I have another blog

Like how I write? Check out my new blog 'Y-Knots' at http://y-knots.blogspot.com. It's an exploratory blog about journalism.

What the heck is journalism?

I thought journalism was well positioned words arranged into a sentence -- sometimes it makes sense, sometimes it doesn't, always it follows a set of rules invented by some grammarian who nobody knows (why does he/she get to tell us the rules?). And whether or not your words can be received depends on whether or not the sentence makes sense, after all what is a word after a word after a word anyway? Who really knows what words mean.

I thought journalism was supposed to deliver messsages, urgent news that could affect the rest of your life. When does anybody even care? Who even cares? And when?

What the heck is journalism other than a J followed by an O followed by a U an R-N-A-L-I-S-M? What the heck is a J? Aren't i supposed to find out? I'm the journalist.

I thought journalism was supposed to answer questions.

I thought journalism was a job, a career, a mode of employment -- how many words does our language need to describe one thing? Why do we describe, explain, reiterate what we're talking about? Don't we already know what we're talking about?

I thought journalism was a word, a series of letters connected together, a symbol.

I thought journalism was an action, a series of doings to make something happen, the researching, the asking, the writing, the delivering of a message.

I thought journalism was a sound, a series of tongue clicks-clacks-smacks against the teeth and ruby pink gums.

I thought journalism was a way to explore, an excuse to find out lifes secrets, a reason to probe and gossip, the revealing of the ugly hidden truth, a way to bring light to issues that've been shunned, pushed aside, ignored, trampled on, the love and passion of a writer who is only trying to put those little symbols from the alphabet together so you the reader/listener/viewer can get the message.

I thought journalism was an offering of trust amongst readers/listeners/viewers that you, the person in control, know what you're talking about and have prepared yourself well. The only question left is: who is listening?

I thought journalists were supposed to provide facts, so then what is this?

(Photo from getreligion.org)

Boon Burger: The Mature Version of the Ice Cream Shop

Remember when you were a kid and you would beg your parents to go for ice cream after dinner? I do. In my 5-year-old point of view nothing seemed like a better idea than taking a relaxing drive into town for an ice cream cone at the greasy smelling, worn out local ice cream shop.

Fast forward 15 or so years and I found the mature version of that ice cream shop atmosphere – Boon Burger Café, Canada’s first all vegetarian burger café. Everything at Boon Burger compares to the ice cream shop feel. The interior of the restaurant has giant industrial sized lunch tables which feel like picnic tables; extra condiments are set up on a counter only there isn’t crusty ketchup stuck on the sides of the bottle; you order and pay at the front (or through the bike only takeout window, which is the coolest novelty itself); and then diners are pretty much left to eat their burgers out on the Sherbrook Street crowded three table patio, at the lunch table, or even take your food to a nearby park.

As for the food, everything can be made vegan and everything is vegetarian. Take your pick from mushroom burgers, chickpea burgers, Greek burgers, ‘turkey’ burgers all are roughly $8 and you can order a side salad, soup or sesame French fries for an additional $3. I made the mistake of trying a vegan poutine which was really only disappointing because the sesame fries were so good by themselves – that and vegan poutine really isn’t like regular poutine, the gravy isn't as salty and soy cheese doesn't melt entirely well it seems.

This non-committal restaurant will not take a giant chunk of time out of your day – you can get in and get out quickly. When diners are in they can expect to feel relaxed and when they’re out they will feel satisfied. Boon Burger is the perfect place for a quiet lunch or a late evening dinner on a hot summer day.

Meat, Potatoes and Comfort...Not the Southern Kind

Gasthaus Gutenberger
2583 Portage Ave.
(204) 888-3133
Reservations Recommended

Gasthaus Gutenberger isn’t exactly a summertime hotspot. There is no outdoor patio nor does the menu offer a variety of lighter or barbequed meals, but, my god, they can cook meat.

Eating at Gasthaus Gutenberger is similar to eating at the Keg – you go for the meat, the larger portion sizes and warm atmosphere. All the dishes contain some type of meat – take your pick from an extensive variety of schnitzels and steaks whether it be beef, pork or veal. After an entire loaf of bread, followed by half a plate of meat, three fistful-sized balls of mashed potato and a small side of veg, I had zero room left for dessert – although I would’ve loved to try the chocolate brandy torte or Vienna apple strudel. At an average of $25 per dish, I left satisfied.

As for the atmosphere, it feels like you’re eating in a Swiss Alp chalet. There are very few windows as if to prevent you from seeing the blustery winter storm that is ravaging the outdoors. The only thing missing from the perceived outdoor chill and accordion player are loud beer clinking pub sounds. Gasthaus is not like that; it’s a place for calm filling meals with family and/or close friends after a hard days work.

Fed Up with Your Attitude

This past weekend was one of those weekends when I couldn’t help but ask myself why I became a server. How much disrespect did I have to put up with until I could shove my words down the yelling-person-opposite-me’s throat? How many snapping fingers did I have to put up with until I could mount myself onto one of the table tops and tell everyone to get out? How many veto cards did I get to play when I wanted to refuse servicing a table? How many times did I have to take back perfectly good food until I could charge the table for it anyway?

It’s nine o’clock, our last rush of the night. I look over my shoulder and standing in the doorway is a line up of hungry people that stretches into the parking lot (okay not really, but I can’t see the end of the line). My feet are throbbing; my stomach is growling. I need a break. Bam! My 12 table section is instantly full.

Fast forward to the middle of the rush and the barista station is overflowing. They can’t keep up. Tables are beginning to wait 10 minutes for a latte. Turn the corner and the cooks are sweating but aren’t nearly as busy as the barista’s. Their orders are coming up before the drinks. This isn’t good. I’m basically begging for forgiveness at every table for the wait. Many don’t sympathise. One table of ladies are debating between ordering one or two pizzas. I point to a table in the back corner also eating pizza and say that’s how big one will be. They look. I say if they ordered two pizzas it would be a filling meal and they would have plenty of leftovers. They get excited and agree to leftovers. I bring out their first pizza. Their lips curl up, their eyebrows scrunch together and their noses wrinkle at me as if I’m insane. Oh god; help me now. I can hear them bitching as I walk away. I bring out the second. The second pizza tray doesn’t even graze the table and all three of them are telling me I’m wrong. The attacks keep coming; I don’t even get a chance to remind them of the fact that they saw how big the pizza would be (only ten inches, I can eat a whole one myself) and agreed they wanted to have leftovers. All I hear is you, you! YOU! I take my chance to butt in with an apology for the miscommunication (server rule #1, always take the blame). They ignore me and continue their rant. I’m fuming. With more authority this time I say, with as much control as possible, “So you don’t want this?” Not the best way to say it, but people are staring now. I’ve had it. They are the fourth complaining table of the rush. I don’t even want to confront my manager with another complaint. I do. She’s pissed, but on my side. Sick of discounting bills she confronts the table. They say I offered to take the pizza back – did I really have a choice? They don’t pay for the second pizza.

Luckily, however, the cranky table behind them notices the pizza ladies’ behaviour and becomes patient and friendly. They tip very nicely and one lady at the end even pulls me aside to thank me for my service. I thank her but wonder if she knew how much I appreciated her extra step to thank me after a hellish night.

It’s 11 now and the final announcement that we’re closed goes off. I couldn’t be happier, but I’m cringing at the mess and the realization that I have to stay an extra hour and a half to set up the Sunday brunch. Pizza ladies are one of the last to leave. Their final words: “Well sorry.”

(Ever wonder if you have reason to complain? Check out a Winnipeg server of 25 years’ tips to you in today’s Winnipeg Free Press http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/life/Eat-drink-and-be-contrary-95875814.html.)

Where I've Been all Spring

“Can’t I just put anything this time?”

That’s how I felt every time I came to sit down and write another introductory sentence. My motivations to write sank to an all time low come April, yet my creative mind was racing with potential blogs, ads, montages and articles. I swear, I wanted to, but the thought of opening up another word document and facing another blank page was terrifyingly overwhelming.

Eight months of Creative Communications took my brain and twisted it, bent it, shook it and wrung out every last set of words I could possibly arrange into a grammatically correct sentence like a towel hanging from a clothes line in a violent downpour. Needless to say at the end of the downpour I needed a month or so to dry out.

But it’s summer now and it’s time to end my pity-party. I’ve got spring classes to attend, a book to write and a blog to serve – and only three months until the storm returns.

So this is my, not at all over-dramatized, way of apologizing for my absence and my way of saying I’m back and ready to sprinkle your hungry mind with some summertime dining delights and disasters.

A new love

I’ve fallen in love…with a menu.

It has everything a partner could ask for. Depending on what I want that day, it’s sweet, savory, spicy on my tongue. While it updates itself with specials, I know it won’t play games with me, every time I go I know some things will be the same. It understands I want to be healthy and provides me with such options. This menu realizes I’m busy and therefore accommodates for the limited amount of time I have to spend with it. And the best part is I haven’t had all it has to offer, so I know when I go back for more I can expect a new experience in the same comfortable environment.

Where can you find it? I probably shouldn’t tell you, but it’s okay, I can share. Located in the Exchange District my new love can be found plastered to the wall at Kay’s Delicatessen. Open Mon-Fri 9-6 and Sat 10-3 – the latter starting April 17th.

I swear it’ll have you saying: Can we do it again tomorrow?

Help! I can't read cartoons!

My boyfriend and I have been dating for four years now. Before meeting him, I didn’t watch movies, I didn’t know my Seinfeld episodes and I didn’t read graphic novels. Uh, correction, I still don’t read graphic novels. Matt has tried time and time again to sway me into the world of visual art, and I’ll admit, I’ve tried – but I can’t do it. Do you know how embarrassing it is to have to tell people you can’t read cartoons?

Don’t get me wrong, I want to read graphic novels – I do think they’re cool and I certainly think they can be beneficial. My fundamentals of literary studies class, last year at the University of Winnipeg, required me to read Frank Miller’s graphic novel, 300, and I still don’t know what that book is about. Uh, correction again, I do know what it’s about. It’s about the Battle of Thermopylae – but I only know this because I looked it up on Wikipedia two minutes before class started, panicking the professor would think I hadn’t read it. Sure enough, when he asked someone to describe the book I immediately shot my hand up, said the Battle of Thermopylae, smiled and shut up for the rest of the class – confident I had made it obvious I read the book, and certain I wouldn’t be called into questioning again.

I do think that people who can and have the patience to read graphic novels have a talent. I want to be like them. So I’ve compiled a list as to why I don’t understand graphic novels; perhaps you can help me out.

1. Graphic novels require visual literacy. The idea of linking images to words in order to create a meaning is mind-boggling to me. Where do I start?
2. Graphic novels have a reading pattern I don't understand. Yes, I know, left to right, top to bottom. But what happens when the boxes change shape? Is it up...or down...or zigzagged? Man I'm confused.
3. You're supposed to read the pictures too, right? How do I know when I'm done?
4. Books give me in-depth character development, a concrete timeline and a sense of imagination -- how do I get that out of a graphic novel?
5. Graphic novels paint the picture for you. In which part do I get to imagine?
   

The Update

For those of you who read my blog yesterday and are wondering whether or not my lunch reservations at Monticchio's ran smoothly: it did.

Lunch was served quickly and was more than a generous portion of salad that kept me full throughout the remaining IPP presentation's that afternoon.

However, interestingly enough the "discount" listed in our IPP brochure for Monticchio's says we can get a bruschetta sandwich and side salad for $6.99 -- great that's cheap right? Well the bruschetta sandwich and side salad is a dollar cheaper in the actual menu! Some "discount" they offered.

Nevertheless, the entire lunch menu is very inexpensive, between $5-8, the service is friendly and, yes, it ended up being quick despite the kerfuffle the day before.

A Quick Tiff

The second-year Creative Communications students from Red River College are currently hosting the Independent Professional Project Presentations (IPPP) at the Park Theatre in Osborne Village. The two organizers have arranged discounts at a few restaurants for anyone attending the IPPPs which is great.

However, yesterday on our one hour lunch break a group of about 10 of us headed down to Monticchio's to cash in our coupons.Already the place was starting to fill up with CreComm's who had the same idea. No big deal. But after 20 minutes of waiting at our table with no sign of a waitress we started to get worried we weren't going to be able to eat in time to get back to the presentations at 1 (it was 12:25 already).

After looking around I couldn't help but notice they had one server on and when she finally did come to our table I asked if we were going to be able to eat on time. She explained, very nicely, that there was only one cook on so it was unlikely.

Hold on.

You mean the restaurant you work for voluntarily offered a discount for those at the IPPPs and was well aware that Monticchio's could potentially have 100 people in the restaurant between 12-1 and you have 2 people working? Huge problem.

Needless to say, we could not stay for lunch yesterday, but we did make a reservation for this afternoon. The waitress promised us that this way we'd be first to get our food.

So stay tuned and I'll let you know how smoothly things run today and whether or not they've decided to staff accordingly.

The most impressive Winnipeg restaurant

EAT! Bistro
274 Garry Street
Closed Sundays and Mondays
www.eatbistro.ca

EAT! bistro is one of the most impressive Winnipeg restaurants.

It’s the place you want to ride your bike to for a light snack in the summer and the place you go to to find summer in the winter.

The brightly coloured flower-power theme and eclectic mix of vintage tables and chairs makes EAT’s décor refreshing, energetic and fun. However, I will warn any potential clients of EAT! to choose their chair wisely as I’m pretty sure I chose a child’s chair.

The coolest thing about EAT! is that they’re a completely nut free restaurant and have wildly popular gluten free nights. Which other Winnipeg restaurant goes out of their way to cater to allergenic people? I think this feature makes EAT’s business model pure genius.

The experience at EAT! is great too. The service is quick, enthusiastic and knowledgeable of the menu. Being a first-time visitor I had no clue what sort of ordering strategy I should take – order my own dish; share several; were they big; were they small? I wanted to know. The server had answers. And he made my guest and I feel like he wanted to answer our questions rather than rush away to his next awaiting table.


(Turns out if you’re there for the first time you may want to share, but most of the dishes (excluding the dips) are big enough for one person.)

In terms of the food, it’s very inexpensive – no more than $12, unless you order a platter. The most unique dish I tried was the black bean cakes with guacamole and salsa ($8). It has a quick pinch-your-tongue spice that lasts about three seconds and then disappears completely, which feels odd but nice. The chicken feta dips with wonton crackers ($8) make a nice starter snack for the table for those who can’t wait for the main course. The wonton crackers are like a soft taco chip that you dip into a creamy puréed (yes, even the chicken) sauce. Other tantalizing dishes range between deep-fried and health conscious and are your typical lunch or light dinner items.


Plan on going for lunch? Expect a rush around noon. But not to worry, despite what might look like a 20 minute wait will take about 5 minutes thanks to the extremely efficient and quick service. They do not take reservations during lunch hours.


As for dinner EAT! prefers you make a reservation, especially if there’s an event in Aqua Books (the store attached to EAT!) or at the MTS Centre.

Overall, EAT! bistro has innovative business ideas, a creative and freshly made menu, invigorating décor and quick service. I would go back in a heart beat.

Vancouver 2010: Best Olympics ever

'Will Vancouver Games be ‘worst’ ever?’

That’s Stephanie Levitz’ headline in today’s Winnipeg Free Press.

And really? The worst games ever?

I wouldn’t go so far as to say that we’re having the worst Olympics ever. The only thing that makes that statement true is the fact that an athlete died. And yes, that’s a pretty big fact that will forever ruin our reputation. But we can assume the luge track that killed Nodar Kumaritashvili of Georgia is safe as there’s no investigation going into the track's conditions.

Negative, and a pretty big one, aside, I think the Vancouver 2010 Olympics might be the best ever.

Vancouver’s biggest problem so far with the Olympics has been the weather which is causing event delays, poor track conditions and an uncomfortable environment for spectators who’re watching events in the rain or being blinded by the fog, particularly on Cypress Mountain. But I think the unusually warm weather, is what’s making the Olympics so great. It’s testing the athletes’ true technical and mental abilities making us spectators aknowledge their strength so much more and hopefully making the athletes feel more proud of what they can do.

I watched the women’s snowboard cross yesterday and was literally sitting on the edge of my couch with my fingers crossed praying Maëlle Ricker and Dominique Maltais made it down the hill. The event was ugly, at least three quarters of the women wiped out once over the course of the day. The fog was so heavy I could hardly see the snowboarders going down on my TV so I can’t imagine being one of the riders having to locate a 60 foot jump in the midst of it. To top things off for the athletes, it rained yesterday morning making the slope extremely icy.

By the time the finals rolled around the fog rolled away, but still the course was icy. Both the spectators and athletes knew the final run was going to be a matter of who could make it down the slope without falling. As a spectator that challenge alone made the event ten times more exciting and made me respect the winner’s abilities ten times more – thankfully that winner was Maëlle Ricker, a Canadian.

So I find it disappointing that so much of the Olympics, in any city for that matter, is qualified as a success based on the smooth running of the events when really the Olympics is about the competition between athletes. To me what would make the Vancouver 2010 Olympics the worst ever would be if a bunch of the athletes were caught cheating. In no way do the Olympics become poor when a few glitches occur, as there will always be glitches.

I’ve been at home for the past five days on the couch with a raging headache, a stuffed up nasal passage and a cough so bad I could blow the snow from Russia to Cypress Mountain and still I find myself on the edge of my seat cheering on the athletes. So don’t tell me the Vancouver 2010 Olympics are the worst ever – I’m not even a sports fan and I’m sick and I’m watching so it must be good.

(See Ricker's gold medal run at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6oRBEtG030o.)

Crepe Expectations

It has been less than a month since Kawaii Crepe has opened, but people are already packing in to this Osborne Village crêperie like migratory birds relieved to escape from the slushy winter snow. And for good reason too. Kawaii Crepe is affordable, quick, convenient and the food selection is large enough to kick whatever craving one may have.

Kawaii, a Japanese word meaning cute, is exactly what this place is. Every time I think of it the Chordettes’ Lollipop song plays through my head and I picture a 10 year-old boy and girl sitting in a colourful diner gazing into each others eyes sharing a milkshake, only at Kawaii Crepe it would be bubble tea, with two straws – just like the movies.

This diner style restaurant feels like you’re in a candy world. The baby blue walls with red, green, yellow and pink dripping gumball shapes combined with the sweet smell of melting marshmallows, chocolate and honey literally has you panting upon your entrance.

But sweet isn’t the only tooth Kawaii Crepe caters to. If you prefer a savoury dinner, you're in luck. The ‘ninja’ crepe ($ 6.95), one of their most popular crepes, has a sweet peanut flavour that fills your mouth with a soft crunch and a slightly spicy kick. It is a definite favourite. The ‘Osborne branch’ ($6.50), is basically a sweeter version of a chicken, bacon and ranch wrap. It’s rich and creamy but nevertheless tasty.

But then came ‘the hurricane’ ($6.75), literally. Something was off – it was too sharp. The creamy mushroom dill sauce tasted like a too-strong vinaigrette. Like every hurricane, I just wanted it to be over.

Dessert, however, brought back the sunshine following the storm. The ‘it’s-a-smore’
($5.25) is the smore that doesn’t crumble. The pillowy melted marshmallows and chocolate soaked the graham wafers just enough, for optimum chewiness. It’s-a-smore is sure to kick whatever sweet craving you may have – and for a long time as it’s huge.

If you’re seeking a lighter finish to top off your savoury meal the ‘divine brown’
($3.25), melted butter and brown sugar, and the ‘lovely pear’ ($4.25), almonds, pear and honey, and ‘and everything nice’ ($2.95), brown sugar and cinnamon will do just that for you.

The best part (well, nearly as nice as the 'it's a smore' crepe) is that these lovely crepes are quick. It takes no longer than five minutes to receive your crepes and the craving can be kicked six days a week from ten to ten (midnight on Friday's and Saturday's). Choosing one will be your only obstacle as there are just over 30 crepes on the menu.

Overall, the place provides a nice escape into a fantasy world amidst winter's harsh realities.
Note: This article can also be found in The Projector, Red River College's student newspaper.

Why restaurants need a website

Johnny’s stressed out and nervous. His friend Clara (and secret crush of four years) is coming to town to visit from Vancouver and she’s agreed to meet Johnny for dinner. He knows this is his big shot to impress her so he wants to take her somewhere nice.

But the problem is Johnny doesn’t eat at fancy restaurants because they’re too expensive for his student budget and he’s pretty sure Clara has an extensive list of allergies. The occasion to meet Clara is too important to mess up by thinking his restaurant of choice is a good one only to find out it’s too expensive, not the menu he’s looking for or worse doesn’t accommodate to Clara’s allergies. So what’s a guy to do?

Johnny’s not the only one who faces this dilemma; I think many of us can agree that there’ve been occasions where we just can’t choose a restaurant. Case in point, my sister and I do a dinner club once a month and being the hungry students we are we toss around dozens of potential spots to go – what helps us decide? Checking out each restaurants’ menu. What’s the quickest way to do that? Online. My point? It’s absolutely critical in today’s web-based society for a restaurant to have its own website with their menu posted on it.

We’re a busy society. People don’t have time to jump restaurants because they don’t like the menu.

Also, allergies are a huge deal and still many restaurants don’t accommodate to such parties. For example, 529 Wellington (not that we’re all going there once a week) cooks all of its dishes in peanut oil – now that is something you need to know before going if one of your guests has a nut allergy. Luckily, however, 529 does have its menu posted online.

Furthermore, a restaurants website will indicate the prices of their dishes. I know I sure want to spare myself the embarrassment of making my reservation, opening up my menu and realizing I can’t even afford the soup du jour. Or perhaps worse, what if I open up my menu and realize I hate the soup du hour along with every other foreign-seeming item on the menu? No thanks, I’ll do my research before I go. Websites solve these issues for me.

Needless to say I think I’m beginning to exhaust my point. But allow me to point out one more. That is, depending on the time of day one is going to eat he or she may be time constrained. Perhaps they only have a one hour lunch break and want to grab something to eat. Well by just by looking at the types of dishes on the menu one can guess how long it may take to prepare the dishes and whether or not a reservation may be required. Both are things that a restaurant’s website can tell a potential guest.

Remember those things with phone numbers running down the pages called a phone book? The outdated use of them is like comparing talk radio to its original days of the Morse code. And the Morse code is exactly what filtering through a phone book feels like – Google is my preferred option.

Therefore I think restaurants should be including room in its budget to have a website set up for itself. Websites bring awareness to a restaurants existence, sell the potential guest on going there and avoid any hassles with the managers over misunderstandings with the menu selection, hours of operation, payment options or reservation requirements.

I know I rarely go to a restaurant without checking out its menu before. And if they think I’m going to walk around this big city checking out the menu on the outside of their business, they’re dead wrong. It’s February…in Winnipeg…it’s minus 7 million degrees. Instead I will type that magical website called Google into my laptop in my cozy warm house and see if the restaurant in question interests me. If there’s no website, I can almost guarantee that that restaurant is off my list.

Ron Brown, executive director for the Manitoba Cycling Association, agrees. When he goes for lunch with work, he says he always checks out the restaurant’s website before.

“If there’s no website,” he says, “we almost always don’t go.”

Five reasons why you should have reservations to Cafe Carlo tonight

They are:
1.Consistent: Each dish is prepared the same way every time.
2.Experienced: The servers are attentive, friendly and professional. Things like proper wine service and impeccable timing between your starters, salads, entrees and desserts can be expected.
3.Reasonable: Dinner entrees range between $20-30, which isn’t exactly inexpensive; however everything is made from scratch with good quality ingredients – there are no pre-made sauces at this place. Plus, the portion sizes are huge.
4.Intimate: The restaurant’s dimly lit lights and sprawled out tables create a very romantic and private atmosphere – the perfect place for an anniversary dinner or first date.
5.Delicious: Eating at Café Carlo is like eating rich homemade food – but the kind you never have because it takes all day to cook.

For more information about Café Carlo visit http://www.cafecarlo.com/.

Not exactly bang on

I feel bad, but I cannot eagerly promote Bangkok Thai. I’ve been dying to try the place for some time and I finally got to, only to be disappointed.

However, Bangkok Thai, located on the 2nd floor of the Second Cup building in Osborne Village, is great in some ways. For example the atmosphere is relaxing and spacious, thus great for large dinner parties. Also the lighting is nice, dimly lit, and features warm colours such as deep reds and yellows, making it a romantic place to bring a date. And overall, Bangkok is a comfortable restaurant to be in.

The service as well is excellent. They are very attentive –a little on the shy side, but that’s okay because you don’t want aggressive servers trying to up-sell. And all of them knew plenty about the menu and could offer recommendations, which is a bonus considering Bangkok has quite an extensive list of items to choose from (at least 40 I would say).

The problem though is their food, which really is a problem considering that’s ultimately what people are coming for. The curried dishes, for example, aren’t very curry-like. They almost have a soapy taste –too much ginger perhaps? And the potatoes in one dish were quite over done, making it seem like they had been pre-cooked and then reheated. The summer rolls lacked in flavour and were bogged down in lettuce but the peanut sauce was nice and sweet. However, once the sauce ran out, and there wasn’t much sauce for four large summer rolls, you were back to the lettuce. Finally, the pad thai, an item they have listed as a specialty, was disappointing in that the noodles were awkwardly chewy, giving the dish an all around gummy texture.

Nevertheless, the prices are reasonable, around $10 per dish, so if you’re looking for an inexpensive quick bite to eat then I would suggest you try the place. In fact they were quite busy, primarily with large dinner parties, and it seemed as though the people weren’t new to the place, so if they can keep regulars then why not try Bangkok right?

But in general, I probably wouldn’t go there again. If you’re in the Village and looking for some Thai food, I hear Sukhothai is best. (Sorry Bangkok.)

The effort was there, I'm just not the right audience

Theatre Projects Manitoba’s In the chamber 2010: Last Men came and went this past weekend. And thank goodness it went.

What?

Was a question half the audience could be heard muffling to one another throughout the two hour production, directed by Sarah Constible, Friday night.

The other half of the sold out audience, however, continued to laugh hysterically throughout Gordon Tanner and Steven Ratzlaff’s monologues: Last Man in Krakendorf and Last Man in Puntarenas.

The first half of the audience at Friday’s show was a group of 18-25 year-old Creative Communications students who know little about two heavily political subjects: hog farming and the Health Science Centre’s pediatric coronary surgery inquest of the 1990’s. Heck I was practically born in the 1990’s, so needless to say right off the bat that In the Chamber’s target audience was definitely not my age category.

The subject matter was so intense, I felt dumb being there.

Last Man in Krakendorf, part one of the two part play, was written and performed by Gordon Tanner. It opened with a graphic depiction of a man with an erection dreaming in bed. A female was by his side “taking care of business for him” and then quickly left never to be seen again. My first what question.

The set was simple and clear, however, leaving no questions; it was a hotel room. It had a beige backdrop, a double bed to the left with beige sheets, a small night table with a lamp and a red phone and a small table and red chair to the right.

Tanner, who played a 40 something Richard Gere look-a-like agricultural engineer for Agrotech, was exited. His plan was to film a video of himself explaining his concerns with hog farming to Warren Buffet –the head of a hog farming company in Iowa. His character was zany, anal, anxious and short attention spanned.

The character’s short attention span was my second problem with Tanner’s 50 minute monologue. Because the character drifted in and out of focus (at one point he stopped to eat and spoke about the sauce in his food) of his message to Buffet, it made it hard for listeners to follow the point of the story because we were constantly trying to censor where the breaks in the conversations were.

To top off the censoring, we quite literally had to censor Tanner’s language. The monologue was so bogged down in ‘shits’ and ‘fucks’ that we had to continuously filter them out in our heads just to get to the point. But I will admit the swearing and breaks in the conversation did fit the character’s wacky personality flawlessly.

And flawlessly the character was played. Near the beginning of the monologue Tanner pronounced ‘rival’ rev-elle and, still, I’m not sure if it was his own slip up or if it was the characters. Overall Tanner’s character was well played as he was heard clearly from the audience, his pitch fluctuated dramatically, and his body was continuously pacing and flailing about in his wild rant giving the audience something exciting to watch.

The overall subject matter was the only thing that I felt confused about while watching The Last Man in Krakendorf.


Part two of In the Chamber, Last Man in Puntarenas, was written and performed by Steven Ratzlaff, a character who holds a retirement party for himself at a restaurant where he prepares a long winded speech for his guests who slowly leave throughout.

The main problem with Ratzlaff’s speech is that it was purposely made (by Ratzlaff) to bore his guests, making me wonder why I paid to listen to a ‘boring’ speech. It seemed Ratzlaff’s intention with the boring speech idea, however, was to make it interesting by really dramatizing it. But, although Ratzlaff was a great actor in his 50 minute skit, he lacked action, thus failing his mission. There was nothing to watch, only a dramatic voice to hear which unfortunately caused many heads to nod off.

Last Man in Puntarenas was flat and difficult to follow.

But then again, what do I know about these plays? I’m just one of those 20 something-year-olds who doesn’t get ‘grown-up talk’.

And I’m certain I didn’t get the ‘grown-up talk’ because the rest of the non-CreComm-35+ audience was laughing hysterically.

(All photos courtesy of www.theatreprojectsmanitoba.ca)

Dining Do's and Don'ts when in NYC

DO stop at as many restaurants and bars for drinks or appetizers before your final dinner destination. The amount of restaurants in NYC is overwhelming and all of them are spectacular – this strategy ensures you get the most out of NYC’s nightlife.

DON’T go to Carnegie Deli and sit next to a woman named Celeste. If you do, you’ll understand why I don’t need to explain.

DO go to Carnegie Deli and order a giant sandwich. The novelty of the sandwich is exciting and it will be so filling that you’ll be set for a day of shopping – another NYC must.



DON’T go to Gospel Uptown in Harlem for brunch. Unless you like fried chicken for breakfast followed by red velvet cake, save your reservations for dinner when it’s likely to be busier and when you can catch the gospel singing performance.

DO visit Caracas in Greenwich Village and try their Argentinean arepas (like a small soft taco). I recommend ‘La Mulata’ which has grilled white cheese, jalapenos, peppers, fried plantains and black beans – it’s spicy enough to keep your lips burning but luckily the sweet plantains are there to cool off your tongue…a little.



DON’T listen to your hotel concierge if he or she advises you to eat at Ray’s Pizza. The meat was questionable and the next morning our friend became quite ill (although we have no proof her sickness was due to the pizza). To sum up our experience Ace Burpee called the pizza “a major fail.”

DO visit the Blue Ribbon restaurant in Soho and try the beef marrow and oxtail marmalade appetizer and the barbequed ribs appetizer. I made the mistake of not trying the beef marrow but it received rave reviews around the table. The barbequed ribs were sweet, tender and literally melted in your mouth – plus it came with its own campfire in the event you need to reheat anything!



DON’T get stuck in a snow storm in Times Square. You’ll never find a cab willing to take you to your restaurant of choice, thus leaving you one option: drinks, drinks, and more drinks – possibly on an empty stomach too!

DO budget for expensive meals. They’re worth it and you’re in NYC baby, so live it up like you’re loaded!

Money well spent?

Monday was my birthday and my sister's boyfriend Ryan got me a gift certificate to my favourite breakfast restaurant: the Falafel Place. But this isn't just any ordinary gift certificate, you see I'm not entirely sure that it's legit...then again the story behind it doesn't surprise me as Ami (the owner) has a pretty laid back way of running the show over there, so I'm sure the gift certificate will work out just fine when I go to use it. Nevertheless, I've decided to recount Ryan's story that continues to humour me today.

Ryan's experience with Ami:

Ryan enters the Falafel Place which is likely bustling with eager customers awaiting their food, cooks cracking eggs at a rapid pace, and Ami --probably found wearing his chef's hat chatting with customers and making friends or shouting at the top of his lungs: "Okay, who's leaving?".

Ryan walks up to the counter . Ami greets Ryan at the counter. Ryan asks Ami for one gift certificate worth twenty-five dollars. A simple task right? Surely one assumes that most restaurants have an organized little book of gift certificates somewhere near the cash desk. Apparently not at the Falafel Place. To me, Ami's next move seems to capture the mood of the Falafel Place to a tee.

Ami turns his head both ways in search of a gift certificate and spots one stuck to the wall. He pulls it off, writes $25 on it and hands it to Ryan.

Ryan then says: "Uh, will this work? It says 'void' across the gift certificate."
Ami replies: "Oh right."

He then takes back the gift certificate and writes "un" before the void and hands it back to Ryan who shrugs his shoulders and leaves.



Oh how I love the Falafel Place!