I Will Lay Me Down

After my trip to Toronto in early June, sometimes fun sometimes not, my cough has continued to linger. This bland admission (to myself) masked an unpleasant truth: probable lung damage from a supposedly "minor illness" that could impact my quality of life.

To avoid being exposed to car exhausts and exacerbating my cough, I have been staying off the main roads for my walks. The upside was the exploration of some new neighbourhoods. These were older, richer areas so the homes were stately and unique instead of being cookie cutter suburban houses. A meandering path through a hill led me to the Beacon Hill Shopping Centre. I used to visit this mall because a high-school friend lived nearby. The decades have not been kind as most of the units were empty. The main tenants were several government services. Even so, one of them had left in 2022 according to the notice left on the door.

A solitary eatery called The Hill Bakehouse and Deli offered sandwiches and baked goods. It must have changed hands recently because the Asian owner sold various stir-fried items. I visited a few times and tried the beef noodles, chicken fried rice, samosas, and Jamaican patties. None were particularly outstanding but they were cheap ($6 or less) and had good portion size. With even fast-food lunches costing well over $10, I can see the appeal to the high-school students from nearby.

On Sunday, I finally saw a real-life, non-family person in 5 months. My friend and I ate some noodles in the Byward Market back in February. We were to meet again but our plans kept getting disrupted by extra-curricular activities on their side or sickness on my end. Originally, we had scheduled a brunch in the Market but at the last minute, we went to Yun Shang Noodles at Bank and Somerset. It was my suggestion because for Ottawans who drive, you have to offer alternatives near their house if they suddenly lose access to the family car. The thought of taking public transit was verboten.

I first tried "Crossing The Bridge" noodles several years ago in Toronto. This style was finally here in Ottawa. My friend was blown away by the price ($13) and the individual small dishes for each ingredient. It was a pleasing presentation even if you do dump them all into the boiling broth immediately. Since Covid, high-school exams were required only for grade 11 and 12. So with the extra 2 weeks, they took their teenager to visit Great Britain, Ireland, and Scotland. I recounted how my Toronto trip wasn't quite as fun as usual but still had some bright spots. Activities for the kids were picking up again in August so it would likely be several more months before our paths cross again.