What to do in Toronto when it's -17C out

Brazilian friends are visiting Toronto this week and I'm suddenly struck by how much my experience of Toronto revolves around food. The first place I take visitng friends and family is to Ethiopia House for an authentic Ethiopian meal. It's great because it's not just different food, but it's an entirely different dining experience. It's very communal and hands-on and incredibly tasty.

Vegetarian Bayaanatu, Tibs and Kitfo Special

It's always tricky when you order a meal, especially for more than two. You always think it's not going to be enough, and over order. In this case we had far to much food, and couldn't finish it all. Such a waste to throw any of it away, and yet you can really only eat so much...

And then after our meal - the coffee ceremony! It's really a must for first-timers, even if you don't like coffee. Again, it's all about the experience. The coffee ceremony begins with the serving staff bringing roasting coffee beans (in a utensil that looks a bit like a enclosed ladle) to your table and letting the aroma of the roasting beans fill your nostrils. That's as you're eating your meal. After you finish your meal, the servers bring a basket of plain popcorn, and a service tray with the coffee urn and little handle-less cups.

And with the coffee, the servers also bring a pillar with burning frankincense.

After our delightful dinner we pulled out the maps and brochures to see what there is to do in Toronto. And that's when I realised it. Aside from the usual touristy things (CN Tower, ROM, AGO, Casa Loma, etc.), the things I really enjoy about Toronto involve food or eating - whether it's going out to a restaurant, or grocery shopping at the markets (Kensington or St. Lawrence) or specialty stores (Whole Foods). The great thing about Toronto is that there's so much variety. You can find just about any ethnic food you could imagine here, and I've done my best to try as many as possible. But it's a little embarrasing when asked what there is to do in Toronto, and the only thing that comes to mind is eating (and that's after eating an enormous dinner!). Granted, I was talking to Brazilians, and it was -17C outside last night. Even if I came up with something else, it would've meant being outside, and they weren't prepared for that. I'm going to suggest skating when the temperature goes up to -1C.

Weekend Indulgences

1. Waking up early (yes, you heard me - early!) to enjoy a leisurely morning, which this morning meant reading in bed and occasionaly dozing, and then once I actually got up and dressed making a dash to the corner to TimHorton's for a chocolate chip muffin.
2. Listening to CBC radio 1 and taking the time to read through my email and my list of blogs and get caught up, not to mention doing a bit of "window shopping" on eBay and craigslist. - Found nothing of immediate interest.
3. Going to Whole Foods to pick up some grocery items I really don't need and taking advantage of their gourmet samples. Today I picked up the remaining Indian/Nepali spices, as well as a few other things - a baguette to go with the really tasty pesto I bought at WF last week, juice, and some produce.4. Making the time to do a little cooking. I usually do my main cooking on the weekends and freeze several meals for weekdays, or stock the fridge with cooked foods for the rest of the week. Today I finally tackled a recipe from my Nepali cookbook - Kauli Chana ko tarkari or Chickpea Curry. I think the cookbook might have a typo, Kauli is the word used for cauliflower, and according to online sources Kabuli Chana is the word for chickpeas. But who am I to argue... (Note to self: use less chili powder and more cumin next time I make this curry). 5. Enjoying a good meal. Either homemade or take-out. Today I stuck with my grocery purchases and the chickpea curry. (Trying to save a few pennies and I went out with S. to Sun Lok for Chinese last night).
6. Cleaning or purging something - whether it be an overfull laundry basket that needs to be tackled (wash, dry, fold and put away), or some papers that accumulated in a pile over the week. Today I purged my fridge. I got rid of the the spoiled spinach I had put off using, the expired milk and the leftover mouldy tomato sauce that got pushed to the back of the fridge and forgotten. I almost hate to admit it, but I enjoy doing housework on a Saturday. There's something refreshing about it. And I often find I'm too tired and unmotivated to clean during the week (that is, unless I'm procrastinating from doing something else).
7. Relaxing to a good movie at the end of the day. This weekend I rented two: Cape of Good Hope, and Eve and the Firehorse. Tonight I watched the former - Cape of Good Hope - and quite enjoyed it. It was uplifting and thoughtful, but not too heavy. There were several sub-plots that all wove together throughout the movie, that worked with the underlining message: Love connects us all. I laughed and I cried (only a little). The music was excellent too. I think I'm a sucker for movies set in Africa with good music.

8. Staying up late to blog. :)

"Thursday's child has far to go"

My favourite day of the week is Thursday. Now, I don't mean to say that I don't like the other days of the week -- particularly Saturdays and Sundays, of course -- but Thursdays are different. By the time you get to Thursday you've gotten through over half of the week already. You've past Wednesday (aka "hump-day"), and you only have one more day to go before the weekend. The end of the week is near, but there's still time to get work done and finish with a sense of accomplishment. There's a hope and anticipation for the weekend that builds until Friday night when you suddenly realise that the weekend has already started, and you're not ready for it.

Paydays are on Thursdays.

TV is better on Thursdays.
I love Thursdays.

Monday's Child

Monday's child is fair of face,
Tuesday's child is full of grace,

Wednesday's child is full of woe,
Thursday's child has far to go,
Friday's child is loving and giving,
Saturday's child works hard for a living,
But the child that's born on the Sabbath day
Is bonny, blithe, good and gay.

FYI : I'm a Saturday's child.

This post was brought to you by Mrs. Gita Kumari (Lama) Khadgi

I discovered a recipe book at Ten Thousand Villages that I'm really excited about! It's a Nepalese cookbook, published in Nepal by Kumbeshwar Technical School to celebrate their 20th Anniversary.I'm really excited because I love Nepali food, and the recipes look somewhat simple. I haven't tried any yet, but I plan to try at least one this weekend. I have a potluck on Sunday and I want to make something different than my usual (macaroni & tomato, baked beans, etc.). I'm especially interested in trying to make paneer and rice pudding.

So a couple nights ago I made a trip to my local Loblaws for supplies - mostly spices. I needed a lot of spices: aniseed, coriander seeds, cardamom, garam masala, mustard seeds, tandoori masala (not on the list but I bought it anyway, I was on a roll!). And I still need to get: meat masala, fenugreek seeds, horseradish powder, green cardamoms.

I'd post the recipes but all proceeds from the sale of this cookbook go directly to the school. And as per the copyright note, "no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopy or otherwise, without prior permission of Mrs. Gita Kumari Khadgi. "

Hinterland Who's Who

Remember these? I remember them from the 80s, though I think most of them were produced in the 70s. They're informational vignettes about Canadian wildlife and are probably most recognizable by the first few flute notes. Well, I was washing my dishes one evening this week with the TV on in the background and I heard those notes again - the first time in a very long time! They're back! It takes me back to my childhood each time I hear one.

This made me laugh

As I was walking along Bloor on my way to Future's Bakery to meet up with friends, I passed by the Hot Spot Cafe (formerly Shakespeare's Cafe) and noticed something strange. There was a yellow glow coming from it's windows. When I got closer, I noticed that the windows were covered on the inside with yellow tissue paper. My first thought was that the Hot Spot Cafe was closed due to a failed inspection. You see, Shakespeare's Cafe didn't have the best reputation for inspections (they had regular yellow "conditional" passes). I checked for the green PASS sign from Toronto DineSafe. What I found was this notice below. Read it carefully.
Made you look! This is obviously some kind of joke. I suppose the Hot Spot Cafe is closed for renovations or something. The notice made me laugh out loud on the street.

So on I went to Future's to meet up with my friends and to have a slice of their yummy cake.
I should also mention that we're still having unseasonably warm weather for January in Toronto. It's been 8-10 C these last few days, and raining just like it was Spring.

Lacing up again

It's the first day of 2007 and an absolutely gorgeous day! It was about 9 degrees Celcius and sunny (with a few overcast moments) for most of the day. A perfect day for lacing up the skates. Apparently everyone else thought so too. We were not alone at Nathan Phillips Square. The surface of the ice was a bit wet, but if you don't fall it doesn't matter. :)

Happy New Year!

It's New Years Eve and to ring in 2007 properly a friend and I will be doing "all things Canadian". So what does that mean? Well, our plan is to cook lobster for dinner, and then watch Anne of Green Gables into the New Year.

The lobster adventure actually started last night.
I picked up 2 live lobsters last night from Loblaws. I had to do some research about how to store live lobsters. Since this is my first time actually cooking lobster I have a lot to learn. Whenever I've had lobster in the past, someone else has cooked it (and usually bought and cooked the lobster on the same day). I discovered, however, that you can store lobster overnight for up to 36 hours in the fridge (see these two sources: 1 , 2 ). So when I got home I got the lobsters all settled in the fridge (in containers that are kept damp by newpaper soaked in a brine solution). I checked on them a few times throughout the night and they seem to be doing well. They're still alive though a bit sluggish (as we all get in the cold!).
Cooking the lobster turned out to be pretty simple. Thanks to my landlady's generous offer, I had a stock pot that was perfect for the job. We brought 6 L of salt water (2 Tbsp per Litre) to a boil, plunged the lobster in head first (we'll spare you the video), and cooked each of them for 15 minutes until they were bright red.I was a little squeamish at first about boiling the lobster, particularly when I saw it still moving in the pot, but it had to be done. In the end it was fine.
Once cooked, we had to figure out how to prepare the lobster. It's been awhile since I last ate lobster so I'm not as familiar with lobster anatomy as I once was. We figured it out - take the tail off and cut it down the middle, twist the two claws off, and pretty much ignore the body (though there's some meat to be found, most of what's found in the body is the tomally and neither one of us were very interested in that).And then came the best part: eating the lobster!
We've decided that eating lobster is not for the faint of heart. Tearing off legs and sucking the lobster meat out of them would not appeal to some. And it's a lot of work, but oh so delicious!

Christmas at the cottage

My grandparents did a wonderful job decorating, inside and out. Gramp did his best to make our cottage the most decorated on the lake, and Gram trucked some of her favourite decorations from home to set up in the cottage, including about 20 of these snowflakes which were hung from the rafters. Very pretty and festive .
And then there was the natural beauty...
Though we didn't have any snow over Christmas it did get cold enough for ice to form on the surface of the lake. As usual, the sunsets at the lake never disappoint!

Frenchy finds!

Yes, while I was home I had a chance to go Frenchy shopping. Actually I had to drag my cousin to go shopping (though secretly I think she wanted to go too - she came home with lots more than me). We intended to go to the Weymouth Frenchy's and then work our way back to Digby, but as it turned out the Weymouth Frenchy's was closed. So, instead of heading back to Digby right away, we kept going to Meteghan, shopped for a bit there, stopped for lunch (Rapure Pie) and then headed to Digby.
The thing about Frenchy's that makes it so much fun is the sifting and the finding. There's definitely a strategy to shopping at Frenchy's. I've learned over the years, the best way is to start at a corner in the bin, push all the clothes to the side so you can see the bottom of the bin, and then sifting through the clothes one-by-one.
The key is to shop with someone who is not your size. This way you're not competing for clothes. I usually shop with my cousin and she's definitely not my size. When she sees something that looks right for me, she'll toss it over and if I like it, I'll put it in the orange basket or toss back in the bin (and vice versa).
It's a guarantee that most of what you sort through will be quickly passed over - there's a lot of junk to say the least (like this green and white polyester 1960s shirt). Usually my cousin makes the best finds. I give her full credit for my score finds this trip!
Another key thing to remember when shopping at Frenchy's is not to buy something that you think you can fix. Because some of the items have been previously worn or are unsold merchandise, and have been bundled and shipped from who-knows-where, they can sometimes have stains or might be damaged. If you find something that is damaged or stained throw it back in. You'll find something else. Chances are you'll never get around to fixing it, or the stain will never come out. And you've wasted a few precious dollars you could've spent on something else.

My purchases this trip:
1 large cranberry red banquet sized tablecloth (which my mother has promised to cut to fit my table - Thank you Mom!) = 3.00
1 pair of jeans = 3.50
1 Lands' End super comfy aqua hooded sweater = 3.50
1 Columbia long sleeved shirt = 3.50
1 sweater/shirt combo = 3.00
1 empire waist blousy top = 2.50

Travelers

I'm still in the the Airport, but as I'm sitting here watching people going by and waiting for my plane, I'm reminded of a song I really like by Carolyn Arends. It's simple and folksy, but very cleverly written and so true!

Travelers
by Carolyn Arends

Well, I should be there already
But my flight has been delayed
I'm a weary one of many
At an overcrowded gate
I have claimed my bit of carpet
'Cause there's not a single chair
Man, it's hard to be this grounded
When I should be in the air.

It's funny at an airport
How you witness every scene
The frantic and the famous
And the faces kind to me
There are signs to welcome daddies
There are flowers and balloons
Business trips and funerals
And happy honeymoons

You can guess some of the stories
'Cause it isn't hard to tell
The tears of sweet reunion
From the ones that bid farewell
There is variance in circumstance
Direction and occasion
But the truth is we're all travelers
Who have not reached our final destination

Eating raisins in the corner
Is a girl of five or six
She is sporting a new shiner
Shaped just like her brother's fist
But I'm sure he didn't mean it
'Cause they get along just fine
Accidents will happen
When you're killing this much time

And over by the payphones
Every guy has got a wife
He'll call to say he's sorry
He might not get home tonight
And that booker in Armani
Just keeps weaving through the crowd
Guess he's had a few too many
'Cause he's getting pretty loud

We are prodigals and pilgrams
We are sinners, we are saints
It gets hard to tell the difference
The more you make us wait
There is variance in circumstance
Direction, and occasion
But the truth is we're all travelers
Who have not reached our final destination

Well, you know those little carts
The employees drive inside
One guy keeps racing past here
Like the Indy's on the line
And the woman cleaning bathrooms
She sings "Jesus is my Lord"
While the girl who makes the hot dogs
Snaps her gum and just looks bored

Me, I sit here dreaming
Of my pillow and my bed
The kids won't be awake
But I will kiss their sleepy heads
With a hundred other passengers
I mutter up a prayer
Lord it's hard to be this grounded
When we should be in the air

We are restless, we are ready
To be anyplace but here
And the waiting has a way
Of making one thing very clear
There is variance in circumstance
Direction and occasion
But the truth is we're all travelers
Who have not reached our final destination

Yeah, the truth is we're all travelers
Who have not reached our final destination

c 2001 Songs of Peer, Ltd / Mr. Marley's Music (ASCAP)

Time to kill

I'm sitting in the Halifax International Airport as I write, marvelling about how fantastic it is that I can take advantage of the Aliant Hotspot (Wi-Fi) to keep me occupied until it's time to board my plane in an hour's time.

So I'm not looking forward to going back to the city, after being in NS for 10 days I'm getting quite used to the life out here. But I am looking forward to seeing Millie again, and seeing how she fared with the part-time cat sitter arrangements.

Christmas was wonderful as always. I love having the time with family, and find whatever time I have is never enough. But I took advantage of every moment: visiting with my very good friends for a day; dragged my cousin to Frenchy's and found a couple good finds; played games with the girls; over-indulged in Christmas sweets (peanut butter balls, caramel popcorn, Grampie's snack-tray, seafood casserole, turkey, the list could go on and on). It was a good holiday.

Can't wait to get settled back home and see Millie. I realise after being around all the family pets (Annie, Avery, Caleb, Im, Mittens, Teaka, and Tundra) how attached I am to my cuddly cat. Let's just hope she's not in a snit when I get back.

Signing off from the HIA...I'm thirsty so I'll check out the shops to see what I can find.

Let it snow

Here is a beautiful view of my backyard at home.
It looks like it'll be a white Christmas afterall!

Goodbye dear friend

(A blury photo of my old church taken in the summer of 2005)

Last Sunday my best friend called to tell me that the church we grew up in, and came to faith in was burning down. We knew that church intimately, every room, every nook & cranny:

• the crevice in choir closet that was big enough to squeeze into and deep enough to fit at least two people, possibly 3
• the closet in a closet that also led to a passageway underneath the stage in the sanctuary that was big enough to keep the street hockey equipment and also to hide in during "Spotlight"
• the sanctuary with wooden pews that would creak when you moved
• the kitchen where we spent many hours crafting (Ukrainian eggs, cake decorating, baking & cooking all sorts of things)
• the vestry where we met as a youth group

The church has been abandoned for several years, and (to be honest) when I received the call I wasn't as shaken up as my friend was because I was a little surprised the church was still standing. I had "said goodbye" about a year ago, the last time I visited the town, when I learned that it was going to be torn down to build condos (argh! you can see condo development encroaching on small town Nova Scotia now!).

Here are some photos. I can't take any credit for the photography. They were emailed to me by another friend:

ISAIAH 43:2
When you pass through the waters,
I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers,
they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire,
you will not be burned;
the flames will not set you ablaze.

Tuesday night at the OFRB

Once in awhile the Ontario Film Review Board opens their theatre to the public to rate a film. I went on Tuesday as part of a fundraiser for United Way (pay $5 to be the first to see and rate a movie). It's a bit of a gamble because you don't know what film you're rating until just a few minutes before it starts, but being a part of the process makes it all worth it.

Earlier on Tuesday, they rated Charlotte's Web (a wonderful movie, said the Chair of the OFRB). Tuesday night we rated Smokin' Aces.

Smokin' Aces has a lot of big names - Ben Affleck, Ray Liotta, Ryan Reynolds, Alicia Keys, Andy Garcia - but don't let that fool you. It was a terrible movie!! What is funny is that the Chair of the OFRB introduced the movie by saying something to the effect of : it's got Ben Affleck so it should be good for a laugh or two. How wrong she was! It was anything BUT funny. And completely NOT what any of us were expecting. First of all there were so many expletives the OFRB reviewers couldn't keep up (their lights kept flashing on and off as they ticked off what was said, and when), there was a lot of implied violence and lots of fake blood, there really wasn't much for a plot - no suspense, no character development. But being a part of the process made it worth it. I would do it again.

Here's what I learned about film rating:

• The Ontario Film Review Board was the first board to start rating films in North America in the 1920s.
  
• The OFRB rates up to 3 or 4 films a day, everything from Charlotte's Web to "adult" films
• The OFRB reviewers post their comments/observations on the OFRB website
  
• A PG film is allowed to have 3 "f***s"
• Directors know how to monopolise on "implied violence", ie. lots of blood, but no actual visible violence (as demonstrated in "Smokin Aces").
• Distributors want the rating to be low because a low rating means the movie will be available to the largest market (ie. more people can see a 14A film than a 18A film). They will appeal a decision to try to get a lower rating.
  
• A film reel is usually about 20 minutes long, and you can tell when a reel is about to be changed when you see a black dot in the upper right hand corner.
  

Have Daypass, Will Travel

It was a lovely day traipsing around downtown with my daypass.

Stop #1 : Queen Street West
I wanted to go back to Romni Wools and look around a bit more. I didn't get a chance to look at the discount bins, or the knitting books on my first trip, and I wanted to pick up a ball (or two) of sock wool with the idea of practicing smaller stitches and possibly making a little pouch for my mp3 player.

To get to Romni, I passed by MissBehav'N where live models were dancing in the windows wearing nothing but pasties and lingerie. Only on Queen Street West. It was a bit shocking to walk by the storefront, look over and see these ladies happily dancing away.
On my way back from Romni, I stopped at Ten Thousand Villages and coveted everything in the store; and Outer Layer, where I sampled dirt scented perfume, and gingerale scented perfume to cover up the very convincing scent of dirt from the first sample. Why oh why would anyone want to smell like dirt?

Stop #2 : Kensington Market
Oh how I love cheese! I indulged in my cheese cravings even though I suspect I will pay for it later. I sampled half a dozen different types of cheeses: Stilton, Appledore (Lancashire w. apples & cinnamon), Oka Classique, and a mild blue cheese. Half these cheeses I probably shouldn't eat, but I really couldn't resist. $9.18 later I had a bag of Oka, Blue Cheese and the Appledore.

Next stop HAD to be My Market Bakery to get some fresh bread to go with the cheese. Fresh bread to go, and tiramisu for the road (again, I gave in to a craving).

Last stop was the South American store where I bought 6 Pupusas. I love that you could miss this little hideaway pupusa place if you didn't know it's there. It's at the back of a tiny little grocery, and two women are busy making pupusas for a good part of the weekend. I've been going there since I first found my way around Kensington 6 years ago. It's quite a little find and the pupusas are really quite lovely tasting. I bought a mix -2 cheese, 2 bean and 2 everything. They'll make good lunches throughout the week at work (and for $2 ea. you really can't go wrong).

Stop #3: Canadian Tire
On sale: 3' Lighted Christmas Tree, $7.99 (reg. $24.99). I've been looking for an artificial Christmas tree. I've tried real trees and although I like them much better, the only trees I can find are potted and can't be left indoors for more than a week (or they come out of dormancy). So off I went to pick up the little guy. It's a bit of a Charlie Brown christmas tree, but it'll do nicely for this year.

Knit one, purl two

How beautiful is this yarn!?! I went shopping today after work with a friend who knows more about knitting than I do. She took me to Romni Wools, an amazing store in the Queen St. W. neighbourhood. When you walk in you you're immediately hit with the smell of wool. You look around and all you can see wall to wall are the vibrant colours of balls and balls of yarn of all different shapes and sizes. Balls of yarn tumbling onto the floor. Soft cottons, silk and mohair yarns to itchy, coarse wools. Everything you could possibly imagine, in dyes that are almost beyond imagination! It's sensory overload.
This was my first knitting project. It started off as my practice piece, but was just the right size to fold in half, stitch up the sides with a blanket stitch and add a drawstring at the top for a hot water bottle cozy. I tried out a few different type of stitches in this piece and had a bit of fun with it. It's not the nicest knitted hot water bottle cozy, but it's a start.
Millie likes the yarn too. :)