The Cantina Staring Back At You From The Abyss

lilyWhite said:

Poutine.

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Let us also not forget the numerous Traditional Irish Pubs that make some of the meanest Traditional Irish Pad Thai I have ever tasted.

Shoeless said:

Enjoy your trip, it's a great town, have you been there before?

It's weird. I love my country, and am extremely proud of our accomplishments culturally, politically and especially creatively. Yet at the same time, maybe it's because I'm Generation X, and remember the USA in the 80s, my emotional reflex is to always be a little baffled when Americans want to visit HERE. Like my brain is permanently trapped in the Reagan era, thinking, "But... you guys have Hollywood, and Disneyland and Star Wars and Manhattan! Why would would you want to come here when you've got so much stuff going down in your own country?!? We're just nice, pleasant people, that's all we've got."

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I've been to Manhattan, Las Vegas, grew up in Miami... we are coming to enjoy the international cultures, the food (my husband is a chef and LOVES the St. Lawrence market) and the NICE people. Seriously nice folks. We only live about 5 hours' drive away in NYS. I went a couple times as a child (we lived in Detroit), and my husband and I visited a year ago March for a long, ice-storm weekend. We wanted to go back when it wasn't freezing

We've got an airbnb apartment to ourselves in Cabbagetown. We'll explore the different neighborhoods (Chinatown, etc.), maybe go back to the zoo, walk around and enjoy. Take photos. Visit Mt. Pleasant cemetery (because I love cemeteries!)

We love history, great architecture, old things, unusual things, especially those that would make good photos (I sell my photos). Any suggestions? We've been to the CN Tower for dinner and had the Tower of Seafood. We've been to the Aquarium, Casa Loma (might go back to that), Necropolis, Mt. Pleasant Cemetery.

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Shoeless said:

Let us also not forget the numerous Traditional Irish Pubs that make some of the meanest Traditional Irish Pad Thai I have ever tasted.

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Where? We must try Trad Irish Pad Thai

With Poutine.

E.F.B. said:

I like the version that goes, "Aim for the moon because if you miss, you'll just hit the stars."

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Actually that line has always bugged me since I was a kid because the moon is much closer to earth than the stars. It just doesn't make sense. But I'm just being picky

Speaking of poutine, I got into a minor debate with the Mister the other day. We were on our way home and needed food. He wanted KFC, I... did not. (Not that I don't like KFC, but they gave me nasty food poisoning years ago and have yet to earn my trust back. I had a con to go to. No food poisoning.) So he got KFC, I got Wendys. With his KFC, he got a whopping huge container of gravy, which I dipped a fry in because potatoes and gravy. Aaand he called that weird. Because apparently potatoes and gravy is unacceptable if the potatoes are not in the right form?

Peh.

Shoeless said:

We're just nice, pleasant people, that's all we've got."

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And that's all we need

I live in Trump's America. I crave 'nice, pleasant people' like never before

My husband once made 'poutine pizza' (sort of). We had leftover McDonald's fries, a Boboli pizza crust, gravy and chunks of Babybel cheese chopped up. It was yummy.

Shoeless said:

Let us also not forget the numerous Traditional Irish Pubs that make some of the meanest Traditional Irish Pad Thai I have ever tasted.

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...you were saying something about poutine?

Maggie Maxwell said:

Speaking of poutine, I got into a minor debate with the Mister the other day. We were on our way home and needed food. He wanted KFC, I... did not. (Not that I don't like KFC, but they gave me nasty food poisoning years ago and have yet to earn my trust back. I had a con to go to. No food poisoning.) So he got KFC, I got Wendys. With his KFC, he got a whopping huge container of gravy, which I dipped a fry in because potatoes and gravy. Aaand he called that weird. Because apparently potatoes and gravy is unacceptable if the potatoes are not in the right form?

Peh.

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KFC is a place that wrapped a hot dog in fried chicken. And yet fries and gravy are "weird".

I mean, I do love Double Downs (not the Double Down Dog) but I'm aware that it's the kind of thing that reduces your lifespan by an entire year when you eat one.

greendragon said:

My husband once made 'poutine pizza' (sort of). We had leftover McDonald's fries, a Boboli pizza crust, gravy and chunks of Babybel cheese chopped up. It was yummy.

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Pizza places up here have poutine pizzas. I've had a few and they were actually pretty good. I've also made poutine tacos, which were delicious.

I must ponder other delicacies to twist into poutine abominations.

greendragon said:

I live in Trump's America. I crave 'nice, pleasant people' like never before

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Yeeaaaaah... that whole you got Donald Trump and we got Justin Trudeau thing is... I'm still not sure I'll ever quite understand that.

However, as to your question about Pad Thai, you're probably better off going to the dedicated restaurants, like Sukothai or Khao San Road, which are fanTAStic. The one place I went to for Traditional Irish Pad Thai was just in my neighborhood, so it was less a question of top quality, and more a question of "Well, I'm hungry, and that's just five doors down." It was called the Pour House, in the Annex, which is where Casa Loma is. I could see that castle from my backyard, just up the hill. I still remember my wife making veiled threats about me sleeping on the couch when we saw all the lights around the castle one night and realized they were shooting scenes from Scott Pilgrim there, and I TOTALLY wanted to geek out and try to raid the set.

greendragon said:

Actually, my stupid-rich-won-the-lottery dream is to build or restore a castle, have a working medieval village for the tourists.

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That's a good dream. Creates jobs, too.

greendragon said:

Scottish island with lighthouse for sale: £325,000

Who's in?

And to tie it into writing - the person who built the lighthouse was Robert Louis Stevenson's uncle. Also, the scene of an infamous murder.

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It looks so good in those pictures, but it's going to be windy as all get-out and probably very chilly most of the year. I'm personally eyeing the Pitcairn Islands.

zanzjan said:

It's a problem in rural areas, because the big cable companies have to run the same amount of cable for far fewer houses, so it's less profitable and they often won't bother. And then will fight any town trying to do it themselves, because they don't want the precedent of non-profit internet providers. We're trying anyway, and slowly winning, but it's an uphill battle.

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Viva la revolucion! Fight the companies!

ETA: Gmail decided to shortened my Granddad's name to Carl. Dignified philosopher with a magnificent beard. Carl. I mean, granted, his name is Carl Henrik, but that second part is important to lend it some gravitas.

Shoeless said:

Yeeaaaaah... that whole you got Donald Trump and we got Justin Trudeau thing is... I'm still not sure I'll ever quite understand that.

However, as to your question about Pad Thai, you're probably better off going to the dedicated restaurants, like Sukothai or Khao San Road, which are fanTAStic. The one place I went to for Traditional Irish Pad Thai was just in my neighborhood, so it was less a question of top quality, and more a question of "Well, I'm hungry, and that's just five doors down." It was called the Pour House, in the Annex, which is where Casa Loma is. I could see that castle from my backyard, just up the hill. I still remember my wife making veiled threats about me sleeping on the couch when we saw all the lights around the castle one night and realized they were shooting scenes from Scott Pilgrim there, and I TOTALLY wanted to geek out and try to raid the set.

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Thanks for the recommendations - we'll check them out! Casa Loma was great, but we were there during an Easter brunch event. MUCH too people-y for my husband. I explored it, but he waited in the car.

Religion0 said:

That's a good dream. Creates jobs, too.


It looks so good in those pictures, but it's going to be windy as all get-out and probably very chilly most of the year. I'm personally eyeing the Pitcairn Islands.

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Yup - guaranteed to be cold, wet and rainy, despite that rare sunny day pic it's got.

zanzjan said:

Sadly, not enough signal to get a hotspot up either.

...

Also, this is your occasional gentle modly reminder that the Cantina is a no-politics zone.

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Sorry! (zipping mouth)

What if we make our OWN politics?

*hides bedazzled Steve for Cantina Prez sign*

That's what they said!

I mean, it has cabbage in it, right? Totally Irish!

(In all fairness many of the Irish pubs I went to in Ireland sold burgers when they served food at all. I'm sure there's a trendy fusion food pub on that island somewhere!)

zanzjan said:

wait... Irish Pad Thai???

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Toronto is just weird that way. You'll walk through downtown and see more traditional Irish Pubs than you can shake a stick at, but when you walk over to the sandwich boards in front of these places that list menu highlights, invariably, Pad Thai is often one of the signature dishes.

Hey, I don't make these rules, I just run into 'em.

In the same way, in my new home town of Hamilton, never, until now, had I known how essential chicken wings were to... just about every meal you could imagine. Wings paired with something else seems to be a local tradition, and I'm still not used to it.

Maybe because it's so close (ish) to Buffalo?

Is that a thing in Buffalo?

I was not aware of that. More research is now required...

It's the birthplace of Buffalo Wings...

I'm just going to sit in the corner now with this pointy white hat and think about what I've done...

This list of regional foods in the US led me down some interesting rabbit holes... especially as it showed foods from my childhood, from my husband's, and why I didn't know some of his (like fluffernutter!)

Y'all are making this pregnant lady hungry for weird food... Actually I just really want some good pasta.

Maggie Maxwell said:

Speaking of poutine, I got into a minor debate with the Mister the other day. We were on our way home and needed food. He wanted KFC, I... did not. (Not that I don't like KFC, but they gave me nasty food poisoning years ago and have yet to earn my trust back. I had a con to go to. No food poisoning.) So he got KFC, I got Wendys. With his KFC, he got a whopping huge container of gravy, which I dipped a fry in because potatoes and gravy. Aaand he called that weird. Because apparently potatoes and gravy is unacceptable if the potatoes are not in the right form?

Peh.

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Heh, my dad got food poisoning from KFC when I was little, and he hated it ever after. Thus, I never went to a KFC until I was an adult. I suspect you have to grow up eating it to enjoy it.

Also, french fries are great with mayonnaise, there I said it.

Kricket said:

Y'all are making this pregnant lady hungry for weird food... Actually I just really want some good pasta.

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...poutine spaghetti. With potato cubes for meatballs.

The lilyWife isn't home yet but I'm sure a cold shudder has gone through her very soul and she doesn't know why...yet.

Alright. I tried. I skimmed until my stomach just couldn't take it anymore. I'm off for dinner. See ya later.