Made In Taipan

The heavy breakfast at Daily Grind was unwise since I was meeting some co-workers for lunch on Monday. The subway in Toronto can't be beat: I was able to get on the Bloor line at Lansdowne, hop off at Ossington to get money from an ATM, back on until Yonge station, then take the Yonge line to North York Centre. Despite only a 40-minute window, I made it on time to a Taiwanese fusion cafe called Petit Potato.

Last time here, I enjoyed their pan-Asian food with a dash of European-style desserts. This time, it was a more pedestrian meal for me. Perhaps they didn't do Japanese dishes as well since by accident we ordered all Japanese fare: omurice with chicken cutlet ($16.99 lunch special), pork gyoza ($7.99 add-on), and takoyaki ($10.49). Everything was just so-so, even the edamame was limp and bland. But the Earl Grey mille crepe cake ($12.99) was a good end to the meal.

My ex-coworker's temporary hiatus has transitioned into early retirement. With elderly relatives needing to be managed (health care, a life-time of personal belongings, and so on), an introverted child having trouble breaking into a hi-tech field that favours braggadocio, and prioritizing their own well-being (running, yoga, sleep), they didn't have the bandwidth to look for work at this late stage in the game. My current coworker was still at it but with married children, they were planning on how to transfer assets such as property in a tax-effective way. In fact, our discussion revolved mostly around retirement including various health issues, government benefits, and other grey-haired topics.

On the way back to my studio rental, I got off early at Bloor and Delaware to grab a veggie plate from Laziza for dinner. When this Middle-Eastern takeout opened about a decade ago, this entrée was only $8.99. But this meal was now $14.99. Though some employees were stingier than others, you could generally expect a good amount of food in the container. Today's taciturn server wasn't one of the regular workers behind the counter. From my vague recollection, he was typically miserly. But this time he piled on so much food that there was enough for two meals. The container was so hefty that I had to alternate arms while carrying it. Even with the higher price, I won't find this sort of deal in Ottawa.