October 2021 – For You, with Love & Squalor

20211024 – Wandering Downtown Kitchener and Civic Centre

If you don’t know anything about Kitchener, you’re about to learn a thing or two.

The ‘sunset’ mode kicked-in on my phone and made it ‘pop’

Get your flu shot! (Rexall link/SDM Link) I took this leaving the Rexall on Frederick earlier this week. I normally always go to Shoppers Drug Mart, but I like this Rexall because it’s always so quiet and chill. Also they’ve got M&M food.

Frederick is an interesting street, this is just next to Weber Park. You’ve got a big park, old shopping mall and houses all competing to define the character of area. For me, the charm of the houses wins-out, but you can always feel the commercial part of it.

This house just stood out to me on Mansion Street. I feel like it’s going to open like a mouth and start talking to me.

Ontario Street is a gem in Downtown Kitchener, and all on one street you get the amenities you’d be used to in Toronto. There’s Legacy Greens which is a green grocer with treats, meats, gifts, and food to go. There’s the Adventurer’s Guild for playing games with friends with food and drink. There’s also an indie coffee shop called Show&Tell. You don’t see it here, but further up the street there is an indie cinema called The Apollo. Lastly, it’s not Kitchener without an European restaurant, and for this we have Two Goblets and their awesome Schnitzel sandwiches to-go.

Easy Cook Korean Rice Cakes

You can have fun in your own city visiting ethnic grocery stores and trying new foods. I bought some easy cook rice cakes in a spicy sauce at the Galleria Express on Bloor Street.

Definitely attractive packaging, the orange leaps out at you.

In small print below the Korean script (Hangeul), the product name ‘Bunmoja Tteok-Bokki’ is in English. Tteok-Bokki are Rice Cakes in Korean.

The instructions are only in Korean, but if you cannot figure it out, you may want to stick to EasyMac

I followed the instructions and cooked it in the 1000 watt microwave for 5 minutes and 30 seconds.

Not the best looking meal out of my microwave

You do eat with your eyes first, I can’t say it looked particularly appetizing, but I’m not a big fan of rice cakes. Overall it was OK, but the fun part was picking it up in the store and trying something new! Try it with anything the next time you’re in the grocery.

Cumbrae’s Beef Stroganoff for Dinner

I wanted something super easy to make and tasty. Cumbrae’s usually deliver on both with their packaged meals (spoiler: not so much this time).

Today the choice was Beef Stroganoff. It’s starting to get cooler, and what could be more comforting than beef, noodles and sour cream?

Unfortunately, it’s expensive as heck and only just fills up two people. You can really only justify the price if you compare it to ordering out on UberEats, but you can’t justify it compared to actually cooking a meal.

It’s also not terribly appetizing to look at once you’ve squeezed it out of its plastic home.

There’s no instructions besides to warm it up gently. I left it on the lowest heat for about 20 minutes while watching a youtube video.

There was enough to fill up two bowls with Beef Stroganoff, and it was eaten up quickly with room for an ice cream bar afterwards.

There’s been meals I’ve enjoyed much more from Cumbrae’s, and while this one didn’t taste bad, it didn’t knock my socks off either. The beef was tender, but the flavour didn’t do it for me. Consider trying it yourself next time you want a quick meal and want an alternative to delivery food.

20211017 Grocery Run in Queen West

I needed something for dinner, something for dessert, and I can always use a walk.

The seldom spotted Red Tesla Model 3, where Tecumseth meets Palmerston on Queen St.

A classic white Range Rover parked on the street

Tecumseth and Palmerston at Queen, without a red Tesla Model 3

The Salvation Army shelter at Queen and Tecumseth

These houses won’t be around too much longer, reminds me of a song

Queen and Bathurst, a convenience store dedicated to one of the not so good Drag Race songs

The condo behind here, is certainly a sign of things to come for these houses. Eventually we’ll be walking past yet another glass and brick podium like on any other major street in Toronto.

Looking north to Queen on Shadowy Bathurst

Sunshine beaming over the garden at St. Mary’s church at Adelaide and Bathurst

It isn’t Stanley Park, I don’t know which park it is, but it’s got a neat structure in it.

A tram passing by on King St with an INS really popping out next to the wine rack

Meant to be a photo of a VIA Rail ad, but you can’t always get what you want

Nice to see some Halloween decorations on a street between King and Queen

The wall looks a bit out of place, but it’s historical. It was built by the people kept at the hospital which is now CAMH

Looking east down Queen St, the shadow gives me a feeling I had Totoro standing next to me.

You can walk down a major street in Toronto, and then down the side there’ll be trees and houses

Neat branding with the logo, typeface and juxtaposition. There are a lot of ways to market this product to a lot of audiences, it’s rare for me to see it done so, ‘elegantly’

I will never ever remember to go and buy them, but I’m sure they’d be the best Perogies I could buy.

St. Mary’s Church at Adelaide and Bathurst

This place would be so spooky on Halloween. It’s a public washroom in Stanley Park. Never seen another washroom in a park quite like this one.

Looking east down King St by Stanley Park

The perfect place to sit in Toronto. Cute bench, ATM, greenery, and a Pumpkin watching over you.

Pork Chops for Dinner

A super simple dinner tonight, but a great way to put the cast iron grill pan to use.

Tanjo Farms Centre Cut Pork Chops from Sanagan’s Meat Locker
Cumbrae’s Smashed Potatoes (Potatoes, Turnip, Rutabaga, Prosciutto, & Chives). It was super convenient to order these on UberEats!
Green Giant Green Peas, an old school classic!