Noodling Around

I headed to the Byward Market to try some hand-pulled noodles at Le Mien. Generally I wasn't a fan of Chinese noodle shops as they tended to be a bit one note (mostly beef). Compare this to pho where you get fresh herbs and bean sprouts and ramen with wood-ear mushrooms, bamboo shoots, and various add-ons. Le Mien had a vegetarian item but my experience was that non-meat options at these places were wholly underwhelming (except for the flavourful bowl at defunct Landing Noodle in Toronto).

So I settled for a small beef noodle ($15.99) and a side-order of mushrooms and mixed vegetables ($6.49). I opted for a medium-sized, round strand while my dinner companions chose a thick, flat noodle. Mine turned out to be reasonably toothsome and so did theirs, though their flat noodle looked almost like lasagna with its large width. The beef and broth were decent though there were no greens in sight, not even the sprinkle of chopped parsley and green onion in the menu photo. I also enjoyed the enoki mushroom but sadly the veggies were also nowhere to be found. Overall, I will stick with pho and ramen.

My friends were late despite driving to the Market. I could excuse the harried parent because they had unexpected pick-up duties for their children. Like always, we shared a cheerful, funny vibe that made me regretted that until recently I lost touch with them for almost ten years. So I didn't retroactively minded their tardiness.

The couple were dinks (dual income no kids) who, in my opinion, should have been on time. They were one of my oldest friends but we have also rarely met in person over the last decade. Their spouse found most things unpleasant or at least will always lead first with a dismissive statement. I realized that, while talking to my friend's partner, that I should tone down my put-downs of Ottawa at least in real life.

There was almost nothing worthwhile in North American cities, according to this critic. This was an unfortunate attitude because if I needed some fun, I was only a few hours from Toronto or Montreal. But their idea of La Dolce Vita was thousands of kilometres away in Europe or Asia.

Dragon Age

Tet Nguyen Dan or the Lunar New Year arrived on Saturday. I headed over to my grandma for a visit and brought a special New Year's box of Asian-flavoured bonbon from Onyx Chocolate. I had ordered 3 ($30.88/box) for my grandma, my mom, and my sibling. With $25 shipping and tax, each box's cost was adding up. This was the sort of gift where you were vague about the price to blunt any familial concern about expense.

Unfortunately, I didn't meet my sibling at my grandma's as planned. They had to stay home to take care of their spouse because the latter had major surgery last week. Things went well but it turned out they needed some antibiotics for a possible infection. In any case, they will have to convalesce until mid-March.

Speaking of which, March was the due date for one of my cousin's second child. The baby's progress had no hiccups until early Saturday morning when he was born prematurely. So my latest nephew will have to spend time in the NICU. The parents were emotional with both happiness and worry.

My cousin who was planning to relocate to Calgary with their partner had volunteered for a lay-off package because of work stress. With six months of severance as buffer, they wanted to try being a waiter. I knew they were a serious amateur cook but restaurant work doesn't seem less stressful. Also, the pay would be significant less than for a Silicon Valley remote worker. Finally, there would be no opportunity to continue their digital nomad lifestyle. So I'm not sure how carefully they've thought this through.

So a day into the New Year has brought several life-changing events to my extended family. With my aunts heading to the old country this week, there might be even more news on the horizon.

Pay To Not Slay

The Lunar New Year Tet was fast approaching. One of the tradition was to pay your debts before year's end. I didn't owe anyone money but I finally got my finances in order as opposed to keeping my cash under a mattress. There was one item left: consolidating my emergency funds.

We Canadians feel smug about E-Transfer, a technology supported by all our banks, unlike the Americans who rely on private services such as PayPal or Venmo and physical transactions. But for larger sums, we were also stuck in the pen-and-paper era. So on Friday, I needed to go downtown to one bank, pay for a bank draft, then walk a block over to my other bank to deposit it. I didn't even have the satisfaction of receiving a stack of bills.

Afterwards, I went to The Byward Market for lunch. This was the only neighbourhood in Ottawa that had more than 2 blocks of businesses. But despite being an unseasonably warm day, there was hardly anyone around. I stepped inside India Cafe because the combination of prepared food and grocery shelves reminded me of bodegas like Latin World and Tierra Azteca. The menu photos didn't look promising but I finally settled on a plate of chana masala ($12.99).

The dish was a bust. Like other Indian places in Ottawa, they though that salad was a good substitute for flavourful South Asian side-dishes. The rest was simply a pile of chickpeas with a watery sauce on basmati rice. I thought about a typical veggie thali at Banjara in Toronto: papadam, rice, naan, pakora, 3 dishes and a rice pudding dessert. This bountiful meal was only $11.95 in 2021 (though inflation has increased it to $15.99). The quality was better a decade ago but it still outclassed the meal I had: cheaper, larger, better flavour. Whenever I break my promise of never dining out in Ottawa again, I am reminded why I should keep to my word.

Bonne Fete

On Sunday, I was invited to a birthday brunch. It wasn't actually for myself as most people don't know about it. My friend did a birthday dinner for a mutual friend back in November. Now, it was the latter's husband who was the recipient of a celebration.

Like last time, the generous appetizer spread of figs, charcuterie, cheese, and other small eats was enough. But there were also entrees of siu mai, chicken and potatoes, beans, and a beef bread lasagna. After a brief break, we had desserts of fresh longan, a fruit mix of pineapple, kiwis, and lychee, and a home-made Biscoff cheesecake.

Throughout the meal, the teenagers from both households were asked about their braces, schooling (math, science, art, drama), and after-school activities (speed skating, hockey, rugby, and so on). It was both timeless (this happened back in the day) but also modern (social media and smartphones). I had little to contribute because I had no progeny myself and as for my own childhood, I grew up poor and didn't experience any of those things. Even my high school offered nothing but the basics.

The family vacation tales were also a bit foreign to me. Cruise ships didn't sound appealing and neither did shopping in Japan. But there were some interesting stories: a French canal cruise on a small river barge and a 100 km excursion (up to Tombstone Provincial Park) on the majestic 740 km Dempster highway in the Yukon. I could see myself doing both, but while booking a slow cruise along an idyllic countryside is straightforward, the logistics of an Arctic car trip would be hard for non-driver like me to solve.

During my 2-hour commute home (public transit on Sunday in Ottawa is not for the weak), I thought about my own birthday celebrations. I prefer spending it alone and in fact, there has been only 1 communal one for myself. As a child, my family didn't have the money for them. As an adult, there were two on the same day during my last year in University. The lunch outing was among a small group of friends from my program and dinner was with a closer group that included my crush.

Both were rather awkward. At the Mexican cantina, I didn't know my lunch buddies very well except that we went to the same classes and worked together on group projects. The evening meal at a "gastro-pub" was fine but it wasn't the romantic dinner between 2 lovers of my fantasy. So obviously the actual reality could only be bittersweet and disappointing. Since then, I've rather been relieved that only my mom sends me a congratulatory email on my birthday. Thanks but no candles or bonhomie for me.

Why Are Thou Willie

The hibernating marmots were out on Friday to predict the weather. As for me, I usually celebrate Groundhog Day at a nice restaurant. That petered out during the pandemic years although I was in Toronto last year for a milestone birthday. I had planned on doing it again this year but canceled it since I will be in The Big Smoke at the end of February for a postponed concert. Two trips in the same month was too profligate because even a short visit of a few days can add up to almost a thousand dollars.

I was already heading to the St. Laurent and Montreal area to I print my bus tickets at the local library. So I decided to look for a spot for a mini-celebration. As the branch did not open until after lunch, I wandered down side-streets until I arrived at McArthur Ave. Before the strip malls decimated St. Laurent, these two roads must have had bustling storefronts. There were still a smattering of local businesses along the latter.

I stepped inside Stacked Smoked Meat and Grill expecting a venerable diner. Unfortunately, it was a new place exuding nondescript food vendor vibe complete with generic banquette seating, a few tables, and grey faux wood paneling. I ordered the Stacked combo ($18.95) comprising of an 8 oz sandwich, slaw, and fries. I turned down the free pop that came with the meal. It was a large lunch for the price; the limp pickle disappointed but the fries were hot from the fryer, the slaw was fresh, and the sandwich was stuffed to overflowing. The meat was average, resembling smooth bologna as opposed to the marbled and textured slices of high-quality Montreal smoked meat. But it was about what I expected so I was reasonably satisfied.

On my way back to the library, the sky was overcast. But I previously saw my shadow in the morning sunlight. So will there be an early Spring or not?