE AT HOLT RENFREW STORES ACROSS CANADA)

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NEWS

JACKET, SHIRT, HAT AND BOW TIE: H&M

40 OUTLOOKS MONTH 2011

NEWS

MILITARY JACKET: ZARA

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NEWS

SWEATER VEST AND JEANS: JOE FRESH HOODED SWEATER: ZARA

42 OUTLOOKS MONTH 2011

NEWS

ON BEN (LEFT) RED CARDIGAN: CLUB MONACO STRIPED SWEATER: ZARA JEANS: JOE FRESH ON JONATHAN (RIGHT) HAT AND JACKET: H&M GLASSES: ALDO BAG: BURBERRY (AVAILABLE AT HOLT RENFREW STORES ACROSS CANADA) SOCKS (ON BEN AND JONATHAN): H&M

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ART_&_CULTURE

Framed: Marilyn McAvoy CAPTURING LIFE’S FLEETING NATURE ON THE CANVAS

44 OUTLOOKS OCTOBER 2012

sk Halifax artist Marilyn McAvoy what unifies her wide range of work, and she’ll reveal both the secret to her enduring career and to the depth found in her paintings. “I am always aware, in retrospect,” she says, “that the one common theme seems to do with passing of time, life’s fleetingness.” That awareness helps explain what has been a keen desire to put her talents to work in so many styles—some that defy handy categorizing. If there is a decided musicality to the lines, spaces, shadows and rhythms of

McAvoy’s work, it’s hardly an accident. Her partner of nearly a quarter century is Dave Marsh, drummer for the Joel Plasket Emergency. “The nightlife and the celebrities I have met along the way are a more recent theme in my work,” says McAvoy, who began as a printmaker. “My work has always been influenced by my life experiences.” To wit: When the artist finally moved into a home that had enough space for a garden, flowers inevitably found their way onto McAvoy’s canvases. The nuances in her floral works play a role in McAvoy’s newer figure subjects, as well. Some of the portraits among them

ART_&_CULTURE

seem almost to be gazing back at the viewer with all manner of challenges. They have a quality by turns cutting edge and classical. Part of what sets McAvoy’s artwork apart from that of many contemporaries is its lack of self-consciousness. It’s a characteristic understood when she addresses the nettlesome matter of surrender that’s never far from the creative process. Hers, she says, has been a journey of “learning to trust that in some way beauty, sadness, a new visual world through travel and customs, music and musicians, incredible passion, etc. can and will

inform my work.” With “evolution” as a sort of personal mantra, McAvoy is likely to surprise even herself with future pieces. After all, she says, “Each new subject presents a new challenge.”

studio21.ca

The artist: Marilyn McAvoy

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ART_&_CULTURE

FLASHBACK

Bully, Beware

gemenacom

he problem with bullyingâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;one of its many problemsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;is that victims of this harassment often suffer in silence. Jamie Hubley gave voice to his pain and spurred a national conversation about what some have called an epidemic among Canadian youth. Before taking his own life in October 2011, a year ago this month, the Ottawa teen had blogged for weeks about fellow students tormenting him and other challenges he encountered dealing with sexual identity in grade 10. The world has been robbed of young Hubley, but his spirit lives on in the anti-bullying movement he reinvigorated.

46 OUTLOOKS OCTOBER 2012

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