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Last month I wrote an item on the closure of popular Esquimalt restaurant the Sunnyside Cafe.

Beer, wine and spirits are a gift from nature that we have been regifting to each other since the beginning of recorded history, and perhaps even before then. Personally, I like to give Christmas presents I stand a good chance of sharing in.

How to buy, store oysters When buying the oysters, opt for those with tightly closed shells. In the store, if you're able to hold the oysters, they should feel heavy for their size, a sign the meat is plump and surrounded with flavourful juice.

It may only be the first day of December, but I know many people who have already begun food preparations for Christmas Day.

MINTY CURRY YOGURT DIP Serve this easy-to-make dip with a selection of raw vegetables for dipping.

One of the last family-friendly restaurants in Esquimalt looks like it's closing for good.

This sweet recipe comes from Food Network host Laura Calder's book, Dinner Chez Moi.

PAM GRANT DINING OUT Lao-Vientiane Restaurant Address: 771 Vernon Ave., Victoria Tel: 250-475-3522 Hours: Lunch Monday-Saturday, 11: 30 a.m.-2: 30 p.m. Dinner nightly, 5 p.m.-9: 30 p.m. Major credit cards and Interac accepted. Wheelchair accessible.

is the author of the bestselling Everyone Can Cook series of cookbooks. His columns appear in the Life section Wednesday and Sunday.

Back in the late '90s I spent several months working in Li猫ge, Belgium, a grubby little steel town that is to Europe what Hamilton is to southern Ontario.