Indian food lightens up
Bal Arneson will demonstrate how to give traditional Indian dishes a healthy make-over on Wednesday (July 2) at a class at the Cookshop (3–555 West 12th Avenue, 604-873-5683). Enroll in the $59 session and bring a friend for free, or take a bonus class instead, such as chef Thaung Yan’s Vietnamese Grill and BBQ on July 15.

Taste of a nation
Just in time for Canada Day, Canadian Maple Delights has opened a second store in Vancouver at 395 Water Street. Unlike the Hornby Street location, this one doesn’t sell soups and sandwiches. It focuses on sweets—everything from muffins to mousses to cakes is made from pure organic maple sugar in place of refined white sugar. Choose from 24 flavours of gelato, all maple-based.

En route to the circus
If Cirque du Soleil’s Corteo is on your summer schedule, reserve for a pre-theatre à la carte dinner at La Terrazza (1088 Cambie Street) and you’ll be blessed with both complimentary valet parking and after-the-circus special dessert Dolce Pagliacci (to July 13). Reserve at 604-899-4449.

Flip for Canada
There’s lots going on at Granville Island during its Canada Day celebrations on Tuesday (July 1), but early birds get the pancakes at Dockside Restaurant (in the Granville Island Hotel, 1253 Johnston Street). Six bucks buys you flapjacks and Canadian bacon—with maple syrup, of course—from 7 to 11 a.m., and a dollar goes to Canuck Place. Lazy-bones latecomers can dig into a patio barbecue lunch instead.

Herbal remedies
Next Saturday (July 5), Langara College Continuing Studies is offering a daylong course called Healing With Herbs: Growing and Foraging in the City. This beginner course will discuss the value of herbs as food and medicine, how to gather them safely, and how to prepare simple medicines. The $85 fee includes a locally sourced, seasonal lunch; register at 604-323-5322.

Summer in a jug
The name Trafalgars Bistro (2603 West 16th Avenue) doesn’t exactly conjure up visions of summery Spain, but the Sangria and Small Plates special just might, especially if you snag a sidewalk table during “appie hours” (5 to 6:30 p.m. and 9 p.m. to closing). Twenty-nine dollars buys a lemon-lime-and-berry-full jug of sangria, and any two small plates—ginger-rosemary-steamed B.C. mussels, anyone?—and two appetizers from the dinner menu.

Beer, there, and everywhere
Vancouver’s monster beer fest, the 2008 Canada Cup of Beer, swamps UBC’s Thunderbird Stadium next Saturday (July 5) with over 30 vendors and 150 beers. Your $20 ticket ($25 at the door) includes a souvenir cup, five tasting tokens, and plenty of noisy fun. See www.canadacupofbeer.com for tickets and related events like Beer & a Movie at the Ridge Theatre.

The wizard and Oz
Sign up for the Broadway International Wine Shop’s (2752 West Broadway, www.broadwaywineshop.ca ) e-newsletter and you’ll be up on some cool wine and food dos like Gastropod and Australia’s Skillogalee Estate Winery’s event ($45) on Wednesday (July 2). Starring in this one are Gastropod’s mighty chef Angus An and Skillogalee’s winemaker-owner David Palmer, tag-teaming with cool pairings like spot prawn tartare and green apple foam with Trevarrick Riesling.