Food and lodging in Canada - Banff, Alberta

[peacetraveler22]

My big expedition to Georgia is only a few weeks away, but I was craving a mountain adventure last month and hopped on a plane back to Montana, then onward via car to Alberta, Canada. This is one of the most beautiful places I've seen in all my travels, and the majority of my time was spent in Banff National Park. In this region, you are surrounded by majestic landscapes, pristine turquoise waters and cool forest breezes. I'll write about the natural landscapes in a separate post, but today I want to speak about portion sizes in Canadian restaurants and lodging in Banff.

America is known as the land of gluttony on many levels, and this includes our food. Yes, our portions are huge but I think in Banff they were even larger! I could not believe it actually, the huge piles of food thrown on plates at all restaurants. I traveled with my young cousin who is a hockey player and consumes excessive calories at each setting. Here is his breakfast one morning - something known as "cowboy grits." Grits are a type of crushed cornmeal, not sure if they are popular in Russia, but I do not like the texture or taste. This breakfast costs around 9 Canadian dollars.

1. French toast covered in raspberry syrup and topped with whipped cream. Such sweet delicacies are common in the USA also, as people often put all types of fruit jams on top of pancakes or various types of toast. Btw, a skinny, 20 year old girl consumed this entire plate.



2. Lunch for me - sweet pulled pork quesadilla with some type of Cajun coleslaw. This is shredded cabbage, often mixed with carrots and some type of dressing or mayo. In this case, it was very spicy and I don't like mayo at all, so I didn't eat it. Sour cream on the side, we eat this with almost all Mexican food and this cuisine is popular in both the USA and Canada. This dish cost 12 Canadian dollars.

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3.  Here is a Canadian national treasure - something called "poutine." It's fries covered in a thick brown gravy and cheese curds. I cannot eat this mess, but my cousin who formerly lived in Canada constantly craves this dish. You can find it in almost all restaurants in Banff, even McDonalds. :)



4. At the hotel restaurant, they bring you complimentary bread and yogurt for breakfast. Very nice touch, and similar to American restaurants which frequently provide free bread, pretzels or chips before the meal. I have not noticed anything free in Russian restaurants, but I can't say I've eaten at a lot of them, and especially not upscale eateries.



5. If you plan on visiting Banff or Alberta during the summer season, it is necessary to book hotels or lodging in advance. We didn't know our exact route or dates of arrival, and there were almost no choices left near the park when we arrived. So, we stayed in a very expensive and fancy lodge called "Moose Hotel and Suites" - the price was around 380 Canadian dollars/per night, but it was really luxurious and cozy. :) Each room had a balcony, plus a separate living area, with fireplace and couch. Room service delivered tasty tiramisu each evening, delightful surprise.



6. As an American, I'm used to very large hotel rooms, with big, comfy beds. I remember when I first started traveling in Europe, I was shocked at the tiny beds, and could hardly imagine how some grown men fit on them. The same in most hotels I've stayed at in Russia - totally uncomfortable beds, with cramped living quarters in the hotel room. Canada - the style of rooms is similar to the U.S., and overall I noticed almost no difference between Canadian and American cultures. I'm not speaking about government, healthcare, etc. - but the way people interact in society, and service levels. In Canada, very open and friendly people and excellent service. Btw, in both America and Canada, there are so many pillows on a bed meant for one or two people! Why? :))



7. My companion in the room! :)) Very strange decorations in my view, and a bit discomforting to look over in the middle of the night and have the shadow of this huge beast hanging over me.



8. The Moose Hotel and Suites is located in downtown Banff, right in the heart of everything. It opened this year, and is one of the newer lodging choices. Everything is pristine, very organized and workers are friendly, efficient and go out of their way to help guests. In this area, you will meet almost no Canadians working in restaurants, hotels or at tourist sites. Almost all of the workers are Australians, living in Canada and working through some type of exchange/work visa program offered by the Canadian government. There is something unusual about this place. In the middle of the hotel sits a little cottage. This is a historical designation, which can't be destroyed under Canadian law, thus the builders were required to lift it out during construction of the hotel and return it back to its position at the end of construction. So, there it sits - right in the middle of everything.



9. Overall, Canada is superb. I've only visited the Yukon Territory and Alberta, but impressions are so high and positive that it is necessary to return. Banff National Park is well-maintained and, just like the Americans, Canadians value and treasure their national parks, making them accessible, keeping them clean and honoring them as a pride of the nation - and also a huge money maker through tourism. I'll tell you more about these glorious mountains and the park in a separate post.



I know I have some readers living in Canada, and perhaps a lot of you have visited the country. Did you notice significant differences between Canadian and American cultures? For me, they seemed totally the same for the most part. All photos from this journey were taken on the iPhone. Sorry, I was too lazy to drag the big camera around my neck when hiking and wandering in the mountains by foot.

Other posts from Canada

Glimpse into the Yukon Territory

Comments

[saccovanzetti.livejournal.com]

путин looks good, картошка с подливкой, very russian.
why is pork called sweet?

[pin-gwin.livejournal.com]

Canada is my next possible destination... We have exhausted USA, I am not interested in anything here any more. Or , may be it will be Europe.
Among these multiple pillows some should be firmer, some softer. Some may be used to put under your butt on good occasion.

[moebiuscat.livejournal.com]

Being a Canadian of Russian/Israeli origin I can say that main thing that differentiates Canadians from Americans is being proud of NOT being Americans. Most of everything else is the same. Let me say to Russian readers that Canadians don't think this in any kind of negative way: they like Americans and don't think bad about them, but they are proud of being different, although they are not really all that much different at all. A bit quieter and more introvert maybe, thinking Americans are a tad too loud and hectic...

[juan-gandhi.livejournal.com]

We got an impression that Banff is a pretty expensive place, even around this time.

[sckeleron.livejournal.com]

Actually we do have some free сухарики in cafes and restaurants when they serve beer. These are usually fried salty bread pieces which you could eat as chips.

[mb-b.livejournal.com]

I think the Georgian (and Moldovian) version of grits is called mamalyga... but I may be wrong.

So I take it you didn't travel on Icefields Parkway? I've been to the area once before, but if I had to do it again I'd probably stick to the provincial parks of BC. National parks are always overcrowded and outrageously expensive.

[wwweekend.livejournal.com]

Thanks, good to know! We will go to Banff for sure some time in future. It looks like we will need to order just one portion for the whole family :))

[mybathroom.livejournal.com]

It's good that I'm not hungry ))
Five pillows!

[theodorexxx.livejournal.com]

Almost all of the workers are Australians, living in Canada and working through some type of exchange/work visa program offered by the Canadian government.
oh my gosh those people traveled across the globe to work there

I remember when I first started traveling in Europe, I was shocked at the tiny beds, and could hardly imagine how some grown men fit on them.
Now imagine how a grown man and a grown woman fit on that beds. It's not a surprise birth rate in Europe is getting lower and lower .

[bopobyc.livejournal.com]

That free toast and yogurt look like complete breakfast to me.

[elena-88888.livejournal.com]

Just in the beginning of reading I wanted to ask "Hey, where are these beautiful landscapes?" But then I read the next sentence ;))
And as for moose in the room: is it painted or is it a kind of figurine? Then it can be used as a hanger for a robe in night :)

And as for pillows: some people like to sleep almost sitting (especially it is recommended for those who has an inclination to high blood pressure) or like in a nest, with pillows around

Food and lodging in Canada - Banff, Alberta

[livejournal.livejournal.com]

User margot_yyc referenced to your post from Food and lodging in Canada - Banff, Alberta (http://margot-yyc.livejournal.com/7453.html) saying: [...] Originally posted by at Food and lodging in Canada - Banff, Alberta [...]

[sasha-severny.livejournal.com]

"Did you notice significant differences between Canadian and American cultures"

Canadians eat more vegetables and somewhat skinnier than Americans. Not much, though. Definitely they have some cultural differences. The Queen, for a example and the British influence, not mentioning francophones. However, Canadians are the same Yankees as everywhere. Banff is a lovely place. Have you been to Fairmont Banff Springs Resort? There's also Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise not far from Banff. Pretty wild, I would say.

[maadmike.livejournal.com]

Everything just wonderful, the views are biting with its beauty, I want to have some dream which could match yours to dream it.

[baron2012.livejournal.com]

I have some friends from Canada and I think that canadians are much closer to europeans then american people. As we europeans they know a lot about world history,politics,literature. Their cousine also differs, it is more helthy.

Americans are more simple, i think even very simple people with very restricted knowlege about other places different from the state where the live.

But american women are more attractive, maybe because more of them have irish rootes. I think irish women are the most attractive.

[baron2012.livejournal.com]

I also understood why you do not like sex with american men. All americans are circumsiced and this operation harms men's sexuality and sensetivity. Also fat food is not good for men's potention. So you need a lover from Russia, because in Russia nobody is circumsiced. When I meet with american's in Moscow during business meetings I feel their jeaulosy for me because I am not circumcized.

[bluechok.livejournal.com]

добавил в друзья

[anna-sollanna.livejournal.com]

> In the middle of the hotel sits a little cottage.
Does anyone live here? Are tourists able to enter it and look inside?
I like your posts about food though not every meal you have shown is edible for me. I can't eat spicy food, and sour food, and food which is too salty. Having finally traveled over Poland as a tourist I found out that there are only two dishes which are safe for me to order in restaurants - Greek salad (and I have to ask it to be prepared without onion and with olive oil only as a dressing) and salmon. The rest of them, even chicken, may be too dangerous for my stomach... As for sweets - of course, Polish cakes and desserts are not spicy, but for me they are too sweet. Thus though I like Poland very much there is one Polish thing I can't tolerate - the Polish cuisine. ))) I miss dishes of Finnish and other Baltic countries cuisines with their mild flavors very much...

[zvezdo4ata.livejournal.com]

An elk I remember Canada, city of Toronto/ very big Canadian country, sometimes it makes me a nostalgia when I used to live there - food, people, mentality, museums/
So what do you cook
do you have a favourite food

Great pictures of Banff.. (I've been there...)

[mark c. langdon (from livejournal.com)]

Hi, great pics from Banff. Longtime back, I was there. Very beautiful.
I found your blog by the most curious of circumstances. I was googling "Ivanovo" - which google docs as the "City of Brides". (What? - more clicks, oh, it's an old story, based on pre-soviet textile shops, ancient-history, etc..). Now Ivanovo came up because some Russian kid has been trying to break in to my webserver via the sshd process, trying to hack in with an admin account, from IP# 185.40.4.23, which resolves to "Hostgrad LLC", in Ivanovo, Russia. Now, I know folks who've been to St. Petersburg (the Hermitage is on my bucket-list, of course), and we always get news from Москва, but I had no knowledge of Ivanovo. Your pictures gave a good sense of the place. Well done. I was once in Calgary on business, and rented a car, just to drive to Banff and see the place. I recall being surprised I had to pay fees to enter a national park.
So, I understand Banff - the town was created as a destination by the CP railway, I seem to remember. They made travel posters for the place. But Ivanovo, Russia? And in the winter? My curiosity pushes me to ask how you ventured there?