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9 | W aterloo C hronicle | T hursday,D ecem ber 27,2018 w aterloochronicle.ca My family loves Viet- namese and Thai cuisines, with a variety of tastes and flavours like ginger, peanut sauce and spicy coconut curry. As 2018 winds down, I find myself reflecting on some palate-expanding dishes we discovered this past year, along with some of our longtime favourite Viet-Thai restaurants in Waterloo Region. Pho Sunrise in the Sun- rise Shopping Centre opened last year with a spa- cious and bright dining ar- ea and one of the biggest menus we've ever seen. The large and creative selection offered new things to try, along with classic Thai soups like Tom Yum and Tom Kha Kai. Most impressive, though, is their vast variety of slushy or milk bubble teas that our daughters love, including honeydew, passion fruit, watermelon, pineapple and lychee fla- vours. Ben Thanh is the first Viet-Thai restaurant my wife and I ever discovered when they first opened in downtown Kitchener many years ago. Now on Northfield Drive in Waterloo and other locations around the re- gion, we still enjoy their mango salad, lemongrass and black bean dishes, and my wife's all-time favou- rite, the fiery Thai green curry with green beans and tofu on rice. With a passion for spicy foods, one of our favourite restaurants is Bangkok Cuisine, an authentic Thai restaurant tucked into a small strip mall on Weber Street in Kitchener. Bang- kok Cuisine offers varying spice options to suit every taste, from "no spice" through mild, medium, hot, and extra hot, culmi- nating in the ultimate melt- down for heat junkies, called "top of the line." Only once have I at- tempted the notorious "top of the line" spice level, and I truly met my match. De- spite the extreme heat, I en- joyed my meal immensely, as the pad Thai was a har- monious blend of the spicy and subtle, the sweet and the sour - topped off with fresh, crispy bean sprouts and crushed peanuts. Deli- cious and malicious. Earlier this year, my family was thrilled when Red Ginger opened their Waterloo location just around the corner from our home on the corner of Erb Street and Ira Needles Bou- levard. We're hooked on their distinct flavours (garlic, black pepper, lime, mint, and juicy tamarind), tex- tures, colours and punchy seasonings that come to- gether so beautifully in dishes that include red gin- ger vermicelli, green pa- paya salad, and one of my new favourites, the spicy rice noodles with tofu, basil leaves, bell peppers, onion and chili. From the first time we got takeout, I've been tell- ing people about Red Gin- ger's exquisite Viet-Thai cuisine and warm hospital- ity. There has never been a better time to be a lover of Viet-Thai cuisine in this re- gion, and I can't wait to ex- plore some of the new res- taurants opening in 2019, like Pho Time at The Boardwalk. If you haven't tried the places I mentioned, I rec- ommend you treat your tas- tebuds to an Asian adven- ture in your own backyard. Marshall Ward is a freelance writer and artist. Email is welcome at mar- shall_ward@hotmail.com. A TASTE FOR ASIA YOUROPINIONS SIGN UP FOR OUR WEEKLY NEWSLETTER AT WATERLOOCHRONICLE.CA THERE HAS NEVER BEEN A BETTER TIME TO BE A LOVER OF VIET-THAI CUISINE IN THE REGION, SAYS MARSHALL WARD MARSHALL WARD Column Spicy rice noodles with tofu, basil leaves, bell peppers, onion and chili from Red Ginger in Waterloo. Marshall Ward/Photo Boomers are often opti- mists - but, according to a re- cent survey*, they can also be unrealistic about their health and the state of their finances in retirement. The survey found that 97 per cent of respondents de- scribed their current health level as good, very good, or excellent and 86% expect to retire in good health - and yet, the survey revealed that 61 per cent of employees over age 50 actually suffer from one or more chronic health conditions. The most common conditions were hypertension, arthritis, high cholesterol, diabetes and mental health problems such as depression or anxi- ety. Where finances are con- cerned, more than a third of survey respondents report- ed that they save 10 per cent or less of their current sala- ry for retirement yet, in re- tirement, they plan to with- draw a yearly average of 15 per cent from their savings - or more than four times the typically recommended rate of withdrawal. The main take-aways from this survey are obvi- ous: - Many Boomers may need to be more realistic about their health and the escalating healthcare costs they are likely to face in re- tirement. - Many should save more for retirement. - And, in retirement, they must have a sound financial plan that allows them to pursue the lifestyle they want while ensuring their financial resources will last for all their retirement years. Boomers are rapidly heading toward (or are al- ready in) retirement - but it's never too late to plan for a secure financial future. Here are a few tips for doing so that apply to Boomers and, equally, to working Ca- nadians of any age. - Begin saving as early as possible - and save regularly. - Avoid bad debt that doesn't generate income or increase your net worth. - Invest intelligently - es- pecially in registered retire- ment savings plans (RRSPs) and taxfree savings ac- counts (TFSAs). - Be sure that you have adequate insurance cover- age for any health/medical challenges that may arise - especially disability, critical illness and long-term care insurance. Keep in mind that healthcare costs gener- ally increase with age. - Have a plan that in- cludes a realistic budget for your retirement years, cou- pled with a realistic with- drawal strategy. Maintain an emergency fund to deal with any surprises (health and otherwise). Be sure your plan includes a provi- sion for inflation. And, most importantly, get advice. Your profession- al advisor can provide the expertise and realistic as- sessment you need to create and implement a financial plan that will work for you, regardless of your age, for a lifetime. *http://insurance-jour- nal.ca/article/boomers-un- able-to-distinguish-be- tween-retirement-reality- and-fantasy This column is provided by McEachnie Group Pri- vate Wealth Management. Contact Russ McEachnie, CFP, CPCA, CDFA, RRC at 519-886-2360 ext. 6241 or russell.mceachnie@igpri- vatewealth.com BOOMERS - DREAMS AND REALITIES ABOUT RETIREMENT OPINION YOUROPINIONS SIGN UP FOR OUR WEEKLY NEWSLETTER AT WATERLOOCHRONICLE.CA BOOMERS ARE OFTEN OPTIMISTS, BUT THEY CAN ALSO BE UNREALISTIC ABOUT THEIR HEALTH AND FINANCES, SAYS RUSSELL MCEACHNIE RUSS MCEACHNIE Column Meet the people in your neighbourhood. VISIT WATERLOOCHRONICLE.CA TO LEARN ABOUT LOCAL PEOPLE MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN THEIR COMMUNITY