The Debaters - 1909: Wine Appreciation & E-Bikes and E-Scooters

Episode Date: November 7, 2024

To honour the passing of Edmonton's wonderful and hilarious Kathleen McGee, The Debaters is re-airing one of her memorable debates from 2021. Featuring Kathleen McGee, Erica Sigurdson, Peter Brown and Ryan Williams in East Vancouver.

Hi there, listeners. Steve Patterson here. You know, I get asked to emcee weddings a lot, and I'm happy to do it for close friends and family, especially when the wedding is somewhere fun, like, say, Reykjavik, Iceland. So my family and I booked an Airbnb in Reykjavik for a week, and it was awesome. There was plenty of room for all of us,

and we met lots of locals in the neighborhood. And that made me think about how much our home would be appreciated by fellow travelers as an Airbnb too since usually it just sits empty while we're away. It's in a great Toronto neighborhood full of restaurants, shops, and friendly people. It has room for a group of four to all have their own rooms and honestly we'd appreciate the house earning a bit of income to help with our next trip. Intrigued? Your home might be worth more than you think. Find out how much at airbnb.ca slash host. And speaking of hosting,

that couple I emceed the wedding for? Still married. That's how good I am. Though I guess I can't take all the credit for that. Anyway, let's get to this week's show. This is a CBC Podcast. The following is a special presentation from the Debaters Fact and Funny Hall of Fame and is dedicated to the memory of our larger-than-life friend, Kathleen McGee.

Hey Canada, we're looking good in beautiful British Columbia. From Vancouver, it's the Debaters! The Debaters, where comedians fight with facts and funny, and this audience picks the winner. Now here's a radio man with a face for television, Steve Patterson. Hey! Hello, Canada. Welcome back to The Debaters. It is great to be back here in beautiful British Columbia. This is a province that loves its wine and it loves its marathons. In fact, in the Cowichan Valley, you can even do a wine country run, where you race and take in the Okanagan scenery

while running from winery to winery. I'm assuming what makes this run distinct is that the roadside sports drinks are handed out by sommeliers. As you run by, they tell you the vintage electrolyte, with a distinct bouquet of the color blue. It's a great way to get your artisanal hydration on until you realize you have to spit it all out before you swallow it. Now, ready to meet a pair of debaters who can't keep their excitement bottled up?

Yes! These are my people. This comedian once walked a cow through a vineyard because she wanted to herd it through the grapevine. It's Erica Sigurdsson! Erica Sigurdsson, the one and only. There she is, taking her place. Two by right, she looks confident and ready. And this comic once believed when the knitting gets tough,

the tough gets sewing. It's Kathleen McGee. Kathleen McGee, look at her. She is ready. She's waving to the adoring crowd. This is a great topic, and I think we've got the right people for the job. Your topic is wine. Should you know how to fully taste and appreciate it?

All right? Let's figure this out once and for all. Now, I didn't learn much about wine growing up. My dad did make his own wine in a spare bedroom in our house. And let me tell you, he didn't learn much about wine growing up either. Anytime I complained about the bottles having their own room while I had to share one with my brother, he said, that's because there's a chance that the wine will be worth something in the

future. Now for a debate with a rosé future. So, whereas a good bottle is said to be like poetry for the senses, be it resolved, every wine drinker should know how to taste and appreciate fine wine. Erica, you are arguing for this, please. You have two minutes, starting now. Thank you. Thank you. Firstly, I'm very excited to find out that I'm not drinking too much wine. My senses are just super into poetry.

When I first dipped my toe into the world of wine drinking, the wine came in a four-liter jug with a little finger loop and did taste like numerous people had, in fact, dipped their toes into it. But a few years later and many wine tastings later, I have learned it sounds so much more refined to say something tastes earthy rather than, yuck, this taste is like muddy feet. Wine's one of the few alcoholic beverages where you can get drunk and still be an elitist. Right?

Talking about the color and how it dances on your nose, you cannot do that with a white claw. Opening a fine bottle of wine is an emotional experience. I mean, I've heard people say that the sound of a child laughing is the best sound on earth. Have you heard the sound a cork makes when it pops out of a bottle of wine. Yeah. I'm sorry to say this, people, but if you're walking out of a wine store with a box of wine, people are snickering. Oh, sorry, that's a fancy word for laughing. My point being, if you're going to be a wine drinker,

you should strive to refine your palate so your friends and family consider your wine drinking an educational pursuit and not a problem. Thank you. Erica Sigurdsson. Yeah. Erica Sigurdsson trying to convince us that we should all know how to taste and appreciate fine wine.

I've known Erica for a while, and she has done the research, everyone. All right. Now, to tell us why her disdain for wine appreciation is anything but sour grapes, it's Kathleen McGee. Thank you. I know nothing about wine. I don't even know how to uncork a bottle.

Do I drink most of my wine out of a coffee mug? Yes. Do I prefer box to bottle because it's more fun to pretend that you're milking a wine cow? Of course. Do I know how to blow up the empty bag from the box so I have a handy and comfortable pillow? Absolutely. All of this doesn't make me a better person. It just makes me less pretentious and more fun to be around.

I went on a wine tour, and there was a group of wine experts mixed with my group of box wine connoisseurs. My friends and I were horrified to see that these people were spitting their wine out. How do you get a buzz by spitting the wine out? I was always told that the lady never spits So I guess we all know who the ladies in the crowd were that time Thank you I mean, a few of us did pee in the vineyard among the grapes

But we didn't spit. Alcohol isn't here for taste. It's here to help us loosen up, be more fun. Anyone that says they drink wine for the taste also reads Playboy for the articles. Thank you. Kathleen McGee. A nice common sense argument on why we don't all have to appreciate wine the same. She is a box wine connoisseur. Let's get ready for some vintage puns

in the bare knuckle round. We are debating the importance of appreciating wine, so don't keep your jokes bottled up if you want a nice finish. So get your opponent over a barrel to give their hide a good tannin. And make the crowd go, book, yay! I will never understand why anybody spends $300 on a bottle of wine. You don't need to spend $300 on a bottle of wine. You have to spend like $20 to $30 on a fancy glass. Every wine is good

if it's in a fancy glass. Oh, Kathleen. Kathleen. Kathleen. Kathleen. Can I show you my example of a fancy glass? Yes, please do. Okay, Kathleen is walking off stage here. She's coming back with...

Right here. Kathleen, I'm not sure that's a wine glass. It's a vase. It's a vase for, uh, for flowers. That's for flowers. You drink, you drink wine out of it? You fill it to the top. Not like those idiots at the restaurants. They only give you this much. It's ridiculous. I mean, I did once go to dinner with Kathleen and when they decanted the bottle of wine into the very fancy decanter. She did drink right out of it. Here's the thing. You don't even have to spend $300.

But let's aim for at least $12, shall we? That was long-winded and bold, just like wine. Also, can I ask you not to pee in an orchard? Like, that is exactly why I have so much trouble figuring out the acidity of the soil. That's a good place to stop the bare knuckle round, everybody. We're debating whether everyone should

know how to appreciate wine on the debaters. It is time now for the firing line. In my hand, I have a list of questions on wine appreciation, brought to you by Fizzy Wine Coolers. Fizzy Wine Coolers, we're taking over the carbonation. In winemag.com's list of 10 wine tips for beginners, what is the very first thing an aspiring wine appreciator should do?

Kathleen McGee. Embrace their depression. The crowd enjoys that one. One and a half points. Erica Sigerton. Find a shirt with sleeves. Does that help? Long sleeves?

It does. All right. The actual answer is buy stemware. Kathleen, stemware. There's a stem? It does. All right. The actual answer is by stemware. Kathleen, stemware. There's a stem? It's just all stem. In the wine-tasting film Sideways, what does Paul Giamatti's character

absolutely refuse to do? Oh, ditch his loser friend. I mean, that is sort of the plot of the movie. We were looking for something wine-related. Kathleen. Drink wine with a straw. What?

It gets you drunker faster. It's science. Didn't realize you had your master's from U of A. I do. That's U of AA. Whoa! Bonus point for Sigurdsson.

He refuses to drink Merlot. What's Merlot? There it is. That's the firing line, everybody. Well, it's almost time for the audience to vote here at Vancouver's York Theatre. But first, here to tell us why talking about appreciating wine makes her head spin and causes her to see red, it's Kathleen McGee. Being blissfully unaware is a great way to go through life.

No one is going to be impressed that you can tell that a certain wine was aged in an oak barrel or a concrete container. I actually had to Google that because I thought all wine was made in bathtubs. Or Steve's dad's bed. It was the bedroom, it wasn't the actual bed, but yes. So remember, you can understand how wine is made and how to taste and appreciate it or you can be a good time and just enjoy it for what it is a fun way to get purple teeth stain your favorite dress and get in a fight with someone you love kathleen mcgee the honesty of kathleen mcgee through, winning them over here in Vancouver.

Let's see, though, now to tell us why her views on wine appreciation have aged so well their vintage. It's Erica Sigurdsson. Thank you. In the competitive world of being a grown-up, knowing a thing or two about wine can be just the emotional boost you need to get through yet another dinner party with people you barely like. Swirling a glass of Tempranillo while talking about Bordeaux gives me just the edge I need to get people to walk away from me. If you're not going to learn about wine and try to drink better wine,

what is the point of drinking it? That's why they don't sell gift bags for boxes of wine at the liquor store. A bottle of nice wine as a gift gets remembered, and maybe a nice meal is shared. A box of wine as a gift is typically paired with a bucket of chicken. Thank you. Erica Sigurdsson. Getting saucy at the end there. All right, it is up to the audience to decide by applause

who thinks Erica's wine appreciation oration Bordeauxed on genius. Erica Sigurdsson. Right? Some nice appreciation for Erica. And who appreciated Kathleen's wine depreciation dialogue? Kathleen McGee. Well, the audience has spoken.

You don't have to appreciate wine to drink it. The winner is Kathleen McGee. Big hand for Kathleen McGee and Erica Sigurdsson, everybody. You're listening to CBC Radio's The Debaters as we pay tribute to the late Kathleen McGee. And now, back to Steve Patterson for another memorable debate. Hi there, listeners. Steve Patterson here. You know, I get asked to emcee weddings a lot,

and I'm happy to do it for close friends and family, especially when the wedding is somewhere fun like, say, Reykjavik, Iceland. So my family and I booked an Airbnb in Reykjavik for a week, and it was awesome. There was plenty of room for all of us, and we met lots of locals in the neighborhood. And that made me think about how much our home would be appreciated by fellow travelers as an Airbnb too, since usually it just sits empty while we're away. It's in a great Toronto neighborhood full of restaurants, shops, and friendly people. It has room for a group of four to all have their own rooms. And honestly, we'd appreciate the house earning a bit of income to help with our next trip. Intrigued? Your home might be worth more than you think. Find out how much at airbnb.ca slash host.

And speaking of hosting, that couple I emceed the wedding for, still married. That's how good I am. Though I guess I can't take all the credit for that. Anyway, let's get to this week's show. My name is Graham Isidore. I have a progressive eye disease called keratoconus. And being I'm losing my vision has been hard,

but explaining it to other people has been harder. Lately, I've been trying to talk about it. Short Sighted is an attempt to explain what vision loss feels like by exploring how it sounds. By sharing my story, we get into all the things you don't see about hidden disabilities. Short Sighted, from CBC's Personally, available now. Hey, Vancouver, are you ready to meet your next pair of debaters? Short-sighted, from CBC's Personally, available now. Peter Brown, ladies and gentlemen, making his entrance, enjoying the crowd.

And this comic once laughed so hard in a butcher shop that his ribs ached. It's Ryan Williams. Ryan Williams. All energy, all the time, and Ryan is riding into this one. He is riding in on a scooter. He is well protected. a scooter. Thank you. He is well protected. He's helmeted up.

He's got a fluorescent vest and he's parking his vehicle for now. Gentlemen, your topic is electrical scooters and bicycles. Should they be banned? Now for the rest of our CBC listeners, we're not talking about mobility scooters, all right? We're talking high-speed scooters that blaze past you on sidewalks and park trails. And Vancouver will be seeing more of them as the city has approved a controversial new e-scooter rental program. I haven't ridden an e-scooter myself,

but I have a Peloton stationary bike at home, so I think I know what I'm talking about. My Peloton comes with an interactive screen that I can pedal along with, but I have to admit I almost opted for the e-bike version, which is sitting on a chair watching television. Now, for a debate that is actually ready to get moving. So, whereas they are too fast for parks, sidewalks, and bike lanes, and too slow for the road, be it resolved, e-bikes and e-scooters

should be banned. Peter, you are arguing for this, please. You have two minutes, starting now. Thank you, ladies and gentlemen. I am here to say enough. Enough of your gliding evil. Enough of your breezy menace. E-scooter riders, let's start with you. I'd like to introduce you to a new concept, other people. You may have heard us. We're the ones who yell, hey, watch where you're going, or get your head out of your. Or, oh no, my flan. We're the people that you breeze past on the sidewalk. You miss us and our sweet little dog by like an inch.

And as you go past, we're always thinking, ooh, that person can afford six dollars for a rental. Everyone behold, a six-dollionaire rides among us. And oh my god, the speed and power of that machine. To get that kind of pure velocity, you'd have to pedal a bike up to three times. I haven't forgotten you, e-bike riders. I see you cruising along, wind in your hair, shoulders back, chest out, feeling like Peter Fonda, an easy rider. But what you look like is a guy who can't have a motorcycle for mum or police reasons. You may feel like a badass. What you look like is a guy who can't make it up onto the curb

because you have noodles for thighs. I have more devastating insults to deliver, but I better get out of the way. I better make a space, because there's a scooter coming through. But let me say this. Listen, scooter trash. It's time to walk away and leave scooters behind.

I know you can do it. You abandoned them in front of my house all the damn time. Thank you. Peter Brown, ladies and gentlemen. Peter Brown coming out swinging against e-scooters and e-bikes. Now, here to tell us why we should put the pedal to the metal when it comes to e-bikes and e-scooters and e-bikes. Now, here to tell us why we should put the pedal to the metal when it comes to e-bikes and e-scooters, it's our one and only fast-moving Ryan Williams. Did you not see how much fun I had earlier?

When was the last time you ever heard an adult say, Whee! And it wasn't followed by, Need to talk about your drinking. Commuting sucks. Monday morning, driving, taking transit to your job, knowing all the things that you put off Friday afternoon are back, and this time they're urgent.

Make commuting fun by biking or scootering to work. You know what's not fun? Showing up drenched in sweat, getting caught using the sink as a second shower. Quit pedaling and pushing like a slob and start gliding with e-scooters and e-bikes. The E stands for electric, but it feels like E for everyone watches you

with jealousy as you glide by. Much like me, after some weight gain, e-bikes have a thick, heavy lower base. Don't like sitting? E-scooters are for you. Millions have switched to standing desks. Let's switch to a standing ride. E-scooters have a thick base with all-terrain tires. Pebbles, the toes of your enemies, are no match for these technological wonders.

Join me, Canada, and leave Peter in the dust. Ryan Williams, ladies and gentlemen. He is worked up about this. It is time for us to speed right into the bare-knuckle round. We're asking if e-bikes and e-scooters should be banned, so give each other the gears and no coasting. If you turn into a motor mouth, you'll get too tired. And may

not be able to handlebar it. Yes, these puns are bespoke. And hopefully, they ring a bell. No one on an e-bike thinks they're Peter Fonda. We're exercising like Jane Fonda.

What exercise are you possibly getting? High fives, baby! Oh, good. Oh, good. So you're making it even more dangerous with all you scooter guys just cruising around high-fiving everyone. Why do you keep calling us guys? What about lady guys? Fair enough. Of course women could ride e-scooters, the same way that theoretically

you could ride one while sober. It's just that it's never happened. Also, because you make a good point about inclusion, I'll just refer to you as Ryan Williams the the scooter guy. How's that?

There already is a Ryan Williams, the scooter guy. This is true. An Australian Ryan Williams is an X Games and Nitro Games gold medalist in scooter and BMXing. So there's going to be a lot of disappointed cool teens finding this debate by accident. Okay. First of all,

hello, disappointed cool teens. This is the CBC, and we'll see you in 50 years. Okay, that's the bare-knuckle round, everybody. Wow. Passionate on both sides. We may have just recruited a new generation of listeners.

It is time now for the firing line. In my hand, I have a list of questions on banning e-bikes and e-scooters brought to you by Lois, Nathan, and Bike. That describes pretty much everyone's favorite lanes. It's a slow burn on that one. You know what? Some of you text me later. A study by Science Direct says most women avoid riding e-scooters because of what reason? Ryan.

Worried they'll pick up too many chicks. Not what I have here. Okay. Peter. Not what I have here, okay. Peter? The reason that women give for not riding e-scooters is because they're not 12. Yep. Okay. Well, the actual answer is safety.

Mostly head safety. Women have more to protect in their head. Because an e-bike is heavier than a bicycle, many riders injure themselves while doing what? Peter Brown. Lifting it onto the bus. They're that lazy. I've always wondered that.

That's one point. Ryan Williams. High fives. Injure themselves while attempting high fives. Yeah, coming onto each other. It's called a dual high five. It's a very tough maneuver. We've lost a lot of good people that way.

I mean, I'm not going to argue with that. The actual answer is dismounting the e-bike, they tend to flip over. I don't want anyone to get hurt, but I would love to see a couple videos of that. That is the firing line, everybody. It is just about time for our fantastic York Theater audience to pick a winner for us here tonight. But first, here to tell us why trying to ban e-bikes and e-scooters is an uphill battle. One more time, let's hear from Ryan Williams.

I've been pretty silly up here and had a lot of fun but I need to get serious in 1995 3,313 fatalities from road traffic collisions were recorded in Canada every year since that

that number has gone down because we banned cars kidding! rules, regulations, restrictions have decreased that number every year. We don't need to say buy e-scooters and e-bikes. We need to say buy laws. Here's some rules I've come up with to make everyone safe. Don't ride drunk. When you're drunk, the E stands for emergency room. Stay off the sidewalk. It's called the sidewalk.

And let us in the bike lane. Cyclists, we're not going to steal your weird spandex clothes. Wear a helmet, follow the rules of the road, and let's have some fun. We deserve it. Ryan Williams. Well said. Well said, young man.

Those were good points in there. Now, here to remind us why he'll never backpedal on the banning of e-bikes and e-scooters, here's Peter Brown. Thanks, Steve. E-scooters. Everyone says they're convenient. Sure. Why walk three blocks when all you have to do is download the app, set up an account, create a password, enter your credit card information, scan the QR code,

try again to scan the QR code because it's mostly scratched off, manually enter the QR code, by that time you could walk there and back. Convenient! E-b back convenient e-bikes e-bikes so you like biking but not the part where you're doing the biking do you also stand perfectly still with your arms by your side and call that Riverdance but just the upper body part? Audience members, be honest with yourselves. When Ryan rode out, did you think, oh boy, or did you think, oh boy? Thank you.

Peter Brown. Peter Brown with some great points on why we should ban e-bikes and e-scooters, and Ryan Williams with a passionate argument on why we should ban e-bikes and e-scooters, and Ryan Williams with a passionate argument on why we shouldn't. Audience, let's hear from you. Who agreed with Peter when he put his foot down about e-bikes and e-scooters and proclaimed, I'm with the band? Peter Brown. Okay. A lot of love for Peter.

And who got a real charge out of Ryan's electric lecture on why we should keep him? Ryan Williams. That's pretty close. It is pretty close. It was well done on both sides, but I've got to give this one to Peter Brown. We've got to ban the e-bikes and e-scooters.

And before the ban sets in, Ryan has taken his scooter and getting out of here. Big hand for Ryan and Peter, everybody. That's all for this week. I'm Steve Patterson saying if you've never tried e-scooting before, remember, it's not at all like riding a bike. I'll argue with you again soon, Canada. Good night. The Debaters is created by Richard Seid. This week's episode was produced by Nicole Callender,

Chloe Edbrook, Dean Jenkinson, and Graham Clark. Our classic debates were produced by Josh Bailey, Nicole Callender, Katie Ellen Humphries, Graham Clark, and Tracy Rideout. Technical production by Will Howey, James Perella and Ross Bragg. And the executive producer of CBC Radio Comedy is Lee Pitts. Hey debaters fans in Toronto and Barrie,

we're coming in March and tickets are on sale now. For details, visit cbc.ca slash the debaters. For more CBC podcasts, go to cbc.ca slash podcasts.