LUXOMME

  

EL CATRIN

Okay. Before we begin, can I just say hello! I'm back!

I feel like all of my posts have started like this lately....but, I promise I have a good excuse.

I've had a lovely start to the Summer so far, and I'm finally back home for a week before I'm heading off again. It's been nice to have some time away from the norm. The only downside is that I don't get to see some lovely people as often to as I would like!

But that's nothing a dinner can't fix.

There were a few people I wanted to see while I was in town, and lucky for me, my wish was granted! Jin and Anna suggested we head over to El Catrin, which seems to be the new hot spot in town. Delighted at the chance to try something new, I quickly called to make reservations, but was told that due to their popularity, I would have to go stand in line and cross my fingers that they would grant me a table.

So stand in the line I did, with fingers tightly crossed.

Actually, I lied. I made Tiffany stand in line.

Thankfully, the wait wasn't too bad (30 mins), and we even arrived at 6pm on a Friday! Thumbs up to El Catrin for speedy service. We were seated on their patio, which is gorgeous most likely thanks to their interior designer. Everything from the lights down to the chairs was perfectly themed.

Famished, we ordered a large guacamole [15.50] to share (a must) and some individual tacos for ourselves. They come in groups of three, and I opted for a vegetarian one called Cazador [13.95] - in an attempt to try veganism which absolutely will not last. Others went for the more appealing Gobernado [16.95], which is stuffed to the brim with lobster and shrimp and Cochinita Pabil [15.95], a delightful mixture of pulled pork and black bean puree. Kaien got the Costilla Corta [16.95], a braised beef, which he reports as being delicious, but the portion was tiny and definitely more tapas sized than entree. Either that, or their regular clientele normally has the appetite of an ant.

Highlights of the dinner was seeing everyone and also trying out El Catrin's special hot sauce - which is about as spicy as it gets. I like spice, I LOVE spice, but even watching Jin scoop that stuff onto her tacos made me sweat a little.

In a good way though.

I'm a sucker for routine and definitely a little resistant to change, but El Catrin was a pleasant surprise. Tucked into the Distillery district in Toronto, there are no direct subway stations - but it's a brisk 30 minute walk from Dundas. Alternatively, there are also streetcars which I've heard are very efficient! Not that I would know because I'm completely streetcar illiterate.

It's been odd not seeing everyone every single day of the week, so any time that we are able to sit together, laugh over a meal, and share in an evening is something that I always look forward to.

Can't wait to share more Summer nights with you.

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In life, we have great days, good days, average days and bad days. 

This month has been particularly hard for everyone at work. The hours are long, my colleagues are working days without breaks in between, and the project we are working on has been particularly taxing for everyone. We zombie into work and then zombie back out. Since we started, literally everything that has gone wrong, has gone wrong. Everyone is sick of this project, tired of the protocol, and exhausted from the repetitive tasks that we are given, that seemingly have no end.

Today was particularly difficult. Most of us came into work early and didn't get out until late. As we were finishing with our last few participants, the sun began to go down. My colleagues and I simply wanted the night to be over, so we could go home and rest. Trudging along with our last bits of energy, we counted down the minutes and rushed to get everything done properly.

Despite all that, one of the things that is great about my position is that it allows me to interact with a diverse range of people, from all backgrounds. Some have had a harder journey than others, and one participant in particular has had more than his fair share of challenges. If life has been unfair to anyone, it's him. Yet he still rides the distance his bicycle takes him to our office with a smile each day, and today was no different.

During his visit today, my colleagues and I were lamenting about how rough our day had been, how much we disliked working on this study, and how much we were looking forward to moving onto the next project. This participant sat there the whole time silent throughout our whispering. After his session, he picked up his belongings, stopped for a moment by the window and smiled at us.

"You're so lucky, you can see the trains go by every day"

This simple sentence coming from a man who had had so much taken away from him was humbling in ways I cannot even begin to explain. This man whom I had seen come into the office with a bright smile on some days, and break down in tears on others. This man who had little, and much at the same time was able to see something that I didn't.

After his statement settled in and I worked through my thoughts, a wave of embarrassment came over me. That I, someone who has had, in society's eye's, a relatively privileged life thus far, was lacking in so much. All I did was focus on the things that were wrong in my life, that I disliked. All I did was fret and worry about tiny little things. All I did was pursue thing after thing after thing, never satisfied. I'm so busy focusing on the next exam, next assignment, that I forget to appreciate the sheer enormity of what I'm learning. So busy tending to my garden that I forget to admire how gorgeous my flowers look. 

So focused on my work that I never stopped to look at the train. 

The whole time I was busy being exhausted with the project, I forgot to be thankful for the fact that I had a project to be exhausted by. I forgot to take a moment and appreciate the many amazing things I had in my life. Wonderful colleagues, a competency to work, and the train that chugged across my window periodically every day. This reminder coming from a person who's had so much to be angry about, yet finds the beauty in the simple things, is simply powerful. 

Then I realized that sometimes we are so focused on a certain thing, we forget to take the time to appreciate everything else that is going on around us. There is so much to be in awe of, so much to be inspired by, and so many things to be excited and happy about. Yet I miss them during my pursuit of something that often brings me no satisfaction. Not just in my work or academic life, but also in my personal life. There are so many things I take for granted because they're always there. Like that train. 

So I went into work today expecting that my biggest accomplishment of the day would be to run an efficient and accurate session, but instead, my biggest accomplishment was seeing for the first time, the train right outside my window. 

Sometimes, the best things in life are the hardest to see, and usually the ones that have been right in front of you the entire time. They're the ones humming in the background, bringing life to everything else.

I was blind, but now I see. 

John 9:25

naomi

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This article is re-posted from April 1st 2015

One thing about having friends a flights distance away is that it can be hard to get together, so when I texted Nissen super last minute that I was dropping by for the weekend, I wasn't expecting him to be able to make time for me.

But not only did he make time, he (and my lovely friend Tiffany) also introduced me to this lovely little coffee shop right in the heart of downtown Toronto.

For those of you who are familiar with the area, you'll know of Eaton's Center - which is basically a wonderland for shopaholics. 

Dineen Coffee Co. (the name of this delicious little shop) is a brisk walk from Eaton's Center and perfect for a little R&R between the shopping and the bag carrying.

Fueling up on caffeine, he ordered a coffee, I a macchiato, and our third date a strong shot of espresso.

We ended off our lovely get-together with warm conversations between light sips of coffee. 

For those of you looking for a quiet place to relax after a long day, or perhaps a place just to escape, Dineen is the perfect combination of local coffee store and luxury boutique. If you are coming from Eaton's, the closest exit is the one near the Apple store. It's got a hearty spread of baked goods and a wide variety of drinks to satisfy your caffeine addition.

The perfect little get-away in the heart of Toronto.

Welcome to BB's Kitchen!

So this Winter break, my two lovely cousins flew in to Winnipeg to celebrate a very White Christmas with my family and I. They arrived on a beautiful sunny day and ran off the plane excitedly yelling 'snow! snow!'

Yes. There's tons of that here.

Living in different provinces, we don't get to see each other often, so every time we are together we like to do something fun! Two years ago we made cronuts and last year we made macarons.

This year?

Well, this year, BB had a special surprise for us.

Part of his studies at school involves learning how to cook, so taking all the new found knowledge he has gained, he very enthusiastically offered to make us breakfast.

What will be served?

'French crepes with apple cinnamon filling', he beams.

Clearly very committed to this project, he sets his alarm to go off bright and early and is ready to go before anyone else is even up.

Setting off to work, he carefully measures out the flour (a must for crepes, he explains), and gently counts the eggs.

After mixing all the dry ingredients and expertly cracking the eggs, he cautiously pours out the vanilla. 'It has to be the perfect amount!' he exclaims.

Once all the ingredients are in the bowl, he plugs in the electric whisk and blends the mixture until it has the consistency of whipped honey creme.

'Once around the outside and three times in the middle!'

Once the batter came together, I anxiously wait for him to start the pan, but instead, he sticks the bowl in the fridge.

I looked at him, 'What are you doing!'

'The batter needs to sit for 30 minutes! Be patient!'

Making the most efficient use of his time, he's clearly got this process down to a tee.

As I pace around the kitchen, he grabs the apples from the fruit cabinet and begins to prep the filling.

His sister Chloe stumbles into the kitchen at some point having just woken up and agrees to help with the apples. It doesn't take long to see that she is clearly the peeling master here.

As she expertly peels and cores her apple, she gives some serious side eye over to BB.

 'you're doing this all wrong!'

Clearly unfazed, he continues along as if nothing was said.

Once all the apples are prepped, he quickly glances at the timer and realizes that time is ticking and the 30 minutes is almost up!

Rapidly placing all the apples in the pot, he scoops a generous amount of butter and puts it in with the apples along with a sprinkle of cinnamon.

As the apple cinnamon filling reduces, he turns around to look at me with a sparkle in his eye.

'Time to make the crepes!'

We decided that him and I would have a crepe making competition to see who could make the prettiest crepes. Knowing what an expert he was at flipping, I decided I needed a leg up, so I stuck him with the bad pan.

Sneaky right.

His crepes still came out nicer.

20 perfectly fluffy crepes later, we were ready to eat!

Following his lead, we all carefully placed the apple filling in the middle of the crepe, topped it off with a drizzle of honey and wrapped the pillow-like soft crepe around it.

Perfect for a crisp winter morning.