That's A Wrap

Trips to Toronto often involved delicious food not available in Ottawa. But last week's visit was disappointing culinary-wise except for the first meal, perhaps because I was relying on Toronto Life's recent list of "cheap eats". A few months back, they published an article that named The Danforth and several areas near Yonge and Sheppard to be the top 10 neighbourhoods in Toronto. This risible take had me wondering if the staff were transplants and don't actually know much about The Big Smoke. Likewise, several well-known entries on that cheap-eats list already had me rolling my eyes. I should have listened to my gut instinct and skipped the rest.

Returning from Burlington after my solar eclipse watch on Monday, I headed to the Baldwin area of Kensington Market. Unfortunately, Takoyaki 6ix was closing up for the day. So I headed to the busy Spadina and College intersection. In a building with one of the few remaining internet gaming café and next to the Burger King on the corner, there was an outdoor ATM. It was then boarded up for a long time before someone tried a tiny coffee kiosk, then a coffee/drinks/ice cream location. Now, Corner Crepe was taking a shot with offerings of Chinese crepe or Jian Bing Guo Shi.

I opted for the traditional one ($6.99). The crepe was large for the price and stuffed with eggs, salad, scallion, and cilantro. But it was bland and boring despite the spicy sauce. Maybe the addition of sausage or other add-ons ($3.99) would add more flavour. The one bright spot was the texture contrast between the soft crepe shell and the crunchy wonton crisp. I liked it better than the Japanese crepe at Millie Creperie but it wasn't the revelation that was long defunct Qian He.

Before I headed to the Chess tournament at The Great Hall on Tuesday, I went back to Baldwin to try a vegan Egyptian spot called Eat Nabati. Most of their pita wraps contained tahini but I decided to risk an allergic reaction with a Cauliflower Za'atar ($7.99). Sadly, the fried floret wasn't flavourful and the rest of the veggie ingredients, though fresh, didn't justify a pita that was 40% smaller than most shawarma places. While eating my lunch, I thought that I'd prefer vegan versions of the Egyptian street food from Tut's.

My last attempt at a tasty meal came after a dance recital Tuesday night. I knew that Lahore Grill was opened late. Two years on from my last take-out there, it was still one of the best South Asian place I've been to. I hopped on a Carlton street-car that would take me directly there along Gerrard St. Unfortunately, 3 blocks into my ride, the driver had to stop the vehicle because one of the passengers, passed out in their seat, needed a wellness check from EMS. With this emergency blocking all traffic eastbound on Gerrard, I returned to Parliament and took an alternate route back to my rental. By then, I was too hungry to wait for the Greenwood bus that could also drop me off at Lahore. While I ate the last slice of bianca from the nearby Pizzaiolo, I reflected on the bad timing. If I had arrived at the Parliament and Gerrard stop 20 seconds earlier, I would have caught the previous street-car.

Mixed Company

Tuesday night, I barely made it in time for a dance recital at Citadel & Compagnie at Dundas and Parliament. Toronto transit was frequent and relatively speedy, but I underestimated the travel time from my stay at Coxwell. I was rushing in so I didn't get a chance to wander through the former Salvation Army building. But it looked fairly spacious with a lounge/bar area and a dance stage. The seats were plastic chairs crammed tight, reminding me of the set-up of Storefront Theatre back in the day.

The site was hosting a new two week dance showcase of mostly local talent called Spring Mix. With her connections to Quebec, artistic director Laurence Lemieux was also bringing several companies from Montreal. I was looking forward to it since my only exposure to Citadel was a live event over Zoom during the pandemic.

All four pieces were contemporary but the two that got the best responses were grounded in traditional forms. The first piece was Hannah Kiel's "pas de deux" for 2 National Ballet apprentices. This was the shortest and most unsatisfying. Whether due to its length or Kiel's own temperament, it was chaotic and frenetic. The piece lacked motif, repeated phrasing, and mirrored movement that typically give structure to a dance. This was important for a contemporary number that introduce a new "vocabulary" to the audience.

Kala Dance Collective was rooted in the Indian dance Bharatanatyam. It started with a long section where the dancers were mostly seated. You might not be aware of the full significance, but their facial expressions, arm movement, and finger positions (Mudras) told stories. Later, they flowed through the stage with quick slides, spins, and Kathakesque feet taps. If I had to guess, all the dancing was classical but the narrative was modern.

Samantha Sunderland's 4-person piece had more structure in its contemporary choreography, with her dancers struggling to break free from the grasps of hooded individuals. This piece's shortcoming was giving equal time to all the performers in solos and pairs. So it dragged a bit with stretches where the dancing seemed to lack purpose and ideas.

The final piece, a solo by Sofi Gudiño, got the most engagement. People were chuckling at the start as Gudiño wandered the stage, checking out the dressing room mirror, looking at the lights, trying out steps at various locations. This "backstage" intro led to two dynamic sections. They started in tights and a short flamenco jacket. Their movement was masculine bravado with feet stomps and sharp arm bends. Gudiño winked and blew kisses to the crowd. Then an assistant came on to help them into a pink "Gitana dress" with a long train. Their dance became more fluid and included high heel kicks so that the train could be flipped up and spun behind them. The audience gave delighted gasps when Gudiño gathered the layered, frilly hem above their head, forming a ruffled structure that, like Georgia O'Keeffe's flower paintings, could be interpreted in different ways. The synthwave score was an interesting contrast to the sharp strumming of traditional flamenco music.

It was a great end to a fun evening of dance. I didn't stick around for the meet-and-greet. I had skipped dinner so it was time to look for some food. 8:30 wasn't that late but many restaurants in Toronto do close or wind down around 9 pm.

The Kings Of Queen St

Tuesday morning, I headed north up Coxwell for a short stroll. I usually avoid arterial roads due to car noises but I wanted a change from walking along Danforth Avenue. I thought it would be a concrete jungle like Dufferin or Ossington in the West End but Coxwell was more like an ok Dovercourt Rd. That is: with the houses set back from the street with green lawns, it was nicer than Dovercourt north of Bloor but it wasn't quite the pleasant tree-lined boulevard of Dovercourt south of Bloor.

Near O'Connor there was a cluster of businesses. You can always tell where the downtown of former villages used to be by the block or two of stores amid the residential homes. Of course, 150 years ago, they wouldn't have had Sushi or Greek restaurants. I wanted to check out this area during my sublet in 2022. I never got around to it and don't recall which restaurant was on my to-do list.

I also wanted to visit the series of connected parks and green space around here so I looked for a pedestrian entry. One of them, Taylor Bryant Park, was nestled among the chi-chi houses of Taylor Drive. A series of steep stairs led me down to Taylor Creek. Looking back, I should have taken the walking trails to Woodbine or even Victoria Park. But I headed west to the Don Valley. This wetland strip was a bit of nature amid the urban landscape but it wasn't particularly pleasant. Firstly, the noise from the DVP highway mostly drowned out the Don river or any other natural sounds. And secondly, you were committed to a long walk as there was no exit until past the Millwood Rd bridge at Beechwood. I then headed south along traffic-heavy Broadview until I was back at Danforth before double back to my rental. This accidental 11 km walk took almost 2.5 hours to complete.

After a quick washing up, I jumped on the subway to the first event of the day: the Fide Chess Candidates at The Great Hall. The top players from 2023 competed in classical chess for 3 weeks. The winner would face the current champion later in the year. It was the first time The Candidates was played in North America and the first time ever that both the Open and the Women's Candidates took place at the same time and in the same location. I wasn't a huge chess fan (nor a good player) but this was the sort of random event that I used to attend because Toronto was a big city full of interesting activities.

It turned out to be a let-down. Though my ticket claimed that I had a window from 2:40-4:30 pm to watch the players from the balcony, you had to be there by 2 pm. There was no "late-comers" or any sort of rotating entry policy. There was also a "no camera and phone" restriction. I wasn't the only one caught flat-footed by this strict rule.

Supposedly, this was to give the players a quiet environment to compete. But given that media was walking around on the main floor with cameras while VIPs (those who paid for pricier packages) can enter and leave at any time, I doubt these policies were meaningful. In any case, we all shuffled into the fan-zone in the basement to watch the matches on TV monitors. I hung around listening to the commentaries, watched some amateur games, and bought a t-shirt as a souvenir. I headed out after about an hour as it was too sunny an afternoon to be inside watching a screen.

Dark Side of the Moon

I was in Toronto for the total solar eclipse of 2024 happening on Monday. I knew that 99% coverage was not enough so I needed to get to a place in the path of totality. Luckily, the inter-city Go Transit rail line would allow me to reach several such spots easily. I opted for Burlington, a place I haven't visited in a decade. I was also meeting up with the same friend who had settled there back then. The two of us haven't met or spoken to each other since 2019 when we met up for some ice cream near Queen and Ossington during my 4 weeks yoga training intensive.

They picked me up at the Appleby train station and we decided to try for the Waterfront. After we parked just up the street in a No Frills strip mall, they worryingly inquired if I was up to walking the 700m along Brant Street. It was a truly suburban attitude as I had walked several kilometres on Sunday. Brant was a pleasant avenue with numerous small businesses but I wondered how many locals actually come "downtown" regularly. We stopped off at Lena's Roti and Doubles for lunch. Apparently, this suburban chain had several stores all over the GTA. Not sure how the other locations fared but the food here, a small chicken roti ($8.99) and a regular channa doubles ($3.25), was average at best.

Since morning, the sky was thick with clouds. We were unlikely to see the eclipse except for secondary effects (temperature drop, twilight) so we ditched the crowd down by the water and headed for a quieter scene at Central Park. But miraculously, by 2 pm, the clouds were mostly gone. Our eclipse glasses showed us a crescent orb that slowly ate up the sun. Past 3 o'clock and 90% coverage, the shadows became sharp, colours took on an odd vividness while the daylight had a hazy, looking-glass quality. When the sun went behind a major cloud formation 5 minutes from totality, we thought for sure we would miss the climatic moment. But incredibly there was a clear patch, day became night, and after a burst of light at the solar rim, the moon fully covered the sun. With the corona sparkling around the orb, it looked like a hole had been cut out of the sky; it was somehow blacker than the night firmament. Totality was spectacular and otherworldly.

Over the several hours that we spent together, we caught up with our lives. Mine was relatively uneventful as both my mom and 95-year-old grandma were in good health. I related my financial plans from insurance to investing, all with the aim for retirement. Theirs was a bit more up-and-down. They briefly separated from their spouse and moved to Hamilton. But their company in nearby Dundas had a major lay-off last year. It was a blessing in disguise since the racial micro-aggression was stressful. Then they reconciled with the partner and decided to move back to Burlington.

Looking for work in the last 8 months has been challenging. There were several stressors. First, their perfectionist nature meant they worked for weeks on each application. Second, there were usually several rounds of interviews in competition with hundreds of other people. Finally, they were ambivalent about continuing as an E-learning author since they wanted to transition to a different career.

They had turned down a 7-month consulting gig but I gently suggested that they might want to inquire after a different contract opportunity that was in the works. For one thing, there was less emotional attachment to a temporary job. They could also be earning better than government unemployment benefits, relieving any money worries, while figuring out what the next steps could be for a career change.

Time To Feel Good

I have been more diligent with my exercise regime ever since I got a digital scale back in March. It turned out the decades-old spring scale in the bathroom was off by 10 lbs. Yikes! I knew I was no spring chicken but I thought I was in better shape. So it was Yoga every morning and then a 45-minute walk around the neighbourhood in the afternoon.

The weight slowly came off and that had a second benefit. The insurance company called to arrange a medical check-up because whole-life insurance had stricter requirements. Despite my friend's skepticism of permanent insurance, I decided to at least go through with the exam. Since there was 3 vials worth of blood-work, I didn't want a personal nurse visit. I guess applicants didn't usually make a fuss about this because they struggled to find a clinic as an alternative.

The one they finally found cost a pretty penny according to my phone contact. But I supposed the prospect of getting those huge, yearly premiums was too tempting to pass up. I wasn't sure why it was more expensive until I stepped inside La Vie Health two weeks ago. Apparently when people can afford a private "executive health" clinic, they get access to half a dozen doctors as well as a plethora of nurses and other specialists. This couldn't be more different than my mom's experience over the last few years at walk-in clinics ever since her family doctor retired.

On Saturday, after printing tickets for my upcoming trip to Toronto at the library, I passed by Frys Guy. This chip wagon closed for the winter but I didn't realized that they re-open this early. So I grabbed a small poutine ($7) for lunch. After all, nobody will be measuring my waist anytime soon.

The next day, I was back in Toronto. This was my 3rd stay at this East End AirBnB. Like last time, I walked to Little India and then to Gerrard Square. After a bit of shopping, I went to see if any of the new shops had opened. But Montreal Smoked Meat and Nutmento (Caribbean Grill) was still under renovation. I made my way back up to Danforth Avenue via Logan. Despite my 2-month sublet in 2022 and walking everywhere, there were still pockets of the East End that I missed. This road was a mix of modest homes, modest homes modernized with trendy construction, and larger houses. The latter dominated the street across from Withrow Park. Even a decade ago, a friend couldn't afford a house in this neighbourhood and settled for Donlands. They have since upgraded to the rarified airs of Cedarvale.

Walking along Danforth back to my rental near Coxwell, I passed by many businesses. I haven't visited enough to tell if they were new or long-time shops except the ones that had "established in 1989" or "opened since 1985". For younger folks, that must seem ancient. But how could they be considered old if I was already alive back then? I was surprised that the basement restaurant Le Plato was still around.

Famished after my long walk in the sunshine, I stepped inside the modest Ethiopian restaurant Abugida. I had a wonderful veggie combo ($17) last time and this time round the beet, lentils, berbere sauce, and collard greens were just as tasty. I did switch to genuine Ethiopian injera for an extra $3.25. As it is made from teff and not wheat, sometimes a restaurant will advertised them as gluten-free. I wouldn't recommend teff injera to first-timers because the fermentation makes the flatbread a bit sour. This can be off-putting if you aren't used to the flavour. Wheat-based "Canadian injera" would be an easier entry point.