I bet you thought Paris was the undisputed culinary capital of the world, right? Not so fast, Madame, says journalist and bon vivant Andrew Braithwaite. One of the contributors to an intriguing new anthology, The Edible City: Toronto’s Food from Farm to Fork, Braithwaite and his fellow gourmand and wife left our fair city for France’s gastronomic mecca a few years back. Since then, the cosmopolitan couple have found themselves – as well as their highly refined palates – more than ...

I have to admit that I am a Neanderthal when it comes to the digital world. But I am proud to say that I finally bought groceries online through Grocery Gateway. And not only did I save time, it was a great experience. Before Grocery Gateway, I liked to read labels and get a feel for the size and texture of my choices. Given that appearance, smell, and touch are impossible to convey online, I wasn’t sure I could trust a stranger to pick my fruits and vegetables. I changed my mind,...

Shawna Page has been a believer in organics and natural supplements for over 20 years. She buys milk in glass bottles, eats organic food, and uses natural beauty products, right down to her deodorant. “I was into organics before it was fashionable … I was taking vitamins when people thought people who took vitamins wore Birkenstocks and were into [going] naked,” says Shawna, founder and CEO of femMED, a line of all-natural supplement...

Lorraine and Brian Gribben have been married for 15 years. Between them, they have four daughters and a small insurance sales business. They go to church. They golf. They have a dog. They each have their quirks, some character defining, others less so. Lorraine, for example, admits she’s been known to shed a tear over a particularly heart-warming advertisement. Brian’s latest quirk was physical; he was having issues with his hand and thought he might have mild carpal tunnel. But his nuis...

In an effort to save money and be environmentally conscious, I’ve started taking the subway to work. On my travels, I’ve noticed the latest advertisement campaign from the Canadian Cancer Society: “Driven to Quit.” To all smokers: If you quit, you could win a Chevrolet Malibu hybrid. I like the symmetry. Malibu-producer General Motors is quitting its dependence on the gas-powered...

Apropos of nothing except that 2009 presents another chance to get it right and the fact that February is — with apologies to Mr. Eliot — the cruelest month, I’ve decided to write about karma and mindfulness. No eye-rolling please: I promise, no screeds about alternative medicine, chakras, vegan diets, or yoga, as wonderful as all these things may or may not be. This is just about changing yourself and changing the world. In We Are...

Days ago, eager to go for a stroll with my baby but not brave enough for the cold, I headed to the mall for a low-key adventure. Happily hidden in the crowds, I was outed by a man who called to me from a vending kiosk in the centre aisle. "Miss, do you wear makeup?" he cried out, desperate for a sale, any sale. "No," I replied, wanting to run now that eyes were on me. "You look beautiful," he said to my back as I walked away. It’s silly, but today I’m still wondering if he was ly...