TO Toronto (Part 3)

(Have I run dry of clever Toronto titles?)

As much as I liked Toronto as a city, the best part was by far seeing all the friends and family I have out that way. When an opportunity to go to Toronto arose, the prospect of reconnecting with these friends really tipped me towards seizing the chance (as if that in itself wasn't reason enough to go!).

First thing Saturday afternoon was a second French reconnection. I caught up with Katherine, Marryn, and Amanda (and her fiancé) on a sunny roof-top patio. None of us could believe it had already been almost two years since seeing each other. It was really interesting to catch up on everyone: some are engaged (not me--this is not a subtle announcement!), pursuing various career ambitions, but all doing fantastic by all accounts.

Sunday my cousin Gilian came to Toronto and we checked out the ROM. Here she is in front of the mastodon from Welland. (I have more on the ROM for another post.)

Then Monday my cousin Vivian got back into the city from a weekend trip to Algonquin Park. Having not seen her in at least a dozen years, I was surprised that when we first hugged a black hole didn't form. The next night, she took me to the Whippoorwill. A crazy small-world Vancouver connection occurred when Shawna turned out to work there.

I also caught up with friends I didn't get pictures with, like Evan and Kaitlin.

It was so great to see everyone, I am definitely more inclined to go back for whatever reason (or no reason)!

Breakfast Salad

At the end of the first week of the new year, having been sick with the worst cold ever, I suddenly got this craving for spinach salad. Maybe it subconsciously had to do with balancing out the excesses of the holiday season. Whatever the case, I rounded up the ingredients, using Smitten Kitchen's recipe as a guide.

It was so good (I mean, it tasted like a classic spinach salad, but it satisfied a craving). I couldn't get enough of it. I wanted to eat salad morning, noon, and night. And why not for breakfast? Spinach salad has some of the constituent parts of the standard North American breakfast: eggs and bacon. It would also help me with my resolution to eat wheat free.

And this is how I started eating salads for breakfast on weekends. My standard breakfast salad is a variation on Smitten Kitchen's spinach salad. It tends to vary with what I have on hand, but it tends to include:

• a few handfuls of spinach (the one pictured above is with baby kale)
• a fried egg (why not?) - I like to do mine over hard
• red onion
• lots of fresh cracked black pepper

I put bacon in on occasions when I have it, but am happy to do without. I also really like to toss in some strawberry or cherry tomatoes.

For vinaigrette, Jane Hornby's has become my favourite:

• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 2 tbsp light olive oil
• 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil 
• 1 tbsp red or white wine vinegar
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard

I tend to improvise in the kitchen. So for instance, I just use 3 tbsp of extra-virgin olive oil because that's what I have. I also just put a small spoon-tip of Dijon rather than a whole teaspoon as I found it to be quite hot with the raw garlic. I haven't yet tried it with white wine vinegar.

One thing I'm discovering is how simple it is to mix up a salad dressing from scratch. Until recently, I only knew of olive oil and balsamic vinegar. But now I've made Greek salad dressing from scratch. It tastes cleaner, probably because it doesn't have all those extra additives that store bought varieties do. I want to try and make my own Caesar salad dressing, complete with anchovies!

Torontosaurus Rex

Aesthetically, I found Toronto quite pleasing. From the red streetcars (which I kept accidentally calling the tram) and decorated subway stations, to its brownstone architecture. It had a vibe more similar to Montreal than Vancouver. One of my first experiences in the city was walking up University Avenue from Queen Street, at which point I thought the city felt pretty suffocatingly English-Canadian. Soon after, however, I discovered its richness in multiculturalism (and the associated delicious foods!).

There was of course one exception:

Robarts Library, apparently "one of the most significant examples of brutalist architecture," is, without exaggeration, the most hideous building I have so far ever seen. Apparently designed to resemble a peacock, it looks more like a turkey in my opinion. Named for a former premier of Ontario, I'd frankly be insulted if someone named such a monstrosity in my honour. Katherine, one of my former room mates in France, whom I was with when I took this photo, told that the architect didn't take the weight of the books into account when planning the building. As a result, Robarts is actually sinking at the rate of about one inch per year (reminds me of a similar problem the Dutch face in Amsterdam).

Perhaps reinforcing the lesson to never judge a book by its cover, Robarts is actually pretty cool on the inside. It's fourteen storeys tall and has escalators.

Lest the prominent position of this post lead you to believe I was nothing but horrified, I will tie this post back to the title and leave you with a photo of a tyrannosaurus rex I saw in the Royal Ontario Museum:

If tyrannosaurus rex means "terrible lizard," I think "terrible building" is an appropriate name for Robarts ;)

Toronto Rhymes with Piranha

Pronounced "Toronno," anyone who says Toe-RON-toe is from away.

-- Quote from a card by Wendy Tancock (I love her cards!) 

Wow, Toronto! For being the hate crush of the nation, you sure are an awesome city. The people were so friendly; in an ironic twist of fate, the only person I met who was an asshole was from Vancouver (well, Nanaimo originally).

I had such a great time, I can't wait to share more about my trip.