Weekend Warrior: Salsa on St. Clair, Caribbean Carnival Toronto, Night It Up!, Indy Toronto, Festival of India

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It’s Thursday, and the weekend is fast approaching. Need stuff to see or do? We’ve got you covered. In this edition, a Latin American street festival, an Asian night market, world-class auto racing and more.

Salsa On St. Clair

When: July 13-14
Where: St. Clair West, between Christie and Winona
Details: Get ready, salsa enthusiasts. This annual Latin-themed street festival will be transforming St. Clair West into a showcase for Latin culture this weekend. The festival will include live music, dance performances, a parade, authentic Latin food, family activities and more.

Caribbean Carnival Toronto

When: July 9 – August 4
Where: Various venues
Details: This annual summer festival is in its 46th year, featuring Caribbean music, cuisine and performing arts. The opening service is on Sunday.

Night it Up!

When: July 12-14
Where: Markham Civic Centre
Details: This outdoor night market event, previously known as Toronto Night Market, will have over 100 food and merchandise vendors this year, as well as live stage performances, outdoor movie screenings and more. Be sure to check out the stinky tofu, which is a common snack food in Taiwan.

Indy Toronto

When: July 12-14
Where: Exhibition Place
Details: For the first time in its history, Honda Indy Toronto will feature two full races in one weekend, one on Saturday and one on Sunday. There will also be craft beer and food, live entertainment, exhibits, interactive games, kids’ activities, and more.

Festival of India

When: July 13-14
Where: Yonge Street to Queens Quay
Details: This festival will begin with a parade down Yonge Street with three giant floats hand-pulled by spectators, mimicking a traditional ceremony that occurs in Puri, India. The parade will then be followed by performances, yoga, a vegetarian feast, South Asian bazaar and more on Centre Island.

First Draught: Shawinigan Handshake, a hoppy wheat beer from Quebec

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Le Trou du Diable’s co-owners, Isaac Tremblay and head brewer André Trudel, wanted to pay tribute to Hans Peter Drexler and Garrett Oliver’s Brooklyner-Schneider Hopfen-Weisse collaboration with a hoppy wheat beer of their own.

Since their brewery is based in Shawinigan, it made sense to double up on the homage and add a cheeky reference to the town’s most famous resident by calling the beer Shawinigan Handshake.

Former prime minister Jean Chretien enjoyed the beer so much (and has enough of a sense of humour) that he convinced them to brew it regularly — it had originally only been meant for Oktoberfest — and he agreed to let the brewery use his image on the bottle label.

This beer is an interesting combination of disparate influences. German weizenbocks are light in colour and depend on aromatic, yeast-driven flavors. They are one of the lightest, most sprightly beers brewed for the traditional autumn celebrations. On the other hand, American IPAs are dependent on the citrusy hops that are the calling card of beers from the US pacific northwest.

Shawinigan Handshake pours a light amber gold with a frothy head that dissipates to leave some noticeable lacing on the glass. The aroma is all weizen: white peach, cooked banana, toasted wheat and warm spices. By contrast, the flavour has the recognizable white grapefruit and zesty, bitter notes of an American IPA.

The balancing of these two styles creates a beer that I think will accomplish the difficult task of satisfying those who appreciate the best attributes of both parents. At the same time, it offers something to imbibers who find weizens too spritzy or IPAs too bitter.

The label design that made it into LCBOs (despite some raised, paternalistic eyebrows) shows Chretien strangling the devil. In another version, Don Cherry stands in as Cretien’s adversary, but the brewery decided it was pushing the envelope enough as it is.

Le Trou du Diable Shawinigan Handshake, $6.05 for a 600 mL bottle, LCBO #322522

In addition to covering beer, new restaurants and food trucks for Post City, David Ort writes about food and drink for several Toronto publications including Spotlight Toronto and his own site, Food With Legs. For more of his thoughts on food, beer and life in general, follow him on Twitter.

Crazy Rich Asians is set to become the most talked about book of the summer

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China is booming. The wealth being created is otherworldly and so is the lifestyle of the country’s super-rich. But the gossiping, scheming and back-biting has been kept under wraps until now, with the release of Kevin Kwan’s new satirical novel Crazy Rich Asians — set to become the most talked about book of the summer.

What a trip. That’s how Kevin Kwan, who will be back in Toronto this fall, explains the extravagant lives of particular Chinese families. His flashy fictional tale is a story inspired by his own life, having been born in Singapore and raised in the U.S.

“It’s how do you describe these people,” he says of the book title and its subjects. “Are they very rich, are they filthy rich or are they crazy rich? In many ways, ‘crazy’ is the most appropriate word.”

The book focuses on the exorbitant wealth that exists among Chinese family dynasties. But just like every family, these billionaires are not exempt from the jealousy, envy and pressures that eat away at relationships.

“I thought it would be interesting to showcase this world as it clashes with the new mainland Chinese money and all the various things that are happening at this time, because Asia’s really going through a new gilded age,” he says.

Writing this book offered relief for the first-time author, who conceived the idea while spending time with his sick father. During that period, Kwan’s dad told him stories of his own childhood and reminisced with his son.

“This was my escape, to be able to write something comedic and fun,” he says. Creating a story that focuses not just on money, but on the actual people and the lives affected by this great wealth is unique for the typical book available on Chinese culture.

“There’s this American-born Chinese girl, who travels around the world back to her boyfriend to Singapore,” he explains. “Being Asian-American, she thinks she knows how Asians are and how Chinese people are. And she discovers this world of very intricate, complex personalities and roles and traditions that she just had no clue, as an American, existed.”

Kwan tells of how his editor actually made him tone down some of the descriptions of the people, homes and fleets of cars and private jets because the truth was just too unbelievable. The explosion of wealth in Asia has piqued people’s interest in the Eastern continent, he says, hoping that, in addition to a fun summer read, he offers insight and education.

“These people live halfway around the world, they have these mysterious families, and yet they have the same issues of jealousy, of snobbery, of money ruining people’s lives or money making people live a lot better,” he says. “It really speaks to the universality of all of us.”

Drink This: The Three Speed’s Beggar’s Banquet

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Bloordale’s The Three Speed has all the trappings of a hipster bar: twinkly lights in the window, exposed brick walls and a west-end location. When the weather behaves, booze-happy barflies tuck into comforting eats (such as shepherd’s pie) and swill libations on the back patio.

The so-called Beggar’s Banquet ($10) — one of the bar’s rotating cocktail specials — is a sinful blend. Wild Turkey bourbon meets lemon juice, maple syrup and bitters. Topped off with Mill Street Tankhouse Ale and served in a highball glass, this puppy gives the imbiber a veritable bang for their buck.

The Three Speed, 1163 Bloor St. W., 647-430-3834

For more must-try Toronto cocktails, check out our Pinterest page

Turner on Real Estate: seven reasons why you should choose a 10-year mortgage

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Nobel Prize–winning U.S. economic egghead Paul Krugman got a lot of northern knickers in a knot some weeks ago when he suggested our real estate is doomed. Well, not exactly terminal, but he did lament our “overhang of private debt,” which makes house values “vulnerable to shock.”

What “shock” does he mean? Simple. Higher rates.

Most economists believe what most homeowners don’t: that interest rates will bloat. In fact, they already have. Lately, bond prices have been going down and yields up because the U.S. is in recovery mode. As the economic news gets better, we inch closer to the end of the fed bond-buying frenzy that’s kept the cost of money in the ditch.

It will take some time for interest rates to normalize, but there’s no doubt they will.

So how to protect yourself? Is it worth paying a premium for a few years in order to be protected later on? It’s a big choice if you happen to be buying now, or renewing.

Personally, I can’t imagine current rates holding, since they’ve led directly to record house prices and historic household debt — two big negatives for future growth and squarely in the crosshairs of the Bank of Canada. Clearly, there’s only one sane route to go. Here are the seven reasons why you should choose a 10-year mortgage.

First, rates will be up in five years, meaning higher mortgage payments on a house that’ll probably be worth less. Home loans have not been this inexpensive since Boomers were swimming up the birth canal. If you want protection against shock, this is it.

Second, what happens if you lose your job in the next decade? Get pregnant? Retire? Having a 10-year mortgage means your payments won’t change, giving you predictability in a volatile world.

Third, consider renewal risk. If you get a cheapo mortgage from an online lender you’ve never heard of before because it’s two-tenths of a point less, you have risk.

Fourth, 10-year money is ideal for investors. If you own a duplex or a sixplex or even a rented house, you can calculate cash flow and remove interest rate risk for a decade.

Fifth, you are not locked into a 10-year mortgage for 10 years. Thanks to the Canada Interest Act, all mortgages become open after five years. So if rates turn out to be lower in 2018, you can get out by paying the minimum penalty — three months. Sweet.

Sixth, given the fact that about a third of the wrinklies are now retiring with a mortgage, a 10-year mortgage protects them. Anyone on a fixed income, actually.

More important is the relative cheapness of 10-year money. Bankers will lock you up until 2023 now for 3.69 per cent, which is a scant 0.4 per cent more than their five-year offering. This is a gift and probably temporary.

You triumph financially, even without all the psychological and emotional stuff I referenced above.

So there you go.

Now worry about your tan.

Post City Magazines’ real estate columnist, Garth Turner, is an author, investment advisor and former MP.

Breslin: YouTube is the most important development in comedy since the rubber chicken

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For decades, people have been asking me about the future of the comedy business, and I’ve always said, if I really did know, I wouldn’t broadcast it around. But I have seen the future, and it now appears that the Google/YouTube juggernaut is the most important development in comedy since the rubber chicken.

Right now, there isn’t a comic without at least a couple of clips on YouTube. Comics who want to work at my clubs now opt to refer me to their YouTube channels. Major production companies and agencies no longer show up nightly at the clubs and festivals; they have juniors who troll the Internet in search of the next big thing.

Using the Internet is far from new. Dane Cook used it to become a phenomenon over a decade ago. Russell Peters was the first comic to establish a global following using video clips that went viral and allowed him to fill stadiums without a TV or movie deal.

Then Bo Burnham and Jon Lajoie posted videos on a nascent YouTube, hit millions of viewers and forged careers that came out of nowhere.

Now every comic is hoping for that success, posting their bits and waiting for fame.

If you don’t have a million views, YouTube still works to create interest in your act and can help get you a legion of rabid fans that will pay good money to see you in clubs. But that’s just chump change compared to the pot of gold at the end of this rainbow: Google ads.

They pay at a constant rate per thousand. But it’s pennies until you start hitting seven or eight million figures. And then you can make a very good living without leaving your house. These numbers may sound daunting until you calculate the number of English-speaking Internet users in the world and then start your calculations. So why hasn’t every good stand-up comic become rich? Original content.

If you can see a video anywhere and everywhere, it loses its value. To make money, you have to have your entire viewership watching the same source. And that means original content that can only be seen, at least in the beginning, on your dedicated platform.

Right now, the most successful YouTube producer/performer is Ray William Johnson.

His hundreds of videos, which range from animated hip hop songs to Video on Trial–style commentaries on amateur video clips, each rack up close to 30 million views.

Do the math and sell your current business. It’s the gold rush out there. And he’s not even funny.

This year, YouTube added “premium channels” to its vast inventory. These are channels you pay for, like cable TV, with content that is deemed to be worth purchasing.

In May, YouTube presented its first online comedy festival, featuring new work by Sarah Silverman, Vince Vaughan, Rainn Wilson, Seth Rogen and many others. The VJ interstitials were annoying, and the critical reaction was tepid, but it really felt like the start of something.

Silverman is one comic who grasps the potential of the New Comedy Order. Her channel, JASH, with cohorts Michael Cera, Tim and Eric, and Reggie Watts, is a model of the way comics will be performing and promoting their work on the web.

All hail the revolution.

It’s no joke.

Post City Magazines’ humour columnist, Mark Breslin, is the founder of Yuk Yuk’s comedy clubs and the author of several books, including Control Freaked.

Big Ticket: Emma-Jayne Wilson

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In addition to being a horse lover and GTA local, Emma-Jayne Wilson is arguably Canada’s top female jockey. In 2007, Wilson became the first woman to win the prestigious Queen’s Plate at Woodbine Racetrack, and last year, she celebrated her 1,000th career victory. Post City spoke to Wilson about the 154th Queen’s Plate race this month and the future of Ontario horse racing.

Will you be competing this year?
As of right now, I believe so. With horse racing, it generally can be a little challenging, especially a race of that calibre. You always want to give yourself every option, so I’ve got a few options that are aiming toward the Queen’s Plate. They [the horses] still need to kinda prove themselves worthy and then kinda hash out which particular horse I’ll be riding.

What’s the closest approximation to the feeling you get when the gate opens and the race begins?
I don’t think there’s anything that comes close to that. I really don’t. I mean, I’m a bit of a sports junkie: I played rugby through high school, I grew up playing fast-pitch, I do a lot of different activities — water skiing, skiing, you name it, I’ve tried it — and honestly there is no feeling out there of being on the back of, you know, a highly tuned 1,100-pound athlete whose sheer will and desire is to go and to go as fast as they can. There’s no way to compare that to anything at all.

What do you look for when choosing a horse — speed or overall performance?
When you’re looking for a Plate mount — for a quality Plate horse — you’re looking for a combination of a horse that’s going to be able to handle all those things, the distance, the weight, whether that horse is talented enough at this young point in his career or her career to take on such high-calibre horses.… So it’s very much a challenge to find a Queen’s Plate mount, let alone one that you could potentially win the race with as well.

It’s been tough times for the horse racing industry in Ontario. Are you optimistic about the future?
I would say yes, we’re very resilient people. And I have confidence in government and city council and the people that are in power to make those decisions. I’m confident that our voices will be heard and that the right decision will be made. That’s something I truly believe in my heart. Yeah, there is a hint of apprehension, hoping that they do hear our voices and that horse racing in Ontario — and thus in Canada — doesn’t get killed in the process of politics.

The 154th running of the Queen’s Plate, Woodbine Racetrack, July 7, www.woodbineentertainment.com.

Urban Spaces: Toronto’s flea market craze

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Torontonians may be surprised by how many flea markets there are nearby, and with a couple of downtown additions catering to the hipster set, surely the trend is growing. From year-round indoor bazaars to festive summer swap meets, locals have plenty of options to get involved.

The Leslieville Flea, introduced in June, is held the third Sunday each month at Leslie Street and Queen Street East behind the venerable Duke Tavern. Co-founders Brigid Elmy and Christine Roberts hope that the market appeals to everyone, from serious collectors to casual locals looking for something fun and affordable. It features vintage and salvaged items, art, antiques and more.

With a grand opening on July 7 and a second date on Aug. 4, the Parkdale Flea features new bargains and bartering of antiques, deals and collectables from local artisans as well as a healthy supply of food and drink. The market is located at 1266 Queen St. W., where city shoppers can browse both outdoors and inside.

Also don’t miss out on the Junction Flea. Held on the second Sunday of every month, the market is possibly Toronto’s trendiest in the west end and features more than 70 vendors with vintage clothing and handmade arts and crafts as well as some serious food options. You could even get your portrait etched on sheet metal should you desire such a luxury.

Of course, no roundup of flea markets would be complete without the award-winning Dr. Flea’s Flea Market. Toronto’s largest indoor flea market showcases more than 400 vendors every weekend all year, with free admission and parking.

Meanwhile, the Merchants’ Flea Market is an indoor extravaganza with over 250 booths and is open weekends year-round.

In fact, there are many year-round weekend flea markets across Toronto and the GTA. The Downsview Park Merchants Market has hundreds of vendors as well as a new antique market and kids’ amusement area. The Toronto Weston Flea Market is also quite the bazaar bonanza, hosting an outdoor farmers’ market from April to October.

Whether trendy settings or shopping spree spectacles, Toronto flea markets are a steal.

Tony Aspler’s Weekly Wine Pick: a great red with a great name

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This wine could sell on its name alone — but it’s really tasty. Dense purple in colour, it offers a bouquet of smoky, savoury blackberries. It’s medium- to full-bodied, dry and elegant.

Food match: BBQ meats; old cheddar

Ladies Who Shoot Their Lunch Shiraz, 2010, Australia, $35.95. Vintages #243592

Post City Magazines’ wine columnist, Tony Aspler, has written 14 books on wine and food. Tony also created the Ontario Wine Awards and has been inducted into the New York Media Wine Writers’ Hall of Fame. He can be heard on 680News.

Weekend Warrior: Summerlicious, Corso Italia Fest, Afrofest, Fringe Festival, Vans Warped Tour

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It’s Thursday, and the weekend is fast approaching. Need stuff to see or do? We’ve got you covered. In this edition, cheap foodie fun, a celebration of Africa, love for Italia (part deux), theatre madness and music galore.

Summerlicious

When: July 5 – 21
Where: Restaurants across the city
Details: The culinary event most people have a love/hate relationship with begins this weekend. Restaurants all over the city will be offering special three-course prix-fixe menus (lunch $15 – $25; dinner $25 – $45). Participating restaurants include the Drake Hotel, EDO, Nota Bene, Origin Liberty, Parts & Labour and Splendido.

Corso Italia Festival

When: July 5 – 7
Where: St. Clair Ave. W., between Dufferin and Lansdowne
Details: If you missed out on Taste of Little Italy, here’s another opportunity to celebrate Italian culture in Toronto. This annual street festival celebrates the Corso Italia neighborhood with a sidewalk sale, food vendors and a midway chock-full of games and rides. There will also be live entertainment and – new this year – a Steam Whistle beer tent.

Afrofest

When: July 6 – 7
Where: Woodbine Park
Details: Music Africa presents the 25th annual Afrofest – a festival which celebrates Toronto’s African community. Expect performances by international groups, dancing, drumming, workshops and theatre. Top performers from Ghana, Cameroon, Sudan, Nigeria, Madagascar and Ivory Coast will be gracing the main stage until after 8 p.m.

Fringe Festival

When: July 3 – 14
Where: Various venues
Details: Toronto’s annual theatre festival, celebrating its 25th anniversary, will feature 148 shows in 35 venues this year. Shows include plays, dance performances, sketch comedy, solo shows and more by local and international companies. There will also be an outdoor Fringe Club with buskers, bands, talks and more.

Vans Warped Tour 2013

When: July 5
Where: Molson Canadian Amphitheatre
Details: The annual punk-rock outdoor musical festival will host performances by bands like 3OH!3, August Burns Red, Allstar Weekend, Motion City Soundtrack and Reel Big Fish. The all-day festival starts at 11 a.m. and keeps rocking until late. In addition to tunes, there will food, refreshments and – what else? – a water slide.

TURF: a brand new roots fest that ain't for grandmas

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The first-ever Toronto Urban Roots Festival kicks off today and runs until July 7. Featuring a stellar lineup of major roots, folk, pop and rock bands at both outdoor stages and clubs, the festival pretty much guarantees to have something that tickles your fancy. Herewith, our top reasons why you should trek to Fort York this weekend to catch the concert.

You’ll be making history. Because this is the inaugural year for TURF, you’ll be a part of this momentous occasion.

And it’s probably the best lineup ever. Yes, that includes didgeridoos. Xavier Rudd, Dawes, She & Him, Neko Case, The Cat Empire, Yo La Tengo, Fitz & The Tantrums — the list goes on. It’s pretty rare that the opening year for any music festival could have such a stellar roster of artists, and the lineup for TURF is not only confined to traditional roots bands. According to their website, “it’s not just your grandma’s — or father’s — roots music festival. We’re hoping it’s 2013 specific.” That means that we get killer local bands, such as Skydiggers, The Sadies, Whitehorse and The Wooden Sky, but also some pleasantly surprising international players too.

These days, mother nature is playing it hot and cold à la Katy Perry. If this never-ending bout of rain and humidity is enough to keep you indoors and away from Fort York this weekend, not to worry, the TURF folks are offering an alternative. In addition to the outdoor festival shows, there will also be night events as part of the late night club bonus series every night at The Horseshoe Tavern and Lee’s Palace. Performers include The Barr Brothers, Hannah Georgas, Royal Canoe, Frank Turner and JD McPherson, to name a few.

Comparatively, it’s rather cheap. There are five options for general admission and VIP passes, but the best bargain seems to be the four-day pass (because how could we possibly choose between She & Him and Kurt Vile?). The regular four-day ticket can save you about $90 compared to buying four individual tickets, and essentially works out to be a two-for-one deal. Tickets can be purchased at Rotate This, Soundscapes, The Horseshoe Tavern, or at the Fort York entrance.

Oh, and Joel Plaskett (probably the best thing to come out of the east coast since the McLobster) will be there, and will hopefully be telling jokes.

First Draught: Sir Isaac's, a perry made from Niagara pears

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When the CanGro plant in St. David's closed in 2008, Niagara's peach and pear growers were left searching for a market. Brock Puddicombe decided to take the pears that life had handed him (and that his family grows in Niagara) and turn them into perry.

Perry — often labeled as pear cider for commercial purposes — has a reputation as a historical drink of the landed gentry in the west of England. Given that association, they are often marketed with an upper-crust sounding name. For a Niagara perry, no one could fill that role better than the hero of Queenston Heights, Sir Isaac Brock. Despite the connection and his title, Brock was not much of an aristocrat. He died a hero's death, telling his men to “Push on!” after being fatally wounded.

Sir Isaac's pours a clear, bright, and very light yellow and like most perries it has almost no head. The aroma combines ripe pears with a light note of mushrooms and rising bread dough. That breadiness foreshadows the flavour that reminds me of some sparkling wines. Thankfully, there is a decent amount of tartness to balance the ample sweetness.

The producers marketing material suggests serving this perry ice cold, but I find that its lighter, more floral qualities only come out when it warms about fridge temperature.

Puddicombe makes Sir Isaac's with Bosc and Bartlett pears which are both better suited to eating than cider-making. Hopefully this product will be successful enough that area growers can switch their production to pear varieties that are bred specifically for perry-making.

Puddicombe's Sir Isaac's Pear Cider, $2.75 for a 473 ml can, LCBO #312843

In addition to covering beer, new restaurants and food trucks for Post City, David Ort writes about food and drink for several Toronto publications including Spotlight Toronto and his own site, Food With Legs. For more of his thoughts on food, beer and life in general, follow him on Twitter.