Life

Our colleague DaveO recently had a vexing experience with McDonald's. He wanted to try their new Spicy Thai Salad. At Outlet 1, they had the salad but not the dressing that's supposed to go with it, so he settled for the Ranch dressing.

I went to the Mexican festival at Centennial Square on the weekend, listened to the music, watched the dancing, and ate a tamale. This is embarrassing to admit, but I think it might have been my first-ever tamale.

Q is for Qualicum Beach scallops

Tim Hortons is bringing its Canadian-style coffee and doughnuts to New York City, displacing Dunkin' Donuts. This is huge news, judging from the volume of stories.

Dave, after taking his wife out for Whoppers at Burger King, was reflecting on whether he's cheap. The conversation shifted over to whether it's a good idea to use a discount coupon on a date.

Tokyo has a McDonald's outlet with a high-style architectural design that might be mistaken for a trendy night club. The Golden Arches logo is nowhere to be seen.

Zambri's 110-911 Yates Street http://www.zambris.ca (Closed Sundays and Mondays) I had one of my best meals ever here. Maybe it was just a plain good day – everything going right and all. But I'm pretty convinced that the food was good too.

Beer and grilling have long fascinated me. Combine them and you get beer-can chicken which is quick and tasty. Preparation is easy, beginning with a whole chicken, spice rub and beer.

Had I been feeling sarcastic a couple of years ago and someone asked me how I planned to spend my evening, I might have said that I would buy a nice T-shirt on Government Street and enjoy a break in Centennial Square before dinner with friends on the

Matthew Pearson laments the lack of late-night street food in Victoria. He writes: If anything, there should be more late-night food options, not fewer.