Casa De H1N1

A virtual bus just ran over me. That's what it feels like. All the hype, all the frenzied CDC reports, and the icing on the cake: tah-dah...it's sitting here, right here in my own home. My two school aged peitri dishes brought it home.. cough cough. The first few daze were awful, maybe even woeful, especially for the harder hit seven year old. The crazy part is we have been hyper vigilant against germs. You can run but you can not hide from H1N1.

So where is that vaccine.. as NY and our Midwestern stateside neighbors form a neat que to receive the N1H1 jab I still can't wrap my head around why the Canadians continue to wait? Hello-Ottawa? Anyone paying attention? Yes, you are all so polite, but perhaps now is not the time to be polite or complacent.

Canada knew this wave of illness was coming, discussing it each and everyday in the media. Yet vaccine is not yet available for the general public. We are told by the Health minister who is like a tamer version of the CDC (the Canadian CDC) that Monday is the day. Yes- as in next week. That's the new improved, sooner that Nov.4th date.

W.t.f.? Why the wait. Stateside has more than a weeks' worth of time under it's belt administering vaccine. Why the wait in availability for Canada? Better yet why is the american transplant residing in Toronto asking this question? Where is the vocal local voice?

Cough cough, no one can hear you.

Off The Hook

When people say they would like to run away and join the circus I always nod in agreement. I get it. I am such a cirque du soleil junkie that my secret pipe dream is to be a part of the troupe. Really.

The healthy channel instead is to be a groupie and see them all over the planet.
Check.

But this week when it was reported that a young performer of cirque died from injuries sustained from a trampoline fall during a practice, it brought it all into perspective. The circus is a dangerous business. Amazingly cirque du soleil reported this as it's first such tragedy after twenty-five years of performance.

Odds are that something is gonna happen if you spend enough time doing dangerous stuff. Remember Evil Knievel. Enough said. But circue performers are artisans who have trained as dancers and gymnasts and paid with due diligence to hone a skill set few mortals dare.

My 7 and 9 year old sons' sat mesmerized during the Sunday performance of Ovo. When questioned about the show, the nine year old said "That was off the hook."

Enough said.

I Spy

The recent Toronto book fair honoring the written word was a smashing success.

This is something book geek worthy, and yes if the shoe is custom fit- then it is my duty to attend such geekiness, if only to show support to the other five attendees. Much to my chagrin, as I exited the Museum metro platform and ascended the stairs to Queens park I was met by a mob scene. All of this for the written word festival? Why yes indeed. Magazines, socialist wingnut writers, journalism non profits all had booths set up. I have learned that any Canadian festival is always showcasing Canadian. Glad I left my red and white pom poms at home.

Typically book festivals offer lots of free stuff-books out of print, proofed copies.Weirdly enough the only free books available were the ones being hawked by the religious groups in attendance. It seemed to me that even god or Allah is not recession proof. The funny -people- watching -moment of the event: a few Muslim guys arguing about which direction in which to kneel while praying. A couple of opinions and pointing fingers in various directions made the prayer blanket look more like a three stooges skit.

The true high light of the afternoon: Hanging with the cartoon creators of The Possum, and Spy Guy. My own short guys loved watching the creation of a customized piece of artwork, that was an extra goodie for purchasing a grab bag of comics.

Spendy Syrup

As a California transplant here in Canada, few things wield intimidation like maple syrup. Laugh away but, If you are an oenophile (I like to identify as a wine nerd) so comparing maple syrup to french vino: nothing is as expensive (drop for drop than Bordeaux.) Pitch perfect analogy.

Why is this? I am also a foodie, a foodie who found the recent movie about Julia Child as emotionally satisfying as sitting down to an entire tub of ben & jerry cherry Garcia but I digress. The foodie mecca here in T.O. is the St. Lawerence Market.

The weekend farmer market at our noteworthy market the pilgrimage we all seek. Guss it could be worse since this is completely legal with no nasty hangover. The earlier you shop, the more educated and serious the food shopper. An inverse relationship exists in this regard. Later than 8:30, you are automatically tagged a tourist.
Back to my theme this weeek. Maple syrup- Pure maple syrup is graded according to Federal USDA regulations, and is based on both color and flavor. The grades are: US Grade A Light Amber, US Grade A Medium Amber, US Grade A Dark Amber, and US Grade B. Some states use a slightly different terminology, as does Canada, but the legal requirements for each grade are the same, regardless of what they are called. For example: Grade A Light Amber syrup is sometimes called Fancy Grade, and here in Canada it is called No. 1 Extra Light.

Well thank goodness it's not just for breakfast anymore. Baked pairs, braised beef, caramelized root veggies- sorry to geek out but these are all dee-licious with a dash of Canada's maple syrup.

So we'll choose to drink the Chilean reds so we can pop for the dark amber syrup.

All maple syrup grades are better than the artificial stuff. Otherwise it's strictly a matter of personal choice. Ask yourself : Which is better, white wine or red wine? Which is better, light beer or dark beer? Beer can probably be compared most easily to the different maple syrup grades/flavors. A light pilsner beer has a light color and delicate flavor, while a Stout or Porter has a very dark color and strong flavor. It's strictly a matter of personal choice, and there isn't one grade of maple syrup that is "better" than another. Thx for hangin'for the foodie geek out session. Now go sing the praises of the syrup-

Apples, Peaches. Pumkin Pie

Happy October first. In celebration of seeing my breath this morning I decided to book my travel plans for warmer weather. Funny how things like frosty sidewalks will get ones' attention. Too bad the warm travel plan is months away. Suppose it makes it all the more delicious.
The bright note is we have trees ready to explode in a celebration of color, or colour if you're a local aye?

So where does on go to explore the beauty of mother nature and maybe enjoy a little apple cider? I took my own private straw poll today and was surprised to find that the answers were as diverse as the pocket books of those professing ideas. The deep pocket crowd suggested Montreal or Quebec.. That's nice and we certainly adore the food scene, but a weekend in Montreal is a great way to drop a grand. How about the finger lake area of Ny was another idea. Not so nice in my estimation, since drinking those sticky sweet Niagara wines figures in. The best answer: local farms just out of the city district. King City sounds like a destination but the website for the pick-your-own apples looks a little snoozey.

In this case snoozey is good, so off we will go in search of amazing cider. It's funny how asking such a simple question of where to go casts such a huge net. I'll report back, but don't be shy sharing personal favorites or places off the beaten trail. Have Subaru will travel.