Muddle Through Somehow

More nesting inside this week even though the weather is remarkably mild for Ottawa. But it is too easy to spend each day noshing, doing some reading, and taking an afternoon nap. Rinse and repeat. Mid-week, there was a Christmas Day lunch at the relatives. The entire clan was there with only 2 missing due to illness. But with more and more members living elsewhere, especially the younger set, I can see these get-togethers either becoming rarer or sparser. After all, it is already down-graded from dinner for the last few years.

I headed once more to Upward Dog for an energy boost. But Saturday's Power Core class wasn't as enjoyable. It was virtually empty with people opting out given the holiday schedule. The casual instructions from the substitute were also off-putting. My own experience with careful, detail-oriented teachers leave me biased against "lesser" instructors.When a class seems to "harm" instead of providing a benefit to new practitioners, I'm not happy.

This time, I had lunch at Murray Street, a charcuterie next to Bite. The tomato soup ($7) and corned hash ($15) caught my eye. The soup was hot and rich, though perhaps a little too creamy. Some spoonfuls felt like slurping up pasta sauce. But overall, the crushed herb kept things fresh and fragrant. For the main, the poached egg was sufficiently runny, the corned beef tender and not too salty, and the potato hash soft and toothsome. I would have played up the onions and cheese, and perhaps add some greens or herbs, to lighten the heavy flavour.