Beverly Glenn-Copeland has been on my radar. Similar to the underrated but iconic Mary Margaret O'Hara, I felt that any live performance was likely to be memorable. But Glenn-Copeland doesn't seem to do many shows. The closest I came was back in the winter of 2019 when she was on a bill with Loom at the Cafe and Jam Factory, a loft space in an old building in East End Toronto. Unfortunately, freezing rain kept me ensconced in my attic apartment.
I was excited to find out Glenn-Copeland was playing in Ottawa on Friday at the Bronson Centre. But despite buying an early ticket ($40), I was defeated by local transit. My bus never came and even if it did, the prospect of waiting for a second transfer in the biting cold was too much. So I turned around and walked home.
I decided to make up for it (as I have not gone anywhere in a month) by trying Haitian breakfast on Saturday. Creole Sensations recently posted in their window that they would now offer morning meals. It reminded me of my friend who always wanted to offer brunch (including her country's version of shakshuka) at her African restaurant. But my breakfast ($18.95) at Sensations was perhaps a little too authentic and unlikely to appeal to mainstream taste.
Given the choice of beef live, codfish, or smoked herring mixed with scrambled eggs, I picked the last option which is likely to be Zè ak Aransò. Now eggs and fish (think lox) isn't an unusual combination but the herring aroma and flavour was quite strong. It reminded me of egusi where a briny taste seemed out-of-place or unexpected in a dish. It's a combination that would require acculturation. The sides was a small salad (lettuce, tomato, and watercress) and a large amount of boiled plantain. The latter doesn't compare to potato for starchy chewiness and lacked its primary draw for me: caramelized sweetness. Given the price, I think there won't be many takers for these dishes.
