In The Long Cold Winter

When the weather outside is frightful like it usually is in January, it's hard to find motivation to venture outside. Even during normal years, I might only venture out for a handful of shows, maybe catch a Fringe remount at the Next Stage festival. With Toronto still in a pandemic lock-down this year, I've become mostly a homebody except for daily strolls to get a bit of fresh air and some rare sunshine.

On one walk, I noticed that new eateries were still opening along College St. The shuttered Bake Shoppe has re-opened as Barbershop Patisserie. Long-time Southern Accent called it quits after 37 years, having recently moved to this street from Mirvish Village. But a Hakka diner has put up a Coming Soon sign in its window. Sharwarma Grill in Little Italy barely lasted 2 years and was now Tsu Chi, a plant-based Japanese café.

From the outside of the café, with its minimal décor, tiny sign, and the array of tasteful offerings in the window, I thought it was a beauty shop or spa. The menu had a number of intriguing items including mains but today, I only ordered a Vanilla Flan ($6.80). It was wonderfully fragrant and authentic despite being a vegan dessert and containing no eggs or dairy. The portion was a bit small for the price but you are paying for the aesthetic: glass bottle, paper wrap, and rope ties.

As for regular haunts, I found out that the owners of Pam's Roti were hospitalized with Covid. They weren't just away for an extended Christmas break! I sincerely hope for good news from them. Meanwhile, the proprietor of African Palace also caught the virus from her room-mate and had to close the restaurant and quarantine for 2 weeks. It seemed as if my predictions for Bloordale/Bloorcourt are coming true.

I'm not watching much online content. A Long Winter livestream on Youtube had some interesting moments, but I'm indifferent to pre-recorded performances (even if the post-interviews are live). This past Saturday, I caught a fun Instagram show from ZINNIA. She played her own music but also hosted other musicians including Charlotte Cornfield. I was on-the-fence with Cornfield a few years back, but In My Corner was a revelation. Her songcraft has improved tremendously.

Since all of Zinnia's videos from her last release comprised of modern dance choreography, she invited individual dancers to join her tonight. Like all online platforms, Instagram cannot handle collaborative playing. But the combination of live music and solo dance worked surprisingly well. It helped that Zinnia's pensive, stripped-down performance didn't need accurate synchronization so internet lags could be masked by the drawn-out movements.