Vegetarianism and yoga pants: Local blogger declares war on Vancouver

As Canadians, we are naturally a caring, united and peaceful people. But when the conversation turns to civic superiority, we tend to exhibit a prideful streak that can turn nasty.

Have you ever listened to a Vancouverite and a Torontonian attempt to convince one another one city is better than the other? It’s the definition of a Kobayashi Maru.

Whether you prefer skinny jeans or yoga pants probably depends on where you were raised. But a new blog panning the idiosyncrasies of Vancouver is proof it’s not a unanimous vote.

Vancouverites have long reveled in reminding the rest of Canada exactly how wonderful their city is. The perfect mix of progressive urban living and natural beauty, the cool coastal vibe and the relaxed people. Skiing and surfing on the same day? Sounds good.

Vancouver earns scores of international honours, including consistently being named one of the world’s most livable cities, with one of the best international reputations and highest qualities of life.

It’s enough to turn the rest of Canada against Vancouver, with its high praise and Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.

But it seems Vancouver isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, at least according to one local resident, who has started a blog detailing all the reasons that he loathes the city.

"Hi, I live in Vancouver and well, I hate it. This blog is about the many reasons why you should hate it too," reads an introduction to the blog, titled I Hate Van. “Why is this important? Because to have change you need to know what needs to change.”

Among the reasons listed are the apparent inability for Vancouverites to understand sarcasm, the prevalence of vegetarianism and how much yoga people in Vancouver do.

"There is such a thing as too much of a good thing. Vancouverites being in to yoga is just a part of our general obsession with ourselves. Vancouverites are extremely self-absorbed about their mental health," reads one post.

The blog, launched about a month ago, has prompted much debate around the city. The VanCityBuzz blog launched a bid to out the anonymous blogger, using clues he has left on the site.

And The Province's Erik Rolfsen has also picked up the chase, ruling out Ricky Gervais as the culprit (after the British actor fawned over the city during a recent visit).

On Twitter, reaction was mixed, though it did prompt a few Vancouverites to issue their own complaints.

"The FM radio stations play the same crap all day, and the hosts aren’t cool. Need a good #urban radio station," one user wrote.

As a former Winnipegger (Winterpeg, Mosquitoba to the layperson) now living in Toronto (aka, the Centre of the Universe), it’s somewhat refreshing to see Vancouver taken down a peg.

Then again, I’ve also been to Vancouver. And that’s all it takes to see what the city has to offer. Which is to say: a lot.