JapaWhat? JapaWho? Japa-Dog!

Japadog: Destination point for both visitors and residents of Vancouver alike. Has been on my culinary must-have list for years. Finally, today was the day. I came, I saw, I ordered, I ate, I loved. I didn't actually know until today that there are two Japadog locations, luckily for me I was close to the Pender stand today. It seems they've upped their prices a bit, but hey, why not? Get as much money as you can from the dumb Olympic tourists who are already flooding the city. Plus, they are worth it. I ordered the Ume dog: pork hot dog with layers of criss-crossed white and red onions, topped with Japanese plum sauce. Delish! Hot dogs don't normally sit well in my stomach, mostly because of the high salt content of the dog and the wheat of the bun. However-Hallelujah!-this was not the case with The Ume. It felt pretty damn good. And it was really tasty. (The lone young man working there was super sweet too!) I didn't add any extra condiments, but I think I will next time. The Ume just seemed perfect on its own, with plenty of sweet and delicate flavour, which likely would have been marred by ketchup, mustard, and the like. One more culinary goal checked off the list. One more item had on Vancouver Magazine's 101 Things To Taste (Before You Die).
On a foodie side note here: I just read about The Milk Truck, a new and upcoming mobile food service in the city of cities, New York, that will be serving gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches. Oh...My...God. That may be the very first place I go when I go to New York (which is a hypothetical trip, but one I will go on in the next year I have promised to myself). Wow. This is the best idea ever. New York, New York. A faraway lover that I have never met, only known of through others who have loved you as well. When will we meet? When will my unrequited love be exchanged for a full-on affair? Ahhh. Until then...