The Road Got Taken

Since I've been working from home during the pandemic, I always include a break in my work-day by getting take-out and eating it at a park. With value-for-dollar and location as the main criteria, I usually default to a handful of businesses and even the same dishes. But this week, I decided to visit the same stores but choose a different item. How adventurous!

So instead of a slice from 241 Pizza, the veggie lunch from Pam's Roti, vegetable bibimbap from Roll and Bowl, and the vegan meal from Dosa Mahal, I opted for a panzerotti, some doubles, veggie rolls combo, and some curry with naan. They were all pleasant surprises: at $7, the panzerotti was quite large and cheesy; I've had better doubles but these had good chew and were cheap ($2.25); the sushi combo was all right but they screwed up the jap chae noodles; finally, I wanted thicker curries but these still made excellent sauce dips for the fresh naan.

On Friday, I went completely off-script and got oysters. Island Oysters had just opened up in the location of Mediterranea. In that tiny space, I can't see them ever offering any indoor dining even after lock-down. In any case, there was a take-out window and a large chalk billboard. With only 4 options, 3 of them oysters, I chose the Shucker's Dozen ($25). After the shucker got shucking, she presented me with a round tray with 3 Kusshi, 3 Fanny Bay, and 6 Raspberry Point oysters. There was also a variety of different sauces.

It felt like a decadent lunch to have at the park. But I haven't had oysters in about a decade so why not splurge a little. My palate wasn't refined enough to detect the notes of popcorn, honeydew, or cucumber as spelled out on the paper tags. But these oysters were definitely fresh and tasty. The 90-cents rye roll from nearby Nova Era Bakery rounded out the meal (I'm hoi polloi). It was a very good lunch and that made all the difference.

There Once Was A Man

On Sunday night, Art of Time Ensemble was streaming a show it originally recorded in 2018 called A Singer Must Die. It was a tribute show to Leonard Cohen by this pop-classical outfit with guest singers including Steven Page, Sarah Harmer, and Sarah Slean. Cohen isn't my favourite singer-songwriter but I thought it might be worth checking out for (another) stay-at-home evening.

I spent most of show with it playing in the background as I finished a crossword. Simply put: I've always thought Cohen (and Dylan) wrote doggerel with leaden rhythm and dull rhymes. On the music side, the songs lacked great melodies or inspiration. And nothing played tonight changed my mind though I have enjoyed Art of Time in the past.

The ensemble did all the heavy lifting. The songs were re-arranged as numbers from klezmer to tango jazz to blues and other genres. There were interesting counter-plays between instruments. But you knew none of this originated from the source material. The singers also poured their emotions into their performance though there was something about Page's vocal timbre that didn't mesh with this content. Mostly though, in my opinion, Cohen's lyrics are good for about 1 verse and a chorus. But of course they're never that short and then you can't help but notice how insipid they are.

So there were occasional 60-second spans where I focused on the performance (after watching attentively for the first 10 minutes) before it was relegated once again to easy-listening muzak. The crossword was fun though.

Avenue Cute

I returned to Geary to try to get some empanadas at Gaucho Pies but I was stymied by the long line-up again. Either it's busier on the week-end or the word has gotten out about their variety of flavour. Instead of wandering aimlessly around this time, I decided to just check out another local shop.

I stepped into Geary Market and chose a burger and fries combo ($11) from Burger Avenue. I wasn't sure if they were the same people or simply shared a kitchen. While waiting for my order, I browsed the selection at this small grocery store. There was a number of prepared meals (lasagna, pizza, etc.) from the kitchen and cheese, snacks, and other staples from boutique distributors. This store was at a higher price-point and had fancier options than a NoFrills or even a Loblaws. So despite the modest homes in the neighbourhood, Geary was no longer very industrial.

I took my lunch to Bartlett Park across the street. It was a passable meal but nothing particularly exciting. The fries was the best part: golden and crispy. But compared to the fragrant spiciness of masala fries from Dosa Mahal or the texture of Harlem Bodega, this was just a good try. The vegan burger was mostly disappointing. The toppings were fresh especially the crunchy pickle, but the patty was soft and bland. Other places seemed to have gotten the knack of meat substitute so this was no excuse. Even a nice crunch from deep-fried falafels would be better.

The nice sunny weather was replaced by dark, stormy clouds. Instead of continuing my walk, I headed on home. But I did stop to admire a flowering tree. Most trees were in glorious bloom for Spring, even this wild one, wedged between a wooden fence and the sidewalk, that found purchase in this small patch of dirt.

Hang-Ups

Thursday night, I watched two virtual shows both showcasing Montreal performers. But while the second was wonderfully executed, the first was disappointing. First up, Toronto's Danceworks was co-presenting a hip-hop dance company called Ebnflōh. I was excited for full line-up as online performances during the pandemic have been solo works.

On a mostly darken stage, 8 dancers accompanied by a live DJ, pop and lock through a recital entitled Hanging By A Thread. It started quite interesting since dance companies often mix break-dancing with contemporary dance instead of just being itself. But I soon lost any excitement for the show.

It's fun to watch a recital and learn its language. Ballet has a formal and codified one. So it is usually the story that is novel. Modern dance invents its own with every show, but through repetition of steps, longer choreography, and callbacks, you feel its cadence and can map out its phrases. With almost no interaction between the dancers, no pairs or trios, not even the unison/formation dancing that makes a pop video enjoyable, Hanging left me, well ...

I didn't stay for the post-show Zoom chat but "left" for my second show. With mostly French speakers in the chat, it felt like an actual concert hall in Montreal. Charlotte Cardin has been gaining in popularity though much more in Quebec and French-speaking Europe than the rest of Canada. An odd affair since this native French speaker sings mostly in English.

Some people were disappointed that this wasn't a live show since the first few songs were stripped-down numbers in her living room. A few were convinced this was merely the intro until the concert, even after we cut to songs with a full band. I also felt initially let down as well but soon changed my mind because this was a pre-taped show done right. Instead of simply shooting a band set, Cardin's team added dramatic lighting, even some CG effects, and let her move naturally from one setting to another. They must have rented a large space to support this effort. At one point, Cardin sat down at a piano before a circle of flames ignited to surround her while a large choir appeared from the darkness. Other dramatic moments such as when she turned away from the camera/mic stand to dance topless could never occur at a live venue.

With songs like Meaningless, Daddy, and Sad Girl from her new album Phoenix, Cardin employed the quiet, plaintive melody typical of current singers like Billy Eilish. There is more of a driving rhythm underlying these numbers though. As the kids might comment in a video: *sad twerking*. Sometimes a deep-throated grittiness would peek through in her vocals reminding you that when she started out about 7 years ago on the Quebec version of The Voice, Cardin modeled herself after Amy Winehouse.

Her fans were thrilled and transported in the chat. They were also buying a lot of show merch. This particular platform's monetization scheme showed people's purchases in the chat window which no doubt led to more buys but was my least favourite aspect of the night. That aside, it was a showcase of a talented and charismatic musician. I wasn't surprised to learn that Phoenix debuted no 1 on Billboards Canada the following week and stayed there. You won't be able to catch her in your small clubs now (she had already moved to mid-tier venues like The Danforth in Toronto in 2018).