Doomed

I spent the last 2 weeks inside with only short trips outdoors for exercise runs, groceries, or visiting a relative. Ottawa seems to encourage cocooning, probably because most of it is urban sprawl. Also, I have been suffering mild stomach problems. I hope my decades-long love/hate relationship with my digestive system hasn't taken a turn. It would be ironic indeed to develop IBS or a similar issue just as I have resolved to do more traveling post-Covid after years of staying put. But recent symptoms in older relatives point to a likely genetic predisposition, so my fate could be sealed.

Speaking of fate and omens, I enjoyed immensely Denis Villeneuve's Dune on Friday at the theatre. It wasn't the enigmatic puzzle some claimed. I did read the novel a few weeks beforehand because I believed these rumours. The book itself was also straightforward with simple ideas. I'm not sure why so many people online bounced off the supposedly obtuse and convoluted vocabulary. These folks should avoid Jack Vance if they think Herbert is hard. Perhaps a lifetime diet of speculative fiction has trained me on obscure or invented words. In any case, the lurid wikipedia synopsis of the remaining novels convinced me to stop at the first book.

On Saturday, I ordered from Chahaya Malaysia: Sayur Masak Lemak ($16), Beef Rendang ($18.50), and jasmine rice ($7.50). The vegetables and tofu sheets in coconut curry packed quite a spicy kick but not much else. The beef was better with tender, flaky cubes. I would have preferred the basmati rice with raisins (Nasik Myniak) but they got my order wrong. This is why I dislike tipping on take-out orders because I essentially rewarded a screw-up. Overall, like all Ottawa restaurants so far, an acceptable meal without much superlatives.

I hold some fond memories of this place though I haven't been in years. Decades ago, when it was located in the fashionable Glebe area, Chahaya was one of the numerous restaurants my crush and I visited. Nothing came of that unrequited love except my appreciation of cuisine other than unlimited pasta at The Olive Garden. Looking back, I can't believe how young we actually were.

A quick search revealed that they have a well-off (both doctors) life, raising a family in a semi-rural area near Ottawa. So that wouldn't have worked out. My only regret about living in the big city of Toronto is that I didn't spend time living in even bigger cities (e.g., New York, Paris) for a few years.